There are two weeks a year that I will do things that seem absolutely CRAZY!!! For example, last month, I allowed (not only did I allow, I encouraged) 50 kids to dump over five gallons of green slime over my head. Each year at VBS I give an incentive for the kids to bring all of their friends to VBS. If they reached the goal that we set at the beginning of the week, I told them each kid would get to SLIME me. Needless to say sliming the preacher is an excellent motivator for elementary school kids.
On one other occasion earlier this summer, I made the mistake of publicly telling nearly 400 kids ages 10-18 that I love to be dared! This temporary lack of intelligence resulted in a dare to perform an interpretive dance to the Frozen song, "Let it Go" during the camp's "talent" show. Over 400 people (and several video cameras) watched me prance around in pink tights for 4 minutes.
People always ask why in the world would you do such CRAZY things? (Believe me, sometimes I ask myself these questions.) The answer is simple...I want to connect with our young people to create opportunities to teach them about Jesus. Now youth and children's ministry is outside of my giftedness area, however I know the importance of building the foundation of Jesus in young people. The reality is that we are losing so many young people to the world. We have the responsibility to teach them about Jesus.
In a time when children were not looked at too highly in society, Jesus did something completely out of the ordinary for an adult man. When others felt that people were bothering Jesus by bringing their children to Him and told them to take them away, Jesus insisted otherwise and said bring them to me. He sat a child on his lap and said, "unless you become like these, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Not only did Jesus love the little children, as we sing often, Jesus went out of his way and against the norms of society for the children.
On the day of Pentecost when the church was established, Peter told those listening, "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off." The question is are we going to pass on the promises of God to the next generation?
Blessings,
Jeremy
"Encourage one another, build up one another."
