May 2005

Hello All,

18Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: 19Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 20Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age. (Matthew 28.18-20 The Message)

A few weeks ago we were at the church for the visitation for a girl that died in a car accident. We knew there would be a lot of kids there, but I still did not know what to expect. Some of the kids were in the back of the sanctuary watching a DVD. Some were in the pews praying. Some were outside talking. Some were crying. All of them were trying to make sense of why this happened. The most difficult part was that I wanted to pray with those that were praying, hug those that were crying, and most of all I wanted to explain what had just happened. This was not the time for a stranger to go up to them and do these things. It was the time to pray for them. At the same time a disturbing thought came to mind. Were the girls that died saved? Fortunately Pastor Will answered this question the following Sunday during the sermon when he told us that the girls had just finished a conversation about this and that they were. Now what about the rest of the kids in the church? What about the rest of the kids in Cedar Rapids, in Iowa, in the USA, in the world? Unfortunately the answer is that not all of the kids have a relationship with Jesus. At first this was a very hard thing to deal with, but that is not the thing that is the hardest to deal with. The hardest thing to deal with is that we are not reaching them.

When we have a baptism, the congregation vows to help the child to grow up in Christian love and in God’s Word. We need to make a commitment as the Body of Christ to make sure that not only are these kids learning about, growing up with, and accepting Christ but also to every child. President Bush, for better or worse, started the “No Kid Left Behind” initiative in our schools. Who is doing this for God? We need to be.

4In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. 5The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, 6let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't. (Romans 12.4-6 The Message)

So I could better understand the audience of youth ministry I recently attended a youth conference. I had no idea what I was going to hear or what I would get out of it. The conference was called “Reclaiming The American Teenager.” Reclaim them, where did you all go? I was a teenager once, how hard could it be? Very! I had to remind myself that I was a teenager … umm … well … a few years ago. How much could things have changed? As I sit here writing this it starts to become clearer. When I was a teenager I would have been doing this with a pencil and paper listening to a record. Today I am typing this on our computer (using spell check) and listening to a CD. Many of the things that we take for granted today had not even been invented when I was a teenager. Things have changed more than any of us cares to admit and they are going to continue to change. We need to remain open minded and think about the kids of today. They are the leaders of tomorrow.


Because of Him,
Terry and Diane

It is by Your Word
Lord, it is by your word that we live each day. Your love for us is never-ending. Help us to reach those that do not know You. Provide us the knowledge, the compassion, and the love to go out and make disciples of all men, women, and children. When life does not make sense we are so thankful that You are there to provide us the comfort we need. In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen.

8But Paul's efforts with the Jews weren't a total loss, for Crispus, the meeting-place president, put his trust in the Master. His entire family believed with him.
In the course of listening to Paul, a great many Corinthians believed and were baptized. 9One night the Master spoke to Paul in a dream: "Keep it up, and don't let anyone intimidate or silence you. 10No matter what happens, I'm with you and no one is going to be able to hurt you. You have no idea how many people I have on my side in this city." 11That was all he needed to stick it out. He stayed another year and a half, faithfully teaching the Word of God to the Corinthians. (Acts 18.8-11 The Message)