Larry is a devoted husband and father to his wife and children and he makes them his number one priority after his relationship with Christ.
He has been married to Jessica Franks for 20 years and has two daughters, Chelsea (15) and Hannah (9). Jessica holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University and is currently employed at NAFECO in Decatur.
I am a youth minister.
I am the unsung worker in the unsung field of the unsung harvest. It should be no shock that no one recognizes the work I do considering very few people recognize the kids to whom I have dedicated my life to reach.
The world of my kids is a distant land, seldom thought of or journeyed to, and rarely considered. I have sailed away from shore in an effort to reach it, and, in doing so, I have sailed, in some ways, away from being recognized and remembered in what I do.
I am a youth minister.
I won't fit the mold of the "everyday" job. I might not be in the office by 8:30am, since I probably won't leave before 9pm. I don't wear a tie. I get to wear jeans. My office might look a bit like a wreck, complete with a paper-filled desk surrounded by volleyballs and left-over sleeping bags, old retreat T-shirts and broken guitar chords, dog-eared copies of paperback bibles and crumpled sign-up forms and flyers. Contrary to most, my office isn't where most of my work happens. My work happens in the bleachers at the high school soccer game, at the local Dairy Queen, at the mall, the arcade, and the dance recital. My work happens wherever those kids are. Right now they are in second period. So, I'll clear a space in my office and sit there and wait until 3pm when I can get to see them again.
I am a youth minister.
More than likely, I'll never be "successful" by the world's standards. I knew that when I answered the call to be here. I can't forget that. I'll never be in the Wall Street Journal or in Fortune Magazine. I'll never be a Gold Medallion level frequent flyer with the ability to complain how much my company makes me travel because they need me so much. I'll never have a company car. I may never travel out of my neighborhood, and my car will always have face prints on the windows, soda cans rolling around under the seats, and a few teenagers sitting inside. I'll never be moving up the corporate ladder. I may never get a new title, since there isn't much other way to describe what I do.
I am a youth minister.
I'm not like some other ministers. I can't simply open up the doors of my church and expect people to flock to me and to hear words of wisdom. I must go find them. I can't afford to stand above those around me or rise above them in image, personality, or ego. I must use all my effort, humility, and character to dive down to where most of where my kids reside, meet them where they are, and work to pick them back up. Glossy, multi-syllable words aren't a benefit to me. They do nothing more than get me funny looks of confusion. My rule is simplicity. Simple words. Simple ideas. Simple love. I try to love on kids the same way that Jesus did.
I am a youth minister.
Most of that which surrounds me will be unique. I'll be the one that submits receipts for reimbursement that include marshmallows, bungee cords, whipped cream, massive amounts of pizza, and multi-colored wigs. I'll be the one that everyone runs to when something around the church gets broken, spilt upon, or stained. I'll be the one that few take seriously. I'll be the one that everyone simply considers a "playmate" to the kids, everyone except the kids, that is. They'll be just about the only ones that understand why I am here and what I am all about. They'll be the only ones that could speak of the depth, heart, and magnitude of what we are dealing with here. Unfortunately, their voices are taken less seriously .
I am a youth minister.
God is my real boss . He recognizes what I do. He smiles down on me when my kids smile and cries with us when we cry. He worries about them a good bit, for he truly sees what they are up against each day. My boss never leaves me. I depend on him in everything that I do. He provides for my every need. He knows me. He knows the kids. He is the one at work here, not me. It does me good to constantly remember that. I get overwhelmed when I forget it. I am not in charge here.
I am a youth minister.
My customers are teenagers. They have little to no money, prestige, influence, or buying power. They are confused and lost more times than not. People seldom listen to them or give them respect. They need to talk, to laugh, to be loved, to be listened to, and to rest. Most times, adults are on their case about something . Most adults just want them to turn their music down, cut their hair, quit talking like that, quit dressing like that, etc. That is what most folks see out of them. I do not.
I am a youth minister.
My job will never be understood by my friends. I can consider myself to them, in some ways, like the nuclear bio-physicist. They have heard of the title, but they don't really know what I do. Sometimes, they will say, "Well, that is an admirable job" or "Well, th at is a field that definitely needs some attention" but that is about as far as it will go. To many, they will see what I do as the best that I can do. Some will think that I had to settle for working with teenagers. To me, I see it as something that I have chosen to do ... and feel that I must do because God called me and equipped me to do this . Many will ask, "What will you do when you are fifty?" "God willing, exactly the same thing," I will respond. Many will be jealous of me, because they have noticed that I never complain about what I do, and love what I do.
Plus, I get to wear jeans to work.
I am a youth minister.
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