Should the Truth be Sacrificed for Feelings

So I was kind of excited last night. I got my new text books in for next semesters classes. I am taking another youth ministry class and I am excited to see what I will be learning this semester. So I open the box and this one book stands out to me, it’s called Almost Christian and it’s a book based off the results of the National Study of Youth and Religion. So of course I grab this book first and decide I am going to start reading early to prepare for my class. Well I made it all the way to page 15 before I decided it was time to put the book down and start putting my thoughts down on paper. So here we go.

I am going to throw out a very long and confusing name and then I am going to explain it a little. Christian Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. I mean look at that, it just looks like a big bunch of mumbo jumbo. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that there is someone that actually comes up with words like this, but that is for another day. What this long word actually is talking about is the following believe system that is currently being adopted by our younger generations.

1.     A god exists who created and orders the world and watches over life on earth.

2.     God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and other world religions.

3.     The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4.     God is not involved in my life except when I need God to resolve a problem.

5.     Good people go to heaven when they die.

Am I the only one who is bothered by this? I read about this and then notice that the author’s are not saying that the youth is to blame for this thought process rather that the congregations themselves are. So that begs me to ask; what exactly are we teaching our children/students today to where this kind of thought about God is even entertained.

What the authors or facilitators of the National Study of Youth and Religion are saying is that a noticeable trend has been to sacrifice and soften the truth of the Gospel in an effort to bring more students/children into the church. I ask you this if you are one who is willing to do this; are you still the church if you soften and/or sacrifice the truth of the Gospel for numbers?

A little while back my pastor presented a message on the salt of the earth. In his message he actually used props in order to present the message and it wasn’t until just now how much I realized that message applied to us. Human nature tells us we don’t enjoy pain and that the truth is indeed painful, therefore we should do everything we can to not present the truth to people so we don’t hurt their feelings. WHAT.

Have we actually gotten to the point nowadays were we are so desperate to tell people about Jesus that we compromise the message. I mean I look at it like this if we are softening or diluting the Gospel in an effort to reach the lost, aren’t we in fact helping them come closer to hell. Not to mention, by diluting the truth of the Gospel how are we glorifying our God? I mean there are just too many variables out there to play with in this realm and subject matter.

I for one will not compromise the truth of the Gospel when I am preaching or teaching to those who need to hear God’s Word. I am not afraid of the truth of the Gospel and what it represents. I will ensure that my students/children understand the truth of the Gospel because I love and respect them that much. I owe that to them. Don’t you?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. (Romans 1:16-17)

 

Greg

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Growing Pains

What can we do to continually impress upon our children/students that doing what is right by God is not just what is right but it is what is necessary? I mean I understand growing pains, believe me I do. But at what point and time do we stop contributing their behavior to our children/students trying to figure out who they are and what boundaries that they can cross.

See for me with what I have learned through my experience in the military is that people, whether kids or adults, will always test you. It is up to the person being tested to put a stop to it and until they do they will never stop being tested. This right now is becoming a reality in my own household with my youngest son, and let me tell you it is driving me insane.

I am not sure where he has learned it but my youngest son has come to the decision that being disrespectful is the cool thing to do. When he first started this months ago we approached the situation as it being just a phase. I mean everyone does it right. We are a good Christian family who have all accepted Christ and been baptized. So each time he would act out I would make sure to point it out to him that he doing things that displease God. I would get angry (because the one thing I cannot stand is disrespect) and treat my children in a way that wasn’t glorifying God; this in turn would upset my wife and make her resent me.

Well one thing that I have learned throughout this process is that my son has no fear of punishment. What I mean by this is that he is not afraid of getting punished for anything because as of late he has not been disciplined when he has done something wrong. This was due to a conscious decision by his mother and me to try and let him work through whatever it was in his little world that was wrong on his own. Let me tell you this much, that was not the right direction to go.

All this came to a head yesterday. He came home and was so happy that he had gotten all A’s from last week’s grades that he was bouncing off the walls with excitement. Now keep in mind he got grounded last week for having bad grades and was grounded until this Friday. Well while I was outside doing his chores, he approached his mother and asked if he could go out and play, and upon being told no he decided that would be the opportune time to show his mother his conduct slip that he received from school. He has been misbehaving and disrespecting his teacher for the last week. Almost to the point to where he gets sent to the principal to get paddled. Well safe to say, last night momma and I took back the power. There is hopefully a little fear back in his heart of consequences for his actions.

I think that we are so busy nowadays trying to make sure that our children/students like us that we forget that we are the adults and that we are not here to be their friends. Instead of getting into that mode where we all of a sudden believe our children/student might think that they know what is good for them, maybe we should just continue to be the adult and make the tough decisions that we sometimes don’t want to make for their well being.

“For God loved the world in this way; He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

See God has already made the tough decisions for us. He has also left His word so we know how to care for our children and ourselves. He has left us directions on what we need to do to teach our children about Him and how to glorify and honor Him. That is what we should be focusing on as adults/parents, setting the proper example for our younger generation to follow. Make the hard choice, God did.

Greg

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Giants

What giants do we face today in our everyday walk with the Lord? Throughout history people have continuously ran into obstacles in their walks that could be classified as giants. In the Bible there are specific instances of giants being in the path of some of our most notable biblical heroes. Take a look at the story of the spies sent into Canaan by Moses. They went into Canaan and saw that it was a fabulous land filled with milk and honey, they even brought out huge grapes that took two grown men to carry. No matter what they saw that was wonderful though, ten of them came out talking about giants who were so large that they made them feel like grasshoppers.

So as adults we have the giants that we look at each and every day in our walks with Christ. To some of us that could be what is going on with our government, the way this country is being de Christianized, the glorification of such things as abortion, sex, and homosexuality on television. I mean as adults we have enough giants in our path to keep us gainfully engaged in spiritual warfare for many years to come. The question to ask is; what giants do our children/students face each and every day?

 For any of us who have children who are in school between the grades of 4^th grade on it is a safe assumption that our children/students are dealing with some of the following giant sized issues each day and we do not even know about it.

·         Drugs

·         Sex

·         Pornography

·         Suicide

·         Violence

·         Homosexuality

·         Bias

·         Racism

This is just a short list that I have heard my own children mention and I have kids in school from the 3^rd grade all the way up to a senior in high school. I guess the problem I see is why this is even an issue at their ages. I mean to start off with no child in the 4^th grade or elementary school period should be talking about half these subjects and if they are caught doing it should be disciplined immediately for it buy their teachers and their parents. The reality is that it doesn’t happen at either level and only fosters the feeling that these things are ok.

The truth is that we should love our children enough to address these tough and uncomfortable issues before they become a problem. That is our job in this world, to guide and protect our children from evil and unnecessary influence. We are not commanded to stand by and watch it happen to our children either. We should take the proactive stance to reach out and prepare our children/students for the giants that they will face in this world.

What we find is that the things we find to be miniscule in importance to us is one of these giants in our children/students lives. Let’s take a look at a scenario that could be one of these situations.

Billy is a ten year old boy who lives in a Christian family and loves sports. Billy has played soccer every since he was old enough to run straight without falling down. Well this year while at VBS Billy was filled with the Holy Spirit and met this dude Jesus and fell in love with Him, so now Billy is a child of God.

Well a couple months go by and soccer season comes around. Well Billy has been a good boy and has been attending church every Sunday and Wednesday and has been putting God first in his life. But now he is faced with a pretty tough decision, his soccer practices this year are going to be held on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This presents a small problem to Billy because now he has to make a decision between something he loves doing and someone he loves. Does he forgo church to play soccer, or does he take the stand and tell his coach and parents that God comes first.

This is one of those situations that can seem to be so miniscule right. I mean it’s just a sport and you are only missing Wednesday service a few months a year. But let’s see how this could turn into a giant in our students/children’s lives.

Billy is now 16 years old and a junior in high school. He has kept his grades up and has excelled at soccer. As a matter of fact he is so good that he is considered to be in the top 50 youth players in the country. In addition he plays on a year round traveling team going all over the state. I mean that sounds awesome right.

Well here is where it gets a little touchy; Billy (who voluntarily gave his life to Christ) has not been to church on a consistent basis in about a year now. I mean he is there at least one Sunday a month (because he has tournaments at least 2 times a month), but is rarely there on Wednesdays.  He has been so consumed with school, soccer, and friends that he hasn’t read his bible in about 5 months. Because he now has practice every single day for 2-3 hours after school, when he gets home he is so tired he cannot even pray. So now this miniscule issue from when he was 10 years old has now turned into a gigantic stumbling block in Billy’s relationship with the Lord.

See Billy has forgotten what that Spirit felt like because he was allowed to place something before God. To him at the age of 10 it was just a sport to keep him busy. His parents could have and should have stepped in and set the ground rules and limitations. It was their responsibility to guide their child/student in the correct spiritual path.

Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who love Me and keep My commands. (Exodus 20:4-6)

We as parents and adults need to constantly be on the lookout for what is considered to be a “giant” in our young people’s lives. We cannot and must not focus solely on ourselves when we have children involved. It is imperative that we also take into consideration what is important to them and what is affecting them in their lives.

Greg

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God's Providence

So this is day two in my venture into reading this Battle Ready book. Let me tell you something, I usually read at a pace that is blistering, I mean I can finish a book in a week normally if not sooner. But for some reason, I cannot read this one that fast. I am finding that I have to sit here and read each and every word and actually come to grasp with what it is actually saying.

Today I have made it to page 20 and have come to an abrupt stop. Have come to the subject of God’s providence and what that means. I saw this and was like, oh yeah I have heard this sermon before and it was a little complicated. Now I can read up on it and try and relate it to my students and young ones when that time comes. Then reality hit, this is gonna be hard for me to understand. How do I expect to relay this to my students if I don’t fully understand it?

Simply put the providence of God means

·         God will provide

·         He will give us what we need when we need it

·         He will sustain us and keep us going

Can it really be that simple? A lot of us, and I am guilty also, look at His providence as some complicated alter reality that we perceive it to be. When the truth is simply that easy. God will provide, He will give us what we need when we need it, and He will sustain us and keep us going.

So now I have to wonder and ask; why is it so hard for our students/children to understand that God will provide for us? I believe that the answer to this question is that we as adults are not showing our students/children that we completely believe in God’s providence. I mean we walk around and when things go good in our lives or our community we give credit to Him, but when things go wrong or bad we don’t give Him credit for it. I know you are sitting there thinking about that statement saying why would we give credit to God for the bad things? The answer is pretty simple; God is the creator of all things, good and bad. God does use bad situations in order to bring glory to Him. It only makes sense that we should praise Him when things are going well and when things are going not so well.

That for us as parents is one of the only ways that we will be able to impress upon our students/children that God will provide for us. The ability to take that leap and tithe your full 10% when you don’t think that you can, the ability to put everything in your life on the altar and let God provide for you. Until we completely submit to God’s divine providence we will restrict ours and our children’s walk with the Lord.

Take the time this week and sit with your children/students and ask them what they truly believe about God providing for them. It’s hard for our youth to put that type of faith into something if we as adults are not going to lead them in that direction. I mean I have sat there and questioned whether or not God was going to provide for my family, fully knowing what His word says. For me to even question this is something that I should and have repented for. We all need to look inward sometimes and evaluate what we are doing in our relationships with Him. Are we questioning things we have no right to question?

The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. (Psalm 103:19)

One thing we all get anxious about and truly worry about is money. How much we have, we make, what we need to survive on, and so on and so on. For those of us who have professed Christ as our savior and have promised to live for Him and believe that His Word is truth, I ask that you think about this. God our creator and sovereign King knows each and everything about us. He knows exactly how much money we need (to the exact penny) to survive until the moment that we leave our mortal bodies. He has and will provide you with that money at exactly the right time. Should we question this? No. Do we question this? That is something we will have to answer.

If we can show our younger generation that we have the faith in our God to keep His promises, which just might be what it takes to turn the corner in the spiritual war that our children/students are experiencing in this new culture of theirs. Just sayin….

In His Love,
Greg

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Uncertainty

What do we face as men of God in today’s world that really just shuts us down? I have began to read a book that was given to me by a fellow brother in Christ yesterday. The book is called Battle Ready and when it was handed to me I was told that I better be prepared to be attacked. I must say that they weren’t lying. Within the first few pages of this book, the author hits on something that is absolutely true I believe.

1.       Men across the land are discouraged and depressed and verging on outright despair

2.       The reason for this despair and discouragement is a giant named uncertainty

Where I have to try and relate this and make it known is down to the level of the younger generation. I was conducting a service a few Wednesday’s ago where the statement came out that “I do not believe we are a country of Christians anymore”. Now this statement came from one of my seniors and it wasn’t a question rather a to the point factual statement. And I mean who can blame them for feeling like this.

Uncertainty has been placed into their lives almost from the time that they were able to read and answer questions for themselves. Even in today’s school systems if the uncertainty is not being taught in the classroom it is being relayed on the playground. What I find discouraging is that I live in the “Bible Belt” and the negative nature to positive spiritual development of our children is appalling.

The fact of the matter is that we have let this uncertainty into our lives at every level. I mean if you look at it from a Christian teenager’s standpoint, it is easier to be any other religion out there publicly than it is to be a Christian. The people in this country are afraid to offend any non Christian religion on fear of being attacked for discrimination. I know this is entering a kind of slippery slope were I should tread lightly.  I will state up front that I have no hatred or ill feelings towards other religions, although there was a time I did. See I believe that is the key to why we as Christians have begun to suffer a subtle persecution. As a Christian we are commanded to love, love, and love some more.

You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:38-42)

So that is the uncertainty that our students and children are facing nowadays. We teach our children to love their enemies and suffer through persecution. They go to school and they deal with this persecution on a daily basis while others are left alone. It makes sense to me sometimes why they would find it hard to follow the right path. It definitely makes sense why they would feel depressed, discouraged, or in despair.

So what can we do to fix this issue? I think the only thing we can do in this case is continue to stay involved in our students and children’s lives as much as possible to show them the positive outcome of following Christ. We as a adult generation need to understand that our children are our future and that without our guidance and love they could turn away from what is right to go with what is easy. When things get hard on us as adults, instead of doing the easy things, maybe we should choose to do the Godly things and show our children/students that we don’t just talk the talk but we also walk the walk. That’s what quality leadership does, they set the example for other to follow.

I asked this question the other day to my students and I will share that same topic with you now.

I am sure that there are those of you reading this have a handful or more of friends out there that do not know Jesus Christ, and you are not so worried about that. So for those of you who are in that situation or fall into this category I will put it a different way. There are some of you who are reading this that have a handful or more of friends who are going to hell and you don’t care. Are you truly being a friend?

God has commanded us to GO OUT and make disciples. We cannot do this if we stay in this uncertain, discouraged, and depressed state. It is time we glorified our God the way He deserves and share His word with everyone we encounter.

In His Love,

Greg

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Saturday Sabbatical

One thing that all of us who work throughout the week have in common is our longing for our weekends to come. For some of us this is Saturdays and Sundays, for others they are other days during the week. What I am going to share with you all is my Saturday Sabbatical routine.

Well to start off with I get to sleep in until I decide to wake up, that’s usually around 11 or 12 in the afternoon. Then my wonderful wife has my breakfast and/or lunch ready for me to eat so I can eat and immediately head out to do whatever it is that I want to do for the day. I then finish off the evening by watching whatever movie I want to watch and playing my video games without interruption. Sounds kinda too good to be true doesn’t it. Well its not.

Truth is my Saturday’s and other days off that I might have tend to be the busiest days of the week for me. I have a continual commitment to the Lord to teach His word to the students each and every week. This commitment is usually the focus of almost everyday that I have off. I also have a commitment to my family who barely get to see me throughout the week. So these days off I also try and incorporate them as much as I can into my day. So now we will take a look at what today actually looked like for me and how it will end.

Woke up at 7 am with my wife and kids
Brought my computer into the house from the car so I can complete this weeks lesson.
Ate breakfast with the family
Took the kids to post for the snowflake festival
Spent time with the kids and wife

This is just what my morning looked like until mid afternoon. Now I have the evening coming up and this weekend will be a little different than normal. My wife has her Christmas party with her ladies ministry tonight so its me and the boys. I am currently working on my blog as you can see. When I am done with this I will continue to prepare my lesson for tomorrow and then I think we will end the evening by watching the new Batman together.

It is interesting what we look forward to throughout our week. I personally look forward to teaching God’s Word and spending time with my family. Some prefer to be alone to wind down. What do you prefer to do on your Saturday Sabbatical?

Greg

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Friend or Foe : Social Media

I have been sitting here for the last few weeks thinking about today’s topic because I know how sensitive it could be, but after much deliberation and prayer I have decided to share with you all how I feel about the role that Social Media plays in our society today. I want to start off with a disclaimer prior to going into my rants and what not, I have accounts on FB, Twitter, Linkedn, Google +, and just about every social media outlet out there. My issue is not with the actual media device itself, but the way that it is utilized.

 The idea of being able to link together so many different people through a single location is ground breaking and something that caught on and took off pretty quick. The idea was solid, execution was good, but the one thing that couldn’t be factored in or protected against was human nature. I found a recent study that pointed out some pretty interesting if not just downright scary statistics.

• One study found that 97% of adolescents ages 12-18 use the internet.
• A recent study found that only 16% of the students surveyed regularly spoke with their parents about what they do on-line
• Over 80% of adolescents own at least one form of new media technology
• 68% - 97% of online aggression victims also experience offline relational aggression and 24% -76% also experience offline physical victimization
Take a real close look at some of those statistics dealing with our youth, because the new phase and craze out there right now is to do what is called Cyber Bullying. If you have not experienced this phenomenon I know that you have heard about it. There have been multiple cases on the news involving students who have committed suicide because of what was said to them through FB.

Now don’t get me wrong, FB is not the only source of these problems out there. I mean take a look at the game consoles out there right now. PS3, XBOX, and all the others afford the opportunities for a bully to insert themselves into our young ones lives. There was recently a situation in where kids were lured away from the safety of their home and taken by someone they met through a video game. I mean really, come on now. Let’s start paying attention to what our children are doing.

 I am a video gamer; I especially love playing first person army shooter games. My favorite game happens to be a Call of Duty or Black Ops game. I play these games because it is a way for me to transfer some of my emotions onto something that is not real. I play online with other people who have microphones and can talk. Now I can be playing with anyone at any age at any time. I almost always have to mute everyone that I am playing against or with because of the vulgar use of language and just pure evilness that comes out of their mouths. I will be transparent with you, before I accepted Christ into my life I had gotten banned from the XBOX network because I felt it was ok to tell a young child that Santa wasn’t real and that Santa did bad things with his mother. I mean really, c’mon now.

 So parents I would ask you to monitor some of these games that our children are playing, they are not all bad but in the same way that are not all good either.

Face Book, Twitter, and other social media devices out there can also be used in the same way. Some of you parents already know what I am talking about, you wake up and turn on your computer, log into FB and bam you are being attacked. I mean someone has come on to either your page or on their own page and just launched a verbal attack against your character either provoked or not. Once the attack happens its already too late. Once the damage has been done it can’t be taken back. It’s just like this article today, once I hit submit and publish this, then anyone and everyone can see it. So I guess the question that I have is this; if you are out there finding yourself more frustrated with social media than being edified by it, is it something you really should have in your life? Another way to look at it is like this, is this relationship that I have with my social media one that brings me closer to God, because if it doesn’t bring me closer to God it is only drawing me away from Him?

As followers of Christ we have a responsibility to rebuke and correct things that are wrong. I honestly believe that if Jesus was standing there in front of a computer, and saw all the evilness that has sprouted from the internet and social media, He would un friend Social Media. With that said think about this passage from the Bible.

He (Jesus) said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it. (Mark 8:34-35)

I believe that our Social Media could be used for good out there, please take a moment to watch this video and I think you might agree.

FOLLOW

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Flesh Flesh Flesh

So here I am reading my Bible when I get to one of favorite parts of the Bible. The book of Romans Chapter 8. I mean the whole book of Romans is just awesome and profound, but when I look at Chapter 8 from a young believer’s perspective it always smacks me straight in the face. That is why I like it so much.

 So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12-13)

I know some of you have those friends out there that will tell you that reading the Bible is difficult, or that it leaves too much for the imagination. I tell you this though; if you look at the passage above I do not see where you can get to creative with your imagination. This passage plainly tells us that if we live by the flesh we will die. In the same sense it tells us that if we put away the things of the flesh we will live. Period.

Let’s take a look at something that a lot of people do not consider when you think about this subject. As a matter of fact this is something that I myself have recently struggled with. Smoking or tobacco. I mean there is nowhere in the Bible that specifically tells us that using tobacco is bad. I mean some might even say that God created it, therefore it must be good for us right. Well we will take a look at that as well.

I spent a great deal of time with pastor about a week ago on a trip to Houston where we had this same exact talk. We talked about everything from tobacco to marijuana and the fact that God created these things so they can’t be wrong. Well that is true, things like tobacco and marijuana were created by God to be perfect the way they were made, those specific things stopped being God’s perfect creation the moment we (humans) interfered with that perfection. I mean you have to remove these two items from their natural environment, dry them out, mix them with chemicals, and break them down in order for them to be in a state that we find enjoyable. So what does that tell us, that in its pure and perfect state all of God’s creations are good. It ceases to be something good when we (humans) change those perfect properties to please our fleshly desires. I know that is a little harsh to put it that way, but that is truth.

I am not getting on a high horse here and trying to tell people how to live their lives. What I am doing is sharing my conviction and passion for the Lord. There was a point when we were created perfect, yet because of our need to satisfy fleshly desires, we have since been born into sin. Just sharing a thought.

In the Beginning

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First Year Ministry Reflections

Well here I am coming up on my first complete year in the Student Ministry. I have learned so much this year and I am finding out that I have so much yet to learn. As most of you know I spent 14 years in the infantry learning how to adapt and overcome just about anything. Let me tell you what that time did not prepare me for, teenagers.

Youth Ministry Perception versus Reality

Luckily enough for me this last year has been pretty easy. I mean I would love to say that this is so because I am just that good at what God has called me to. The truth is that God has been with me and in control every step of the way. Look at the situation I found myself in, I was introduced to our youth in such a way to where no one really knew who was in charge. We were a group of people who love God and have a passion for the youth. We were asked to step in on a temporary basis until a better solution could present itself. Through this process we fell under the protection of our senior pastor. I mean I understand that subordinates always have someone above them that protect them and correct them. But for this instance, we literally had the opportunities to make the mistakes that some might not be afforded had we been thrown into the mix without a safety net.

Here we are almost a year later and I find myself wanting to step out from behind that same net that has kept me so safe. See there is a time of learning, a time of practical application, and a time to start experiencing truth so to speak. I love my senior pastor to death, I mean he has stepped in and taken the blow for so many things that have happened that he could have easily just deflected to me or someone else who it deserved to be directed at.

Now here I find myself asking to take on this responsibility and own it. I mean that is the key thing when it comes to accepting a responsibility. You have to be willing to own that responsibility. I know that I will never be able to completely absolve my pastor from accountability for my actions, because as a leader that is what he has to do. What I can do is step up and accept responsibility for what I have been called to do to where publicly people understand that I too can be approached if there is an issue.

What I find to be extremely funny and ironic is that my pastor keeps telling me to run away from this. I understand why he does this, believe me I do. But he also says this because he knows the truth, if you are truly called to do His will, no matter how fast you run or how far you go, you will not be able to run away from your calling.

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Its Not Easy

I have decided to once again take up blogging about my walk with the Lord and share with you all anything that I might be able to in order to better equip you and prepare you for your journey with our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have had the wonderful privilege of being blessed with a supportive and loving Church family. I have been entrusted with the honor of guiding the student youth spiritually in their walks with Christ, and let me tell you how much of an easy job this is.

I mean to start off with, I find it kind of ironic and humorous that my God who I have vowed to faithfully serve, would call me to minister to high school students. I mean, I did spend 14 years in the military, served 2 combat tours, and have dealt with some really stressful situations in my life, but nothing could have prepared me for the in’s and outs of youth ministry.

Like I had mentioned before, it’s a pretty easy gig. I mean all I really have to do is sit there and laugh at their jokes, let them do what they want to do all the time, buy them some food and drinks, play music, let them play games, and that is it right. I know that there are some people out there that might actually believe that last sentence. I mean at one point and time even I thought that this was truth, but almost a year later working with my youth, I can definitely tell you how not true that perception is.

I have realized that I have a group of wonderful young Christians who are just trying to figure out where they belong in this world. On top of that they have made a decision to follow Christ and live for Him. I just shudder to think what that must be like. Look at it, as adults we struggle daily with fleshly desires and trying to walk in Christ, do we ever stop to take a look at what our youth might be going through.

If you talk to youth nowadays anywhere from the 5^th grade up you will realize that they are dealing with things we never as adults thought they would be dealing with. Sex, drugs, profanity, pornography, violence, peer-pressure, homosexuality, and so much more. Are we as adults stepping into their lives and addressing these issues with our students before they decide to address them on their own.

Don’t get me wrong, it will not be something easy to address and fix. Your student will most likely be upset with you for talking about something that makes them uncomfortable, or they might even become a little rebellious. The fact is that we cannot afford to not address these things with our students and children. If we avoid the tough subjects because we don’t want to hurt their feelings or alienate them from us, we will lose them and never be able to reel them back in.

So what I am saying as a youth pastor/director is that even though there are subjects on a daily basis that I might not necessarily want to address, I have to address for the safety of the students that God has entrusted to me. I will continue to tackle the hard issues with love and kindness and show them that everything that is done for them come from God and His love for them.

            “Let the little children come to Me. Don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”(Mark 10:14)

Our children are our future and as such should be thought of no less important than anyone else. Pay attention and show them that you love them, as I have learned recently it is not enough to sometimes think that they know how you feel, but sometimes you have to actually tell them how much you love and appreciate them.

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