What an amazing day it's been! As we met for worship this morning, we gathered in prayer around a dear friend facing surgery and chemo, prayed for another young woman having life-threatening health issues, and for a family who lost a son in a farm accident yesterday. Grief, pain, and uncertainty were brought before our heavenly Father before being challenged to live out our faith in the context of a community reeling in shock and grief. The afternoon was quite a contrast as we joyfully celebrated Linda's and Jeanine's birthdays at dinner with our family. Barely taking time to take Linda home, it was off to church to teach bass to five youth before listening to the kids talk about their experiences during last week's mission trip to New York City.
One teenager spoke of learning how change begins with just one person, another shared of struggling to hear from God and wondering what was the purpose of visiting a mosque when they didn't get to speak to anyone about Jesus, then experiencing joyous worship at the Brooklyn Tabernacle and realizing that God was speaking to her about the reality of her faith in Christ. Another talked about being challenged to explore his faith more deeply, and still another of sharing her faith with a policeman who believed having enough money was the most important thing in life, and eventually having him ask if she would pray for a friend.
Some years ago I worked hard to begin turning over leadership in the church to the next generation. Tonight thirty-one teenagers gathered to worship and learn, led by this next generation and by their next generation, too. Earlier in the evening, our son Nate was talking with the SOTA kids about spending time with God: "If we don't do that, we are only a band that happens to sing worship songs. We need to be worshippers who happen to be in a band."
Tomorrow, these same kids will be staring death in the face as they deal with the loss of their fellow student and friend. Faith, even theirs, doesn't grow in a greenhouse, sheltered from the harsh storms of life. It is forged in the hot fires of triumph and tragedy, but they have already demonstrated their depth and resilience as they braved the record cold last week in NYC, sharing their faith with the homeless. Sometimes I think I should pinch myself just to make sure I'm not dreaming as I watch these kids live out their faith in Christ before their peers. I am humbled and grateful to simply be witness to what God is doing through these kids. What an amazing privilege I've been given!
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