Shane Koyczan relates a childhood experience where he was branded a name and then that name stuck. Poetically, Koyczan goes on to share a few experiences others might have endured as someone who is misunderstood in their formative years. It’s an amazing video to watch! It’s also an amazing message to share.
source YouTube
It’s been modeled to me and I see it all over current curriculum that we teach and implore people to do better, to be more responsible, to try not to do something, and to keep working at it. We encourage our listeners to not give up. We end up placing the onus on us as teachers to keep having to bring up “relevant” issues otherwise our parishioners will forget. That’s why we have to have scope and sequences in our teaching content because we need to have a sort of strategic cycle so we can keep bringing up the important “moral” issues that Christians should be model examples of in this world.
Topics like:
“I know I gave God my all… but what if He screws it up?”
Quote from a teenage girl @ Youth Camp 2013
“As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow.”
As humans who live in a world that we cannot control, we wonder why bad things happen and what we could have done to prevent them. This is only natural to think and feel.
The reality, however, is…
Well, kinda. I have “new” job parameters.
Pastor Loretta Sunderland has been the High School Youth pastor for over 15 years and she is transitioning into a new role at Hayward Wesleyan Church. So I will be assuming the high school ministry at Hayward Wesleyan starting sometime this summer. I’ll be adding this to what I already do with children and middle school students.
So this will complete my “acquisition” plans!! I’ve been planning this all along… No, just kidding!
We’re still trying to figure out what my new title will be, but here were some suggestions:
I’m excited about being able to strategize, dream, educate, disciple and lead students and their families through the developmental years of birth through 12th grade, from the cradle through graduation!
“When there is any hope at all of persuasion, God goes for conviction and conversion, not condemnation. God never denounces somebody in such a way that sets up the person being denounced for failure.”
“What gets through to teens are factual messages, in context, delivered consistently, over time, that parents echo.”
source USA Today article
“God uses language to tell us things, and the Bible is the language that he’s used.”
I have a young friend named Levi. He’s says and does some really neat things. Levi is very spiritually attuned and he really wants to know about the Lord.
The other day, Levi drew something on the whiteboard we have in what we call Main Street Theatre, and he wanted me to see it. This is his drawing:
I said: “Wow, Levi, that’s interesting. Who are the devil’s people?”
He said: “All the bad people.”
“So they are kinda like a dirt pile, huh?” I was trying to get off of the devil’s people language at first, but he had it right… almost.
“Yeah,” he said.
I then asked Levi if I could mess with his mind a bit (I didn’t want to discourage him, so I asked) and his drawing. He said, “Sure.” Levi’s always up for anything.
There might be a variety of reasons why any sane adult would willingly give up a couple hours of their time every week to attempt to disciple middle school and high school students:
Teenagers say and do some pretty goofy things. Perhaps some people volunteer because they love to laugh.
Teenagers have a tendency to say and do some pretty weird things. Perhaps those who volunteer are insane.
Teenagers like to do and say some odd things. Perhaps the volunteer has an agenda to fix an entire generation and developmental category. Good luck.
Well… teenagers say and do some awkward things. Perhaps if a volunteer needs to be liked by someone and they think a “simple” young teenager can fill that void, well… that’s just awkward.
Teenagers don’t seem to have control over what they say and do. Perhaps adults volunteer in youth ministry because they believe that God loves all people, uncontrollable teenagers included, and desires to save all people, awkward teenagers included, and that living life in dependence on the Holy Spirit is possible for all people, odd teenagers included, and no agenda, desire to be liked, insanity or fodder for laughter will preclude weird or goofy teenagers from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
That’s why you should volunteer!
HT YouthMin.org
Read the full review over at Wesleyan Kids.