February 13, 2009

Flashback with Facebook

The Facebook phenomenon continues to draw in younger people these days. But at the same time, older and older people are increasingly finding their way to this online social network. As a result, I'm suddenly more connected with people who I went to high school and college with over 15-20+ years ago.

And "flashing back" to our own high school and college years can be a real advantage for those of us in youth ministry. I like to have our volunteer youth workers think back to when they were in middle and high school, "What were you like when you were a teenager?" "Which of the students in your small group were you most like when you were in middle or high school?"

  • Were you the shy & quiet kid, not making eye contact with anyone?

  • Were you the frenzied tornado kid, ricocheting back and forth across the room?

  • Were you the kid with way more on your mind than your facial expression revealed?
A little blast from the past can go a long way toward helping you to consider what your ministry feels like to every type of kid. But the "flashback" serves me best when I think about my own journey through middle/high school. How I was trying to figure myself out... and I could have used some adults to help guide me.

How I wanted so much to be "cool"... and yet how tricky that was. And how I had no idea how much Jesus loved me... and what that meant for me. I'm thankful as a youth 18 year old lost college freshmen I had a godly man, John Ramirez, BSU Director, who came into my life and reached out to me with the love of Christ.

When students in our ministries are adults one day, will they "flash back" and think about how much God became real to them through our efforts? May it be so!

(part taken from scott rubin)

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