A Rebalance Story…
This warmer weather has us anticipating Spring. I caught myself imagining my tulip bulbs poking through the black dirt I can now see. In the moment, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that this is an analogy to our hearts in regards to spiritual growth…under the surface so much has to happen before we see any “fruit” poking through the once frozen and snow covered ground. In so many of our teens’ lives, God is doing a good work underneath the surface, as we prepare soil and eagerly anticipate “spring” in their lives. And often God is generous in showing us fruit or progress along the way.
Soil prep or heart work, is exactly what we are after in a new ministry program, called Rebalance. Our first Rebalance “class” launched with the new year on January 7th. We are one of several Youth for Christ chapters around the nation who have the opportunity to pilot this program. The foundational understanding of this program recognizes all humans, but especially teens, need to heal and belong before they can eventually hear and believe the Gospel.
The twelve week Rebalance class focuses on preparing the soil of a teen’s heart to eventually receive the “seed” in another Youth for Christ program (Satisfied, Braid, Wheels, etc). “Coaches” partner with the Lord in preparing the soil by using Trust Based Relational Intervention methods to build relationships along with a lot of “playful engagement”. For example, we actively learn about boundaries, through a series of games that may include a bubble suit or good ole’ fashioned tag!
We are seven weeks into our first class and plan to begin a second class this month. Here are a few snapshots so far…
Deepened Relationship- our current class is with teens we already know from existing programming. Rebalance has offered an additional connection point to know them better.
Practical life application- When forming a goal around the value of forgiveness, one teen set the goal of forgiving his dad from past family hurt.
A sense of community and friendships forming – teens remembering and using peers’ names and noticing when someone is gone. Phone numbers exchanged.
Confidence in trying new things and sharing outload with the group
Would you continue to pray for us as we meet new teens, build community partnerships and partner with the Lord in healing teens we are entrusted with?
Sara Miller
Rebalance Coordinator