Youth lessons

S and I were "chaperones" for our church's youth group's trip to SpiritSong this past weekend.

There was a moment when we were on our way to breakfast at the hotel this weekend when S and I looked at each other in disbelief. S said, "You know, we send our boys on these trips trusting the adults to take care of them, keep them safe and out of trouble, and to bring them home again. Do you realize that we are now the people that other parents are trusting?" It was a pretty freaky and scary moment.

If you pay attention, you can learn a lot from a youth group:

• Youth are fearless. Whatever the ride, whatever the challenge, they went for it.
• Youth must have a hidden supply of energy. They would come to breakfast looking like they had had only a few hours of sleep -- hair in disarray, a glazed look in their eyes. Half an hour later, they were back to a "full tank" of energy -- ready to go. It wasn't that they never ran out of energy -- their batteries were just so quick to recharge.
• This particular group of youth were unique in that they demonstrated no evidence of the normal (and sometimes hurtful) "cliquish" behavior sometimes evident in group dynamics. As I watched them, I would see one group of kids go off in one direction, and an hour later, the group would be different. They mixed with each other like a kaleidoscope -- the pattern always changing. That's a lesson that we adults could learn.
• Having only been with them for a couple of days, I'm sure that this is not always the case, but they never seemed to be hurtful with each other. They teased and kidded, but they didn't argue or hurt each other. Another lesson.
• Paper towels. If I ever have this opportunity again, I'm bringing a roll of paper towels. And plastic bags.
• Never underestimate them. They have a wealth of knowledge (some of it a little esoteric), and who knows what they might pull out of their bags. One even had a gallon of water. Who would have thought it?
• When I paid really close attention, and listened, I came to the conclusion that God is working in this group. He's building something here; this is a group in preparation for something. He is transforming them into something bigger than any of them. I hope our church can keep up with them, and not be a stumbling block for them (or for God). The fun and fellowship, the music and worship, are all tools being used by God to build His power into this Body.

I can't wait to see what they might do next.

Images: First one is the sky on the way home Saturday evening. The second one is Michael W. Smith in concert. Can't you tell? I thought the sky was cool.

Movie review: We went this afternoon to see Pirates: Dead Man's Chest. It was good -- I liked it. I'm sure that there is some kind of theological theme in the movie with all its talk of sacrifice and salvation, but I just can't get a handle on it.