Thank your local youth leader

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

I attended the WinterFresh youth retreat in Prescott weekend before last. The retreat hosted 200 Arizona teenagers led by our Student Ministry Team for Arizona Southern Baptists. The team dialed in from the get-go, and what a pleasure it was to serve with young leaders.

The speaker, Jon Herron, received training under the Second City Comedy Club and studied under Tina Fey who stars in 30 Rock on NBC. I am glad the Lord got this guy’s attention and he applies his energy to building up the body of Christ. He communicated with a seriousness and humor rare these days.

The worship band was very good and humble. I like drummers who keep the beat and actually sing with the music, and the drummer did just that. A few years ago a pastor shared with a team I served on that the music was too loud. I remember thinking that he was just old. Well, here I am years later and the music was great, but I thought to myself that it was TOO LOUD! Ugh. I turned 50 this past birthday and here I am thinking that the music was too loud (and it was ☺).

Let’s thank the Lord for youth leaders who work with today’s teenagers and are able to listen to their loud music and their hearts. Praise God for youth leaders that are able and allowed to walk alongside families and help parents with the most difficult task of launching teenagers to maturity.

Keep up the good work and tell your youth leaders how much you appreciate them this week.

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A model all churches can follow

Posted on January 16, 2012 by

I went to a house church gathering the other day. It was a shrimp boil at a municipal park. There must have been 40 of us and we had a wonderful time.

I had never been to a shrimp boil. The host family brought a huge steel cooking pot and a propane burner. Into the boiling water went potatoes, onions, garlic, corn, carrots, various seasonings, at least two kinds of shrimp, and some chicken strips for those who do not fancy shrimp. In a word: delicious.

What impressed me most about this gathering was not the fellowship or the food. It was the way the adults treated the children and how relaxed the children were with all the adults. With no sense of shyness, children engaged not just their parents but other adults with their needs and their questions. I observed older children in relaxed, albeit brief, conversations with adults who did not talk down to them.

The entire afternoon was more a family gathering than a church social. I say hooray for a church where children feel safe and significant. Three of those children were my grandchildren. I went to bed that night thanking God for Disciples Church.

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God didn’t answer my prayer … or did He?

Posted on January 9, 2012 by

I heard a story from my friend the other day that reminded me to pray with a submissive and thankful attitude because what I pray for may not turn out like I expect!

My friend related a story of a church member whom I had known a number of years ago. I had not seen the church member for a while until I attended a meeting with another Southern Baptist congregation that was in partnership with a newly planted Southern Baptist congregation meeting in their church building.

The member’s congregation was not growing numerically. They were struggling with finances to keep their building and acreage from deteriorating.

The new congregation had worship music that appealed to a different lifestyle than the member’s congregation. The new church began reaching people with the gospel of Christ and growing rapidly. Many people were baptized.

Finally the new church so outgrew the member’s congregation that they decided to give the property to the new congregation and disband.

The member of the disbanded congregation recently returned to see the new vibrant congregation filling their former building and utilizing the entire property for ministry. The former member told my friend, “I prayed for years for God to grow our congregation and bring people to Christ, and look what happened. This new congregation changed our building. They baptize in a horse trough. They have different music. God didn’t answer my prayer!”

And all I could think was … or did He?

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” Romans 8:26 (NIV).

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