Sanctity of Human Life Week
“This is murder! The president should do something about this!” These are some of the passionate responses of our MYC high school kids to a video we had just watched together. Kermit Gosnell, a baby killer from Philadelphia, was the subject of a CNN interview with a Philly district attorney. It was the killing of a woman and at least seven babies born alive which prompted these responses from the kids. In case you haven't heard, Mr. (I can't call him doctor) Gosnell has gotten rich performing late term “abortions” by inducing labor and then killing the babies after the children were out of the womb alive. The woman had died from anesthesiology he had prescribed. There are more grisly details I will not mention here. Feel free to look up this story if you have a strong stomach or if you have been deceived to believe abortion is a medical “choice.”
“You couldn't pay me enough to work for him!” “I could never do that!” “If he killed my child, I'd kill him, but then I'd be guilty, too! ” These were more of the responses. “God would forgive him if he repented.”, and “Yes, God would forgive him because we have a forgiving God!”, are also quotes from kids in the discussion. In terms of insight, passion, and participation, this was one of the best talks we have had with our older club kids. I believe that some of them understand that once it becomes accepted to do something like kill unborn babies in the womb, then the next steps would include killing babies after they are born, or maybe the handicapped or elderly. The only part of the CNN interview and our talk for which they had no response was when, after it was suggested that our president should stop this kind of murder, I asked if they would like to know Obama's position on this issue. After they said yes, I had to tell the disappointed group that as an Illinois State Senator, he had voted against a law that would have required doctors to give medical care to save the lives of babies who had survived attempts to kill them and had been born alive. Support for Obama during the election had been unanimous for the kids in MY club when we took a poll. I didn't grab for a “gotcha!”moment and wasn't even tempted to follow with “I told you so!”, but just let the kids think quietly for a few seconds before jump-starting the conversation with another question. My goal in showing the video wasn't to bash Obama, but to encourage these kids to recognize what is right and wrong, and to realize where allowing wrong to be the law of our land is leading us.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
A Baby for Christmas
A Baby for Christmas
December 22, in a hospital room in Jackson, Debbie and I held our newborn grandchild, McKinnley. Debbie even had the privilege of being with Sheria and participating in McKinnley's birth. With this birth fresh on my mind, I would like to share some brief Christmas Eve thoughts with you.
I think of Mary, and especially of Joseph, holding the newborn boy. (I feel sorry for the grandparents who weren't there.) The creator of the universe depended upon this young, poor couple for everything. Our omnipotent God couldn't even hold up his own head.
As I hold the baby and talk to her mom and listen to Debbie describe the birth, I can't understand how some people can believe in accidental evolution instead of a wise creator. The process of pregnancy and birth, with everything happening at just the right time, and the intricacy of this precious child scream out for a creator. Something as amazing and complicated as this isn't just be random chance.
How twisted are the minds of parents who neglect, abuse, or abandon a child. How infuriatingly selfish can a guy be to abandon the mother of his child to raise the baby alone. How disgustingly self-centered is a mom who acts like her kids are just someone else to manipulate to meet her own needs. How unnatural it is to kill your unborn baby because it will be inconvenient to your selfish lifestyle or agenda. Yet in our work with kids we see this kind of revolting attitude too often. I thank God for being so loving and unselfish that He gave himself to us. This is why I celebrate Christmas!
December 22, in a hospital room in Jackson, Debbie and I held our newborn grandchild, McKinnley. Debbie even had the privilege of being with Sheria and participating in McKinnley's birth. With this birth fresh on my mind, I would like to share some brief Christmas Eve thoughts with you.
I think of Mary, and especially of Joseph, holding the newborn boy. (I feel sorry for the grandparents who weren't there.) The creator of the universe depended upon this young, poor couple for everything. Our omnipotent God couldn't even hold up his own head.
As I hold the baby and talk to her mom and listen to Debbie describe the birth, I can't understand how some people can believe in accidental evolution instead of a wise creator. The process of pregnancy and birth, with everything happening at just the right time, and the intricacy of this precious child scream out for a creator. Something as amazing and complicated as this isn't just be random chance.
How twisted are the minds of parents who neglect, abuse, or abandon a child. How infuriatingly selfish can a guy be to abandon the mother of his child to raise the baby alone. How disgustingly self-centered is a mom who acts like her kids are just someone else to manipulate to meet her own needs. How unnatural it is to kill your unborn baby because it will be inconvenient to your selfish lifestyle or agenda. Yet in our work with kids we see this kind of revolting attitude too often. I thank God for being so loving and unselfish that He gave himself to us. This is why I celebrate Christmas!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
MYC Graduates
MYC Graduates
Here at the Mission Youth Center, there is a small but consistent and slowly-growing group of boys who are still coming to Club after high school graduation. This is encouraging development in our ministry and is a natural result of our relationship-based work. We pray and hope that we can continue to meet some of the needs of these guys, and that eventually some of our MYC graduates will be working here. On every high school Club night this fall we have had from three to six graduates.
I know that some of the reasons that these boys have continued to be involved with us may be thought by some as negative reasons, such as not going off to college or not having a dad around and so they still need to continue their relationship with the men who work here. Other reasons are simple, such as a chance to see their friends or play some basketball or just for something to do. Our favorite reasons are that they value the relationships and positive role models here. This is one of the reasons why I am so thankful for the staff here at MYC and the long-term commitments they make and examples they set. Whatever the reason, it is an opportunity for ministry and discipleship that we value. So far it has only been the boy graduates who keep coming, and we hope that will change, but we understand that most of our girls are not as attracted by the chance to play in our gym, and some are expected to babysit and to take over other responsibilities around the house for their families once they graduate.
One of the “growing pains” we experience by having kids who are no longer in school had been simply to figure out what these guys could be doing during the time the other Club kids are doing homework. Our solution to this has been to have a special “graduates only” class which hopefully will challenge them to think about serious issues, make wise choices from a Christian worldview, and mature to the next level. I tell them that this is an exciting and critical part of their life because it is when they decide who they really are and what they really believe. I try to challenge them to explore what they believe and why they believe it, versus just going with what they have been taught. I emphasize that you know what you really believe by the choices you make. We are using the True U: Does God Exist? from Focus On the Family, which is sort of a college level version of The Truth Project. This series pits four worldviews against one another to see which one gives the best answers and the best life. I have enjoyed the questions and conversations which have come from watching portions of the videos, but more importantly some of the boys seem to really be thinking and getting into the subject. I hope they can see that real Christianity is the only worldview that gives hope, inner peace, and purpose to our lives.
Here at the Mission Youth Center, there is a small but consistent and slowly-growing group of boys who are still coming to Club after high school graduation. This is encouraging development in our ministry and is a natural result of our relationship-based work. We pray and hope that we can continue to meet some of the needs of these guys, and that eventually some of our MYC graduates will be working here. On every high school Club night this fall we have had from three to six graduates.
I know that some of the reasons that these boys have continued to be involved with us may be thought by some as negative reasons, such as not going off to college or not having a dad around and so they still need to continue their relationship with the men who work here. Other reasons are simple, such as a chance to see their friends or play some basketball or just for something to do. Our favorite reasons are that they value the relationships and positive role models here. This is one of the reasons why I am so thankful for the staff here at MYC and the long-term commitments they make and examples they set. Whatever the reason, it is an opportunity for ministry and discipleship that we value. So far it has only been the boy graduates who keep coming, and we hope that will change, but we understand that most of our girls are not as attracted by the chance to play in our gym, and some are expected to babysit and to take over other responsibilities around the house for their families once they graduate.
One of the “growing pains” we experience by having kids who are no longer in school had been simply to figure out what these guys could be doing during the time the other Club kids are doing homework. Our solution to this has been to have a special “graduates only” class which hopefully will challenge them to think about serious issues, make wise choices from a Christian worldview, and mature to the next level. I tell them that this is an exciting and critical part of their life because it is when they decide who they really are and what they really believe. I try to challenge them to explore what they believe and why they believe it, versus just going with what they have been taught. I emphasize that you know what you really believe by the choices you make. We are using the True U: Does God Exist? from Focus On the Family, which is sort of a college level version of The Truth Project. This series pits four worldviews against one another to see which one gives the best answers and the best life. I have enjoyed the questions and conversations which have come from watching portions of the videos, but more importantly some of the boys seem to really be thinking and getting into the subject. I hope they can see that real Christianity is the only worldview that gives hope, inner peace, and purpose to our lives.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Don't Listen to the Lies!
Don't Listen to the Lies
Last week we took our MYC high school club kids to a local church to watch “To Save a Life.” This is a movie for adults and teenagers that deals with serious issues such as honesty, friendship, drinking and drugs, pregnancy, and especially suicide. The next morning a high school boy from our church killed himself at his home. He was not in MYC Club but some of our kids knew him from school or the band, bowling team, or church youth group. He even had gone with the youth group to our camp the previous day as part of a volunteer work project. Debbie and I know his mom and his older siblings from the years we spent as youth sponsors in the youth group, but we didn't really know this boy.
I won't pretend to know why he made this choice or what he was thinking, but I do know that he must have been listening to Satan's lies. Satan's lies come through music or other entertainment media, from “friends” or sometimes even from family, from society, advertising, or even from school, from false religions or philosophies, or sometimes just directly into our minds in the battle to influence our choices. There are some horrible lies out there which are meant to manipulate us, keep us from knowing and understanding our value and purpose, or even to destroy us. Evolution is a lie that tries to convince us that we are just random accidents with no meaning, value, or purpose. The boy who killed himself in “To Save a Life” believed the lie that he was unimportant. Advertising and entertainment lie to us about how we should look, dress, act, or feel,and try to tell us that we don't fit in if we don't comply False religions and cults lie to us by telling us that God could not have come to earth as a person, or didn't die for our sins, or doesn't know us individually and love us unconditionally.
How can we know if Satan or his servants are lying to us and trying to manipulate us? The best way to know for sure if something is a lie is to know the truth. We find the truth in God's word. The truth is that we are all unique creations of God, and that He made us all different but loves us all the same. The truth is that we all have a purpose, meaning, importance, and value. The truth is that God loves us enough to send His own son for us, to forgive us, and offer to adopt us into His family. The truth is that God has gifts and talents for all of us to be used for His people and His glory. The truth is that God wants a relationship with us and that we don't have to earn our way to heaven by following rules or doing good. The truth is also that Satan hates us and works to drown out the truth by surrounding us with lies or tricking us by taking part of the truth and twisting it into a lie. The truth is also that if we spend the time God has given us listening to the wrong music or the wrong peers or even our own wrong thoughts that we can be tricked into thinking that we don't matter to God or other people, and that the answer is in destructive choices like meth or perverted sex or money or even suicide. Please don't listen to the lies!
Last week we took our MYC high school club kids to a local church to watch “To Save a Life.” This is a movie for adults and teenagers that deals with serious issues such as honesty, friendship, drinking and drugs, pregnancy, and especially suicide. The next morning a high school boy from our church killed himself at his home. He was not in MYC Club but some of our kids knew him from school or the band, bowling team, or church youth group. He even had gone with the youth group to our camp the previous day as part of a volunteer work project. Debbie and I know his mom and his older siblings from the years we spent as youth sponsors in the youth group, but we didn't really know this boy.
I won't pretend to know why he made this choice or what he was thinking, but I do know that he must have been listening to Satan's lies. Satan's lies come through music or other entertainment media, from “friends” or sometimes even from family, from society, advertising, or even from school, from false religions or philosophies, or sometimes just directly into our minds in the battle to influence our choices. There are some horrible lies out there which are meant to manipulate us, keep us from knowing and understanding our value and purpose, or even to destroy us. Evolution is a lie that tries to convince us that we are just random accidents with no meaning, value, or purpose. The boy who killed himself in “To Save a Life” believed the lie that he was unimportant. Advertising and entertainment lie to us about how we should look, dress, act, or feel,and try to tell us that we don't fit in if we don't comply False religions and cults lie to us by telling us that God could not have come to earth as a person, or didn't die for our sins, or doesn't know us individually and love us unconditionally.
How can we know if Satan or his servants are lying to us and trying to manipulate us? The best way to know for sure if something is a lie is to know the truth. We find the truth in God's word. The truth is that we are all unique creations of God, and that He made us all different but loves us all the same. The truth is that we all have a purpose, meaning, importance, and value. The truth is that God loves us enough to send His own son for us, to forgive us, and offer to adopt us into His family. The truth is that God has gifts and talents for all of us to be used for His people and His glory. The truth is that God wants a relationship with us and that we don't have to earn our way to heaven by following rules or doing good. The truth is also that Satan hates us and works to drown out the truth by surrounding us with lies or tricking us by taking part of the truth and twisting it into a lie. The truth is also that if we spend the time God has given us listening to the wrong music or the wrong peers or even our own wrong thoughts that we can be tricked into thinking that we don't matter to God or other people, and that the answer is in destructive choices like meth or perverted sex or money or even suicide. Please don't listen to the lies!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
How Long Do You Think You Can Do This?
How Long Do You Think You Can Do This?
“How long have you been working with kids?” “H ow long do you think you will be able to do this?” “Do you think you will ever retire or do something else? I get questions like this every once in awhile. A few times the questions have come from kids, but usually they will come from an adult who can't imagine working with rowdy kids, or who used to be one of our rowdy kids.
My first experience with kids was in Chicago in 1977 as a volunteer at a neighborhood youth center while I was a student at Moody Bible Institute. I was still a rowdy kid myself. The answers to the other questions are more complicated. Debbie and I want to work with kids as long as we believe God wants us to be in this kind of ministry, or until He has another purpose for us to fulfill. I've decided on a test which I believe will show me when it's time for a change. I've asked Debbie to help watch for such a moment, when I act like I'm too tired or burned out to go on, or have simply lost my mind. Here is the simple test: When the time comes that I see or hear a child do something with my own eyes or ears, and the child tells me that he didn't do it, and I believe him, then it is time to retire from youth work and move on.
Apparently there are a few kids who think I have already lost my mind. They act like I will believe what they say over what I see with my own eyes. Last week I heard a boy call another boy an offensive racial name. (Both boys are black.) When I confronted him for his rudeness, he absolutely denied saying it, even though I saw him and heard him myself. Then, instead of an apology to the other boy, he became angry and aggressive to the point where he had to leave early. It isn't surprising to see this behavior. They see their parents, sports and entertainment “heroes” and politicians set the pattern: deny reality to push their agenda, and then get angry and ridicule those to whom they should be apologizing. I passed my test again, so I'm not ready to retire. The Bible teaches us to walk by faith and not by sight, but this applies to God's promises, not to a kid's lies or a politician's talking points.
“How long have you been working with kids?” “H ow long do you think you will be able to do this?” “Do you think you will ever retire or do something else? I get questions like this every once in awhile. A few times the questions have come from kids, but usually they will come from an adult who can't imagine working with rowdy kids, or who used to be one of our rowdy kids.
My first experience with kids was in Chicago in 1977 as a volunteer at a neighborhood youth center while I was a student at Moody Bible Institute. I was still a rowdy kid myself. The answers to the other questions are more complicated. Debbie and I want to work with kids as long as we believe God wants us to be in this kind of ministry, or until He has another purpose for us to fulfill. I've decided on a test which I believe will show me when it's time for a change. I've asked Debbie to help watch for such a moment, when I act like I'm too tired or burned out to go on, or have simply lost my mind. Here is the simple test: When the time comes that I see or hear a child do something with my own eyes or ears, and the child tells me that he didn't do it, and I believe him, then it is time to retire from youth work and move on.
Apparently there are a few kids who think I have already lost my mind. They act like I will believe what they say over what I see with my own eyes. Last week I heard a boy call another boy an offensive racial name. (Both boys are black.) When I confronted him for his rudeness, he absolutely denied saying it, even though I saw him and heard him myself. Then, instead of an apology to the other boy, he became angry and aggressive to the point where he had to leave early. It isn't surprising to see this behavior. They see their parents, sports and entertainment “heroes” and politicians set the pattern: deny reality to push their agenda, and then get angry and ridicule those to whom they should be apologizing. I passed my test again, so I'm not ready to retire. The Bible teaches us to walk by faith and not by sight, but this applies to God's promises, not to a kid's lies or a politician's talking points.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
They're Back Again
Kids Clubs here at MYC are as full as I have ever experienced, with short to very long waiting lists in every age group. Even our high school club, which in the past has been the only club without a waiting list now has kids who are waiting to get involved. A few of our current MYC Club members are new, and a few others have been to our summer camp or previously have been on our waiting lists, but the great majority of our kids were with us last year. Many have been with us as long as I can remember. There are now kids in high school who were in intermediate school when Debbie and I began our work with MYC. All of us who work with kids here at the Mission believe that the strongest reason for kids returning to camp and club year after year is the relationship. Not only do we work with most of the same kids and familes year after year, but we have been blessed with most of the same staff and volunteers year after year, and this greatly helps with building relationships. The need is great, and our relationships with these families are key to meeting the needs. Some of our kids represent the second generation of camp and club attendance for the family. Yes, these kids can drive us crazy, and not every moment is enjoyable, but we do enjoy seeing them and getting to know them year after year.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
They Are Coming!
There are thirteen of them. They will be loud. They don't know our rules. They don't listen well. They are easily bored and easily distracted. They don't know how to play our games. They have short attention spans and small bladders. They outnumber us. They are waiting. And they are coming!
You're right if you think that they sound pretty intimidating; maybe we'll even admit a little scary. What am I talking about? If you know kids, you may have already figured it out. I'm talking about our newest class of 1st graders here at MYC Club. Each July, we give a chance for kids who may want to be in MYC Club during the school year to have a head start by joining Summer in the Son, which is our summer club program. In May, we give applications to kindergarten students who have been identified by the teachers as having a need for MYC and who could benefit from Club next year. The teachers may have noticed early behavior issues or inadequate families or simply kids who could use some attention, some structure, or some relationships with loving adults.
This year we have thirteen of these little ones. This is the biggest number of kindergarten graduates to begin Summer in the Son in the five years I have been involved with summer Club. Six of them are enthusiastic younger siblings of current MYC kids. This tells us that their older brothers and sisters have enjoyed Club and that their parents are trusting us with the little ones as soon as we can get them. Some of these kids have been asking and waiting to come to MYC since they have been watching brothers and sisters and cousins come to Club. Seven of them represent new families for MYC and a new opportunity to build relationships with families who recognize MYC as a way to meet the needs of their kids. We thank God for the chance to serve Him by serving these kids and their families.
Yes, it is a little intimidating. We will need a lot of energy, patience, and love. Please keep us in your prayers. All of our kids are challenging, and a large number of new kids at the same time can be overwhelming, but also remind us to look to God for the strength, love, and wisdom we will need. These kids are everything described in the opening paragraph, but even more so they are God's creation who God loves and for whom God has a purpose. God isn't scared. Bring them on!
You're right if you think that they sound pretty intimidating; maybe we'll even admit a little scary. What am I talking about? If you know kids, you may have already figured it out. I'm talking about our newest class of 1st graders here at MYC Club. Each July, we give a chance for kids who may want to be in MYC Club during the school year to have a head start by joining Summer in the Son, which is our summer club program. In May, we give applications to kindergarten students who have been identified by the teachers as having a need for MYC and who could benefit from Club next year. The teachers may have noticed early behavior issues or inadequate families or simply kids who could use some attention, some structure, or some relationships with loving adults.
This year we have thirteen of these little ones. This is the biggest number of kindergarten graduates to begin Summer in the Son in the five years I have been involved with summer Club. Six of them are enthusiastic younger siblings of current MYC kids. This tells us that their older brothers and sisters have enjoyed Club and that their parents are trusting us with the little ones as soon as we can get them. Some of these kids have been asking and waiting to come to MYC since they have been watching brothers and sisters and cousins come to Club. Seven of them represent new families for MYC and a new opportunity to build relationships with families who recognize MYC as a way to meet the needs of their kids. We thank God for the chance to serve Him by serving these kids and their families.
Yes, it is a little intimidating. We will need a lot of energy, patience, and love. Please keep us in your prayers. All of our kids are challenging, and a large number of new kids at the same time can be overwhelming, but also remind us to look to God for the strength, love, and wisdom we will need. These kids are everything described in the opening paragraph, but even more so they are God's creation who God loves and for whom God has a purpose. God isn't scared. Bring them on!
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