A new really cool thing.....

Well, I just have to say that one of the coolest things in my life right now is hanging out with high schoolers. Marc and I have started hanging out with them every Wednesday night at church (there are usually over 150 of them there) and then on Thursday nights when about 15 of them gather at our house with their two great leaders (we don't lead it, we just basically open our home and fix them food) to talk about how God wants us to apply His word to our lives.

At first they were a little annoying to us. Then we started listening to them, listening to their hearts. Have you been around high schoolers lately? They are extremely open and real and passionate; three of my most favorite characteristics about people. After we started listening to them we fell in love with them.

They are real people who have real hurts. Some know Jesus and some do not. The far majority of all of them struggle with their relationships with their parents, with the opposite sex, with intense peer pressure, self-esteem....I know I don't need to go on. It sounds familiar, doesn't it? We've all been there. It's just the same issues except cranked up a few notches.

Actually, it seems to not only be cranked up a few notches but they have some added issues thrown in. Marc and I cannot get over how many hurts/pains/struggles they have to live with daily. Here are a few things that my mind is trying to wrap itself around: Biological dads seem to be missing from many of their lives. Not only missing but many of them have vivid horrific memories of him leaving their families. These teens are deeply hurting over this. I mean deeply. One gal said tonight, "Most nights I lay awake thinking of what life would be like with a dad." The teenage boys seem really hurt and confused. Most of the girls are trying to fill the void with boys/boyfriends. It's not good. The cutting issue is intense. I don't get it. I just don't get that one. A girl came up to me last night and said, "My best friend is pregnant and wants an abortion. What should I do?" These kids bounce from house to house. The idea of a "stable home" is not even a concept to them.

I don't know about you, but I didn't deal with any of this when I was in high school. I had a lot of friends and I can't think of one that didn't have dad at home. I didn't even know that cutting existed. There were a small handful of teen pregnancies but not that many. My friends all lived in the same place for the entire time I knew them. So, you put all of the challenges that we all dealt with and add to it these intense issues that are EVERYWHERE and that adds up to some deeply hurting, struggling, and confused kids.

Oh, how it breaks our hearts.

There is not much that I'd rather do (second to being with my own three rascals of course) then to pour out God's love to these guys and girls. Oh, how they need to experience that deep real unconditional love of Jesus. They are beautiful beautiful beautiful children of God. I see so much potential in them......and I won't quit telling them that....ever.

Hanging out with high school kids is a really cool thing. I LOVE it!