The class is for young adults, of which I am one, mainly between the post-college age and the "at-the-little-league-ball-field-every-night" station of life. Mostly it's to fill a gap, not age specific but lifestyle specific. Understand?
This is how the class came to be. Back about April, the College and Career class was going through some changes. I felt very burdened about separating the career types from the college students because of the obvious differences in their everyday lives. Graduating college and exploding into the work scene is potentially difficult, but it is most definitely spiritually challenging no matter how strong a person's relationship with God may be. It really is comparable to moving to the front lines of a battle. No amount of training and equipping the soldier can fully prepare someone for what is to come.
This is where I was when I fell. I was what I thought to be strong in my beliefs and convictions but it didn't take long for me to become enraptured with what we call "worldly things" and fall into the deceptions that are out there. I had heard all the typical sermons and lessons all my life but I never knew how sneaky and subtle those deceptions could be. So for a period of about eight years I lived a life typical of those I hung out with. No regard for God, reasoning out ways to justify my lifestyle and choices, and faking it pretty well when the situation called for it.
So I talked to Benji many times about my way of thinking and he was very supportive and agreeable. We talked about it for several months, actually, because, even though I felt burdened for this particular group of people, I had, exsqueeze me, have certain fears, concerns, and apprehensions. Not about the teaching part, that's what I love. Talking, discussing, challenging, communicating, or basically conversing about God in any way is awesome for me.
Anyway, I dodged surrendering to God about this for a while. He didn't let it go the way I had hoped (funny how He never does). So finally, the burden outweighed the fears, and, voila. New class.
The goals for this class are simple, I think.
1) Discipleship, but on a very real level. Focusing on and diligently pursuing and applying God's standards for our lives is the key to discerning and avoiding the traps and tricks of the world.
2) Accountability. As we are faced with new and unexpected choices to make in our everyday walks, we need like-minded loved ones to lean on and trust, and we need to be willing to be leaned on and trusted. There is no substitute for having those we walk with and worship with and pray with come along side of us in times of confusion and need.
3) and probably most importantly, to develop and cultivate a deep, passionate love for God and an understanding of why He desires for us to live according to His Word. There's nothing wrong with a sense of duty or obligation, but we need to serve and obey Him based on a very real and active love if we want to live a life that pleases Him.
On the less churchy-answer side, this will be a whole bunch of fun, too. My social function planning skills aren't too sharp but I'm sure they'll develop as needed.
So I ask that you all pray for this class, those who attend it, and especially right now for moi. I am totally inadequate for the job and I'm relying completely on God's grace to make it happen and to relieve my anxieties about it.
See ya Sunday. We'll be meeting in Room 206, with all the teddy bears and Cubbies paraphernalia. It's only temporary, I assure you.
