Tomorrow night ...

... (Friday) I get the chance to share at the Trinity Western Graduation Banquet. I've been thinking a lot about what to share there. I never went to Trinity myself, but a lot of my friends did. For some reason preparing to speak there has gotten me thinking about my friends who went to Trinity (that was a lot of years ago!). Interestingly, one of the things that strikes me is that so many of them, and others I knew at the time who were strong in their faith, are really not walking closely (or at all) with the Lord anymore. While they were in university, at Trinity or elsewhere, they were passionate about their faith. But over the years they've moved away, pursued various careers, started families (ie. done all the things they're supposed to do), and somewhere in the mix they lost their center. I've wondered to myself, how did that happen? Did they lose Christian community? Did no one track with them and keep them accountable (including me)? Did life just become too busy? And were there warning signs that could have been addressed in their life earlier? One of the realities for you and I as we shepherd people in our church is that down the road many of them will likely not be walking with the Lord. We need to ensure that we're praying for our people, getting them connected into community (clusters), following up with people when they stop showing up, and being intentional about helping them understand how to navigate life and faith. We're here to shepherd them - let's not just assume they'll finish well, but let's fight for it.