Souljourn

Who & What?

Whose responsibility is it to educate our children and, what are they being taught?  These were two questions that came bounding into my mind as I read a news story about sex education for teenagers.

The next question I found myself pondering is where are the role models for purity, self-control, honesty and integrity?

Actress Kate Walsh – who used to star on the medical show ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ and now stars on its spin-off ‘Private Practice’ was on television today lobbying for better sex education for teens.  Kate is actively involved with Planned Parenthood - an organization that is also active here in Canada - an organization that promotes abortion rights and same sex marriage.  Here are some quotes from what she said discussing what she deemed as the 'failure of the abstinence message' to teens:

“Abstinence is one -- abstinence is one aspect of sex education, but it is not the complete aspect. And to expect, I think, everybody to remain abstinent is just -- it's like asking them not to grow. It's like we don't ask people to not try out for sports, we don’t ask them to stop learning.  It is a natural human process.’

Walsh followed up by explaining that: "...in addition to abstinence, which is fine, there just needs to be a comprehensive sex education program, and we can't be relying on, you know, private foundations, or parents, or, you know, teens' peers, to be educating each other. We really do need government help on this."

To top it off, even as she was making these ridiculous statements the interviewer never once challenged her position, and in fact agreed with them, all in the name of NEWS?!?

Here is her argument in a nutshell:

• Sex before marriage is a natural part of someone's development much like physical growth and learning.  The implication being that to try and stop this from taking place would negatively affect the development of an individual and put them at a distinct disadvantage
• The task of educating children about sexuality can't be left in the hands of parents and should instead be the responsibility of government.

I can't begin to tell you how flawed her 'logic' is on so many different levels.  For starters, what she considers to provide an advantage for teenagers - engage in sexual activity prior to marriage -- will actually only serve to put them at a disadvantage.

Everyone wants a relationship with intimacy and honesty and the pathway to intimacy is NOT sexual experience it is PURITY.  When someone is in a relationship with intimacy and honesty they are at a huge advantage relationally NOT a disadvantage so what she is presenting as natural and advantageous is actually unnatural and disadvantageous.

And then to go further and state that parents should not be relied upon to educate their children about sex and that the government would do a better job?  Are you kidding me?  This makes my blood boil!! 

So how do we respond to this?  I'm not a huge fan of email petitions or boycotts as that in my opinion only serves to put the focus on what we are against instead of what we are for.  What we need to do, if we are parents is step up to the plate and ensure that we are the ones educating our children about sexuality and not the government, media or peers.  For this to actually take place it will require more than one 'talk'.  Students today are bombarded with messages 'educating' them about sexuality.  Our message will need to be clear and constant and it needs to respect them and their intelligence -- 'Just don't do it' -- is not a good message. 

If we are married, let's ensure that we place a great example in front of the students around us.  Let them know about the values of  waiting until marriage to engage in sexual activity (with your spouse) and perhaps consider sharing about some of the pain that engaging in sex outside of marriage caused.

Our message is a vastly superior message than the one which is being promoted in stories such as this one, we just need to do a better job of communicating it.  We need to promote it, model it, teach it and celebrate it.  It is something that we should be proud of and vocal about.  The world certainly isn't shy about their message.

Home!

Our student missions team to Mexico made it back home tonight!  They rolled in to the parking lot just a little before 8 pm and there were lots of anxious parents to meet them and lots of students anxious to go home and sleep in their own beds.

I am really looking forward to hearing some of the stories from this trip.  I've already heard, what I already knew -- Jason & Kels did an awesome job!! // Our students displayed spiritual maturity, passion and servanthood // My mom had a blast being with them.  I was glad when I heard those reports but I already knew that was what I would hear.  Jason & Kels are tremendous leaders, we have an amazing group of students and, my mom is always up for a party. 

So now it's time to get some more details.  When they were unpacking the trailer I saw over 20 - 3 liter bottles of pop, several packages of hot nuts and I heard a story that involved scorpion venom, so I know there are stories to be told.

We'll hear some stories at our Comox Valley campus on Sunday and many more will probably be shared in the coming days, but do you know what is going to be even better than hearing the stories?  It is going to be seeing the changed lives.

I can't wait to see an increased passion, a greater awareness of the great mission of Jesus Christ, and a stronger resolve to live flat out for Jesus, that I know this trip will produce in the lives of our students. 

Thanks Jason & Kels for giving our students an opportunity to participate in cross cultural missions and leading them in living a white hot Kingdom life. (why don't you come in at 9:15 tomorrow instead of 9)

now about that scorpion venom...

Missions update

We have a youth team down in Mexico on a missions trip.  Here's an update we got from them...

Everything is go great! The students are doing such an awesome job, we had our first church service last night, Matt, Madison and I found out about 5 min before that they wanted us to do worship... in Spanish, oh the joys I butchered most of the songs and poor Matt and Madison had no time to practice and didn't really know the songs.. well lets just say we were all stretched thank you Lord!, Also Madison, Matt and Ryan did their testimonies and they were great, Jason then preached and he did so great with the translator, it was really powerful! The students did the sticky chair skit it was great! We are just having a great time and the students are really showing themselves in maturity and spiritualy. Wish everyone a great good Friday, and long weekend, our Easter Sunday is going to be off after church in the morning and we are going to travel a little bit and go to the markets in San. Philipie and go see the Sea of Cortez, so we are all excited about that! Easter dinner will be taco's not turkey!! But we are totally excited about that.

They will be back on Thursday and I can't wait to hear their testimonies and see the changes in their lives.

Lets keep praying for them!

a few consumed pics

Here are a couple of pictures from the Consumed weekend that in my mind sum up the entire weekend - students responding to God!  I know that the youth groups and communities these students came from will be strengthened through the responses they made this weekend.  It was so exciting to see our students affirm their 'YES' to God.  What a great way to live.

I forgot my camera!

Tonight was the opening night of our annual youth & young adult conference - Consumed - and it was fantastic!  We have students from up & down the Island and the lower mainland coming together for a life changing weekend and I can't believe I forgot my camera at home so I don't have any pictures to show you (I saw a few people I know with cameras so I will be asking them tomorrow to send me photos).

The conference opened with our master's commission students performing a brand new dance and then one of our 2nd year students broke 5 piles of flaming bricks!  (By the way, tomorrow night the master's commission is presenting a brand new human video that is POWERFUL!!  If you're in town then I would encourage you to come by the church and check it out - you won't be disappointed.)

From there it was in to a powerful worship set led by the guest band Traced Image and I sat on the balcony and watched as students all across the lower floor responded in worship with a liberty and enthusiasm. 

The theme for this years conference is Momentum and after worship the speaker shared with the students how there is no way to have momentum until you have first had a moment - a moment with Jesus.  The students were presented with the challenge to live with a desperation and hunger for Jesus and then given the opportunity to have a moment with Jesus - a moment of salvation, a moment of deliverance, a moment of direction, a moment of Holy Spirit baptism and a moment of healing.  Students streamed to the front in response to the invitation and for the next number of minutes the entire front section became a holy altar as students encountered Jesus Christ and had a moment.

I wish I had remembered my camera because I would have loved to share some of what I saw with you. 

The whole thing kicks off again at 8:30 am tomorrow morning and it is going to be a full day so let's keep praying for all of the students in attendance - and the leaders organizing the event (Way to go P. Craig & Shanda and Jason & Kels - your vision is becoming a brilliant reality!!!)

trapped (and 1st day updates)

I'll get to the title of this post in just a second but I've got to give you an update on tonight....We are all at the Sheraton Guildford for our Foursquare National Convention.  Tonight was the 1st service and it was awesome (I've been told I say 'awesome' a lot -- I'd like to think this is because of an outlook vs. a habit).  Our master's students did a fantastic ( I didn't say awesome!) flagging dance to 'Mighty to Save' and it was absolutely inspiring.  At the end of their dance the entire audience stood up in spontaneous applause to God, giving a clap offering of praise to King Jesus (way to go Masters, Naomi & I were incredibly proud of you).  Then Pastor Barry, our new Foursquare President, brought a message about the destiny that is on our lives, our Nation and our denomination. 

One of the elements that he shared in his vision for our Foursquare family was that we grow in our understanding, and experience, of a Holy Spirit empowered Church.  He told us that we had become a 'little baptisty' (no disrespect intended for my Baptist friends, but that just isn't who God has called our family to  be) and that we needed to push the boundaries some more.  To help us with this, Pastor Barry is going to interview Pastor Jack Hayford on Friday morning at our convention (I'll write about that later but I know it will be good).

And then when the service was all over and we were just mingling around my phone started ringing. I answered it but I couldn't immediately hear anyone so I shouted a couple times, 'hello, hello?'.  All of a sudden Jason came on and said, 'Did I call you or did you call me?'.  After we solved that riddle (his phone was in his pocket and automatically dialed me -- I guess I'm in his fave 5!) he told me that a couple teenagers had gotten saved and a couple more had been filled with Holy Spirit that night at youth ---- YEAH GOD (we are definitely not gettin' baptisty).

Okay, here's where the title of this post becomes relevant.....

Shortly after my conversation with Jason I heard that 6 of our master's students were stuck in the hotel elevator between the 2nd & 3rd floor.  By the time I heard about this they had already been stuck for about 30 minutes so I went up to have a laugh at their predicament offer some pastoral support.  We hollered through the doors for awhile and told them to conserve oxygen because there might not be enough to last and waited for the technician to show up.   We did a few other things to pass the next 30 minutes waiting for them to get out (ask me about the hostess that I scared with the insulin story) and then finally, they were rescued.

It seems that those warnings in elevators not to jump when you are inside, are actually relevant and need to be adhered to!! 

All in all it has been a great 1st day at our convention.

There's a party going on!!

Now that was fun!  I had the chance to speak at our student ministries service tonight (Yeah Fusion & Shift) and it was a blast.  Students began coming in at 6:30 as soon as the doors opened, and very quickly the sounds of laughter, joking and "chillin", filled the lobby as students hung out around the pool table, concession stand, video games and couches.  When the auditorium doors opened at 7 they began streaming in and quickly took their places in worship and for the next 30 minutes I watched as they; jumped, sang, lifted their hands and expressed a passion for Jesus (I also responded to a noise complaint but that will be in another post).

'Game Girl' led them in an all out 'Pictionary Battle of the Sexes' where after a hard fought battle the girls emerged victorious (I'm not saying there was any favourtism going on but seriously....'Game Girl' and then the girls win??).

After that it was my turn and we played 'Let's Make A Deal' (there's a young girl crying herself to sleep tonight with the half used floss container that she won) before I spoke about the deal that God wants to make in our lives.

At the end of it all....8 students accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour!!  (that definitely beats staying home and watching Criminal Minds.

I'm getting ready to call it a night (just finishing off some left-over pumpkin cake from Thanksgiving) but I know the party is still going strong in heaven.  Jesus loves it when His children return to Him and so do we.

We've made a commitment this year to even more intentionally participate in the Harvest and with nights like this it sure is fun.  Yeah God!!