Michael Catt - Courageous Teens

Courageous Teens, Digital Edition

Based on Print Edition

Copyright 2012 by Michael Catt

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-4336-7906-3

Published by B&H Publishing Group,

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 248.83

Subject Heading: COURAGE \ YOUTH \ CHRISTIAN LIFE

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Dedicated to my long-time friend Jay Strack, who has devoted his life to raising the next generation for Christ.

Jay is the founder of Student Leadership University, targeting students. Both of my daughters were greatly impacted by Uncle Jay and his love for students and student ministry.

Contents

Acknowledgments

N o one writes a book alone. A book is the result of people, books, and places that have influenced your thinking. Its the result of research and time alone with God. Its ultimately the result of a passion to invest in others beyond your normal sphere of influence.

I want to thank some significant people who have helped me in this process. Jim McBride and Bill Reeves are my literary agents. They take care of the business aspect so I can focus on writing. Im grateful they believe in me. Thomas Walters first signed me to write for B&H. His gracious guidance has helped me on this project and beyond. He challenged me to write a better book than the first draft I sent him. I hope he is not disappointed. To all the team at B&H and LifeWay, I am grateful for your belief in what God is doing at Sherwood.

To my wife Terri, who always gives me the time I need to work on these projects. She has patiently kept dinner warm so I could finish a few more paragraphs on a chapter. She reads the manuscripts and makes suggestions. She prays for me as I try to get the wording like I want it. She is my best friend.

To Debbie Toole, my administrative assistant who has served with me for twenty years. Shes the gatekeeper to my office. If it werent for Debbie, I wouldnt have the time in my schedule to get alone and write. Im grateful she sees the big picture of what Im trying to do.

To Stephanie Bennett, my research assistant and to my daughter Hayley, who helped me meet my deadlines. Stephanie did the initial edit and research, refining and fine tuning the material. She spends countless hours helping me get everything I need. Hayley stepped in at the last minute when Stephanie was out on maternity leave and helped me take out some of the preachy material and target a younger audience. With other books, Ive tried to target my generation and below. With this one I needed to challenge the next generation. Hayleys insights as she read the material with a fresh eye were invaluable.

To Amy Parker, who took my book Courageous Living and tailored it for a younger audience. She worked quickly and produced a book that Im proud of. I am grateful for her time and invaluable insight to getting this message into hands and hearts of the next generation.

I must thank Alex and Stephen Kendrick. Not only are these guys on our staff, but they are also loyal men who model integrity and passion for their calling. Im grateful for the powerful script and storyline of the movie Courageous . My prayer is that God will use the movie to inspire and challenge people to a higher level. The movie is the inspiration behind this book, and Im grateful to share the journey with them.

To the members of Sherwood who have supported, prayed for, and encouraged me in so many ways, I am grateful. To the lay leadership of Sherwood, Im forever indebted to them for their willingness to follow as I seek to lead. Im especially grateful for the Dream Team, a group of men who counsel me and help me cast vision. Last but not least, to the incredible staff God has given us at Sherwood. I couldnt ask for better men, fathers, role models, and colaborers in the field. In all my years of ministry, these guys are the best Ive ever seen.

One last word, thanks to all of you who have supported the ministry of Sherwood and Sherwood Pictures over the years. Your prayers for us and support of all we are seeking to do is a blessing to us. If God has used anything weve donea book, a movie, or a messagewe give God praise. We are nothing apart from Him. We long to reach the world from Albany, Georgia, and see many come into the kingdom through the ministries God has entrusted to us.

Blessings,

Michael Catt

www.michaelcatt.com

F irst of all, Id like to thank Michael Catt for entrusting me with his message. As an author, I understand the sanctity of that privilege, and I am honored. Dan Lynch and Bill Reeves, thank you for believing in my abilities; your encouragement fuels me.

To my husband, Daniel, and the God who gave him to me, both of you know that without you, none of this would be possible.

And for my sons, Michael and Ethan: I dare you to, I implore you to, I pray that God gives you the strength to... be courageous .

Love,

Amy Parker

www.AmyParkerBooks.com

T he story is told of a battle where the flag bearer got so far ahead of the regiment that the officer called back to headquarters and asked, Shall we bring the flag back to the regiment?

The commanding officer said, No, make the regiment catch up with the flag!

Today we need young people with the hearts of warriors; people who will run to catch up with the flag Christ carries ahead of us. People who wont turn back. But the responsibility to mentor those young people falls to me, to my generation.

During our Disciple Now weekend in 2012, Tally Wilgis, pastor of one of our church plants in Baltimore, was our guest speaker. Tally asked the students, How many of you know for certain that one of your parents has led a person to Christ in the last year? Out of the 250 students, only 12 stood in agreement.

In a church filled with Bible-believing people, its hard for me to imagine we are that apathetic about sharing our faith. It is a denial of the Great Commission and a bad example for you, our next generation. Faith works or it is not faith. Faith gives evidence by what it does.

As I relate this story, I also remember that I never heard my parents share their faith or invite anyone to visit our church. It wasnt modeled for me, even though we went to church every Sunday.

Having served as a youth minister for fifteen years, I have seen the good, bad, and ugly of students and families. Knowing that the majority of todays teenagers do not attend a church of any kind, it is a reminder of how crucial a parents role is in spiritual development. When parents are the real deal, there is a far better chance that the students in those homes will grow up and serve the Lord.

Of course, there are many kids who beat the odds; some of my best students came from homes where there was no support. Ive termed their parents phantom parents, because they would drop their kids off for events and disappear. They never participated in the life of the church and gave no real spiritual support to their kids. Unless the people of my generation take the time to equip you, our young people, with spiritual courage, the church is always just one generation away from extinction.

I understand that its tough out there. I see the news. I spend time with the youth in our church. I have children of my own. But I know that it only makes it tougher when theres no example of Christian faith to follow.