My Concern for Youth...

Two types of people may be reading this blog. One is the 9th grade Sunday School class I've designed it for.  The other is parents, adults, & just general christians that are into the blog world.

These posts may sound pretty heavy for 9th graders.  Some youth may be thinking it's 'a little much'. Others may be thinking 'I'll never have the time to actually do this stuff'... and to some it sounds out and out boring.  Wherever your opinion may fall - here's my concern which comes from being a "Youth group kid" myself a 'few' years ago.

The only expectation on kids today is "Let them be kids".  They focus on grades, homework, football practice, and dating.  The main concern seems to be fitting in, blending in, and getting on to the freedoms and experiences of College. Most parents today are caught up in work, busy schedules with "football practices", and simply keeping things going. Usually God falls between the cracks... "Where are the parents!!!"

The teen throws God in on Sunday and maybe Wednesday, but often forgets He even exists during the week. The teen mind is quite full Monday through Saturday. School has become a breeding ground for what is said in 2 Timothy 3 - "Lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.." Sadly this is a description of most American youth. And the main question is 'where are the parents'? Go to the local mall on a Friday/Saturday night and you'll ask what ever happened to dad? How could these girls be allowed out of a house dressed the way they are?  How could these boys be allowed to act the way they do? The most important things in a teens life are style, the latest technology, and relationships. The teens life could be summed up like this: School, practice, homework, dinner, Cell phone, bed. In between these things are added T.V. , Internet, texting, more cell phone, and ipod.  Life is centered around self and then comes college which is exciting because it's more of the same with no parental control at all. A time when you can just indulge the flesh and somewhat get away with it.  Of course there are a few teens that break the mold, but sadly it's only a few.  Often this verse can be applied to the "Youth group teen": Titus 1:16 - They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed." 

My desire is to first seek the Lord diligently myself.  How can I open my mouth if I'm not first doing it myself?  We don't need to try to convince these kids to believe what we believe; we need to take them by the hand and introduce them to the God we know!  They need to see Christ in us first before they hear us talk about Him.  They need to see us organize our day around His word and set our priorities around His will.  They need to see us choose Him above anything else.  They need to see us loving our wives the way Christ loved the church.  They need to be challenged to make the right decisions and not fall into the worlds mold. They need to present there bodies to Christ, a living and holy sacrifice... they don't need to be conformed to the world, but they need to be transformed by renewing there minds.  

Psalm 119 is all about this!  Both for dad and the local Teen. We need to really look at what is considered difficult here... 

Oh that my son would "keep his way pure" and "treasure God with all his heart"... that "God would open his eyes that he may see wonderful things from God's word". " May his soul be crushed with longing after God"... and may I lead the way.  Doesn't this make dad the ultimate youth pastor?

-scott