3.25.2009

the youth at worship

we've been experimenting with worship at our weekly youth group meetings, and i've been very encouraged.  i hope the students have too!  we started with an Ash Wed service which i posted about, and have since help an baptismal affirmation service and a Taize Communion service.

when challenged; when given the opportunity; when trusted...

students respond.

can Junior Highers sing Taize songs seriously?  can they focus for 30 minutes?
YES they can!

tonight was special for me.  i long for moments when young people can be freed to worship, encouraged to express their faith, and opened to new expressions of Christian worship.  my hope is that Sunday mornings can be the same; that on Sunday mornings they would feel truly included and engaged in the larger church.  they are, after all, part of the church right NOW.

praise God for our students and for His work in their lives.  

3.09.2009

enough is enough

reflecting on the current "economic crisis."

it seems that there is a big concern for placing blame on someone.  during the election both parties said it was the fault of the other.  not enough regulation.  not enough support for the administration.  not enough of this, not enough of that.  enough already.

is it the banks' fault?  is it the governments' fault?  is it the greedy CEO's fault?  is it my fault?  is it your fault?  what if we quit pointing fingers and admitted our complicity in this mess.  we're all at fault.  we're all living on money we don't actually have.  all of us.

it brings me back to the concept of ENOUGH.  when do we have enough?  when will we be satisfied?  when?

can The Church speak to this, please?  can we share?  can we practice hospitality in radical ways?  does every Christian need their own lawn mower; their own plasma screen; their own copy of every popular Christian book published; their own espresso machine; even their own cars?  why?  why can't we, those who were taught to love our neighbor and love one another, figure out how to share?

what resources might be freed up if we shared?  what sort of radical community might develop if we shared our resources more freely?  if we all had to actually watch TV together, borrow each other's cars, law mowers, etc.  try it.  i dare you!

3.03.2009

haze - teen drinking

what can i say.  i watched this short documentary [30 minutes] and was outraged.  i thought of all the stupid parties i went to in college and high school.  i can honestly say that this sort of story doesn't surprise me.  that's really sad.  that's really hard for me to admit.  it's hard for me to admit that i've been around people that were harming themselves with alcohol while the rest of us stood around like it was a show.

this is serious stuff.  this is real life.  if you think this doesn't or won't impact students you know, please think again.  binge drinking is a reality on most college campuses.  yes, even Christian colleges.  binge drinking is a reality in many high schools.  yes, even Christian schools.  
are we willing to talk about it?  are we willing to acknowledge the problem?  will we have frank, honest conversations with young people?  are we willing to admit our own short-comings, or will we chalk it up to "kids being kids"?

watch the film....weep.  get frustrated.  think.  educate.  tell someone.  have a tough conversation.  peace.



h/t http://rethinkingyouth.blogspot.com