Found this blogged article while doing some research for a sermon that I will be preaching on October 24th on the topic of lust.
By the way, Covenant Eyes is a great site with helpful resources for individuals and families who desire to guard their hearts against lust and pornography.
"Since the religious and spiritual choices of American teenagers echo, with astonishing clarity, the religious and spiritual choices of the adults who love them, lackadaisical faith is not a young people’s issue, but ours. Most teenagers are perfectly content with their religious worldviews; it is churches that are—rightly—concerned. So we must assume that the solution lies NOT in beefing up congregational youth programs or making worship more “cool” and attractive, but in modeling the kind of mature, passionate faith we say we want young people to have."
— Almost Christian: What the faith of our teenagers is telling the American church, Kenda Creasy Dean, pg 4
Say What?!?
In Chapter Seven of Think Orange Reggie Joiner asserts,
“How you say what you say is as important as what you say” (pg. 137).
If you are like me, you may have had to read that at least twice before you grasped it. Essentially Joiner is saying what most youth ministers, preachers, parents, etc struggle to achieve on at least a weekly basis… making sure our messages are relevant.
Still the boldness of the idea that the how is just as important as the what leads me to pause and wonder. Are the medium and method equal to the message? Do technique and truth belong on a parallel plain?
Perhaps.
Especially if I am reading into Joiner’s writing the heart that I think he is trying to communicate. After all, he also says in chapter seven,
It’s okay to communicate in a way that’s fun.
It’s smart to use language kids understand.
It’s responsible to believe that how you teach the truth may determine whether or not it’s actually heard.
I am in agreement with each of those statements, so I guess I can get on board with Joiner’s assertion that the how and the what deserve our balanced attention when it comes to teaching the Word of God.
Will the music I choose to help illustrate a point ever compare to the Messiah? Can the art match the Artist? Are we to believe that the words you and I use to communicate the Word are comparable to the Word?
No!
But I think we can see how each of these tools can aid us in pointing to what is most important. I suppose they could also be distractions. And that is why I believe Reggie Joiner says, “How you say what you say is as important as what you say.”
What do you think?
Anyone know much about this conference/group? Sounds like good stuff. I was just reminded about D6 from a friend in Round Rock where we are moving in August to begin our ministry with www.rrcoc.org.
I thought this article raised some good questions about the passion and motivation of youth ministers.
I am thankful that God has called Susan and I to student ministry, so please pray that He will continually renew our passion to love & serve God, students, and their families! We’ll pray for you as well.
Why another blog?
In case you are wondering why I would start another blog, I am doing so for the purpose of creating a forum specifically for Youth & Family Ministry related content, ideas, info, etc. If you would like to contribute, please do so.
318 students and families, this is also a place where I will try to post relevant content for our ministry together in Round Rock! Feel free to check back from time to time or follow this blog.
"At the heart of every family is a primary calling to lead a generation to the heart of a perfect, loving God."
— Reggie Joiner, Think Orange
