Author: Wick

Yesterday’s post ended with a phrase that made me want to share a few thoughts from Youth Group Wednesday night. “Oh, youth group”, you’re thinking. “Don’t have sex, listen to your parents, and do good in school, etc.”, you might summarize what I’m about to say.

You’d be more than slightly wrong.

Wednesday we talked about our identities as NEW CREATION. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We talked about how this is more than simply something God wants to do because it’s nice and creative. In Revelation, the book that reveals God’s desire/plan through Jesus Christ for all creation, verse 21:5 shows us a God who’s pretty excited/giddy about what’s going on. He points at what is happening and says “LOOK!! I’m making all things new!!”

We talked about our identity’s as new creations, and how God is pointing at us, and telling all of creation “LOOK!! THAT is what I’m wanting to do with ALL things!”

I think I like the concept of “Saints” found in the Church…as long as we keep a healthy relationship to them. I think of people like John Wesley, BT Roberts, John Mason, and many others. Imperfect people, sure, but people that I think we could point to and say “LOOK! That is what God is wanting to do with all of creation!” Today, we honor those who have gone before us. Those saints. Those who God continues to remind us of, as embodying something incredibly close to what He’s accomplishing throughout all things.

That’s powerful. And not He-man powerful. Caputo powerful.

Infinitely compelling. I desire to live a life that, when I’m alive even would be nice, others and perhaps even God might point at once in a while and say “LOOK! That’s what I’m doing in all things!” Guess I’d better get goin…

So I’m experiencing something interesting that I don’t think I’ve consciously noticed before. It’s hard to say it without sounding snobbishly nerdy, so I’ll just say it. After reading Dostoevsky’s “Brothers Karamazov” and then Caputo’s “Weakness of God“, reading a Donald Miller book is like eating Peanut Butter and Jelly after eating Steak for a few months.

But it’s not. There is quite a bit of substance here, but because my brain can grasp the words he’s saying the first time through, the temptation is to read the book. I have to purposefully only let myself read a few chapters a day, and I want to simmer in his thoughts.

If you don’t know, the book is about a man who has written a memoir. He was approached about making that memoir into a movie, but the movie-people need to create a more compelling “story” that captures many of the same elements. They want the movie to be not simply a life, but an entertaining movie also. This makes him (obviously) more than a bit introspective about life, spirituality, entertainment, and the intrinsic value of a human daily existence.

I think the temptation for many of us would be “well, not my life. Tell you what, if they made a movie of my life, not much editing/creative license would need to happen. It’s dang compelling.” Why is that? Our lives are compelling to us, because they are OUR lives, and we’re pretty self-concerned people on the whole.

But here I am, a few chapters in, and no one is making or offering to make a movie out of my life. So here I am, reading a book about people making a movie about a book about another man’s life. I’m okay with that.

I guess a big part of life is realizing not that our lives are not compelling, but rather gaining an appreciation of why they are Truly compelling…and yet still probably horrible movie fodder.

So we’ve settled into a monthly rotation. Not that it’s guaranteed to happen every month, and it’s probably subject to change without notice, based on events in our community, holidays, needs, etc. But with all those things in mind:

Sunday morning – Sunday School. Pretty obvious stuff here. Looking at scriptures together, usually what the quizzers are studying, to really dive in deep.

Sunday evening – Supper Club. Our experiment in socialism. Everyone brings whatever they can to the table, and everyone eats. Boom. Fellowship and prayer and family.

Wednesday evenings – Each month:

Week One – Gym Night. Some trivia, some sort of mind game or puzzle, followed by either some sort of semi-athletic or goofy game that takes advantage of the gym space we have available.

Week Two – Video Lesson. Using “Bluefish” lately, just finished their series on “God”. Nothing is 100%, but when you sift through their stuff, and rewrite it for your group, it can provide pretty solid stuff. Some group discussion and Bible study surrounding the lesson.

Week Three – Small Groups. Generally keeping the focus from the previous week, but getting deeper in discussion and in God’s word. Allows for more intimate sharing with prayer requests, etc.

Week Four – Experiments in Prayer. Silence. Intensely focused discussion. Guided prayer. Space. Communion. Experiences that bring prayer and God’s presence beyond the prayers we throw out before and after meals and special occasions. Allowing God’s Spirit to have it’s way in time and space we set aside in new ways each month.

Week Five – Well, there aren’t many of these. So we’ll see where God takes us. 🙂

Add on all the random events, and relationships that make a community of youth people within a larger community seeking God together…and you’ve got yourself a youth ministry. 🙂