A Tale of Two Loves

I love youth ministry.

I've been involved in junior high ministry for the past 6 years and I don't regret a single day. I hold to my belief that this age- full of confusion, awkwardness, and crazy levels of energy- is the best age to work with!

This is the age when students begin to ask deeper questions about themselves, about the world, and about God. They begin changing, mentally, emotionally, and physically and processing these changes. And I have the privilege of living life with them each step of the way.

I also love sexuality.

I've been interested in sexuality for many years and, believe it or not, this topic is not handled very well by many youth ministries. Maybe this is because this topic isn't handled well by many churches...hmmmmm.

I'm currently reading a book by Lisa McMinn entitled, "Sexuality and Holy Longing: Embracing Intimacy in a Broken World." Among other things, she talks about how adolescents (and most adults even) do not know how their sexuality fits into their every day lives. Is it possible to be a sexual being if you're not engaging in sex? (Why yes, it sure is)

The Church has the capacity to call people towards a higher view of sexuality- a more holistic view!  God created us as sexual beings! Our sexuality is a good thing.

Our discussions of sexuality should not be boiled down to sex or relationships and talked about once every year or every other year. If we seriously believe that this topic touches our everyday lives, we have to got to find ways of intentionally weaving it into discussions more often.

For those of us involved in youth ministry, what are we doing to guide our students in understanding their sexuality?
For those who have children, what are you doing to guide your children in this journey?

For all of us, do we understand our own individual sexuality and how it relates to those around us?

That's the first step.