青少年团契郊游

Story of the Tree... Part 2

Story of the Tree... Part 1

Passing the torch... to the Next Generation

A good, enlightening reading for all... young and the not-so-young ones!

Adios!

Six torches - by John Townsend
One of the most important and fulfilling tasks of any adult is passing the torch to the next generation. We all have a responsibility to resource, equip, teach, and provide for those who are coming after us, and who are preparing to take our place. And they're coming! We are expected to do all we can to help ensure their survival, security, growth, and ultimately their own mission of advancing the Kingdom of God in their own way.

This is God's design, the way he has continued his work, his mission, and his people for many, many years. This is for our good and the good of the next generation. That is why the Bible teaches that when our children ask us why we follow the principles and values that we do, we are to explain to them that "... the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day." (Deuteronomy 6:24 NLT) It is a blessing, and is all for our betterment.

What, then, should we be careful to pass on to the next generation? There are six essential aspects of life:

Eternal values. We need to teach and model the realities of what is truly important in life. Our values are the architecture of what holds everything together. They are the timeless and eternal truths that are the foundation of all right living. If we are to pass on our values, we need to be clear about them with younger people. For example, we need to teach and model the reality of God and his grace, the salvation that comes through Jesus, the truth of the Word of God, the importance of a life surrendered to God, being loving in our relationships, being an honest person, living holy lives, and living in community. These are a few of the values that have existed since time began.

The spiritual nature of life. This next generation needs to know that all of reality and all of life is spiritual at the core. This is God's universe, whether we are dealing with marriage, dating, finances, careers, or our mission in life. We need to help those in line after us see that God has principles, answers, solutions, and guidance for every single area of life, so they will look to him and trust his ways.

The necessity of deep and abiding relationships. One of the best things we can bequeath to the next generation is how helpful, how rich, and how essential it is to have abiding and vulnerable personal relationships with one another. They need connections that transcend friendships and ones that go deep within to give each other safety, grace, acceptance, comfort, and truth - relationships in which we provoke each other to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24) I personally dream that this next generation would assume small groups are the norm for life, so they would naturally seek them out as a way to find the spiritual families they need to make it in life. What a great launching they would have!

The reality of mistakes, and the solution. One thing we don't need to pass on is our generation's perfectionism! Let's help the next group accept the truth about faults, weaknesses, and failures and not hide in shame, self-judgment, and condemnation. Instead, let's educate them on the power of the Cross and the way it is expressed in the Body. Teach them about confession, forgiveness, grief, restoration, healing, and moving on. This will help them deal with the baggage they will carry and learn to grow as imperfect people who have a living message of hope for a world that is lost.

Our belief in them. This next generation, as all generations, needs our blessing. They need to know we aren't holding on to power, territory, or authority. They need to know we believe in them and their potential to take God's love to the world. Support them, take initiative to help, mentor them, and guide them. Help them to not have to reinvent the wheel and to know that we are on their side.

No guarantees. Having said all this, there are no guarantees for any generation, and there is always risk involved when the torch is passed. So we also need to remember the warnings of history. We have seen what happens when this process goes awry: "After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel." (Judges 2:10) So be positive, but be sober-minded also. We have a responsibility to make sure they have what they need; they have a responsibility to respond. This mutual humility and love gives the world the greatest chance for the Church to continue and increase its impact.

More Old Photos

Hey my mum was so inspired by the Gardenia factory visit photo that she went to dig for some old photos. Uploading this one coz... IT HAS SO MANY PEOPLE!! EVEN BABY SI HUI!! This is so exciting!! Haha... will post more in due time...

Gan Xie Fu Mu

Ye He Hua Zhu Fu Man Man