I’ll admit it, sometimes I get a bit too excited.  On Sunday I broke one of the main rules of public speaking.  Sunday evening I was filling in for our vacationing preacher, speaking about youth ministry.  Apparently I was really engaged with my own presentation because I realized I had already been speaking for 46 minutes when I first checked the time.  Ooops!  In our Sunday evening worship there is a certain expectation for speaking time, and I was well past it.

From my days as a vagabond on the AT… I was excited about pancakes!

In total I went 52 minutes which is honestly a bit embarrassing.  I think I got away with it this time though.  There were a number of members who came up and engaged in conversation about their thoughts from the lesson.  It was more than the typical ‘good job’ and pat on the back, they were sharing thoughts, ideas and insights. The topic of teens and family is one that is usually engaging and welcomed.  It probably didn’t hurt that the kids and I provided homemade cookies and milk for the congregation after worship!

I was also pleasantly surprised by the generosity of a number of our members.  In my lesson I spoke about the importance and impact of church camp on our kids.  Apparently that struck a chord because I had several members approach me afterwards wanting to sponsor 1,2 even as many 10 kids to go to camp.  How cool is that?!?

I never solicited any money.  In fact I only mentioned what we were already doing as a church to make sure that camp was affordable for all our kids.  Our members saw a good opportunity to help and wanted to do what they could.  That is awesome and I am constantly amazed by the love of our congregation for our teens and young families.

Is it a good idea to speak for nearly an hour every time I get in the pulpit?  Probably not.  But I had a message to deliver that I was fully invested in and excited about and I believe that came through in my presentation.  There is a lot of power in genuine excitement and engagement.  I can’t think of anything better to be excited about than helping families and young people build their relationship with God.  Next time they let me in the pulpit I’ll speak for 8 minutes to balance things out 🙂

Click image to download family worship guide.

Unfortunately today’s family worship guide is not about an exciting passage in the Bible, in fact, today’s study is an important look at a tragic section of scripture.  In our ongoing study about the faith of Abraham, we have come to Genesis 19 that recounts the rescue of Lot and his family as Sodom was being judged by God for their wickedness.  Genesis 19 details the tragic outcome when a society revolts against God.  There are many important lessons to consider with children of all ages.  Check out the family worship guide here >>> Week 11 – Faith of Abraham – Part 8

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