Training up the Youth

When I was in my late teens, I was fortunate to have, at my home church, several men in their early 30s who took an interest in myself and the other teenagers. They would take turns teaching our Sunday School classes, planning activities for us, and just serving as ears to listen or an open door when we needed someone to talk with about life, love, faith, and struggles. Today, I am grateful for the influence that these men had in my life. Kevin Taylor, Steve Smilek, Warren Enstminger, and others - thank you for making a difference in the name of Jesus!

Now that I'm in my early 30s (did I just write that?!) it's time for me to give back the joy. Recently, myself and my good Brazilian buddy Joao Spencer (kneeling next to me in the photo) began meeting on Saturdays with some of the teenage guys in our church family. Top row L-R: Guilherme, Lucas, and Vinicius, bottom row kneeling, Wagner. These guys have all been raised in Christian homes - their parents are part of the house church network. They are good kids and have always participated in youth activities, yet for some reason they have not made a public commitment to Jesus in baptism. Spencer and I decided that this year, God could utilize the two of us as "spiritual uncles" in house churches to grow our friendships with these guys. We hope to help them get past the awkwardness that exists when it comes to discussing spiritual life and growth, and help them discover & claim their own faith. We have to start somewhere - and so on a hot summer day, we hooped it up last week. (Vinicius and Wagner play for their high school, but I showed them my skills!) Please pray for this project; that Spencer and I can build our friendships with them and, as the year goes on, we can look into the Word together, have meaningful conversations about God's work in our lives, and help these guys become disciples of the Master!