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Youth Doing Justice

The 4th and last focus I'm considering is our youth doing justice. I think of doing justice being under the umbrella of God's mission. God is on mission of restoring all creation into shalom, a Hebrew word that means completeness and wholeness in all areas of our lives-reconciliation and peace with God and with others, justice, flourishing, care, and love. As renewed people of God, we are to join Him in his mission with our vocation restored as God originally intended, sharing with God as his coworkers his wise and beneficial rule of the world.

And we need to encourage our youths to join God in his mission where they are at in their lives; in their own contexts of family, school, neighborhood, city, society, and the world, according to the unique gifts, personalities, wirings, passions, dreams, and interests God has given them.

I want to share this TED-talk video (most-viewed out of all TED-talk videos) about education and creativity by Sir Ken Robinson):

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. Sir Ken Robinson recently passed away last month. He was a British author, speaker and international advisor on education in the arts to government, non-profits, education and arts bodies.

 
How can we nurture creativity in our youths? How can we help them discover the unique calling that God has given each of them? I don't have a perfect answer, but I think we can start from believing ourselves first that they do have a unique calling on earth regardless of their imperfections. Then, we can communicate that fact to them and encourage them to try things.

Every single one of our youths has a unique part to play in this world; a part in bringing justice to our world, a part in restoring all aspects of human life and all creation, going to people whom only they can touch and reach out to and influence and love in the way they do because of who they are, including both their gifts and talents and their pain and suffering.

I want to empower our youths to join God in doing justice. And I know that's exactly what you have been doing their whole life. So I want to join you. With our support and encouragement and empowerment, they can initiate projects that bring justice in their families, schools, neighborhoods, and in the world. I hope we can empower them to start at least one such project this new year, and our youth ministry will officially support them with all the means we have.

I also hope to connect our youths with young adults and adults who would walk with them in their lives and match them according to their journey of life to be mentors and mentees as God leads them.

The key to success in this I believe is to pay attention; paying attention to our youths and paying attention to the Holy Spirit. God is already at work, so we need to open our eyes and hearts to see what He is doing in the world. And God's work includes his work in the lives of our youths. As we pay close attention to the whole person of our youths, we will be able to discern God's invitation to join Him in His work in our youths and in the world through them.

Please feel free to share to me about the many ways in which you're already joining God in doing justice and restoring all creation through your youths. And feel free to share your ideas and suggestions.

(Watch this YouTube video, "Innovative Community Service Ideas For Teens!", for one of million ways youths can join God's mission in the world)
Ministries
Youth Ministry