Transform

•transform•

The theme of our 2 day youth seminar. Over 70 youth from two churches gathered together to learn what it means to be transformed. With the holiday, I can only imagine all the other activities these kids could be participating in; but, they chose to come to church instead. We studied together what scripture meant in Romans 12. It calls us to not be like the world. As young people, it's so easy to believe the influences of the world, to fall to the pressures of what those around you say. 

They took turns writing down things that were temptations or struggles. They stacked all of the things up and watched them fall over with the slightest nudge because they had no foundation. But when they rebuilt it, having a foundation, the tower didn't fall.  As we journeyed through what it looked like on a personal level, we also talked about what it meant to be a transforming community. To be a place of refuge, to be a place of difference, to be a place that strives to be love radically.....

Each of the churches split up into their respective groups and the youth started to discuss what this verse meant for their church, their community, their youth group.  My heart was struck by some of the things the students stated.

They wanted to have nights of worship and prayer once a month.  To visit their friends who don't know Christ. To take a more active role in helping each other carry their burdens. To commit to service projects in their neighborhoods. To be willing to sacrifice if someone else is in need.  

One girl said, I want us to be the place that Jesus talked about in Matthew 11. To be a place for all those who were tired, who were weary, who needed refuge...