Dear Ones,
Hope you had a great weekend!  Looks like things are going to warm up for a pretty good Memorial weekend.Emoji Today i made egg dishes and went to Super One and Aldi before my exercise class. Our walks outside each day get prettier and prettier.
 Devotions from Judy’s heart
   How important it is that we pass on the things of the Lord to the next generation. We are told to do this many times in scripture. It seems like the Children of Israel didn’t always do that and the next generation would go astray and be overtaken by an enemy. Then they would cry to the Lord and promise to serve Him and He would forgive them. But soon another generation would fail to pass it on and they would forsake the Lord.
   At church yesterday we had a speaker, Jason Holt, who is a National Youth Director and been in youth ministry for over 30 years. He did his doctorate in Ministry to Emerging Generations and had much to say. He shared about how to navigate with wisdom in our digital world. Of course, the digital world can be used for much good but it also causes many problems in our lives. Youth today spend so many hours on screen. The average 12 year old spends 5 hours a day and older ones spend far more.
  He shared about what Jean Twenge has written on how the iGen (internet generation) is made up of super-connected kids who are less rebellious, more tolerant but less happy and completely unprepared for adulthood. They are in no hurry to grow up, they text rather than meet in person, they are insecure, irreligious and insulated. She goes on to say they are income insecure, indefinite in relationships, inclusive on gender and race, and independent on politics.
   Our speaker had us huddle in small groups in S.S. to talk about how we can highlight the gospel in ways that are relevant to the iGen and how to build bridges with them. We need to be like mothers that nurture and express gentleness and also like fathers that correct and encourage. We can become a community of spiritual parents.
  Jason used Psalm 78: 1-8, 70-72 to help us see our responsibility. Starting at verse 2, ”I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us,. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done…that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His Commandments.”
   Let us not fail to tell the next generation of the Lord that they may have a life of hope in the world that seems to be getting darker and darker.
   Challenge for today: Ask the Lord for ways to communicate with the iGen and use every opportunity He sends your way.
Blessings on  your day and prayers and love, Judy