Questions, questions, questions

I didn't post about this past Sunday's class because I've been dealing with lots of questions.  We had four students.  Wow, do I appreciate these four coming out!  When we got home Phil said, "We've got to come up with a better plan for our class.  What we're doing is not going to keep them interested for long." (or something to that affect).  So all week I've been thinking about that very thing.  How do we do a better job engaging these young people at such an important time in their life and really challenge them to think about what they believe and what their faith is supposed to look like in their everyday life?

We have to start with some different materials.  We've decided to try some of Rob Bell's Nooma films.  They are so well done and have discussion guides to go with them.  So maybe by the time October rolls around we'll be ready with that.  I am excited to give it a try.

See a sample by going to youtube and looking at the Nooma trailers.  We are beginning with the one called Name.  For some reason I could not get it to post here or on Facebook.

Last week our lesson was about difficulties we may face in following Christ.  One of these is rejection.  I know this is something that is always in my mind when I am talking to people.  Phil told about his experience.  As a teenager he spent some summers in Canada working at Camp of the Woods.  Once he and others went into town to witness to locals.  He met an indian coming out of a bar.  When Phil tried to talk to him, the man took the Bible out of Phil's hands, tore out some of the pages and threw it on the ground.  Now that's rejection!  Most of us never face anything like that, but God certainly doesn't want us to be quiet because we fear rejection.

Today I went to see an acquaintance who is very ill.  I don't know this family very well, so I didn't know what I should or shouldn't say.  That fear of rejection was very much on my mind. My fear was that if I brought up Jesus, the reaction might be anger that He had allowed this to happen.  I could totally understand those feelings.  So I was praying that the Spirit would lead me to say what was right...  Mostly I just listened. And I did tell them I was praying for them.  But was it enough?  I don't know.  I am planning on staying in touch.  This is a very sweet family that is in a very difficult situation.

Rejection is a powerful force.  It caused people in Jesus' hometown to miss out on blessings from His healing and teaching.  I want to have more of what Peter and John had..."fearless confidence."  But I have a long way to go in this department.