In Search of Adolescence

While doing some reading for some youth ministry stuff I'm teaching soon, I came across this book "In Search of Adolescence" by Crystal Kirgiss. Having read an article which summarised the book I was keen enough to buy the book and wait for it to arrive. (Kudos to Amazon - it was here in less than a week!)

The premise of the book is simple enough. Most contemporary youth leaders have learned that 'adolescence' as a social construct is around 100 years old. Some writers have even gone so far as to blame this interpretation for all kinds of current social ills (p18), but Kirgiss carefully and methodically shows that such an interpretation is just that - an interpretation. It is not the reality.

Kirgiss has a PhD in medieval language and literature, so I'm confident she has done much more than enter "adolescence" into Google and plagiarise the results. Her research and writing take her readers into a journey through time with thinkers, creators, and preachers on the search for adolescence through the ages.

The Thinkers

Throughout the centuries, the thinkers - philosophers, astronomers, doctors - have been dealing with and have been writing about adolescence. Some of them would divide life into various stages ranging from three stages to twelve. All would include an age that bridged childhood and adulthood, sometimes called 'youth' and other times 'adolescence'. (48) This would be seen to begin with puberty and end, depending on the writer, at eighteen, or twenty-one, or twenty-four. Perhaps extended adolescence isn't just a contemporary issue.

My favourite quote in this chapter comes from Aristotle in the fourth century BC. He describes youth as those who . . .
are always eager and ready to carry out their desires
lack the discipleing and self-control to rein in their sensual desires
hate being slighted or mocked
hope and expect to do great things
are extremely close to their friends and want to be with them as much as possible
think they know everything.

It sounds like it could have been written anytime in the last fifty years, doesn't it.

The Creators

In the first chapter, she refers to "The Squire" from Chaucer's book "The Canterbury Tales" as a depiction of adolescence of the time. (I tried reading that book a couple of years ago. Might have another go.)

In this chapter, she refers to two pieces of art work that wonderfully and visually show that what adolescents were like in medieval times is so much the same to what they are today. One of these is the cover of her book, and comes from Omne Bonum (All Good Things) a fourteenth century encyclopaedia. The picture associated with the word 'adolescence' shows a young woman staring into a mirror while raising her skirt. The young man has no beard, has his hand on his heart showing he is smitten, and is he reaching for a sword or . . .?

The second one comes from De Proprietatibus Rerum (On The Properties of Things). The entry for "the seven ages of man" includes this picture. Guess which one represents youth. (Hint - the one dressed differently and looking away from the adults and looking down on the younger ones.)


Kirgiss comments "We are often told that before the nineteenth century, youth as a rule followed in their parents' footsteps. But in both literature and life, there are many examples of just the opposite." (77)

Maybe we should read some old books and see what we can learn about teenagers from centuries past. It might be an encouragement for the youth in your church now to know that the struggles they deal with aren't completely unfamiliar to youth in ages past.

The Preachers

What did old-time medieval preachers say about youth?

Look abroad into the world: consider the generality of our youth in this age, what they are, what manner of lives they lead, how vain, lewd, and debauched the most are in their conversation; how rare it is to find one amongst many that is solid, sober, and religious, that makes real conscience of avoiding all known sin, and of performing holy duties, or of exercising himself to godliness, as becomes his Christian profession. Nay, do not many of them walk, and act, and talk more like atheists, or infidels, than Christians … ~ Samuel Peck 1686, 

From A New-Years Gift for Youth. Being the Substance of a Sermon, Preached at the Funeral of M. Elizabeth Bell, Aged Sixteen Years, Odd Months

There's a fair bit of this kind of language in sermons that Kirgiss refers to, BUT it would be a travesty for us to believe this was the whole message of preaching to youth in past ages. She notes that even the most damnably vitriolic statements about adolescentce are embedded in sermons that were not ultimately vitriolic deep down at their cores (90). Preachers were infinitely more concerned about the state of the souls of the youth of their parish.

Keep in mind, that preachers believed that a life of genuine devotion was in fact possible for adolescents. Do you believe that?

This is stunningly significant: Those adults who were the most vocal about the sins, weaknesses, and failings of adolescents were also the most hopeful about the potential of those adolescents to experience true and lasting inner transformation, not just modified outward behavior. (103)

For those of us involved in preaching, this is a chapter well worth reading through. Point people to Jesus knowing that youth can be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

Does it matter?

It's a fair question to ask. Does our view of the history of 'adolescence' really matter? Does it affect what we do today? Well, for a number of people it probably doesn't. But I reckon it actually does, and in ways we may not first realise. Primarily for this reason - we tend to romanticize or villify the past. You know the statements "Youth today have never had it so good." or "Things have never been so difficult for youth as they are now." Neither of these statements is wholly true, but we won't know that if we don't know any history.   

Finally

Youth ministers of all shape and manner are today standing on the shoulders of faithful followers of Christ from every previous era, and a new generation of youth ministers will someday be standing on our shoulders. Our shoulders— which are really just the hands and feet of Jesus. But still. It’s quite astounding to consider. (127)

PYV East Camp 2016 - Day Three

It's still cold in Rawson. Especially in the morning.

Today is our last day at camp, and that means we need to give some time to packing and cleaning up. I want all my readers to know just how well the campers and leaders do this. Whether it's packing your own bags and getting them out of the dorms picking up rubbish from other rooms; moving furniture back where it needs to be; or just helping where they can, this is an excellent team of people. Thank you all for doing your bit.

Remember what I said yesterday about cooked breakfasts? Today we had pancakes. So I changed my mind. I think I made the right decision there. They were good.

In our morning session we opened up the question box and had four of our leaders seeking to answer the questions that were on the minds of some of the campers. We never have enough time to give a lengthy answer, so some people might still have a question to ask. If that is someone in your church or your family, let me know and we will answer what we can. Today we had questions about life (What do I do if I'm at camp but would rather go home?); Bible (Are there any myths in the Bible?); Theology (Is there a heaven?) and Faith (What can I do to make sure I'm living a Christian life? I may have re-worded that last one.) Good questions to ask.

And there was a question about dating. Want to know what the question was? Or the answer I gave? Ask someone who came to camp. I expect they will remember.

Preparing for Worship

Stephen's message today took us to John 11 - the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. What an encouraging message we heard today as we considered the power of one who is in charge of life and death; of one who destroys the power of death; of one in whom we can find life. Death doesn't always mean death.

Morning tea was enjoyed before moving into our study groups - this time in some different locations as the campsite is preparing for the next group to come in this afternoon.

For those who were at Summer Camp, I am very happy to report a marked improvement in the lunches. It has been very good, and a conversation with the new managers helps me to believe that this will continue. After lunch it was good to be able to say "Thank You" to all those who have worked hard in the lead up to camp, as well as during the camp itself. A huge thank you to Nichola who has been working on East Camp for months as well as doing her Uni work.

So East Camp 2016 has come to an end. It has been cold but the sun has been shining to make it a perfect weekend for a camp in winter.

Thanks for coming along everyone. We look forward to seeing you again in 2017!

PS. We will have the talks up online soon. Please keep an eye on pyv.org.au or on the PYV Facebook page. 

PYV East Camp 2016 - Day Two

Is it just me, or does today feel like a really long and wonderful day? Our day at East Camp began with a good sized crowd meeting together to pray. It was great to hear different voices as people prayed, and also good to have Zack share his testimony. Thanks Zack. I am always encouraged to learn how people came to know Jesus properly.

From there we joined everyone else for a yummy cooked breakfast. I'm not a big fan of a cooked breakfast, but clearly I am in the minority! Everyone else seemed very happy to enjoy it today. Perhaps I need to change my mind.

Our worship session today included a chat about the PYV planned mission trip to Malawi in 2017. We were reminded of the PYV mission trip to India in 2012 and the great encouragement that was to the whole team as well as the people they went to visit there. We hope that the trip to Malawi to support Orbus will be just as encouraging. You can learn a bit more about that by visiting pyv.org.au or by clicking here.

Stephen Jones preached from John 15 and confronted us with the a statistic that every minute there are 500,000 Facebook posts! And the vast majority of them are pointless. (I'm glad you enjoyed your coffee, but I'm left wondering, is that all you do with your time?) Of course, most of the important stuff we would talk about with our best friends is not the stuff we put on Facebook. And that is one of the weaknesses of social media - we can lose the ability to talk about deep things with anyone. (That wasn't Stephen's point though. That's my comment.)

Jesus shows us what it is to be the best of friends - he lays down his life for us. Importantly, he doesn't do that because we are good enough. We're not. Instead Jesus does this because He is good enough. Brilliant.

Morning tea led into the study groups and once again campers and leaders had the chance to talk through some questions and learn a bit more about the friendship of Jesus and what it is to be obedient to him. Some good thoughts for the campers to take into their own devotional time.

From there the day seemed to get really busy. And creative. Lunch was good and then into an afternoon of physical activities. I was with Phil at the Commando Course where our trainee astronauts were making sure they were physically fit enough for the rigors of the journey. I wasn't convinced that we would get through everyone in the allotted time, and as much as I hate to admit it, I was wrong. So wrong.

Easier than it looks!

We had people storming through the course, and there is nothing like competition to get teenage boys determined to beat each other. The time kept getting shorter and shorter. Well done boys, and the girls did a powerful job too. There were other activities with a space theme too, one of which may have included eating some baby food. I'm glad I missed that one.

Then we gave everyone the opportunity to use their creative skills by making rockets or robots. They were brilliant! Some were large, many were small, and a few in between, but everyone was busy building something. There might be some photos of some later in the week on our Facebook page.

As usual we dressed up for our last night at camp, and the space theme meant we had the chance to show off our favourite space shows. Doctor Who; Star Wars; and Firefly were well represented, as well as a couple of Buzz Lightyears as well. There were even those who went for a legitimate astronaut / NASA look. Some good costumes there. It should be a good photo.

The dining room looked very space-like with lights, decorations, and smoke - which we had put there; nothing was burning in the kitchen. And after tea, everyone had the chance to run around on the oval for the big game. Fortunately, the snow had all melted, so it was much dryer and safer than it might have been. I think the rubber ducks were rescued, but I'm not sure. I didn't get to watch the game as I was with some others getting a campfire going.

After the duck rescue, we were joined by a number of campers ready to sit by a fire, toast some marshmallows, talk a bit and even sing a bit once the guitars turned up. A nice place to sit for supper before going to bed.

It has been a long day, and sadly tomorrow we will say farewell to each other. But not before we have the chance to once again worship, listen to excellent preaching, and discuss what we have heard. I'll say more about that at the end of the day.

PYV East Camp 2016 - Day One

PYV used to have a Winter Camp. I don't remember it ever having snow.

It's very different to Summer Camp

But this year at East Camp we did! It was very cold today, and the snow on the ground when we arrived tells me it was colder here over the last few days. Will we get to see any fresh snow on Sunday? We'll have to wait and see.

Once we had everybody here, their bags in their rooms, and a chance to catch up with friends, we had our first worship session together. Once again we are blessed to have such excellent musicians helping us in our singing. A huge thanks to this team, and to the tech team who have to work really hard at the start of any camp to get things working.

Our first worship session at East Camp 2016

Rev Stephen Jones from Melton Presbyterian Church is our speaker for East Camp this year, and like the other regional camps in 2016, he is preaching from John's Gospel. Today we were reminded of how Jesus wasn't afraid to break the rules of culture to talk with someone, and rather than using this to motivate us to do the same, Stephen helped us to see that we are like the woman at  the well - we need Jesus. It was a good message.

Some afternoon tea lead into a time of activity, and with our theme being "Space Age", it was a classic battle of Aliens Vs Humans. I wasn't all together sure who won round one, but round two was to come later in the day.

Dinner was fantastic. The crew at Rawson Village know how to make a simple pasta meal be very satisfying to a large group of people on a cold night. Lots of happy faces in the dining room, and the volume of conversation suggested people were enjoying the chance to chat together too.

Study groups are always a key element to a PYV Camp. Here we give the campers an opportunity to sit together and talk through some questions based on the talk that has been given. Tonight the groups looked again at the account of the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus. You can find it in John 4 if you would like to follow along. One camper told me he enjoyed the discussion on 'worship in spirit and in truth', that we can have the truth - the form - of worship right yet still miss the spirit. I found it a helpful and relevant insight.

Outdoor fun in the afteroon

Then it was time for round two of Aliens Vs Humans. Campers chased each other, stole balloons, tagged others, and did all they could do defeat their enemy. I think the humans won, but I got a bit lost in it all. If you have a camper here, ask them when they get home. They might be able to tell you who won.

After some free time and supper it's time to go to bed. It isn't really very late, but it feels it. (Of course that might just be me, but everyone went to their dorms without complaining.)

Tomorrow will bring it's own delights. Will there be snow??

Book Review: Beyond the Screen

I am part of a group known as IASYM - International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry. It's an interesting group and I have enjoyed learning more about Youth Ministry from around the world - not just from the North American church. When this book popped up on the Facebook page, I was keen to know more. You see, earlier this year I did a workshop on Social Media at a youth camp. It was fun, and I learned some stuff, but I realised that there is a lot going on that I don't know anything about. And maybe most of it really is bad! So it's always good to read someone else's research on the topic.

And I'm so glad I did.

The full title of the book gives a clue to the writer's purpose:

Beyond the Screen. Youth ministry for the connected but alone generation.

Andrew Zirschky (Ph.D. Princeton Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Youth Ministry at Memphis Theological Seminary and serves as academic director at the Center for Youth Ministry Training in Brentwood, Tennessee. He has 20 years of youth ministry experience at churches in Idaho, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Tennessee.  (Taken from amazon.com) It's one thing to have 20 years experience. It is another thing to take that experience, put it together with good research and writing, and then to produce a book that is so important right now.

Challenging my view

In eleven chapters, Zirschky has helped to challenge my view of how and why teenagers seem so welded on to their phones and Facebook accounts - and now I have a much better appreciation of why they do. I may not fully comprehend it, but I think I get it. Zirschky has challenged me to see that they are not escaping from friendships, rather they are building friendships; they're not being anti-social, but they are being social in a vastly different way than I was as a teenager.

I know this book will disappoint some people. Those youth ministry teams who are looking for a way to make better use of their social media platforms will not find much guidance here on how to use a better font or a better colour. What you will find, if you take the time to read through it all, is a better reason to use social media at all - to build koinonia, communion; community at its deepest level.

Early in the book, Zirschky introduces some phrases that resonate with me. "Presence-in-absence" is a great phrase that simply describes what is happening for many teenagers - they are 'present' with their friends even though they are physically 'absent' (p14). This isn't a bad thing in a world full of transitory lives and relationships.

Another phrase that I really like is "Disrupting Face-Forward Ministry" (p23). What is 'face-forward ministry'? It's what most of us do every time we meet at church. We all sit down and face-forward. Which means you can be a part of a great group of people, and utterly disconnected from them at the same time. When teenagers are looking for authentic community, they should not be expected to find it staring at the back of someone's head. Nor will they look for it there if they know they can find community with a few taps on their phones.

Why are they always on their phones?

If you want to get your head around why teenagers are on the screens so much, read chapters 1-5. Here you will learn more about why they do this, and importantly you will also learn what they are NOT doing. Turns out our teenagers are doing better than many might first think. Chapter three is a gold mine of information and suggestions on 'why short messages mean more than you think'. Reading these chapters you will also learn about the incredible burden that is placed on teenagers by the society around them. And before you get all high & mighty and say 'they should just be themselves', remember what life was like when you were a teenager, and how much you wanted to fit-in with a crowd. That hasn't changed, but the resources available have. For good and for ill.

For me, there is a turning point in the book at chapter six, "Being Communion". I think this chapter can stand alone, and if you are looking for some good reading on the topic of Communion - Lord's Supper, you will do well to read this chapter. Here Zirschky takes the lead from the Apostle Paul and takes the reader to see Communion as far more than a wafer and a small cup to a shared experience of something deep and sacred - something that is to be treasured together. And the emphasis is on the word together. This chapter also gives a firm theological foundation to the rest of the book as he begins to unpack ways in which the whole church community, not just the teenagers, can begin to see the opportunities that lie before them together.

Confronted and crying

Reading this was a little confronting in many ways. Not the least of these was the realisation that lessons that I learned as a teenager still need to be heard today. This comment has much more context than I will give it here, but read it anyay:

 . . . and teenagers have a lingering fear that if they reveal their full and unfiltered selves, they will fail to attract an audience, fail to convene a network and, consequently, fail to be anybody at all. (p122)

I confess that as I read this paragraph, building on everything that had come before it, (particularly the story of Daisy, Kari & Savannah) I realised I was crying. What's that all about!?! Why am I crying while reading a book? I think the answer is twofold. One, I can't imagine what a burden this must be for teenagers to carry. Two, this means they are missing the message that God loves them completely, and that should mean they can reveal their full and unfiltered selves. Then I'm confronted with the fear that maybe they don't know that because I haven't been clear enough. Lord, forgive me.

This is a worthy and an important book. There are some things that aren't covered here, and maybe that's because Zirschky wasn't aiming to cover everything. In my tribe we are - or at least I am - battling with how to keep in touch with teenagers on social media in a way that is open and responsible. How can I quietly encourage a teenager in a way they most connect with? I have much more to think about on that one.

I expect that this book will not have the impact that it deserves simply because of the main theme - teenagers and screens. I expect that in the years ahead there will be new and different things for teenagers to deal with and other writes will address those. But the deeper issues that Zirschky builds on - the fact that teenagers are looking for deep relationships and use technology to accomplish that; the need and opportunity for true communion to embrace all ages together - these issues will always be relevant.

Get it. Read it. Share it. You won't be sorry you did.

Maybe snapchat is ok after all.

Ch. 7 Contributors to Vital Youth Ministry

(I know it's been a month since my last blog on chapter 6 of this book. Sorry for the large gap, but we had a chance to visit Chicago for a few weeks to see our son studying there, so we took that opportunity. So here's my thoughts on the final chapter of this important book. Brian.)

The authors here have suggested four contributors to vital youth ministry - Vision, Team, Church, and Special Events. They also make reference to Leadership and Relationships. So let's see what they have to say.

While leadership is important, and we who are leaders should be doing what we can to continue learning to lead, this is not the most vital character. If you've been involved with various groups long enough you will know this, because there are some groups that have what I would call terrible leadership, yet the group flourishes. Maybe it's just a different kind of leadership that works in that setting.

This statement on p43 is important, and one I would suggest you put on your wall somewhere.

The heart of youth ministry lies in relationships:

• youth with each other,
• youth leaders with youth,
• youth leaders with each other,
• youth leaders with parents, and
• youth with older people in the church. 

(A big comment from me here. I think the authors have missed the most essential of relationships -

youth with Jesus. All the other relationships listed are important, but if the youth do not have a relationship with Jesus then we are truly missing the point of ministry to youth.)

The Vision

This is a vision for the youth to be more than they are now. This means recognising that not all youth like the same things, want the same things, or are at the same level of spiritual development. How do you help the youth in your group to develop faith? How do you help those who do not like to read? And how do you help them to live out that faith?

Faith grows as it is applied.

The Team

I know that there are many churches where the thought of having a team working together on youth ministry seems to be the impossible dream. But even in these places there can be a team effort. That team might be made up of some who organise the group, some who cook, others who pray, and some others who drive.

If you are running a youth group on your own, good on you for being brave and willing to do so. But please, please, get some others around you. Even some of those old saints in your church might be willing to help in some way.

The Church

As you consider your church you may not be comforted by this next statement, but let it be a guide for you anyway.

. . . church culture makes a great difference to youth ministry in the long term. The culture also affects how easy it is for people to make the transition for youth group involvement to involvment in the wider church. p44

Some of you will know how important - and urgent - this issue is to me. We have segregated our church communities with the best intentions, but we have undermined our own health by doing so. Here is a sobering statement from the authors. "Most young people say they do now know the people in the wider church and are not known by them. Without those relationships, how does the church expect youth to become contributing members of their community?"

Do you have an answer?

Special Events

This was covered more in chapter six, so you can flick back to that blog post if you like. I acknowledge the tension that such a chapter brings, because inevitably many of these events will be youth only events. How does this work if we are trying to build relationships across the whole church community? Live in the paradox. Do both!

Conclusion

Youth ministry is difficult in Australia. Churches are under suspicion and even those who have grown up in a church community have no qualms in leaving. But youth ministry is also a terrific opportunity to help turn that around. You can help to change the lives of a generation - a generation that impacts the world around them right now.

Take up the challenge. It is a great one.


A Final Offer

If you've been reading my blog you know what I think about this book. But would you like a copy of your own? If you are part of the Presbyterian Church of Victora, send me a message and we will get you a copy of this book. But I need to know by the end of May 2016. This offer is open for the first ten people to respond. So be quick.

 

PYV West Camp 2016 - Day Four

The final day of a camp is always a day of mixed feelings. Leaving a camp and saying goodbye to everyone again is a sad thing. It's sad to leave, but it's good to be heading home after being away from my family for a few days.

We packed up before breakfast today, so it was a very early start for some. But there didn't seem to be much of a delay. That must mean we have a great group of campers and leaders who want to do what they can to help the workers at Norval get ready for the next group.

Emerald City - Winner are Grinners

At the start of our session today prizes were awarded to the winners of our own Olympics. Congratulations to Emerald City for working so well together in all kinds of competitions. Enjoy your prizes. And I want to acknowledge the terrific effort of my team - Isengard - even though we came last. But, as one member of the team commented, Isengard is supposed to lose in the end.


In our worship session we answered some questions that have been asked, we sang songs of praise, and we read from John 4. As Cam spoke about Jesus meeting this woman at the well in Samaria, we were encouraged and challenged as we considered how she reacted to meeting Jesus. If you don't know the story, can I encourage you to find a Bible, open it to John Chapter 4 and read this story for yourself.

Here's a paraphrase of something Cam said that stood out for me:

This woman has built an idol of relationships, but they have all walked away. It will be just the same with anything you allow to be an idol in your life - it will fade away and leave you empty.

Some of our study group

Our final study session looked at John 15 where Jesus uses the analogy of grape vines to describe our relationship with him, and the expected results of that relationship. I always love it when someone in a study group says something that makes sense and that I've never considered before. This happened today as we discussed the topic of 'fruit' and what this signifies.

Thank you.

After lunch we said "Thank You" to all those who have worked hard to make this camp as great as it has been. The Executive team under Chris have been amazing. But the greatest cheer was kept for those who have worked incredibly hard over four days - our cooks.

As one who can't cook (I'm serious there) it is amazing to me that there are people who can cook enough food for this many people and make it taste good as well. That they can also do this with a smile amazes me even more. Thank you ladies for your incredible work and service to PYV.

So, West Camp 2016 has come to an end. But reflecting on what has happened at the camp over the last few days reminds me that a camp is not normal life. It is great to meet together in this way for a little while, but we can't stay here. So everybody has gone now and returned to their homes and study and work.

But as Jesus is our Shepherd in the safety of these gatherings, he is also our shepherd when we go out. In Him we find our safety.