Responding to Times of Tribulation

1 Peter 4:12-13 - Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Tonight we talked about our attitudes during times of tribulation. 

We started the evening off with me re-enacting the story Pastor Mike told about Bob Reccord in his book, "Forged by Fire". I played an angry and bitter Bob who suffered from severe pain from a back injury. I was tired, dependent on medication, my left arm was useless, and I couldn't work anymore. Sitting outside on a cold and rainy day, I saw and heard a bird singing nearby. I was irritated by the bird's audacity to sing in such miserable weather, but the bird kept singing. Then the weather cleared and the sun came out and warmed things up. The bird was there still, singing just as before. Then it occurred to me that the bird sang in the cold rain as well as the sunny warmth. It didn't matter what his outward circumstances were. Internally, the bird had a song to sing joyfully. Convicted, I realized God was showing me that I too had the same choice as the bird. I could let my circumstances...pain, no job, left arm, and medication addiction shape my attitude and keep on living bitter, angry, and full of resentment. Or my attitude could rise above those circumstances and I could choose joy. 

No matter the weather, the birds still sing. That's because their singing has nothing to do with the weather.

We talked then to the youth and asked them the same question. What about them? Who do they "sing" to during difficult circumstances? Do they let those circumstances mold their attitudes? Do they try and choose to rise above those circumstances instead?

Next we gave each of the kids a piece of sponge. We had several sponges as well. We put one sponge into a shallow dish of water and let it soak it up. We told the kids that we are those sponges and time in prayer and studying God's Word is the water. The more we are immersed in time with God, the more the Holy Spirit can fill us.

Then we squeezed out our sponge. The "squeeze" represents the tribulations we go through. But if we are full of the Holy Spirit when those trials come, when we are squeezed, only an attitude that reflects that we are Spirit-filled will come out of us.....the fruits of the Spirit...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

At the same time, we had another sponge soaking up grape juice in a nearby dish. The grape juice represented the other things we choose to fill ourselves with besides God. We showed the kids that, when squeezed, nothing good came from those sponges...only what they had allowed themselves to be filled with,  which wasn't very pretty.

Sometimes, circumstances and influences we can't control come into our lives though. Again, we let our water sponge soak up as much water as it could hold. Then we placed it in the dish of grape juice, or things that would cause us to have bad attitudes. Because the sponge was already full of water, it could not soak up any of the grape juice in addition.

When we do what we can to make sure that we are full of the Holy Spirit by spending time with God everyday, things beyond our control that come along and try to rob is of our joy will not affect us the way they would if we were dry and shriveled up like an unsaturated sponge.

Only one thing is guaranteed in our walk with Christ. Squeezes will come! What will pour out of us when they do? We choose!

Spiritual Gifts

1 Peter 4:10 - Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.

We talked about spiritual gifts tonight.

We started out with a game where we asked the kids to go to one side of the room or another based on their answers to the following questions:

Would You Rather...

kiss a dog or a cat on the mouth?
eat cow eyeballs or monkey lips?
die by a fire or by a drowning?
win free tickets to a professional football game or baseball game?
live without TV for one year or be homeless for one month?
have a phone or a TV in your room?
keep your siblings or be an only child?
win a million bucks all at once today or get $1000 a week for the rest of your life?
lose both arms or both legs?
work during the summer or stay at home all day?

Everyone is alike in some ways and everyone is different in some ways, as the previous game revealed.

I also showed up tonight wearing some crazy mismatched knee socks.  After a few strange comments and even stranger looks from the kids, I explained that in the early morning darkness and rush of getting ready, I didn’t manage to grab socks that were exactly the same.  The socks didn't match.  They were different.  However, both of them will keep my feet warm.  They will still accomplish the purpose for which they were made.  They do not look the same.  They might even feel slightly different.  But they will still protect my feet so they can function well.

We explained that, as people, and as members of the church, we are like that, too.  Paul writes in the book of 1 Corinthians about the church as compared to a body…there are different parts, but all work for the same thing:

1 Corinthians 12:27-30 - Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  

Some people might not seem to “match” others…some are older, some are younger.  Some look different.  Some approach problems or tasks in unique ways.  But each and every person is created by God and we can all serve the same purpose…just like my funny socks!

Then we talked about what a spiritual gift is and is not.

What it is not:

• A talent (something you just happen to be good at)
• An ability (a developed skill)
• A personality trait (whether environmental or genetic)

What it is:

• You get it when you become a Christian (Ephesians 4:7, I Corinthians 12:7)
• There are no believers without gifts
• There are no unbelievers with gifts
• It is a supernatural ability that works through God's Holy Spirit (I Peter 4:11)
• The reason you have it is to do God's work
• You supply the availability and God will supply the ability
• Your gift is not for you -- it is for the youth group and the Church (Ephesians 4:12)
• God gave us all different ones so that we could all work together (Romans 12:4 - 6)

So what exactly are the spiritual gifts?

Apostle/Missionary (I Corinthians 12:28)

• Leave home/family/friends
• Travel on the road
• Adapt to foreign cultures/food/etc.

Ministry opportunities
Missionary (home or foreign)
Traveling business person who adapts to and witnesses in each new situation
Reaching beyond your own clique and group at school to reach people different from you

Prophet/Preacher (I Corinthians 14:3-4)

• Not afraid to tell individuals and groups that they are right/wrong in God's eyes
• Apply God's Word to specific situations to determine right/wrong
• Sense the need for revival in the youth group or Church

Ministry opportunities
Help individuals see that they need to turn back to God
Bring about revival in the youth group and Church
Help others resist peer pressure by encouraging them to do what's right

Evangelist (Ephesians 4:11, II Timothy 4:5)

• Talk about Jesus anytime, anywhere
• Identify with people right where they are and explain the Gospel in related terms
• Know just what to say to people when witnessing

Ministry opportunities
Form a specific witnessing effort at school
Win people to Christ one by one
Come up with new and unique ways to share Jesus

Pastor/Teacher (Ephesians 4:11-2, Romans 12:6-7, James 3:1)

• Strong desire to see individuals and groups learning God's Word
• Sensitive to people caught in sin -- you want to help them get back on track gently
• Can communicate easily and well to others

Ministry opportunities
Lead small group Bible studies
Counsel Christian friends on what to do in tough times
Unify the youth group and Church

Encourager (Romans 12:6-8)

• Sense when someone is down
• Help others see the bright, spiritual side of things
• Spend time and energy cheering others up spiritually

Ministry opportunities
Christian comedian
Deliver or send cards/letters/gifts to people who are down
Spend time one-on-one in person or on phone with people who are down

Messenger of Knowledge/Wisdom (I Corinthians 12:8)

• Know what to do in a crisis situation
• Know what to say to unbelievers' questions about God
• Know how to defend your faith on the spot when it is attacked/challenged/debated

Ministry opportunities
Pull the youth group closer together during a crisis
Step to the front of the pack during times of persecution
Explain to others intellectually why Jesus is real

Server (I Corinthians 12:6-7)

• See things that need to be done and do them
• Accomplish tasks very well
• Work behind the scenes to take care of things others don't think about

Ministry opportunities
Help set-up and tear-down for youth activities
Form a team to Adopt-a-Highway and pick up trash in the community
Ask youth workers/leaders how you can help

Hospitality Giver (I Corinthians 12:8)

• Sense physical needs of others
• Give time, money, effort to helping meet those needs
• Let go of your own possessions to help others for a time

Ministry possibilities
Collect and send food/clothes to disaster relief victims
Let others borrow/have your things to meet their own needs
Share your room with a foreign exchange student and help them fit in here

Giver (I Corinthians 12:8)

• Sense a financial need/burden in others
• Give your own money to help others
• Organize people to give money to help others

Ministry possibilities
Donate money to help someone else go to camp
Organize youth to give money to help someone in the group/Church that has a need
Find and meet financial needs of lost people in your school/community

Leader/Administrator (I Corinthians 12:28)

• Sense what needs to be done and how to do it
• Accept challenges and organize people/resources to solve them
• Motivate people to become a part of your vision for God's work in the youth group and Church

Ministry possibilities
Organize teams of people in the youth group to perform a specific function
Plan and lead a Backyard Bible Club made up of several youth group members
Take charge of problems and help solve them

Mercy (Romans 12:8)

• Have deep compassion for people who are in pain (emotional/physical/mental/etc.)
• Can comfort others with ease
• Very considerate of other people's feelings

Ministry opportunities
Reach out to the handicapped in our group/church/community
Defend and stand by those who get made fun of
Instill confidence and comfort in the underdogs around you

Faith (I Corinthians 13:2)

• Sense God's presence when no one else can
• Sense that God is at work when no one else can
• Trust in God in spite of tremendous obstacles

Ministry opportunities
Organize a prayer ministry to pray for big things
Challenge others to win their campuses to Christ
Motivate others in the youth group and Church to rely on God in tough times

Discernment (I Corinthians 12:10)

• Sense hypocrisy or dishonesty in the others
• Sense when God is at work
• Sense when Satan is at work

Ministry opportunities
Steer the youth group clear of Satanic influences (astrology, Ouija boards, etc.)
Steer the youth group toward depending on God's Spirit for guidance
Point out hypocrisy in the youth group and Church

Obviously, the youths' lives are ever-changing at this age and so they are likely not sure what their spiritual gifts are yet, but we wanted to give them an overview of the gifts just the same so they could start thinking about them.

2015 New Year's Lock-In!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it's that time of the year again already!  Another new year of youth group!  So excited!  We kicked it off the way we always do....with food, fun, fellowship, and all-out craziness!

Everyone received an elf party name to start the night off with.  Using first letters of names and birth months, some names included Gingerbread Pointy-Toes, Tinsel Shiny-Shoes, Jolly Party-Popper, and Figgy Nipper-Nose.  Too fun!

We had a great burger buffet and just chilled and talked about everyone's Christmas.  Seems like forever since we were all last together.  We needed some catch-up time.  We also had cupcakes to celebrate Connor's 13th birthday which was today!!

Next, we headed outside for a fast-paced neighborhood scavenger hunt.  We split into two teams and circled the hood looking for things such as...an address whose numbers add up to 20, a house where all the lights are off, candy canes, open windows, a "W" on a license plate, a gnome, a stray cat, an American flag.  There were 28 items in all to find.  Teams had 25 minutes to find as many as they could.

Then we came back home to make our tie-dye canvas Bible covers.

Then came a few crazy Christmas games.  There was the candy cane pick-up relay where kids had to use a candy cane to pick up another candy cane from a line of string and then deposit it on another rope across the room.  The team who transferred all 12 of their candy canes first won.

We had a marshmallow relay race involving oven mitts and serving spoons.

No winter lock-in would be complete without a snowball fight of course!  A painter's tape line on the floor drew the bounaries and the tea with the most snowballs on their side of the room at the end lost.

The Hershey Kiss relay game had kids opening Kisses with oven-mitted hands, eating them, and then passing off the mitts to the next person in line.

The fattest Santa wore large sweatpants and a sweatshirt and allowed his teammates to stuff him full of newspaper as fat as they could in just 2 minutes!

And every Santa needs a beard!  This relay had kids putting vaseline on their faces and then dipping their faces into a bowl full of cotton balls.  The team with the most complete beards at the end won.

Next teams had to make the biggest set of reindeer antlers on their "reindeer" as they could using pantyhose and balloons.

We also had the build a snowman competition, where teams had 5 minutes to build the best snowman using newspaper, construction paper, and masking tape only!

Then it was time to head back outside for some sparklers and poppers.

Once back inside, we took some time to get a little serious and talk about our goals for the new year.  We gave each youth a light bulb jar and 366 yellow BB's.  We encouraged them to put one BB in the jar for every day they do Bible study in 2015.  Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  Basically, the bulb full of BB's we pray will serve as an accountability system for the youth.  The more they are in God's Word this year, the more their light for Jesus will shine (hence, the yellow BB's).  Parents, please encourage them to use the lightbulb and BB's!

We also did a service project and made some fleece baby blankets for local pregnancy centers to give out.

Throughout the night, we also had a photo booth and props set up for the kids.  They had a blast with this!  Here are some of those pics!

Then it was time to get ready for bed and wind down.  Sleeping bags came out, PJ's went on, and the craziness came to a rest...as did the kids.  We pulled down the big screen and put on the new TMNT movie for the kids before lights out.

Breakfast Saturday morning came with pancakes, sausage, and eggs...and some really sleepy kids!  All is well that ends well!  Back to our regularly scheduled youth meetings next Wednesday!  Happy New Year everyone!