Our youth were part of the sermon on Sunday.  I highlight this in my blog because what they did was amazing – they stated a problem (a sin most often) on one side of some cardboard, and how God took care of it on the other side.  The Youth were forthright and very, very honest – I doubt you’d find 10 adults in the whole church who would have been that honest with their sin-issues.  It was moving.  Issue after issue was shown, and some pretty spectacular, life-altering changes were shown on the reverse side.  God was clearly touching these youth, and the youth in turn were clearly touching us as they made their presentation.  Most of us were crying by the end.  Thirty-five youth, and five adult leaders showed how God can change lives, and how He can do so in very specific ways.

Young people experience some very unique struggles – they are faced with all these adult things, yet really have no expertise on the subject or past experience to fall back on.  They rarely know what to do (I sure didn’t when I was growing up!), and without an adult mentor of some type, they are forced to rely on less trustworthy sources for their information – themselves, friends and acquaintances.  This never works out well!

It has been a long time since I was a youth, yet I remember all the problems I faced as I struggled to become an adult.  Nothing has changed, and in fact it has probably gotten more difficult.  Growing up in a church youth group myself, we often talked about relationship issues, abuse, drinking, sex, drugs and rock & roll and how our realities often differed from what God would have us do.  In my formative years, I was truly blessed to have great church youth leaders, great Boy Scout leaders and great parents.  They all kept me on the straight and narrow.  They also answered a ton sometimes uncomfortable questions (like most youth, I had no “filter” for what was appropriate to ask, so I asked!). When I got older, I became a youth leader so I could mentor the next generation of kids.  I did this for ten years and would do so again in a heartbeat!

Based on what I saw yesterday, our church youth – my son included – are in great hands.  It gives me hope.  In five to ten years, the kids in our youth group will be running our church, or other churches depending on where they wind-up.  At least one in the group is planning on becoming a pastor.  I am so proud of our kids, and feel truly blessed to have such wonderful youth leadership; thanks be to God!