I have a burden in my heart to see young people saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and serving God. I must say that there are some exciting youth-oriented national ministries today, offering conferences and big stadium events, foreign-mission opportunities, and other encounters. It is thrilling to see a teenager touched by the power of God in a meeting. Teens are looking for something to commit to, and when someone presents Jesus in a way that makes sense to them, they often latch on to Him with a passion that may make the more reserved adults uncomfortable. I thank God for every resource He has made available to mobilize youth in His service, and for the faithful souls who work in what is often a thankless field.

  But here is my concern: young people are moved by the power of God as it touches their very active emotions, make a commitment to serve Him, and have a mountaintop experience for a few days. But too often there is a letdown within a few weeks, and the spiritual momentum is difficult to recapture, and discouragement may set in. This story is repeated all too frequently among our young people.

  But I am convinced that if the youth would get hold of the Word of God, read it, study it, meditate it, love it daily, the up-and-down nature of the young person's experience with God would be a thing of the past (I must add here that adults are also prone to the ups and downs, but perhaps not so dramatically).

  The problem with this is twofold: first, the youth themselves are not typically too keen on reading; and, second, not all youth ministers put enough emphasis on the Word.

  But I would like to challenge the young people of today, in this way: You talk a lot about things or people being "cool." Certain things are cool, certain people are cool; others are not. Not that long ago, the term "hip" was widely used. There were even people known as "hippies" (people who were hip; believe it or not, I was one of them). Maybe next week or next year some new term will replace "cool" and "hip." But the idea will remain the same.

  I would like to ask a question of the most with-it young people of today. The question is, "What makes someone cool or hip?" In other words, what is the essence of cool? You may struggle with your answer. Coolness is, after all, hard to define. So let me try to help by sharing my own concept.

  One way in which a person becomes known as cool is to be calm and unrattled in all situations. Many people who try to be cool put on a front of "going with the flow." But I believe that true coolness runs deeper than that. I am convinced that the most essential ingredient in coolness or hipness is understanding.

  Now your first response to that statement may be to question if I know what I'm talking about. But think about it. Do you have a friend with a parent you consider to be cool? What is it that makes this particular parent cool? Is it not usually because that parent, although an adult, seems to have a good understanding of how young people think and feel? What about the young people you consider the coolest or the hippest? Could it be said of them that they seem to have a kind of "inside" knowledge, and some understanding that sets them apart from the others? Where do you think the expression "I'm hip to that" comes from? To be hip is to understand.

  If you can accept that, then let's take a step further. If what makes a person cool or hip is a certain level of understanding, then it would follow that the coolest and hippest individual would be the one who understands the most. Do you see where I'm going with this? Who is it that knows and understands everything, past, present, and future? Who is it that knows everything about you, and all your friends, and even those who are not your friends? I won't insult you by providing you with the obvious answer. You know Who it is.

  But here is an awesome thing: the coolest and hippest Individual in the universe, Who knows everything because He made it all, has written a book, and He wants you to read it, study it, meditate in it, live it, because He wants you to be, in all the right ways, the hippest and coolest person you can be.

  If the person you consider to be the coolest of all the people you know were to say to you, "Look, I'd like to take you under my wing and teach you everything I know about being cool," what would your reaction be? Well, God is hipper than anybody, and He wants to make that exact same deal with you! So take Him up on it.

  One word of caution: just because you begin to absorb God's Word does not mean everyone will instantly make a hero of you. In fact, it may seem just the opposite. They may give you a bit of a hard time about your new pursuit, or, worse yet, may begin to ignore you. But let some trouble or difficulty come to one of them, and watch which way they turn. They know that you know something, because you've been going to the Source.

  Listen to what the Word of God says in 1 Corinthians 2:16: "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." What a promise to those who follow Him and build their lives on the Word of God!

  Our nation needs, the world cries out for, a generation of Word addicts, Word maniacs, Word nerds: whatever they are called, they are young people who want to go further than the lame fads of the day, and walk with the One about whom it is said, "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord." (Proverbs 21:30). Young people, dig in with the Word of God and build a life for yourselves that cannot be blown away (Luke 6:47-49).