Every so often

I will hear someone ask, "What's wrong with this generation?"

I admit that,

at times, some of these young folk appear a bit strange to those of "the

last generation." Some kids both males and females are garbed totally

in black and adorned with black lipstick and black nail polish. Others

sport not one small tattoo in a hidden and discrete place, but a plethora

of elaborate "skin art" for all the world to see.

During the

summertime, a number of the young ladies wear outfits in public that would

make a Las Vegas stripper blush, and both males and females display piercings

in places that would delight a Nazi torture specialist. But that is not

the whole story.

We do not have

a large congregation by metro Atlanta standards; our high attendance being

253 in church last Easter Sunday. But let me introduce you to a few of

our young people from "this generation."

Annie Dalton

of Newnan is a United States Navy Corpsman (medic) stationed in Japan.

Lukas Jones of Newnan is also a Corpsman in the United States Navy is

stationed in South Carolina on Parris Island. Dustin Ruth of Fayetteville

is a United States Marine currently on duty in Okinawa.

Donnie Tubbs

of Tyrone, also a U. S. Marine, is serving his country in the Pacific

region. James Epps of Sharpsburg, my youngest son, is an intelligence

specialist and linguist, stationed in San Antonio with the United States

Air Force. Kyle Bond of Tyrone is sweating the summer out at the Marine

Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, S.C., where he is expected to graduate

from boot camp in mid-August.

Cabot Gatlin

of Fayetteville, a husband and father of a lovely little girl, is a U.S.

Army Green Beret, currently on assignment in Kuwait. Anthony Thompson

of Morrow a National Guard reservist, left a good job and a wife and two

young children at home and is experiencing the aftermath of war somewhere

in Southern Iraq.

They are all

a part of "this generation" that serves the nation and defends

our freedom.

A few weeks

ago, about a dozen teenagers from our congregation worked and slaved for

days before loading up and traveling down the road to Hogansville in Troup

County, where they spent the better part of a week of their summer vacation

conducting an evangelistic "backyard Bible study" for a mission

church.

Another two

of our teens get up early every Sunday morning in order to arrive at church

by 7:15 a.m. where they help set up and prepare to take their place in

the worship ministry at the 8 a.m. service.

Last year,

one of our twelve-year-old girls traveled to Kenya with our medical mission

team where she worked and I mean "worked" to help the professionals

on the team bring medical relief to desperately ill people in six small

villages.

Whenever we

need volunteers, our teens and young adults are among the first to step

up to the plate. They are a part of "this generation" that will

make spiritual history in the 21st century.

Five of our

young adults are involved in law enforcement agencies, choosing to put

their lives on the line each day in he service of their communities. Others

in our church have entered the teaching profession or have heard the call

to ministry. They are a part of "this generation" that believes

in making the world a better, safer, more productive place.

And, yes, some

of these folks of "this generation" have tattoos, have or have

had something pierced, and listen to music that sounds to me like "caterwauling,"

as my Mom used to say. "What's wrong with this generation?"

Not nearly as much as some people seem to think.

I remember

my father saying one night, as he looked at his 17-year-old son, "I

tremble with fear when I think that your generation will be in charge

someday." We did okay, Dad. America is still free, communism was

defeated, and we won every war that the politicians let the military fight.

And even in Vietnam, the war that your generation's elected officials

wouldn't let our generation fight, we were sacrificial, courageous, honorable,

and brave.

We had tie-dyed

clothes, exceedingly long hair, listened to such music as "Inna-goda-da-vita"

(or however that song is spelled) by a group called Iron Butterfly, made

peace signs, sang "We Shall Overcome," and made our share of

mistakes and stupid decisions. We also went to college, served in the

military, got jobs, and married and raised families. "This generation"

will make their share of mistakes, too, and they will suffer for their

bad decisions. But they, too, are full of hope, idealism, courage, and

integrity.

I, for one,

believe in "this generation." Our church, like the others churches

and neighborhoods in the community, is full of the representatives of

"this generation." We are honored and blessed to have them.

We need to cherish them, encourage them, pray for them, train and equip

them, live good examples before them, and trust them. They will not fail

us.

[David Epps

is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church, which meets

at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sundays on Ga. Highway 34 between Peachtree City

and Newnan. He may be contacted at [email protected] or at www.CTKCEC.org]