Building Bridges!

Was motivated to write this because of a comment I got on our youth group page. It never ceases to amaze me how the Spirit works! Last night we had an amazing class time. There was 7 of us in my class and we started out talking about the bridges we build in our lives and the importance of making sure the bridges are getting us to the right places. You are never sure how a class will turn out. It was not long into the session that I realised we were being led on a path that took our connection with each other and toward God much deeper that normal. We talked about our relationships being bridges between each other and the importance of being connected to the right people. We talked about how we bring the best out of each other and looked back at the time we started building the bridges into each others lives. Stuart kicked things of talking about the most important bridge being the one that leads to God and Shaun followed up talking about how in the church you find the best bridges. We talked about the youth classes and their purpose being to build bridges into the community. Lewis talked about the bridge I made into Central School many years ago being the one that started his journey with us over 8 years ago! Ryan talked about how important the relationships with the group had helped him through this past few months of having to deal with the loss of his Granada. Thomas talked about our faith being an important bridge and reminded us about the path being one way that leads to Heaven. We talked about the bridges people build that lead to the wrong destination and the bridges we need to break down in our own lives. The time was gone before we knew it and there was a very telling end to our class that showed just how deep we had gone. Shaun suggested that we all take part in the prayer to end our time. Not all were confident enough to take part, but Shaun, Thomas, Stuart and Ryan all opened their hearts to God. There is no more powerful example of the work of the Holy Spirit than seeing a group of young men, who have had to find their own faith, desire to draw close to God. I am humbled and joyful that He is doing marvelous things!


I want to share what went on last Sunday night at our 3rd Sunday! We decided to centre the time around the songs that make us sing! I asked a bunch to tell me their favorite song and to explain why it was important to them. It was not long before they started pouring in! Shaun and Thomas were very keen to get involved, when challenged, to get up and share their favorites at the meeting. Thomas was first up and talked about "Anywhere with Jesus," being one of his. He talked about our faith being an "all times faith" and not simply a Sunday thing. He did great and was followed by Shaun who talked about "Make me a Servant." Shaun shared of his new found desire to serve in the classes and influence the younger children with the good news of God. Thomas shared a second in "Walking on Heavens Road" and talked about the importance of baptism in making sure you are on the right road and warned of the danger in thinking you can have a foot in both camps! Shaun came up and shared his love for "Listen to our Hearts." Shaun focused on the importance of thanking God for the "Way, the Truth and the Life!" It is never easy to follow after them. I am proud with a Godly pride at how they are allowing God to use them. I shared one of my favorites, "I am a sheep" and mentioned Psalm 100. I talked about having the blessing of singing "praise" to God. My dad talked about the time he was standing on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and as he was looking at the stones, said, "What if these stones could speak!" His song was, "There is beyond the azure Blue - Our God He is Alive!" We had a time for favorites and enjoying singing. Amy sang, "Amazing Grace!" It was tough to follow Shaun and Thomas, but that was nothing compared to having to get up and talk after Amy sang! She was beautiful! All I could muster to say was, "That's what your voice was made to do!" The night came to a close and I have no doubt, going by the comments afterward, that everyone received a blessing and God was glorified!


A couple of other little "tasty morsels" in finishing up this entry. I had the joy of sharing some good times in school assemblies this last week. I shared a lesson on the importance of keeping each other clean and not being the cause of someone to be dirty. I used an object lesson with two white shirts, one that I had covered in dirt and ripped and another perfectly white and clean. I asked what their reaction would have been if I had came to assembly wearing the dirty ripped shirt. The response was great! In essence they told me they would have expected better! I was then able to ask them, "In light of your behaviour and attitude toward others how clean are you?" Toward the end of the lesson I made a charge to the P7's to be sure that they are the "cleanest" in the school and setting the standard for the younger ones coming up behind them. Of course, at the core of the lesson was God's desire that we look to Him as the source of all things clean and good. I love having this opportunity to help the young ones catch a glimpse of God's goodness and love. Talking about assemblies, I got our schedule for our campaign in June filled up yesterday! The exciting news is we will be visiting 8 schools (possibly 9 waiting for reply).


On Monday night we had a blast! The younger kids had a treat waiting for them. I managed to arrange with the St Combs Ice Cream man to meet up with a bunch of ice cream. I got various sauces and toppings to make it a bit special. They were delighted and there is a strong possibility we will have to make this a monthly deal. All 27 kids, 5 teens and 2 adults had plenty and there was still a little left over for seconds! Monday nights are fun with the right balance of focus.

Well, there you have it - in a nutshell: God is good!