Knocking on Heaven's Door: Helping Young People Say NO, NO to YOLO

18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. - Philippians 3:18-21.

Young people may think they are "invincible" to a certain degree, but they are also thinking about death and the afterlife.  I lead, what I thought would be a short discussion with middle school students based on Philippians 3:10-4:1, honing in on 3:18-21.  Click here for the basic discussion questions.   As I worked my way through the discussion questions I was bombarded with student questions that made me glad I am a "theo-nerd" and made our the volunteers glad they weren't the ones leading through the questions.  The questions ranged from "will we eat in Heaven?" to "do babies and people who have never heard the gospel go to hell?" to "what persons of the trinity will we see in heaven?(not stated that clearly)."  Indeed the word hell has probably never before been used so many times in a Methodist youth room, and not once was it followed up with giggles...They even concluded, on their own, that YOLO is probably a "bunch of hooey." 

I feel I should explain that our middle school group is a group of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students (heavy on the six graders).  They are a challenging group, with short attention spans (but I love em).  So why was this the best group meeting we have had all year?  One major reason is we have increased are volunteer team, but I think the bigger reason is, they are truly interested in eternity. 

Young people may be brash.  They may feel invincible at times.  But they are also very capable and perhaps even willing to embrace a kingdom perspective.  They are ready to contemplate the eschaton - the end times.  They are able to embrace the idea that the game is already won, and that this reality should impact their lives here and now.  They are ready to say No, No to YOLO.  They are truly ready to knock on Heaven's door.  

   

Teens and Children: Gavin's Heaven on Earth

As both a parent of 3 (Gavin – 8, Micah -5, and Sadie – 3), and someone involved in student ministries at a local congregation, I have a vested interest in the Sticky Faith Initiative.  The more I learn about it the more it impacts the way I parent and do ministry.  Indeed, it has impacted the very way that I view the world around me; such was the case at our 2014 New Year’s event for our high school students. 

In true Sticky Faith fashion I decided to bring my oldest child, Gavin, with me to the overnighter.  It was during this all night event that I learned Heaven on Earth for an eight year old is attending a high school lock-in!  Gavin loved every minute of it, and the students were great.  They were patient and kind, they truly gave my son the royal treatment.  These students connected with Gavin, and impacted him for the better in ways know “grown up” ever could. 

My Sticky Faith alarm really went off when he shifted the conversation to how much fun he was having to a positive experience he had with a student at a middle school event last summer.  This middle school student let Gavin play tag along an entire evening in a display of kindness and patience that literally brought tears to my eyes.  It impacted Gavin so much that he brought it up nearly 8 months later (that’s like eight years in eight year old time). 

Gavin’s positive intergenerational experiences made me reflect on a third interaction between adolescents and adults, a week of elementary church camp that I helped run and plan last summer and that Gavin attended.  The week included several junior counselors that were high school students from my church.  These students all did a wonderful job interacting with the students.  One high school boy in particular, become something like a celebrity after the event.  “Church sitings” in the month to come by elementary boys were like sing U2 or LeBron James.  It was crazy. 

So reflecting on these 2014 intergenerational experiences between Gavin and adolescents at our church has led me to some 2015 resolutions as both a parent and someone who ministers to children and students.

1. I will facilitate intergenerational relationships between my children and adolescents from our church.
2. Our church will empower students by communicating how impactful their ministry to younger children can be. 
3. Our church will encourage students to volunteer with children whenever possible.

The Sticky Faith initiative has made it clear the positive impact service can have on students, but I have concluded that there service can have a huge impact on the children they serve.  I am convinced that students are playing “pretend ministry” but that they can truly bless children in a way that no other age group can.  My experience has been that students “step up” big time when they are asked to interact with kids, and I know my son will never forget the blessings he has received from our students.