some thoughts...just for you, jill :)

hello, hello!

so, its been a while. mmm understatement--its been a long time! i'm sorry for not writing as much as i would like. to be honest, my own little 'blog' has suffered some this summer due to my busy schedule and lack of internet at times (can a blog suffer? haha)...

needless to say, i prevailed! i am at the office and letting some video work do its thang and figured i'd throw down some thoughts.

i had breakfast with one of the students in our high school ministry this morning and it was deeply encouraging, to say the least.

i asked her if she thought our youth group was 'spiritually dead...asleep...whatever you wanna call it.' She nodded and agreed heartily. when i asked her why that was she said, to this effect, that we are easily satisfied and its just 'what you do.'

i then began to unpack some of my own thoughts on this 'issue'--we are far too easily satisfied; we don't see our need for a savior; grace doesn't mean anything to us anymore (we ultimately don't think we need it), we are not captivated by the cross, and for most of us, we have grown up in the church and its just become that 'thing that we do.'

i mean, lets be honest, real quick; this issue of complacency isn't just in the youth group i am working with this summer in dallas. it affects all people at all times. it isn't an 'us' issue but rather a 'me' issue--if you get what i'm saying.

i am fear too easily satisfied; i don't see my need for a savior a lot of the time; grace loses its depth in my 'best moments'; i'm not fascinated by the cross...you get the picture.

can we ever 'curb' this 'spirit of death?' i don't know. i do know, though, that the holy spirit alone can change the hearts of men and that anything is possible. i think if we spent a bit more time on our knees, begging and pleading on behalf of our students/friends/ourselves and asked for transformation instead of just information--something crazy might happen.

who knows, though. i'm praying that the holy spirit rains down on this youth group and that these kids will forever be changed...