Packages

Do you enjoy receiving packages in the mail? I do. It's actually kind of exciting. I always wonder what's inside! Who sent it? WHY did they send it? Getting packages in the mail is usually always fun. There is a sense of incredible anticipation and curiosity attached with each package that people receive.

For the past few years I have been sending out "care packages" to some of the college freshmen I know. I also send packages to my young friends in the military or those who have jumped right into the work place. Why?

It's George Barna's fault.

In a 2011 article, Barna, a researching organization for churches, found that "nearly three out of every five young Christians (59%) disconnect either permanently or for an extended period of time from church life after age 15." You can read the article here.

I have been sending out messages on Facebook, requesting addresses, and the response I have received has been interesting. Several of the young adults expressed a feeling of aloneness, or even a spiritual "drifting." Three young ladies expressed a desire to learn more about God so I suggested they form a Bible study together.

The thing that concerns me when high school "kids" go off to school is that they are all dumped into this world and told to swim and I feel, for the most part, these young adults have not been taught how to swim.

The standard operating procedure that many youth groups offer these days is to entertain first and teach later. They feel that if they make youth group fun, that will draw people in and more people will hear the Gospel. That's a good thought but how many of the solid Christian kids are learning more important aspects of their faith - like why we believe things, how to defend our faith when we are confronted out in the world. Youth group should not be about games, if they should even exist at all.

If we look at our youth as a package and the parents and their leaders in the church are the ones doing the wrapping, how do these gifts looked when presented to God? Many are not very well wrapped at all. Not very well educated. Ask a kid to name the Ten Commandments and all will fail. Ask them to name ten beers and you will get a winner every time.

So what do we do? How do we train up our children in the way they should go so when they are old they will not depart from their faith? (Proverbs 22:6) The answers are all in the Bible. That might be a good place to start. We need to:

• Love our children. Let them always see the love of Christ in us - pouring our to our children and to others. In this way they will know what it means to truly love our neighbor.
• Pray with and for our children. Experience is a great teacher. How will our children know how to pray if we don't show them?
• Teach or children. The Bible is full of examples, perfect for teaching the young. Read with them. Ask them questions about their faith and what it means.
• Worship with our children. Children learn by observing and worship occurs more places than just church.. It occurs in our daily lives.
• Serve others with your kids. Volunteer at a local food pantry. Mow someone's yard for them. Rake leaves together.

There is an education our children need that cannot be obtained in school. These lessons they are not learning in the classroom are usually the most important. They need to learn both. Our children need to become a COMPLETE package.

In the months and years ahead God will be further removed from our government and from our schools. He will even be removed from our pulpits as pastors find themselves restricted in what they can say publicly. These days it is becoming more and more important to train up our children ourselves, in the home. Then perhaps we could better prepare the wrapping on our "presents" before we release them into the world . . . before we have to answer to God for things left un-done.

Encourage your children today, as long as it is called today. Instruct them in the ways of The Lord. Strive to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." If we focus our own lives on Christ in everything we say and do, the teaching will just happen. Let's begin today to love, pray, teach, worship and serve . . . with every breath we breathe.

"6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6

Train Up A Child - Steve Green

Impact

When I was a youth leader at our church I had the honor and privilege of feeding into the lives of hundreds of amazing young people - at youth group, rock concerts, mission trips, and just daily life in general. It is so encouraging to watch teens grow. They are basically seekers. They seek answers, they begin to question authority, they laugh and they cry but really they all are beginning to search for something we ALL crave - relevance and truth.

As one might guess from the title of this post, youth leaders exist to have a positive impact on the lives of youth. But what's really neat to see is youth having an impact on the lives of other youth! It's a ripple effect, like the picture above. Take someone with an ability to lead and a passion and love for Jesus, then drop them in the middle of a group of other teens. That one spark turns into a flame, fed by God's Holy Spirit. Next thing you know you have one amazing group of teens - all on fire for Jesus!

It's exciting watching young, passionate adults impacting the lives of those around them. Some of our recent high school graduates have felt led to spread the Gospel to the world. They didn't just complain that somebody should do something about those who don't know Jesus. THEY were the ones who did something. One guy just got back from Africa, the Philippines & China, two others just got back from Mexico and are now preparing to go to Romania. Awesome! They are making a tremendous impact in this world for Christ.

There are other teens; however, who are just waiting for someone to impact THEIR lives. This world is not an easy place in which to live And they find themselves just trying to survive, let alone impact others. But even in such a dismal place as a young teens broken heart there is hope in Christ.

When ever I am in a conversation with someone who is complaining about something, I will eventually ask them this question.

"So. What are you going to do about it?"

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you say something like, "Boy, this sure isn't right. Somebody ought to do something about this." Did you ever think that maybe God has placed you in a situation like that, wanting YOU to be the one to do something? And just how many times have we disappointed our King by doing nothing?

I was having a conversation with one high school girl about a year ago. In it she was complaining about all the "drama" that takes place at school and on Facebook. It was getting so bad in HER life that it really began to affect her. So, I asked that question. "What can we do about that?" Well, we came up with an idea - turning a negative into a positive. We created the No Drama Facebook page.

There are many things we can do to inspire others, inspire them with the love that God has placed in our hearts. I'd like you to watch this video and see what some people did to inspire others. They were like a rock dropped in the ocean, the ripples, the waves reached distant shores through their one inspirational impact.

Nickelback - If Today Was Your Last Day

Now . . . what are YOU going to do to impact the lives of those in YOUR life, YOUR mission field? Whatever we do, do it all for the glory of God. :)

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16