Profile – Retrospective Thoughts on NY

While I do have a bit more to share about NY – in case you’re wondering - I want to take a minute for some autobiographical observations in the hope that the reader will apply them to life.

In reading about my expulsion from Bible College and arrival in NY you may be thinking, “That’s pretty neat. What a great experience for Bob.” If you are thinking anything along those lines I want to disabuse you of the thought. Yes, it was wonderful meeting the Spanish-speaking Christians of NY and I treasure what they taught me and most of all their friendship. I also treasure George Will – I have been blessed to know him and without my early exposure to our inner life in Christ, which came through George, my life would be much the poorer.

On the other hand, I didn’t have an adult male or males mentoring me, guiding me, directing me, and holding me accountable. I had been a poster boy for The Little Church in NW D.C. and for the church in Silver Spring, MD. Then I was a poster-boy of sorts for the NY circles I was in – and George, well, George I’m sure did the best he could with me, but I don’t recall direction or challenge from him either.

I had been a Christian for less than a year after my arrival in NY – and this poster boy was anything but mature, in fact I was markedly immature and self-centered. I needed a framework within which to live and I didn’t have it. I needed accountability and didn’t have it. I was building a house without a foundation and it was not a good thing. 

The fact that I could speak publically and that I knew the Bible reasonably well (I use the term "knew" in a sense of storyline and data rather than in a sense of understanding and wisdom) didn't mean that I had internal character or maturity. I've seen this mistake made throughout my life in the church, with both young and old. How many times have I seen a successful business person come to Christ and be given a position of leadership in the church without a period of discipleship? Too many. It's the same thinking.

This lack of direction and accountability would cost me dearly in my early adult life – and so my point is that responsible accountable relationships are critical in formative years (actually in all seasons of life) and that if you are young that you should seek out older folks to mentor you – and ask them to hold you accountable. If you are older – consider approaching younger people to come alongside hem in an intentional and accountable fashion – not controlling, but accountable, there is a difference.

If you are a pastor or church elder – every young person in your congregation should have someone walking alongside him or her. The liftoff is critical for the Space Shuttle, if its trajectory is off the mission will be off; yet we let our teenagers and young adults launch their lives without helping them with their trajectory, we abdicate responsibility. Whatever the reasons may be we need to get over it, take the risk, and get involved in the lives of our teenagers and young adults – and this includes young married couples.

Our young people need much more than programs or cool music or hip-hop or “contemporary” services and events – they need relationships – which seem to be one of the things we don’t have time for anymore.