We had about twenty at our youth lock-in last night. After a devotional about spiritual warfare ( Eph. 6:10-17) we watched C.S. Lewis" The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian as an allegorical interpretation of the ultimate spiritual battle. Youth were also involved in playing Jenga®, Uno®,Twister®, hide-and-seek, Wii Sports®, playing ball, conversation, listening to music, and just lounging around. We consumed seven pizzas, two cases of soda-pop, four bags of chips, three dozen donuts, and a half gallon each of milk and juice. The food, fellowship, game involvement and close proximity served to help us get to know each other better, and the sleep deprivation served to push us to the limits of our endurance.
There are many influential alliances that can affect the lives of young people today. Groups and cliques form and influence youth in both positive (Matt. 5:13-16) and negative (Prov. 1:10-16; 1 Cor. 5:6-8) ways. The purpose of the lock-in was to form alliances around elements that would have a positive influence (Psa. 34:3). I pray that the event was a positive one for the youth.
