TEENWEEK

For most of my 64 years I have been involved in TEENWEEK.  TEENWEEK is a several days long activity for--as the name would imply--teens.  They do all kinds of fun things like, play games, hang out with friends, slide on water-slides, get into a mud-pit, etc. etc.  Here are a couple of videos that shows some of what is going on at this week's TEENWEEK:  here and here. TEENWEEK is the largest assembly of young people between school terms here in our little Mountain community. I feel a bit like a parent watching a grown-up child succeed.  I didn't really startTEENWEEK.  What I did was shamelessly copy TEENWEEKs that others held in other places.  My brother-in-law, a youth pastor, ran a very effective program.  My boys profited greatly from attending it.  They would come home and tell me about stuff Uncle Van was doing, and I'd incorporate it into our program.  I am very pleased that this hyped-up Vacation Bible School for teens is still an effective ministry. Several years ago I got out of the TEENWEEK business.  A group of energetic adults from the sponsoring churches took over and have taken the program beyond what it ever could have been with me running it. One really, really, exiting feature of this week's TEENWEEK actually began last week.  A young man, a TEENWEEK graduate, and his wife decided it would be a great idea to get a group of high-schoolers together for Bible study and prayer in anticipation of this week's big event.  I was privileged to meet with them one evening. Wow! One of the things they decided to do is to meet early every evening, at the venue where that night's TEENWEEK activities will take place, and pray.  These are like my TEENWEEK great grandkids.  The young man I mentioned, his dad came to know the Lord as a result of TEENWEEK.  You know how we grandparents are when it comes to bragging about their grandkids and great-grandchildren.  Let me simply say, "Lead on, kids."  Here are some young people who have come to realize the truth articulated to, and through, the Old Testament prophet:  "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts."  (Zechariah 4:6) Kewl! It's STTA: