Respect

As promised (but a little later than planned), here is another short "blurb" post.

In recent months I have become troubled by a trend I am observing.  You see, I am quickly developing a grave concern over the lack of respect I see in “little” things.  Things like…

•          Kids running laughing and shrieking through the Sanctuary before and after church (and in some cases, during church)
•          Children who don’t stand and offer an adult their chair when there are not enough seats in the room
•          Adults who think it is funny when little kids say things like, “Shut up, Old Man” to their grandparents or other adults
•          Congregations who don’t show respect to the Word of God by standing for the reading of the Scripture text
•          Eating snacks (when you are over the age of 3) and drinking soda during church
•          Children who are baptized and then splash and play in the baptistery as though it were a swimming pool
•          People who laugh and talk the ENTIRE church service, completely disconnected from what God is trying to do
•          The titles Brother, Sister, Mister and Misses have dropped from our vocabulary and those of our children

Maybe I’m a little old fashioned…but I can’t help but believe we would be better served by teaching our kids these (and a few other) basic facets of respect.  They lay a foundation for the overall respect for authority, our elders, God, and His Word that will be required for them to successfully navigate life and a walk with God.

The Curse of the Silver Spoon

(This is an article I had posted several years ago with a few edits and updates.)

One of my favorite areas of working in a church is discipleship.  I don’t care if it’s a new convert or one of our teenagers, I thrive on spending time with them and helping them develop a foundation that will stand the test of time.  Having done a fair amount of this through the years, I am acutely aware of the careful nurturing that is required during those early days of living for God.  That said, I fear too often, we choose to raise our young people with a spiritual silver spoon in their mouths.  We are so focused on sparing them the scars the world can inflict, that we begin trying to provide them with a luxurious spiritual environment where living for God is easy, falling in love with Jesus comes naturally, and for the devil to get to them he has to cross a deep mote guarded by protective saints armed with the Word of God. 

In our efforts to “nurture” them, we offer them the best we can.  We put them in Sunday School as soon as they are out of diapers, we provide the best children’s church possible, then we put them in a youth class until they are in their early 20s.  We believe that we are giving them our best…we are providing years of solid teaching so that they can hide the Word of God in their hearts…and it will sustain them through the hard days.  We want them to be used of God, so we ask them to be praise singers and sometimes even musicians…but we carefully schedule it so they are involved infrequently, allowing them to spend the majority of their time absorbing the presence of God and worshipping unhindered, thereby ensuring they have time to touch God and fall in love with Him.  We believe fellowship with other Godly young people is important so we don’t expect them to be on the church cleaning list, help set up or clean up church dinners, or help with the work involved in youth events…they are just kids, and we would rather the adults do the menial tasks so the youth can fellowship.

But alas! I fear that by offering them the “best,” they never have to work for their walk with God.  I have heard so many Apostolic parents say, “I’m not buying my kid a car.  They will appreciate it more if they have to work for it.”  And yet, when it comes to walking with God, they fail to let that principle apply.  The truth is, a relationship with God is going to mean more to a young person if they have to invest in it.  Sunday School is great…but at what point do we expect our youth to begin transitioning from takers to givers - learners to teachers?  I don’t mean just helping do a skit sometimes…when do they truly get involved.  I would propose to you today that teaching Sunday School at a young age is one of the best gifts you can give a young person.  By the time they have studied and prepared for that class, poured their heart into teaching it, and then watched one of “their” kids get the Holy Ghost this truth will be deeply ingrained in them.

I am a firm believer in giving your musicians, singers, interpreters, etc a break.  If there is nobody that can rotate with them, require that they attend conferences each year.  Having said that, I have been a full-time musician since the age of 14.  It is coming in service after service after service after service…knowing that there is no break…and that if I need something from God I’m going to have to figure out how to get it WHILE I play an instrument, teach a class, interpret, etc…that taught me how to push past the obstacles and touch God.  Yes, everyone needs a service or altar call off from time to time, but we also need to teach them how to use what they are doing for God as a form of worship and to push their way into the Presence of God.

I am all for fellowship and Godly friends…but there is a personal pride in the house of God being clean, a smoothly planned event, or a fun trip that comes only when you have helped make it happen.  If we don’t require our youth to be involved in this, we deprive them not only of the life lesson in responsibility, but also the joy in seeing a job well done. 

I love our young people…I want to see them live for God more than anything else in this world.  But after looking at my past, visiting with some others who have had to hang on to Jesus with everything in them, and then watching the youth that we have so carefully protected and nurtured, I am convinced that the greatest favor we can do them is to take the silver spoon away and let them dive headfirst into the work of God.