Are we losing our relevance?

Tattoos, piercings, the craving for knowledge, social media, opposing the tradition, wanting to be true to self and wanting to experience what ever is been taught. These are some aspects of what our generation stands for and is proud of and often times we are misunderstood and called rebellious.

I have been in youth ministry since I was 13 and I have witnessed how time changed very quickly. The realisation of reaching out to young people in the way they would understand and relate has changed every time with the dispensation changes. We truly cannot use the previous dispensation's methods and strategies with this dispensation we find ourselves in. 

So I find myself in a school and in ministry and I ask myself have we lost our relevance to our generation? Do we seem to be too matured, too clean and too spiritually high? I remember when I had in my earrings, I would get a brother or a sister from a previous church I was a part of and they would greet my earrings first if you know what I mean. Is our appearance or what we have on our bodies a dividing factor of two sets of people? I really do not care if I am controversial in this blog post, but I am rather challenging our ways toward this generation and I am asking all who reads, are you making an impact in this time to the young people around you? We want and crave to see truth. If you are going to preach or teach about a topic, we want to see YOU live it first and carry it out. We want to see what it did for you and we want to know why must we do it that way.  What we want to see is a people true to who they are and not a people bound by tradition. Tradition is important, but once it binds you and keeps you mellow then something is wrong with the picture I see. 

"Relevance is simply the noun form of the adjective "relevant," which means "important to the matter at hand." 

We have so much to learn from older people and we need to learn from them, but so with us too, older people really need to learn about us too. Sometimes we are so set in our ways and we do not see that right in front of our eyes a generation is dying because we are pushing them away just because they look different and are louder than we are. Being relevant does not mean becoming secular, but rather invading the secular with truth and authenticity. Being relevant means to listen and see in this time, and to act accordingly and reach out accordingly.

We should get to a place where we unlearn certain things, learn certain things and relearn certain things. To be relevant is needed for this generation. Real talk, real life. 

Shalom.