A note from Bre
Youth Pastor Where is your iden
@ Oakwood
tify coming from
?
nt Isbill
Baptist Churc
h, New Brau
nfels
In a day and age would think that where the church has to work extr Unfortunately, th the Church would be the one plac emely hard to reach teenagers fo have had a parentis is not always the case. As a stude teenagers would find acceptan r Christ, one mistreated or bu tell me their child has no desire ent pastor I can’t tell you how mce and love. speak to its studenllied by other students. In fact, ju to be involved in student ministr any times I st this month I w y ts about the issue as invited by area due to being of bullying. school to So why is bullyin more insecure th g such an issue for teenagers? I be work and with 50an they are today. With all the pr lieve it is because students have struggling with th% of them coming from broken essures teenagers today from schonever been takes” and, every eir identity. At the core, every yofamilies, it is no wonder so many ol, athletics, these students th young lady wants to know “Am I ung man he wants to know “Do of them are ents so they begi ey are not getting the answers th Beautiful or Lovely”. Unfortuna I have what it powerful is througn turning to all the wrong places. ey are searching for from the Lordtely, for many of game. Well, wha h bulling or mistreating others One way many students try to fe or their parstarts out as a ga t takes place in the game is very re. Have you ever played Jenga? Th el important or (which would be me and quickly turns into a battle flective of what often takes plac e building block take sides until evjust like picking on the easy targ . Players immediately go after the in bulling. It comes crashing doentually everyone cheers as one et in school). As things progress e easy pieces Therefore, they of wn. Bullies want to “win” beca person makes the wrong move anpeople begin to quest for power orten target students who are diff use they are insecure and want to d everything eren fe importance is ne ver satisfied. So t and exploit those differences. el important. th Yet their e cycle of bulling co So how do we atta ntinues. ck th is is su e of to tolerate studen bullying? We do say then over tim ts being pranked or bullied in ouit by making it very clear that we are blown off by e students will know that we are r ministries. If we follow throug are not going one accountable saying things like “boys will be boserious about this matter. Far to h with what we communicate thefor their actions. It is also our re ys”. This is unacceptable and it o often pranks our souls. If thes truth that Christ is the only one sponsibility to do everything in ouis holding no “Do I have what e young men we are leading are who has the ability to satisfy the r power to the young ladies it takes” they are setting themselvlooking to anyone else besides Ch crying out of municate they ar God has entrusted us with. The ones up for disaster. The same can rist to answer and in our convere “Beautiful and Lovely” is the Lo ly one who is going to be able tobe said about know all the othe sations we need to be focusing onrd. So in our programming, in ou truly comgoing to satisfy. r substitutes in life they are seek this truth with students. Stud r preaching, how important itWe also have a responsibility to coing validation from, especially buents need to “Have What it Ta is for them to communicate with me along side parents and help llying, is never we have to help oukes” and their daughters are “Bea both their words and actions th them realize environments whe r students find their identity an utiful and Lovely.” What a wondeat their sons d rf re they can grow closer to Him andself worth in the Lord, and help prul calling ovide safe each other. 21
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