A reminder!

I was reading John Coles New Wine letter this afternoon and two things struck me, so I thought I'd ramble on the subject. John writes:

The Missing Generation – Younger Leaders
In contrast we have been hearing for some time that the 20’s are the missing generation in many churches in the UK. I am increasingly convinced that unless we invest in and capture the imagination and energy of this generation we will struggle to change the church and the nation.

How right John is, most churches are frightened to give responsibility to those in their twenties, we insult them with, you can hand out the books, or you can make the tea! One of the most powerful events in our church life was started by the young people, 24/7 prayer. The church is open for prayer day and night, their prayer opened my eyes, challenged my expectations and made me want more!

Leading with Integrity
The second thing that I was struck by in the history of the Vineyard is the fact that many of their leaders fell away morally. In many ways this is a natural consequence of raising younger leaders. Unless the development of character goes hand in hand with the development of gifting, and especially anointing in the power of the Spirit, then moral collapse can easily follow. Visibility, responsibility, and authority have a way of finding out weaknesses in our character as rain has of seeping through porous rock.

Again how right John is, when he states "Unless the development of character goes hand in hand with the development of gifting, and especially anointing in the power of the Spirit, then moral collapse can easily follow. " I remember the temptations of my twenties and thirties, I am now forty-seven, and I by the grace of God I survived those turbulent years that stretched character and gifting to the limit.

It begs the question now as I see that risk, character and gifting go hand in hand, have I turned into a boring middle-aged man?