Youth Ministry Round Up #240

Greetings Awesome Person,

I started watching the new science fiction show Alien Earth because I’ve been a fan of the franchise ever since the first Alien movie in 1979.

No spoilers, but here’s the setup: a boy genius, tech-bro billionaire, Boy Kavalier, is transferring the minds of sick kids into synthetic bodies so he can stop death. Nothing like small goals.

Here’s what throws me off, watching adult-looking bodies with kid minds trying to navigate dangerous situations. These “adults” talk and act like children when I expect them to be alien slayers.

Sound familiar? It should—because youth ministry often feels the same way. We have students in grown-up-looking bodies with childlike minds, and we want them to act like adults—and not just adults, but mature followers of Jesus.

One student recently shared with me about a traumatic incident. They admitted to drinking, and now the courts are involved. I felt powerless watching a child try to navigate a very adult situation. It broke my heart.

The truth is, adolescence is a journey. We all want our students to run before they can walk, but just like others once patiently walked with us, we must do the same for them. Boy Kavalier treats his “kids” like projects—another shiny toy. But our students aren’t projects. They’re precious souls we’re called to walk beside until they can run with Jesus.

Paul reminded the early church in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 that, “We were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”

That’s our calling too—not to rush kids into instant maturity, but to patiently walk with them, love them deeply, and trust God to grow them in His time.

I can only hope that one day, they’ll be fighting these “alien” situations and winning—not in synthetic bodies, but in the strength of Christ.

Have a great week,

Paul

P.S. If you're watching the series, let me know what you think of it.

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