Man Up Conference Yields Spiritual Fruit

“I started drinking and smoking when I was eight. A few years later I started committing other crimes. Now I’m seventeen and it’s time for my life to change.” These words flowed out of a young man I met this morning at the Man Up Conference held at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was the fourth Man Up Conference since we began the event in 2008.

All of the young men (about 90% of them are fatherless) received a $30 Impact Student Study Bible, a High Impact Teen one year devotional journal, a Man Up t-shirt, Christian music and heard speakers such as Hunter Smith, former Colts punter, Devon McDonald, former Colts player, Darrin Gray of All Pro Dad, founded by Tony Dungy, Kojak Fuller, former Indiana Mr. Basketball and several other workshop speakers. At the end of the day we had a pizza party and closing time of prayer over all the young men.

Standing in the gymnasium this morning, waiting for the volunteers and speakers to arrive, I was setting up for the event. Hunter Smith and Darrin Gray entered the gym. It was great to have these guys involved in the day. We have spent months working together on the Jersey Effect book project but today was a whole new kind of focus. It meant a lot to me to have them come.

Hunter and I began to talk about the day. Hunter said, “So this is the place you did ministry for a few years before moving to Tennessee?” “What was it like?” Then he looked at me and said, “Ken, I’ve never been in a place like this.” We joked a few times about me introducing him and how he wasn’t sure what he was going to say during the welcome assembly to this room full of inner city troubled youth. But when he stood up to the microphone, Hunter said, “I’ve been where you want to be. I’ve played in the NFL, won a Super Bowl and experienced fame. I’m here to tell you the world has lied to us. None of that fame or success delivers what it claims, the most important thing in life is God and having a personal relationship with Him. I don’t have all the answers but I have Jesus and He is all you need.”

Hunter walked over and sat next to me. I leaned over and said, “Hunter, how do you go from not knowing what to say to being profound?” We both laughed and realized God was about to give all of us a great day of ministry.

At least 30 or more young men stood to pray with Kojak Fuller to pray and receive Christ as their Savior.

The young men shared testimonies at the end of the day thanking all of us for coming and pouring our lives into them. More than one of them broke down and cried as they tried to express their feelings about the way God was working in their life.

The entire day was incredibly moving. When you look into the eyes and hear the voices of these young men you truly begin to understand the mission field around us and see why God makes such a priority to be a Father to the fatherless.

Thank you to all of you who gave to support this special day of ministry.