life lessons for students
Building on the post from yesterday, what I have learned so far - I thought it would be interesting to think through lessons we feel students should be learning. If you were to list out five or six essential life lessons for students that you would want to help kids learn and put into practice as they come through your ministry, what would they be?
Beyond orthodoxy - correct beliefs; what orthopraxis (right actions) would you want your students to engage in? Are there some life practices that would be essential for your students to be confronted with and challenged to integrate into their everyday living?
A couple come to mind:
- 1. Listen more than you speak. (helping students value actively listening to others)
- 2. Pray without ceasing. (encouraging young people to see prayer as fostering an awareness and attentiveness to the presence of God)
- 3. Practice generosity and hospitality. (our greatest apologetic for the reality of God and His Kingdom is a love that is extravagant and gives of our best)
- 4. Gratitude for what I already have. (battling the entitlement of “I deserve better.” nurturing a thankfulness for what I have and contentment that doesn’t need to acquire more.)
I have been thinking about this topic a bit lately. I would love to hear your thoughts about some of the life lessons that you feel are important to impart to the students in your local church. Leave a comment and join in the conversation.
This is great! I’m currently thinking about this topic. What practices are involved in “fleshing out” the Kingdom life? These kind of practical things seem simple, but are really helpful in thinking about how to actually make progress toward the kind of life we are aiming at. #4 is especially against the grain of our culture.
[…] Doug Jones has some great tips here. […]
Thanks for chiming in Rustin… you hit it on the head - that is what I am thinking and trying to get at - “fleshing out” the Kingdom Life in our culture.
Be on the look out … be aware that God will show you His Face and His Kingdom, but you have to be looking because it will only be glimpses. When He called Abram out of Ur, He called Him to a Promised Land and we need to see those glimpses of the Kingdom to know where we are going. So be looking for the little bits of the Kingdom, the thin places, if you will …