About Our Youth

Most of us love Christmas, but we do not typically have the same images in our mind thinking of the "season of Christmas" and the "season of Advent." Let's change that this year by taking our teens to see three spirits - the Spirit of Christmas Past, the Spirit of Christmas Present, and the Spirit of Christmas Future. 

As the prophet Isaiah said:

 “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6

Centuries before Christ was born, there were prophecies of anticipation of this miraculous birth, of what it would mean for our lives today and in the future. 

I remember with clarity my first day of Law School receiving some important advice- not to use the skills we learn on argument, communication, and negtoitation on our friends and family or they will cease to be our friends and family.

Unfortunately, I catch my self in the midst of arguments completely disregarding this advise all the time - my instincts take over and I often forget that I'm speaking to a human I love and not merely a "point" to win. 

The Bible tells us to do our piece to keep the peace with all people - and that is especially important with our most precious relationships - our parents, our siblings, our family. These people love us unconditionally, but their words can cut deeper than most.  This fall, let's help our teens form good habits and choose "people over points" and remember that Christ came not to destroy lives, but to save them.

If you've ever worked in an office, you'll probably relate to the experienced frustration of IT personnel minimizing your computer disaster with the simple advice of "reboot your computer." Frustrating, but effective.

God can and does the same thing in our lives if we just trust in Him.  As we see in the lives of Ruth and Naomi, God turns tragedy to honor, rags to riches, and a cursed heritage into a blessing. This month, we hope to encourage our teens to trust God not only in the best of times, but in the worst of times - ESPECIALLY in the worst of times because it is those moments that God uses to set us up for an Ultimate Reset.

As a parent, I often struggle with how to navigate raising my kids up in God’s character and not worrying so much who we offend.  I wish I had a little of my dad’s moxie for pushing that envelope. True - his sense of humor didn't "age" very well, but he always emphasized character over substance. 

I suppose that is why with my own kids and my Church’s Youth Ministry, I’m really big on something we call the “252 effect.”  What’s that, you ask? (Or maybe you didn’t – but just humor me).  It comes from Luke 2:52 and it is the moment when the world was astonished with the amazing character, wisdom, and stature of a 12-year old Christ.  Isn't that what we want for our kids?  Let's mirror our Youth Ministry off that blueprint - no dad jokes required.

It's that time of year again!  Just like last summer, we've compiled a list of pan-Orthodox resources, some free, some not free - a variety of ages, to help you find the right resources for your youth ministry effort.  While we LOVE Bridges to Orthodoxy, we always stress that curriculum is merely a tool - it is not "magic" and it is certainly not "handcuffs."  Take the time to precisely define the mission statement of your youth ministry effort and that will help you figure out what tools you need to further that mission.  Don't use a hammer when you need a screwdriver for the job.

They both messed up so horribly and turned their back on Jesus… yet one let his shame destroy him, and the other was led back to God through repentance. I am speaking of Peter and Judas... and I can't help but wonder why?  

In our “cancel culture” society, it is somewhat easier to understand Judas.  In his mind, he was unredeemable, worthless…cancelled.  The truth is – our world has a backward warped view of sin. Despite what our Twitter feed tells us, repentance is not about feeling bad forever or a condition to somewhat “earn” forgiveness.

The word “shame” can mean so many things – guilt; insecurity; condemned; exposed.  The truth is, God has no use for this word in any of its meanings.  

We are valued and loved by our Lord.  Our repentance is not to earn His forgiveness – it is for us.  Repentance is a process – it is about spiritual longevity… and that is what we see in the life of St. Peter.

Peter, a rock of faith, walked on water – but he also doubted… he sank in that water, and he denied ever knowing Christ (three times!). Even so, he showed courage in doing what Judas could not – he repented.  And because he did, Peter became all the stronger for it – he would go on to preach to the masses, baptize Jews and Gentiles, be imprisoned/tortured/martyred in the name of Jesus.  St. Peter lived his life truly walking on water knowing that faith does not sink.

Have you heard of the phrase Revertigo?  Its a thing - Google says so.  Its the tendency of a person to revert back to an older version of themselves when around people from their past.  It explains why when we travel back to our hometown for a weekend visit, our maturity declines a couple decades hanging out with old childhood friends.  Or why siblings can laugh until their sides hurt over inside jokes as if they just happened.  And yet, we are in fact grown adults with real responsibilities.  

Sometimes the phenomenon also happens during Lent - we hit the time of year as if it is just a "default" season and revert to whatever we think we ought to be doing or reading or eating (or not eating).  Lent is supposed to be a forward journey, and it is supposed to be new every year.  Christ has something new to teach us every year.  In writing our Lent series, "Follow Me" I was astonished at the artificial roadblocks we put up ourselves to stand in the way of our journey in following Christ - our fears, our pressures, our identity, logic... and yes, our revertigo.  This Lent, let's not be like the Nazarenes who rejected Jesus in His own town, failing to see the Divinity through the Humanity and instead embrace the invitation to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. 

Have you ever heard the story of my car getting stolen on summer vacation?  It is one I often share in talking about Youth Ministry Mission... or should I say lost mission? Do you know the purpose, the mission, behind your Youth Ministry effort?  I promise you, it's not about "Curriculum" or "Sunday school."  If you find yourself constantly writing and re-writing curriculum or looking for "magic" resources to "fix" your Youth Ministry - perhaps it is time to get refocused and start with purpose.

With the flurry of holidays behind us, many are letting out a sigh of relief after the exhausting travels, decorating, wrapping gifts, and a partridge in a pear tree. Yet, every year – we do this to ourselves… in fact, if you’re like my wife, you look forward to it… it’s your “favorite time of year” - why?  Well, just like her passion for Sunday school, the answer is “love”. 

If you haven’t ventured to guess by my name, I am the behind the scenes’ husband of the author of Bridges to Orthodoxy, Shereen Marcus, with a unique perspective of the love and dedication she pours into these materials week after week, month after month, year after year.

The question that comes up most often, which she kindly and patiently answers pertains to the cost of the curriculum… well, really, why it has a cost at all.  

Oftentimes, when we hear that a curriculum for Church has any cost attached to it, we are “offended” by the notion... but here's the truth- we love you; we love your kids, we love the kids in your parish, we love the kids who have yet to fall in love with Jesus, and we love the kids who have walked away from Jesus/church/the Orthodox faith and whether they know it or now, desire a way back. Because we LOVE your kids, we believe they deserve quality materials. 

And because I love you, I want to be transparent and bold.  Keep reading...

As much as we love our Sunday School units, some conversations require a bit more attention - a bit more depth.  Learn more about our Difficult Conversations Retreat packages as we periodically add more on.  We have retreat packages diving into crucial, but deep topics such as dating, purity, spiritual warfare, identity, and more!

Turning on the news these days, it is hard not to see the injustice.  The events are sad, heartbreaking... violent.  Many adults, much less teens, read the Bible with confusion as to how exactly God defines Justice.  This November, we will help teens maneuver this important topic and learn to trust our God who cares deeply for us.  His definition of justice, quite simply, is in a different "League" than ours.

His goal is not as trivial as punishing wrongdoing.  God’s goal is and has always been to transform our hearts and for that, only a divine perspective will do. Instead of questioning God’s League of Justice, we ought to make it a habit to turn our eyes to Him.

While many parishes look at a new school year as a "fresh start". Without thinking it through, the "fresh start" is merely a slow revert back to status quo. I am a huge believer in improving on things that worked well last year, and scrapping the things that did not work at all - but to do either well, you must start the year "right."

Check out this blog for a few things to consider to start the year "right."