Natalie is the seems like the kind of teenager that student ministers dream of. From her blog, she seems to be passionately hungry for a deeper experience with Christ, but is simply not being fed enough of the Bread of Life. In this post, she talks about her 'normal' youth group experience on Wednesday nights: a few games, a little singing, and a quick prayer.
Ugh.
No wonder so many students throw in the youth group towel in high school (even more so in college). If all we are doing is giving them the 'coke and a joke' routine, I can't blame them. There's another word for that: babysitting. And it makes me want to vomit.
I've always believed that students can change the world. That students want to change the world. And that if you challenge students with the dangerous gospel of Christ, they will rise up in unexpected numbers to meet that challenge. Why? Because only He satisifies. Because something within the heart of every teenager beats with the desire to matter. To be a part of something so big, so infinitely monumental, that they must risk everything. The desire to be so vitally important to something bigger than ourselves, yet to be communally involved that 'we' is more important than 'me'. (As the old PostModern mantra says, 'me' needs 'we' to 'be'. Thanks, Len Sweet)
Please. Get involved and challenge our teenagers deeply with the risky gospel of Christ. And realize that they are watching you to take the lead. If you are not out in front, they'll pass you up like Rosie O'Donnell passes up a can of Slimfast. They don't need entertainment. They need edutainment: they need us to hold their attention (entertainment) and feed them the meat of what it means to live out discipleship (education). They don't need friends, buddies, and babysitters.
They need a spiritual Yoda.
How about you?
(thanks, Scott, for the link!)
