Monday, January 22, 2007

YOUNG PEOPLE AND GOD

First, I am headed out to baseball camp with the St. Louis Cardinal old-timers early Wednesday morning and won't be back 'til Sunday night. This will it for my posts this week.

Second, what's your take on the younger generation? Defined, the YG would be any group younger than you. Are we in trouble? Good hands? Do they seem to be lazy or committed to kingdom matters?

I love what I see. True, there's laxness in every generation. The ones (plural because I'm old enough to talk in plurals these days) I see are richer in Christ than me. They are deeper, they are authentic in hunger to grow in His love and grace and mercy; so am I, but they even more. I believe the church will change a lot for the good.

I see a healthy bravery to stand for the things that matter: to grow deeper in the things God expects, and to dismiss the cheap man-made traditions which pose re-slavery in spirit. The thing I hope they continue is the growing effort to break from trying to live like Old Testament people in a New Testament frame. The YG smell the need to be NT people in the NT frame. Hallelujah...or how ever you spell it!

I am sold on the new ones coming along. I must be careful as I can tell the "weak me" is only progressing in even more lack. Thus the truth, I must decrease that those stronger in Him may increase.

I am proud of how the younger look! I'm simply wowed!

7 comments:

Jill said...

Terry, I'm glad that you have a lot of confidence in my generation. Unfortunately, I typically don't see the type of leadership that I would expect to see. I do know a ton of women with deep faith, but more and more I see a lot of weak men. I have often wondered who will be the elders and leaders of tomorrow. Anyway, I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but it is a concern I have. I hope you are right! Have a great time in St. Louis!

Anonymous said...

I see the YG growing strong in faith and a close relationship with their Lord. However, it seems more and more to be a "private" personal relationship, devoid of connection with His church. Maybe that's because the church, as a whole, doesn't function the way it was intended. Who is to blame for that? Us.

Terry Rush said...

To the YG (Younger Generation) and YP (Younger People) and YB (Younger Bloggers),Greg, Jill, and Lita bring up legitimate and non-pessimistic observations. The reason I wrote today's blog is because indifference truly is among some of our younger ones (and as Lita asks, who's to blame for that?)...which could discourage us, really. Thus, I think it very encouraging to know a good movement of younger ones are coming along with bigger vision and commitment.

Would some of you share with us what you are involved in, reading, attempting to grow in for the purpose of making us aware of great kingdom things going on? Some of you take for granted the amazing things you are doing for God. Such moves would inspire us.

Tell us about it!

Anonymous said...

Terry ... hope it's alright if I kick in my two cents worth.

I think the church has bright future. I see a younger generation that is farther along "spiritually" than I ever was at their age. I see a stronger emphasis on loving others, relationship with God and graciousness than ever before. I bump into young families, young college age students and AIM students all the time that amaze me with the "Christ-like" spirit.

I'm excited about the church that my children and grandchildren will be a part of.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how many YG readers you have, so I'll speak for one of our teens. Michelle has asked for prayers as she desperately tries to find a parttime job that will allow her Sundays and Wednesday evenings off. She remains firm in her conviction, even though there are few jobs for teens that meet that requirement. My previous comment may apply more to the Gen-X. Generation Y may surprise me.

Anonymous said...

I am amazed at some of our YG. The faith of my daughter and my son amaze me. They are years and years ahead of where I was at that age. That gives me great hope in what the Lord with do through them with there generation. I also see a lot of kids who are just like some adults in church now. It's merely a social gathering with no desire to know Him in a more deep and intimate way. But that is true with every generation. I think there are enough true seekers in the YG out there, that our future is in pretty good hands. As long as they keep God at the forefront they can't miss. Have a great time in St. Louis!

Anonymous said...

Generations are always colliding and progressing and it's disgustingly beautiful.

It's scary to everyone. Just as deeply as the OG's worry about the future in the hands of the YG's - the YG's worry about the future in the hands of the YG's as well.

The YG's also worry about the present in the hands of the OG's who are trying to protect everything - the YG's get that it's all unprotectable by any of the G's.

We're very quickly becoming just like Europe - a Post-Christian nation - and a Post-Church nation...is this scary?

No, not really. God is great at working with any generation and has all the time in the world to let as many generations emerge and die as necessary to do what he wants to do! I'm no longer ever worried about the body of Christ or the world. It's in great hands.

Every generation has great and terrible things to look forward to - especially since the church and the world are never in the hands of the characters of the story... though we think otherwise.

I'm a YG - and an OG. I don't know what I'm doing - but things are still in good hands and they're not in the OG's hands but GOD's.

Serving - Growing - Trusting - Screwing Up - Dropping - Picking Up - ... Missing the Point - Getting it...Forgetting it... - it's a beautiful cross generational unavoidable cycle.

AWESOME things are happening everywhere!

TERRIBLE things are happening everywhere!

And it's all beautifuly in good hands!!!