Thursday, May 12, 2016

Meet The Ridge Staff: Doug Applegate; Youth Director

1.      What is your job at The Ridge? Director of Youth Ministries. My mission is teach youth how to worship God everyday by learning about Him, helping others, reaching the lost and making true friendships. 

2.    Favorite thing about your job? Honestly there are a few things I love; flexible hours. It fits my free spirit personality. I like the trust and autonomy i have to run the ministry how I feel God wants me to. I love seeing students make decisions and live for God; and not because they HAVE to, but because they WANT to. 

3.    Least favorite thing about your job? 
Again, a couple things; going through emails and watching kids exercise their free will and make the decision to walk away from God and the church. Watching that, cuts me to the core. 

4.    Tell us about your relationship with God. The thing I most love about God (and Jesus and the Holy Spirit; whom I like to think of as an Uncle) is that Jesus was SO tough, that he was able to put up with everything he went through; the mental, emotional and physical pain of the cross and he didn't give up on me. I thank him often for not giving up. It gives me encouragement and strength to  not give up on things in  my life. 

5.     What are you studying now?At this very moment I'm trying to dig into the events that lead up to the cross. And I'm doing some reading in the book of John. And I'm doing some reading in 1 Corinthians. 

6.    What brought you to The Ridge? My wife's prayers. God squashed my passion for youth at our previous church where i was volunteering in the youth group. This loss of passion led me to the idea that helping start the ridge might be a cool idea. 

7.     Favorite Ridge memory. Too many to narrow down; TP-ing Mike's house. Scaring a Ridge family when our "tornado" fundraiser hit their front lawn. Hearing kids share in our circles of encouragement on mission trips. Encouragement bags from mission trips. And actually I just remembered my most favorite moment was being right next to a student when she was fully giving her life over to God and realizing that everything the Bible says is true. i had my arm around her and even though nothing significant was going on in my heart at that moment, I could tell by her physical reaction that just inches away in her heart, God was absolutely exploding inside of her. 

8.    Tell us about your family.The nuts and bolts; married to Michelle for over 20 years (i see her gifts as listening, caring and mercy); one son, Hezekiah currently 19 (his gift is faith) ; 2 daughters, Tennessee currently 16 (gift is serving) and Willow currently 13 (gift are helping). 



Would you rather…
1.      Read on a Kindle or paperback book? Paperback 
2.    Go to a play or musical?...play
3.    Go to the theater or a movie?...movie
4.     Crash with friends or stay in a hotel?...hotel
5.    Travel by plane, train, or automobile?...train
6.    Play dodgeball or kickball?...so tough! did you see my answer to favorite gym activity?...I'll say dodgeball
7.          Get up early or stay up late?...duh...stay up late

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