SCY Youth Minister’s Weblog

The adaptation of “Living God’s Love: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality” to classes for Christian youth was an easy and natural process.  It is ‘on time’ for our church family. 

At first read I thought the book was too easy, already in play in our christian lives, and would not whip us into the shape a family of our age should be in.  But after further reflection and realization that the practices in this book are re-center my faith, I changed my mind.  We are a fragile group.  I believe there is fine line between letting God recreate us into something useful and burning us up.  And I believe this study is perfect for walking that line for me and SC. 

If you’ve not yet read the book, please do because it will be the foundation of much of what we are going to do as a family in the near future.  At our stage the Spirit will should speak communally, and we should set aside our sin of pride and commune together to accept its guidance.  It is my belief that the prayers of our leaders for a more active faith community are going to be answered in part through this Sunday morning (and more) plan of Discipling Groups and the study of this book- take full advantage.

Young people.  Accept the fact that you are blessed to have an older community to learn from that will allow the Spirit to convict and alter their lives.  Your faith will be better for it.  The kingdom will benefit from your increased awareness of the hard work and dedication it takes to initially let go and let God.  You are going to see SC start from scratch in its ministry to the world.  You will see us admit we aren’t close to God.  And you will see grown people (the madness) do whatever it takes to step out of our worldly lives into a life full of God.

To live God’s love (in all of life) is to live, everything else is just a waste of time.  Believe it.   

The Zoe conference was a holy time.  Just hanging out with/ worshiping beside/ praying around/ and learning beside other SC leaders (outside of Sunday morning) was special.  But even greater is the fact that we took a step together.  Combine the step with the blending and we are in the process of becoming a team.  We went to Nashville in close quarters and were mashed like a four pack of playdoe into a rainbow of one.  Get us together a little longer and we’ll become the same. 

In ministry you always depend on the consistency, faith, and commitment of each minister to carry out their part in the mission.  This was only one step, but the first is often difficult (although the next one may be harder).  What will we do for step two.  How can we be equal and powerful and one at the same time?  Time together, Shared commitment, Spiritual growth, Honoring each other. 

Thanks SC leaders for giving me a glimpse of what is to come.          

We leave for Wilderness Trek Thurs. July 19th.  John D., Gorham B., Lane T., Michael E., Jake N., and Michael B.

Please pray for our safety.  We will drive carefully and we have serviced our vehicle.  We are trusting God to protect us.  Please pray for Kathleen, Avery, and Elijah.  I am trusting God to watch them and help them.

Valarie T. will be working with the youth while we are gone.  I hope both those that go and those that stay will be better in their faith after these next ten days. 

We will return the evening of July 29th.  Thank you for your support, your prayers, and the teachings that will help us experience this adventure fully in God.  Bless one another while we’re gone.   

Since Avery can’t verbally tell me what he’s thinking, I have to watch for clues.  I can usually tell when he’s hungry, thirsty, tired, dirty, wants to go outside, or when Elijah has done something wrong (it brings Avery great joy to tell on (not great) and protect (makes me proud) his little brother).  But other things are more ambiguous.  Like when he sees something in the distance; that something can be so important he will not rest until I recognize it. 

It works best for me to stand really close to him, his level, look his direction, put my face against his, and look down his little finger (which does not point very accuarately).  Not only are my chances of knowing his thoughts and seeing his sights increased, he also gives me more time.  He appreciates communicating with me as I appreciate being told.

When you look at a landscape, a setting, a day’s worth of events, a newsclipping, a job, a person, or a group of people, you see your perspective of it or them.  It is impossible to see another person’s perspective.  Through communication (talking about how they see it), compassion (you caring how they see it), and commitment (you working to have common experiences or doing mental excercises to see like them) we are able to stand closer to them in their view.  If you look at a view from the other side you will see a different picture (Christ always came near).  You can’t occupy the same space but you can stand near a person to see what they see.  In going to Juarez we will have a chance to see a little of what they see.  We will see life a little like a Mexican citizen living in Juarez that needs others to build him or her a home sees.

In labeling our future friends ‘they’ I’ve already made a mistake in seeing what someone else sees.  I’ve started a pattern of seperation from them.  In showing up with possessions I am making a mistake.  There is no way we will be able to live the full experience, but we could do more to improve our understanding, it’s not always convenient, it’s not time conscience, but it is just what Christ would do.

Make this trip about seeing through other’s eyes, and make your life about seeing others through Jesus’ eyes.  Christians have chosen to think about others more than I think about theirself.  Called to trust God, and be less selfish than natural animals and non-Christians.  Put the future in God’s hands and allow his type of work fulfilled through you. 

Define who your others are.  Mine are the youth in the region of Tyrone.  And when you take yourself out to help those unlike you (Juarez) remember to let Jesus’ sight control your own. 

As our summer schedule begins, my prayer is that our events and scheduled times will bring the youth (sometimes families) together as well as change them into more Christ-like bodies (communally and individually).

I plan for moments and memories to be made that form Christlikeness.  What I mean is that your youth will have aha moments of clarity into how Christianity works- what it calls you to do and what it proclaims.  What I mean also is that your youth will face the future with a storehouse of lifechanging brainwaves and heartpaths that will divert them from bad decisions and satan’s schemes.  I hope to help you empower your youth to give their lives to Christ even more than you or I are able to do with our own.  Together we can do it.  And together our community will be made fresh to feel the presence of our Creator individually and communally.  When the youth are changed all will be changed.

On the flip side, and more importantly up front, is that as our adults go so will our youth.  I know very little about your relationship with one another, but I do know that among the youth there is discomfort with one another.  Most of your youth have told me that they don’t like other youth- I would never be specific- but it is true that MOST have told either Kathleen or I that they don’t like others in the group.  I’d like for us to work on this.

So far in our group work we have spent a small amount of time talking about this problem.  I am asking for home support in dealing with it.  Our Sunday morning class is divided at into three groups- breaking up much of the tension.  Throughout the summer we will be dealing with some of the problems, even individually.  The community is more important than the individual anyway.  Our future is more important than today.  Thank you for your support and for your prayers. 

I ask that you speak positively about your brothers and sisters and other youth at church in front of your youth so that they will learn from watching you.  Some of our summer events will bring your youth to uncomfortable places (an important part of an individual faith) with uncomfortable relationships (an important part of communal faith).  I hope that this will help the healing process and develop lasting relationships that will form a core in our youth ministry.  A strong core is needed before anything else will work.

Thank you for your help.  This should make a big difference in everything we do at S.C.  The youth don’t read this blog, but if they do it wouldn’t hurt because they know I love them anyway.  And they know how special they are just as I know how special I am and how special every member is to the community and family we have.  God brought us all together.  The moment we forget that is the moment everything we stand for is deminished.  Our dreams as gifts to God will not be fulfilled if we don’t work together.

IN Christ, John      

I told myself not to write anything else until I had something other than religion to say.  Church dynamics is my continual internal dialogue and I get board with other things, so although this is connected, I found another topic in- my own flesh and blood kids.  So I started a new category- family.  It will be a great place to show you some picks in the future.  Of course my whole church is a family, which is the first reason it is connected to religion, but. . .

 I love my two boys.  I love them more like I love God than other people.  With God, we have this thing that nothing will seperate us.  No thing, no person, no group, no disaster, no apathy, nothing can come between us.  With people, they let you down, they hurt you, they aren’t what you thought they were, or they just don’t commit to walk through the fire with you.  I’m guilty.  I’m speaking in general of course, spouses, good friends, and church family might actually not fail you. 

But I am connected to my babies like I’m connected to God.  It feels like nothing on earth really matters more.  Kathleen and I talk for hours, nearly every day, about the beauty of being parents.  We get to work together and love together through the blessings of daily life with Avery and Eli.  If you’ve got kids you know what I feel.  To have them love you for you, and to love them for them.  I wouldn’t change anything.  I can’t even think about changing anything.  God made them and gave them to me to love and encourage and educate and love some more.  I meditate often on how the rest of you must love your children and try to treat them as they were my own.  What would life be like without loving people unconditionally.

Another thing connected to religion is- I am so honored that you love my babies, and I am so honored that you let me love your children.  There isn’t enough time in the day to tell them how wonderful they are, right?  How perfectly made they are.  How special they are.  How can I ever repay you for loving, blessing, teaching, hugging, playing with my boys?  I will work ever harder to be worthy of that gift.  And at the same time, I accept it freely.  Please accept freely anything my family can do for you. 

I say thank you for all the new parents and soon to be parents again, or first timers to Southern Crescent.  You really do love babies and with the love you give them, God will give you more.  Many families are touched by the care you give our babies.

In Christ, John

After reading through this I realize my message was not complete.  Just like God and I are connected I want my kids to be connected to God.  I want them to know that God will be the only one that will not leave or hurt you.  You and I will not be perfect with our children.  We can’t always protect them.  You will probably die before they do.  For our children to be connected to God is more important than their connection to people.  Please help me teach my children this.  Please help me by teaching your children this.  Get them connected to church and God.  Both are more valuable than you and I-they will always be there.