an open letter to a youth group.

be honest. You don't go to church to meet/encounter God. You come to meet/encounter your peers. It is about you getting approval as a person and feeling a sense of satisfaction because others desire your approval.
If you really showed up to meet Him you wouldn't ask "who's gonna be there?" "who is going?" I realize that relationships are a major part of who you are...at this age seldom does anyone have any independent identity, desire, decision making abilities. Everything is done as a group, as a community (which isn't totally a bad thing or else church would be a bad thing).

Here's what rubs me the wrong way; I've never been asked "will I encounter GOD at CIY(deeper life, Camp, get-away, F.U.N.)?...Will He show up?...will I see God? Will He slam me up against the wall, get in my face, or will he hold my hand and walk me to celebration?" Never been asked that. Perhaps that's my fault. As a youth leader, I am willing share the blame but I refuse to take all the responsibility. Friends are great. Good friends are really hard to beat. And a lasting friendship is something to be cherished. But there is more to life than this. I believe we learn from God through one another. He reveals Himself, somehow, and in many ways, through our relationships. But that isn't what you seek.

When Jesus says "Here I am,I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and him with me" he is speaking to Christian people. Believers. I offer you an alternative and a promise. Get lost in the presence of the Almighty Most High God. I will be intentional about helping you acquire this focus. But in the end, it must be your choice.

"I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing."