​Graduation – what does Graduation mean? Finishing one journey and beginning another. This week thousands of high school students graduated from their various schools; each one has a unique life. Each represents many experiences, yet the day they graduate they are united as the Class of 2021; they deserve our recognition and our congratulations. Suppose each of us, as these high school graduates are doing, look back at our past 4 years – what can we celebrate, what would we like to forget, what do we want to be remembered for? And as we look ahead for the next 4 years, what do we want to accomplish, where do we want to be, what kind of person do we want to personify?  When we think about a legacy, we sometimes think only about the one we leave when we die, however we leave a legacy wherever we go, as these students have left in the halls of high school.
 Each of us makes many choices every day including what we do with our free time, the type of music we listen to, what we read, the people we choose to communicate with, the words we use and the people we hug. As students get closer to adulthood there is an increased amount of choices they can make: where they live, what job they choose, pursuit of continuing education, who they spend  time with and what kind of character they want to have. One of the best quotes I have ever heard is: “It’s never too late to start doing right.” Another familiar quote is “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” These two quotes recognize the fact that today is most important; yesterday is gone and whatever happened in the past can affect our present but doesn’t have to control our future. Be thankful God has given you another day and ask Him to lead you; then after you ask, listen for His direction, then follow through for He has the best plan for you. As Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
May we all have the excitement of these seniors, the hope for the future, the zeal to work for what we believe in, as if “we can change the world”; recognizing the change the world needs is to follow Jesus.  Let us keep on learning, to “get wisdom”, as instructed in the book of Proverbs. Let us “study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”, as directed in II Timothy 2:15. Learning is a lifelong goal even though we may change our way of learning, our place of learning and our learning focus.
Rejoice with these graduates, reflect on their journey and your own, and refocus where you need to as you make this day, and your legacy, one that honors the Lord.
Blessings,
Jeri
 

Giving youth a chance to get away from “the world” and go to Summer Camp or a Retreat, is worth every penny and every effort. Any age can benefit from changing up the routine and taking a break, or a “Retreat”. One definition (from Wikipidea) is “a definite time away from one’s normal life for the purpose of reconnecting with God.” Jesus gave us an example when He was in the desert for forty days, according to the biblical accounts in Matthew and Luke. The main difference in our typical Youth Retreat and Youth Camp is the length of time; retreats are usually for a weekend and Camp is a week. We have found that the longer the “retreat”, the more that Youth are able to disconnect from distractions and able to focus on God. Even those students who are reluctant at first to attend, find themselves asking for a longer time at Camp. As we are approaching summer and signups for Camp are upon us, I wanted to encourage EVERYONE to encourage every Middle & High School student to attend Camp.
An added bonus of Camp is when a group attends together. As a Coach of a team will plan intense time together to learn skills, and to bond together as a team, a Youth Group attending Camp together is important. They are, as any other team, intentionally focusing on areas needed to improve the overall outcome. Christian youth are a team, and those in youth group together can learn how to encourage each other so that when they return to “normal” schedule, they have this strong bond with one another. When a group has intentional time with each other and interacts over an extended time, they have experiences which bonds them. When these activities are spiritually focused, the bond is even stronger.
The lasting effects include more confidence, caring and comradeship. Teens have a strong desire to feel they are a part of something; they need a positive influence group. This group identity helps them realize their potential and a personal relationship with Jesus solidifies their identity, as well as finding security in knowing purpose in their life. All teens want to know their purpose in life and when they know this, it gives them the reason to make good choices. They can also treat others with respect because they respect themselves. Focusing on their spiritual condition grounds them in something bigger than themselves and being with a group of people they know continues to encourage them. They can feel secure and know they are not the only ones pursuing and growing in spiritual matters; and anytime we increase our focus in an area, it compounds the meaning.
Although the Youth Camp experience is a huge commitment, you can be assured it comes with many BLESSINGS that are not only for the days they attend but for a long time afterward. The memories and experiences bonds them with others and deepens their relationship with Jesus. This works together to profoundly impact their future. A sports camp has benefits for that sport, and usually for the team as well, but cannot match the inward growth of a spiritual camp experience. Being in youth ministry for almost 35 years, I know this in my own children, and in many, many students who have attended. Camp always provides inspiration, tools for continued growth, and increased connections in the youth group.
If any student needs funds or a scholarship to attend, I am willing to personally assist, and/or find funds to send a teen to a Christian summer camp.  We appreciate other organizations who also provide funding to those in need; a partnership between Camp Eagle and Straight Street allows students to attend a week in the summer for free. Straight Street also has a partnership with the Prison Fellowship Angel Tree ministry and Camps across the United States to send those with an incarcerated parent to camp for free.  It is one of their three main goals because they also realize the great importance.
BLESSINGS, JERI  (and feel free to contact me for Camp information… jeri@straightstreet.org)

  Prayer – Not just for Adults! The National Day of Prayer, instituted in 1952, falls on the first Thursday of May. This is a day when we see many leaders and adults scheduling a time to have corporate prayer for our Country. What about those impromptu times? Many times over our years of ministry it has been Teens who have initiated a time of prayer. One of those examples was while we were in Ashland, KY, going on an 18 mile bike trip with the students. One of those participating lived in another state and was visiting her grandmother; she was unfamiliar with the surroundings and as she was attempting to ride faster and catch up with the lead group, she missed a turn. When we all arrived at the halfway point, she could not be found. As my husband, the youth pastor, was panicking, one of our students said “Let’s pray!” As he recounts the story, he did not want to say no, but he was thinking..” we don’t have time to pray”. After this student and others prayed, calm returned and within minutes she called from a convenience store to tell us where she was (of course this was before cell phones). We have also experienced wonderful prayer times throughout ministry, during student camps and more. Calling out to God Almighty puts us in the right focus and humbles us as we remember Who we are praying to.  We can ask ourselves these other common questions, besides Who we are praying to:
   What do we pray for? We care about the needs of others and ourselves; we think about the internal and external needs. We pray about emotional, social, physical, mental, psychological, and medical concerns. We pray for the next momentary decision as well as our future.
   Where do we pray? We pray in our beds, at the table, in our cars, at school, at work and even at ball games. Since God is omnipresent, He is everywhere. He knows where we are and He knows what is happening around us. He is always available, ever present, ever caring.
   When do we pray? We can pray anytime; God is never too busy or too tired or too discouraged or too overwhelmed to hear us. He invites us into His presence and awaits our calling on Him. We pray when we wake up, when we go through our day, when we have overwhelming circumstances, when we face obstacles, when we are discouraged, and when we are content. I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray continually.” Be ever mindful of God and His desire to hear from us.
   How do we pray? We can speak from the heart, we can repeat words from others, we can sing our prayer or we can let the Holy Spirit make intercession for us, sometimes by groaning instead of words (Romans 8:26-27).We can follow the Model Prayer given by Jesus in Matthew 6:5-15. We can read prayers written by those who have gone before us and we can express total honesty.
   We can also use a great acrostic: ACTS: A=Adoration; as we recount the wonderful attributes and character of God we realize He does have our best interests in mind and can lead us on a straight path and give us abundant life. C=Confession; it is imperative that we have a right relationship with God therefore we confess our sins and ask Him to forgive us and lead us. T=Thanksgiving; concentrating on the many ways God has blessed us and provided for us, through material and nontangible things, refocuses our prayer direction. S=Supplication; now we are ready to ask God for our needs, for others needs as well; we have realized that it is not necessarily the material things but the heart we are to be concerned with.
   Jesus found time for prayer even though He was part of the triune God. On several occasions, as reported in the Bible, He retreated away from others to spend time in prayer, communing with God. In our loud and busy world, it is necessary to be intentional with taking a retreat – putting aside the list of duties and responsibilities and even catching up on the news or social media posts- in order to focus on our relationship with God. This time for “retreat” can be any amount of time, any time of day and any place. Writers have suggested having a regular time of day, however there are many people who are unable to follow through with the same time; the most important part is to make the time. Your personal relationship with God is of the utmost importance and permeates every part of your life.
   Encouraging others to pray – the Teen Girls we know, live with or work with, need to know this is a beneficial and foundational part of their Christian life. Pray with them and for them. Prompt them to share their needs and concerns, deepening your relationships as you hear what is on their minds. Let them know your prayers and when the answers come. All prayers are answered by Yes, No, or Wait. When others share their prayers it is encouraging as we honestly share the concerns we have. We pray for small things because God cares about every aspect of our life including the numbers of hair on our head. We pray for large things because we know God owns all and is over all.
    “A Girls Guide to Prayer” is a devotional/educational book written for Girls to learn more about Prayer, including places to interact by writing and filling in the blanks. The author, Elizabeth George, states: “As you read, you’ll discover this book is packed with information that will show you how to know more about God and how to talk to Him about all the good and not-so-good things that are going on in your life.”  There are 10 chapters in this 121 page paperback book and it is available at christianbook.com for $2.99 I will be going through this book with the Straight Street girls this summer and am looking forward to us all increasing our prayer life!
  Personal note re: making the most of your time through praying. When I was working overnights on weekends, I would pray for God to double my naptime on Sundays so that I wouldn’t have to miss church. He answered my prayers and did give me the feeling of enough rest for the day so that I could stay awake all of Sunday night while working! Give God your time and He will increase your time!!
  Blessings,
  Jeri