Acquire The Fire…A Battle Cry for Teens
I don’t have a problem admitting that it’s been 3 decades since I was in high school, but I do have difficulty in fully understanding the issues and pressures that teenagers today face. To be honest, I haven’t given their struggle much thought until we opened our home this past school year to a foreign exchange student, which means getting involved in the business of high school. Now, these teen issues have moved to the forefront of my consciousness and I find myself consumed with thinking of the welfare of my nieces, nephews and friends in this age group.
I’m sure there’s a better analysis than mine, but it appears that there’s this constant push to satisfy the physical desires of the body in hopes that it will fill an even greater void in one’s spiritual being. Teens have always experimented with sex and drugs, but where it once was something done with an element of secrecy it’s now being done in plain view and in group settings with no concern for the consequences. Got pregnant? No problem. Just make a quick visit to the local abortion clinic and have it removed like a rotten tooth then go back out clubbing with your friends like nothing happened. As for AIDS, STD, and HPV there is more public information on these diseases than ever before yet again caution is thrown to the wind and our young people roll the dice with every encounter.
“Cutting” is another physical act that just floors me. Why would anyone want to mutilate their own body by slicing their skin with a razor? The final extreme is suicide when all of the above fail to bring any real fulfilling happiness and a sense of worth. The Center for Disease Control reported last year that the suicide rate in the 10-24 year old age group is up 8%, which is the largest single year increase in over 15 years. As young as 10 years? If this cry for help doesn’t get our attention then I don’t know what will.
Our young people are searching for unconditional love, acceptance and a sense of purpose for their lives. The answer won’t be found in a fleeting physical relationship, drugs, alcohol or self-execution. The answer can only be found in Jesus Christ! That’s right…Jesus.
I’m not talking about doing the Sunday Christian zombie thing where you file into the sanctuary; sing a few choruses; drop a few bucks in the offering plate; listen to a mail-order sermon; and then drive like a maniac to beat the Baptists to the buffet restaurant where you gossip about how bad the choir sounded. No, I’m talking about a sincere personal relationship with the Son of God.
While I hope I didn’t describe your place of worship, I have a feeling that most of us can relate to my description of church in America, and it’s this stereotype that has our teens heading in the opposite direction. So, how do I get my teen to experience the love of Jesus against such odds? Well, one option is to attend an Acquire The Fire event.
Acquire the Fire is a weekend-filled ministry of outstanding Christian bands with styles to please everyone’s musical palette, and music seems to be the one medium that teens respond well to. There are outstanding speakers and drama to minister the Gospel in a way that captivates the listener and counselors to talk one-on-one with them.
Acquire the Fire will make 30 tour stops across the US this year with 3 new venues added in Winston-Salem, NC, Dallas, TX, and the Greater New York City area. For our readers who live in Winston-Salem and the Triad, Acquire the Fire will be at the LJVM Coliseum on March 28 and 29.
Acquire the Fire isn’t a substitute for talking with your teen, but it could help initiate a dialogue about Jesus that’s been long overdue.
on March 13th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Recently with a group of seniors, we lamented the fact that churches lack the young faces of our college students. Not just from our church but in the community. How about buying that vacant house/bldg space for a coffee house where young people could gather - maybe even put in some work/volunteer hours. Come and chat, make music, do homework. But no, we’ll spend the church dollars to go across the ocean for yet another project because we think that’s where the need is. It’s right here in every local community.
God bless those who work with youth!
on March 14th, 2008 at 8:04 am
While overseas missions are important, we cannot ignore what’s going on in our own backyard. If we don’t get our Youth plugged into Jesus here, who will be the future missionaries over there?
on March 14th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Hi, I really appreciate all that you’ve said here. I’m the Director of the BattleCry event at LJVM and I hope to see you there. If there is anything that we as BattleCry can help you above or beyond the event, please let me know. My email address is t.svitak@battlecry.com.
Blessings!
Tom Svitak
Director, Winston-Salem BattleCry
on March 14th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Glad to see you found my post. I hope that I’ll begin to see some advertising for the Winston-Salem event soon. Sadly, only the Coliseum’s marquee has caught my attention. I haven’t heard any radio air play or seen fliers distributed. If you’re doing the former, PLEASE look outside the usual Christian radio stations. I’ve seen more events that are trying to reach the unsaved fail to do this.
on March 15th, 2008 at 9:36 am
This looks like a great program for young people. Kids today are bombarded everyday by negative images and messages that they are in desperate need of counter positive images and messages. This program looks like one such positive event for young people that they so desperately need. Hope the event has a large turn out.