Toolbox For Faith

I spent last week on a Mission Trip with a group of junior high students including three from our congregation. This was the first mission trip for our youth and it was a wonderful week. We accomplished some meaningful ministry on the trip, but one of the most powerful moments happened on the way home. When we stopped for lunch, one young lady got her Bible out of her bag and said, “I got this for camp, but I don’t know that I have ever really read it.” She opened to Genesis chapter one and started reading. She spent the drive from Richmond to Blacksburg - reading, asking a few questions, stopping to reflect and then diving back in to the reading. By the time we got home, she had finished the first 30 chapters of Genesis.

Sometimes we learn something and it inspires us to act. Sometimes we act and it inspires us to learn. It seems to me the key is to discover which methodology connects to you and to the people with which God has blessed you. What I discovered this week is that for my youth, having them live a life of compassion and service is a wonderful way to inspire them to learn more about God.