daily life as life goes on . . .

Springtide research group (2020) indicates that Young People in America indicate trust based on five dimensions of relational authority.

Listening, Transparency, Integrity, Care and Expertise.  While 13-17 year olds are more inclined towards these five categories, 18-25 year olds are only slightly behind them.  Both are very, very high in their trust needs based on these categories.

I feel like I am back in the 1970’s being a “youth” and “college & career” pastor (that’s what we were called back then).

We talked about not wearing masks, not lying, not having an agenda . . . characteristics that are all about being a person that youth could trust.

I’m not so sure the “church problem” is about whether “youth workers” desire to create that trust.  They do.

Perhaps the question is more about whether we are creating groups that exude relational authority. 

Not religious authority.  Or scientific authority.  Or even familial authority.

Rather, an “institution” that loves each other.

Still sounding 1970’s-ish!

We all have our lists – internal or plainly spelled out on the fridge.  The question is how we use those lists.

Last week I started two lists, one for time management and one for weight management. 

The lists just listed what I did each day.  The lists monitored my moves and recorded them well.  The lists also slipped into becoming my magistrate.

When we are young we are trained to follow the tracks of our mentors and teachers.  The lists are the school teachers’ means of helping us to be free in our environment.  They monitor our progress.

Too often the list ends up being the magistrate.  If all we see is failure, we are of all people the most miserable.  All we need is someone or some touch point to be provided that will erase the failure.  Then we continue in learning the list, but with freedom.

As we grow up in life, the lists become our monitors and not our magistrates.  Having experienced the constant and consistent forgiveness from our loving parents or from those in authority over us, we now move ahead looking to find the best way to experience an abundant life.

OK, I’m trying to understand more thoroughly a book I’m reading called “Romans”.  This is a classic read and always seems to bring up new thoughts.

Let’s see where our thoughts go from here.

I was listening to Karl Vaters talk about Hebrews 11:6.  We get the part about having faith and being rewarded by God.  It’s the in between part that should stick out.

“What is God to you? That’s at best, a secondary question. If we ever get to it at all.  The most important question is who does the God who say he is?”

Kindersley has something new!!

As I understand the title of the vehicle, it is a “Urban Interface Fire Apparatus”.

To think that we just used to call them fire trucks!!