Out Here Hope Remains: Youth in Action

I talked with David on the phone. The Jonesboro Youth in Action group has done a great job in Pascagoula this week. We are gearing up for a big group to come from Pennsylvania in a few days. I'm looking forward to being back home and preaching this Sunday. My theme is going to be "New Horizons for a New Year". Unless I change my mind! I will work with David for a week, and then Maggy and I are going to take a week out of town to rest. Our teens are excited and renewed from this week's Youth in Action. They want to start having our teen devotionals again. I think I will suggest Sundays at 5:00. I'd like to do it like we used to The Gathering - aiming the whole format for the youth culture. If adults are interested in something aimed at them, we could add a 6:00 adult worship for Sunday evenings if there is enough interest. I do not want to do any of these things if people aren't committed to participating. That was an area of frustration in the pre-Katrina days. As my friend Mike Kjergaard says, "If the horse is dead, you have permission to dismount!" We want to be alive! Chris Lockhart invited myself and John Robert to tell our hurricane stories in his class at Youth in Action. We were both able to tell three different classes about our experiences. We made some new friends through that effort and had a lot of interest in what's happening at Pascagoula. Thanks, Chris! Youth In Action ends tomorrow ... but here are a few images. We're having a great time. I've run across some old friends and made some new ones. I did get to visit for a short time tonight with Jon Owen - my son's favorite worship leader. Too bad JR wasn't with me so I could introduce them. Actually Jon and I only know each other through blogworld. Isn't that cool? Jon led the worship team this week ... awesome job as expected. The team helped me sing along with parts I didn't know and also helped me learn some songs I didn't know. Some people have a big problem with praise teams ... but no problem with a song leader. Consistency, thou art a jewel.

Chris and Susan Lockhart