The Beginning- Day one

This week the church that I call home is hosting Youth Bible-school, and with due regard to that and what will be happening in my week because of it, I am planning to try to post something every day!

All good things must have a beginning, and for our Bible-school, it was 1998, when I was 14 and permitted to attend because it was my family's home church, even though the "official" age for coming was 15 (it has since been moved up to 16.)

You may do the math if you wish to see what that makes me today, but either way, now I am on the other side of things: figuring out how many enchiladas one needs to feed a crowd, preparing to get a family of five to church for Friday and Saturday evening services, and looking forward to hearing the chorus instead of singing in it.

How times do change.

The first year I attended Bible-school, I was not a Christian and while this has a way of making one realize that you are on the outside looking in at events like this, the year was still a very good one for me. By the following year, I had made a Christian commitment and had been baptized, which definitely added a dimension to the experience that had been missing before.

I am enough of an introvert to dread large events, especially ones that require (or may require) public speaking and a lot of interaction with strangers, but in hindsight I can say that Bible school was formative in helping me to form some very good relationships and for peeling back that comfortable little shell I like hiding in!

There's nothing like being forced out of your comfort zone to expand to your horizons.

I am praying that Bible-school can help expand comfort zones for the youth that attend this week, but really, there's much more...

Last week we had three young men at our church receive Christ (one of them being a nephew!) and while our right hand is rejoicing, our left hand remembers those who still need this "revival."

Youth are one of the greatest commodities of the Kingdom of God, and my personal vision for this week is that the people of God could reclaim some of the ground that the devil has stolen.

Will you join me in interceding on behalf of our youth and Bible-school?

After all, our future depends on it.