Uncategorized - Next Generation Ministry

We’re now only three days away from the beautiful game of soccer being played on the world’s biggest stage—the World Cup! A lifelong U.S. soccer fan, I was so mad when Uncle Sam’s team didn’t qualify. But now, I’m not so disappointed. Why? It’s not because the World Cup is almost here and the US team would have been overshadowed anyways by more prominent soccer powers such as Italy, France, Brazil, Spain, etc. It’s because I was watching the US men’s team play this past Saturday wearing rainbow-colored numbers on the back of their jersey. You guessed it. It’s gay pride month and our national team was showing their pride.

Now, I don’t have a problem with a gay player playing on the US national team. But, I do have a problem with our national team promoting such a lifestyle. As the political debates have heated up over the past couple of years, so has every other arena of life. Politics have spilled over into the sports world and ESPN, the NFL, and the NBA’s true colors have come out. As a lifelong sports fan, this has been upsetting for me. Why? Because sports has no business being in politics.

With the Supreme Court recently allowing states to legalize sports gambling, sports will become increasingly tainted. In the future, sports as clean, innocent, pure fun could itself become a pastime. Leave it to man to take a good thing and ultimately destroy it. We’ve been doing it since the beginning of time when Adam first sinned in the garden. The fall of man has affected everything, including sports.

I first noticed pride month being celebrated by the United States Soccer Federation last year in the month of June when the women’s national team was forced to wear the rainbow. Thankfully, a player by the name of Jaelene Hinkle stood up for her beliefs and quit the team. Ironically, Hinkle’s club team was the North Carolina Courage. Hinkle posted on her Instagram account a picture of a white cross in a red background and said,
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jaelenehinkleJesus didn’t come to save those who already believed in Him. He came so that the lost, rejected, and abandoned men and women would find Him and believe.
I believe with every fiber in my body that what was written 2,000 years ago in the Bible is undoubtedly true. It’s not a fictional book. It’s not a pick and choose what you want to believe. You either believe it, or you don’t. This world may change, but Christ and His Word NEVER will.
My heart is that as Christians we don’t begin to throw a tantrum over what has been brought into law today, but we become that much more loving. That through our love, the lost, rejected, and abandoned find Christ.
The rainbow was a convent made between God and all his creation that never again would the world be flooded as it was when He destroyed the world during Noah’s time. It’s a constant reminder that no matter how corrupt this world becomes, He will never leave us or forsake us. Thank you Lord for your amazing grace, even during times of trial and confusion.
Love won over 2,000 years ago when the greatest sacrifice of all time was made for ALL mankind. ❤💜💛💚💙

Praise God for Hinkle’s courage! Can you imagine playing soccer your entire life so you could make the national team only to have to quit because your “free” nation forces you to endorse values that go against your faith and heritage?

Jesus promised Christ-followers they would be persecuted because the student is not above the master. I write this post to inspire you to share Hinkle’s story, but also to share with your students the reality of being a Christian in the USA. We need to expect persecution, but we also need to stand up for Jesus when it comes our way. We need to be grace-filled and gracious in facing opposition. I think Hinkle does this in her post. She doesn’t call names. She just lifts up the Name that is above every other name.

I won’t go as far to say that the United States failure to make the World Cup this year is a sign of God’s judgment on the USSF. But maybe there is a message for all of us in this: You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. Let’s be courageous and stand up for Jesus!

When you work with teenagers, you really get a glimpse into the impact a future generation will have on the world when they become adults. Older generations used to study the Bible in class and get in trouble for chewing gum. My generation saw an increase in teenage pregnancies and homosexual behavior. Today, students are having to manage school shootings and identity crises. Boy, we really have progressed as a society, havn’t we?

There were people on both sides of the “Never Again” movement. There’s nothing wrong with students advocating for stricter gun laws, but some thought these teens went too far. Why? Politics, of course. Politics has become such a divisive issue in our country. More on this later…

For the most part, I stopped watching TV about twenty years ago. Sure, I watch sports, news, and movies, but I really stopped watching television shows once reality tv hit the scene. When the family shows stopped coming on, I tuned off. I never really got into Seinfield, Frazier, Friends, so I never made it to Survivor, Lost, CSI, etc. Many of my friends enjoyed these shows, but I just wasn’t interested. Another show I did not pay much attention to for the first ten years of its existence was American Idol. However, I finally gave in and began watching occasionally. This year, I have become hooked.

You may be the opposite of me and stopped watching American Idol years ago because you grew bored with it. But for those of you who still enjoy watching the show, I want to use a person on this year’s show to illustrate a teaching lesson. Up to this point, I think the best singer on the show is Ada Vox. Here’s what we know about Ada. Her real name is Adam Sanders and he is from San Antonio, TX. He is a waiter by day and a drag queen by night. He/she says, “Mr. Adam is the base of everything that I am. That’s just who I am and what I do every day of my life. Ms. Ada is kinda of the outer exterior, is a personification of the diva in Adam.” Adam created Ada about three years ago and has auditioned for American Idol 13 times.

When I was in high school, I sat beside a homosexual girl. If I was in high school today, chances are I would be sitting beside a transgender boy or girl. Did you know that Facebook has 71 gender options one can choose from? WOW, we really have come a long way from the two options of male and female. Simon Milner, one of Facebook’s Policy Director’s says, “By challenging the gender binary, Facebook will finally allow thousands of people to describe themselves as they are now and it will allow future generation of kids to become truly comfortable in their own skins.” What I say to you today is really old news, but did you catch that line, “future generation of kids.” How many more gender options are to come???

If you are working anywhere with the next generation, you can bank on having to deal with the gender issue. Here’s how I deal with it. Let’s take Ada/Adam for example. I don’t discriminate. American Idol is a singing contest. Though I don’t believe the Bible approves of Ada’s lifestyle, I would still vote for Ada because I think he/she is the best singer in the competition. Now, I might change my mind, because the competition is not over. But today, I certainly would not deny Ada the award for best singer. Why? Because American Idol is a singing competition, not a lifestyle competition.

Here is how the political issues of our day coincide with the gender issues of our day from a Christian perspective. In the political landscape, the left and right are not able to sit down with one another and have a real conversation. Between all the name-calling and yelling, nobody’s voice is heard. In other words, we have lost our ability to communicate with one another as humans. So, for us Christ-followers, we must first show the world that friendly communication is possible. Two sides might not agree with one another, but they certainly can sit down, be polite, and hear each other’s point of view. This is why men and women are no longer able to communicate with one another. It’s not just because of the “Me Too” movement. This is why many are still not happy with the results of the “Black Lives Matter” movement. We have not made time or space to give ear to what each side is really saying. Church, we must listen to God, but we also need to be able to hear what others are saying. Christ-followers must be able to sit down and have conversations with the LGBTQ community, students who are scared they might not walk out of school alive tomorrow, and blacks who feel that policemen are not doing them justice. These are real concerns. The shouting and name-calling must end. It is time we get to know and understand each other so we can begin to heal these wounds.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Would you be willing sit down with Ada and have a one-on-one conversation with her? I would! Not to tell her all about what she is doing wrong, but to first listen to her and to understand her. What is her background? Did you know she had brain surgery at 8 years old? What is her story? Would you be willing to allow her to touch you? Or would you treat her like a leper? Do you believe God’s arm is too short to save the transgender? I don’t. Yes, you may be uncomfortable at first, but ask God for strength. He will provide what you need so that these conversations that need to happen can take place. If God’s people won’t stand up and be Christ to a lost and dying world, who will?