Sometimes youth ministers can be predators. It's an ugly fact of ministry. I know of a priest (no need to drag his name through the mud any further) who started a youth program several years ago, and he is now accused of having mixed motives. Many of the young men who participated in his program claim that he used his ministry position to manipulate them into inappropriate sexual encounters. The priest is no longer officially connected to the program, but many churches around the country still offer it. In my opinion, the most glaring sign that this particular program was headed for trouble was the fact that parents were discouraged from participating as volunteers. The design was to invite young adults to be the main volunteers while keeping parents and other older adults at arms length. This model is an open door for abuse. Children and teens thrive when they are surrounded by and nurtured by the entire adult community. We need to move beyond the belief that parents and older adults can't minister effectively to teens. Build bridges, not barricades!

I was speaking to a group of folks in a parish RCIA process about baptism and confirmation last night. We were exploring the meaning of the symbols in the sacraments of initiation. When we were discussing the symbol of fire, one man said that he was regularly amazed at how bonfires in the backyard on a cool summer evening can be so inviting for family and friends. Fire naturally pulls people together and is a powerful symbol of Christ because of its unifying properties. We also talked about how fire is transforming. It changes everything it touches. It's amazing to watch a fire consume a pile of logs. The logs, when the fire is spent, are nothing like what they were before being touched by the fire. They look, weigh, smell, feel and taste different. How different are we when we are touched by the fire of the Holy Spirit? How wonderful life could be if we could abandon ourselves freely to that fire! Logs can't jump out of the fire; we can jump away from the Holy Spirit.

 

I also wondered about where the fire comes from. The source of the bonfire is the energy from the sun that is trapped in the tree. The fire that burns is a combination of gasses trapped inside of the log mixing with the air around the fire, all of which is ignited by some dramatic spark. The Holy Spirit is far away like the sun, but the Holy Spirit is also inside of me and all around me. The fire will burn; I will be consumed. I'll need the help of smaller logs to start the fire and larger logs to sustain the fire. From where will my ignition spark come?

 

As I observe fire, I pray that I will be a log consumed by the burning love of God. May my ashes spread that love by the breath of God.

Do you know what makes teens happy? MTV and The Associated Press recently polled 1,280 people ages 13-24. They asked the open-ended question: What makes you happy? The answer was a real surprise to most people. Spending time with family was the top answer.

 

If you're a teacher, parent, or youthworker; I strongly suggest that you pay attention to that piece of information. First of all, it gels with a lot of other research that indicates how important parents are for the healthy development of teenagers.

 

All of us who have teens in our scope of influence are guilty of robbing them of family time. As parents, we often push them into too many peer-oriented activities at the expense of family time. We give into their whining when they have a conflict between a family event and a friend event. The funny thing about that is, deep down, they really want the family time, even if they aren't willing to admit it.

 

Teachers, coaches, and other youth workers often fail to design their programs with a family perspective. Let's be a little more aware of what the kids really want and need. Keep them connected to their families, and our work will be much more effective in the long run.

I've been working with John Roberto and six of his associates on a project called Households of Faith. We're getting close to finishing a book that we've not yet titled. Once the title is finalized, we'll probably rename the project after the book.

 

Anyway, the book is about sixteen Christian practices. Each chapter is devoted to a different Christian practice. The simplest way I can describe a Christian practice is that it is something we do in our daily lives that can become a gateway to deeper faith if we take some time to focus on it and try to connect it to the gospels. We've identified sixteen practices, but there are certainly many more. Craig Dykstra and Dorothy Bass identified twelve. Many of our sixteen overlap their twelve.

 

Our sixteen Christian practices are:

 

• Caring for the Body
• Eating Well
• Celebrating Life
• Doing Justice
• Forgiving
• Managing Household Life
• Making Decisions
• Dying Well
• Serving Others
• Interpreting God's Word
• Participating in Community
• Praying
• Relating and Conversing
• Welcoming
• Keeping Sabbath
• Savoring Art and Music

All of us do these things in one way or another. We often do them unconsciously. If we pay attention to them more, and connect them with the gospels, they can become practices that lead us to deeper Christian faith.

Greetings again!

I think I blew it on my first blog. I tried to preview it, and then I couldn't figure out how to get back to this page without losing it. Who knows... maybe the original blog is out there. Anyway, feel free to join me to discuss any faith formation issues. My ministry is called Lifelong Faith Formation Ministries. Visit my website at www.jimmerhaut.com to learn more about what I do. I hope to hear from you soon.

Jim