This weekend, we were a host home for Disciple Now. We had the high school boys, so I wasn't super involved in small group and free time at our house, but I was able to participate in their afternoon activity and worship time on Saturday night. (For those parents of the boys who are reading this, they were ALL WONDERFUL, very mannerly, and kind to the kids! I have no idea if they were loud, we have a large house and I couldn't hear a peep, but I don't know if that's good insulation or kids who went to bed early. I am thinking it's the insulation - although it's proof to me that I will host again!)
This is what they spent pretty much all free time doing at our house. Robert and Shari got that for us for Christmas, and BOY has it gotten its money's worth!
They put together bags for homeless children on Saturday...
And here is the youth group!
The man that spoke, Chad, talked to the kids on Saturday about what it means to be a disciple. Basically, it means to "reproduce reproducers." He also said they did a study once to see how long it took for the words of Jesus to spread after His death to everyone in the world. They said, if everyone who knew about him told 3 people and they kept telling 3 people and on and on, it would have taken 37 years to spread across the world. That was a pretty interesting statistic! He also said that most revivals that happen in the world are started by teenagers. This doesn't surprise me in the least bit. Teenagers are a perfect age to be excited to spread the word, it's such a pure love of Jesus, you haven't gone through tons of trials and tribulations in your life at that point. I think when we become adults, it gets harder and harder to share Jesus with others. I wish it wasn't like that.
I know these kids will never understand this until they become adults (in their early 30's with a husband and three children and responsibilities) but I told them today that this will be the best time in their whole life, to be friends with other people who share their same faith, to get to spend weekends and weeks together, worshipping Jesus, and to be fed and led in fellowship. And I told them that there might be so many kids who never know that church can be fun, and what Jesus can do. And to always make sure you invite people to come be a part of it with you. Because you are only young once and to love it now, because it will never be like that again.
This weekend really convicted me that I don't invite people to come to church with me, and I should. I don't invite people to be a part of my church family, and I need to. It can all start with one invitation. What a wonderful weekend and what a great reminder of youth group memories! I told Kim, the host of the high school girls, that back in the old days, either mine or her house would have been covered in toilet paper this morning. Thank goodness it wasn't!
Comments