Looking Back

This post is a recap for parents of the past year and what we have discussed on Wednesdays and for the small number of youth leaders who check it out and may want to embezzele a slide or snow ball from an idea posted. Here I have bulletted (that a word?) a few series or one-timers from 2005-2006.

• I actually stole this thought from Chris Wallace, youth pastor at Monterey Church of God in Savannah, GA. During youth camp he retold the story of the man with the shriveled, useless hand. what touched me was that when Jesus said strech out your hand, the man had a choice: He could stretch out his good hand (showing everybody "I'm okay.") or strech out his bad hand. We need to chose to show God our ugliness. To be real with him so we can start the process of Him healing us. If we don't show him our "ugly" we hurt ourselves. Mark 3.1-5
  

• When my daughter was starting to eat "normal" food, she wanted whatever I was eating. I usually gave her whatever I had. However, I love spicy pork rinds and when I would be chopping away, Cora would come around asking for some. I would say "No." This would confuse her and being a baby, she would start crying. I'm guessing that it was difficult for her to see the difference between the spicy prok rinds and all the other food that I had no problems sharing with her. I knew better. I knew that she couldn't handle the spiciness. In the same way, sometimes we ask God for something to happen, for something, and if the answer is "No" we don't understand. We need to trust God when he says "No spicy pork rinds for you." Isaiah 55.9

• During the month of November, we talked about servanthood. Putting others first. The theme came from "The Seven Checkpoints" by Stanely and Hall. I believe on of the most difficult idea to instill into teenagers is to put other people before ourselves. In this age with me-itis, where everything is me, me, me... we have to remind them that Jesus taught the opposite. If someone is in need, help them out. And in so doing, God will make sure our needs are met.

• In Decemeber we focused on a different aspect of the birth of Jesus. He had one life to live. He lived it to the fullest. The question every week that month: What are you doing with your one life? We can't let life pass us by as we passively stroll along. we must be on the offensice with our lives. Take charge. Make desicions. Know that each choice we make brings with it consequences. If we make good choices, we recieve good consequences. If we make bad choices, we get bad consequences.

• This one-time deal focused on how we should be different form those around us. I got the title from one of our teens who used to say "you're salty" whenever someone was witty or sassy. Jesus instructed us to be the salt of the earth. To be different. To stand out. If salt looses it's saltiness it is no different from sand. Just grains of white rock. If we are not salty, what good are we? Matthew 5.13