Disconnection

James 3:17 says “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” This has been heavy on my heart that there is a disconnection between the youth and us as “adults”. This is an effort to make a sincere, peaceful and considerate understanding between us. I want to explain why we are here, what we do, what our motive is behind what we do. Now I know that our motives are not always clear to you. You can not always see or understand where we are coming from or why we make the decisions we do. I know that there are a lot of adults in your life that have set poor examples and that the things that you have been through and seen have built walls between you and adults around you. It is one of the reasons Hopper is always saying that the best people to reach the youth is YOUTH, which is YOU. The choices we make here are out of love for you, even if we fall short of making that point. Even when you don’t understand…it’s still out of love for you! Hopper spends a great amount of time, prayer and thought about the direction he follows and the choices he makes because we love you!

Why are we here?
1. To love you. I choose to be up here because I love you. I believe that you guys have the power to change the world. I want to help, teach and encourage you in anyway I can. God has something to say to each one of you, He has a plan for you that is specific…it is just for you…only you were created to do it. I want to help you figure out how to listen to what God wants for your life. I want you to find Him now.

2. To be used. Romans 8:28; “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I have made some really stupid choices in life so far. I’m sure I will make many more. But part of the reason I am here is because I believe that helping you guys is how God is working to use me…for good… stupid choices and all.

3. To help you focus. I know that in my life I have gotten in my own way a lot. I have been very foolish, thinking I knew everything and if I didn’t understand something, then in someway it was not truth. I had people who helped me get out of my own way. They helped clear both the physical and mental things that were distracting me from HEARING God. They taught me how to listen and see God when I was focused on other things…my friends…basically my life and the life I wanted to live. They showed me versus like:
Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 18:2 “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions.”
Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 12:16 “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man over looks and insult.”
I want you to think about what happen on a weekly basis. What kind of things are getting in your way of hearing God? I think that some of you are getting in your own way as well as other people’s way. Part of what I am here for is to help you get out of your own way, to cut down on the foolishness for a few minutes so you can HEAR and SEE.

What are we as youth coaches supposed to be doing?
1. Loving: John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” I just want to show you love. Sometimes that is shown in discipline, encouragement, time, thought, actions, etc. There are a lot of ways that we do and want to show you that we love you.

2. Listening: Jeremiah 7:24 “But they did not listen or pay attention; instead they followed the stubborn inclination of their evil hearts. They went backward, not forward.” I don’t want this to be us. I want us to listen and hear each other, and then we as adults should be able to respond to your needs and move forward.

3. Teaching: Proverbs 4:1 “Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction, pay attention and gain understanding.” Psalms 119:66 “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands.” He wants us all to learn…to continue to learn all our lives. From the older generation…from Him and from each other.

4. Encouraging/ Helping / Guiding: Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” Ephesians 5:16 “Make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good.” Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We all need help sometimes. Help can be found in us as adults and in each other. I love seeing someone’s face when they get something new or when they pick themselves up from a poor choice or choices and move on. It is so inspiring! We want to encourage you and sometimes push you to be and see what God has for you.

You are each so special and unique. You each bring a unique perspective to the group and to each others lives, but you are not really all that different from the person next to you…no matter how you see the person sitting next to you. A few weeks ago I had someone say to me that they thought they were different from most of the people in the group. Everyone else “had it together” and they felt like they didn’t. So at girl’s bible study we did an exercise that showed us that we are not that different. We all (including "adults") struggled with the same things!

No matter what you think is going on with the person next to you, you really never know unless you get to know that person. We all need to work on understanding where each other is coming from. And if you have to assume someone’s motives…assume that they are doing what they are doing for good, even when we don’t understand.