So day 2 was an eye-opener. Day one was all about good first impressions, but this time, the masks were off.
I arrived just in time to play a little ball with some of my homies from last week (Donavon, Reese, Terry, Bobby, and a few others), and got schooled again.
After playing some air hockey and ping pong and meeting new people, it was time to congregate for Pasto Mike's lesson of the day. Within five minutes of sitting down, I realized that the guys sitting behind me were much more interested in disobeying Pastor Mike and my orders than they were about learning obedience from the story of Abraham and Issac. It dawned on me then that these kids were there to have fun and really were not THAT interested in coming to know Christ.
Now my youth group at home is waaaay different. Everyone who is there knows that the main reason we are there is to learn about and worship God, with fun being mixed in like a seasoning. For these kids, I think they'd rather swallow lysterene than a story about some guy in the old testament.
So the misbehavior went on for a while until I learned that empty words weren't going to mean anything. I threatened them that if they couldn't at least be respectful then I would come back and sit with them.... then they were quiet for a while... huh imagine that.
The main thing I learned from Day 2: Before they will listen to you, they have to respect you. Before they respect you, you have to earn it. To earn it, you have to mean what you say and say what you mean. I want to be nice as much as I can, but there is a line, and when it is crossed, I will be firm, regardless of how "mean" they think I am. I will earn their respect.
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Everyone...regardless of age deserves respect...My theory is, you have my respect until you prove to me that you don't deserve it. I think you handled the situaltion very well. Just like a good parent...you can't be their best friend if you are trying to help them grow.
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