No.1 Why You Should Attend NNAY Conference

by David Cripps

Mission Centers of Houston, Pastor & Speaker at NNAY Conference 2025

Zach caught my attention the second he walked into a Sunday gathering at our young church plant. He came dressed “ready to worship,” but something seemed to be weighing heavy on his heart. A few days later, Zach and I got  together for lunch. He was wearing the same clothes from the Sunday before. Over that lunch, I learned that Zach was about my age  - mid-twenties - and homeless. Although both of his parents were still living, neither were safe. In fact, Zach felt safer on the streets than under his parents’ roof. My heart broke for Zach, and I wanted to do anything and everything I could to help him.

 For the next several months, Zach and I would get together weekly. We talked about Scripture, how to walk with Jesus. In my naiveté, I would tell him all the things he could do to change his life, get off the streets, and enter into all that I was convinced God had for him. Much to my surprise about six months later, Zach walked away, and I never saw him again. Looking back, I did not truly listen to Zach. I didn’t take the time to see what Zach saw, hear his pain and recognize his gifts. 

Through walking with practitioners in Christian Community Development, reading books like When Helping Hurts, and learning from plenty of mistakes, I have learned that listening to the stories, thoughts, feelings, gifts and dreams of the poor — and recognizing their “blessedness”— reflects Jesus’ love more than trying to rescue or fix them. When Jesus encountered the wounds of the body in Matthew 4-5, he fixed them. When Jesus encountered wounds of the soul, He blessed them:

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:1-6 ESV

Through TxCCDN, I’m thankful for a tribe of men and women who long to love the hurting and hopeless like Jesus - who would pick up a towel and a bowl of water to wash feet - who would sit at a well with a “disreputable” woman - who would call the outcasts to “be with him” (Mark 3:14) 

I’m excited about NNAY this year, because I still have a long way to go, and through this year’s conference with incredible keynotes,workshops, and opportunities to connect with likeminded practitioners, I’m confident that I’m going to go back to the “Zach’s” of my world more like Jesus. 

If you’re serious about loving others and seeing what Jesus does in them, I hope you’ll join me.