Game Night!!

This wasn't the original plan!  Our plan was to discuss contranormal and what we learned at Acquire the Fire, reaffirming the committments to change that we made...but with HALF of our class out sick, we decided to save that for next week.  So we played hangman, amoeba, karate circle, poor kitty, and tag instead.  Fun!

Acquire the Fire

This was our first year at Acquire the Fire and...wow!  What a powerful experience.  Listening to and seeing thousands of youth raise their hands and praise their Creator in unison was just awesome.  We had ten Zero Gravity kids attend with eleven of the S.T.O.M.P. gang.  This year's message was Normal's Not Enough and through music, dramas, and speakers the kids were encouraged to not be just a normal Christian teenager trying to fit in with everyone else.  With breakout sessions for parents and youth leaders, every one of us walked away filled and blessed and challenged.

They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love

We read Acts 20:1-21 tonight and focused on Paul's love for those he was sharing the gospel with. We focused on verses 7-11 and Paul's selflessness to speak with the people for hours on end, regardless of his lack of sleep or concern for his own well-being. Again in verse 13, Paul decided to walk to Assos when he could have sailed there simply so he could continue to share for at least ten of the twenty miles. Acts 20:17-21 show us Paul's great love for the people in that he never hesitated to go where he needed to go and share what the Lord wanted him to share, no matter how or by whom he was persecuted. Paul was truly a great example to those who met him. He didn't just teach about Jesus' love for His people; he exampled it. And we are to learn from Paul's example and follow it as well.

The kids took turns then reading what God's Word has to say about love, especially our love to others. We read:

John 13:34-35

John 15:12-13

Mark 12:30-31

Matthew 25:34-40

I John 4:7-12

We attempted to empty an entire can of shaving cream into a glass then. Of course, the shaving cream foamed and overflowed the glass and covered the table beneath it. We explained that love is like shaving cream. If it stays inside of us, it can't do its job. It needs to be set free. When we let love flow outward to others, it will grow & expand.

But what about those people in our lives who are difficult to love? Surely God can't expect us to love them just the same as we do our friends and family...those who are easy to love...can He?

Luke 6:27-36 - 27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

Ouch! To bring this point home, we watched a clip from the movie, The Grace Card. It’s about two cops, Sgt. Sam Wright and his partner Mac, and their incredible differences in life. Mac is a white man who’s already buried his first son; Sgt. Sam Wright – who we saw in the clip – is black and also serves his small church as pastor. The tension between these two men caused by racism is tremendous. The scene we watched comes during a moment in church when the “preacher cop” realizes that he has to love everybody, including those who do not love him…even those who despise him!

Click here for the clip we watched.

Those were some powerful, and humble, words. We just heard a guy who’s supposed to understand forgiveness and grace and love say he had to learn a lesson from God about forgiveness and grace and love. Even if people are being unloving toward us, God wants us to love them anyway.

We had some real rich discussion then, sharing and answering thisngs such as...

• We shared the name of the person it’s easiest for us to love.
• During his sermon, Sgt. Sam said, “My message today is hard to swallow, and follow,” and then went on to talk about loving those who hate you. Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
• Does it surprise you to think that Christians – and even pastors – might need help in this department? Why or why not?
• When the lady in the congregation jumped up, what did she yell out? (“You love em anyway, pastor!”)
• Why is it difficult for us to love those that hate us?
• During his sermon, Sgt. Wright said, “About the last thing in my heart in that moment is loving that man.” Without naming names, who is that person in your life?
• Specifically, what do you think God wants you to do in regards to that person you just thought about?
• Looking back at Luke 6:27-36, there are a lot of difficult things mentioned in this passage that Jesus expects us to do. What is the most difficult for you?
• In your opinion, when done properly, which of these actions stands out the most to other people?
• Why would Jesus tell us to love enemies?
• What happens if we only love those who love us and hate those who hate us? Paul had a ton of people who hated him. What would Paul's ministry have been like if he only preached to those who loved him and he didn't bother with those who hated him?
• The only way for us to be “perfect,” according to Jesus, is to love our enemies. Do you think that’s fair? Why or why not?
• If you were to rate yourself on a scale of 1 (bad) to 10 (great) on how well you love those who hate you, what number would you give yourself?
• In his sermon, Sgt. Wright talked about needing a teacher and learning a lesson. What do you need to learn or hear to help you love enemies better?
• A moment ago, we reflected in our hearts on those that hate us. What would be that person’s reaction to us, to church, and to Jesus if we began to love them immediately – and when I say love, I mean what Jesus talks about in this passage?
• Very specifically, how will you love those people this week?

These were some tough things to talk about and ponder...for us, as well as for the kids. And some of the kids don't know anyone who hates them. But others know all too well the feeling of being disliked by others...namely bullies at school.

Love is a difficult thing. Oh, it’s great when you’re receiving it, no doubt. But it’s not always easy to love those around you…especially if those around you hate you. So many things in life seek to tear down love: racism, greed, hate, jealously, violence, unforgiveness, etc.

Sometimes, we think that love comes natural to Christians, pastors, Sunday School teachers, etc. We assured the kids that it's just as difficult for us as their youth leaders as it is for them, their parents, and others around them. Everybody in America struggles with this. Everybody in the world struggles with this. Everybody who’s religious struggles with this. Everybody who’s a Christian struggles with this. Still, loving others is a commandment from God and for several good reasons. First, we can’t say we love God and then not love those who He created in His image. Second, God wants His love to be shown to every person through us. Third, because if we love them, the lost will finally begin to see and understand God’s love. It's what made Paul such an effective missionary.

Finally, thinking about Paul's example, we asked the kids if, in regards to loving EVERYONE around them, were they willing to go the extra mile. Paul was willing to go an extra 20!

We ended our night listening to Jars of Clay's version of They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love.

Skating!

We took a break from the routine tonight and had some good old fashioned fellowship fun with the STOMP youth kids at the skating rink. Everyone had a blast. We also celebrated Jeremy's 12th birthday, which happened to be today as well with cupcakes for everyone and singing in the parking lot!

Easter Message

We strayed from our usual this week and, instead of teaching off what Pastor Mike taught on Sunday, with only 4 days left til resurrection Sunday, we decided to teach a lesson on Easter.

The first thing we had the kids do was write their sins down on small scraps of paper. We discussed as a group what some of those sins might be. They then used push pins we'd already placed on a bulletin board to attach their sins to the board.

Then we headed into the kitchen to make Easter cookies. For anyone interested, here is the recipe and directions:

Ingredients

1 cup whole pecans

1 teaspoon vinegar

3 egg whites

pinch salt

1 cup sugar

1 large plastic zip bag

wooden spoon

mixing bowl

cookie sheet

wax paper

tape

Bible

Directions

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Place the pecans in a large plastic zip bag and let the youth beat them with the wooden spoon to break them into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, the Roman soldiers beat him.

Read John 19:1-3.

2. Let each youth smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon of vinegar into a mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.

Read John 19: 28-30.

3. Add egg whites to vinegar. Explain the eggs as representing life and that Jesus gave his life to give us life.

Read John 10:10-11.

4. Sprinkle a little salt into both hands of each youth. Let them taste it from one hand and brush it from the other hand into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers and the bitterness of our own sin.

Read Luke 23:27.

5. Say “So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.” Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him.

Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

6. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain the color white as representing the purity God sees in those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

Read Isaiah 11:8 and John 3:1-3.

7. Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.

Read Matthew 27:57-60.

8. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Seal the oven door with tape. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.

Read Matthew 27:65-66.

9. Wait a couple of hours. If you do this in the context of an overnight meeting, wait until the next morning. (Make sure the oven is off). Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven, and in the same way Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

Read John 16:20 and 22.

10. Open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow. On the first Easter Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Read Matthew 28:1-9.

Now since ZG only meets for an hour and a half, obviously we couldn't wait a few hours for the cookies to be done. So we had made a batch the night before and brought those for the kids to eat.

Then it was back to our sins posted on the bulletin board. We took them off one-by-one (leaving the pins in place), gave them to the kids to hold with tongs and then let them light them on fire. We talked about how our sins are remembered no more by God the instant we ask Him to be Lord of their lives. Using yarn then, we outlined the pins left on the bulletin board and, to the kids' surprise, the shape made by the pins and yarn was a cross.

We ended our evening making sure the kids knew that tonight could be the night of their salvation if they had not yet made that decision.

Mission.....Missionary Map!!

Thanks to Hanna LeHeup and Katy Cragg for gathering the information necessary and printing all of the resources for us, Mrs. Lacie and the ZG youth were able to finally update the missions map in the sanctuary last week. It looks fabulous and now includes TPCC's newest sponsored missionaries, Pastor Billy and Donna!!! Great job guys!

Who's Your Banker?

"Your faith is only as good as the object in which you deposit it." - Pastor Mike

We talked to the kids tonight about faith and read from Acts 19:11-16. We discussed how it wasn't really Paul's handkerchiefs and aprons that healed the sick and demon-possessed, but God, and more importantly, faith in God. We talked about how the Jews who tried to drive out evil spirits in Jesus' name failed because they were merely using the name of Jesus and did not really believe in Him as the Son of God who could do what they were seeking.

We did a few faith exercises then. We filled a glass most of the way with water and put a piece of cardboard over the rim and turned it upside down. The cardboard seemed to hold the water in the glass (the air really). We asked the kids then to come and stand under the glass if they had enough faith that the cardboard would hold and they would not get wet. Then we asked one of the kids to stand under the glass while I poured its water from the glass into a cup...right over the head! This required faith as well, but faith in me and my ability to keep a steady hand, not faith in the proven laws of science. This was definitely more difficult. Of course I made sure that they knew that I drank too much caffeine for dinner and so my hands were a bit shaky!

Next, we showed two of the youth a 2x4 piece of wood. One at a time, and not in front of each other, we blindfolded them and asked them to walk across the wood while it was on the floor. No problem. We then placed the two ends of the wood on books to make it seem as though it was off the floor. We told the child about to cross the wood that it was about 6" from the floor and being held on each end by two other youth. Walking across the wood this time was a little harder. We gave them a hand to hold onto so they wouldn't be too scared of course. Lastly, we told the youth that they were going to cross the wood again, but this time, their friends would be holding it at about waist level, several feet off the floor! They weren't really, but the blindfolded child didn't know that. A few small shakes of the wood as they crossed it was enough to make them doubt their stability and lose faith in their balance and their friends' support!

We talked to the kids then about the application of our two demonstrations. What was their faith in when they stood under the glass of water held by the cardboard? What was their faith in when I was pouring the water just over their heads? And what about while they were walking across the wooden plank, and believing each time that it was at different heights? How did they feel....anxious, nervous, scared?

We talked then about the different things people tend to put their faith into. We talked about jobs, reputations, money, success, good grades, popularity, friends, actors and actresses, even family members. We discussed whether or not any of those people and/or things could truly give them peace of mind and security in a crisis. We asked the kids to get real and personal then and talk about who or what they put their faith in. We talked about what it means to say that your faith is only as good as the object in which you deposit it. We used the example of the two airplane passengers on a plane crashing into the Pacific Ocean. One chose the flotation device under his seat cushion to cling to on the way down. The other chose to hold onto his briefcase full of gold bars. What good was the faith of each of the men based on what they chose to cling to?

We then showed the kids a clip from the movie The Bucket List, in which two men are dying and on an adventure to do the things they've always dreamed of doing before they die. One of the men, Morgan Freeman, has faith in His God who created him and is at peace that He also appointed for him a time to die. Jack Nicholson, on the other hand, believes that we're here today and gone tomorrow and that's all there is to life. It was a great visual for the kids to see the two completely different views of two men in similar circumstances.

We ended our discussion with Hebrews 11:1-40, discussing some of the heroes of faith in Scripture and the choices they made to put their faith into a God they had never even seen before. Moses' parents didn't trust the basket they put Moses into on the river to protect their baby and keep him alive. They trusted God. Noah didn't put his faith in the ark he and his sons had built to save him from the flood. He trusted God. When asked to sacrifice his only son, Abraham put his faith in a God he knew could bring people back from the dead if He chose to...or provide a sacrifice to take his son's place. He trusted God. Moses, when he grew up, didn't place the faith for his future in the fact that he was raised by Pharaoh's daughter. He trusted God and placed his faith in being counted among God's chosen people. The Israelites did not put their faith in Moses and his staff to keep the Red Sea parted while they passed on dry ground. Their faith was in their God.

Similarly, we choose every single day who or what we are going to put our faith in...and it will only be as good as the object in which we deposit it. And "no one is good - except God alone." (Mark 10:18)