Leah Pratt | Journey to Godly

This is it. My birthday. At 1:32pm today, I officially turned 35 years of age.

That's weird to me. 35. A new box to check. A downward slide into 40 [snort]. I am not so concerned with being another year older. I am, however, concerned with being another year down the path toward Heaven yet nowhere near where I want to be in light of the holiness that radiates from my God.

When I was small, birthdays were filled with fluttery anticipation of parties, presents, and cake. [Ohhhh, the cake!] But as I grow older, birthdays have become a time to "be still" (Psalm 46:10) at my Savior's side, to be ever so grateful for the fragile blessing that is and continues to be…my life.

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Gone are the days when simply “inviting people to church” was enough to get the salvation ball rolling, so to speak. Today's average Joe (or Jane) doesn't care much for getting up early on a day off work, dressing up (to some measure), and taking his/her family to a church service. And with the bad rap that health/wealth preacher-thieves, priestly pedophiles, and the terminally unfaithful have given the church…most viewers of the nightly news think that houses of worship are disdainful. Heck - due to technological advances, even many so-called Christians prefer "streaming" services online to an in-the-flesh gathering of believers these days. So, how can we expect to non-believers to get all hopped-up about attending church?

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If we are in Christ, we are daughters of the King. How awesome does that sound?

In Isaiah 43:6-7, God called out, “Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made.”

In 2 Corinthians 6:18, God said, “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.”

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Girls' ministry involves long talks with young women about their hopes and dreams, their walks with God, their frustrations with parents, their questions about relationships...and the way they choose to present themselves to the world.

I was talking with a young woman the other day who gravitates toward the "scene" look. [For those of you who are unfamiliar, the scene subculture applies to both guys and girls who identify largely through fashion and music. Having been labeled everything from emo to grunge to punk, scene kids generally have the same "look": an ultra-slim frame, outrageously-colored hair, dark makeup, facial piercings, tattoos, etc.] If you are involved in youth ministry of any sort, I'm sure you have seen your fair share of scene kids (ba-dum-tsss!).

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"How is it possible that 276 girls could be taken from their beds in the dead of night in a place that is supposed to be...safe?"

This quote from a CNN World report attempts to make sense of the horrific, April 14th abduction of nearly 300 teenage women in Nigeria. Over the past few weeks, awareness of the atrocity has traveled worldwide - largely by means of the Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. For the few of you who may be currently positioned under a rock somewhere, militant Boko Haram terrorist group (whose name means "Western Education is Sin") kidnapped these girls in order to enact their extremist view of the Islamic faith upon them. Since it is reported that the girls' school was "Christian," their captors - of course - are trying to convert them to Islam. And, claiming that these girls should not be pursuing education or careers, the terrorists also declare the girls will be sold as brides or sex slaves to make their point heard 'round the world.

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Context matters. In fact, some would say "context is king"…and I wholeheartedly agree.

The above statement applies when seeking to understand everyday conversations, and it is crucial to interpreting Scripture.

You've all been there: sitting in a coffee shop, overhearing a verbal interaction that sounds nothing short of awkward, looking over to see the people engaged in said convo, and seeing that neither one is as perplexed as you are by what was just relayed. And then you realize what has occurred. You have overheard a "bit" or a "piece" of a bigger conversation, and you have incorrectly interpreted those drips and drabs to mean one thing when the original speakers clearly meant another.

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Teaching purity to teens can be a daunting task. Oft-times, you may feel "put on the spot" or unable to handle questions that come your way. Let's be honest: this can be a touchy topic for many - both leaders and listeners alike. Below are ten basic tips to help youth leaders teach biblical purity in a way that will (hopefully) keep your palms dry and your heart from beating out of your chest.

1) Have an "open door" policy with parents. I realize that some of your youth's parents may never darken the door of the church. But when dealing with matters as heavy as God's view on sex, it helps to let parents know that you are open to talking with them about the topic as well. Many parents want to be the ones to teach their children about sex, so it is good to collaborate with them (if possible) to share what you will and will not be covering. Also, we cannot neglect the fact that the members of our youth groups spend countless more hours per week with their parents than they do with us. So we are unlikely to see changes in them if their parents aren't on-board with (or at least aware of) the subject at-hand.

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Little girls don't know how to be sweet girls:

"Mama didn't teach me."

Little boys don't know how to treat little girls:

"Daddy didn't show me."

The above are lyrics from Erin McCarley's song "Love, Save the Empty." As the tune tumbles on, we learn that a sexual encounter has taken place. The singer bemoans "giving it up" too soon to a guy who showed her "false affection," causing her to "break down inside" upon realizing his ruse. She croons on about wanting true, genuine love to come and "save" her from her resulting emptiness.

Heavy.

I first heard this song when it debuted in 2008, and even though it's cut-to-the-heart words were cleverly set to a whimsical beat, the true sorrow contained was not lost on me. The words hit me like a gut punch - not because I've had similar experiences, but because I haven't. And because I desperately long for young people to skirt this kind of devastation as well - by living pure and holy lives before the Lord.

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Yesterday was Easter Sunday: the day when Christians everywhere celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I greatly prefer it to the Christmas holiday, as Christmas only points to the beginning of the wonderful gift God gave us. Easter, on the other hand, commemorates the completion of that gift. Having fulfilled the Law by living a perfect, sinless life, Christ died in our place and took upon Himself the full cup of God's wrath. On the third day, He rose again to prove He'd defeated sin and death and thus made a way to reconcile us to God. So I enjoy the focus that Easter brings to the "it is finished"-ness of the Gospel of grace. Praise Him, for He is risen!

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Anybody remember the ole' tried-n-true power band? You know, that bracelet made with six colors that represent the Gospel story? Well I recall making those way back in the '90s...and apparently, they haven't fallen out of style with the younger set. But we're talking really young - like lower elementary grades - and I work with middle/high schoolers. So what's a girl to do?

Lest a good way to "wear our witness" lose steam, I googled more teen-friendly ways to use the colors and landed on the idea of Gospel Nails. All you need are the correct six colors of nail polish: black, red, white, blue, green, yellow. This is where order comes into play. These colors must be painted on the nails in exactly that order. Why? Think back to the Power Band:

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