Something is broken in our churches

       Over the summer I have spent a significant amount of time reading about statistical findings on youth and religion.  In addition to the books that were reporting these statistics, I spent time reading and interacting with books and articles that we attempting to interpret the statistics and offer possible solutions and remedies to the problem.  The "issues" that showed itself time and time again was the incredible rate by which young people leave the church just prior to, or just after high school graduation.  I knew the statistics were accurate as I recalled in my mind all the students that I have worked with over the years, and figuring out who was connected with a local church and who wasn't.  The statistics are depressing.
     One of the books that I read that was working on interpreting the findings suggested that one of the reasons young people are leaving the church as such alarming rates is because they do not feel that they are connected to the church body.  On Sunday morning at sunday school I was talking with a group of about 15 students.  We were talking about the body of Christ, and that we all have a role to play.  I asked the question, "Do you feel that you are a part of the body of Christ at NIBC (the church that I am currently at)?  After a lot of silence, one girl answered the question by saying, "No I don't feel like I am a part of the body of Christ here, because I feel that if I were I would be missed if I left, and I don't think any would miss me or care if I left."  As she answered the question I could see her answers resonating with everyone else in the room.  I asked who else felt the same.  Every single hand in the room went up.  It broke my heart, and opened my eyes wide to a massive problem that we have at NIBC and I would guess the vast majority of churches in America.
      THIS HAS TO CHANGE.

Fruit of the Spirit- FAIL

      It was a major FAIL.  It happened at the breakfast table as Anaya was eating breakfast.  My Bible was open to Galatians 5:22-26, and I was writing in my journal about how I was going to spend the upcoming weeks focusing on the fruits of the Spirit.  Spending a week focusing on each of the fruits of the Spirit, and I was kicking it off by beginning to focus on love.  As I was writing down the fruits of the Spirit in my journal Anaya, in typical two year old fashion, knocked her bowl of cereal off the table sending milk and Peanut Butter Crunch plummeting to the ground beneath.  In retrospect here was my first chance to respond in love.  To respond in a way that would be even remotely consistent to love and the fruits of the Spirit.  After all, I had just read, and was in the process of writing the verses down so it should have been easy to respond in love!  However, I FAILED.  I FAILED big time.  No I didn't scream and get really mad at Anaya, but love was absent from the way that I responded.  After I got the mess cleaned up (which consisted of getting our dog out of the bedroom) and got a new bowl of cereal poured, I sat back down before my Bible and journal and realized how badly I failed.
       My failure made me realize how desperately I need the Spirit of God to work in me and through me.  Galatians 5:17-18, "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature."  I desperately need the Holy Spirit if I am going to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit in my life.  I need to yield my life to the Holy Spirit, I need to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit, I need to spend more time in the Word, in prayer, in fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, in order that the desires of the Spirit would become stronger and stronger and the desires of the sinful nature would become weaker and weaker.