The Boy Believer's Prayer Posse

Hello, and welcome to the grand re-launch!

I have so much I want to share and discuss, but sadly, I can only work through one thought at a time, or history tells me I end up with a story that seems similar to the combination of the script for an M. Night Shyamalan movie and a Dr. Seuss book.

But I digress, just this past Thursday I was at a local...mission...for lack of a better word, a ministry, called SwingInfusion. This is a place which has the purpose of providing a pressure-free, wholesome environment for teens, which is open to young adults and even adults, through swing-dancing. The group started small, but now there are clubs in 7 towns and cities (some of them more than one) and there have been offshoots in other states. 

I still go to SwingInfusion in three of those locations, three times a week, if at all possible. For me it is a great environment for Christian Fellowship and making wholesome friends, and its also fun exercise. I really picked it up quickly and the instructors are amazing, I really recommend it. For more information, shoot me an email at hopelovesliberty@outlook.com. This environment is the one in which I found my boyfriend. I had rarely made it past a couple dates before, deep down I knew I couldn't build a lasting relationship with someone who didn't share my most deep-seated beliefs and morals. Mac and I will have been together a year in November. And that is because we share a faith in a God who wants the best for us. 

So my point is that this ministry is a gathering place for truly amazing people... remarkable, god-filled people opening their arms to believer and unbeliever alike, creating an environment that shines out God's love and has been the staging point for all kinds of great evangelism.

But like any ministry it has its fits and starts, and there's a constant effort to ensure the ministry focuses on its main mission. One of the locations had a influx of less desirable behaviorisms for a short period of time, which was rectified through the careful planning of the leader of that club (an impressive piece of work if I may say). 

So all this rambling is to lead up to a single point. I went to swing this past Thursday. About an hour in, I saw a group of young men standing in a circle. I thought it looked like a prayer circle. Unfortunately, my optimistic thoughts quickly turned sour. So used to any cluster of young men in the city where I attended school being a group lighting up something to smoke or something equally unfortunate. I turned to Mac, hopefully, "It would be really cool if that was a prayer group."

Mac and I keep walking, and we're headed back to my car, which is past the group of young men. As we get closer, I begin to hear murmuring, and Mac says "I think it IS a prayer group." When we get along side the young men, I find myself incredibly impressed, it was in fact, a prayer group. There were maybe 8 young men who looked to be between 15 and 20, gathered in a circle on a Thursday night, praying over one of their friends. 

Now, on one hand, in an ideal world this shouldn't be so shocking. I wish that every single human being was on fire for Christ. But in reality, this is not the case. In fact, sometimes Christians aren't so much on fire, but lukewarm, which the Bible warns us about. Revelation 3:15-16 says “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of My mouth."(NKJV) A wise man told me just this saturday that if you set yourself on fire, people will come to watch you burn. 

The sad truth is, that many of the teens and young adults from my generation are more focused on appearances and the things of this world than on God and the things eternal. " In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world," John 16:33b (NIV)

But these young men had seen the solution for their friend's problem, not in the things of this earth, but in the things eternal. Matthew 6:20-21 says "But store up your treasures in heaven.....For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." I personally believe this refers to where you put your focus, your time, your energy. These young men knew that prayer would have the greatest impact on their friend, that prayer would bring their friend hope and peace, and if it was God's will, whatever they were asking for.

1 Timothy 4:12 (ISV) is a verse often used. You probably know it. It says "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity." We all most likely know this verse by heart, but in reality, many believers do look down on the faith of the young, and many youth, instead of rising to the challenge, live simply to the meager expectations placed on them, rather than living up to a high standard. To God's standard.

While those in authority in the church do have a responsibility, in my opinion, to listen to God's voice if He calls them to allow a young person in a position of authority, the main responsibility in this verse is for a young person to set such a high standard that it is clear that they are an example for ALL believers. I believe stepping out of a fun event on a Thursday night to pray for your friend does just that.