My friend Mark Arant had a post on his blog entitled “Life” (nice & specific). I would encourage you to check it out [http://www.metropuritan.blogspot.com/]
This statement has been rumbling around in my noggin:
People talk so much about how many teenagers walk away from their faith their freshman year of college (common estimates are around 80% who stop going to church after high school). But as a college pastor, the greater concern for me is college students who lose their faith after leaving college. Don’t get me wrong, they might still attend church and be nice people raising nice kids. But they have lost all risk to their faith. Their passion for Jesus is cold. The local church is not central to their affections. They don’t think about living strategically, giving sacrificially, and investing their talents wisely. They aren’t praying for revival in their neighborhoods, workplaces, families, churches… that was for a phase back in college. The dream of being a success quickly replaces the passion to be a blessing.
With that as a background, in my time with the Lord this morning. I wrote this in my journal from my daily reading which happened to be in 2 Kings today.
2 Kings 21:3 For he (Manasseh) rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed. How sad that one’s children could undo what you did for a life time. I pray, Lord for my kids. That they would serve You & be impact players involved in moving the Kingdom ball forward.
I pray that my offspring for hundreds of generations would “walk b/f You in truth w/ a whole heart” (2 Kings 20:3) I pray that they would be impact players in Your kingdom. I pray that each generation would be involved in reaching the lost, building up the body, caring for the poor, advocating justice. Deliver them from the malaise that I have seen come over those with a wonderful heritage. I echo Your prayer Jesus: I do not pray that You would take them out of the world but that You would deliver them from the evil one. All Glory to Him Who is Faithful! Amen.
I am a 1st generation Christ-follower. I didn’t grow up in church. It never occurred to me to go to church because that’s just what you do. Honestly, the hardest part of becoming a follower of Jesus was the idea that I knew I’d be going to church. Thankfully, I was mostly wrong. I found in every flawed church that I’ve been a part of, something like true community.
Additionally, I’ve spent 20 years as a pastor to students, a youth pastor or whatever you want to call it. This gave me a close up look at kids who “grow up in the church”. I often felt like an anthropologist learning another culture (or like Jane Goodall living among the apes). For the most part, I wasn’t terribly impressed. But I have seen some AWESOME (word used intentionally) exceptions.
I think these two factors in my own background have always caused my eyes to kind of gloss over when people started talking about “godly heritage” and the like.
But this morning, I’m minding my own business & the Lord stops me on this passage. I was strongly led to pray this prayer over my own life & family. I also felt led to share it here.
