The Cross

This weekend I have been at a conference that calls for a "Deep Shift." (Be careful how you say that!) Last night there was a experiential worship aspect which included stations. At one of the stations was a cross. When they brought the cross out, I recognized it immediately. It was a cross that was used at a retreat I went to in my teenage years. We each wrote our name on the cross and then placed a nail into the wood. So, I took a closer look at the cross and there it was- my name. "Sherri Borger- November 12, 1995." 12 years ago I made a commitment to sacrifice my own life in order to live a life for God. Seeing that statement made me wonder about the distance I have come since that day.
I know that we are not supposed to dwell on the past, but if we don't look back, we may miss how far we have come. God has been so faithful to me. He has taught me so much. It is in this looking back that I am encouraged for the future. I can't imagine where he will take me in the next 12 years or how much more I will know about him in the next years, but I do know that he will be faithful and I will trust.

Is the youth group obsolete?

I remember a day when schools had value for churches' weekly programs and never planned activities on Wednesday night. What happened? Is youth group outdated? Does it meet your needs anymore? Between sports, jobs, movies, dance, drama, and shopping is there really any place for the community formerly known as a youth group? Back "in my day," youth group was my community. Sure I had friends at my school. I participated in extra-curricular activities. But when it came down to it, I wanted to be at every weekly activity. I wanted to go to every camp and every trip. Youth group was my spiritual, emotional, and social food. Does it work that way anymore? As a youth pastor, what should I expect from the teens in my group? Should I be happy with them coming to youth group only if there is nothing else important going on? I'm just not ok with that. Junior high and high school are some of the most important days of ones life. I care too much about the teens in my group to let them pick church last.
Soapbox: What's with teens getting jobs at 15? They have the rest of their lives to work. Let them be a teenager. Working at 15 is not going to give them better work ethic, it is going to teach them at a young age what it is to desire more and more money to get more and more things. Working for a living is important as an adult, but there are many more other important things a teenager should do with his/her time than flip burgers.
Off Soapbox.
I want to be relevant. I want to be real. I want my youth group to be the type of place that kids want to be a part of. What is relevant to you? Why do you like going everywhere else besides youth group? What can we do together to make it better?