As we look around our world today, we see things rapidly evolving, don’t we? Social media and technology dominate so much of our culture, especially the everyday lives of our youth (I know because my husband and I have experienced this firsthand with our own four children). Friends, it is imperative for the youth of today to have opportunities where they can engage in meaningful connection and spiritual growth apart from a screen.  They must learn how to spread their wings and experience God in a way they have not before or perhaps in new ways over and over again.

I witnessed the youth of Christ Church spread their wings and experience the Holy Spirit this past weekend as I volunteered to be one of the many adult leaders who, by the way, are amazing human beings.  The theme for Winter Retreat 2025 was MOVE. And I’m here to tell you, the Holy Spirit moved indeed! From the moment I walked into the Worship Center on Friday evening to our worship service on Sunday morning, I realized that the Holy Spirit had taken up residence and His presence was hovering among us everywhere we went.  

Throughout the weekend, our youth wrestled with and became grounded in Matthew’s Gospel account of Jesus’ teaching when he likened faith to a tiny seed using the mustard seed analogy, “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible” (Matthew 17:20 NLT).

During the opening worship service on Friday evening, our guest speaker, Devon Arredondo, invited each student to come forward and take a mustard seed as a tangible reminder that even the tiniest amount of faith has the power to move mountains. Devon encouraged the students to tape the tiny seed to the page in their Bible beside verse twenty. Our awesome Christ Church youth ministers, Kirby Martens, Reagan Sager, and Linda Starr sprang into action as they gathered dozens of rolls of tape to make this happen.  So, off we went into our first small group session to tape our mustard seeds and discuss the teaching we just heard.

I want to personally testify about two instances throughout the weekend (although there were many) when the presence of God Most High was evident. The first instance was during a small group session while my co-leader and I were seated around a small circle of eight teenage girls.  We began to talk about the doubts that overwhelm us and the mountains we face in our lives. You know the ones I’m referring to—the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that prevent forward movement and keep us from growing spiritually.

One by one the girls began to share and my heart was overcome with joy at their desire to love Christ and love like Christ. The room we were in quickly became a safe haven as the girls wrestled with their questions and doubts—emotional and intellectual. Emotional doubts, we all have them.  This kind of doubt can be a result of difficult circumstances that make it hard to believe in God. Is God really good? Does He really care about me? Why did God make my family move? Why did God let a loved one die? Why did God let my friend get cancer? Admittedly, I have asked these same questions as I have endured hard and challenging situations throughout my forty-six years of life.  Maybe you have, too.  However, time and time again, God has been faithful to place godly men and women along my journey who have carried and encouraged me when I wasn’t strong enough to climb the mountain on my own.

It was this kind of encouragement that I witnessed pouring forth from each girl around our circle. Their understanding, compassion, and love for one another (not to mention the giggles) quickly became contagious and carried them throughout the thirty-six hours they were together.  I have no doubt the Holy Spirit strengthened their bond and connection to carry them well beyond our weekend retreat. Thank you, King Jesus!

The other instance I want to share about when I was certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that the students encountered our risen Lord Jesus was during worship on Saturday night. Now, let me preface by saying I realize the last night of church camp or church retreat is almost always referred to as “cry night.” As a teenager at church camp, I had plenty of my own “cry nights,” but hear me when I say, what I am about to tell you was different.

As the students lifted their beautiful and vulnerable voices in glory and awe of God Almighty, they began to move around the Worship Center in order to find their own space to be still and wait upon the Lord in surrender.  I am not exaggerating when I say that every fiber of my being became aware of the realization that we were standing on holy ground. Yes, right there in our little corner of the mall.  At one point, I stopped singing so I could hear the voices above my own, and by golly, I was moved to tears while chill bumps covered my entire body.  It was as if I was standing beside a fire pit with the flames of the Holy Spirit bellowing all around me. God’s Spirit had indeed fallen upon us. I stood in the back of the room just crying out in intercessory prayer for these, the next generation of young Christian men and women. Raise them up, Lord. Raise them up. 

In the Bible, God is called by different names. Each name communicates a unique quality of our Creator. A girl named Hagar once referred to God as “Lahai Roi”, which roughly means “the living one who sees me.” Hagar understood something about God we need to model for this upcoming generation. Friends, they need to experience this truth about God in us.  They need to know that we see them. We see beyond the masks they wear and we understand them.  They need to know that we know their name and value that name. This takes infinite amounts of love and grace over infinite amounts of time, yes, but in our desire to invest in the next generation, we must cling to the church’s blueprint that has been given to us by God through His holy and inspired Word.

We need a generation of believers who are not ashamed of the Gospel.
We need an army of believers, Lord, that hate to be lukewarm and will
stand on your Word above all else…Raise up a generation that will take
light into this world, that will not compromise when under pressure,
that will not cower, Lord, when others fall away. Raise them up, Lord, that
they will proclaim that there is salvation in the name of Jesus Christ.
Raise up warriors who will fight on their knees, who will worship you
with their whole hearts, Lord. Call us to battle that we may proclaim you
King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I pray these things with all my heart.
Raise them up, Lord. Raise them up.
— Miss Clara, War Room ^[1]

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, let’s go to battle. May our knees become sore and ever-calloused because we are relentless in praying for the next generation.   

Soli Deo gloria,
Pastor Jen

^[1] www.youtube.com/@WarRoomMovieOfficial