Real!

This came from one of my friends blogs. She is the wife of a fellow youth minister. I read this and thought it was interesting, not because of the thoughts/feelings, but because of the source. She grew up in the church and is deeply committed to the church. I have heard/read these kinds of thoughts from many outside of the church but here it is from someone who loves the church.

"The large worship time is becoming hard for me. I am finding myself just wanting to be known. I know that everyone says join a small group and maybe that's all I need. The fact is that I don't like a show on Sundays. I like the simple worship and biblical teaching. I like creativity too. I like honesty and authenticity. I like relevance to my life."

I wonder what she would think/feel if she attended SFUMC for a month? I have never felt like we have a "show" on Sunday morning. We seem to be intentional to point to Jesus and draw people to the foot of the cross in worship.

But it does cause me to evaluate my Youth Ministry; I know my teens want to be known and belong. Those are high values for them. And they want to have fun without being made to feel like kids; so much of their world is about competition and/or entertainment and fun is different from both.

Simple, Biblical, Creative, Honest, Authentic, Relevant - Sounds like our Jesus doesn't it? Not just His teachings but His relationships and lifestyle. As I think about next year my friends quote will be running in the back of my head to remind me that my view is not the one to depend on.