Luke 17

I have some amazing students! This past Wednesday night they would not leave! They wanted to know how to share their testimony with people. We started just discussing our "Jesus stories." We stayed almost an hour extra and I have mostly middle schoolers. I am so excited to see what God is going to do with this group of students. They want to see lives changed for the Gospel and I believe they can do it! I needed to tell you that before I told you about Luke 17:34-35.  You need to know how awesome my students really are! Now, read the passage!

34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left.35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”

When you think about this passage what do you notice? On Wednesday nights we have been walking through the Baptist Faith and Message. Right now we are in the "Last Things." On November 12th we were discussing this scripture. While we were reading my students got lost in laughter! Now, when people who have been around Biblical teaching for a while we think, "Oh wow! That is going to be crazy!" So, why were my students laughing? Let's take another look with some definitions.
"I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. (teenagers think sex) One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. (grinding is dirty dancing like sex... and this says two women were doing it) One will be taken and the other left." I just had to stop, think, laugh, and then say, "Okay, back in biblical times women would take two giant stones and spin them in opposite directions to make corn or wheat extremely small... That is grinding! They weren't dancing all together." It's amazing how words can change over time. None of the adults in the room thought twice about what was read. What would you have done? After that night I went to the Greek and multiple versions of the Bible. Some add the word grain or flour, but in the greek it doesn't say what they were grinding just that it was an activity that women did often. I don't think I will ever read this passage without laughing from this point! So, when you teach this make sure you read it out of the NIV! haha! I have read it to multiple people since and it's amazing how the age of the person decides whether they laugh or look at me puzzled when I say my students laughed! We wonder sometimes why some generations don't understand the others, part of it is the language and definitions of words! LIKE GRINDING!

Youth Camp - For Church kids only?

When did youth camp become something for JUST Christians?

Let me explain some background. Every year I take students to camp that do not go to church, my youth tell them they can go to the beach for a week. I had also been taking my group to a camp led by a youth pastor who paid non churched kids to go to camp.

This year was different. I took my students to camp with other churches in our local community. I love the youth pastors and volunteers in our community and have run things with them for 4 years!

I was so excited about camp! It was going to be like d-now, but for a week! I did what every good youth pastor does and I handed out the what to bring what not to bring list. I went over how I wanted to have our girls wear tankinis instead of bikinis... to make sure their shorts didn't show their butt cheeks when they bent over. Please remember I was a co-ed cheerleader and we wore soffees and sports bras as practice wear. So, as long as everything is covered, including your stomach, we are good!

Just like every other year a student came up wanting their lost friend to attend camp! I was excited and told them just to make sure their money got to me before we left for the trip.  The girl came excited! She packed clothes she hoped were okay and then a bag of stuff that if she had to wear she would. This girl walked up to me telling me how she spent time on her outfit to make sure it was modest enough. My students were excited that they would get to minister to this girl for a week. No one cared how she looked or how she was dressed!

"Hmmm, I wonder when we all started thinking youth camp was just for church kids."

We arrived at camp and the first thing said to me was "Arielle, you have got to make that girl put some clothes on." I was probably not the nicest person when I responded about how I was more worried about the heart than the outward appearance. Later, I was speaking to another Youth Pastor and he mentioned her. Again, I went into my spiel. That Youth Pastor looked back at me and said, "Hmmm, I wonder when we all started thinking youth camp was just for church kids."

That quote has resonated with me. Youth camp has been over for 3 months and still this has been on my heart.  I've been struggling thinking about how in Youth Ministry so many times we focus on our church kids. Shouldn't our church kids be focused on reaching and developing disciples. If that were to happen then we would be taking a bunch of lost kids to camp instead of my 1 girl in a sea of 150. I want to ask you, when did it become a place for just church kids. Maybe I am off and youth camp is about church kids and their "rededication" on Thursday night instead of a first time salvation experience. Don't get me wrong, I love youth camp and God broke me at youth camp in high school. I was a church kid. We didn't take any lost and non church kids with our groups. I often wondered why?! As an adult I realized something. It was money. We didn't take anyone who didn't have the money. We did fundraisers and such but you had to be apart of us to go. Our church didn't plan on extra spots for friends who didn't know Jesus.

Our church didn't plan on extra spots for friends who didn't know Jesus.

I want to change the culture in our churches. Have at least 1 spot for people who don't know Christ. Get your kids to invite the unlovable. It breaks my heart to think about all we could do if we took 1 or 2 extra kids a year to camp, but we don't do it. I realized it more this year and then thinking back on my youth camp days as a camper. What would happen if every church vowed to bring at least 1 lost person to camp or better yet 2 in a group of 10? How would we plan different? How would we act?  Funny thing, I was discussing this topic with my mom and she said, "What do you mean lost kids don't go to camp? You're dad always had 2 or 3 go to camp." My dad was a youth pastor 23 years ago via text message my mom started discussing the non Christian kids my dad took to camp. So, when did our goal change?