Engaging Every Generation

Wisdom from Gabrielle

Now, don’t go thinking that I am suggesting this is a comment about your ministry…

CPYU: As you reflect on your church youth group experience, what are some things you wish your youth group would have done more of to prepare you for college?

Gabrielle: I was in several youth groups in high school and unfortunately found that youth group was too “soft”—we played a lot of games and had a lot of fun retreats, but rarely learned about the fundamentals of faith, why we believe what we believe, and what it is that we do believe. Now that I am in college, my faith is under constant scrutiny and always being tested by scientific concepts and the secular slant of most universities. I wish I had been equipped with a more solid justification for my faith: knowing how to answer the tough questions, how to respond to arguments, and how to stand firm in what feels like a storm against my spirituality.

CPYU: Understanding the challenges that college life brings, what are some things you wish your youth group would have done less of?

Gabrielle: While I loved the friendships I made in youth group, there were far too many social events and not enough deep studying of God’s word. I felt this left me ill-prepared for the questions I would be faced with in college. Also, instead of so much group time, I wish we would’ve had more time one-on-one with a pastor, youth leader, or mentor.

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4 responses to “Wisdom from Gabrielle”

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    This is interesting and thanks for posting for it is something I have been praying about for a while.

    I am intrigued that this young woman’s faith was founded in “what she believed” versus what she experienced in her heart via the Holy Spirit.

    It may be more about me and my history, but it seems that Jesus based his life on his intimate relationship with his Abba; his direct experience of God.

    Like I said, it may be more about me and my history, but I wonder if our youth (and adults)experienced a deep prayer life: scripture, and seeing transformed folloers who live, move and having their being in God and LOVE is the defining mark of their lives, etc. and service that their “faith” would move inwardly from their head to their heart; that science and other world views wouldn’t or couldn’t rock their world for their faith and “belief” would be founded in a deep-rooted connection to their Abba through Jesus Christ… their intimate realtionship with Jesus.

    Ive seen many folks whose heads are filled with biblical knowledge but their hearts havent been transformed by the Word made Flesh.

    My concern for folks is how do we help them make that 18 inch drop from their head to their heart. I think prayer… deep prayer…along with allowing the Word to be the bread that we live on (not for intellectual debate, but for inner-transformation of our hearts) will sustain us in our journey of following Jesus into the world.

    When folks encounter the risen Christ in their hearts there will be no need for “proof” or intellectual debate. As a matter of fact, we often find Jesus refusing to debate the law… or defend… he knew that he knew, not in his head, but his heart… and it came from his direct experience and intimate relationship with his Father– his papa.

    With all that said, rather than feeding kids on pizza, how can we help them feed on the Word, along with other spiritual disciplines, so that their “felt need” to defend or posses the “right belief”, will be transformed in their hearts by the love of God found in and through Jesus Christ?

    Good stuff… thanks again for posting.

    Rick

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  2. Andy Avatar
    Andy

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Andy Avatar
    Andy

    Interesting comment. I do appreciate your point regarding experiencing God – and that many need to have their faith move inwardly from their head to their hearts. I often tell my anti-charismatic friends that after three years of teaching, the 12 disciples are told by Jesus to go and WAIT FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT. A living, active faith which involves the Holy Spirit is vital for us as believers – to help us know the truth despite the world’s attempt to attack our faith.

    However, I have seen too many believers who have had the heart but needed their faith to go up from their heart to their head – they had too little knowledge. Too many charismatics have almost a contempt to studying theology ( and I say this having been converted in, and spent 7 years in a radically charismatic church). The Charismatic movement has shot itself in the foot too often with poor, poor theology.

    We need both. We need to have the Spirit, to have that supernatural encounter and assurance of the presence of Jesus – but we also need the theology – we need to have some basis on which we can respond to people – not to beat them with an argument but to be able to speak with theo (God’s) logos (word) – with theology – God’s word.

    And this applies to teenagers and youth ministry.

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  4. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Thanks for your thoughts and comments. I agree, we need BOTH,and that was the “intended” point of my comment.

    I don’t have much experience with the Charismatic church. I certainly would not define an experience of the risen Lord as “emotionalism”, nor “intellectualism” for that matter.

    I was attempting to say, when our hearts our transformed THEN we’ll be able to respond to people in the same manner our Lord did by not “defending” or “debating”, but through “loving”…having been transformed in our “innermost being” “BEING” the Body of our Christ– here on earth, as in heaven (for we will know him)

    Thanks again for commenting. I hope this helps clarify my intended comment. 🙂

    Good stuff!

    Blessings

    Reply

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