Welcome back to Liberty Insider
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and before the break
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with my very special guest,
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a fellow Steed,
my son, Christopher.
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We were getting
your perspective,
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which is a younger
person's perspective
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on living through
COVID-19, and from a particular
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vantage point
of practicing faith
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and sharing faith
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as a Seventh-day
Adventist Christian.
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You had a little bit of a chance
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a few years ago to share.
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You were in Guatemala
in the back blocks at a...
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I think it was a
self-supporting school
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where they were...
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You were pretty much
in the jungle, right?
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We were in the jungle.
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I remember one night waking up
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feeling something
crawling across my bed
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and there was a
tarantula about this big,
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just crawling across my lap.
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So we were
definitely deep in the jungle.
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Yeah.
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And I've never
asked this before,
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but what did that tell you about
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how important faith
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is for people
that have less access
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to the things that
we know of modern life.
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What did you pick
up on that regard?
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One example is everybody
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there was a
Seventh-day Adventist,
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well, mostly
Seventh-day Adventist.
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There were a few Catholic...
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other students
there that were Catholic.
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This is Roman
Catholic culture. It is.
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Very, very so, very much so.
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You can just go
down to the market
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and they sell the rosaries,
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and the priest's caps
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for Mother Mary
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and everything like that.
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But especially at
the school where I was,
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every morning we had a worship
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and before every meal,
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we would gather in
the main lunch hall,
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everybody would gather,
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we'd circle around
the entire lunch hall
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and we would pray together.
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And then every afternoon
we'd have an afternoon worship
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or I wouldn't
certainly say it's a worship,
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an afternoon reflection.
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And then every evening
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we would have a
very small vespers,
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we would sing a few songs,
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we would hear
like a little story,
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and we would pray together,
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we'd fellowship together,
and then we'd go have dinner.
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And then we would go
along with our doing homework,
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preparing for another class,
you know, doing the next day.
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And then on
Fridays, for example,
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our Fridays at the campus
were cleaning day, basically.
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So we had one or two
classes in the morning,
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and then in the afternoon,
we would fellowship together
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and then each teacher
would get a group of about
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four or five students.
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And we would go and say,
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"Okay, so today,
you're doing this,
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you're doing this,
you're doing this."
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And as we were
fellowshipping together,
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we were singing together,
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always singing
hymns, always, you know,
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everybody always had
smiles on their faces,
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even when it was
pouring down rain.
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Everybody was
still outside singing.
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And you were in a
place far from the city
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with all of the
types of entertainments
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that young people typically want
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and perhaps
socially, they think they need.
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They didn't have much.
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Generally poor, I
mean, poverties and wealth,
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they're relative things,
but from your perspective,
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you can see they
didn't have much, did they?
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But did that
sort of signal to you
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that that religious faith
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and spiritual
connection with God
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or higher power and sharing that
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with other people,
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how important that
is for someone's life?
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No, absolutely.
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And in the
development of a young person?
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For the
development of a young person
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it is absolutely necessary
to be able to go to church,
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to be able to fellowship
with fellow Christians.
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I know of people who
grew up in the church,
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but their church was
mostly older generation,
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and they never
really made a connection
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with anybody there
because of the age gap.
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And they've left the church,
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some of them, or
some of them have
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gone to different churches
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but mostly if,
for me especially,
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at the church we go to,
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there are a few young people
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but there aren't as
many as in some churches
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I've been to,
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and there is
definitely a spiritual energy
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that is lacking.
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I believe that the young people
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in the church bring that energy
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that we don't normally get.
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For example, at
Highland View Academy Church
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where I graduated
from, Highland View Academy,
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the church there,
every Sabbath is full,
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almost full of students.
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Because they're
required to attend.
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Yeah. But still...
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No, your point is correct.
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But, yes, I'm
fishing for something
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that hardly anybody
seems to know the answer,
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but they're all
asking the question.
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Why is it that
many of our churches,
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many other churches,
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it's not a denominational thing,
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it's certainly a problem
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within almost
all of Christianity.
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Why is it that young people
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are not often very
attracted to religion,
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they're not very involved,
and there's the danger,
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you can see it in
Roman Catholic churches.
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You go into, I'm asking it,
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mostly old people,
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which means that
when that generation goes,
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who will be the next?
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Why is that happening?
What could be changed?
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What's missing that young people
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are not more involved,
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and more evident,
and more attracted?
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I believe it's the fact
that when you go to church,
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everybody is sitting in a pew,
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suit and tie, and it's
all, I mean, music for example,
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music attracts young people.
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If you think about it,
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if you go to
Coachella or something,
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it's just
thousands, and thousands,
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and thousands of
just young people there
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because it's the
music that draws them.
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From being, I'm 22 years
old growing up in the church,
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when I was younger, you know,
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singing Jesus Loves Me,
This Little Light of Mine,
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those songs attracted
me to go to Sabbath school
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and be with my friends,
be listening to my teacher.
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Growing up going
through the different classes,
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and then finally
being in the church
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and understanding more,
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growing up
singing Amazing Grace,
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playing on the
saxophone, playing the piano,
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listening on the radio, I mean,
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I've heard the change in music
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from when I was a kid to
now as I'm a young adult,
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the music has become
more contemporary on this,
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especially on some of
the Adventist radio stations,
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like there's a
Adventist radio station 90.5.
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Is it necessary
for a young person
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that the music
becomes more contemporary,
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or more relevant,
or are they the same,
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or what is the difference?
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I believe... Tricky question.
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Honestly, I believe that
the music does not need to be
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more contemporary,
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it just needs to be
sung by young people
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so that the young people can see
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"Hey, you know,
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if let's say Josh
Groban for example,
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I guess he's a young guy.
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He was once, no, he is.
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He is still young I think.
He appeals to the young people.
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He appeals to
our sense of music.
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And his song like, he
sang Amazing Grace one time.
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And, you know,
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I've heard it sung
by, by Andrea Bocelli,
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I've heard it sung by
many, many famous people,
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but I really didn't...
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It didn't appeal to
me when they sang it.
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But when he sang,
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it's coming out of a voice
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of a younger man
and it just was like,
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"Whoa," if this
guy likes that song,
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maybe I can listen to it more.
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You know what I get out of that?
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And it could inspire you...
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young people need
role models, and yes,
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they need to
respect older people,
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but if they see
other young people
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showing an interest in
religion and getting involved,
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that will draw
more of their peers.
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So you or any young
person can be a leader.
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If you decide, you know,
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"Christ is important in my life.
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I'm going to do
something about it."
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Others will follow you.
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And maybe that's what's missing,
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a sense of initiative.
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And the older people are
often blaming themselves,
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and you sort of
slipped it in there that
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they don't involve
young people enough.
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And it's probably
true but what bothers me
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and you've heard
me go on about it,
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I don't think that
it's quite appropriate
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for all the people
to pass off the church
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and all of its
activities to young people
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who have no real interest
in religion or not, you know,
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treating it with
the right respect.
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But for young people
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that are showing a
yearning toward God,
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they should be included
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and as much as
possible given leadership roles
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because that's how you learn.
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Absolutely. Yeah.
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By doing, you learn much more
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by doing than being
just told or demanded.
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I agree with that one.
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But thanks for your input and,
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you know, I'm leading you a bit
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but I think you
naturally said that,
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you know, you're like all
the young people out there.
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I was young once, I remember.
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None of us are perfect.
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You've had your ups and downs.
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But, you know,
I'm praying for you
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and all people of faith pray
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for each other
and in particular,
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for the younger generation.
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You know, you weren't there
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at my last camp
meeting I went to,
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but I preached from the
prayer of Jesus in John 17,
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I think it is.
00:09:24.39\00:09:25.89
And He said, "You know,
I'm praying for these men."
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He says, "You know,
they know that you sent Me,
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and they're faithful."
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And I'm thinking,
00:09:34.14\00:09:35.47
Jesus has a
pretty positive attitude.
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They had already
shown many, many times
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that they didn't
quite understand.
00:09:40.08\00:09:41.94
And when He was betrayed,
00:09:41.98\00:09:43.31
they ran like crazy,
but He thought well of them.
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But then He says,
00:09:45.45\00:09:46.78
and I'm not just
praying for them,
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I'm praying for all who believe.
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So we have to set that
forward reaching approach
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with young people to see
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for the next
generation to lead them on.
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So we got a
little bit of time left,
00:09:59.39\00:10:01.33
but let's just
get back onto COVID.
00:10:01.36\00:10:03.47
Where do you
think we go from now?
00:10:03.50\00:10:05.07
Because none of us know
00:10:05.10\00:10:06.43
but the chances are pretty high.
00:10:06.47\00:10:08.54
We've got another year
00:10:08.57\00:10:09.90
at least on this pandemic panic,
00:10:09.94\00:10:14.51
but maybe beyond that.
00:10:14.54\00:10:17.25
We don't shake hands anymore,
00:10:17.28\00:10:18.91
maybe social norms have changed.
00:10:18.95\00:10:22.32
Do you think religion
and religious practice
00:10:22.35\00:10:24.62
can afford to be in
this pullback position?
00:10:24.65\00:10:27.56
Or is it time for us to sort of,
00:10:27.59\00:10:31.39
as Paul says, you know,
I've had so many shipwrecks,
00:10:31.43\00:10:33.56
I was beaten so many
times, but, you know,
00:10:33.60\00:10:35.26
I go forward
and I think he says,
00:10:35.30\00:10:38.70
for me to live is Christ,
00:10:38.73\00:10:41.74
in other words,
nothing else matters.
00:10:41.77\00:10:43.34
Do you think it's time
00:10:43.37\00:10:44.71
for a sort of no
holds barred witness
00:10:44.74\00:10:47.41
and tell everyone
while you can approach?
00:10:47.44\00:10:50.71
I personally believe
that the church does not need
00:10:50.75\00:10:54.98
to go full revolutionary stand.
00:10:55.02\00:10:58.42
I believe that we need to
modify the way we do things.
00:10:58.45\00:11:03.36
Like for example, colporteuring,
00:11:03.39\00:11:04.89
door-to-door book
sales, we can do virtual,
00:11:04.93\00:11:07.10
we can do distanced greetings.
00:11:07.13\00:11:10.80
Churches for example,
00:11:10.83\00:11:12.17
we could do more separated pews,
00:11:12.20\00:11:15.00
more areas to where
we can view the sermon.
00:11:15.04\00:11:18.57
For youth, especially
youth evangelism camp meetings.
00:11:18.61\00:11:22.58
I believe that we
need to open it up more,
00:11:22.61\00:11:28.18
have it more outdoors.
00:11:28.22\00:11:31.95
COVID-19 is around
00:11:31.99\00:11:33.32
the disturbing
of normal situation
00:11:33.36\00:11:35.26
and time must be dragging
for young people kept at home.
00:11:35.29\00:11:39.03
Reminds me a bit
of the British Gilbert
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and Sullivan operator,
00:11:41.56\00:11:43.83
mockery composers in the H.M.S.
00:11:43.87\00:11:46.00
Pinafore, where
there's a young boy
00:11:46.03\00:11:47.64
on a pirate ship
thoroughly confused
00:11:47.67\00:11:50.04
because he's
been told that he's...
00:11:50.07\00:11:52.74
not his age, but four
years only counts as one
00:11:52.77\00:11:56.21
in their figuring
and he didn't know
00:11:56.24\00:11:57.95
if he was young
or old, or the woman
00:11:57.98\00:11:59.31
he liked was young or old.
00:11:59.35\00:12:00.85
This is true
today for young people,
00:12:00.88\00:12:03.25
bored silly, perhaps
confined to their homes,
00:12:03.28\00:12:06.19
and they've lost a year,
00:12:06.22\00:12:07.82
they've lost the
best part of the year
00:12:07.86\00:12:09.49
for the school ceased
00:12:09.52\00:12:10.93
and who knows what happens next?
00:12:10.96\00:12:13.03
You know, it's very soon.
00:12:13.06\00:12:14.60
Not figuratively,
00:12:14.63\00:12:15.96
but in a real way
the Lord will stand up,
00:12:16.00\00:12:18.03
the Bible says
and say turn no more,
00:12:18.07\00:12:19.77
delay no more.
00:12:19.80\00:12:21.14
And for young people
00:12:21.17\00:12:22.50
for whom time is
always important,
00:12:22.54\00:12:24.81
and for all the people
who feel time's chariot,
00:12:24.84\00:12:27.98
pushing at them,
rushing them forward,
00:12:28.01\00:12:29.78
this is the time for action,
00:12:29.81\00:12:31.98
this is the time to spare not,
00:12:32.01\00:12:34.75
cry aloud and proclaim that
00:12:34.78\00:12:37.02
the Lord is
about to do something
00:12:37.05\00:12:39.35
and that COVID
can't restrict us,
00:12:39.39\00:12:41.86
we must witness.
00:12:41.89\00:12:44.53
For Liberty Insider,
this is Lincoln Steed.
00:12:44.56\00:12:47.10