Where did SWaDU Come From?
I wanted to help. Teens specifically. I felt the teen years were a turning point in life. If I could help a teen find God, know God, love God, they would follow God for the rest of their lives.
Sounds good in theory. But it didn’t quite work like that. I mean, it worked for some, but not all.
Why? I can come up with a lot of excuses. Personal choice, outside influences, challenging home life, the fallen world… Some of those were legit. But did it really have to be that way? If I just had more time…
Some teens I only saw once a month, if that. Their families and/or friends weren’t involved, so neither were they. They had other activities demanding their time.
Some I saw a couple times a week. They were at Group on Wednesday, and church on Sunday. They were my regulars. Or maybe they were just the ones whose parents made come. Either way, I expected them to be there. When they didn’t show for more than 2 weeks in a row, I knew something was wrong, and I needed to check in on them.
I really saw a difference in the ones I met with outside of service. They were the ones I grabbed coffee or ice cream with once a week. I called them when I was running errands and asked them to join. They were the ones I looked for when I needed help with something at group or church. They were my “leaders”.
But it wasn’t enough to see change in just 10-20% of my students. I wanted more than that. If I could just have more time with all of them. I’m not talking just 1 or 2 more hours with each of them. That wasn’t enough.
Then I looked at how Jesus did it. (I mean, I didn’t have a WWJD bracelet for nothing.) How did he influence his disciples? He spent a ton of time with them. More than just a couple hours a week. He was practically with them all the time. He sat around the fire with them. He walked and talked with them as they traveled. He was with them when they went to bed and he was there when they woke up. (Sound familiar? Check out Deut. 6:7)
But I can’t spend that much time with them. It just wasn’t practical.
But wait. Moms and Dads can. Maybe if I can help them…
That is where SWaDU came from.