Paul the executioner...

Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He is alive!"
-Acts 20:9-10

I think we as the church are guilty of putting too many of the emerging generation into a deep sleep with our meetings. As a result they are falling out the back of the church in hemorrhaging numbers. We have talked them to death and until we realize that mere talk is not going to engage this generation, we will continue to produce a sedated generation.

What is interesting to me is the answer to the problem isn't a flashy new program or expensive new facilities filled with heart pounding, cutting edge sound systems, throbbing lights and state of the art video wizardry. It's not going to be goatee-toting hipsters able to communicate in all the hottest lingo and culturally relevant mumbo jumbo that brings this generation back to life.

It's going to be desperate spiritual fathers and mothers embracing a dead generation in all their fallen, bloody mess. Paul went from executioner to resuscitator after he threw himself on the young man. We can't just preach them alive we must embrace them. Gather them up into our arms, ignoring all the nasty gore that has resulted from the great heights from which they have fallen. We must envelope them in a resurrecting embrace that is emanating from the heart of God and potent with life giving power.

Come down from your ivory tower Paul.
Stop your eloquent and painfully long sermonizing.
Open your eyes, the emerging generation is falling asleep and falling out.
Stop talking and start embracing...your love is so much more powerful than your words.
Come down to the street again...