What do

people crave?

Ok, so that question could imply many things. Food, attention, love, respect, purpose...

But what driving force causes them to act the ways that they do, often times in harmful ways?

Are you feeling lonely and craving intimacy? You might retreat from others. Or maybe you'll surround yourself in faux community.

What about desiring to matter? You might seek approval from others in ways that can never fill that hole.

I really could go on...

I started thinking about this today after our normal Monday staff meeting. Shauna Simmonds from Make You Think (www.makeyouthink.tv) is visiting us from Canada. She showed us a video she did commissioned by The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. In the video, she interviews young college students and young adults (both non-Christian and Christian) about their views of the Church. It really got me thinking. it isn't like anything in the video is new to me, but something about it struck me...i felt broken-hearted yet hopeful at the same time.

She noticed a common thread that popped up often in the interviews. The things they crave the most are community, authenticity, mentorship, passionate leaders, and interactivity. I don't know why, but the need for passionate leaders really caught my eye. It is hard for me to want to follow someone in leadership if they are not passionate about what do. Now, this can land me into trouble however this is Christ we are talking about. I don't want a leader in the Church who isn't passionate about his or her Savior. The One who bled and died just for them. The Redeemer. Holy and Worthy. HELLO!

We are losing people here. Even though this particular piece is about young adults and college students, I think it translates to most if not all age groups. Don't you want community, authenticity, mentorship, passionate leaders and interactivity? I know I do.

And even if you are a part of a wonderful, relevant church don't stop thinking outside of the box! Don't stop asking questions...asking what you're doing wrong...asking what you're doing right. Stop assuming that your relevance will always hold true. Because it won't. Keep asking what else you could do. And don't think for one second that just because you are non-traditional that you don't do things "just because." Just because you think it works, doesn't mean it really does.

So, check it out. This is the link below...sorry it's a link...I'm really tired and didn't feel like trying to figure out how to put the video in my actual blog. :)

http://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=5086&srcid=904

love you.