What Matters Most

Hey all. Jim, aka J-Man here. Been working at the Diary Dairy for a year and half now. It's hard work, but not as hard as some of the workouts I have at basketball practice, and not nearly as challenging as what I went through earlier this month. Melissa thought it'd be cool to share what I learned on here. I told her I was down with it.

I spent a week volunteering with an organization called Street Light Ministries. It's over in Jersey, in the heart of Camden. Dude, it's one thing to see movies with ghetto themes. You watch the movies and television shows from your warm homes, seeing kids in gangs and families losing brothers and sisters in drive-by shootings. It's hard to see from your couch. I give you dat, but it ain't nuthin' compared to actually walking the urban streets and seeing people live in conditions that would blow your mind. After working with Street Light Ministries, I've been there, and it made me all the more thankful for what I have in State College.

Street Light Ministries is an after-school program where kids can come and learn about God and get the homework done with the help of college-age tutors. Okay, so they're more like mentors.
During one of the devotional sessions, the leader there, Robyn, shared a quote from the late Coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden was one of the greatest coaches ever because of the way he coached and taught his team at UCLA. I only wish I could've played basketball for him because I'm sure I'd not only up my game, but up my wisdom. Check this out. Here's what Robyn shared:

"People don't spend enough time with their families. They get caught up in material things, thinking those make up life. The pursuit of material possessions often takes precedence over the things that are more lasting, such as faith, family, and friends. Don't allow the lesser values to raise havoc on your family."

Man, when she read that at the end of the week, it summed up everything I went through. See, here in State College, I have been blessed with a nice house, good parents, a good job, sweet clothes, brand new sneakers, a kitchen full of food, and a safe neighborhood. I could go on and on. I mean, I have a couple video game systems with a ton of games. I have a slammin' stereo system with surround sound. Out back, I have a sweet basketball court behind my house. Ask anyone, and they'll tell you that I save up my money and spend it on the best video games and the best clothes. Man, I have it made.

Then I went to Camden and was introduced to kids that have houses on the verge of falling to the ground. Some of these kids only have one parent, and that parent be trippin' more than providing. The clothes some of them wear are filthy for whatever reason. One kid even talked about his dinner one night was corn chips and chocolate cupcakes. The hardest thing I my ears heard was the story of the drive-by shooting that happened that Wednesday night. The boy's older brother was shot and is still in a coma.

If I've learned anything from my time in Camden with Street Light Ministries, I've learned this:

I need to be more thankful for what I have. I have been blessed with a great life. I really shouldn't take it for granted. Sometimes I think I spend more time and money on my video games, my clothes, and material things that revolve around me. What I should do is put more value on things like family time, stuff at church, like our youth group's adopted children in Africa, and use it to help people less fortunate. That would be taking Coach Wooden's words of wisdom and putting them into practice.

What matters most to me now is not money, popularity or video games. What matters most to me is living out my faith, loving my family, and being a faithful brother to my friends. Money, video games and nice clothes can all be taken away from me in the blink of an eye. After seeing what the kids in Camden go through, I guess my family could be taken away from me, too. I'd rather invest my love in my family and friends as long as I have them by my side.

If you want to know more about my time in Camden with Street Light Ministries, you better be reading the Diary Dairy series. You feelin' me on this?

Peace out, brothers and sisters!

Jim "aka" J-Man