Hello friends. With my church having a summer Bible camp this week for children, I am reminded about this “rotten tomatoes” dream vision from 2019. Please keep our children’s ministry staff, the volunteers and all the children coming to camp in your prayers this week. Thank you! I’ll add my new comments in blue. In His Grace, ❤️
Sent: Friday, July 1, 2022 7:32 AM
Hello ladies! Here are resources that may encourage and help you in your ministry work. With love and prayers, ❤️🙏
1. Many of us have teenagers in our group and now that summer is here many teenagers will spend more time on the internet in their bedrooms. Unless both parents are on the same page about enforcing strict rules, it seems impossible to limit their time on the internet and TikTok during the summer. Please pray 🙏 for your children, grandchildren and their friends’ protection and safety from online sexual predators. Please read this article about how TikTok is used by sexual predators to groom and prey upon young teenagers. Let’s pray for God’s help and wisdom in talking about this danger with our teenagers too.
This is a new report on the impact of AI on ages 12–17. Please read it if you have or work with this age group. Some of their findings have been very eye opening, such as how many youth use AI as their personal counselors.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/a-comprehensive-report-on-teens-tweens-and-ai
2. Axis is a Christian ministry that helps parents and church community to better understand the younger people. Currently in the USA, on average 8 out of 10 children who grow up in Christian homes attending church will leave their faith as young adults. Knowing this statistic, it is super important to pray regularly for the youth and also understand them better. Axis ministry is a very good resource for parents and church members to know how to reach and shepherd their youth groups. Here is their presentation about Gen Z.
https://info.axis.org/gen-z-parents
Axis is writing more about Gen Alpha’s as the oldest ones have entered their teen years. Please check out their website and sign up for their free weekly newsletter too. https://axis.org
3. I was very blessed by this TSC message. It was delivered by a pastor originally from Russia. He shared stories about his grandparents and growing up when Christians were severely persecuted by his country. He also shared Daniel’s story in the Bible to teach us lessons about being disciplined in our prayer life no matter what. Please listen to this message and pray for your faith to be unwavering like Daniel’s; and hear this pastor’s parents and grandparents stories of endurance when Russia was USSR and very hostile to Christians. This pastor is also a young dad and shares about his own fears about the future for his children. As I look forward in the horizon, it looks even more daunting for the next generation of Gen Alpha. That’s why we need to keep praying together for God to move in our country and the world once again like in the old times.
http://sermons.tsc.nyc/unwavering-faith/
4. You’ll also be strengthened in your faith by this teaching too. I knew from my Bible studies that Corinth, Greece was a very loose city during Apostle Paul’s time. I imagined an ancient Las Vegas. It was actually worse than I had imagined. You will hear from this teacher how much worse. It simply amazes me that this evil, sin city is where God sent Paul. Paul didn’t get calloused or cold, living in this city but rather he wrote to the church community here later about what love is. Perhaps the congregants were becoming religious and growing cold in their hearts once Paul left. I think we all have that tendency especially as our world becomes more difficult and overwhelming. We really have to pray ahead and be disciplined in prayer for ourselves and our children more than ever. Listen to the conditions of Corinth, Greece and then you will be very thankful about your neighborhood and country.
What Love is:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2013&version=NIV;VOICE
(I used to use the Message version for modern language paraphrasing, but now I really like VOICE version too because they have good, short commentaries and historical references. They also had 120 bible scholars, teachers and pastors working together on it, while Message only had a handful. Both versions are great for easier Bible reading.)
I just heard an excellent interview with Eugene Patterson who wrote the Message version. “Carey talks to Eugene about the origin of the Message and the life rhythms he and his wife Jan adopted that helped produce the legacy millions have appreciated. Plus, they discuss what it was like to lead through the turbulence of the 1960s.”
5. Few years ago our women’s prayer group at church was approached by our children ministry pastor in springtime to pray ahead for their summer camp. As we were praying together weekly for the children and the camp, I had a dream vision. In this dream vision, I saw an endless amounts of tomatoes growing beautifully well in the farm fields. I saw that it was harvest time too. However, I barely saw anyone harvesting these tomatoes. I was getting concerned and thinking what would happen to these tomatoes if no one harvest them in. I woke up with this great concern. I talked to the Holy Spirit about my dream right away. When I opened my phone’s safari to look up something, the first page that came up was the movie review website “Rotten Tomatoes”. (I don’t know how this came up since I rarely use this website.) Then I realized that if these tomatoes are not harvested in by many, hardworking workers then these tomatoes will become “rotten tomatoes”.
It is in our own interest to help with the gathering in and discipling of the youth, or else they will become “rotten tomatoes” creating havoc and be destructive. Please pray about volunteering at your church youth group to help on a regular basis. Even if you don’t know how to relate to young people just be near them and observe them so that you will know how to pray better for the youth. Your prayers as a child of God through Jesus Christ are very impactful and powerful for the next generation. Please let’s give our time, talent and support to help at harvest time. Let’s also pray to God about this lack of workers situation as Jesus told us to.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%209&version=VOICE
Pastor and evangelist, Greg Laurie said that “conversion without discipleship is cruel.” I agree with him completely. We all can do a little something to serve and protect the new generation of believers so that they have a better chance of growing up into mature and loving Christians who follow Jesus Christ wholeheartedly.
Journal of Faith 