My kids are VERY creative. Being homeschooled, they usually had 2-3 hours of school work and the rest of the time they goofed off ... or entertained themselves. Creativity is the result. They write songs, write stories, read, and do video productions ... just for fun.

Also, they've recently "taken over" their youth group's drama department. This week Cory, Leslie, and Nathan are doing a skit on the theme "I am Bold." Nathan (14) has amnesia and he is very timid. The other two tell me that he's actually an accomplished and well-known person, and they enourage him to Be Bold.

The point of the message, of course, is to remind us who we are in Christ. Sometimes we forget.
Okay, most of the time we forget.

Anyway, here are a few of the illustrations the kids came up to to prove Nathan's success. I thought they were great!

“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” 1Thessalonians 5:24

God is faithful! He is worthy to be believed. There was a 350 year period when the Judges ruled the land. This was when Israel was pulling away from God. Even though they were pulling away, God remained faithful to them. God sent Israel a deliverer. Her name was Deborah.

Deborah was called by God to be a prophetess and judge. She was in tune with the voice of God. Not only could she hear God, but she also had the courage to act on what God was saying. Israel was threatened by King Jabin. Deborah sent word to her co-leader, Barak, and reminded him of the word from the Lord, “Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and deploy troops…and against you I will deploy Sisera…and I will deliver him into your hand?’” (Judges 4:6,7) Deborah felt God’s presence in her life and leadership. She called back to the promises from God. That gave her the boldness to act on what God had told her to do.

In the midst of battle, we need to remain in a place where we hear God’s voice. We need to remember God’s promises and act on what He is calling us to do. God is faithful! When we listen and act on God’s word, we begin to live a victorious life. The fear of uncertainty and the unknown are destroyed and our faith is strengthened.

Sarah Bragg

Earlier this month I told the miraculous tale of the return of my cat Lucia. Not only did she come back safe and whole but she seemed to have grown a backbone. She spent more time roaming the house and less hours hiding from the dog on the shelf over our refrigerator. She didn’t even mind the new cat. Well, she did give one token hiss in passing, as if to say, “The Queen has returned. Off with your head!” We had gotten used to the idea of being a 3 cat family. Then, exactly a week after Lucia came home, we woke up to find her lethargic and clearly sick.

Ironically Tatiana, the new cat (my birthday gift) had a bad kitty cold. But after trips to the vet for both of them it became clear that they had completely different things. While Tatiana bounced back Lucia got sicker and sicker, to the point where I had to feed her pureed, watered-down baby-food-like cat food through a baby medicine dropper. Half the time she gagged on it.

On Friday we made the heartbreaking decision to have her put to sleep. The vet decided that she must have developed pneumonia, possibly while she was on the road. Or she could have caught Tatiana’s cold and, being much older, couldn’t fight it off. As I waited for the vet to come in and give the injection I wondered for the hundredth time why God would send my precious cat back to me only to have her die. The only thought that comforted me was, as least she died with me instead of alone in a bush somewhere. At least I got to hold her and stroke her and tell her what a good kitty she was while she slipped away on my lap. Still it didn’t seem fair.

This happened at a time when so much doesn’t seem fair in life. I won’t pour out all the drama. Let’s just say that losing Lucia was just one more hard thing. This morning I read a passage from the book of Job (yeah, I know, what a nice pick me up when you’re already down). God had just responded to Job questioning by basically asking, “Um, are you God? Did you create the world?” Humbled Job responded, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

I closed my Bible with the sense that God knows what He is doing even if none of it seemed fair or logical to me. I still miss Lucia. I still wish many things were different. But God still cares and has a plan even if I can’t see even a tiny bit of it.

Maybe there is something in your life that seems unfair. Ask God to help you cling to His love and purpose today.

A few of us went to help with a mission project Thursday. The lady in charge must have been in her 60's. She's helping refugees settle in. 5,000 of them--most don't speak English.

Some of us helped them set up e-mail accounts. Some helped with food distribution. Some will be teaching English.

My job was to clean up a concession stand at a ballpark so they can have summer camps. We wiped down the counter tops, sprayed them with Clorox, and swept out spiders. We took the water hose and sprayed pollen off the concrete surrounding the concession stand. Then we dropped to our hands and knees picked up trash in the area.

I can't tell you how I sensed the Spirit of God on my hands and knees. God showed up right there in the middle of an inner city concession stand in a junky ballpark. There's a scripture that begins, "And taking the towel He knelt..." meaning Jesus knelt to wash His disciples' feet. I believe He considered it joy and a privilege.

Maybe God is in the small things. The things that go unnoticed by the crowds. The almost invisible things we do for others--no matter how small. I can tell you, He was with me as I knelt in the floor of that concession stand.

Love,
Julie

Labels: ballpark, missions

Camy here, gushing about something I’m unashamedly, illogically addicted to: bags!

I come by my addiction honestly. My mother looooooooves bags. She gets a new purse every year, not because the old one has worn out, but because she wants something new.

I am almost as bad. While I’ve had the same cutie pink Dooney and Bourke purse for two years now, I’m not averse to other types of bags making their way into my “collection.”

I have these awesome tote bags that I get free at conferences, and I use them for everything—my knitting, to hold books, to hold jackets, to carry packages I have to mail at the post office, to hold my stuff when I go to youth group at church, for my light and music when I have to lead worship, to carry a change of clothes, etc.

I also got these really cute Hawaiian print canvas tote bags at the Aloha Flea Market for like $5 each, and they’re lined, with two small zippered pockets in addition to the main compartment, and the top zips shut, too. I use those for my knitting projects. (Yes, plural, I have more than one thing I’m knitting at a time. Kind of like how some people are reading more than one book at a time.)

I also have three laptop bags, although I admit two of them were free. The problem is that I only have two laptops, and one is an old Dell klunker that I never use and wouldn’t care if I dropped, anyway.

And I love those little satin Asian jewelry purses you can get for a buck at the Aloha Flea Market. Not that I have that much jewelry, but they’re handy for ones I need to keep separate from the others.

My mom also gives me bags she’s tired of, or that she buys but decides she doesn’t like anymore (like a beautiful black and tan Dooney and Bourke tote bag that she bought for a trip to Japan but gave to me because it ended up being too heavy for her to use everyday).

And then, if that’s not enough, I really like knitting my own bags. I have a pattern for a mesh grocery/beach/anything bag that I’m going to knit as soon as I finish a few of my other projects. :) And then there was the Ugly Bag I just made, which is actually a lot uglier than the picture because I stretched it out a little to make it look nice before I took the shot.

Well, I’ve made my confession. How about you? Any addictions you care to share? It might even make it better to confess it. :) (Not that it has for me, I’m still going to acquire more bags, probably until I’m too old to carry one.)

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her new Asian chick lit novel, Only Uni, just released this month. Join her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly Christian fiction giveaways!

Labels: Camy Tang, silly

“If there really was a bomb and it went off, where would you go—heaven or hell?”

That’s what a friend asked me in high school as we sat in bleachers on the football field while security teams scoured classrooms and lockers. None of us believed there really was a bomb at that time, but I did take my friend’s question seriously. Even as little as I thought about God or heaven or hell, I had absolutely no doubt I’d go to hell. I think my candid response shocked her. She didn’t know what to say next.

Maybe hers wasn’t the best witnessing technique in the world, but it made me think. Growing up in a family that pretty much ignored faith, except to buy new clothes and attend an Easter service each year, I really hadn’t thought deeply about my life or where it was headed. Until that moment.

I can see now that God had already begun to work in me and draw me to himself. Looking back, it’s unmistakable. I started to notice that I was thinking about God a whole lot more, hungering to know about him, to know answers to all that had been building up inside me for a long time. Somehow I knew I needed him desperately, but I wasn't sure what to do about it.

I told my mom one spring night after a meeting I attended in the high school gym that I had accepted Jesus into my heart. At that time, before she discovered her own faith in Jesus, she rolled her eyes and told me, “It’s just a fad.”

It wasn’t.

Now, many years later, that hunger to know more of God still rumbles inside of me. So do more questions. And I don’t want any of it to stop, ever. That seemingly unquenchable desire, which I fully believe is God given, keeps me running toward him every day.

I am drawn to writings. old or new, that inspire a moment-by-moment relationship with God. Here’s one I rediscovered this week:

There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God.

Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

A deeper knowing. Talking to God. Trusting him. Continual. Moment by moment.

I want that.

I’d love to know your stories or favorite quotes about hungering for God. Please share!

Jan

www.jankern.com
http://www.choose2livefree/

Labels: faith, hungering for God, Jan Kern

Two weeks ago my cat, Lucia, ran away from home. I don’t know if it was the earthquakes we’ve been having (I live in Reno where we’ve had literally hundreds in the past few weeks), if she’d had enough of the dog getting in her face, or both. But one night she took off across the backyard and the next day we couldn’t find her anywhere.

Lucia has been my baby for years. She lays with me when I’m not feeling well, rests on my desk, licks my hair to get attention (okay, that’s a little annoying), and is incredibly sweet. I missed her like crazy. We put up posters, called the animal shelter, alerted friends to keep an eye out for a beautiful tortoise shell cat, everything. We prayed and prayed, “Please help Lucia find her way home.” Ten days later, Lucia (also known as The Queen, Lady Lucia, and Santa Lucia) had not returned. I finally had to accept that she was probably gone for good. Our house backs up to the freeway, our neighborhood is full of dog, it’s not unusual for coyotes to wander down out of the hills, and Lucia is declawed.

Knowing how upset I was my husband presented me with an extra special birthday gift on Thursday. You guessed it: I opened the box to find a new cat—velvet black with piercing green eyes. Deep down I wasn’t quite ready to accept a new Queen. But knowing that he meant to be sweet I doted over her and dubbed her Tatiana (also known as The Grand Duchess, or Tati, which is Nathan’s name for her). After a few minutes I said . . .

“Norm, what if Lucia comes home?”

“J, come on. There is no way.”

Yep, you guessed it again: we found Lucia that same night. I think she smelled an intruder. She’d lost a little weight, was dirty and scared, but our baby was in one piece! And she was home! I considered it my birthday gift from God.

Lucia has become my reminder that God really does care. He took care of her for 10 days. He answered our prayers just when we’d given up on the idea of ever seeing her funny multi-covered face again.

So now, the question remains, what to do with the Grand Duchess. Our house is pretty overrun with animals. But I’m tempted to keep her too. Lucia can be my reminder that God cares and Tatiana can remind me that, even on those days when it seems like he doesn’t get me at all, my husband cares too.

What are your recent reminders that God cares and hears your prayers? I’d love to hear about them!

Cross-posted on my blog

Labels: animals, God cares, Jeanette Hanscome, prayer

Mark 12:30 gives us a major guide to life. We're to "love the Lord with all our heart and soul and mind and strength." Then the Bible says that "no other commandments are greater than these."

Yesterday I was lifting weights at the Y. This is a Christian work-out place with scripture plastered all of the place, so you wouldn't think I'd lose my focus. But I did. My heart wasn't in it. I got tired in a hurry, rested too long between sets, and started slacking off. All I could think about was checking exercise off my list, getting some lunch and going shopping.

Then I noticed all the effort from those around me--drenched shirts, grunting, and total concentration.

I wonder. What if life is a lot like working out? What if I started praying more--no matter what I'm doing--even when I'm at the Y? I bet my strength and endurance would increase and my heart would be turned toward God.

Has anybody tried to pray while going about routine things, like working out, studying, shopping or cleaning?

What if we were to daily honor God with our:
physical abilities?
power?
thoughts?
reasoning?
thinking?
intelligence?
desires?
emotions?
passions?
feelings?

Julie

So there’s been plenty of buzz lately about teen idol and role model Miley Cyrus and her photo shoot with Vanity Fair. It has turned into quite the hot topic with plenty of controversy.

We can almost remember a time when a photo shoot like this of a fifteen-year-old wouldn’t have even been a consideration. They simply wouldn’t have done it. But in today’s world of relativism and sliding morals, the lines jump all over the place like an old vein dodging a needle.

I don’t know. Maybe Miley and her parents didn’t imagine the photographer—though known for racey—would go the direction she did. Maybe Miley fully trusted the adults around her and the encouragement that this would be a classy and fun shoot rather than what it became. And then looking back, with media response and pressure, there are now all kinds of regrets.

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment. Too easy.

On a less celebrity scale—but equally as important—that can happen in our everyday, more ordinary lives. We’re in a conversation and find ourselves trashing a friend who a moment before we’d never betray. We are out in a group and one thing leads to another, and before we know it we’ve compromised a standard we thought we’d never violate. Or pressures and pain that run deep resurface and derail our resolve; we step right into a choice we never imagined we’d make.

Memories of instances when I did that still make me shiver with regret. I’ve experienced fewer and fewer slips, and therefore regrets, as God has grounded me deeper in my relationship with Him. I think of Psalm 1. It’s a grounding Psalm. It gives me a vision of what I want to avoid and where I want to keep heading. It offers words to help me formulate my prayer and plea for a solid resolve rooted in the only One who can keep me grounded.

If you haven’t read Psalm 1 recently, read the whole thing again . . . slowly. Then if you want, create your own personalized version of your grounding Psalm.

When we’re prepared and rooted deeply by the “streams of water,” we won’t so easily get caught up in the moment.

Praying for you!

Jan

Jan’s recent books, Scars That Wound, Scars That Heal—A Journey Out of Self-Injury, and Seduced by Sex, Saved by Love—A Journey Out of False Intimacy talk about how God can help us avoid getting caught up in the moment, particularly with two vital issues and pressures: self-injury and sex.

http://www.jankern.com/

Labels: choices, good decisions, grounding in Christ, Jan Kern, mistakes

Camy here, talking about being brave.

This past week on my blog, I posted the lyrics for a Nichole Nordeman song that inspired me while I was writing my novel, Only Uni.

I love this song because it talks about how we don’t need to know it all, and we can still be strong believers in Christ. The world can think we’re completely loco, and it doesn’t matter because God is with us.

I admit I struggle with this. As much as I tell myself it doesn’t matter what other people think, helllooooooooo, yes it does matter. I don’t like it, but I can tell myself to ignore it all I want and still I won’t feel any different, I’ll still feel self-conscious.

Worship is my worst area for this. I’m pretty sure no one is going to think anything if I stand or raise my hands or even if I dance around the sanctuary (although I’d probably trip over some lady’s walker if I did that). But something inside me holds back and I just sit there meekly and sing the songs.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t always want to raise my hands or stand, but sometimes I feel a push in me to do it, and I ignore it.

At other times (and this is totally perverse of me, but I’ve gotten used to my illogic), I wonder if I feel like I ought to raise my hands because God would want me to, or it would be expected of someone who was a true Christian—not because I really want to raise my hands. You know what I mean?

At the same time, I know that God moves me in other ways, outside of worship at church. He moves me during worship team practices before youth group meetings. He moves me in the shower. He moves me when I’m listening to music during the day. Then, I raise my hands and sing with some gusto.

God also makes me brave in other areas—in telling my teen girls some hard things about their spiritual lives, or their choices. In writing hard things in my fiction. In confessing hard things to my Bible study group or my prayer group.

Why can’t I be brave at church and raise my hands? At the same time, why is it so necessary for me to do that at all?

Is it wrong not to be moved during worship at church? Is that irreverent for me to even ask that?

Well, I have church today (I’m writing this the night before). I’ll talk to God some during service and see if He has an answer for me.

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her new Asian chick lit novel, Only Uni, just released this month. Join her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly Christian fiction giveaways!

Labels: Camy Tang, worship

My husband is a biologist. He also believes that God created the world--that life didn't just happen by random chance. For one thing, God says He did it. But even if He never took credit, there's simply too much order in a single cell, let alone the whole universe, for life to have evolved without a designer.

Nobody can prove scientifically how life started, because nobody can go back in time and observe the process. Any explanation for the origin of life requires a certain amount of faith--believing in things that can't be seen or measured or recreated in a test tube. But somewhere along the line, Darwin's theory of evolution became accepted as proven fact, and anyone who offers a dissenting argument or evidence to the contrary is labeled stupid or accused of trying to mix science and religion. Some have lost their jobs.

Well-known comedian, actor, and author, Ben Stein, decided to get to the bottom of the issue, and the result was the recently released documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who cares about the future of education and society. Parts of it will make you laugh. It will also make you cry. But most importantly, it will make you think.

Please go see it. Take your parents and friends, and then discuss it. Academic freedom may be under attack, but no one can stop you from thinking for yourself.

Labels: Expelled, Intelligent Design, Jeanne Damoff

This is The Drop Tower at Kings Dominion. The picture really doesn't do it justice. According to their website it's 

See...you don't have to be old and serious to make a difference!

ALEX AND BRETT HARRIS founded TheRebelution.com in August 2005 and today, at age 19, are among the most widely read teen writers on the Web.

The twins are frequent contributors to Focus on the Family's webzine Boundless, serve as the main speakers for The Rebelution Tour conferences, and have been featured nationally on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and The New York Times, as well as in publications like WORLD magazine, Breakaway, and Ignite Your Faith. Their first book, Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, will be released on April 15, 2008, by Multnomah Books.

Sons of homeschool pioneers Gregg and Sono Harris and younger brothers of best-selling author Joshua Harris (I Kissed Dating Goodbye), Alex and Brett have a passion for God and for their generation. Their personal interests include politics, filmmaking, music, basketball, and soccer. And food. They like food.

When they're not traveling around doing conferences, Alex and Brett live with their parents and three younger siblings near Portland, Oregon, where they attend Household of Faith Community Church. They plan to enter college together in the fall of 2008 -- and continue to write, speak, and blog.

What is a Rebelution you ask? If this is all news to you, The Rebelution is "a teenage rebellion against low expectations." It is not just another youth ministry. Though it is not at all legalistic, it does not indulge teens in their usual laziness and consumerism. It is rooted in the Gospel itself and in God's eternal purpose in sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins. It speaks to teens as young adults who are expected to shoulder real responsibility for making their own family, church and nation godly and strong. It asks teens to stop living like guests in their own homes and instead take their place on the family team. It's battle cry is Do Hard Things. Think about that.

Win a copy of the book for yourself...or your parents! Leave a comment on this post!



About the book: The next generation stands on the brink of a "rebelution."

With over 16 million hits to their website TheRebelution.com, Alex and Brett Harris are leading the charge in a growing movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to "do hard things" for the glory of God.

Written when they were 18 years old, Do Hard Things is the Harris twins' revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential.

Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact.

Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry from the heart of revolution already in progress challenges the next generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today. Read an excerpt.

Buy the book here

This morning, I was reading 1 Peter 4:10-11:

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."

These verses talk about how God has given each one of us as Christians a special gift so that we can serve others. It struck me because often times I think about serving in terms of myself. Is it convenient? Will this benefit me? Will I enjoy it? Do I have enough time to do this? These verses don't say anything about this questions. In fact, when I am thinking about serving, I often eliminate others from the equation. I am a small group leader for a group of sophomore girls. These verses remind me and put things back into perspective for me. God has gifted me to serve others. He wants me to be a good steward of what he has given me.

How has God gifted you? How can you get involved in what He is doing? How can you be a steward of His grace to other people? God can take even your fears and inadequacies and use them for His glory and purposes. I bet the disciples didn't feel adequate at times. I bet they were fearful at times. But they made themselves available and got involved. Are you serving somewhere? I would love to hear about it...

Sarah

Labels: fun, Jeanette Hanscome, kids, sports

As a writer, inspiration comes easily. Daily. Writing and publication can take years.

When I feel an idea coming on, it's as though I've eaten an entire bag of Hershey's Kisses. This sweetness settles down inside me and takes up residence. I can't rest until I've written the experience--what moved my heart.

There's a women's homeless shelter in Georgia that gave me the Hershey's Kiss feeling. I couldn't/can't forget about the shelter and the ladies. They reached out to one of my family members. You don't forget kindness like that.

I ghosted an article in Guideposts magazine coming out this May. It's about a local hairdresser who spent a Saturday cutting/styling/coloring the ladies' hair from the shelter. You can access it by going to the www.guidepostsmag.com link through the personal change section or picking up the May issue.

I also have an article coming in May/June of Today's Christian about the manager who runs the shelter.

My Sister's Place, I won't forget you. The sweetness lingers.

Love,
Julie

Labels: Guideposts, Hershey's Kiss, homeless, My Sister's Place, Today's Christian

Camy here, talking about something I do way too often.

I’m just not graceful, both physically and verbally. I trip a lot over my feet, and my mouth will usually say something my brain never thought.

I just joined my first Mystery shawl Knit-along. Basically, the designer running the knit-along doles out the pattern for the shawl we’re knitting, a little each week, and we knit with everybody else and discover the beauty of the knitted piece as we go along.

Since I’ve never done this before, I immediately go on a PUBLIC FORUM BOARD and ask, So what kind of yarn should I use?

The next day, I’m approved for the knit-along and I start reading posts. Now, it’s been open for applications for a while, so they’re talking about stuff from earlier questions and I’m a bit lost.

Then suddenly there’s a post about how there’s a new file uploaded in the file section. I go to the file section, and there’s actually five files in the file section. One file’s in German, so I don’t bother opening it.

I open the other four. Three of them are related to knitting a test swatch. I have to knit a test swatch? That’s good to know. I should work on that asap. Like, before we have to start knitting the actual shawl so I know what needle size I should use.

The fourth is an informational .pdf. Which includes what yarn I should use. And color. And how many yards I’ll need. And how large my test swatch should turn out.

So now, I have just announced to a PUBLIC FORUM BOARD that I am too stupid to READ INSTRUCTIONS.

Now, I could turn this into a really wise devotional-type blog post and relate my embarrassment to how much God loves me and made me the way I am.

However, I will only say that I’m really glad God likes me no matter how stupid I look to other people, and I wish I could just burn the entire incident out of my brain with a red hot poker. (Theoretically, I could, but that would be just gross.)

Rejoice! You’re you. I’m me. God’s with us. That’s all that matters, right?

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her new Asian chick lit novel, Only Uni, just released this month. Join her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly Christian fiction giveaways!

Labels: Camy Tang, knitting, mistakes

Last week I was on the Barna Research website looking for some recent statistics regarding teenagers and the Church. Here is just a small sample of what I found:

• 52% of teens who attend Protestant churches believe Jesus Christ sinned while on earth.
  


• 40% of teens who claim to have a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" agree with them.
  


• 61% of young adults who attended church as a teen become completely spiritually disengaged during their twenties.
  


• Only 20% of young adults who attended church in their teen years remain spiritually active by the age of 29.

Let me deal with the first two statistics for a minute. Since this is a blog post and not a book, I'll stick to using only one Bible verse to debunk that theory. 1 Corinthians 5:21 explicitly says: "God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (emphasis mine).

So, sadly, somewhere between 40-52% of church going teens who think they are going to heaven are actually headed straight for hell. Belief in a sinful Jesus is belief in a Jesus who 1) is not biblical and 2) didn't exist. There just isn't any good news for the people who believe in a Jesus like that.

Now, dealing with the second half of these statistics, let me just say this. I think a big portion of the problem the Church has with retaining young Christians is that these young people weren't really Christians to begin with. In Matthew 13:1-23 Jesus describes four types of people who will hear the Gospel message. Let me put these in teen-girl friendly terms for you. Imagine a typical camp alter call with me. During that time, four types of girls will respond to the Gospel.

They are as follows:

(v. 19) The Actress. This is the girl who raises her hand during an alter call because all of her friends are. She isn't really sure what the preacher just said, but it sounds good. So even though she doesn't understand what she's heard, and she's too embarrassed to ask, she raises her hand and claims "salvation" and returns to life as normal. This girl most certainly falls into the 80% who will fall away before the age of 29. She doesn't have to fall very far since she wasn't ever grounded in what she believed in the first place. In fact, she may even be among the 40-52% who believe in a sinful Jesus.

(v. 20-21) The Drama Queen. This girl comes forward during the alter call in tears. She's sobbing so hysterically, that she needs five different friends to usher her up to the stage and hold her up as she cries. Normally, this girl comes from a background of pain and heartache. Maybe her parents are divorced, or she was abused at some point during her life. In the very least, she has probably had her heart broken by a boy who dumped her or a friend who betrayed her. Her response to the Gospel is based on pure emotion. She wants Jesus because He will make all of her hurts go away, and her life will magically become all better. This girl, too, is more than likely to fall into the 80% who will fall away because time will prove that life isn't all chocolate and roses once you know Jesus Christ. Life will still be hard, and this girl will think God isn't who He promised to be so she will set out in search of the next quick fix for her pain.

(v. 22) The Have-it-All-Princess. This girl is easy to spot in any youth group. She has the latest cell phone dangling from her ear, the hottest label on her clothing and she drives a car much nicer than the one driven by the youth pastor. She raises her hand during the alter call because Jesus seems to be the hottest trend of the moment. The preacher's sermon made sense, and she can see a need for Jesus in this moment. But, she too will be among the 80% who will fall away. Inevitably, someone or something that is a lot hotter and more attractive than Jesus will come along and she will hop on that band wagon forgetting all about her moving memories of the summer she spent at camp singing Cum-by-ya in last year's jeans.

(v.23) The Real Deal Christian. This girls is harder to spot because in a group of 100 kids, she's one of only twenty. She listens to the preacher's sermon and her heart burns within her because she understands exactly what he's saying. She recognizes her status as a sinner and feels the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Her belief in Jesus Christ is genuine and she changes her life in response to the Gospel message. She is among the 20% who will still be professing her faith on her 29th birthday, and forever afterward.

Although parts of what you've just read were meant in jest, they also represent a really sad reality in the Church today. What about you? Do you know what you believe?

I love laughing, and one person I really enjoying laughing with is my daughter.

Last weekend, I was taking pictures of her for her college graduation announcement. We started by an old oak by our deck and ended up at a small walking bridge at a pond below our house. She was standing and sitting in different positions on the bridge. I thought I'd try to get what I thought would be a really cool picture by focusing the shot through some of the tall grasses at the edge of the pond.

Okay, go ahead and guess what happened next.

Yep, I ended up in the pond. I was on my side, left leg submerged in the muddy sludge, and holding my camera high to save it from water damage. I couldn't get up, and Sarah could barely help because we were both laughing so hard.

As I write this post today, I'm realizing how inspired I am by many young women. Some of those include those of you who shared your stories and perspectives for my last post. Another is my daughter.

She came to Christ at a young age, but I knew by her many questions that she was totally serious. Over the next years, I continued to be challenged by her questions and thoughts about the world and God. Now that she is about to graduate from college later this month, I can tell you it hasn’t let up.

No, she isn’t perfect. I know that and she knows that. But what I see is that she tackles life with a full realization that at the end of herself she finds God’s great intervention. She’s not afraid to be challenged by the hard stuff and to be confronted by the frailties of her human nature in the face of God’s presence in each circumstance. She longs to hear God’s voice as a whisper or a roar—however he wants to speak—but most often she is listening while she is serving. Like many of her generation, she is passionate about people and causes beyond the borders of her own culture and experience, but she operates out of a determination not to make any cause a god.

She wouldn't claim that her faith is unshakeable, but it is real—very real. So her relationship with God is amazingly deep. And that inspires me. Every day I'm thankful for the many like her who are rooted deeply and doing whatever it takes to grow in their faith and be open and available to make a difference in this broken world.

By the time I was the age she is now, or perhaps the age you are, I had not been a Christian long. I don't wish for a second any different beginning to my walk in Christ. For where I was in my young faith, God was working in me and using me too.

As you commit to his transforming work in you, God will work in you and use you probably more powerfully than anything I've known. Keep asking questions, growing deep, and sharing what he's doing in you.

And don't forget to laugh along the way! Join me at the pond.

Jan

http://www.jankern.com/
http://www.choose2livefree.com/ (launching soon!)

Labels: deeper with God, faith, Jan Kern, real

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