America's Youth in Crisis
Recently I was giving a word picture of what I felt was some of the issues influencing America's youth. I described a huge tree trunk that was actually made up of several smaller vine like trees wrapping around each other. As each growth fed off the other, they developed a strong and almost impregnable organism. However we serve a God who is able to make the crooked places straight. The Psalmist said in 37:35 (KJV) "I have seen the wicked man spreading himself out like a great green bay tree. Like this overgrowth of vine like trees, one feeding off of the other, so are the multifaceted issues affecting our youth today. Yet if we are willing God is able!
In the next several articles I plan to write about each of these topics plaguing our youth. Together, let's not just arm chair quarterback the bad calls, the dropped balls and the incomplete passes. Instead let's rise up to the urgent challenge with some practical, doable, community changing ideas, to protect our kids and to equip them to help build a better America.
Fatherless America, overburdened single moms, the negative influences of Hollywood, the desensitizing of the teenage brain by the gaming industry, television, and bullying are but a few of the vines entangling our youth. There has been over three decades of secular humanism indoctrination in our textbooks infiltrating young minds with self focused living, anti-Christian propaganda, and a censorship of true Christian American patriotic heroes. Add to those moral failures in prominent leaders including even church leaders. Youth are surrounded by corruption in government, law enforcement, health care, college leadership, in brief a world in chaos. What you end up with is what we have: a generation of young people who wake up everyday in fear and go to school with the giant question mark over their heads; "Will I be OK"?
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So each of the next several articles I write will address some of these issues. The overlying goal for every Bible believing Christian in this country must be; "How can I help lead every single teenager in this country to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ?" Every night it is likely that as you drift off to sleep you pray: "Jesus, I love you and I am so grateful I know you. Please keep us safe tonight in this house. Please watch over all our family and loved ones and give us a peaceful sleep. Amen."
I want you to realize that millions of teenagers go to bed every night in this country not having a clue that there is a father God who will protect them. They trust no one. A huge majority does not have their Dad living with them any more. A vast number will go to bed unsupervised, as Mom is still at work trying to earn enough to pay the bills. Can you imagine for a minute what a huge blessing it would be for them if they could just find out about a God who loves them and will protect them? If the five locks on their door could no longer be their only protection from harm? Can you imagine what it would be like if they could read their Bibles and learn to claim the promises of for instance the ninety-first Psalms?
When I asked one my youth groups once how many of them were living in a divorced home, I was sadly surprised when over half of them shot up their hands. By far most of those teens were living with Mom with visits to Dad once in a while. In divorced homes where there are visitation rights there are very often confusing differences in belief systems. Mom and Dad in these situations often have very different views on what' s right and wrong.
After having already spent many years in youth ministry I started working for a special education program here in New York State. It was enough years ago now that I can talk about it without confidentiality laws being violated. Classes had six students with a teacher and a full time aide. Each morning classes would start the day with a group session. Students were encouraged to talk about their time at home since the school day before. Normal evenings for these kids involved fights, yelling, arguing and the police being called. Most of the students were sexually active by the time they were in Middle School. A high percentage had been abused. They usually had to make their own dinner. Dinner if they had any, was often out of a can or box. Fortunately, the school had a breakfast program, so most of them ate when they arrived in the morning. I guarantee you that if the average Sunday morning church could sit in on one of these meetings it could ignite a revival of concern about youth.
Sixty three percent of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. This is 5 times the national average of suicides where Dads were still in the home. Ninety percent of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. This is 32 times the average. Eighty five percent of children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes, 20 times the average. Eighty percent of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes, which are 14 times the average, and 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes, 9 times the average. https://thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress.com/statistics/
The Men's Ministry in our church in two weeks are doing an adopt a child for a day program and taking a group of fatherless kids to a Minor League baseball game. I realize how these things can have lasting results as I still have men now in their 40's calling me because I sort of adopted them when they were teens and showed them Christ's love. Volunteer as a Dad today! You can make a powerful difference in a young persons life. Become God's answer to a prayer!
