I didn’t grow up a Christian. I didn’t have the opportunity to know Jesus and live with a certain measure of hope in my life - knowing what waited for me at the end of my time on this earth. But since accepting Christ, that has all changed. I have been redeemed. I get to live a life filled with hope. And God has now given me an opportunity to live vicariously through the lives of teenagers who do know Jesus, and who do choose to live with that hope that I never had growing up.
This past long weekend, eight of God’s precious children from our midst, current teenagers, had the opportunity to spend almost three full days fully immersed in an environment that is bursting at the seams with that hope that is found only in Jesus Christ. The All Ontario Youth Convention is a yearly gathering of roughly one thousand youth who come together at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo to worship God in a variety of ways. They are offered production level worship experiences with high energy speakers, small group discussions combined with intentional times of prayer, complimented by free time to eat meals together, play games, and socialize, all wrapped up in one long weekend of hope.
Our youth group meets on Wednesdays from 7-9 pm and this past week, those who attended the AOYC had the opportunity to share with us the hope that they experienced as God moved in their lives in fresh ways. I will be the first to admit that it was exactly that – refreshing - to hear stories of how God spoke to each individual in such unique and personal ways, and how they have been impacted by this ‘pressure cooker’ weekend of hope. I myself, was filled with a fresh measure of hope upon hearing these stories, knowing that there is an honest, authentic, radical generation of Jesus followers growing and maturing in our midst right here, right now.
This past long weekend, eight of God’s precious children from our midst, current teenagers, had the opportunity to spend almost three full days fully immersed in an environment that is bursting at the seams with that hope that is found only in Jesus Christ. The All Ontario Youth Convention is a yearly gathering of roughly one thousand youth who come together at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo to worship God in a variety of ways. They are offered production level worship experiences with high energy speakers, small group discussions combined with intentional times of prayer, complimented by free time to eat meals together, play games, and socialize, all wrapped up in one long weekend of hope.
Our youth group meets on Wednesdays from 7-9 pm and this past week, those who attended the AOYC had the opportunity to share with us the hope that they experienced as God moved in their lives in fresh ways. I will be the first to admit that it was exactly that – refreshing - to hear stories of how God spoke to each individual in such unique and personal ways, and how they have been impacted by this ‘pressure cooker’ weekend of hope. I myself, was filled with a fresh measure of hope upon hearing these stories, knowing that there is an honest, authentic, radical generation of Jesus followers growing and maturing in our midst right here, right now.
Hope isn’t something that everyone experiences, nor is it something that we, even as Christ followers, always have on our hearts. But be encouraged that hope is alive and well in the youth of this church, and if you’re willing to ask them about their experience at AOYC, surely they’re willing to tell you, and you too can live vicariously through their experiences and be filled with a fresh measure of hope like I have been.
- Dylan
- Dylan
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