S4 E24 - The Church Needs Reading Buddies

I started a program called "Reading Buddy" with a local elementary student. It turns out, he is a wonderful reader that just lacks confidence. With some encouragement, he has already grown tremendously, but more than that, we have grown close to each other. 

This is exactly the kind of relationship Paul & Timothy would have, and the kind of relationship Paul expects the older & younger generation to foster together in the church. Sometimes, younger disciples just need some words of encouragement. And in doing so, we will build lasting relationships that close the generational gap. 

#SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Transcript

What if I told you that God could be seen in the most ordinary things every day? 

What if I told you that every day, ordinary events could teach us extraordinary eternal truths? Would you believe me? 

 Welcome back to season 4 of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! My name is BJ Sipe, and I am a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. And I’m excited to share a few moments together with you learning some important lessons from the simplest things. Thanks for tuning in! 

We’re back after a short break last week, as my wife and I celebrated our tenth-year wedding anniversary. With the help of some wonderful friends and family, I was able to pull off a secret vow renewal that Kylie had no idea about until we were walking into the chapel. So, after a wonderful weekend of her and I getting away just the two of us, it’s time to get back after the podcast. This week I wanted to share with you all something that I recently started doing that I am absolutely loving. So as many of you know, our two oldest children started public school this year – Ava is in kindergarten and Dane is in preschool. When we decided to let our kids go to our local public school, one of the things that we committed to was being as involved as possible in not just their class, but the school as a whole. That means PTA, volunteering for different events or programs, attending school board meetings, all of it. Kylie and I want to have boots on the ground in the school, to build relationships with the different teachers and administrators, and learn how we can best serve not just our own children but also our community. 

So, backing up a few weeks, I started a program that I was very excited to be a part of – and it’s called “Reading Buddy”. As a Reading Buddy, I am paired with a student who loves to read but needs just a little bit of encouragement in their reading. It could be for several reasons, from as challenging as dyslexia to as simple as they are not confident yet and need someone to come alongside and give them some moral support. I was paired with a wonderful young man, who will remain anonymous for obvious safety reasons, so let’s just call him Charlie. Charlie is a bright young third grader who was obviously very nervous to meet me the first time I walked in to read with him. We had 25 minutes, so he grabbed his book and I said lets go find a good place to sit together and read. We made our way to a couch in the corner of the hallways, and he showed me the book he picked out – “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”. How appropriate, I thought, a young man struggling with confidence who identified greatly with this book. Charlie started reading and much to my surprise, he was excellent! He tripped up here and there on some tougher words, and that should be expected of any third grader who is continuing to grow and learn. Halfway through I told him, “Charlie, you’re an excellent reader – I would have you come read to my kids if we could!” He beamed. He went back to reading and something was different, he picked up the pace and started reading with more confidence. Then something even more exciting happened…he started to open up and come out of his shell. As we read, he would have questions about what we were reading and felt comfortable to ask them. Sometimes I knew the answers, sometimes I had to look them up on my phone with him together. We said goodbye and I told him I would meet him next week.  Our second meeting was even better. He jumped right into reading, remembering the right way to say the words that had caused him some trouble the last time, and pretty soon he started to open up even more. He told me about his family, and I told him about mine. He shared with me what he enjoys and the things he likes, and before we knew it, we were no longer just Reading Buddies…but buddies. I’ve grown very fond of Charlie in just two short weeks, and I can’t wait to continue to do all I can to help him grow in the year to come. 

As I drove home from our second gathering, I started to think about all that this program was designed to do and how wonderful it was that I got to participate in something so special. As it often does, while thinking about this very fact, I thought to myself, “you know, there is a lot of parallel with what I’m doing here and what we’re supposed to be doing as a church. The church needs Reading Buddies.” Now, what exactly do I mean by that? Well, I could explain it, but I think I’d better let the apostle Paul get a word in first. Let’s look at two passages together, the first being found in 2 Timothy 2:1-2, 
 
 “You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 

In all things, Paul was a mentor to the young evangelist Timothy. In fact, he would say later on in the same epistle, “But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me…” (2 Timothy 3:10-11). Timothy traveled with Paul, came alongside of him, and learned from him and listened to him. But Paul’s purpose was not only to assist Timothy in his personal growth as an evangelist, but also to instill confidence in Timothy and build a close, personal relationship with him. Consider how the book of 2 Timothy begins, 
 
 “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.”

We are not given all the details as to what exactly was going on, but it is clear by the beginning of this letter that Timothy needed encouragement. He was struggling with fear and struggling in his confidence. It was not that Timothy was not equipped to do this work, but rather that he needed someone to come alongside of him and help to build him up. And that’s exactly what Paul does here. He reminds Timothy that he has been equipped from youth, that he knows the Scriptures, that he is strong in his faith, and to press on in his gift he has, not to fear. And through this, look at how Paul and Timothy had become close to one another. Paul refers to him as a son, they longed to see each other and be filled with joy. It was not just about the work they did together…it was about the love they shared for each other. 

The second passage we should consider teaches us that this model Paul gives us through his relationship with Timothy is what he expects to take place throughout the church. It’s found in Titus 2:2-8, 
 
 “Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission to their husbands, so that God’s word will not be slandered. In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us.” 

My friends, the church is called to duplicate these kinds of relationships with one another, especially between the older and younger generation. Frequently, there is what I like to call a “generational gap” – where the older and younger cannot relate to each other, and frequently have little to do with one another. But what if we changed that narrative? What if mature, older Christians came alongside younger Christians who are still very much growing in faith and lack confidence? Perhaps they are struggling to do the work they are called to do by God because they need equipped more, and who better to do that than those who have already been equipped and have been doing the work for a generation? Or perhaps all they need is someone to come alongside of them and encourage them, to help build their confidence. To remind them that they can do it, and offer words of wisdom, encouragement, and love to young mothers & fathers, young teens, or even younger children? And here is the best part of it all – the more we work together, and the more the younger and older generations engage with one another, the more they will come out of their shells. Soon, we will build relationships like Paul & Timothy, and find great joy and love in being together, longing to see each other. As I look back on my life, those that have meant the most to me and helped to build me up in my faith have always been much older than myself. I’m here only because of their help & mentorship. I’m living proof that the church needs reading buddies. 

This has been the Set Your Mind Above Podcast, season 4 episode 24 – and I’m so thankful that you decided to tune in today! A new episode is dropped most Fridays, so be sure to tune in next week.  Also, if you’re able to, go ahead and like and subscribe to the podcast, as well as share it with someone else – it would help me greatly in trying to reach others. And more than anything, always remember the following: know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above.