A LETTER FROM JEFF GRANT, SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR OF CYF:

Hey Everybody...not sure how to address all of you since this is the first time for me to actually put something on a blog of any kind! First off, I guess I would like to say how much I look forward to being together with all of you! I am really looking forward to our time together this summer at Malone.

We are looking to explore something that seems to be on everybody’s mind at some level...sex (did he just say 'sex'?) Having said that, I want you to know this coming summer will not be about the traditional, “Your bad if you think about, talk about, or have any sexual feelings” church talk. In fact, we are looking at it from an entirely different angle. We want to look at what it means to be, “sexual,” as a person...specifically what does it look like to be Godly Men and Godly Women. I guess I have just seen so much stuff about the physical side of sex, (dress, looks, behavior, images, talk, ect...) but for me real sexuality has more to do with how God made us unique as men and women! I think we have spent so much time talking about the rules we forgot to talk about the reasons God made us so unique and different.

I am hoping we can take the focus off the physical and look at the spiritual side of being men and women who love God. I believe people of all ages are sick of the cheap and shallow way both the world and often the church approaches sexuality. We need to go deeper this summer and take a look at how we can break out of the mold other people are trying to put us in and tap into how God made us. To look at what a man was made to be...what a woman was made to be. If you don’t believe it is affecting your spiritual life...think again. I think sexuality is probably at the top of the list of things causing chaos out there in everyone’s lives (adults included). The funny thing is that everyone seems to be afraid to really talk about it or address it in any real way so we decided to take it to the next level and get real with you guys this year.

We are hoping that together we will make progress on the journey of living for God and learn about what it looks like to grow into the men and women God is calling us to be, not just how to date and not have intercourse (yes it is ok to say the word intercourse in public...I think). My other gut level feeling is that the world we live in is trying to make men and women look exactly the same. As if we were identical except for the changes in anatomy. I hope you will join us this year and come ready to learn, be challenged, and think deeper about the meaning of what the Bible says when it states that we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

Now, I know that with a blog you can respond so let me just ask a few questions to get this thing going.... [click on the COMMENTS link below this post]

1. Have you ever thought of sex as something more looks and hormones? For instance, have you ever thought of sexuality in terms of being what God put on the inside of a person as a man or a woman?

2. Do you think God looks at sexuality in dating as something bigger than just, “Don’t have sex outside marriage?”

3. How does being a Godly Man or a Godly Woman reflect the image of God for you? Do they look different? Do they look the same? How and Why?

These are a couple questions to get you thinking about where we are going this year. Now, I imagine there will be folks who will be offended by what I am saying.... “Is he saying we should worship sexuality?” no. “Is he saying that abstinence is bad?” no. All I am saying is it is time for the church to start thinking bigger than just the rules about sexuality. We intend to do that this year...lets dig deeper and see what God might be saying to us and break out of the mold the world is trying to put us in!

See Ya.....
-Jeff

CYF07
4 months and counting...

are
you
ready?

New information regarding CYF07 will be posted soon!

while you're here - check out the CYF MESSAGE BOARD or POST COMMENTS below!