There's nothing like catching up with old mates.

Today I shared some Macca's (Australian for McDonalds) with a great mate of mine. Just to set up the stage for you a bit, I have known this guy for over 11 years and we've pretty much grown up in the church, and in particular, in youth ministry together. When I was hurled in to a youth pastor's position at the ripe age of 18 this mate was my right hand man, an awesome prayer warrior and a guy who has great insight into the things of God. We have shared many awesome experiences together and have also shared some not-so-awesome experiences together and its always good to sit around and 'muse' over what has been and what we feel God is trying to do in life today.

We got to talking today just about life in general, as you do, you know the spill, how's life, wife and work. And of course there's always the weather! Soon enough we found ourselves discussing issues of youth group and in particular, issues the youth we know are now facing.

It amazes me to this day, where some youth are heading. I remember sitting in a class one day at Patten University, and listening to my prof Dr. Gregg Moder, we were talking about the Immanence vs. Transcendence of God, and in particular how this, seemingly polar attributes of God come together in perfect unity, whereby we have the love and grace of God as well as his high demands for Holiness and perfection. Black and White coming together not to make a distorted gray shade of God, but more like a perfect checkerboard which is perfect and complete.

Where has this led to nowadays? I've been saddened of late by hearing of some of the young people from some of the more renowned churches in the area, talking of how they were out at the clubs and how they were dancing and/or drinking, and how the very next day they are at church and are in either a worship team or some sort of leadership role. Where are we at? Have we cheapened the grace of God?

Now don't get me wrong, I had the most awesomest (yes that is now a word "awesomest"!) experience of my life whilst ministering and leading worship at Providence Christian Church aka the Hot Dog Church. At one stage, we had a team member struggling to kick a drug addiction, another struggling with mental health problems and still others struggling with alcohol and the like. However, once they were in the presence of God, I truly believe change was happening from the inside out. They were dealing with some pretty tough stuff that was, in some cases, beyond their control. Here it was the grace of God being ministered to them as they ministered to the people of God.

No. What I refer to is those people who even though they have the means and the capacity to choose righteousness, still choose to walk in the ways of the world, and then try to justify this by saying things like, "I'm not doing anything wrong." or "God knows my heart." When they knowingly go out and act as though God is OK with what we are doing. This is taking the black and white things of God and meshing them into a compromising gray.

As a great man once said, "God is calling His church to be an alternative within society not an alternative to society." If we live our lives in the latter we are caught compromising the things of God. However, if we live our lives in the former, an alternative within society, we are caught bringing the unchanging truths of God to an ever changing culture (to steal The Salt Mine's motto!) My prayer is for youth ministers who are constantly in the thick of things, tackling the front lines, many times unnoticed, who have to minister in the breach constantly seeking to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and the fathers to the children.