So heres a quick update on my life, nothing has changed since my last post, im still here @ BBC and still makin new friends and aquaintences. Heres a breakdown of my classes...
Pauline Epistles: This class is a study of the life of Paul and how all 13 of his books in the bible came to be. We are currently studying what order the books were written in and where they were written from (ie. On the road, in prison or to the pastors he mentored) We are reading the book "Apostle" the life of Paul, and it is written biblically, but in the form of a story, as if it were a novel and it is rather intreaging* The proffessor has taught there for years and even taught one of my (young @ heart fogie) proffs that i had teach @ Kaleo! He is incredibly knowledgable and makes everything booring into something funny or intense.
Literaure and Composition: Oh wow. Well this is a course that I must take in order to be eligable to recicve my Bachoulor of Arts degree. The proffessor is your typical University Proffessor you see in the movies. Really foramal in his appearal and really into books and strict. We are currently going through the short stories of a famous american female author Flanneray O'Conner. All her stories are about 30 pages each and have some minor christian theme tied into it. We have to also read some CS Lewis, which should be interesting, and also learn the EXACT way to write a properly formatted essay (which btw is not one bit like high school) And next semester I have to take a poetry class, but I LOVE that!
History of Christianity: wow, history never seemed so interesting. Learning how the church came to be and the certian individuals responsible. This course is incredibly tough with ridiculas amounts of reading and taking notes, but so interesting.
Foundations of Children's Ministry: some of you read the story I sent you of the boy and his peanuts, thats what our (female*) teacher is like, always relating children like Jesus did, how its not about us more so teaching them, but learning to become more like them. This course does NOT focus on sunday school or kids camp ministry, but rather the calling to love one another deeply and using that in our ministy to everyone, by way of the example of how we love our generations young ones. Very easy course load work wise, but mind blowing info and lectures that can make you laugh or even cry.
Foundations of Youth Ministry: Last for the best. My absolute favorite course this semester! Marv Penner is the most amazing speaker I have ever sat down and listened to. His testimony of how he came to be here is phenominal and he literally shouts his lectures with the passion that is burning in his heart for training us. Today we were warned about stats with youth of today, and even scarier, the stats of youth leader,'s struggles. The signs we have to watch out for when on the frontlines in youth ministyr, especailly in this generation of postmodern youth who are open to a God out of box that they cannot understand. This generaion has a spiritual hunger like never before, take a look at the secular music and movies, their is such a spiritual (God or not) hunger and longing for something greater than this earth, and its beggining to leak out in our generation. We as future youth leaders have to prepare for a generation that is more open to relationship and family, despite the situation of familes today. Youth are getting married @ younger and younger ages now a days because they are full of hope for that kind of relationship. Youth 11-13 are disengaging from thier familes, we see it all the time..they no longer wanna sit with thier parents in church, they wanna find out who they are in Christ, not who the world says they are (becuase of thier GPA's and athletic abilities). My chruch has been incredibly blessed becasue of its size. The biggest peril in youth ministry is churches who separate the youth form the church. Generationally, churches are splitting in spiritual unity. The youth NEED the senior generation to see how wise they actaully are, and to see what the spiritual walk is like later on in life. But the seniors NEED the youth's enthusiasm for life, the 'whatever' attitude toward spiritual things. We cannot be a body of Christ with a division of the generations. we just cant. We'll just have to put up with the odd hyme and they'll just have to put up with a drum set. But we cannot just draw straws here and start up youth services @ 11 and have the older mature ones @ 10 to solve the problem. And that my friends is whats spilling the body of Christ in todays world. Small churches are a blessing becaaue with only 60 ppl, you cannot have 4 services and you are forced to deal with eachother. There are even youth services in large churches splitting today because they want just a hip/hop or metal service??????
Youth leaders of today are facing the sowers problem in Matt 13. Some the seeds planted fell on the stone grond with shallow soil, and therefore the seeds (youth) "sprang up quickly..but when the sun came up the plants were scorched and withered , BEACUSE they had no ROOTS" (Matt 13:5) Pretty scary how accuratly represents the leaders today! We get so excited to save the youth of today, we dont bother taking the time and doin the work of planting the seeds where they should be! Statistics have proven that over 70% of youth that come to Christ through the youth group, leave it all behind after they graduate from High school! What are we doing wrong???
*So yeh, thats basically a run down of not only WHY im here @ Briercrest, but also WHERE my heart lies in my future ministry. But I do actaully have lots of homework and its actaully quiet for once in the Loo (Our Dorms) so i better get to doing some more reading and reflections.
Love you guys tonnes and hope and pray and encourage that you will (like Pastor Bill always says) really consider @ LEAST one year @ a bible institute somewhere, you would be surprised how many ppl think they "know enough" to go striaght for University and fall in the perils of satans grasp in thier walk with God. And then theres those who only go for a year to get rooted in faith and end up scrapping the plans they've had throughout highshcool.
Just seriosuly consider it guys,
Love your Bro in Christ,
Jason D:)
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