Youth Ministry

“The voice of our childhood is the voice of wonder and amazement, the voice of God, which has always been speaking to us, even before we were born…but our lives became louder.  The increasing crescendo of our possessions, the ear-piercing of busyness, and the soul smothering volume of our endless activity drowned out the still small voice of God.”
 ~ Mike Yaconelli,  Wonder: The Adventure of Childlike Faith

I can still smell the freshly scratched top soil and the deteriorating leaves. I remember the hours of grueling raking, the pain from the blisters, and the frustration of the wind replacing the leaves to the position I had just finished removing them from. I can recall listening to the football games and the voice of Larry Munson urging “his boys to hunker down just one more time.” I can envision the yard splattered with articles of clothing, removed as the day grew warmer, hung from the dogwood trees and azalea bushes.

But honestly, what I remember most is none of the above. It’s the joy of jumping in the massive pile of leaves rather than the pains of creating it. It’s the carefree testing of gravity, the pretend football tackles, the aerial splits and flips attempted or the diving catches to win the big game.

Those piles of leaves marked a celebration of conquering the enemy of autumn, and, at the time, were more impressive than any toy or game I could ever receive. Neighborhood children would come by begging to join in the celebration. Even the dog couldn’t help but make an occasional run through. 

What happened to days such as that day? Did I get too old to enjoy that type of excitement? Was it replaced with cars, sports, sleeping, studying (I can assure you this was not the case), girlfriends, busy schedules, television, movies, marriage, children, or any other of the thousands of things we use to occupy our time, passions and money? I miss the days of leaf pile jumping. I’m sure I would look funny to the neighbors, and possibly may even break a hip or two (there is a lot more of me now than then), but I miss the days of raw, uncontrollable laughter and freedom that a child experiences.

Those days are not and should not be reserved for the young in age. In fact, the wiser we grow, the more we should play. We have earned that right to laugh, to run, to dream, and to love.

Do you think back to those days often? Remember the joy of riding “jump seat” in the back of the bus? Can you recall a time when you just decided at the spur of the moment to take an adventure?  God speaks of childlike wonder and encourages us to live with childlike faith (Matthew 11:25 & 18:2-5). But, is there a happy medium? Maybe Pike Nurseries was right: it is time to play in the dirt again. Time to enjoy life!

During this season of excitement, worship, and family, make a few moments to play, to laugh, and to love.

Rake up a pile of leaves and go for it!

Austin

"It is time to find the place where the dangerous wonder of faith can be discovered—a place landscaped by risky curiosity, wild abandon, daring playfulness, quiet listening, irresponsible passion, happy terror, and naive grace. In a day when most of us are tired, worn-out, thirsty, and starving for life and joy and peace, maybe it is time to become a child again. Maybe it is time to quit college and take a year off to go to the mission field, or give up a secure job and go back to school, or leave the corporation because the work is killing our souls, or give up the possessions that are possessing us. Maybe it is time to live this dangerous wonder of faith, take our shoes off, roll up our sleeves, and have such a romp as no one has ever seen."
 ~ Mike Yaconelli, Dangerous Wonder