Sunday school answers

I agreed to teach substitute for a 6th grade Sunday School class at TRBC this morning. I don't expect deepness... or even focus from 6th graders. What's even tougher is that the subject of today's lesson was about the Holy Spirit--a subject I didn't know or care about when I was in 6th grade. Since I was left bereft of any supplementary activity materials, I had them read passages out of the Bible. When we would "discuss" the meanings of the passages, I received the same, initial answer, "The Holy Spirit is always with us."

The significance of this observation stems from a blurb I heard on the local Christian radio station earlier that morning. It announcing a new ministry-connection point to help teens who are about to leave home remain faithful to the church. It has resources on various subjects about loneliness etc. that many teens struggle with once they are plucked from their comfortable church homes. I had to laugh. More programs. Speaking as one who is in the midst of the leaving-the-church-crisis, teens don't need to be taught more "Sunday school answers" to deal with emotional and spiritual problems. Some of these experiences are good. Imagine that. We should encourage teens to understand that their faith is something that is more than just what a Bible study or guest speaker can give you. Own your convictions. Repentance is more than just asking forgiveness. God wants obedience, not acrostics and pages of forgotten notes stuck in between Bible pages.

Well, anyway, I'll give an update about my life. God is so amazing. It seems that this past year, God has been making more sense out of life. Everything is coming together. I'm scared of change and commitment, but I know God will reward my obedience. This semester is going to be busy with new friends and classes. I'm starting to get more nervous about getting everything together for graduate school. I just gotta keep moving.

I'm pretty excited about seeing Matt at the end of the month. I miss him sooo much! So much to do, so little time!