A first:

Today I received my first cease and desist note from an upset parent.  Also, I got my first comment forum bashing ever.  I kind of feel like I've arrived on the internet.  Now, mind you, my name was never involved so it wasn't a direct attack on my character, but it still stung, because I knew even if no one else did.

Let me explain.

We have seen growth in the students in my ministry lately.  About three weeks ago two students asked to speak to me.  They are friends with what I would easily call my most evangelistic youth.  So, obviously I figured the boys had been talking.  This talking lead to the two students and I sitting down and talking for about 20 or 30 minutes.  My wife says longer, but I've been trying to do better about getting things done on time so a part of me is fighting the thought that I let these students go anywhere near nine.  But, I digress.

I sat and did my best to assess the spiritual landscape of these two guys.  Interestingly enough, I don't know if a teen girl has ever spoken to me about salvation.  As the guys answered my questions I found out that one of them had a unique spiritual family tree.  Each parent held to a different belief system and neither of them were Christian, we talked a little about that.

This is the part where I feel like I need to defend my practices a little.  Anyone who knows me should know that I'm not a salesman.  I don't play to emotions.  There has never been an altar call on a wednesday night.  That's just not how I want to see students come to Christ.  Never by guilt, pressure or during a passing moment of emotional upheaval.

I explained to the boys that to be saved you had to repent of your sin and believe that Jesus is who he says he is.  After taking time to unpack those things I asked if they had any questions and then proceeded to ask them if they would still like to follow Christ.  They both we're certain.  I prayed with them and asked them to talk to God.  I didn't tell them to repeat after me.  I told them to talk to God as they would talk to me and address the two issues I had mentioned, sin and Christ.  After they prayed, we celebrated their decisions and they went home.

They both signed up to come on our weekend retreat.  The day of ... one of them didn't show up.  That's when I found out that his mom was none to pleased with what had occurred.  After we got home I found him on facebook then discovered his mother's blog.  That's where words like cult and brainwashing started to show up.  Like I said, there were no references to my church or my name, which I appreciate.  But, none the less, some really big bombs where tossed at my character.

Mind you, I was never called.  I would have loved to have a conversation about what his parents felt.  I even told him to tell his parents about his beliefs.  What did I get, blog hate.  The internet is weird like that.

Then in the comments things got even worse.  Even the Christians who commented didn't show any kind of grace to me.  I was just some psycho fundamentalist trying to brainwash a kid.  The part that offended me the most was the constant insinuation that this student didn't matter to me.  Firstly, you couldn't possibly know my intentions, so perhaps you should not judge me.  Secondly, every student in my group is important to me.  I try my best to have a real relationship with them, not something trite and surface level.

All that to say, after an attempt at starting a conversation through his mother's blog I was simply told to leave her son alone.  Then I was threatened with a formal complaint if I continued talking to him.  Of course I can't knock a mom for trying to do what she thinks is right for her son, even if I don't agree.  I just wish there could be some genuine conversation.

I've been falsely accused of something on the internet.  Show me a minister who hasn't been.  My only difference, it wasn't one of my own doing the accusing.