Published: November 08, 2008 10:15 pm      

Youth fest to bring message to teens

Parents need to be “approachable and unshockable,” says youth minister Jeffrey Dean.

Dean, who will speak Wednesday at the Wink Theatre as part of the Youth WAIT (Walking Always in Truth) Fest, says children want to talk to their parents about things such as sex, drugs and other temptations.

“They want to know that mom and dad are approachable and unshockable,” he said. “But today, we have this mentality of out of sight, out of mind. If I don’t talk about it, I don’t have to deal with it. Or we have the parents who say I had that talk with my kids so it’s OK. Well, it’s not OK.”

Dean, who says he speaks before teens about 100 times a year, says they are constantly getting bad messages from the media and, often, from their friends.

“We have a plethora of messages telling teenagers it doesn’t matter what you live for as long as what you live for works,” he said.

Dalton’s Women’s Enrichment Center is sponsoring the WAIT Fest to promote the idea of sexual abstinence before marriage. Dean says that will be central to his message.

“It’s not about saying no unless you are in a relationship. It’s not about saying no unless you are in love. It’s not about saying no unless you use protection,” he said. “It’s about saying no because if you do you will completely eliminate any consequences that could affect your future.”

Dean says teens who make a commitment to abstinence need to know they aren’t alone.

“Everyone is not sexually active. As a mater of fact, the majority of students are saying no to sex before marriage,” he said. “Let’s be bold and fearless. Let’s not shy away because we aren’t alone in this walk.”

But he says abstinence is just part of his message.

“My message is really about stopping and asking, ‘What am I really living for?’” he said. “The issue isn’t sex. It’s what am I living for. For me, I want to be a follower of Jesus Christ, whether it is in my dating life, or my school life, or my job, my private life. It’s about every part of my life.”

“I want to stand for what is right, not just what feels right,” he added.

Tickets for Youth WAIT Fest are $10 and are on sale at Lifeway (Chattanooga), Pathway Store (Cleveland, Tenn.), In Heaven’s Name (Dalton) and www.itickets.com. The event will also feature four of Christian contemporary music’s biggest acts: Superchick, Stellar Kart, Article One and Starlit Platoon.

The doors will open at 5 p.m. The show will start at 6 and Dean will speak at 7, followed by Stellar Kart and Superchick.