Sweets & Treat Hallway Decorating, Night One: Tuesday

Tonight was the first in a series of 3 decorating nights to prepare our church hallways for the eager kiddies who will descend upon the campus hungry for candy and adventure next Wednesday, October 31. This is the first year (that I can remember, anyway), that we're going to have the Junior High youth participate in serving as a group for Sweets & Treats night, so I was very happy to be greeted by 3 Junior Highers upon my arrival to the campus this evening.

Isn't it so good to be together as a family? As Jessie and I have sought the Lord for direction for The Nation these past two years, we have shared a common heart/desire for blending the generations of people who call this place home. While it's important (and fun) for the youth to have their "own thing," it's also key that they see their part in the larger family we call The Coastlands. They want (need) to know that they are known, valued and loved; their hearts' desire is to belong (even if they sometimes don't act like it!). Tonight provided me many moments of gratefulness to the Lord as I saw a fulfillment of this.

The two girls, one boy, and I joined one of the clusters for their outer space-themed decorating adventure upstairs. This particular cluster is home to broad range of ages. It was so fun for me to connect the Junior High girls with a young adult woman who was a perfect fit for them; together, they decorated the rocket(!) that is the centerpiece for the spaced out hallway. The Junior High boy immediately connected with some of the young adult guys who were there; he helped with a variety of interstellar decorating activities. All of this took place in the midst of a beautiful blend of ages, personalities and giftings.

Not only was tonight fun, it also added to each youth (and adult!) a sense of belonging and purpose. It doesn't take rocket science (forgive the pun) to figure out how to impact the life of a (young) person; it's also not the easiest thing to do, either! Still, tonight was pretty simple: invite 'em in and give them ownership in something bigger than they are. That speaks volumes about their significance and will carry them a lot further and sustain them longer than the newest Ipod or Xbox.