This summer, Uncle Frank gave the old leaders the chance to come back and help with Upstream -I jumped at the opportunity (1). When I was younger, I attended youth night to hang out with the older kids. Now, I could come back and remember what it was like to be young again. But as returning leaders, we were given a specific task: choose a group you want to lead and develop a curriculum tailored to that group. The choices were junior high, high school and college –I knew exactly which group I wanted to be a part of.
The college group was young enough that I felt they could learn something from me as a person, but old enough that I could still relate to them and connect with them. I wanted to impart knowledge that would be not only helpful to know, but practical as well. We could discuss thoughts and ideas on topics that we all had interest in. The relationship between the group and I would be mutually beneficial.
To start our series, I picked up a book I had read my first year in college, Lee Strobel’s The Case for Faith. Essentially, the book is a series of interviews in which Strobel discusses several common objections to the Christian faith –topics like: “Since Evil and Suffering Exist, a Loving God Cannot” and “Since Miracles Contradict Science, They Cannot Be True.” As Christians, we sometimes shy away from getting into discussions with others regarding our faith when they have such concerns, often because we have no good answers. I wanted to help these kids find some answers. I wanted to find some answers for myself.
Keeping on an unspoken theme of relating my shoe to my activity for the day, I chose a pair whose significance was more in the name than in the color or type of shoe. I’ve mentioned in the past that sneakerheads often give shoes nicknames. It’s a lot easier to say “Spacejams” than it is to say “Jordan XI – Black/Black-White”. I’m not necessarily sure if the nicknames come more from Nike or from the sneaker collecting community or if it’s a little bit of both. Regardless, coming in to teach, I chose to wear the “Twisted Preps.” (check the insoles in the upcoming pic for explanation)
This Friday we covered a very interesting topic, “It is Offensive to Claim Jesus is the Only Way to God.” I don’t want to go into it too deeply here (I feel there is a time and place for everything and if you want to discuss this topic, I will be more than happy to outside of this forum) but the discussion was both broad and deep. We discussed how Christianity isn’t the only religion that claims exclusivity, how truth is both absolute and knowable, discussed common reasons why people are turned off to Christianity and even touched on the question, “What about the bush-man who never heard the gospel –can he not go to heaven?” Great stuff.
After the service came one of my favorite Friday night Upstream pastimes: going out to eat! During the old days, we didn’t have many options around our area and often just chose between In-N-Out and Wendy’s; we weren’t too picky back then. These kids aren’t us. We’ve tried a variety of late night spots including Wing Stop and the nostalgic In-N-Out. Tonight someone mentioned that the Mogo’s truck was near Vista Verde; of course they decided to go there.
The other times I’ve tried Mogo’s, I honestly wasn’t impressed. You can read my more in depth review on the place (or truck, rather) here if you’re interested. But let me just say that after tonight, I've settled that Mogo’s can definitely fulfill the specific craving you have, if you have it, and I would definitely stop by again if it was in my area.
Deep theological discussion, spicy pork tacos, choppin it up in the parking lot, Jarritos, riding bikes, kim-chi and tofu quesadillas, cream soda and lots of smiles and laughs… You may call it random. I just call it another Friday night with Upstream.
{currently in the speakers: Lecrae - Truth}
(1) - Our church youth group is named Upstream because we "go against the flow".
*Bonus Section*
Are you asking me who got cream soda? Or are you saying that Ammon looks joyful?
ReplyDeleteIf you're asking, it was just Miel and Ammon.
Kimchi quesadillas are the best. :-P
no, you were the one who asked the question. it's a "script" colon. =)
ReplyDeletethe "who else?" at the end was rhetorical..
ReplyDelete