we are the patriarch makers

Mark, Gordon, Eric...who's who?

So... just to clarify, "we are the patriarchs" is not implying that us three YFC staff have some notoriety like the patriarchs of old: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. No, it is implying that "we" as a society have been called to be patriarchs, in all spheres of life. This simply means that we build into others who have come under us in some form, be it age, occupation, faith-seeking, or many other life circumstances. It is the passing of the torch, as a father passes on what he knows to his son. This principle works on the matriarchal level as well, I believe, but haven't tried it out.

Now there is a problem. OF COURSE there is a problem. We have a fatherless generation amongst us, or even multiple generations. I won't go into too much detail about this, as I'm guessing most everyone knows of what I speak. "The Joshua Problem," I have so called our predicament, in reference to the situation the Israelites faced in the Old Testament era. Simply put, God rose Moses up as a leader who then passed on what he knew to Joshua, who led the people Israel after Moses' death. Joshua ruled as Israel's judge, with no record of apprenticing, or of a healthy patriarchal society, and so Joshua died and his integrity with him. Nothing was passed on, and Israel entered its darkest era ever.

All this to say, we at YFC are feeling the call to solve the Joshua Problem, to take the time to invest in others and pass down what God has already done in our young lives. We also feel we need to make sure that we ourselves spend enough time with Moses's and Joshua's in order that we are receiving enough patriarchal impartation. This process is SOOO good, there's such a huge fingerprint of God's design in it, when two hearts connect in such a way. So this is our vision in relationship with the youth we know, as well as some people who have emerged into adulthood and are waiting for patriarchs (and matriarchs, too).

I believe we all have an open door to this call if we look for it. Sons, daughters, friends, nephews, nieces, people in our churches, and neighbors. One could look into any charity and would find shepherd-less sheep by the droves. Let's open our eyes. Please pursue this with us.