Student Ministry - June 2022
June is one of my favorite months of the year. It is the beginning of the summer, so there is much excitement and expectation that comes with it. June means school is out, good times are here, and vacation is probably just around the corner! For the church it means that we are in the final preparation for camps, VBS, and mission trips. Either way you look at it, June marks a huge change in the year. And while many things change in the month of June, one thing that should never change is our prioritization of God and His people.
So how do you prioritize God and His people when you are at the beach, on the lake, in the mountains, at the ballfield, dropping kids off for camp? …the list goes on. This can feel a little overwhelming. I hope to simplify things by giving you four goals to help you keep God and His people at the top of your priority list:
#1 Plan with church in mind. Vacations are great! If you are able to go on vacation, then praise the Lord and go enjoy yourself! But don’t forget about your church family or the fact that you are still living your vacation for the Lord. It is not wrong to miss a Sunday at church, but the question is do you have to miss it, and how many do you have to miss? Maybe vacation doesn’t have to take you away from church for several weeks. Maybe it does! The main thing is just to think and pray about it before you impulsively book the trip. And if you are away from your home church, plan to visit a church where you are vacationing. It can be a great blessing to visit a Bible-believing church away from home.
#2 Make time for God. When you are busy with all the activities of the summer, it can be easy for time with God to take a back seat. But there is no real reason spending time with God has to stop when you are on vacation or running from one fun event to another. We just have to make sure to take into account the summer rhythms of life and plan time with God into them. One of my favorite memories is doing family Bible study together at the beach. It didn’t take long, and I actually felt like I appreciated the beauty of where we were after spending time with the One who created it. To do this you must literally make time with God a part of your itinerary, and you will see just how fulfilling the summer can truly be.
#3 Look for teaching moments. There are countless interactions you will have with your kids or grandkids during the summer. Not every single moment has to be forced into a lecture, but there will be some moments on which we simply must capitalize. So, look for those moments. Be ready while you are fishing, driving, packing, playing… you never know when a meaningful conversation will take place. Most often the best conversations are unplanned and happen at the most random times.
#4 Slow down. Summer does not have to be as busy as we make it. So often people claim to love the summer months, but do we even slow down enough to enjoy them? Don’t misunderstand me. We should make the most of the time we’ve been given. But trying to cram too much into that time can be wasteful as well. Let’s try to take it a little easier and actually enjoy this summer. Less really can be more.
These four goals really come down to one simple truth. All we have to do is continue to keep God first and think of others before ourselves. If we can do that, then we will have a fulfilling summer… and a fulfilling life!
