After a two-week hiatus due to district youth camp and family camp programs, we return with an in-person youth group at Port Ann Wesleyan and an online lesson.
There is a lot to unpack when it comes to the ministries of youth and family camps, something we will do over the course of the coming weeks. If you want a glimpse into family camp lessons, you can check out the first day’s lesson on “Spiritual Fervor” and the second day lesson on gifts/talents.
We will kick off this week’s online lesson with a song introduced to our youth at district youth camp … and also used by Ricky Murphy for times of worship at family camp … a song that has resonated with many of the youth over the past two weeks. It is called “I Thank God” by Maverick City.
We’ll kick off prayer requests this week with a call to God to continue to nurture and grow the seeds He planted via youth and family camp programs the past couple weeks. There were a lot of new connections and friendships created, but the main focus is that God moves in the lives of those who attended.
We continue to pray for Pastor Paul and his extended family as they make preparations for transitions after the loss of Sally and the impending retirement for Pastor Paul. We pray that God’s will is done in this time of change for all involved.
We also continue to pray for the Keister extended family after the loss of Ashlynn … that God works in the hearts of the family as they look to fill a gaping hole in their lives.
We also pray for Jim Mulaney, Janice Sprenkel and others connected to the church who are dealing with cancer.
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From a parent-reading-to-a-child standpoint, there are certain children’s books I (John) especially enjoyed reading to my kids. One of them, “Louder Lili” was one I read quite a bit with Paige growing up, and features a very soft-spoken girl who keeps getting passed over in school and ignored in general because she doesn’t speak up … until the class guinea pig is in danger. If you want the full experience, here is a video of someone reading the book aloud:
Other than sparking a fascination with guinea pigs, the book does a good job of illustrating the fact that there are certain times it is important to speak up, especially when you have something important to say.
As Christians, we definitely have something critical to share with the people around us — a message of eternal salvation and a call to be bold in sharing it. Consider Jesus’ final message to His disciples (after his resurrection and return to them before going up to Heaven) known as “The Great Commission” from Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV):
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
It is kind of Jesus’ pep rally for His disciples on what they are to do in Jesus’ absence on earth — to boldly proclaim His story and make new disciples. Jesus reassures them that He is with them always, to “the very end of the age.”
Jesus is with us, too, as we share our personal testimonies and proclaim His love to others … and yet, it can be hard to boldly share that story. Perhaps we fear disapproval of others. Perhaps we worry about persecution or being made fun of. Perhaps it goes against our nature in some way, to be bold and take risks for God. Consider the story of Joanna and Chip Gaines (stars of the TV show Fixer Upper) … specifically how Joanna talks about how Chip gave her the confidence to come out of her shell and be bold:
There are many verses in the bible about being bold. Perhaps the most simple of them comes from Proverbs 28:1 (NIV):
The wicked flee though no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
Another example, again among many, come from from the life of David … the young man who stared down Goliath with the boldness only God could provide. Later in his life, David penned a number of the Psalms. Listen to how his relationship with God sparked his boldness from Psalm 138:1-3 (NIV):
1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.
Lacking boldness in our efforts to reach others for Christ may come from a place of uncertainty about how we feel about Him and our relation with Him. The hotter we are for Christ, the more likely we are going to share that excitement for others. God warns His church about being “lukewarm” Christians via a letter found in Revelation 3:15-16 (NIV):
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Getting closer with God and strengthening our relationship with Him is one way to improve our ability to be bold. So, too, is finding and better cultivating the talents God gifts to us to glorify Him. During family camp, we shared a resource that can help you identify various spiritual gifts you may have. We encourage all of our youth members to take the online survey and share the results with us. The survey can be found here: https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/spiritual-gifts-survey/
Ultimately, we should all strive to live life boldly for Christ … a song video we have shared quite often does a good job of showing how that boldness can look like (in context):
