Time 2 Pray

I got up early one morning,

And rushed right into the day;

I had so much to accomplish,

I didn’t have time to pray.

Troubles just tumbled about me,

And heavier came each task.

"Why doesn’t God help me?" I wondered.

He answered, "You didn’t ask."

I tried to come into God’s presence;

I used all my keys at the lock.

God gently and lovingly chided,

"Why, child, you didn’t knock."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

But the day toiled on gray and bleak.

I wondered why God didn’t show me.

He said, "You didn’t seek."

I woke up early this morning,

And paused before entering the day.

I had so much to accomplish

That I had to take time to pray.

Damien Jackson

YPG Leader, NY

B Trans4med!

... and the transformation continues at the YPG.

Andrea Martinez

Jaime Orozco

Because You Are Strong! - 1 Jn 2:14

Luke Castro 

YPG National Coordinator

B Trans4med!

This was Madeline Fuentes before & after.

And you, do you know WHERE U GOING?

whereugoing.org/us

Luke Castro

YPG National Coordinator

Where U Going? - Francis Kallon Testimony

Watch this amazing example of what is to be in control of one's life.

Where U Going?

Who Are You?

Stop for a moment … take a piece of paper and answer this question, 'who am I?' Finished? Good. Now answer this, 'who do I want to become?'

It's likely that there is a big gap between the who you are and who you want to become. So what's the bridge that closes the gap?

WORK! In order to achieve anything you have to work hard for it and the time to invest in it is now. Many young people have big plans for their future. They are even told that they can be successful, as I'm sure you've heard or read on a report card, e.g. 'so and so has great potential'.

But years go by and the person's potential seems to just waste away … why? Because they allowed themselves to get sidetracked from their goal, they allowed themselves to get lost in the crowd. Exodus 23:2 reads, "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil."

"Where is this crowd leading you? 
Where are you going with this? 

Closer to your goal or on a completely

different path?"

If you know what you want, go ahead and work for it. What's the point in delaying what you want for the sake of following people in a direction that leads you nowhere near where you should be?

Maybe all you want at the moment is to have fun and just hang around. You're thinking, 'I'll get serious when I'm older'. But remember that as years go by and you take no action towards your goal, it will not only make it harder as you may never get there! You might become like many 40-somethings, only dreaming of what they should have been.

Focus. Don't follow the crowd.

This advice is contrary to what you learn outside. You are taught that you should be part of a gang, a clique… whatever you want to call it - it's a crowd! But stop and think … where is this crowd leading you? Where are you going with this? Closer to your goal or on a completely different path?

Pr Luke Castro

YPG National Coordinator

One Way or Another, You Pay

It's not a question of IF you will sacrifice, it's a question of WHAT FOR.

Youths right now are sacrificing their health by taking any type of drugs and by drinking.

They are sacrificing their bodies and love life by sleeping around.

They are sacrificing their brains by studying real hard.

They are sacrificing their time when going to night clubs, pubs and when spending time in prison.

They are sacrificing their energy by playing sports.

They are sacrificing their hearts by hoarding feelings like grudges, hatred and anger.

On the other hand, there are others who choose to give their 100% on the altar and sacrifice all that they are and have to God. They know that now is the time. No time to waste. Their youth is precious to God.

As you can see, we are always sacrificing.

Now, do I need to explain the consequence of both ways of sacrificing?

Pr Luke Castro

YPG National Coordinator

Amazing!

The message below was sent by a youth from our youth group in the UK. I've known him for about 3 years know. I haven't added nor taken anything away from it's original context.

"Hi Pr. Luke, i hope all is well and the YPG is breaking through. 

A couple of months ago i was feeling as if i was trapped in a box, i never knew what i wanted to do and spiritually stuck, neither moving forward or backwards. 

So after the service i came home to seek, because i knew God had a will for my life but i didn't know what it was. these were the words that i said "Lord.... right now i feel like i am stuck in a cardboard box.... I want to do sooo much more but Lord i just want to know what your will is for my life...." there was more but that is obviously personal. 

So some days after that, i started doing more such as fasting just for more of the Holy spirit and for guidance and direction, also praying early in the morning etc.. SO! a couple of weeks ago the answer came of want Gods will was for my life, and i am happy to say its to serve on the Altar :-). 

The reason why the subject of this message is 'Amazing!' is because, i never thought in a million years i would ever say this,because i said dancing is my thing so that's what I'm going to do. I thought about the sacrifice and everything that i would be leaving behind, but it didn't really have as much of an affect as i thought because i thought to myself all these material things will pass but leaving this earth knowing you gave everything to serve God and winning souls, i knew this would the best decision i had ever made. :D"

Malcom Koroma, YPG UK

How I wish more youths had the boldness and audacity to make such prayer. Many are scared of the answer. Malcom wasn't. He meant business.

Begin With the End in Mind

Define your mission and your goals in life.

Do you have a clear picture of who you want to be one year from now? Five years from now? Or are you clueless?

Begin with the end in mind means developing a clear picture of where you want to go with your life. It means deciding to set goals. 

Why is it important to have an end in mind? I’ll give you two reasons.

The first one is that you are at a critical crossroads in life, and the path you choose now can affect you forever. For instance, do you want to go to college or open your own business? What type of friends do you want to have? Will you join a gang? Will you date now? Will you drink, smoke, have sex before marriage? What will you stand for?

The second is that if you don’t decide your future, someone else will do it for you. As Jack Welch, former teen and current business executive, put it, “Control your own destiny or someone else will.” “Who will?” you may ask. Perhaps your friends or family or the media. Do you want your friends to tell you what to stand for? You may have great parents, but do you want them to draw up the blueprint for your life? Their interests may be far different from yours. Do you want to adopt the values portrayed in soap operas, magazines and on the big screen?

Don’t go with the flow. Don’t procrastinate.

"Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn't first sit down and figure the cost so you'll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you're going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: 'He started something he couldn't finish.' Luke 14:28-29

Pr Luke Castro

YPG National Coordinator

Go Beyond - Building Bridges

Building bridges

There is a huge difference between a dream - a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal - and a wishful thinking - the formation of beliefs and making decisions according to what might be pleasing to imagine instead of by appealing to evidence or rationality.

There are many youths who dream of big things but do very little to get there. They should start building the path now, which will, at some point later on in life, lead them to the fulfillment of that dream.

Joseph had a dream given by God when he was a teenager. He dreamed that he would succeed one day. And it happened. That dream came true when he was at the age of 30.

A lot of things happened along the way that could become a reason for him to give up. He never did. He reminded himself constantly of the that dream. He focused. He did not flinch at any time.

Learn a new language, read books, work on your skills, acquire new ones too. For instance, if you want to become a lawyer then work for a law firm, even if you will have to work as an office boy.

At least you will gain some knowledge on that field. This means that in the future, when you finish college, you will be one or two steps ahead of others.

How about you? What have you been doing about that dream? Are you working towards it or was it just a fantasy?

Next week I will tell you what happens after you start building the bridge.

Pr Luke Castro