From Joel R. Greenwood: Youth Pastor, Fairview Missionary Church

Family Devotions ...Part Two

It is my desire and passion to do family devotions when my new son, Micah, grows old enough. I am super-excited for the times we can sit down as a family and open up the Bible together. I think Scripture is meant to be read in a community so that we can learn from each other and sharpen each other. It can be dangerous to only read Scripture alone and not hear what other people may be saying about a particular text. I know my children will have heard the "fun Bible stories" like David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, etc., but I want them to understand the theology behind them and what they show us about God! I don't think that is asking too much of my children.

As a society we have almost given adolescence a free pass to be "stupid" and do whatever they want because, "hey, they're just teenagers"! I don't necessarily agree with how we treat them. They are definitely smart enough, as teens, to make the right decisions and be given responsibility. I look back at history (which I hated when I was in school) and realize that the standard for 12 - 18 year olds was way higher then than it is now. I mean the Israelite boys would memorize the entire Torah before they were 12 years old and the ones that were good at it would memorize the entire Old Testament by age 18! Can we even comprehend that as youth pastors? I think it is great that a teen knows there is an Old Testament, let alone can quote anything from it. Our standards are too low for teens these days and I pray that my expectations will be higher for Micah.

What would our church look like today if we had these expectations of our young people? I know we talk about the disciples all the time and that they were probably teenagers when Jesus called them. This group of teenagers was able to change the world because someone (Jesus) had high expectations for them and didn't allow them to just fit the mold of what it looked like to be 12 - 18 during their time in history. James and John could have just continued to fish with their father and take over the business, but Jesus called them to something greater. Jesus said that he was going to turn them into "fishers of men", a job that would be much harder and new to them, but one that had eternal rewards. I want to be a youth pastor and father who calls teens to a higher standard because I know the rewards far outweigh the cost!

As a side note, it is not because I am a youth pastor that I long for teens and my children to love the LORD. Sometimes I think people look at me and say to themselves, "...well, he is supposed to feel that way, he is a pastor!" It is because I am a follower of Jesus Christ that I do what I do, not because of a paycheck or a title. I wish many times that my title could be taken away and that people would just see me as a normal person who loves the LORD! One day I may not be a  youth pastor anymore, but I am sure people will still think I am some sort of religious lunatic. I am OK with that! I love God will all that I am and I want that to show in my actions and how I live my life. I wish everyone would be like me, minus the faults, of course! I am sure this world can only handle one Joel Ronald Greenwood though. Thanks for listening.