Claudia Hildebrandt is the Director of Administration at YFC Germany and the wife of the former National Director in Germany, Alfons Hildebrandt. Claudia and Alfons live in Bensheim, south of Muehltal where the national office is. Claudia travels globally with Alfons as he serves on the YFC International Board.

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The first time we “met“ was in a hallway. Not the kind of hallway that welcomes you openly, more the dark and cold type that makes you rush through – on to friendly people and cozier rooms. There at the side it stood: an antique bureau.

Scratches all over, chipped wood in some places, a jammed drawer – it had obviously seen better days. To me it was the least appealing piece of furniture in the whole house. Still, we decided to take it along and have it refinished. Why, because it was a family heirloom.

We dropped it off at the wood shop and the carpenter did his work: sanding the whole piece, repairing the drawer, furbishing the fittings and so on. The next time I saw it, I walked by, not recognizing it – so amazing was the change!

Now the bureau has its place in our living room: A practical storage, nice to look at and bringing back fond memories.

This reminded me: We belong to and serve a God who isn’t so much interested on the outer appearance and performance, but focuses on the hidden treasures.

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when God chose you. Not many of you were considered wise by human standards. Not many of you were powerful. Not many of you belonged to important families. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the things of this world that are common and looked down on… – 1.Cor: 1, 26-28 (NIRV)

Maybe the kids we meet in ministry come from the “wrong part of town”, seem damaged beyond repair and show little or no potential. Or looking at your life you appear to be in the wrong place, not noticed by others, your (spiritual) gifts buried deep. That’s our perspective.

From God’s perspective we are his chosen children, fearfully and wonderfully made. If we allow it, He will be at work in our lives to bring forth amazing things.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do good things he planned for us long ago.” – Eph.2,10 (NLT)

As we start this New Year may we see ourselves and those we meet with God’s eyes. Looking deeper than first impressions; expecting to discover the God given potential.

Claudia Hildebrandt
claudia.hildebrandt@jfc.de

 

Jill Briscoe is the founder of Just Between Us, a magazine of encouragement equipping women for a life of faith. A native of Liverpool, England, Jill is the author of over 40 books, has ministered extensively on every continent teaching and encouraging, and served on the boards of World Relief and Christianity Today. Together with her husband, Stuart, they serve as ministers-at-large with Elmbrook Church and can be heard regularly on Telling the Truth, their worldwide media ministry. They reside in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and have three grown children and 13 grandchildren.

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What you believe is all tied up with who you believe!

Years ago I spoke to a young European woman who was into all the Western philosophies. Astrology seemed to be the favorite.

It was just before Christmas and she asked me what I believed and why I believed it. She confided she was looking for a reason for which to live and to die. “I want so badly to know what to believe,” she said. She hadn’t found the answer.

“It’s not what but who,” I said. She looked at me inquiringly.

I reminded her of the Christmas story and how astrologers – philosophers from Persia – traveled hundreds of miles to kneel at a crib of a poor baby boy.

“Why would such important religious teachers from another culture bow the knee to a baby born in a stable?” I asked her. She shook her head. “Because of whothey believed Him to be,” I answered. “When you find out who that baby is, you’ll find what to believe and what you are looking for. He will tell you the true truth. If He is God, then we can trust and believe what He said.”

Then I explained, “That’s why I’m a convinced Christian. What I believe has credibility because of who said it. If Jesus is God, what He said is truth. It’s trustworthy.”

When my youngest son, Pete, was in grade school, he loved words and had a great sense of drama – even in those days! I found him in a corner of his room writing hard.

“What are you writing?” I asked.

“A book,” he answered without looking up.

“A book? What about?”

“About God.”

“Why?”

“So people will read it and know about Him.”

These many years later, Pete has finished his book, Belief Matters!

Pete understands this generation of adults. Not because he’s learned how to talk to them, but because he’s one of them. Pete challenges the myth that it’s okay to believe whatever you want to believe if you believe it in sincerity.

As Pete explains, a sincere belief can be sincerely wrong. Pete says, “Unless we know what is true about God, our distorted beliefs will cripple our experience.”

Understanding what you believe is more crucial than ever, especially in these times. We need to know why we believe, but more importantly in who because Belief Matters!

Jill Briscoe

This article is from Ester Montefalcone, the National Director for YFC Italy, who oversees the Youth for Christ work throughout Italy. She lives in Bologna.

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“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing” John 15:5 (The Message)

For many of us, September is the real start of the year. Summer is like a divide, therefore all the activities and programs naturally end in June and have to restart in September. As we restart, we sit down and discuss visions and strategies, and reflect on what we would like to keep from the previous year and what we are ready to throw away or to change. In any case, this is a time for conversations, evaluations and planning.

If we are honest, even though not necessarily arrogant, if we have served for a long time in some capacity, we have developed the skills and acquired the experience that may allow us to go forward even just in our own strength. There are many scenarios that keep coming back and that we have learned to handle. For the new ones, we hope for some help or in some coworker with the right skills. Then, for those things which are not under our control (health, the weather, bad things that may happen, and so on), we trust in God. But what is Jesus saying with these words that the apostle John wrote down? Is He simply encouraging us to say “God help us!” or to believe that “God helps those who help themselves”? Well, we do not need an expert in Biblical exegesis to understand that here Jesus is pronouncing very drastic words. He is saying that without Him we can do nothing, not even a thing! He is not speaking about things like youth meetings, programs and activities, but about fruit that is the result of an intimate and real relationship with Him. Without such relationship, it will be impossible to see that fruit.

Fruit is the evidence of the inner life of a plant. I think of such fruit as the evidence of a new essence: humility. It has been said that “humility is not so much a grace or a virtue along with others; it is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God, and allows Him as God to do all” (Andrew Murray, Humility, Amazon edition, p. 5). Humility is therefore the true essence of a Christian that produces the fruit. Murray adds that the creature has as “its chief care, its highest virtue, its only happiness, now and through eternity, to present itself an empty vessel, in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness” (Murray, p. 4). Only good fruit can sprout up from such good land. It may not be the fruit we wrote down in our planning templates, but certainly it will be a fruit that will manifest the life of Christ in us. And this is what young people need the most!

Let’s start this ministry year telling God that we want to be a soil made of humility and we only desire fruit that grows in such soil. Prayer is the response of a humble heart that goes to God saying that we cannot do a thing without Him. Let’s approach Him then asking Him to speak to us and to lead us. Let’s bring to Him our plans and ideas and let’s tell Him that He has all the authority to change them, to accomplish them or to throw them away.

Blessings sisters,

Ester Montefalcone
ester@yfcitalia.org