Teen Mentorship

A study by the Barna Group indicated that 6% of teens listed “pastors or other religious leaders they know personally” as their top role models, while 6% listed “entertainers (including musicians and actors)” - an interesting similarity in statistics.
But even with parents excluded from the role model survey (they had been the top response at first), a "close relation" to the teen came out at the top (37%).

Unfortunately, as the president of the Barna Group pointed out, "teens rarely identified spiritual mentors" in the survey.
 

Well. A new opportunity and call has presented itself this spring.

Over the past three summers, I've been training and teaching with Child Evangelism Fellowship to spread the gospel to kids in western Wisconsin. This year I won’t be training to teach kids… I’ll be helping train their teachers!

This Easter...

Most glorious Lord of Life! that, on this day,

Didst make Thy triumph over death and sin;
And, having harrowed hell, didst bring away

Captivity thence captive, us to win:

Teach Me to Breathe

I had never thought of this before today, but perhaps... perhaps I've looked at my relationship with God backwards.

In my Sunday school class this week, our teacher mentioned how our brains eventually learn how to multitask, so we can walk and chew gum and talk on the phone all at the same time!

But while we are conscious of doing all this things, on a deeper level, our brain is controlling the function of our heart, lungs, eyes, and nerve endings. We aren't conscious of it, but our heart is beating and we are breathing as we walk, talk and chew.


So.
Instead of consciously thinking about God all the time - impossible to do; I know, I've tried - I need part of my brain to automatically think of Him when trials come or I see something beautiful. I need, in short, a sub automatic mental function that connects to my spiritual consciousness.

But I never had to train my brain to make me breathe on its own. I have had to strengthen my lungs to gain a greater air capacity, but my brain already knew to make me breathe without my help. But don't you think the same God, who made my brain keep me alive automatically, could make me able to run to Him automatically?

Where Bethel Actually Quotes an Evita Song

I just discovered an entry in my diary from January:

"One semester of college down!
And no more to go? For now?
I don't know. I wish God would lead me through
everything, but it seems like he's left me to my own devices for now."

Just when you think there are no alternatives left...

That journal entry was written just two weeks before I got accepted at the last minute into my hometown college, where I'm currently taking six credits worth of classes.

It seems that God wants me there, participating in solid Christian fellowship this semester.

I guess now I'm wondering will I be fruitful here? I haven't trusted God - I haven't been abandoning myself to him for so long, I can hardly remember what it feels like. I don't remember the firm pressure of his guidance, like a heavy hand on my shoulder, steering me.

"Where do we go from here?
What do we do for our dream to survive...
How do we keep all our passions alive
As we used to do?"
- Evita