I hear it every week: There’s an app for that! For those of you who don’t know what an app is, it’s a special type of software program used on a smartphone or mobile device such as the Android, iPhone, BlackBerry or iPad. And it is used for…..well, almost anything. Whatever problem you are having, yes “there is an app for that” that you can download on your mobile device. Need to know if a melon is ripe at the super market? Yes, there is an app for that. (No joking, you put your phone on the melon and give the fruit a good thump. The app analyzes the sound and looks for what the developers call a “decay signature.” Apparently ripe melons sound different from unripe ones.) Stuck in an avalanche and need a rescue beacon? There is an app for that. (Just make sure you post, “Stuck in an avalanche!” to Facebook first.) Need to find a restroom quickly? There is an app for that. Want to know how much to tip a waitress based on the amount of the bill and how you’d rate the service? There is an app for that. Are you duck hunting and forgot your duck call? Yes, there is even an app for that. (Just don’t use the duck call at 1 a.m. on the youth winter retreat or CWeb will confiscate the phones!)

With Apple currently boasting of more than 30,000 apps in their App Store, it is safe to say there is an app for almost everything…almost.

One of the things this generation needs the most is discipleship. There is no app for that. They have every bit of information made available to man in the palm of their hand, and yet have no idea how to stand firm in their faith, handle trials, or even follow Christ. And that is on us.

• Psalm 145:4 – One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.
• Deuteronomy 29:29 – The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
• Deuteronomy 11:18-19 – Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and  They shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
• Job 8:10 – But those who came before you will teach you. They will teach you from the wisdom of former generations.

It is our job to reach and teach this generation. It would be heartbreaking to one day look around and find our children are not spending eternity with us! To find out that as parents, we made sure our children had no adversity instead of letting adversity come and teach them how the Bible says to deal with it … to find out that as adults we wrote off this generation because we don’t understand them instead of leaving our comfort zones and meeting them where they are.

Here is the good news: It’s not too late! This generation is not too far gone. Yes, it’s true that over half of this generation has gone through a divorce. Families have been torn apart for many different reasons. They’ve suffered all kinds of abuse; physical, sexual, and verbal—the abuse of not being loved. Their “friends” have let them down. They are so wounded by this fallen world that they are changed and shaped by it. BUT, when we teach them about the God we serve, when they see Him through our lives, they will know the Truth and He will set them free. When He sets you free, you are free indeed! You are no longer bound to this world. This world no longer changes you … you change the world!

-Danny Evans