Tag Archives: Andy Bales

“Young and Old”

June 26, 2024 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.
1 Chronicles 25:8 (NIV)

This past Sunday, I gave the message among our local gathering of Jesus’ followers. In the message, I shared briefly about my youth pastor, Andy, who was a real mentor to me when I was in high school.

One of the things that Andy impressed upon me and my fellow students in those days was the fact that there was no age minimum when it came to having spiritual gifts and using them for God’s Kingdom. When it came to a two-year discipleship program that Andy wanted to offer for our high school youth, he chose four students to be trained and to lead the class for both students and their parents. Encouraging us to embrace that we had spiritual gifts and that God wanted to use us even though everyone else saw us as “just kids” was transformational.

I continue to beat that same drum today. How many great things could happen if young people stopped zoning out in front of screens, chasing likes, and were given permission to embrace and unleash their spiritual gifts and passions in tangible ways?

I also mentioned in my message that spiritual gifts and using them for God’s Kingdom do not come with an expiration date, either. Just this last week I had a casual conversation with the former CEO of a global corporation who now tries to help individuals and organizations harness the opportunities represented in those who have “retired” from their careers but still have as many as 20 to 30 years of life ahead of them in their “third phase.” Our culture embraces “retirement” but nowhere in the Great Story have I ever found God telling anyone their services are no longer needed. God numbers our days for His purposes, not mine. If I wake up in the morning, there’s a purpose He has for me this day.

I thought about these things as I read another one of the admittedly boring chapters of lists. In today’s list, the Chronicler lists those members of the tribe of Levi who were musicians and assigned to play for worship in the temple. It was fascinating that the ancient Hebrews made a connection between music and spiritual sight. There was a connection between music and prophesy, synonymously referred to as “seer.” I confess that I’ve always envied gifted musicians and singers. Alas, my gifts lie elsewhere.

What struck me the most in today’s chapter was that when it came to assigning the musicians who would be responsible for playing music for worship in the Temple on a rotating basis, they cast lots. “Young and old alike, Teacher as well as student.” In other words, there was no age or educational restriction. God wanted young and old, experienced and inexperienced, both teacher and trainee to play before Him. Even a “joyful noise” is sweet music to God’s ears when it is played with a devoted and aspiring spirit.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself meditating on the difference Andy made to a generation of us back in the day. Andy believed and convinced us there was nothing we couldn’t accomplish for God if we had faith and shrugged off the restrictions society and culture placed on us, even in spiritual matters. You can still find so many of my peers from those years around the globe still focused on ushering God’s Kingdom through everything they do, no matter their vocation or calling.

I also find myself, once again, reflecting on the impending “third phase” of life that sits out there on the horizon. I have no idea exactly what that looks like. I do know, however, that my endeavor is to never retire from God’s callings and purposes for me as long as I have life and breath.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Wayfarer Podcast

Wayfarer Weekend Podcast: Andy Bales on Skid Row

May 22, 2021 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

“I worked my whole life to end up on Skid Row.”
Andy Bales

At the age of 15, just a few months after my decision to become a follower of Jesus, I met Andy Bales. For the next three formative years he was my youth pastor, my mentor, and my friend. When I think of Andy I think of John the Baptist’s words about Jesus: “I’m not worthy to tie his shoelaces.”

Andy is an Iowa boy who has given his life to serve the poor, addicted, homeless, and most destitute people.

This week, my Wayfarer Weekend podcast is a conversation with Andy. I’m not worthy to tie the laces of the shoe on the one foot he has left, but I’m grateful for the opportunity of having this conversation and sharing it with you.

Please listen, and check out this article about Andy in LA Weekly:

Chapter-a-Day

Spiritually There are No Age Limits

March 9, 2018 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.
Jeremiah 1:1-3; 6-7 (NIV)

While in high school I was part of an incredible church youth group. I almost typed the adjective “unique,” but to this day I don’t think there was anything “unique” about me and my peers. We were typical high schoolers with all the angst, foolishness, idealism, drama and absentmindedness of any group of teens. Our youth pastor for most of my high school years was a man named Andy Bales whose journey has taken him to do amazing things for the homeless in Los Angeles. Our church’s worship leader was a gentleman named Mike Mars.

The thing about Andy and Mike was that they believed that God could accomplish far more through us than anyone else believed or expected (even ourselves). Andy didn’t just disciple us, he taught us how to disciple others including our parents. Mike didn’t just assemble a “youth choir” to sing in front of our parents once or twice a year. Mike taught us how to put together an entire program, how to work together as a team, and then sent us on the road almost every Sunday of the school year to minister to other churches all over our state. Mike didn’t travel with us. He trusted us to do everything ourselves from making a first impression to set up, rehearsal, performance, giving the message, tearing down and loading out for the trip home. A couple of parents or adults chaperones rode along to watch, but they never had to do a thing.

Many of the “kids” in my youth group have gone on to continue in vocational ministries as missionaries, pastors, ministry directors and youth workers. I observed that most others have approached their life journeys as ministry opportunities to serve God as educators, doctors, and professionals in the business community.

This personal experience has colored my own world view. When our daughters were young people I tried to instill in them that they could be used by God’s Spirit and have an impact for God’s Kingdom right now. I’m proud of what they attempted, accomplished, and learned.

I am fond of reminding my local gathering of Jesus’ followers that no where in God’s Message is there an age requirement for being a believer, being called by God, being filled by the Spirit, having spiritual gifts, or exercising those gifts for God’s Kingdom. In fact, the list of Biblical characters who were called by God as young people (without education, without training, without official institutional certification of any kind) is impressive: Timothy, Mary, David, Samuel, Joseph, Esther, and Mark.

In today’s opening chapter of Jeremiah’s anthology of prophetic messages he shares that he was called by God as a boy. As typical of young people, Jeremiah responded to God, “but I’m just a kid!” But age is not a qualification for being called by God or doing God’s work. And when young people are called by God they tend to have spiritually productive life journeys. Jeremiah himself was a prophet for 40 years during a period of time when life expectancy itself was around 30 years (if you were one of the lucky few to survive infancy).

Forgive me for sounding like an old curmudgeon, but along my life journey I’ve observed that our culture seems to expect less and less of our young people. We protect them. We shelter them from life’s natural pains. We entertain them endlessly and hover over them to ensure that they experience minimal discomfort. We build up their egos while minimizing their opportunities to experience the lessons of accomplishing things on their own and learning the invaluable lessons of failure. We keep extending childhood to the point that becoming a capable, responsible adult is a post-graduate crisis experience with its own word: adulting.

This morning I’m thanking God for teaching me as a boy that I had a role to play in the Kingdom of God and that role began immediately. I’m saying a prayer of gratitude for Andy and for Mike who believed in me and my peers more than we believed in ourselves. I’m praying for a generation of young people who will rebel against being treated like snowflakes and who will lead a spiritual storm of revival and culture change that no one expects.

The old curmudgeon rant is over. Have a great day.

Wayfarer's Journal

A Great Man in Need

March 29, 2012 Tom Vander Well 4 Comments

Andy Bales was my youth pastor when I was in high school. His impact on my life was immeasurable. More than that, he has quietly “walked the talk” better than any living human being I’ve ever known. I pass this along with hope and a prayer for him.

The Best for Andy Bales

Posted: Friday, March 23, 2012 9:25 am

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – It’s hard not to feel a range of emotions for Rev. Andy Bales. There’s fear. There’s awe. There’s tremendous respect and tremendous worry on his behalf.

Most of all, there’s hope that he can overcome the hurdles that are in his path.

Los Angeles Downtown News last week reported on the unenviable challenges confronting Bales. The 53-year-old CEO of the Union Rescue Mission is in need of a kidney transplant, though that’s only part of it. His rare blood type, O negative, means there is a limited pool of donors. Making matters worse, he has a serious heart condition, and until he undergoes heart surgery, he won’t be able to get on the list for a kidney transplant.

The choice might seem easy to an outsider: Get the heart surgery, get on the transplant list, save your life.

For Bales, it’s more complicated. He knows that having the surgery would almost certainly lead to kidney failure, which in turn would require him to go on dialysis. That would force him to cut back heavily on his job of overseeing the mission in the heart of Skid Row. It’s something Bales is reluctant to do.

This is a choice almost none of us can understand in the way that Bales does. We can feel for him and guess what we might do in such a situation, but no one can really fathom having to make the decisions he faces.

Bales didn’t set out to make his health a public issue. The media came to him and he only spoke out because he hopes doing so will bring attention to the work he and others do each day at the mission.

That, by the way, is a tremendous amount of work, and it’s a job that has become more challenging in the past few years, as the slow economy has lessened the amount of financial donations to nearly all nonprofits. The mission at 545 S. San Pedro St. seeks to aid the impoverished community in numerous ways. There are drug and alcohol counseling for hundreds of individuals. There are meals served, an average of 3,000 a day, every day of the year. There are the shelter beds provided, more than 900 a night for men, women and families. There are clothing and medical services dispensed. The list goes on — much of it can be glimpsed at urm.org.

Bales’ condition is serious, but it would be wrong to see this as a death sentence. He continues to show up at the mission each day, to work to better the lives of others. It’s easy to find people who sing his praises.

Right now all we can do is wish for the best for Andy Bales. We hope that in the coming months the community will continue to support him and the mission.