hopefully this hurts you more than it hurts me...

So, I love my job. I mean I get to spend time with some awesome students, play video games, go on trips and act like a 15 year old some times. But, something really has gotten my attention. This post may not be one that you want to read but it needs to be read. So, please keep your daggers and swords at ease for now.

My heart is troubled. Why? I think we expect to much from our students. We think that we truly understand what is happening in their lives. We think that giving them their space will make the relationship better. Saying all of this, I think that parents of students, and I say this with much love because I have none of my own, are deceived. What are you talking about Aaron? Well, yesterday during our second service, I heard that over 65% of Christians who have a Bible don't read it. Wow. Really? So, my mind automatically raced towards my area of ministry and I wonder how many students read the Bible? The numbers can't be good. Can they be better than 65% of adults?

So here is my dilemma. How do we fix this? How do we get our students interested in reading God's Word? My thoughts are, it starts at home but then I sound naive and judgmental. I know that the environments where students are at today are not healthy, but that is all the more reason to have them study God's Word right? I think that it starts with adults, not knowing how to read the Bible and then teaching their children. I think that we rely too much on the church to fix our children. Can it become more of a pit stop in the every day journey of our lives, instead of a day care? Last time I checked the home is the spiritual place of growth.

If you know me, please hear me when I say all of this, I am not calling out any of your children. But, maybe this is the moment where you can sit down with your children and truly ask them when the last time they read the Bible was? Stop reading my blog and go grab your students!!  All I know is that it is harder for me, as a pastor to teach students the Bible when they have no idea what it is and how to open it and these are students who have professed Christ! Well, Aaron that is your job. Uhm, no. I am just a small piece in the bigger picture of your students lives. I love being that small piece but if you are just counting on me to magically transform the lives of students, then we are all in trouble. That may hurt. I say it with love.

I take full responsibility of guiding them on how to get plugged-in to a small group and make sure that we give them the best opportunities to expand their walk with Christ, but this is not an everyday deal. I only have them twice a week. How many times do you have them?? There has to be help from the other side. Do we really want our students to know God? Then, let's push them to want to know Him. Don't just say you need to read the Bible, read it with them, Discuss, dialogue and for goodness sake pray for your students!!

My passion is to see students grow closer to God through the Word and living out their faith in Christ. I know that parents want the same thing too. Can we put down the remote, open the Bible, put our foot down, show them who Jesus is, pray for each other, view church as a refueling station in the long journey with Christ and then do it all over again?? I think that we can! I know we can! It will take some sacrifice but it should be a sacrifice that is worth taking! Here again, no name calling, just a piece of reality that breaks my heart....I hope that one day we can turn this ship around because right now as a universal church body, we have hit an iceberg people and students are drowning. Can that be today? I am praying for all parents and students of our church and churches in this nation. This is a critical issue and WE can do something about it!

Aaron