Something to Sign

A few years ago I had the opportunity to shake nearly every hand in my school's 2007 graduating class, just before they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas.  I love that position.  I'm the guy who tells them to watch their step and to not trip or puke on the principal, as they - many for the first time - get a chance to be the center of attention for one brief moment in time, in front of thousands of people.

I try to say something to each kid, shake hands, and occasionally give a hug to those kids I've come to know the best and know I will miss the most.

As the kids slowly moved past me, I noticed one of my campaigner guys inching his way closer. When he reached me, I threw my arm around his shoulder and told him I was going to miss him. That's when he told me he had decided to stay in town and go to our local university. Last thing I knew he was headed out of state, so I was pleasantly surprised and mentioned that I'd like to talk to him soon about getting into our new leader training.

The ceremony ended and I headed for the doors with the rest of our faculty. As I walked down the street back to my car, I ran into this kid again. I told him how excited I was he was going to be in town, and that I really wanted him to get involved in our new leader training in September.

Then, I saw an uncomfortable look come to his face and he said, "Uh, I don't know. I don't think I want to do that. Don't you have to sign something?"

"Sign something?" I said.  I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Yeah.  Don't you have to sign something that says you're not going to drink?"

"Are you serious?" I said.  I couldn't believe it.  Here he is walking away from his high school graduation, his Young Life leader is giving him an opportunity to stay involved and help others, and all he can think about is having to sign something that says he's not going to drink.  How sad!

Wow, I thought.  I respected him for being honest.  The more I thought about it, I thought he was just articulating something that some of our young leaders might think.  But, my gosh.

Part of me felt like such a failure.  Had I not been an example of what it's like to live an exciting life with Christ?  What would make this kid feel the need to, not even give in to temptation, but "plan ahead" to give in to temptation?  It just struck me as so sad.

You can't take the car out of the parking lot until you pay for it.

So it can be done!

This is a refreshing story from the Chicago Tribune - Practicing abstinence, bride and groom have never kissed.

When the officiant tells Claudaniel Fabien he can kiss his bride at the altar Saturday, no one will fault the couple for a little "should I tilt my head this way, or that way?" awkwardness.

It will be the couple's very first kiss.

In his Song of Solomon series, Tommy Nelson answers the question, "How far can we go?" by using an analogy of a cliff.  We don't want our kids to ask how close they can get to the edge.  Let's just stay away from the edge.

Of course there are the folks who think this is crazy, those who ask how you know he/she's right for you unless you try her out, the live together before you get married just so you know crowd.

To them, Melody responds, "You can't take the car out of the parking lot until you pay for it."

Read the whole story.

What's More Valuable - Your Cell Phone or Your Virginity?

Jeremy Berg, a youth pastor from Minnesota, makes a bold statement during a conversation with a friend in a post at youthworker.com.

With these thoughts floating around in my head, I blurted out a provocative statement to my pastor friend across the table that struck us both as...well...something worth pondering. I said: "Many teens will give up their virginity easier than they'll give up their cell phone."

Huh, that's an interesting observation.

They both have to do with connectedness, with relationships.  Giving up your cell phone takes away your connection with others while giving up your virginity has to do with drawing close to someone.  It seems to me both illustrate the desire we have to be connected and know people intimately.  It's a God-given desire.

I don't disagree with Jeremy.  He makes a good point.  It does make me think, however.

1. What can we be doing to help our teens feel connected better with those around them?  Are we helping them connect both with and without technology?
2. What can we do to help them distinguish between appropriate levels of connection?  How can we help them properly live within good, authentic, Godly relationships?

Ironically, I think the answer to both is good communication & connectedness.  When we take kids to Young Life camp, we take their cell phones away.  It is hardly a struggle anymore, because we do a good job of communicating the reasons and the benefits.  More often than not, they are excited to have a week without being tied down to their mobile networks.  Of course, we are providing them with tons of opportunities to be connected face-to-face throughout the week - modeling good community relationships.

Likewise, talking and talking and talking to them about the benefits of saving yourself (or re-saving yourself) for marriage is key.  And, not just for the sake of saving yourself, but with the explanation that sin always impacts other people - drawing it back to connectedness.  If we can help kids see how the choices they make affects others in the community they care about - even in the future - we will be helping them tremendously.

On a side note, but somewhat related.  Did you catch the Newsweek piece called Unattainable Beauty?  Good grief.  It's no wonder our kids have such a messed up view of how we should look.

Are You Too Fashionable?

YOU MAY BE TOO FASHIONABLE IF . . .

1. You can look around at church and notice that everybody is basically the same age and they look and dress pretty much like you do.
2. You can’t stand singing a worship song that was “in” five years ago—much less singing a hymn from another century.
3. You believe social justice is more important than evangelism OR evangelism is more important than social justice.
4. The church you go to is so dimly lit during worship that you can’t see the person singing next to you, much less the person singing across the room.
5. You’ve attended a “leadership” conference where you learned more about organization and props than proclamation and prayer.
6. Your goal in spending time with non-Christians is to demonstrate that you’re really no different than they are and to prove this you curse like a sailor, drink like a fish, and smoke like a chimney.
7. You’ve concluded that everything new is better than anything old OR that everything old is better than anything new.
8. You think that the way Jesus lived is more important than what Jesus said–that his deeds were more important than his doctrine.
9. You believe that the best way to change our culture is to elect a certain kind of politician.
10. The church you’ve chosen is defined more by its reaction to “boring” churches than by its response to a needy world.
11. You’ve decided that everything done by the church you grew up in was way wrong and you’re now, thankfully, part of a missional “community” that does everything right.
12. The one verse you wish wasn’t in the Bible is John 14:6 where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by me.” That’s way too narrow!

You can't take the car out of the parking lot until you pay for it.

So it can be done!

This is a refreshing story from the Chicago Tribune - Practicing abstinence, bride and groom have never kissed.

When the officiant tells Claudaniel Fabien he can kiss his bride at the altar Saturday, no one will fault the couple for a little "should I tilt my head this way, or that way?" awkwardness.

It will be the couple's very first kiss.

In his Song of Solomon series, Tommy Nelson answers the question, "How far can we go?" by using an analogy of a cliff.  We don't want our kids to ask how close they can get to the edge.  Let's just stay away from the edge.

Of course there are the folks who think this is crazy, those who ask how you know he/she's right for you unless you try her out, the live together before you get married just so you know crowd.

To them, Melody responds, "You can't take the car out of the parking lot until you pay for it."

Read the whole story.