Do you remember junior high? I do. For my years in 6th-8th grade I was in 3 different schools. Lyndsey Middle School for 6th. Central Middle School for 7th. Whitman Junior High for 8th. My family moved a lot - we were a military family. The reason I have been thinking of this is because I’m trying to remember when my innocence was lost. I know that there was a point in my life when I wasn’t aware that the people around me could do drugs, smoke, or drink. There was a time when I wasn’t aware that kids in my school might be in gangs, or might try and shoot people in my school (that actually happened). I didn’t think the guys in my gym class could be capable of gang-jumping my older brother and breaking a bunch of his teeth. I never knew that my friend Rob would offer me marijuana, and that a girl I liked could want me to come over to her house after school when her parents weren’t home (I didn’t go, by the way).
There was a point in my life when I wasn’t aware of all the bad stuff. However, sadly, there was a point when my eyes were opened and I realized all of this bad stuff not only existed, but existed in my school. I went to a party at my friend Mike’s house in 8th grade and everyone was smoking and drinking. My friend Wilbert, from gym class, is the one who broke my brother’s teeth. My friend Lupe had his head slammed repeatedly into a urinal in the bathroom. In 7th grade, while I was at my locker, some guy ran by and punched me in the head and ran away (he didn’t even go to my school). One day there was a shooting in my school - not the kind you hear about on the news though - it was a gang shooting at the kind of school where gang shootings weren’t huge news.
I don’t know when my eyes were opened and my innocence was lost, but I know it happened in junior high.
Working with junior high students can break your heart sometimes. I know some kids whose parents still pick out their clothes. I have other kids who get in trouble at school because they took drugs. Some junior high kids take comic books to school, others take semi-automatic weapons. Some are having sex, others don’t even like girls yet. Some still look like elementary school kids, others already have to shave everyday. I even saw in the news that drug dealers are now making fruit flavored/scented drugs to appeal to younger people.
I know of a kid who saw some pornography for the first time. He didn’t even know what he was looking at, but he knew that it was wrong. He confessed to his parents, but he didn’t know why. While I watched him bear-hug his mom, soaking her shirt with his tears, I knew that I was watching his innocence dissolve. It broke my heart. A few months later I found out that he didn’t know what a child molester was. As it was explained to him I could tell that the innocence was almost gone. Soon I know he’ll come into contact with other things that might infect his youthfulness even more, and he’ll be forced to grow up with the realities of all the sin in the world.
I’m crying a little right now as I type these words.
In this life we all lose our childlike innocence at some point. There was a time, though, when everything was black and white, right and wrong, good and bad. Life was easy then. Sadly, that part of life doesn’t last very long, and the realities of a fallen world tear the purity from our hearts.
It reminds me of something Jesus said. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." That verse makes me wonder if, as they lose their innocence, they are also losing their ability to see God. Jesus also said, with a child standing by him, "I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me."
There’s no way to keep a young person from seeing the reality of this world, but I think it is possible to be good role models to show them that even when the world is at its worst, we can show them that the world doesn’t have to infect us with sin, but that we can infect the world with God’s love. We’ll never be able to be children again, but we can humble ourselves like children and love the world with all we have, and do our very best to bless the junior high kids as their innocence is fading.
14 May 2007
02 May 2007
The Naughty Silver Dollar City Kid
I want to share something I read recently with you. Research from a Barna study said that 60% of people say they accepted Jesus before they were 18. (How many of you accepted Christ before your 18th birthday?) 43% say that they accepted Christ by the time they were 13.
You all know that this ministry that we are a part of is important, but sometimes it is easy to get frustrated because we don’t think we’re having the impact that we feel we ought to. I understand this feeling. This weekend we had a trip to Silver Dollar City, and there was one student who, over and over, had to be told to behave. He mocked authority, ignored adults, and generally was acting terribly – and he’s been in church his whole life.
This happens a lot. Kids who know what’s right and what’s expected of them are in the growing stages of life right now.
Junior High is a time when students begin to decide who they are going to be forever (even if they don’t think of it that way). But before they decide, a lot of them like to try and figure out what kind of person they want to be. That’s why you’ll see kids change styles of clothes, groups of friends, and even genders of pants before they figure out who they are going to be forever.
Those of us who know him expect the “naughty-Silver-Dollar-City-kid” to grow into a solid Christian guy. He’s going to be okay – I just know it. We’ve got to remember that Jesus made us all different, and there was some time in your life when you werne’t sure who you would become, but you knew that it would be defined by Jesus.
When we grew up there were people in our lives that affected us in immeasurable ways, even if we don’t remember who they are. I say all of that stuff to say this: You never know whose life you’ll end up changing this week, just by saying something profound, something funny or something dumb. Don’t underestimate yourself, or the power of God to work through a game of catch, a secret handshake or a song on Guitar Hero.
You all know that this ministry that we are a part of is important, but sometimes it is easy to get frustrated because we don’t think we’re having the impact that we feel we ought to. I understand this feeling. This weekend we had a trip to Silver Dollar City, and there was one student who, over and over, had to be told to behave. He mocked authority, ignored adults, and generally was acting terribly – and he’s been in church his whole life.
This happens a lot. Kids who know what’s right and what’s expected of them are in the growing stages of life right now.
Junior High is a time when students begin to decide who they are going to be forever (even if they don’t think of it that way). But before they decide, a lot of them like to try and figure out what kind of person they want to be. That’s why you’ll see kids change styles of clothes, groups of friends, and even genders of pants before they figure out who they are going to be forever.
Those of us who know him expect the “naughty-Silver-Dollar-City-kid” to grow into a solid Christian guy. He’s going to be okay – I just know it. We’ve got to remember that Jesus made us all different, and there was some time in your life when you werne’t sure who you would become, but you knew that it would be defined by Jesus.
When we grew up there were people in our lives that affected us in immeasurable ways, even if we don’t remember who they are. I say all of that stuff to say this: You never know whose life you’ll end up changing this week, just by saying something profound, something funny or something dumb. Don’t underestimate yourself, or the power of God to work through a game of catch, a secret handshake or a song on Guitar Hero.
01 May 2007
In a world full of nasty...
This, I believe, is my 4th blog site. I started with xanga way back when. Then I tried myspace, but it got too silly. I tried to convert to blogspot for a while, but it wasn’t very interesting. Then my friend, Joe, introduced me to wordpress. I wasn’t convinced, however, until my other friend, Christopher, showed up with some wordpress action.
Now I want to become a wordpress-er (ie: one who “presses” words).
I’d like to start by making a simple observation - often times people love to take advantage of an opportunity to be nasty. Or at least I’ve heard.
My wife works at Kohl’s (at least until tomorrow). Everyday I hear tales of horrible customers, terrible managers, and spiteful co-workers. She often gets chewed out because some dummy is upset because she won’t honor a coupon that expired in 1983.
I am a minister. Which, sad to say, means that I hear a lot of bad stuff about people by means of the prayer chain that goes around the staff (prayer is good, prayer is powerful - so we pray for all this stuff). I also am the first to hear about the kids getting in trouble at school, break-ups, fights and snottyness.
But sometimes, when the nasty of the world is particularly potent, I love to hear a good story.
There’s a kid in the youth group that I am minister of. He is a solid guy. He’s constantly wrestling with God over big decisions, always looks for the outcast to befriend, always wants to help serve in any way, and loved to be one of the first people to give a hug. I am really fond of this kid. He told me that he wants to work at camp this summer. He wants to take a week off of his job and spend it washing dishes at camp for all the little kids. He wants to do this so he can get money to go towards the cost of CIY (a summer conference for youth groups). The kicker is this - he’s not going to CIY this summer. He’s going on a mission trip out of the country somewhere. This students wants to spend a week of his last summer before college working at a camp so he can help pay for someone else’s CIY cost. He’s not going to spendthe week with his friends, or sleeping, or going to New York, or making money for himself - he’s going to pay for someone else’s CIY. Anonymously. Did I say that? He doesn’t want the person to know it was him. He doesn’t even want to know who the person is going to be that gets the money.
I spend a lot of time wondering if the students I teach “get it.” I preach about love, servanthood, and Christlikeness, and sometimes, when the world seems to be up to no good, I wonder if anyone really gets it. But every now and then, I found out that someone does, and it is on those occasions that warm me back up and make me ready to go out for just one more inning. In a world full of nasty, I love to hear stories of people who get it.
Now I want to become a wordpress-er (ie: one who “presses” words).
I’d like to start by making a simple observation - often times people love to take advantage of an opportunity to be nasty. Or at least I’ve heard.
My wife works at Kohl’s (at least until tomorrow). Everyday I hear tales of horrible customers, terrible managers, and spiteful co-workers. She often gets chewed out because some dummy is upset because she won’t honor a coupon that expired in 1983.
I am a minister. Which, sad to say, means that I hear a lot of bad stuff about people by means of the prayer chain that goes around the staff (prayer is good, prayer is powerful - so we pray for all this stuff). I also am the first to hear about the kids getting in trouble at school, break-ups, fights and snottyness.
But sometimes, when the nasty of the world is particularly potent, I love to hear a good story.
There’s a kid in the youth group that I am minister of. He is a solid guy. He’s constantly wrestling with God over big decisions, always looks for the outcast to befriend, always wants to help serve in any way, and loved to be one of the first people to give a hug. I am really fond of this kid. He told me that he wants to work at camp this summer. He wants to take a week off of his job and spend it washing dishes at camp for all the little kids. He wants to do this so he can get money to go towards the cost of CIY (a summer conference for youth groups). The kicker is this - he’s not going to CIY this summer. He’s going on a mission trip out of the country somewhere. This students wants to spend a week of his last summer before college working at a camp so he can help pay for someone else’s CIY cost. He’s not going to spendthe week with his friends, or sleeping, or going to New York, or making money for himself - he’s going to pay for someone else’s CIY. Anonymously. Did I say that? He doesn’t want the person to know it was him. He doesn’t even want to know who the person is going to be that gets the money.
I spend a lot of time wondering if the students I teach “get it.” I preach about love, servanthood, and Christlikeness, and sometimes, when the world seems to be up to no good, I wonder if anyone really gets it. But every now and then, I found out that someone does, and it is on those occasions that warm me back up and make me ready to go out for just one more inning. In a world full of nasty, I love to hear stories of people who get it.
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