Yeah. Our Youth event only had about 3 minutes of purposeful teaching and 15 minutes of worship in the 2 hour period. To be honest, I don't completely agree with this approach. As it is said in a Bill Johnson quote I saw on facebook post recently, 'Children don't have a junior Holy Spirit'. This is true.
I don't know why this feels so strongly inside me, but there's this very peculiar and unexplainable thing inside me that says God's going to do something amazing with the generation to come. With these young children and teenagers. I don't know why I would feel this way, but I can't shake it off nor can I lay it aside, it feels bone deep, this idea.
I remember one of the first times I visited this large church in the city, the adults were at the front before the stage, worshipping God and singing and some, dancing, when the Sunday school teachers let out the 6-12 year children to walk amongst the adults, laying hands on them and praying for them as they were worshipping. It was the most extraordinary thing I ever saw, as I saw these little children, with such expressions of determined faith, laying hands on people and boldly yelling out 'Jesus'. It didn't even seem silly or out of the ordinary for me, despite this being the first time I saw such a thing. I felt like sighing in relief and saying, 'About time'.
To be honest, working with 4-5 year olds 5 days a week, I can see how children as young as this see and experience the world in a more effective way than adults. They live in their moment, and their faith and trust is astounding.
As for teenagers of today, I think we can be surprised by what they are capable of doing and being if someone just believes in them. I still remember what it was like to be a teenager, and I am still recovering these desires imbedded deep within all of us, that deep sense and longing to be part of a bigger picture, a bigger adventure that calls us to rise up and stand to this higher calling.
I understand games, fun and sugar have their place in Youth events, but so does passion, courage and sincere seed sowing. I have always understood this: treat a child or teenager as incompetent, and they act incompetent. Believe in them and encourage them to greater things, and they will thrive like crazy.
I taught a 4 year old how to open her irritatingly child proof sandwich container the other day. Even I have trouble with this container made from the depths of hades. But I made a big spectacle about cheering for her, teaching her and helping her through such a simple task. Once she finally accomplished it herself, she gave me this look like she was ready to conquer the world. It was such a fiercely beautiful expression, and I hope she will continue to wear this expression for the trials and hardships that are to come in her life. But I believed in her, that's all I did, and now she approaches each food container at meal times like a lioness approaches a mouse.
But yeah, after such midnight ramblings, I think my point is I don't think we should be scared with taking teenagers to a deeper level of understanding and experiencing God. From what I have seen, they're a lot more in tune and perceptive for the colouring-in activities that are thrown at them. They're in an interesting season of life, figuring themselves out and exercising independence, but they need and are wired for Jesus just as much as adults are.
I've read some mind boggling things about past revivals, how His presence has fallen greatly on teenagers who ended up doing amazing things that have affected church groups and towns, maybe more (can't remember all details off the top of my head). And hey, He's the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, right?