youth

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Bro. Evans,
I can totally agree with what you had to say. I teach our youth class here
at our church and it is so disheartening to see a youth that you've been
working with; one who needs love and support and one who you are trying to
show that Jesus loves them; yet they go home to families that call them
stupid, that tell them they are a failure and ones that are more concerned
if their room is clean than if their soul is saved. I've seen with my own
eyes  parents who ridicule and belittle their teenagers in front of everyone
else and then later complain why their children are not strong in the Lord.
I don't understand why we cannot find that happy balance in our lives and
learn to correct with love; point out the wrong but yet still build up the
right. It seems to me that our youth have enough peers in this world who are
pressuring them and being an enemy while using the mask of a friend. It
seems that would be enough for us as parents not to be the same way.

I came from a home that was excessively dysfunctional and I know the other
side that alot of our youth from good homes do not. I know the value of
having a parent that cares in spite of your flaws because I seen it in other
homes and wished I could have it in mine. Thank God that He kept me through
all those years and even when I walked away from God for years I always felt
Him tugging at my heart. I would remember the sunday school lessons I was
taught while I was drinking away and having party after party. I remember
the lessons of how Jesus is coming back one day and at times would find
myself crying my eyes out while in the middle of a dance floor in the bars.
What we teach them today WILL impact them tomorrow. They won't forget
because instances in life will remind them. DOesn't the Bible say to raise a
child in the way they should go and when they grow old they won't depart?
Even if they do leave church what they've been taught will still stay with
them. That's the POWER of the WORD!

I think that if more of our parents would get their eyes off theirselves and
remember that the youth of today is the future of tomorrow then perhaps they
wouldn't be so ready to shove them away as being 'just a kid' or important.
The  one thing I've found the most while working with our youth is that they
tend to feel that they can't be used until they've gotten older; because
they feel that God can't use kids. That is sad and pathetic; yet we as
adults sponsor that idea most everyday of our lives. 

Perhaps we all should remember what life was like as a youth. Maybe we
should all put ourselves in their shoes for a day and then perhaps we would
look at them a bit differently. YOung people need the Lord too!.

Sis.Colleen


At 07:08 AM 3/9/97 -0600, you wrote:

>  I wrote an article a few years ago called,"The flawed foundation." In
this article I 
>put most of the blame for the loss of MOST of our youth on their parents,
not their 
>teachers, and not their pastors.
>  I have stopped being shocked many years ago at the doctronial ignorance
of many of 
>our youth. Many come from very good homes, but don't know what we believe ,
or why . I 
>try to break down principals to their level. I have alot of discussions,
and questions.
>I run from 45- 50 ages 12 -21, street and church kids.
> I have never met a young person that I couldn't do some good with. I fail
to reach 
>some, but I believe to plant a seed in their hearts, and leave an open door of 
>friendship is all I can do in such cases.