It was said during the conference that in our present time many young people come from very broken backgrounds and lack of good parenting.  Some have never had a father figure.  There is a way that some of us older adults can help bridge that gap by being spiritual parents.  A couple aspects of this struck me.  Humility: admitting  that we don’t have all the answers, not standing in a place of judgment, not being “preachy”, being conduits of God’s unconditional love.  Honesty: being vulnerable and open about our sins and failings as well as how we have seen God’s faithfulness in our lives.  Hypocrisy is a major stumbling block to young people.

One of the talks was about being cross cultural.  In other words, how does one relate with a person who speaks a different language, dresses differently and has different customs.  Sometimes the gap can be that big between generations.  Spending time, genuine interest, finding a common thread can bridge the gap.  Be intentional about investing time.  This last point may be the hardest as we older ones have networks of relationships and are comfortable with them.  To spend time with younger ones is uncomfortable at first and will require laying down some of our time with friends and interests.

Paul said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”  Can we live open lives so that is a possibility?  It’s easy to say, “Do as I say.”  Much harder is, “Do as I do.”  Quite a challenge.

Open spaces:  if most of our ministry opportunities in our churches are already filled by the older generation, when and how will the young get in?  There is a growing awareness that we should be looking for who to train up to take our place.  We need to know when to step aside and trust God first of all, and our younger brothers and sisters secondly.

Several Scriptures speak of strength as being the glory of and gift to the young (Pr. 20:29 and I John 2:13-14) as well as the ability to overcome the evil one.  Tiffanie Ferguson and Chris Dewar presented a workshop on church planting.  I was impressed with their commitment in the amazing amount of time and energy they have put into the endeavor as well as their emphasis on prayer as essential in overcoming the evil one in order to gain ground for the Kingdom.  They are an example of some of the best in our young people.

I saw a beautiful picture of what God was doing on Friday night during the worship time.  One of the younger brothers came up to a senior pastor and laid his hands on him and prayed for him as he sat in his seat.  Two things happened.  The Lord gave the pastor a “download” of a teaching for the next Sunday.  Simultaneously, the younger brother received a physical healing as he had been obedient.

I am very excited to see the movement of the Holy Spirit within our young people.  I want to be like Hannah who provided for Samuel’s needs as he ministered before the Lord.  She was his support person.   As we older ones begin to take this kind of position, I believe that we will see revival and refreshing for all of us in the coming days.

In Him,

Mary Lou Andrzejewski