Tag: youth

What I Want to Tell These Kids…

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

… is that they’re being lied to.

In 1994, the picture painted for me by many of the adults in my life was bleak. At the age of 16, I had already achieved obsolescence. And this message came from adults in all areas of my life.

My generation was told that the economy we were preparing to enter wouldn’t exist. And while this was technically true, the insinuation was that we would be left out of the future economy, that the opportunities that were afforded our parents would not be afforded to us.

We were told that Japan’s economic power was rising, and if we were to survive in the 21st century, we best be learning Japanese, because that’s who we would be working for.

We were told that American manufacturing is dead, and that the future belonged to those with college degrees. Don’t go into the trades. Don’t learn mechanics or welding, or the building trades.

We were told we were going to be crushed by the economic load we would inherit. With a skyrocketing national debt, and with there being five Baby Boomers on Social Security for every Gen-X’er in the work force, we should expect most of our income to go to taxes.

I could go on, but the point is, all the negativity, pessimism and hopelessness being peddled to my generation turned out to be completely false.

True, the economy I grew up in no longer exists, and neither does that world or society. But, there’s opportunity here. The world has changed, but life is still good.

We no longer fear the Japanese. It’s the Chinese we fear now. Chances are, we’ll see the same result.

Manufacturing is alive and well, with new facilities being built in Texas and across the American South, with technology and energy production driving much of that growth.

Those who ignored the bad advice and went into the trades are doing quite well now.

Social Security has not imploded, and the Millennials along with a robust economy have helped Gen-X make sure the Social Security checks clear.

Life is different, but still good. Sometimes I grieve the changes, and I feel nostalgic for the way we did things back in the 90s, but overall, life is good.

As I visit with my 22-year-old son, I hear the same hopelessness that was sold to me being sold to him. He is being told he’ll never be able to own a house. In fact, he may never own anything according to what he’s being told.

He’s being told the corporations are stealing everything, the Chinese will replace us as the world’s superpower, and that he’ll never achieve the same standard of living that I did. (And I am far from being in the upper class.)

I can’t for the life of me imagine that he’s the only one being told this. And, unlike me, who heard these lies in small doses, he’s inundated with this via social media and the internet.

So, in addition to the Gospel, what I want to tell these kids is… “It’s all going to be okay.”

Do not be discouraged by the despair that is being pushed on you by miserable people who seek relief by placing their misery upon your shoulders. The things you fear will never happen. The things they fear will never happen.

And faith is key to finding peace in a world that pushes fear.

In Psalm 16, David says, “Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.”

David has placed his faith (trust) in God, is praying that the Lord preserves him, and is trusting the Lord to preserve him.

David’s faith was likely based on his experiences. On numerous occasions God stepped in for David, delivered him and preserved him. It was God’s intervention that made him king to begin with.

David’s identity was interwoven with God’s hand on his life, and therefore he could find peace and joy in the Lord, and in life, even when everything around him failed.

Therefore, David was able to “set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (Verse 8).

David goes on to make a profound statement in verse 10, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

That verse does two things. One, it expresses faith in God that He will not abandon David in his time of suffering. He will not leave his soul in hell. Pain is short, troubled times pass, but God remains, always.

More importantly, however, is that this is a foreshadowing of the resurrection of Christ. One reason for us to be optimistic and trust the Lord is that Christ rose again.

And the resurrection of Christ conquered death, so that we can inherit eternal life and enter into God’s Kingdom when our lives here on earth are over. Furthermore, the resurrection of Christ provides us a divine advocate, as the resurrected Jesus sits at the right hand of God pleading for us on a daily basis.

And even further, the resurrection proves God’s power and His desire and ability to do good to us.

So, on that note, David reaffirms his faith in the Lord, and takes on an optimistic outlook on life as he dwells in His presence.

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11).

The world is going to change. It’s been constantly changing and evolving at an increasing pace since World War II. But if you trust in the Lord and follow His leadership, you will find joy and pleasure in life, no matter what the world looks like in the future.

The real reason Millennials are leaving Christianity

WP_20141002_003Rev. Darryl Bowdre has spent much of his adult life serving the community in north Tyler, Tex. He serves as pastor of the South Central Church of Christ, advocates for the community’s schools and students, mentors young men, and at one time had a radio show on the now-defunct KZEY 690 AM.

Once, Rev. Bowdre spent an entire episode of his show addressing the crisis with young people. Rev. Bowdre lamented that the younger generation was being seduced by violent music, drugs, peer pressure and sexual immorality. These temptations, according to Bowdre, were even overtaking what we would refer to as “the good kids.”

When Rev. Bowdre recorded that show, America was in a time of unparalleled prosperity. It was a prosperity that blinded many to their responsibilities to guide their children, and to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

“One day, when this party is over,” Rev. Bowdre stated, “We will stand before our Lord, and answer for what we didn’t do. We will answer for why we didn’t save the children.”

The day we stand before the Lord has not yet arrived. However, the party is over, and we are seeing the results of not having “saved our children.”

A recent article from Fox News offered 10 reasons why millennials are abandoning Christianity. Among those reasons were the breakdown of the family, lack of spiritual authenticity from adults, and the cultural abandonment of morality. These three reasons, along with the other seven, are symptomatic of the central disease diagnosed by Rev. Bowdre almost two decades ago. We didn’t teach our children. We didn’t intervene in their lives. We didn’t save them. Now, those children are young adults, and we are seeing the fruit of our inaction.

With the breakdown of the family, fathers have not been there to teach the children about their heavenly Father. Furthermore, with no functional family present, children have not been taught values, virtue and faith. They have been left to teach themselves.

The children have been teaching themselves using Hollywood, atheistic professors, and personal pleasure as their curriculum. This problem is compounded when they see the adults in their lives being hypocritical; being one person at church, and a completely different person at home. The lack of leadership and guidance from their parents has breed contempt for their parents’ generation, and all the traditions and values that go with it, including religion.

Meanwhile, millennials seek purpose apart from God. They want their lives to mean something, while turning away from the One who designed life itself.

As a result, there are riots at Berkeley, riots in Ferguson, Mo., skyrocketing STD rates, and a willingness by many western youth to join terrorist organizations like ISIS.

Most adults today are horrified at what the millennial generation has become. However, we only have ourselves to blame. In the party of the 1990s and the early 2000s, we abandoned our children, allowing them to raise themselves in society, opening the door for Satan to steal their hearts.

Rev. Bowdre warned us. One day, we will answer for the fact that we did not save our children.

The good news is, if you woke up above the grass today, there is still time to change.

Historically, Christians have been in the minority in the world. We have never really steered the world agenda, although we enjoyed a lot of influence in the founding of the United States of America.

Being the cultural minority leads to revival in the Christian community. Being culturally dominant often leads to complacency, which leads to surface-level faith and weak theology. Being in the cultural minority challenges our faith, which forces us to learn more about God, strengthen our faith, and stand on truth even when it’s not popular to do so.

And on that note, the millennial generation is ripe for a soul harvest. Millennials crave meaning, and desperately want their lives to have an impact. Once they take up a cause, they will follow it no matter the consequences. Which means, if you lead a millennial to Christ, you have not only led a soul to salvation, but you have created a super-evangelist, apologists, author, speaker, and disciple-maker.

When millennials accept Christ, and conform themselves to His image, and not a man-made Christ-like image, they totally sell out for the Lord. The result is more millennials being won for Christ.

It’s not easy. You will not win millennials to Christ by talking about the ABC plan of salvation, or by asking them to say the sinner’s prayer. You have to be the embodiment of Isaiah 1:18 (Come, let us reason together.) You have to be able to discuss your faith, what salvation is, and answer the hard questions. However, if you are sincere, the millennials will see it, respect it, and may even repent and believe.

That’s not to say that the majority will be reached. You may only reach one in a thousand.

However, before that happens, you have to settle your faith in your heart. Authenticity is the highest virtue to millennials. And to have authenticity, you have to be authentic.

Therefore, make your calling and election sure. Study your Bible, learn all you can about the Lord. Settle your faith in your heart. Then get busy reaching these young people for Christ.