CH__CH, what's missing? U R

U Can’t Make a Difference Unless U R Different

by Garret Heath

Good Morning…   

Like a sports team, scouts, or a group of school friends, our Youth group creates a positive environment for fun among teenagers in our community; however, we’re very different. We place an investment in a higher power unlike any of these other groups. Just like CHURCH can’t be in existence unless U and R are juxtaposed in the middle, U can’t make a difference unless U R different.

            As teenagers, we often take ourselves way too seriously, when in fact we need to take God seriously. The diverse aspect that makes our youth group so distinctive leads us through life blindly. How many times have we made plans and asked God to bless those plans with endless devotion? Through the entire college search process, I prayed for God to validate my plans. When in fact God can’t lead if I am way out front. Jesus invites us to follow him twenty times in the New Testament—he’s not simply asking for halfhearted fans. He wants us engaged like a school’s student section buying merchandise, cheering at games, and arranging schedules around our most important rallies. He requires a change. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states:

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away

            This church has given me the opportunity to make a difference—and that difference is what leads to my ability to pass away old things. Mission trips have provided a cathartic experience to express my spirituality to others. From the Native Americans on a Mississippi Reserve to the inner-city aspects of St. Louis, I’ve met many people who’ve brought situations to my eye that I didn’t know existed within the United States (and have made me thankful for my life). However, it was a girl in Philadelphia that looked like everyone I’ve grown up with that changed my perspective on passing away my burdens. I worked at the Blessed Sarnelli Community in the rough Kennsington neighborhood in inner-city Philadelphia several times throughout the week. To giver perspective, the street corner a block away from Saranelli House traffics the most drugs on the East Coast. I was fortunate enough to serve a meal and see people from all different walks of life become energized with nutrients and a sense of community. I saw one girl enter, in her low-twenties, in running short, a big t-shirt, and carrying items in a grocery bag. I first assumed that she was a volunteer, her looks reminding me of an average Gastonian. As I looked closer, I saw bruises covering her body and hospital bracelets rubbing her wrists. She graciously thanked me for my meal and greeted her friends like long lost siblings. I felt both empowered and heart broken. I wanted to call every middle-class, white family in Philadelphia and ask if they were missing their daughter. This girl, who could easily have been my classmate, friend, or even my sister, broke my barriers of outreach and made all the mission trips more personal. Not only was I able to give this girl a meal, but she was able to give me the opportunity to relate to all the people I had previously served. It also made me treasure the moments with my sister and family, realizing that any individual can give help or be asking for help.

            As I move forth into my Adult faith, I must seek ways to stay grounded in my faith and search for opportunities to make a difference. Jesus has accomplished all the hard things—we must interpret each chance we get in order to accept the ways of God. So I challenge each one of you to open your eyes and see what’s around you.  The chance to make a difference because WE R different looms in everyday life because of Jesus. It is up to us to seize those situations with spiritual eagerness.

U R Expected to Pay Attention to God

by Sarah Towner

Good Morning! My name is Sarah Towner. I am a Senior at Ashbrook High School and I will be speaking to you this morning about paying attention to God.

Time after time we are given examples in the Bible of the importance of “paying attention”. As children we learn the story of Jonah, the man who tried to run away from God and found himself in the belly of a whale. When he did that, God could have chosen someone else to lead, but He continued to take care of Jonah. How true is this even for us as God’s children. No matter how much we try to make it about ourselves instead of Jesus, He will always be there for us.

In his book Toughness, Jay Bilas reminds us to “choose the harder right over the easier wrong”. This prayer that Mr. Bilas’ father taught him originates from the West Point Military Academy and makes me think of the Ashbrook JROTC program, which I am a part of. Everyday we are reminded to follow the three basic Air Force Core Values to become better citizens for America: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do. Integrity First means to do the right thing, even when no one else is watching. “Choose the harder right over the easier wrong.” When I was in the 9th grade it was so easy for me to not come to church. In the 10th grade it was hard to come back, and sometimes it still is, but I’m here, aren’t I? I’m convinced God talks to me everyday, all day long, and it’s my responsibility to listen and pay attention. My dad always tells me to listen to the wind rustling through the leaves, because sometimes it can end up being an “Aha! Moment”.

The burning bush is another example of “paying attention”, this time with Moses. He allowed himself to be interrupted but was terrified of what he heard. God picked Moses to lead and he made all kinds of excuses. But all God said was “I’ll be with you. And this will show you that I’m the one who sent you” (Exodus 3:12a CEB).

And this morning we heard the scripture of Samuel, the boy who was called 3 times before he understood God was calling him. It sounds a lot like my mom trying to get me up for school in the mornings! As a member of First United Methodist Church, are you hearing God’s call, paying attention so you don’t miss it? Are you invested in your faith, or do you just feel entitled to it?

While we were at Valle Crucis last Fall, Becky and Jimbo showed us a video where Jeff Foxworthy describes his favorite bible story. He tells about a man named Wayne who acquired a large sum of money from the insurance when his mother passed away. He got a couple girlfriends and started partying like crazy. He lost his job, stopped paying rent, and so he packed up all his stuff and started moving from hotel to hotel. The only thing he had left from his mom was his childhood bible, in which his mom had written a love letter in the front cover. As he moved from hotel to hotel, he started losing his stuff, and soon enough he realised he’d lost that bible too. Eventually, the money ran out, and the girls left. He was unemployed, homeless, and a crack addict. For a year and a half he lived on the streets, begging for money so that he could feed his addiction. One day, a man came to Wayne and told him he had a job for him and another homeless man nearby. The man took the pair to an old apartment he had bought 100 miles away from where they had been living on the street and asked them to clean it out. The second man worked upstairs, dropping big, black trash bags out the window while Wayne caught them and threw them away. After a while, the guy stopped dropping bags, so Wayne assumed he was finished and went upstairs. When Wayne got up there, he saw a big pile of stuff that the second man had found while he was cleaning out the apartment. Wayne said “Dude, what about all this stuff you missed?” And the other homeless guy said “No, that’s stuff I found that might still be worth something!” And so Wayne goes over to the pile and starts looking through the stuff, and at the bottom of the pile was this book, and Wayne pulled it out and opened it up to find his mother's love letter in the cover. It was his childhood bible, a year and a half later and 100 miles away. Wayne fell to his knees and started sobbing, and he decided that 'If God is chasing me this hard, then I'm just gonna stop running'."  At the point that Jeff Foxworthy was telling this story, Wayne had been crack-free for 3 years and had a full-time job working to help homeless people get off the streets and back into a healthy lifestyle. If God is chasing me this hard, then I’m gonna stop running. What about you?

As I prepare to leave for college, I give thanks for the values my parents have instilled in me. Many of you have also invested time in mentoring me throughout my life, and because of that investment, I will leave with a sticky faith that will last beyond high school. I have also learned that whatever I do is sacred. As a youth group, through texting, Facebook, and Twitter, we share our awareness of the presence of God each day.

On Mission Trips, we put serving others before ourselves. The service helps us get out of our comfort zones, but the reflection, journaling, morning glow, and foot washing is our most cherished discipline. Through silence we reflect, process, and learn. We are “fasting” from the noise that distracts us from our relationship with God.

Preparation is not just for big events like baptism, confirmation, graduation, or marriage; it’s a daily thing. We must tend to our souls daily--all day, every day! As a student, officer, athlete, and musician, I have found I must “bring it everyday”, even when the result is not what I imagine or hope for. As Joanna Weaver tells us in her book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, “We all want a testimony, but we’d rather skip the test that gives us one. We all want a product. But we’d rather skip the process”. It’s in moments such as this that I, like Samuel, trust the plans God has for me.

As a church, we must do our absolute best. Can we be here 100 percent of the time? No. But can we give 100 percent of ourselves while we are here? Absolutely.

Now, with that being said, I’m sure you are wondering about our theme this morning. If you would turn to the front of your bulletins, maybe I can shed some light on the subject. Our theme can mean a lot of different things to different people. I think in the sense of paying attention, it means that when you’re here on a regular basis, are you here to listen to Reverend Christy’s message and learn what he is teaching us, or are you here because you think the preacher’s funny? BAZINGA.