Still trying to figure out how/what to blog. I think all I’ve figured out is the “when”. The answer is, “right after I hit the ‘post’ button.” (lame, I know. That’s why I’m in student min).
Supposedly blogging is about writing whatever you feel like talking about today. But with such great blogs out there, it’s hard to enter the conversation. Still, the interent can afford one more lame blog and so feel free to start one. No, no, I mean, happy reading.
Today, I’m airing out some of my thoughts on tonight’s lesson on unity, why I am teaching it, what I hope to avoid and what I hope to land on.
Given my context, my interests, our recent history, and present circumstances, here’s some of the why.
1. We had a number of influential seniors graduate this past May. This year’s class is less than half their number, their personalities are more introverted, and my impression is that they “don’t feel like seniors” (whatever that means).
2. On the flip side, we have a good amount of new 9th graders. Almost enough that I feel we have a “young youth group” in relation to high school age. Also factor in the beginning of the school year (which in some ways is the toughest time in the inner dynamics), their insecurities, and the potential snobbery of the upperclassmen.
3. Like most youth groups, we are susceptible too clichés. Not like “Mean Girls or “Gossip Girl” (not even like “Golden Girls”) but we talk about community and many times we have a culture in our student ministry that not only impairs community but does the opposite and encourages clichés. That’s a longer story.
As it worked out, the first seminary class this fall is about relational community. Reading Organic Community by Joe Myers has been a great blessing to me. I wished I had listened to Charles Zimmerman and Todd Hiestand before.
Tonight we’ll be covering the second part of “Our Unity. What It Is and Why We Need You”. Among communicating the Scriptures, keeping their attention, setting up small groups (which will happen in tandem with the lesson. Which every time I see this at a conference, I love it. Every time I try it, I regret it.), etc. I also want to avoid overboarding on our unity that we make ourselves even more inward focused. Judging from our few visitors (although last week we had quite a few), we seem to have the inward thing already focused. Nor do I want to go on the other side of being so outward focused that we lose our identity and our bonds. Truthfully, I don’t see a risk of that actually happening anytime soon but I think that message but be a turn-off, reject the message, abandon their faith, become drug addicts and fundamentalists and thus be, counter-productive.
I joked on my twitter that I don’t want to use “missional unity” because I was fasting from using that adjective. I am tired of it but it is a great adjective.
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