“He
spelled it wrong, Ross. Look. There's no K in 'cloud',” Hope
Tappin told her silver-haired husband, both seated about 4 rows back
in the sizable sanctuary packed with adults. Everyone was starving
for answers on how to successfully reach out to youth.
The
youth pastor stepped to the podium, welcomed everyone and invited Sam
Henton to lead all hearts in prayer for this terribly needed blending
of burdens for the youth and their spiritual and emotional future.
Sam finished with an amen that was echoed by all in attendance.
Pointing
at the easel and poster on the platform a few steps from him, Pastor
Tom began with, “You'll all learn in a little bit, why I spelled it
with a K. I assure you, it was intentional,” he said with a touch
of a smile.
“I
know your time is valuable today as it is every day. So I'll try to
be just as brief as possible. I want to talk about a stampede. Yes. A
stampede. The Bible talks about one. It begins in Matthew 8:30. The
details of that horrible incident in history is repeated in two other
gospels. The reason for my sharing this message with you, is that you
and I are in a stampede. Or more accurately, on the fringe of one
that is gaining intensity even as you and I are in this room.”
“As
the youth pastor of this church, I believe many church leaders and
parents are turning their heads from the stampede and labeling it as
a lost cause. I looked up a fancy word I seldom use, but it seems to
be appropriate at this time. The word is AMBIVALENCE. Ambivalence is
the force; the energy that drives this stampede to the same terrible
destruction as the one in Matthew. The dictionary says that
'ambivalence is a state of uncertainty or fluctuation, especially
when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire
to say or do two opposite or conflicting things.'”
“Pastor
Tom continued, “This uncertainty causes youth to seek the company
of other youth throughout each day, in school and everywhere; easily
8 or more hours every day. The challenge of this online community;
this online social network, can be visualized as a cloud; a misty
group that seems to have no leader and certainly no defined goal or
purpose. For emphasis, I call this a KLOUD OF KIDS.”
“Now
do you remember I said that you and I were on the fringe of this
growing stampede; this Kloud of Kids? Each of us in this room is
likely to be sucked into this kloud and share in the ambivalence
unless we declare to Heaven and those around us that God has
infinitely more power and love for our future generations, and ours
also.”
“Each
one of us who truly love the Lord and believe He is All-powerful,
must reach into that Kloud of Kids with our heart, to the point of
tears, and see that no one in the stampede wants to be there. Their
only hope is to find someone who truly cares. Can you hear their
heart cries above the thundering hoof beats and clouds of dust and
confusion? The dictionary word for that is EMPATHY. We must have
feelings for each youth as God's pinnacle creation. Each one is a
gift to this church and us as a church family.”
Pastor
Tom paused a moment, and took a noticeable swallow that told everyone
that what was to follow would be especially important. It was.
“I
want to tell you all a big secret. It's certainly no secret that most
silver-haired folks are turned off by all the computer toys and
gadgetry. These tech tools have me buffaloed quite often too. But the
big secret is that silver-haired folks are the best people to reach
into that herd of hurting hearts. Did you hear that? The two
generations that need each other the most, are separated by all the
technology stuff.”
“You
can reach into that stampede and rescue one precious soul at a time,
by sharing ideas to reach the youth in real love. Partner with other
adults that have Heaven-sent ideas too. That partnering; that
harmony, turns empathy into sympathy. Do you want to be used mightily
by God in the lives of youth today? It takes junk. It takes grownups
that use broken pieces of computers as parables to teach God's
incredible love and leadership."
The stampede of youth is gaining speed. There is no time to delay. Start your rescue as you begin to pray.
