A pound of prevention...

It’s been great fun having Nathan Quinn, the preacher intern, staying with us. In a way, I treat him like a son. When an opportunity comes up to give my own son, Dave, something to think about, I point it out and we talk about it. I’ve done this a time or two with Nathan. I’m always curious how other people view things, but I catch myself about to lecture him, which I hate. I never seem to do this to anyone else BUT my own son, so I guess I really am getting used to having him around! I am grateful that he is tolerant of me, and seems to enjoy chatting with me as well.

We’ve been teaching a class together downstairs, the Jr High class. Frank teaches on Sunday, and Nathan teaches on Wednesday. I’m just there to kind of nudge him along. This is excellent, because if I have observed anything in life in regards to teaching, it is that all the men, especially the younger ones, are gung-ho about teaching the teenage class. That’s often because these men feel that they can “save the teens” with their own brand of teaching, and are anxious to apply their wisdom. Heroic, I suppose. I notice that these same men aren’t as excitedly volunteering to teach the Jr High class. Let’s think about this. The Jr. High class is made up of fairly polite, pretty well behaved kids who LISTEN to what you say, actually ask good questions, have few really bad habits formed, haven’t got a bunch of downright evil friends, and are for the most part eager to please. Even to the point of writing down their lessons. The teens are more set in their ways, often think they know everything, have decided school work (and class lessons) are un-cool, more set in lifestyle choices and habits, and are difficult to reach. Hmmmm. Always seems to me that the teens that are the better students, and yes there are a few of them, are the ones we don’t “worry” about. In fact, those who have taught both the teens and the Jr High notice right away that these more studious teens act a lot like the younger kids. They have not “prided out” that desire to learn about God, that wide-eyed wonder that we don’t seem to appreciate until it’s lost. It’s my personal opinion we kind of try to prevent broken arms by providing splints. How did we get into this way of thinking? I guess because we don’t see, as a church, a kid slipping away until he’s already flopping around in the water. Try to rescue them, yes! But maybe we should think more about efforts to keep them away from the edge? Forgive me, but a good gardener doesn’t wait until a tree is part eaten before he applies the bug repellant. We don’t strap on our seatbelts after the car has rolled over a couple times. I’m not saying give up on “troubled” teens, any more than I would say give up on anyone else! Yet it’s SO MUCH easier to keep a house standing on a solid foundation than jacking it up later and trying to pour concrete in where it should have been in the first place. And it needs that foundation!

But like I said, Nathan is teaching this class, which is good. He’s made a few mistakes, but the kids are very forgiving (remember, they are for the most part eager to please) and overall he’s learning to teach, the kids are learning about the bible, and that’s the whole point isn’t it? The kids were quiet and shy at first, but last week they hit him with several questions outside the lesson material, which shows they are giving him a bit of respect. It was so cool, as an observer, to see Nathan transform from nervous, not-sure-what-to-expect teacher to confident question-answerer. I think this is such a win-win situation, because the intern today may be preacher tomorrow, and he’ll probably be expected to teach adult classes. When he does, he can have some past, good experience to draw from. And one of these days he’ll be preaching for us. How will we receive his effort? Will we be willing to LISTEN, ask good questions, get over whatever bad habits we’ve formed, and be eager to please (God)? As I write these bulletins, I like to edify and hold up those worthy of emulation. So who am I edifying and holding up as an example today?

Matthew 12:27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

Matthew 15:26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs.

Matthew 18:1-6 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 19:13-14 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 6:47-49 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.