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Why Young People Are Leaving The Church

April 27, 2021 by Curtis King

Every few years I find myself writing about this subject. It is one that I care about very deeply, and with each year of ministry experience that I gain the more I learn about the realities of young people leaving the church. This is a problem that is not secluded to one denomination of Christianity or to a small group of churches. It is widespread, in fact, it is an incredibly well organized attack by Satan on the church. Let me share with you three reasons why our young people are leaving the church and what we can do about it:

They Do Not See Authenticity In The Adults Around Them

I believe this is the biggest reason why young people leave the church. If I were to be honest in my own self-evaluation, this may be the biggest contributor to why I am still in the church. My parents are the godliest people that I know. In addition to that, my dad has been my pastor for most of my life. My parents modeled what they taught and they did not act one way on Sunday in front of the crowd and a different way the rest of the week.

Sadly, however, many Christian children and teens do not have the same life experience that I have. Too often do we, as adults, put on our Sunday faces to impress everyone but then the rest of the week we act a very different way.

There are a lot of problems to us doing this, but one of the big problems with it is that we then allow our young people to associate the words “fake” and “church” with each other. It is not a stretch to say “The faith of Christianity is fake” after saying “the people at church are fake”.

What exasperates this problem even more is when “godly” people who preach righteousness to other people end up falling into sin themselves.

We must be so wary of how we behave ourselves! More importantly, we must be wary of our heart. Young people are looking for authenticity more than anything else, they are looking for something that is real. They are not looking for perfection, but they are looking for you to acknowledge that you are not perfect.

We will keep losing our young people as long as church is a display of our own righteousness and as long as we are not being real with our young people about our imperfections.

They Are Taught “Faith” With No “Facts”

It is important to teach faith. Because, as Scripture says, “without faith it is impossible to please Him”. But consider that one day a week our young people are being taught about faith, whereas the rest of the week they are being taught “facts”. Our young people are being taught a lot of falsehood disguised as truth, and that “truth” is backed by supposed logic and facts.We absentmindedly call the people of the Bible “characters” and the events of the Bible “stories”, and in so doing we subconsciously are telling our kids that the Bible is a book of fiction rather than fact. We have to show our kids that faith and facts are not enemies.

Someone told me the other day that teenagers are too young to be taught apologetics. I’m sorry, but I fear that if you start teaching apologetics to teens, you are already too late. We need to start teach the facts about our faith when our kids are a young age or else we will lose them as soon as they are given the choice to not come back.

Sunday school teacher, youth leader, let me challenge you with something… Your children and teens have some serious, nagging questions about the Bible and about Christianity. Do not belittle their questions and do not shame them for asking questions. Do the opposite, facilitate their questions, provide them opportunities to ask questions in a meaningful environment and then… ANSWER THE QUESTIONS! And if some of those questions challenge you and you do not know a good answer, you must with humility and authenticity say, “I don’t have a good answer to that, but I will study that this week and get back with you next week.” Does that take extra work? Yep. But it is worth it for the sake of our kids. If the Bible is true (which I firmly believe it is) then it should not be afraid of facts. LEt’s show our kids that faith and facts do not have to be enemies!

They Are Being Entertained

Children’s ministry, in many churches, has become little more than “baby sitting”. We sing some fun songs, play some games, give them a snack, and teach a short Bible story. Children’s ministry workers justify this because “The kids don’t pay attention during the lesson time, so we have to keep it short!” and “they need time to get their wiggles out”. What makes this problem even worse is when that mentality carries over into teen ministry. “What do you mean my teens don’t get a snack every week?” and “Why don’t we have a longer gym time?” are questions that are heard in teen ministries that are trying to do it right.

Church time is not entertainment time. It is time for them to learn truth. Now I get it, teenagers have a lot of options these days. They can choose to go to the church down the street that has a game room and their entire “youth ministry” time is playing video games or they can come to your church that focuses on preaching truth. If they had the choice, they would choose the games… because their teenagers. Be the adult! Right now they don’t have a choice. Take them to the “boring” church that is going to help them instead of the “fun” church. We have teenagers who have spent their entire life in church who barely know any Bible. A lot of that has to do with our focus on entertaining rather than teaching.

Just a final note on this: Teaching truth does not have to be boring. There are engaging and fun ways to teach truth. Disney uses the word “edutainment”, basically tricking kids into learning by making it fun. That’s awesome, we need that in children’s ministry! Ask yourself, “Why am I doing what I’m doing?” Are you serving in children’s ministry to fill time or are you trying to impart truth? That is where the difference lies.

Our young people are leaving in the droves. Frankly, it really isn’t their fault, it’s ours. We can do better, we MUST do better. Parent, youth leader, pastor, please be authentic in your own walk with God, be willing to answer the difficult questions, and focus on imparting truth rather than simply entertaining. Those things will go a long way in keeping our young people in church.

Check out Curtis’ other writing on his Facebook page.

Why are young people leaving the church?

The Limitations of the Judges of Israel

April 13, 2021 by Curtis King

God delights in using weak people. God does not just use the popular, rich, handsome, talented, and prestigious; He uses the lowly, injured, and untalented. This is a theme that is clearly seen in the book of Judges. What were some of the limitations of the judges of Israel? Let’s quickly examine it today:

Ehud was Left Handed

We often overlook Ehud as one of the judges of Israel. He was the man who assassinated King Eglon. What makes his story notable though, is that he was left-handed. To understand the significance of that statement, at that point in time being left handed was almost seen as a disability. So today, left-handedness is seen as a minor inconvenience to those who are left-handed, back then is was just a little bit more than inconvenient. We understand that left-handedness is not really a weakness, but they did not see it that way back then. It is interesting that in Ehud’s case, not only did God use him despite his “weakness”, but his left-handedness served an important role in how God used him!

Deborah was a Woman

Deborah was the bravest judge in the whole book of Judges. Prove me wrong! However, Deborah had a small problem… she was a woman. Now, understand today that God loves men and women equally and God can use women just as much as God can use men. The problem is that history has proven that men sometimes have a hard time going along with God’s program. Were there stupid men back then who said, “I will not fight under the command of a women”? I’m sure! Because there are stupid men today that would say that! But again, God gave the Israelites a great victory through the leadership of Deborah!

Gideon was Hiding

Gideon is the most celebrated judge of Israel. But when we first are introduced to Gideon, he is hiding. I would never go as far to say that Gideon was a coward, I do not believe he was. However, There are a lot of people (a majority of people, even) who fall someone between coward and “mighty man of valor”. The point is, although the angel called Gideon a “mighty man of valor”, in our minds, we don’t picture someone who is hiding to survive.

Gideon comes across as calculated and slow, not simply because he was a smart man, but also because he was kind of afraid! Not only was he hiding, but Gideon even said to the angel that he was the lowest person, in the lowest family, in the lowest tribe of all Israel. Basically stating that he was the worst of the worst. Despite all of those things, God used Gideon, arguably in a more fascinating way than any other judge of Israel!

Samson was the Exception

One judge that did not have such set-backs was Samson. In fact, it is in my opinion that Samson should have been the greatest judge in Israel. To take it a step further, Samson was being set up as one of the greatest leaders in all of Israel’s history. Consider this: Samson’s birth was miraculous and promised by God. Samson was to participate in the vow of the Nazarite. Plus, the Spirit of God granted Samson great power. Take any one of those three details by themselves and we find Samson in a small pool of amazing people! When you take all three of these details, it is clear that God had big plans for Samson! However, we see that Samson’s life was one of wasted potential. What happened? Sin. It is a comfort to know that God still did something great through Samson despite the sin in his life, but it is heartbreaking to know that God could have done more through Samson if he had simply done what was right.

The point today is this: God can use anyone. He doesn’t care how talented you are. God is simply looking for a clean and willing vessel to perform His will.

Curtis wrote a book on the Judges of Israel! Check it out here!

Dave and the Raspberry Sword…the adventure continues…again

February 13, 2020 by Curtis King

“Who goes there?” yelled an angry guard orc.

If you do not understand why Dave is in this predicament, it would probably be best to go back and read the first two segments of this story: first and second.

“Who goes there?” yelled the angry guard orc, for the third time now.

Dave contemplated what he should say to the orc. Should he tell the orc a lie and that he was just an ordinary used wagon salesman passing, on his way to the monster wagon derby? Or should he tell the truth and risk the orc attacking him? Dave decided on the latter, because he had once heard that it was not right to lie.

“My name is Dave, and I am destined to vanquish the orcs and restore Arcadia to its former glory!”

Apparenty no one had ever told the orc that honesty is the best policy, because the truth that Dave told angered the orc greatly. With a strange mixture of a grunt and a shout (sounding kind of like a “graarrrrrghhhhhumph”), the orc charged Dave with a dull and rusty battle axe (It was government issued).

Dave had never actually used the raspberry sword before, he had never used any sword before! Should he swing and jab? Should he jab and swing? Or maybe even he should slash and thrash aimlessly, hoping to eventually hit something? He knew at least one thing, if he was going to slash, thrash, swing, or jab, he would need to at least unsheathe the sword.

Dave pulled the Raspberry Sword out of the sheath. A purple glow emitted from the sword, the singing of angels came from out of the sheath. Dave held onto the hilt of the sword with both hands, his arms a little shaky out of fear and the fact that his puny arms were too weak to confidently hold the sword without wobbling.

“Graarrrrrghhhhhumph”, grunt/shouted the orc as he charged. But as he approached Dave, ready to swing his axe, which he loving referred to as the Grand Tetanus, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Sniff Sniff “Do I smell raspberries?” The orc asked.

Now would be a good time to note that the Raspberry Sword did not simply taste like raspberries, but it also smelled like them. I am not saying that it smells like fake raspberry flavor like you get in candy, it smells like the fresh scent of a field of raspberries, ready to be picked and consumed.

Realizing that it was the Raspberry Sword that smelled like raspberries, the orc snatched the sword from Dave’s hand and began to lick the sword. The orc enjoyed the taste of the raspberries so much that he continued to lick. We will not go into detail about the disturbing and gruesome things that Dave beheld next. Suffice it to say that the orc licked the sword to death.

Now there was nothing standing in the way of Dave, Sal, and the Arcadian Castle. Dave looked up the hill to where the castle sat. Dark clouds and lighting swirled around the castle, ominous music played over speakers hidden around the castle’s property.

As Dave walked up the hill to the Arcadian Castle, he approached multiple signs telling him to turn back. They said, in this order, “Turn Back”, “Turn Back Now”, Seriously, Turn Back”, “This is Your Final Warning”, “Pretty Please, Turn Back!”, “Why Aren’t You Listening?”, and, “Turn Back or I am telling Mom!”

Dave walked passed the warning signs and came upon a large tourist sign that said “I Heart Arcadian Castle”! Dave whipped out his cell phone. He asked the nearest orc to take a picture of him and Sal in front of the sign.

The orc said, “Sure pal! Smile and say ‘Swiss!”

“Swiss!” This would be a picture to remember for years to come.

The door to the castle stood in front of him. What will Dave encounter on the other side of the door? How will our hero’s story end? Tune in next week for the fourth part of the Dave and the Raspberry Sword trilogy!

For more laughs, check out the Bible Burrito Facebook page!

Dave and the Raspberry Sword- The Adventure Continues

January 16, 2020 by Curtis King

This story is a continuation of Dave and the Raspberry Sword, which you can read here. Be sure to check it out. Seriously. This story will make no sense if you don’t.

Dave assumed that the way that he was going to “restore order to Arcadia,” as the Queen of all Berries had said, he would need to go to the Arcadian Castle. Arcadian Castle was the largest castle in the entire land of Arcadia. The fact that both the names of the land and the castle were “Arcadia” was completely coincidental. Do you know how at work there are two people with the last name Fisher, and they always are hanging out together but they are not related at all? You know no one else with the last name Fisher in the entire world, but two of them are working in your office building but aren’t related. It is uncanny, but it happens. Nevertheless, the largest castle in the land of Arcadia was the Arcadian Castle.

Arcadian Castle was built by King Arcadia. On second thought, I may have drained this joke dry. Arcadian Castle was built by King Hank the 3rd. He was a benevolent ruler, who would often walk through the gardens with the children of Arcadia. He won the love and affection of the people by often giving out gift cards to Olive Garden.

The Arcadian Castle was supposed to be nigh impenetrable. The only weak point was the thermal exhaust port. Curiously enough, this was a problem that they were fully aware of but did nothing about, assuming that no one would take advantage of said weakness. The orcs did.

Because the orcs now occupied Arcadian Castle, it made sense for Dave to storm the castle and win it back. But in order to get to Arcadian Castle, Dave would need to go through the Forest of Blistering Insults. Many years ago, an apprentice sorceress was practicing spells when she accidentally cursed an entire forest. Now the trees insult people whenever they try to walk through the forest. The trees don’t hold back either! They don’t say things like “You’re stupid” or “I know what you are but what am I?” instead they cut deep into your deepest fears and anxieties. They say things like “Your mother never loved you,” or, “You forgot to turn the stove off when you left the house.” It is for this reason that few people have successfully been able to walk through the Forest of Blistering Insults.

Dave was filled with fear and trepidation as he approached the forest. As he got closer, he saw a small building that looked like a toll booth. A short man with a beard was sitting in the building. When the short man saw Dave, his ears perked up and he sprang into action.

“Howdy stranger!” the little man said, “Do you plan on walking through the Forest of Blistering Insults today?”

“Yes sir!” Dave answered.

“And what business do you have traveling through the Forest of Blistering Insults on this fine day?” the little man probed.

Dave did not know how much of the story he should tell, or if he should tell it at all. He decided on the most simple answer possible, “I plan on going to the Arcadian Castle with this sword that was given to me by the Queen of All Berries that tastes like berries in order to overthrow the orcs and restore order into the land of Arcadia.”

The little man wrote down Dave’s answer on the form, “And just for clarification, does the castle, the sword, or the Queen taste like berries. Your last sentence was incredibly unclear.”

“The sword,” Dave replied, as he unsheathed the Raspberry Sword to show it off.

“Oh, wow, that doesn’t make any sense at all.”

“I know, right!”

“Sign here please,” the little man said as he handed Dave an official looking form.

“What is this?” Dave asked.

“Welp, this here is a medical release form. Signing this simply states that we are not responsible for any damages done to your person or possessions physical, emotional, or otherwise. And that you will not sue us in case of something really bad happening to you.”

Dave was getting nervous, “I don’t like signing things before reading them carefully. Give me a minute.”

After 10 minutes of meticulously reading over the contract, Dave signed.

“You may now proceed,” the little man said as he jumped back into his toll booth to continue his Janette Oke book.

Dave began to journey into the Forest of Blistering Insults. What would happen to him when he got into the forest? Dave feared what pains and fears in his life would be highlighted before his eyes.

Suddenly he heard a voice call out in a dark, lonesome way, “Your credit score is 452, you will never be approved for a loan!”

Dave had owned this unfortunate truth in his life, he had made some unwise financial decisions when he was younger. This did not faze him.

“Your nose is too big,” one said.

“Your hair cut is stupid,” said another

“You’re worthless, Dave” began a chorus of trees. The insults, personal jabs, and unkind observations grew into an inaudible cacophony of torture with a common theme being heard above all the rest, “You’re worthless, Dave. You’re worthless.”

Undeterred, Dave pressed on. Sal became so frightened that he cowered in fear and insisted for Dave to hold him with his sad little bleating sounds.

The noises of the forest began to subside. As the insults became quieter and quieter, the light at the end of the forest grew brighter and brighter. Dave reached the edge of the forest, having successfully made it through, whereas many before him, and many after him, were not able to do so.

The big question that may be on your mind is why Dave was able to handle the tortures of the Forest of Blistering Insults, after all, we have already established pretty well that Dave is a pathetic man. It is likely that the forces that be were preparing Dave for a very long time for this very moment. Someday, Dave would have to thank his mother in law for constantly insulting and belittling him, there was nothing that the forest could say that could possibly be any meaner than what she would often say.

However, as Dave exited the forest, he walked right into something that shook him to his core- An orc.

“Who goes there?”The orc asked.

Dave looked down at Sal, “It looks like we will have to wait for the next blog post to find out what happens to us,” he said, “Hopefully the writer will be kind enough to allow us to survive this!”