As a youth pastor I pretend to be able to keep up with teenagers. Admittedly, this was easier 10 years ago than it is now. I know I'm not alone. For instance, I can remember a time when I did not have to keep track of what was said on Facebook and what was said IRL. Don't be confused by my use of text-talk. IRL is one of three abbreviations of which I know the meaning. The other two being lol (which I refuse to use) and rotflshidmt (which is simply ridiculous).
My inability to text proficiently aside, teenagers continue to be a group that grab my heart, while at the same time confuse and frustrate me. A better example is the youth group game. I have rarely, if ever, been successful in getting an entire group of teens to play, much less enjoy, a youth group game. And sometimes what I find stupid they find amusing, for hours on end.
Such was the case a few weeks ago when one of the teens suggested Tree Ball. What's tree ball? Simple. Teens climb a tree while the leaders take playground balls and throw them at the teens in the tree. If we connect, we get points. If we don't, they get points. Seriously? This sounds more like what happened to me, against my will, just after being pantsed on the way home from school. I wouldn't have been caught so often if my knee-high socks didn't keep falling down. Needless to say I never got any points in this game.
But I was told by my teens that this was, in fact, fun and could even be tied to spiritual themes. Take Zaccheus. He was in a tree. He was hated enough that people probably wanted to pelt him with playground balls. Of course, they didn't, because Jesus was in the area, and people always act their best when a pastor is around.
But what was the deal with Zaccheus and the tree anyway? Sure, I know he was a wee little man, but couldn't he have gotten a seat with the children in the front row as the Jesus parade was passing by? We often applaud Jesus because he ate with tax collectors and 'sinners', but isn't it just as big a deal that he ate with Zac, the weirdo in the tree?
I suppose there is something to be said about how far Zac went to have some time and attention with Jesus. After all, when's the last time you did something crazy just to spend some time with Jesus? Perhaps there is something to this little game after all.
My inability to text proficiently aside, teenagers continue to be a group that grab my heart, while at the same time confuse and frustrate me. A better example is the youth group game. I have rarely, if ever, been successful in getting an entire group of teens to play, much less enjoy, a youth group game. And sometimes what I find stupid they find amusing, for hours on end.
Such was the case a few weeks ago when one of the teens suggested Tree Ball. What's tree ball? Simple. Teens climb a tree while the leaders take playground balls and throw them at the teens in the tree. If we connect, we get points. If we don't, they get points. Seriously? This sounds more like what happened to me, against my will, just after being pantsed on the way home from school. I wouldn't have been caught so often if my knee-high socks didn't keep falling down. Needless to say I never got any points in this game.
But I was told by my teens that this was, in fact, fun and could even be tied to spiritual themes. Take Zaccheus. He was in a tree. He was hated enough that people probably wanted to pelt him with playground balls. Of course, they didn't, because Jesus was in the area, and people always act their best when a pastor is around.
But what was the deal with Zaccheus and the tree anyway? Sure, I know he was a wee little man, but couldn't he have gotten a seat with the children in the front row as the Jesus parade was passing by? We often applaud Jesus because he ate with tax collectors and 'sinners', but isn't it just as big a deal that he ate with Zac, the weirdo in the tree?
I suppose there is something to be said about how far Zac went to have some time and attention with Jesus. After all, when's the last time you did something crazy just to spend some time with Jesus? Perhaps there is something to this little game after all.
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