According to an article by Rob Waugh, columnist for the Daily Mail, “most children would prefer to ask Google if they have a question – not their parents.” The research indicates that 54 percent of children, ages 6 to 15, would turn to Google before their parents or teachers. Is it a sign of the times? Maybe so.
“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it” (Proverbs 22:6). It doesn’t say to turn your children over to the internet to gain wisdom and knowledge. Yes, Google has come into our lives, and in many ways, has enriched us. But there is nothing like face to face conversations for sharing life principles, knowledge, and wisdom.
I once received a text message from my son. He was on a mission trip to Oklahoma and wanted to know some Bible verses about worship and serving others. He needed them fast because he was asked to lead a devotional later that week. Well, being the caring dad I am, I texted him 5 or 6 Bible verses that speak to those subjects. Almost immediately, he texted back “Wow! You’re better than Google.” That made my day!
It turns out that Millennials, those born between 1977 and 1998, and the latest generation to enter the workplace, value mentorship. According to Judith Lindenberger, “they are 75 million strong in size and are characterized as being self-confident, focused on learning and moving up quickly, team-oriented, well networked, and technologically savvy.”
Millennials also love imparting their knowledge in a process called “reverse mentoring.” Lindenberger tells us that “the beauty of reverse mentoring comes from the fact that Millennials thrive on relationships. Powerful relationships are created when younger employers are engaged in teaching senior employees. Because Millennials love sharing their ideas and want to know that they are being heard, if you invite them to give you constructive feedback, you can gain a different perspective and help them learn leadership skills.”
Can the church learn something from this? I believe so. Our church has many in the older generation who could mentor young people. In turn, these same young people can share their knowledge. We’ve got to figure out ways to connect generations in our church. A lot of love, wisdom and knowledge can be mutually gained by all.
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Monday, March 17, 2008
One in Four Adults (18-29 year olds) Claim no Religious Affiliation
I read this blog tonight. It's by Mike Slaughter, Senior Pastor of Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio. I agree with the gist of his article. Read it for yourself.
Christians who are Scaring the Heaven out of People
Christians who are Scaring the Heaven out of People
CNN released the results of a survey this week that revealed more than a quarter of adult Americans have left their childhood faith for another religion or no religion. One in four adults in the 18-29 year old range claim no religious affiliation. The United Methodist Church, of which I am a part, continues to lose members at a rate of 80,000 per year. Only 4.7% of UMC clergy are age 35 or younger.
Why are a growing number of younger Americans finding the Christian faith to be irrelevant? Could it be that many who claim the way of Jesus are literally scaring the heaven out of people? So many who claim to be the prophets of Jesus come close to scaring the heaven out of me, like the self-righteous prophets who equate the Prince of Peace with a vindictive terrorist god who creates hurricanes of destruction as judgment against homosexuals or abortion advocates....
Many in the name of Jesus have connected Christian faith with conservative partisan politics that defend the rights of the unborn but seem indifferent to the plight of the poor, the inequities in the availability of health care for the masses, hospitality toward the alien, and the wellbeing of the planet. Jesus is neither right nor left. Christian politics must always be prophetic and never partisan (Italics mine). Christians must act as the moral conscience for both sides of the aisle, always advocating for peace with justice and the orphan and the widow. The Gospel is good news for the poor. If it doesn’t cover the poor, it is not the Gospel!
Why are a growing number of Americans finding the Christian faith to be irrelevant? I won’t even begin to try to explain those creative Christians who see the image of Jesus on such things as cinnamon rolls!
God bless...
Posted By: Pastor Mike Slaughter on Feb 26, 2008 10:00AM
*Read this blog in its original context here.
Friday, May 4, 2007
The People You Meet Part II
After I left Cypress Creek Cafe, I visited some of the local businesses. I met L-----. He managed one of the shops. We talked about some spiritual things. He started by telling me about some Egyptian Sarcophagi that he had seen recently. I told him "that's cool. But do you know what an ossuary is?" "Yes," he said. "What about the recent Discovery Channel special on the ossuary that supposedly contained the bones of Jesus and some of his family?" I asked. He told me he didn't believe in all that mess, and that he's been a Christian for years.
I was glad to hear he's a Christian. At that point, a friend of his, D------, walked in. I introduced myself to him as the minister of music at FBC Wimberley. He asked me if I sang well. "I think so," I said. He said he'd like to come hear me at church one day. You see, he's not in the best of health, and he's planning his funeral. He'd like for me to sing at it, but he's going to listen to me first. Fine. He should.
Then D------ proceeded to tell me about how his mom and dad are buried on the same plot of ground, and that L---- will be buried there too. So R------ and T---- are probably relatives, I surmized. But after talking with them further, I put two and two together. "Do you guys live together?" I asked. In fact, they do. They are two gay men living in the same house. Now some Christians I know would have ended the conversation pretty quickly after that. Not me.
D------- said he'd accepted Christ as His Savior a long time ago. He is also convinced that he was born gay. He's not too fond of what he calls "preachers who bash people about the sin of homosexuality." I don't blame him. But I also told him that I believe the full Word of God. It's plain about the sin of homosexuality. So I'm not going to try to "suger coat" what it actually says. After having said that, I told him I was not there to judge him. After all, look at the kind of people Jesus hung around!
But what if these two guys actually walked in the doors of our church. And they just might, especially if one of them wants to hear me sing. What's going to happen? Will people greet them? I wonder. I want them to change their lifestyle. I can only pray that they do. But would our church be ready for a visit from them? Lord, help us to see people as you see them. And you know what, I probably will sing at this guy's funeral.
I was glad to hear he's a Christian. At that point, a friend of his, D------, walked in. I introduced myself to him as the minister of music at FBC Wimberley. He asked me if I sang well. "I think so," I said. He said he'd like to come hear me at church one day. You see, he's not in the best of health, and he's planning his funeral. He'd like for me to sing at it, but he's going to listen to me first. Fine. He should.
Then D------ proceeded to tell me about how his mom and dad are buried on the same plot of ground, and that L---- will be buried there too. So R------ and T---- are probably relatives, I surmized. But after talking with them further, I put two and two together. "Do you guys live together?" I asked. In fact, they do. They are two gay men living in the same house. Now some Christians I know would have ended the conversation pretty quickly after that. Not me.
D------- said he'd accepted Christ as His Savior a long time ago. He is also convinced that he was born gay. He's not too fond of what he calls "preachers who bash people about the sin of homosexuality." I don't blame him. But I also told him that I believe the full Word of God. It's plain about the sin of homosexuality. So I'm not going to try to "suger coat" what it actually says. After having said that, I told him I was not there to judge him. After all, look at the kind of people Jesus hung around!
But what if these two guys actually walked in the doors of our church. And they just might, especially if one of them wants to hear me sing. What's going to happen? Will people greet them? I wonder. I want them to change their lifestyle. I can only pray that they do. But would our church be ready for a visit from them? Lord, help us to see people as you see them. And you know what, I probably will sing at this guy's funeral.
The People You Meet Part I
This morning after I took the kids to school I went to Cypress Creek Cafe for some breakfast. As I was walking out I met S---- (I'm protecting names here because I haven't asked his permission to write about him.). I've known S---- a long time, but today we talked about spiritual things. We got on the subject of suicide because a common friend of ours committed suicide a few years back. He asked me if I thought you'd go to heaven if you committed suicide.
What a question! I told him that, while the Bible doesn't teach that you'd go to hell for this, it does teach us to value human life. I continued to tell him that it's a pretty horrific thing to do, considering the loved ones left behind. He wasn't too sure about my answer and said he might have to study the Bible for himself on this subject. That's good. He'll find out that what I said was true. I said the most important question to ask is "what am I going to do with Jesus?"
I happen to know that my friend works all the time. I asked him to consider having a Bible study with me, on another day other than Sunday. I certainly couldn't meet with him on Sunday, and he works a lot on Sunday too. He said he might be interested in that, but also that he'd be interested in continuing the present discussion sometime in the near future. "Good," I said. I hope we get a chance to do so.
What about these people who work every Sunday? What about those who work on Wednesday nights? Could our church provide Bible study opportunities for these people. Or are we going to convey to them, that if they're really interested in our church, they're going to have to switch jobs so that they could join us for worship on Sundays. I got to thinking about this after Reggie McNeal of leadnet.org, discussed this topic at a recent conference. I hope we can soon reach out to those who work on Sundays.
My friend also told me about how he has studied many belief systems, including Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses. This might be why he wasn't sure about my answer concerning suicide. Anway, I hope we do get a chance to talk again soon.
What a question! I told him that, while the Bible doesn't teach that you'd go to hell for this, it does teach us to value human life. I continued to tell him that it's a pretty horrific thing to do, considering the loved ones left behind. He wasn't too sure about my answer and said he might have to study the Bible for himself on this subject. That's good. He'll find out that what I said was true. I said the most important question to ask is "what am I going to do with Jesus?"
I happen to know that my friend works all the time. I asked him to consider having a Bible study with me, on another day other than Sunday. I certainly couldn't meet with him on Sunday, and he works a lot on Sunday too. He said he might be interested in that, but also that he'd be interested in continuing the present discussion sometime in the near future. "Good," I said. I hope we get a chance to do so.
What about these people who work every Sunday? What about those who work on Wednesday nights? Could our church provide Bible study opportunities for these people. Or are we going to convey to them, that if they're really interested in our church, they're going to have to switch jobs so that they could join us for worship on Sundays. I got to thinking about this after Reggie McNeal of leadnet.org, discussed this topic at a recent conference. I hope we can soon reach out to those who work on Sundays.
My friend also told me about how he has studied many belief systems, including Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses. This might be why he wasn't sure about my answer concerning suicide. Anway, I hope we do get a chance to talk again soon.
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