My last Wednesday I gave my "last words" to the youth gathered at Chandler. Here is the rough outline of it. This is not necessarily the order of importance just the overall top ten things I could think about and were on my heart to share.
1. Make your Christian friendships "Christian friendship". Make your goal to honor Christ with your very relationship. Pray together and discern God's leading and voice together. Have lots of fun and laugh but also, and especially with those that are your Christian friends, let Christ into the friendship as well.
2. Read your Bible and pray everyday! You've heard me say it a million times already but spiritual vitality and energy and fruit is found specifically in the regular practice of these two disciplines.
3. Go to church everytime the doors are open! I used to silently mock those that felt the need to do this, but now I would say that "at least it can't hurt" and you can learn something about the character of God or the Scriptures everything you go to church or at least engage yourself in meaningful worship in the corporate context. Also, it is so important to me that you are loyal to your local church, promoting it, defending it, and making it honored and respected. One way you can fulfill this is with very regular attendance.
4. (Don't just come but) Volunteer and Serve in the ministries of the church! There is no faster way to grow spiritual than through service! There is also no faster way to feel apart of the body than be working along side them.
5. Take seriously "Spiritual Formation"! Recognize, submit, and committ yourself to this process of "growing into Christlikeness" by practice the spiritual disciplines (remembering our long Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster Sunday School study).
6. Discipleship is important too! While different but not unrelated to Spiritual Formation. You must learn from the Master how to live life. Consider yourself a life-long apprentice of the Jesus the Master and learn "how-to's" especially from Scripture and by watching the elders and the saints.
7. Barclay College! Whether or not you go there, don't forget about it. Support it with PR and financially all your life. The school exists to bless and serve our church (Friends Church Mid-America). Go visit the school and see if God may call you to go there. If not, consider yourself (and be one) a friend of Barclay College for life! Don't forget about the great gift of the Full Tuition Scholarship for all on campus students beginning this fall.
8. Don't forget about the connection of our local church to the broader/bigger church - the Friends Church of Mid-America. We can only do so much all by ourselves, but together we can do so much (Youth Ministry, missions, and much more!) www.friendsyouth.com, www.maym.org, www.friendsmission.com
9. Go on a mission trip! Allow yourself the opportunity to step into God's action, right in the middle of his global kingdom work, in service and fulfillment of the Great Commission.
10. Exercise 3x/week, floss, and wear sunscreen and you'll live a healthy life. Or something like that. All men between the ages of 18 and 22 who are physically able should run a marathon.
