Bringing in the sheaves is what came to my mind when thinking about the first ever BWAP Thanksgiving. It's an old song about sowing and reaping. What started as a regular BWAP Thursday night (although regular doesn't describe the uniqueness of every week,) quickly grew into a much larger than normal evening.
    When the YWAP Director was contacted by Beth Thurn Atwood about having her Friends sponsor a BWAP Dinner, that was special in itself. It's not often that some folks from outside the city come in and actually extend their hearts by serving with their hands. The seeds sown by the Friends caused a much larger event to happen. It was kind of like a mustard seed story - something big grows from a small gesture of kindness. Beth and her husband Bob were joined by Scott Schiemant, Michelle Schiemant, Teri Thompson Bebak, David Schutrum, Izzy Atwood, Tracey Taylor and Bob Grimm as the Crew of Friends who came rejoicing and sowing seeds of kindness. Thank you Friends for bringing in the sheaves. (We've reprinted the lyrics below and we sing it in honor of you.
     Although we've grown accustomed to every week at BWAP being unique, Pastor Charles McCarley went over the top. He brought energy and a message with audience participation. He invited some BWAP guys up to be part of a demonstration about how who or what you are linked to can help you or hurt you. The guys linked arms, back-to-back in a circle as they sat on the floor. They then had to stand up which could only be done as team. The guys laughed and struggled as they gained a new found wisdom. Small things in life can lift you up or cast you down. Thanks Pastor Charles, you lifted us up with humor, opened our spirits and poured forth God's wisdom.
     Putting God first seemed to be the theme for the night. The YWAP folks took turns telling the crowd about the current events and future plans of our BWAP Program. Several young men did an excellent job talking about how BWAP is now changing lives in the Buffalo Schools. Great things are happening at BWAP! To all the folks who made the first ever BWAP Thanksgiving special - THANK YOU.
JESUS LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE!
#JLYASDW

We need folks who want to help young men reach their purpose in life.
Have you reached your purpose in life?
Maybe you are called to mentor and coach young people.

It only takes $5 a week to sponsor a guy at BWAP. What does $5 get? Two hours of exercise, a home-style dinner and a 9 Minute Life-Direction Speech from a guest Speaker. Thursday night at BWAP is only one night that opens the door to a relationship for life. Some guys are even provided with transportation to and from the gym. You can give any amount.
Thank you to everybody who has prayed, volunteered, and donated to youth With A Purpose.
‪#‎JLYASDW‬

Thanks for your time. Go and do something nice for somebody.

Youth With A Purpose Inc.
157 Locust Street
Buffalo, New York 14204
716-830-8240
[email protected]

We do appreciate and need your prayers, volunteer support and financial help.
You can write a check to YWAP, we are a non-profit 501c3.
Our online BWAP donation site may be found at:
http://www.gofundme.com/w5p6ee4
JLYASDW

"Bringing in the Sheaves

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain:
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves;
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the Sheaves

Knowles Shaw, 1874
Copyright: Public Domain

     Young people like to hear that somebody is proud of them. It's not hard to find something to be proud of. Last wee we had a couple of guys involved in an unfortunate mishap that was clearly an accident. After the initial shock and anger, the 2 boys reconciled after one of them apologized. On Monday in our YWAP After School Program at Buffalo School 94, we told the boys we were proud of them. We did it publicly in front of our whole class. It was a beautiful moment and the boys grew in stature.
     When was the last time somebody told you that they were proud of you? If you are taking the time to read this we are proud of you. It means you care about what happens to kids. It means you have a vested interest in helping young people reach their fullest potential. It means that you care. For those reasons we are proud of you.
     Among the stories we told yesterday was the history of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. It's a historical allusion about perseverance and triumph over tragedy. After that story, we asked the students about their reactions to the tragedy in France. All of them were sad. We discussed where terrorists come from and what makes somebody become a terrorist whose heart is so hard that they can kill people. The students agreed that gang members on the streets of Buffalo are like terrorists. They kill people over drug wars without regard to human suffering.
     People will suffer tragedies in life. People who know how to persevere through struggle will overcome the temptations to allow their hearts to become as hardened as a terrorist. Our words this week include some phrases; historical allusion, cause and effect relationship and transition. When folks examine the historical allusion of YWAP, we hope our cause and effect relationships with young people will show that we helped them transition into contributing members of society.

Thanks for your time.
Go and do something nice for somebody.

Youth With A Purpose Inc.
157 Locust Street
Buffalo, New York 14204
716-830-8240
[email protected]

We do appreciate and need your financial help. 
You can write a check to YWAP, we are a non-profit 501c3. 
Our online BWAP donation site may be found at:
http://www.gofundme.com/w5p6ee4 
JLYASDW

     BWAP XXIX will go down in history as the very first ever BWAP Thanksgiving. It started small when some very special folks volunteered to sponsor, cook and serve our young men a turkey dinner. The tenderness of their hearts turned into a tsunami of compassion.
     When the young men heard about the special efforts being put forth on their behalf, the wanted their families to share in the special event. After that it was the church folks who wanted to receive as they've already given so much. One young man suggested we invite former BWAP Speakers to come and celebrate the uniqueness of BWAP. So it grew and it's still growing!
     A place of acceptance is what BWAP represents. It's hard to send the guys home on a Thursday night. Maybe someday they can stay longer s BWAP grows. Our goal is to add 3 more community centers in the next year. Young men 18-30 deserve to have some life direction to help them reach their potential.
     People are needed to help young men reach their purpose in life. Have you reached your purpose in life? Maybe you are called to mentor and coach young people.

It only takes $5 a week to sponsor a guy at BWAP. What does $5 get? Two hours of exercise, a home-style dinner and a 9 Minute Life-Direction Speech from a guest Speaker. Thursday night at BWAP is only one night that opens the door to a relationship for life. Some guys are even provided with transportation to and from the gym. You can give any amount.
     Thank you to everybody who has prayed, volunteered, and donated to youth With A Purpose.
‪#‎JLYASDW‬

Thanks for your time. Go and do something nice for somebody.

Youth With A Purpose Inc.
157 Locust Street
Buffalo, New York 14204
716-830-8240
[email protected]

We do appreciate and need your prayers, volunteer support and financial help.
You can write a check to YWAP, we are a non-profit 501c3.
Our online BWAP donation site may be found at:
http://www.gofundme.com/w5p6ee4
JLYASDW

     Basketball is a game where score-keeping is very important. Matt Crouch took on the duties of being a BWAP Score-keeper by operating the scoreboard at City Reach on Thursday night (11-12-15.) Matt was also our 9MD Speaker for the evening. Matt's double role of servanthood will no doubt go down as a moment in history where the results will eventually be 30, or 60 or even 100 times as much as he planted.
     When Matt spoke to the BWAP young men for 9 minutes, it became readily apparent that his words were meant to last a lifetime. He told a very personal story about fatherhood and following the wrong path in life. Men are supposed to be rock solid role models for their children. Men are supposed to love their wives the way Christ loved the church. Men are supposed to hold other men accountable (gracefully for we all have failed.)
     Alcohol can be a personal choice or a personal god. Many men and women have lost their family relationships due to their pursuit of a place to hide (or running from the truth of their own failures.) Matt shared a lot of wisdom in a deeply personal and relational way. All of us have personal pain, there is no escaping that truth this side of heaven. Matt gave the young men a heart-driven message of wisdom that has the power to save them from many wrong life-choices.
     Proverbs 3:5-6 was the foundation from which Matt built his message.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
 In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths."
The writer of this story has seen Matt interact with his wife and children. His behavior paints a very clear picture of someone whose heart is leaning on God. He is deeply in love with his God, his wife, his children and his friends. I've never seen him with an enemy, but I'm sure he would lean on God and seek understanding in how to love them too! Thanks Matt for all you do for so many people. Jesus loves you and so do we.
     One of the greatest shots that I have ever seen took place last night. In the middle of a game, a young man's glasses fell off as the ball was passed to him. He quickly bent over to retrieve the glasses, out them on and then grabbed the ball and flung up a long distance 3 pointer that hit nothing but net. It was a shot for the ages!
     Using the scoreboard is one of our greatest relationship building tools. Games are limited to 10 minutes with a 1 minute overtime for tied games. This allows more guys to play and also plays a role in controlling emotions. Hopefully we can have enough volunteers to operate the clock every week.

Thanks for your time. Go and do something nice for somebody.

Youth With A Purpose Inc.
157 Locust Street
Buffalo, New York 14204
716-830-8240
[email protected]

We do appreciate and need your prayers, volunteer support and financial help.
You can write a check to YWAP, we are a non-profit 501c3.
Our online BWAP donation site may be found at:
http://www.gofundme.com/w5p6ee4
JLYASDW

     BWAP XXVII was something you could text home about - just don't do it when you are driving! For the second time in the last few weeks we had a special visit form a young person who has been with YWAP for many years. At least that's many years when you consider they are only 23 yrs. old! Ian Simmons brought a youthful wisdom that is valuable to all ages.
     When someone is texting and driving, bad things can happen, and they did for Ian's younger sister. She was hit by a car driven by a young man texting and driving. Seriously injured, she spent some time in the hospital. During that time it was discovered that she needed a heart transplant. No small item for a girl who was about 10 yrs. old at the time. Several years later now she is doing well.
     A large part of Ian's 9 Minute LIfe-Direction revolved around faith. You have to have faith in God during the hard times. Faith brings you through car accidents, heart transplants and watching friends die in gang violence. Faith will keep you from falling too deep into trouble if you follow hard after God.
     Preach with the way you live your life might be a good way to sum up Ian's 9 minute speech. He finished with one of his trademark rap songs that used a bible verse. Mark 16:15 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition "And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race]." Ian spoke to his peers in a powerful way. He impacted young and old with a life impacting message. Thanks Ian, Jesus loves you and so do we! #JLYASDW

     In the past 2 weeks some very kind and generous folks have shared some heart-money. We all have things in life that we'd like to do, but we lack the time to do them. That's when our hearts look for ways to take purposeful actions. Donating heart-money is an act of compassion that connects our hearts and our resources with our purpose.
     It only takes $5 a week to sponsor a guy at BWAP. What does $5 get? Two hours of exercise, a home-style dinner and a 9 Minute Life-Direction Speech from a guest Speaker. Thursday night at BWAP is only one night that opens the door to a relationship for life. Some guys are even provided with transportation to and from the gym. You can give any amount, one kind lady gave $10 this week.
     Thank you to everybody who has prayed, volunteered, and donated to youth With A Purpose. ‪#‎JLYASDW‬
https://www.gofundme.com/w5p6ee4?pc=fb_u_g