youth ministry minute – take 6

today I want to talk about MARGIN.  I want to write, not as one who has somehow attained it, but as someone who is desperately seeking it.  I feel that I have SOME (and I stress SOME) margin in my life… at times… but most of the time I feel as if I am running from one thing to the next.  The healthiest youth workers I know all have some things in common.  One of those things is margin: the ability to have time for significant moments in your life outside of the daily grind.  I had a margin experience last night.  my son is 19 months old.  my wife, Sarah, was at a meeting last night for her trip to haiti.  (read all about it here.) anyway, Nic and I got to spend some quality time together wrestling, playing “bafeball” (as he calls it) and just hanging out.  It dawned on me last night, “I need to keep areas of margin in my life for times like these as he gets older.  I never want him to say ‘Dad, you never have time for me any more’.”  To be a great youth worker… margin is a must.