truth B told

All the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in Mattoon gathered this morning for a Red Ribbon week assembly. (A Drugs/Alcohol, and Tobacco deal.) Their speaker: yours truly. It actually went really well. A lot of excitement in the air. Lots of crowd participation, and they got serious and listened during the moments they needed to.

I guess all that mixed together means the school assembly went well. In Christian evangelical circles, we don't know how to judge effectiveness unless a bunch of hands go up in the air at the end of a sermon.

Today, no hands...just a bunch of listening ears.

It seems weird to stand in front of close to a thousand students and not share "the Gospel." But the message was about healthy choices, consequences of bad decisions, helping others who are in need, and knowing you were made with a purpose...and not to mess your life up in the process. I guess that is a great starter for pointing people in the right direction.

I think we (typical Christians) feel like we haven't done our "Great Commission" duty unless we've shared the "Roman's Road to Salvation"verses with everyone. But in today's culture, I believe the Road to Romans begins with trust, love, respect, care and friendship. After you travel down those streets, then you can turn right onto Romans.

Anyway, a lot of students heard about making good choices and were encouraged not to get involved in bad ones. And now they know my face and can come talk to me when they get a chance.

Did I preach today at the Middle School, nope. Did I communicate God's message? I think so. It just gets packaged in a little different vehicle. And sometimes that vehicle takes a little while to grab the heart and soul of the listener.

So, today...no hands, just ears. Tomorrow....we'll see what happens. I simply ask God to stir curiosity of Him in their hearts.

...and then we better be ready to talk when the questions start coming.