Things I Learned at Shabbach

I did the unimaginable this week-end: I chaperoned a youth group trip! First time ever! After raising 2 daughters to adulthood without being a chaperone on one of their trips I finally bit the bullet. Hope and Josh (Student Ministers) needed chaperones for the trip to Shabbach and I like Eddie James who did the music so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Overall it was a great experience but....I learned some things.

1. I am a lot older than I thought.

2. Not all kids (i.e.- teen-age girls) are snipey and mean. Many are actually supportive of each other and sweet. This has not necessarily been the experience of my daughters in all youth groups and was not my experience while teaching middle and high schoolers.

3. My daughters are not the only messy kids on earth.

4. My daughters have actually learned some things about basic housekeeping.

5. There are more kids in serious trouble (cutting, suicide, addictions) than I (or most adults) want to believe or imagine. Thankfully, I saw scores of kids getting help and praying through to repentance.

6. Young people will worship without restraint when given the space and encouragement to do so.

7. We have come some distance with regard to race. This was truly an interracial gathering of 3000 people, mostly youth. They all worshiped together; they had traveled together and were in effect living together for 3 days. For me, it was a wonder to see this happening in SC. That would have been impossible in the SC I grew up in.

8. It is possible to have a large gathering that is predominantly COG without politics and commercials.

9. God is still moving; the Pentecostal Movement is still very much alive. Our kids will be okay. But will they be in the church/denomination they grew up in? The jury's still out.