Establishing a New Record the Insane Way

I am on the threshold of insanity this morning! Whatever possessed me to say yes???! I am about to potentially commit emotional suicide… maybe even worse than that! This is plain nuts!

After 34 years of successful ministry as a Pastor and whatever else I did along the way… I am about to enter the Ministry again. After 15 full months of retirement from full time ministry I am about to set a new record to top it all off! I am going back at it again… this time as a volunteer!

Hang on… are you ready for this… I am going back as a “Youth Pastor” – NO KIDDING. I will take up the challenge to work with young teens – with the average age around 14 years old!

When I completed the Phase of Youth Pastor at the age of 51 I thought that part of my life was over. I had established a RECORD with no one else every having done this kind of ministry at that age! When I left it there were No more “all-nighters” – no more Teen insanity that was so much fun.

I had “graduated” to working with older, more mature Christians… simply put – Old People – that are sometimes cranky and bossy – not nearly so much fun to be with as the Teens were.

Now at 65 years of age I will enter a new world of teenagers – and begin to try to understand them – all over again.

The fact of the matter is – whatever I did with the Teens before is now completely different as they are now different from the Teens of yesterday. Yet much is still the same… it is just the language that is different and some of the sub culture.

I entered the Hong Kong culture in 1980. I learned their language and many of their cultural norms of that day. That phase lasted for 5 years. I thought I knew it well – the culture that is.

In 1988 we returned to that part of the world again. The colony was preparing for its return/annexation/repatriation to China. Things had changed in 8 years time. The buildings were taller and many, many more modern buildings had replaced the old ones. Chinese young people were all beginning to study the Mandarin language – until today almost everyone speaks the newer “common” language of the Mother Land.

Things changed for this small country. It grew up after 100 years of being in Britain’s control and it was moving on in the World.

Hong Kong for me is a lot like a Teenager. We once knew them with their cultural norms of that age… but now they are taking on new languages and norms that we do not understand. They are becoming part of new emerging culture that we, as adults, have little clue about – or perhaps fear and even distrust deeply.

Back in Hong Kong – prior to 1980 – all the people that we worked with had escaped the horrors of the Communist take over to China… Hong Kong had become a refuge for all of them. Children born into the colony knew nothing of what their parents had known – murder, rape and personal loss.

Now the older people were watching the hated “Mother Land” swallow up the old culture and language that they knew… and the NEW was taking over all that they had cherished. They were losing their Young People.

A Teen…
Between the ages of 13 and 16 – today’s Teen – is in a new discovery mode. They are finding a whole new world that is waiting for them. They are discovering their physical abilities, team sports, relationships, and the opposite sex. That is pretty much what happened to their parents as well.

BUT – and it is a BIG BUT – the parents never had it happen at a such a “Gimongous Speed” – That is Gigantic and Humongous together meaning really big and fast.

Utter dependence upon E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Text Messaging, onboard Music, Gaming, and whatever is coming down the pipe at the speed of light is the norm for a teenager today. All of the above things didn’t exist when they were born… in fact for an average 14 year old – other than the Music and E-mail – all of it was developed in the last three years of their lives. Adults don’t even know about any of these because they were not invented four years ago. Today you, as a Teen, cannot survive without them.

And most Teens are introducing their much older parents to this new world of Social Networking…

And I am a Grandpa… that is about to take on the challenge three hours from now – to begin relating to them… and their world.

Hokey Mokey! How will I do it?

Well this Grandpa has a trick or two up his sleeve. Today we are going to catch a vision of Moses and God and the silly people that Moses lead out of Egypt. How can you make it interesting to Teens?

Well for one you “Blind Fold” them, sit them in the Van and then drive them somewhere that they may or may not know. They will be listening to the Garmin GPS unit that I have now installed in my Van… where it tells you to proceed 250 metres and then turn right on to Chemong…and so on… The seven or so Satellites far above their heads will be referencing what is happening inside the computer in my Garmin… telling us exactly what to do next.

To make it more confusing for the Teens.. the Garmin speaks English, the American kind, or Australian kind, or the British kind, also French (three kinds), Chinese (2 kinds), and about another 20 plus World language groups… By switching the directions in different languages as we go along – and they are blind folded… with several stops along the way… they will get a feeling of what Moses felt as he lead the People of Israel out of Egypt.

Crazy? Silly old grandpa…? Nope! I am cool and understand most of what they use or will use. I am just one step ahead of where they are… puffing a little to keep there – but still ahead…

Today a Teen can purchase a GPS Unit that is hand held… with an ear piece… it tells you exactly where to ride your bicycle – or walk to on any street in North America – including every alley way… every side street… every where… and also every trail and back country possible pathway that might exist… and when they step off the pathway heading just over the ridge… it catches them and tells them to turn left or right and how many miles or kilometers they should walk to get to safety.

Their Blind Friends have been using these GPS Units for more than 5 years now.

Who needs a map or a compass… it is all on your GPS Unit…or your Cell phone… or iPod…

In three hours from now I will be entering a brand new world… I couldn’t be more excited now than if I was going to Hong Kong again… or Africa… or Indonesia… or….

~ Murray Lincoln ~
www.murraylincoln.com