2011 Lake Shasta Houseboat Trip
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Tyler

Youth Update, May 2012

In such a busy world the question of why we do anything is bound to come up for any activity; each one has to have merit and quantifiable benefits we can see and experience. With such busyness and so much that demands our attention we need to make sure that what we’re devoting our time to has value. This is as true of our involvement in the life of the church as anything else. Why do we have youth group? Why do we go to camps and participate in activities? Why is it important to know the Gospel, read our Bibles, and develop an independently functioning faith in Christ? That question has been on my mind as we enter into summer activities and students wrap up another school year. The answer is not simply to have fun (although that is certainly an amazing part of being together!) but to train students up in Christ so that they will have a faith that drives their lives and provides meaning and the hope of eternity with Christ who loves us and gave himself for us. I’ve seen enough students go to college and quickly fall away as they are faced with every temptation and skeptical thought and find they don’t have the proper foundation to face them. My heart is to see that this does not happen to the students of Spirit of Joy.

I was reminded again of this idea when I came across this quote from William Lane Craig (a leading Theologian in America):

Other students I met with at Princeton were enrolled in a class taught by the New Testament critic Elaine Pagels which they nicknamed the “Faithbusters Class” because of its destructive effect on the faith of many Christian students. They had no way of knowing how far out of mainstream scholarship Prof. Pagels’ views on the Gnostic gospels are. It was a privilege to share with them grounds for the credibility of the New Testament witness to Jesus.

Their experience is not unusual. In high school and college Christian teenagers are intellectually assaulted with every manner of non- Christian worldview coupled with an overwhelming relativism. If parents are not intellectually engaged with their faith and do not have sound arguments for Christian theism and good answers to their children’s questions, then we are in real danger of losing our youth. It’s no longer enough to teach our children simply Bible stories; they need doctrine and apologetics…

Unfortunately, our churches have also largely dropped the ball in this area. It’s insufficient for youth groups and Sunday school classes to focus on entertainment and simpering devotional thoughts. We’ve got to train our kids for war. We dare not send them out to public high school and university armed with rubber swords and plastic armor. The time for playing games is past.

The truth of Scripture is defensible and reliable. It provides us with all we need for life and godliness. My heart is that we train our students up in the truth of Scripture so that when they leave the safety of the church’s walls they will not turn from it, but be firmly rooted.

P.S. In routine business news please note that Beach Trip and House Boat sign ups have begun. Get signed up and get your deposits in!

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Tyler Andersen, Youth Director

Our weekly ministry events continue.

• Kid’s Klub is on Tuesday Nights 4- 6pm,
• Junior High Youth is on Tuesdays 6:30- 8:00pm,
• and High School Youth is on Wednesday Nights 6:30-8:00pm.

---> Click here for SOJ Youth Ministries information, activities, calendars, contacts and forms.