Michael – part 2

You may have seen previous HS Small Group posts that i mentioned Michael in or you may even be following the Journey through the posts that are entitled, “Michael.”  Regardless, I have some cool updates on my friend who is exploring and discussing his spiritual journey with me.

As Michael and I continued our conversation yesterday, he gave me 3 gifts / DVDs:

1. Einstein’s Universe
2. String’s the Thing
3. Welcome to the 11th Dimension

Now as I understand from Michael these 3 DVDs are all scientific perspective and theories on creation and the world we live in.  I am very much looking forward to watching the DVDs as it will help me understand where Michael is coming from.  Besides, he has been gracious enough to read the Gospel of John so I am more than happy to oblige.

This week Michael and discussed 2 key concepts: absolute truth & creation.  It was a great dialogue back and forth and it challenges me, in a good way.  At the beginning of our conversation Michael was committed to the fact that there is no absolute truth and that religions have creation myths but there is no way to know which one is true.  As we had our conversation there were a few “breakthroughs” that we came to.  First of all, Michael has arrived at a place where he understands and believes that absolute truths exist.  While he is slow to accept what is absolute truth, it was a step in the right direction.  The common ground that I was able to get him to with creation is that regardless of how many myths and how many scientific theories, we are all here and somehow everything came into being, so regardless of which one is right, there has to be an accurate and factual creation account. 

Continue to pray for Michael and me as we talk through anything and everything.  As we continue to progress down this Journey I have also give Michael the heads up that while I’d like him to continue reading John this week, I believe it would be much more helpful for where we are at in our conversation for him to read Lee Stroebel’s, Case for a Creator.  It’s where we are at and what he is wrestling through the most.  My prayer is that Michael will have an “A-ha” moment reading the book and accept Creationism.  It would then be my hope and prayer that from that conclusion we can progress through the G.O.S.P.E.L.  Thanks for your continued prayers.

HS Small Group 11/10/08

Quite honestly, not much of a dramatic night tonight.  We decided that this would be one of those nights where we just let our hair down and had a fun night enjoying each other’s company.  Now I wouldn’t advocate this to be the norm, but it was a nice exception to the rule as we get ready for the Invincible conference this weekend in Denver, CO.  We played card games, video games, had a fire in the fire pit in the backyard, and watched the football game.  It was a great time! 

In all seriousness, I love challenging our teenagers and seeing them step up as we continually raise the bar.  But on occasion, it’s nice to have the opportunity to breathe a little bit.  For those of you in ministry, I’d love your thoughts.  Is it good to take a breather every once in a while?  Do we constantly need to keep our small group or youth group formats fully immersed in scripture and study?  Or maybe (honestly) is having fun the norm for you and Bible study the exception to the rule?

Please continue to pray for Michael.  He wasn’t able to attend small group tonight as he and his friend that brings him to group both ahd awards to accept at a school banquet.  I did learn that he has been reading the Gospel of John and finds it quite interesting and may have several questions.  Pray for me as I read along with him that God would direct me to teh ansswers to his questions.

Michael – part 1

I feel like Michael deserves his own post.  God has burdened my heart for this young man the past 24 hours and I have been praying for him constantly throughout the day and evening.  As I keep reliving last night’s conversation in my head there are two statements that he made that are truly breaking my heart.

1. Michael very much believes that everyone can have their own belief and that is good enough for them, going to the point of arguing that there is no such thing as absolute truth when it comes to morality.  As I listened to his reasoning and logic for drawing such a conclusion I gently and humbly contested that the Christian faith exists in stark contrast to that line of thinking.  Jesus clearly stated that He is the only way to God.  Having said that I simply asked Michael, “What if you’re wrong?  I’m not telling you that you are, but think that idea through.  What if you’re wrong?”  His answer literally distresses me.  He said that when he dies if he stands before God and realizes, “Oh, you are God.  I was wrong,” that he is willing to live with the consequences of his decision and take responsibility for his thinking and is okay at that point spending an eternity in hell.  Obviously, I don’t think he understands the gravity of his statement, but he meant every word of it.
2. As the conversation progressed I had the opportunity what he did with person, Jesus.  He believes that a man named Jesus did live, was a good teacher and imparted great wisdom to the world, but because he has no proof that Jesus performed miracles and is in fact God, he can’t believe it.  I shared with him the conclusion that C. S. Lewis has drawn about how people percieve Jesus: Lord, liar, or lunatic.  After talking through this with Michael we came to a place where he says he agrees with Lewis, that Jesus must have been 1 of those 3, but since he doesn’t have conclusive information, that was all the farther he could go with that thought process:  Lord, liar, lunatic.  He must be one, but which one can never be answered.  I challenged him sayiing that I know he is a bright, well educated and articulate young man and simply pushed him because of that, to not settle for the fact that Jesus was 1 of those 3, but to decide for himself which of them He is.  Come to a conclusion, not just agree that there are potential conclusions.

Michael then shared with me words of wisdom that his dad imparted to him (which gave me the opportunity to challenge him to read the Gospel of John):  The next best thing to knowing the answer is at least knowing where to find it.  So that takes us to where we are.  I explained to Michael, and he agreed, that when it comes to the Christian faith the Bible is our authority on Who God is and His interaction with His creation.  That being said, that the Bible would be the place to look while trying to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?”  Pray for Michael as he seeks to find that answer.  Pray for me as I have the opportunity to talk with Michael and guide him through the scriptures, by the Holy Spirit’s power and wisdom, and that sooner than later he will understand and accept the Truth.

HS Small Group 11/3/08

I love our small group that meets on Monday nights.  It is amazing and the teenagers are incredible.  Strong relationships are being built and the kids are becoming more and more relaxed and open as we discuss each week.  Something cool happened tonight as I had the opportunity to speak with 4 young men on 4 different occasions tonight.  Not only will it give you a glimpse into our group and how diverse it is, but it will also give you 4 young men to be praying for.

1. Brandon.  He is a little more mature in his faith but still growing and the cool thing is he has a desire to grow.  Brandon is wrestling through finding the balance of having lost friends that he can be a positive influence to without allowing their negative influence to distract him from his relationship with Christ.
2. Evan.  This might be the boldest evangelist in our group, but he might not know it yet.  Pray for Alex, Evan’s friend who doesn’t know Christ, as they have begun spiritual conversations that Evan is trying to wade through, but sometimes feels like he’s drowning.  Evan knows he is saved, but doesn’t feel like he knows enough to share with his friend.
3. Avery.  This is the young teenage boy who gave his life to Christ a few weeks ago.  He is excited every week at Bible study and has that new Christian excitement about him.  I have tasked his older brother Lee to take the time to dive into the Word with Avery as he begins to grow in his faith.
4. Michael.  He is the newest addition to our small group and brings a totally new and fresh worldview to the table.  He is fairly well educated, eloquent with his words, but lost when it comes to all things Christ.  We had an incredible conversation tonight and I loved hearing his heart and diving into his beliefs.  Whiel we disagree on just about everything, he agreed to begin reading the Gospel of John this week, a chapter a day, and I have made the commitment with him.  In addition, he has agreed to continue to come to small group with his friend, Marissa, so we can continue our spiritual dialogue.  Pray for us as we dive into scripture and begin a journey of discovery.

So there are 4 snapshots of our group and the dynamics involved.  Doing life with teenagers can be messy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Thanks for your prayers and continued support as Sam and I continue to invest in the lives of these teenagers.