Where's Home?

Many of us don't feel at home until we leave home, and find out there are others like us...Home is where you hang your heart.  You hang it out helplessly, whether you want to or not, in full reach of ordinary human beings, not saints...And whether we like them or not, whether they understand us or not, we are linked to them forever by the mystery of blood.  From the first of life to the last, we are bound to them by unbreakable claims.  When we're grown we can surround ourselves with whoever we like, but we all must begin life like this, vulnerable, in the midst of people we never chose.  God chose them for us.  If you have things to say, now is the time to say them.  We will all be voiceless one day. - Frederica Mathews-Green, "Where's Home?"

One of the most critical times in life for wrestling with the question of "Where's home?" is during adolescence: high school and college.  Those are the critical years for developing faith in Christ and deciding that he is our true home.  Thankfully, we try to do our best to reach out to and equip students during those years.

We have amazing students at FPC, and we're connected to hundreds more throughout the valley through our leaders, staff, church partners, and outreach ministries like Tuesday Lunch.  Students today face incredible hurdles in their growth and development as disciples of Jesus.  Over and over again in the works I've studied related to youth ministry, the robustness of faith at home is a key driver for faith in students.  It actually is the key driver of faith, and students know this and look to their parents and grandparents to model faith for them, consciously and unconsciously.  I know this was the case in my life as a teenager.

Helping families equip each other for a lifetime of discipleship to Jesus Christ is one of our greatest challenges.  Janet and Brad and their respective teams work incredibly hard to make sure that students have every opportunity to encounter the Living Christ in powerful ways.  Already this summer, students have encountered Christ in New York City, at Great Escape in Gunnison, Sports Camp here at Columbine Park, and - in just 10 days - through Backyard Bible Camp.  In each of these ministry efforts, we're hoping to build a broader web of spiritual support for our students.  We're also hoping to be vulnerable with them in our witness as adults about the power and trustworthiness of Christ.

Let's continue to be in prayer for Backyard Bible Camp (July 22-26), and please be sure to come to worship on July 28 as we celebrate youth and children's ministries throughout our time together.

Solo Dei gloria,

Travis