Bob Brantsch, left, challenged youth to choose a practice from the KINDLE Strand of Cultivating Faith and to live out the Grace-filled Mark of Obedience. Other team members interacting with youth at the KINDLE exhibit were Jean Kempe, Michelle Pavasars, and Jessica Dvorak.
At the LCMS Youth Gathering in July in Houston, Texas, youth and adults who stopped by the KINDLE exhibit received a customcarabiner clip with the “In All Things” logo on one side and these Cultivating Faith practices on the other:
- Embrace Sabbath living
- Learn and live Scripture
- Pray unceasingly
- Witness willingly
- Serve others
While at exhibit, they not only filled out a card where they chose one of those practices, committing to taking action towards fulfilling it in the next days or weeks, but they also wrote down the name of someone that would help keep them accountable. It was a “mini-growth plan” similar to what participants complete in the KINDLE Servant Leader Journey Guides.
Both youth and adults took the card with them to remind them of their choice and commitment. Additionally, the card had a QR code on the back which took them to resources (text and videos) on each of the practices and youth testimonies to hear how others are living it out in their daily lives.
View testimonies from youth and helpful resources from the Gathering here!
We didn’t use the word “obedience” when describing the activity because, let’s face it, that may have scared them away. What youth really wants to be told what to do? But at KINDLE we believe:
Cultivating faith results in the Grace-filled Mark of obedience.
We wanted to give them the chance to work out their cultivating faith muscle. It is our prayer that youth know:
Obedience flows from our faith-filled response to God’s grace for us in Christ.
This was our way of giving them practical ways of living out that obedience as a response to God’s grace for us.
As they walked away from the KINDLE exhibit with the carabiner and card, we prayed that the Holy Spirit would work in their hearts and prayed that we would continue to have the energy to be obedient to our calling of “Fostering and Multiplying Christ-like Servant Leaders.”
Jean Kempe
Director of Christian Education
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Riverside, California
2019-2021 Classic KINDLE Associate