exploring out-vitation

the busyness of the season is accurately reflected in my absence of posts for nearly a month. we have had a great March including a Snow Day, Feedback Forum, Confirmation retreat, and Leadership Learning Party. I was even able to spend a full weekend with my boys while Lisa visited friends in Boston. I wanted to blog today about the sentiment explored yesterday in our Leadership learning party. Troy Earnest, former Oak Grove member and current Area Director for Northlake YoungLife, was our speaker. He shared YoungLife's focus of "being present" in the midst of the "messy lives" of teenagers. He echoed the conversation we have been having about the crucial need for caring adults invested in the lives of teenagers, especially beyond our calendared events. He gave deserving praise to the leaders gathered there and affirmed their tremendous impact in the community. I wanted to piggyback and start a conversation on the topic of out-vitation, something which we want to continue to grow toward. "The church" (Oak Grove and most others) often has a posture toward teenagers which appears as us standing with one foot inside the church building doors and one foot outside. We are waving our hand and inviting students inside, to our turf and our agenda. Now this is not to say that our turf and our agenda are not welcoming, hospitable spaces. It is only to say that teenagers are also issuing a welcome, though it may be subtle. They are inviting us to make an entry into their world. To spend time with them outside of the church building, and outside of our programs. They are wanting us to invest in their hobbies, to share a meal with them, to tell our stories and then listen to theirs. This takes courage and patience for their world is often scary and the work is often long. But it is so worth it. We will continue to invite them in, but we will also work to listen to their invitation to come out and be present there in the midst of their world. leave your comments on how you could see this working itself out here amongst us at oak grove church.