Out of the mouths of 6th graders...Thank you Lord for the guys in our Middle School core group for their incredible energy and spirit; for the hearts, fears and hopes that lay underneath all that energy. i just dropped off two of our 6th graders after a small group meeting which by all accounts was pretty much a disaster. There was the usual burping, farting, wrestling and inexplicable body movement that can only come from an early male adolescent. But the lack of concentration and focus on the bible study was at epic proportions. At the very end of the evening we got around to talking about our fears and they all got interested and started to engage. Our time ran out and all the guys went their own ways but as I drove Jesse and Matt home our conversation continued.
"Why is the world so messed up?"
"Does God know if someday I'll be abducted?"
"Why would He let a little kid be abducted?"
"God knows everything that I'm going to do in my life right?"
"I want to know what it is God wants me to do with my life."

I just tried to listen and be thankful for the renewed realization that these guys do think about God, they do think about their choices and decisions and that I was there to be part of the conversation.