I am a pastor primarily to young people, a.k.a teenagers. Over the years I've realized that my goal in ministry isn't to make teens into godly teens. My goal and purpose is to train and prepare them to be godly adults, into people who are assets to the kingdom of God and to whatever church they belong to when they "grow up." But it's really, really hard.
And this is not a slam on the young people I work with and love. The simple fact is that there exist some very energetic cultural tides that want to sweep young people out into the sea of stupidity. Seriously. "Youth" has its advantages, but I know that, given the choice, I would NOT want to return to "teenagedom". Especially not 19 - that was perhaps the apex of my stupidity.
At any rate, I offer the video below in which Craig Ferguson (actor, comedian, host of the Late Late Show) offers some amazingly insightful thoughts about youth vs. experience. Please watch but be warned that you'll hear a bit of rough language and the worst bit (right at the end) is dubbed out. What Mr. Ferguson has to say is not meant to edify you, but merely to bring to light some very real facts about the world we live in, and to reveal the challenges we face in ministry and the priority of Gospel-centered teaching.
If you care to, you can watch another Craig Ferguson monologue here that I found intriguing, heartfelt and honest. A few believers I know (self included) could stand to be this transparent. Caveats: Craig Ferguson is not a preacher - don't expect it - he will cuss - he might offend - his perspective is from an (as yet) unredeemed heart. But there is wisdom to be had here.
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