A Prayer in the Wake of the Newtown Tragedy

O God, our hearts are heavy over the unspeakable tragedy we have witnessed in Connecticut. We are devastated for the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives so violently and tragically. Please bring them the comfort and the peace that only You can provide. Be present with them during their immense grief.

We do not pretend to understand why someone would commit such a heinous act. It is yet another reminder that evil is real and that our adversary the Devil is hard at work in our world turning hearts against You. We know that in this sinful and broken world, hatred and violence and suffering can spring up anywhere. And we know that our lives are fragile, that they are like a vapor which is here one moment and gone the next. We know that we are not promised lives free of violence and pain and suffering.

But O Father, we trust in You. Though we do not know why, we trust in You. We long for the fullness of your kingdom to come- a kingdom in which there is no death, no violence, no tears, no fear, no evil. A kingdom where love and justice and peace will reign forevermore. A kingdom where You, our Sovereign King, will have completely vanquished evil and where You will sit on Your throne forevermore. We declare today as your children, "Lord Jesus, come quickly."

Until then, Father, be with us. You are not a stranger to suffering, You who sent Your one and only Son to suffer and die on that cruel cross for our sins. And so, as your Son Jesus Christ entered into a world of violence and suffering over 2,000 years ago, may He enter into the suffering of so many in Connecticut, and all over our nation, at this hour. We are thankful that we serve a God who hears the cries of His people and who comes down to meet our needs and to heal our hurt. Lord, come down to us now. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Student Leadership Prompts

Student leadership in youth ministry does NOT have to be some big, complicated program. I recently handed out a list of five simple and tangible ways our high school students can be leaders in our youth group:

1. Sit down front during worship on Sundays, and encourage other students to join you. Sitting together during worship builds community!

2. Send a couple texts to students who are not as involved, encouraging them to join us for Bible class on Sunday mornings or Refuge on Wednesday nights.

3. Show excitement and enthusiasm for youth events and activities, and most importantly, for your faith in Jesus Christ. 

4. Schedule an impromptu fun outing, like a trip to a fast-food restaurant or a movie night at someone’s house, and invite some people from our youth group. 

5. Say regular prayers for our church family, youth ministry, students, leaders, and activities. Ask God to bless us as we seek to glorify Him and expand His kingdom.

Our Mission, Should We Choose to Accept It

The leaders of our Youth and Family Ministry at the Winchester Church of Christ met Sunday night and talked about our new mission statement. Without further ado, here it is:

"Partnering with families to prepare young people for a lifetime of loving God, loving others, and following Jesus."

Here are some thoughts that accompany the first three parts of this mission statement:

"Partnering With Families." We believe that parents are the most important figures in a young person's life for developing lasting faith. Is that belief reflected in what we do in our ministry? Are we ministering and equipping our families and not just our young people?

"Preparing Young People." Here's something we must also keep in mind: some of our young people will be involved without the support of their parents. Are we doing a good job of preparing them as well?

"For a Lifetime." How are we helping young people successfully transition from high school into the next stage of life? Are we doing everything we can to increase the likelihood that our young people will stay faithful after graduation and for the rest of their lives?

5 Years In...

Chuck Morris, who teaches youth ministry courses at Freed-Hardeman, recently asked me what I would tell his students as someone who's been at this for nearly five years. These are the two things that immediately came to my mind:

1. Change Takes Time. 

Idealism and optimism are good, but the reality for me has been this: significant change in ministry--in thinking, in attitudes, in programming, in whatever--takes time.

2. Focus on Principles Instead of Specific Models.

Here's an example of a principle: young people need meaningful relationships with faithful adults to increase the likelihood that they will remain faithful. Now there is a plethora of specific models out there to put this principle into action. I spent too much time trying to force-fit ready-made models onto our youth ministry instead of allowing our context to determine how the principle would best fit.

The Story

We began a new series last night called "The Story." Our students will (hopefully) be reading through the books of Luke and Acts over the next 8 weeks. The text we're using comes from a campaign called Community Bible Experience by the publishing house Biblica. It's the NIV version, but with chapter and verse numbers removed from the text to improve readability. (I am grateful to CBE for sending me the text as a free sample after I attended the National Youth Workers Convention! I am also thankful for my wife, Lauren, who bound all the booklets for our students!)

The people over at Community Bible Experience share three problems with the way we read the Bible: