Chisel 2008 --Sculpting Young Men to Lead Great Works

by David Shannon

God blesses us daily. But some days the blessings are so bountiful we might ask, "Is this really happening?" That is how I felt during Chisel -- 48 hours of Leadership Experiences. We were blessed with a talented group of young men who displayed a genuine heart for individual growth. We were blessed with many ministries throughout middle Tennessee who opened their doors and passionately challenged each of us to become more. We were blessed with elders, deacons, and staff who poured their enthusiasm and love into the lives which were being sculpted. We were blessed with a simple mission-- "Find the opportunities God will give you to use your abilities to make a significant impact on the lives of others." Jerusalem might never have been destroyed by Babylon if the former generation of leaders would have Chiseled the younger generation into leaders. Not only was godliness lacking, but also leadership. God said, "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one" (Eze 22:30).
In 48 hours we couldn't shape each young man's life, but we gave our all to helping them realize that one man who passionately uses his abilities in the kingdom can do great things for God's glory. We challenged them to have tender hearts to feel the burden of what is lacking and to have the courage to do something about it. Don't settle for status-quo , but face the giants, build the walls, sacrifice your best. Several of you have asked about the 12 experiences, so the following is a brief description.

1. Kevin Hines, one of our deacons, spoke as a young man who moved to Japan to find that God had many opportunities for him. He moved there as an engineer, but where he worshiped needed him to rotate preaching and teaching.

2. The Pirtle's pool became the classroom to teach how to baptize. Each one practiced.

3. A 6:00 a.m. run with Grif (military style--in formation) led to MJ Cemetery to hear a challenging lesson from this elder. His plea for each of them to find a role model was most persuasive.

4. The Anderson's at the Gospel Advocate rolled out the red carpet giving each young man a magazine, book, and refreshments. They also provided their editor, Denny Lloyd, to give professional instructions on how to write an article for publication. Clay Batts will write an article soon for "The Messenger."

5. Lane Motor Museum served as the classroom to teach the young men the power of illustration. Each young man used an unusual car to illustrate a verse or Biblical principle.

6. They learned thriftiness and cooperation as two teams of 10 were dropped off at Kroger with only $15.00 for lunch. Both teams left full.

7. Mac Ice, of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, provided a brief history of restoration. Some of them heard teachings of the restoration movement for the first time.

8. Jim Bill McInteer sat with them in a passionate session urging the young men to have their eyes open to service. He also gave them tips on how to introduce a speaker and how to lead a prayer. It will not soon be forgotten, if ever.

9. The second night was spent in McDonald Funeral Home in Centerville. Needless to say, it was sobering. According to Ecclesiastes 7:2 this is good. Our young men concurred.

10. A stop at the small TV studio at Graymere church of Christ in Columbia planted seeds in the minds of our young men. Rick Combs, one of their deacons, described the studio's beginning up to present operations. Our young men decided to meet soon to discuss their potential in this area.

11. Brad Harrub, of Focus Press, shared his burden to produce a magazine which would reach out to the world. His story struck a cord with our young men. They had many questions on how he did this, and how they could do similar works for the Lord.

12. Andy Connelly led a tour of World Christian Broadcasting. The magnitude of their ministry is most impressive. This reveals the fact that no one needs to dream small if the Lord is in it!

13. (Baker's Dozen) Jim Parnell, the Chaplin of Summit Hospital, welcomed us to the hospital chapel. There he described his work. We also used this time to give the young men tips on how to make hospital and funeral home visits.

We closed our time together at our building with a final session of prayer, scripture, and a passionate challenge. The challenge was the same they had heard for 48 hours; "Find the opportunity God will give you to use your abilities to make a significant difference in the lives of others." God opened the windows of heaven and flooded us for 48 wonderful hours. Thank God and to him be the glory.

• Chisel -Aug 24, 2008
• Youth ministry subject of university workshop -Feb 05, 2008
• Home is Where you Make It -Aug 07, 2005
• New Eyes -Jun 12, 2005
• Teen Youth Ministry -Jan 16, 2005