a couple of wednesdays ago, i tried something with the belief that i knew how it would turn out, but, to my surprise, i got a somewhat different result than i had anticipated. let me explain.
this sunday, we're taking students to see the new movie "Facing the Giants". (i love football movies, so this was an easy one for me to get on board with). the three sundays after the movie, we are going to play off of the theme and do a discussion on "facing the giant topics". the idea is that we let the students decide what we talk about, and, as we address the issues of their interest, use a discussion type format to get their input on what we tell them from the Bible. so a couple of weeks ago, we distributed half sheets of paper with a home made illustration, and asked the students to list the three topics they are most curious about. of course, like jeremy says, i anticipated the topics to be something like "sex," "the end times," and "sex during the end times." when i filtered through the results later on, sex and end times were listed, but they only accouted for 5 of the 45 or so serious responses. as it turns out, our informal survey says the students are most interested in topics like friends and relationships (including boyfriends and girlfriends), school and grades, and who God is and His love. family and parents, identity and self-worth, choices and peer pressure, and putting God first all were mentioned just as many times as sex was, and some students even asked "what is considered sin" and "what exactly is racism."

the impression i'm left with knowing that the most requested topic has to do with friendships is that, even with everything else going on, students still want to be known. there's still a basic desire for real community. maybe that's the real driving force behind things like MySpace and other virtual communities. maybe behind all the shocking content and unbelievable comments, there's a question of "can i tell you who i am, and will you still love me if you know?" "is it ok to be me?" the point is, God wired us for relationships, and no matter what we look like on the outside or what we do or what we say, we all feel the need to be connected. i pray that our student ministry, and our church as a whole, will be a place of genuine acceptance. i hope that everyone we find contact with will, at some point, find themselves connected to God (the giver of life) and connected to people (the sharers of life).

several years ago, my brother and i were with some guys from my work, playing basketball in a church gym. during some down time, my brother decides to run and jump up onto a stack of bleachers that had been pushed back - the top that he was trying to jump to being about 4 feet off the ground. (i know what you're thinking, and yes, i really do have an actual brother who tried this. i'm not telling a story about myself and trying to blame the decision on a fictional "friend"). so off he goes - i think because someone else had done it first - running, timing his steps, getting closer, knows what he's doing, everyone's watching. he takes a couple stutter steps to put himself in the right position, takes the last two big steps, jumps off the left foot, stretches toward the top with the right foot, reaching for the top of the bleachers. gravity kicks in and his foot starts decending - oh! just a little short. shin bone is the first thing to touch the bleacher, and shin bone skin is the last thing to come off the beachers. everybody let's out the simultaneous "OHHHHHH!!!!" then my brother responds with "I should have listened to that little man in my head saying 'don't do it, don't do it!'"
know what it's like to know something as fact in your mind, but then you have to experience it to really get it? that seems to be my primary way of learning. i can't tell you how many times, especially over the past year, i've had something in my head, or God has impressed something on my heart, but then it takes an intense, frustrating situation for me to really get it. not that i always enjoy learning that way. i guess it's not comfortable because it means i don't really know what i think i know, which goes back to the pride issue that none of us like to admit to. and maybe that's what it's all about - God carving the pride out our lives so we become more like Him, and more sensitive to His Spririt within us, which is kind of like listening to that litte man in our heads that says "Don't do it..."
the lyrics to the jars of clay song on my last post are such a real expression of the pain that is often involved in the process of God's work on our lives. sometimes it burns us up inside to have to learn something we think we already know, but we need God to fan the flames of that burning in order to melt away our pride. when we are crushed by the "fatal cut" and we want to hide our faces, God will lift us up, which means we learn to stand by His grace instead of our own strength. sometimes we pray for a shelter from the rain, when God wants to use the rain to wash us away.
"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you, there is more of God and His rule." Matthew 5:3 (Message)

this is one of my favorite songs - I Need You, by Jars of Clay. i think it speaks for itself.

Strangely out of place

There's a light filling this room where none would follow before

Can't deny it burns me up inside

Fan the flames to melt away my pride

Do I want shelter from the rain

Or the rain to wash me away?

I might sound like a fool

But I think I felt you moving closer to me

Face to the ground to hide the fatal cut

Fight the weight, feel you lift me up

You are the shelter from the rain

And the rain to wash me away

Face to the ground to hide the fatal cut

Fight the weight, feel you lift me up

I can't deny it burns me up inside

Fan the flames to melt away my pride

Only have a second to spare

But all the time in the world to know you're there

You are the shelter from the rain

And the rain to wash me away

I need you, I need you, I need you

You're all I'm living for

it's the year 4001. geographically, the world is the same as it was in 2001. life has not really changed any more than it should have over the past 2,000 years. sure, instead of cars we have machines that beem us where we want to go in about 1/10 the amount of time. and the internet is way outdated. history sources teach students of all the major events that have impacted the world throughout time. September 11, 2001 is among them. students learn the date, see pictures of New York, learn the world leader's names, pass their test, and go on. 9/11, the day that completely changed every american a couple thousand years before, doesn't mean much anymore. 2,000 years later, it's just a fact along with all the others. on vacations, some go to new york, visit memorials, take pictures, and life goes on. the general thought is that 9/11 happened, a lot of people were affected, but now we're beyond it. we've moved past the problems that made the responses relevant. we're 2,000 years down the road. that was part of history, but this is a new day. that changed history, but doesn't affect life anymore.

hardly seems possible, doesn't it? some might even be offended that anyone would think such an imagination. from our view point on life, we would think this day would never come. probably not. i hope not. i hope no one ever is able to put 9/11 out of their minds. i hope we continue to heal, but life has been permanently altered, and for more than enough good reason.

but is this a picture of the church? 2,000 years down the road, the cross of Jesus is worth remembering, but not much else? the event that changed everything - is it just a part of history now? we have pictures that have been drawn from imagination, we have churches where people remember God, we have crosses on jewelry and car windows, but is life un-altered? are we like students who learn the facts, hope to pass the test, and go on?
we have not moved beyond the problem that made a response necessary. more than just a day in history, the cross is relevant today, 2,000 years later. how much do we allow the cross to affect our lives today?
What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NLT)

sorry it's been a while since my last post. what a week!
we did our back to school party on wednesday, and it was great! roger and lynn cooked some of the best hot dogs i've ever had (and yes, the 4th one was just as good as the 1st). thanks a million times over to everyone who made the night fly. i would start naming names, but i'm afraid i'll accidentally miss someone. if you were a part of the thing, please hear my sincere thanks. and thanks to all of you who make up our church for supporting us and allowing us to do these things. because of you we were able to touch 71 students, grades 6-12! and a special congratulations to samantha alexander and andrew kenny - winners of the ipods.

in case you're unaware, we also have another big thing going. we are in the process of converting the room we've been using for sunday school into a new youth room for high school services on wednesday nights. i'm not sure if we'll make it go as soon as we had hoped, but we are really excited about the opportunities this project will open up for us. as you know, there is a big difference between a 6th grader and a high school senior. most high school students don't want to sit through middle school programming, and a lot of middle schoolers are intimidated by a big group of high schoolers. (i'm even intimidated by big high schoolers). by splitting our crowd program, we'll have the opportunity to give adequate attention to each group without sacrificing the other. this also give us room to increase our numbers, which we've desperately needed for some time. after january of this past year, our wednesday night attendance averaged around 45, and we pushed 60 on more than one occasion. that's a lot of people in that one room. with the new venue, we'll have some space to hold us for a while. please keep praying for us as we venture in this direction.

on another note, i've been wondering if there is anything specific you would like our thoughts on. it's fun to have a journal of sorts that people can read, but we would also love to hear from you. what questions do you have for us? feel free at any time, under any topic, to drop a comment just to say "i'm here" or "what about this?" we are all grateful to be your ministers and want very much to discuss things that are important to you. thanks so much for your support of us, and please know we are praying for you.

about a week or so ago, i posted some thoughts on how we all share the responsibility of helping students become followers of Christ. this is a massive, overwhelming challenge that often leaves all of us feeling like we just don't stand a chance. one responsibility of churches and youth ministries is to come along side of parents, and those who find themselves needing to fill in as parents, and help and encourage them in every way. in wanting to do just that, i've compiled a list of some websites that i hope you will find helpful. while i'm certain these are not the only beneficial sites available, these are the ones i have had a chance to browse through and feel comfortable recommending.

Dare 2 Share

This is one of my favorites. Dare 2 Share is a ministry started by Greg Stier, who's blog can be found through my links section. the biggest benefit for parents is, on the home page, you'll find a link for "soulfuel," which has it's own link labeled "For Parents." From there you'll find biblical principles with discussion starters that will help you initiate conversations with you teenagers.

Battle Cry

I've included this link on a post before, but it's worth including again. The first mission trip i participated in was through Teen Mania Ministries, and Ron Luce's testimony of how and why God called him to do youth ministry in the United States is amazing. the Battle Cry site has great articles that will help make you aware of popular trends and their potential implications.

Home Word

Home Word is a website by Jim Burns, almost an authority on youth ministry. This site offers a newsletter, podcasts, and articles to encourage and help parents.

Lee Strobel

Famous for all of his "Case" books, Lee Strobel has apparently made a case for his own website. He tackles a lot of thoughts that try to disprove Christianity. I personally think that Christian teenagers would fare much better through and after high school if they could counter the philosophies some of their teachers are masking as "wisdom."

Focus on the Family

You've probably been familiar with this site for some time, but a reminder never hurts. This is a big site and easy to get lost on, so i just want to plug a couple of it's features - like Brio magazine for teen girls, Breakaway magazine for guys, and Plugged In - helpful for movie and music reviews.

BSafe

and

Be Safe Online

these websites offer good information to keep you and your students safe online. while there are a lot of different threats out there, i am particularly concerned with pornography. Sexual material is too easy to get into and too hard to get out of to close our eyes and hope it goes away. these sights can help you protect your family, especially your teenagers, from getting into a cleverly set trap that behaves like an addiction.

I'll also include these in my links section below my profile. i hope you find some wisdom, encouragement, and support from these sites. and know that we are praying for you as parents, and will always be eager to help you in any way we can. "throw yourselves into the work of the master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort." 1 corinthians 15:58 (message)