Friday Links Roundup: Great Young People Edition

I love young people. For just under 9 years, I served as a youth minister, the last (nearly) 7 years in Haleyville, Alabama. One reason we were so glad to come to Lebanon Road is that, even though I’m not the youth minister, I can still be around the young people here and help at camp and in other areas.

Last night was the final Summer Youth Series in this area for 2010. Lebanon Road hosted one of these about 2 months ago, and last night I went over to the Mount Juliet church of Christ for the final one of the year. The announced attendance was 480, and there were, I would guess, less than 100 adults. The night was about 45 minutes of singing, and brief lesson.

As always, I was blown away by these young people. Their singing is beautiful, but more than the quality of singing is the quality of the young people. Each time I am around the young people in this area (and in other areas when I travel), I am amazed. If you are worried about the future of the Church, please attend some of these events. You’ll be reassured by these great young people!

On to the links for this week…

1. Maybe the biggest news story of the week was a Federal Judge overturning Proposition 8 in the state of California, allowing gay marriages to begin again in that state (after appeals). I read a lot on this ruling this week, but no one handled the news more directly and Biblically than Albert Mohler. Please take the time to read his article “A Gavel Falls on Marriage.” Preachers, if you plan on preaching on homosexuality in the near future, this is a must read.

2. We don’t usually post one part of a series, but Neal Richey’s introduction to a series on stewardship is worth your time. His brief word study near the end of the article is worth a look, for sure. Enjoy “Stewardship: Learning to Balance the Domestic Budget.”

3. Still think money will buy you happiness? Please read and re-read this post from Bible Money Matters. It is a true story with some great applications. Parents, you’ll find this helpful as you try to teach your children about contentment. Here is the post:  “Wealthy Heiress’s Empty Mansions Attest to How Material Things Can’t Buy Happiness.”

4. I love reading articles about prayer. This one is very short, but has a wonderful outline. Preachers, please take this outline and “run” with it! Desiring God’s blog shares with us “Praying the 6 D’s.”

5. All this week, John Dobbs has been posting about Momentum. His post entitled “What’s Stopping Your Momentum?” is wonderful. If you think suffering isn’t part of our growth and maturity, please take the time to read what he has to say!

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We hope you have a wonderful weekend! Many young people are headed back to school, and we hope they know that they are often in our thoughts and prayers.

On the Lord’s Day, be with God’s people–as my friend Andy likes to say–with a Bible in your hand and a friend by your side!