Rooted in Compassion

Psalm 112:1-4:

Praise the Lord.

Blessed is the one who has respect for the Lord. He finds great delight when he obeys God’s commands.

His children will be powerful in the land. Because he is honest, his children will be blessed.

His family will have wealth and riches. He will always be blessed for doing what is right.

Even in the darkness light shines on honest people. It shines on those who are kind and tender and godly.

So I’m sure by now you’ve all picked up on the fact that I am dying to see each of you grow closer to Jesus this year. I want you to completely fall in love with Him and grow those roots deep in Him as you reach others at the same time. (Rooted and Reaching … see what I did there?)  ;)

But the only ways to grow closer to Jesus aren't just reading the bible, praying, or doing devotions. Serving others is another, excellent way to grow closer to Him.

The last verse “Even in the darkness light shines on honest people. It shines on those who are kind and tender and godly.” This is the New International Reader’s Version. Other words used in that last sentence in other versions are: gracious, compassionate, and righteous.

What does it mean to be compassionate? I honestly think those of you who spoke about the Mission Trip hit the nail on the head! Any time we do service work, how easy is it to just view that as work, and not really think about the impact you're having on someone's life.

During SOS this past summer we created bags for homeless kids at Thomasboro Academy. To you, you were just putting snacks and a cut out of a frog in a bag, but did you stop to think about the kid who got that food? Did you think about the kid who got to eat the pudding cup, and that was all they had to eat that day? Or on the mission trip ... The day we did work at the Children’s Center was a great example. Going into that work, knowing there would be no kids there, and that you’d just be cleaning, had us all down. A lot of you commented that it felt like you were just cleaning your room or doing chores around the house, nothing to get excited about.

However, later your views changed. Niall explained that he, “saw what I was doing mattered. Those kids deserved a clean place to hang out and do homework. I wasn’t just doing chores, I was truly helping people.”

Sometimes we feel like we have to do extravegent work that others notice to really have done something. That’s not the case. Some of my favorite times to show compassion are when no one is watching. Someone steals from a vending machine (yes it’s possible) and so you leave a dollar to pay for it. Someone drops a paper on their way to the bus, and you pick it up. Letting someone take the last seat at the cafeteria table. Etc.

There is so much that we can do to show compassion on a daily basis. The coolest part is  you have no idea the impact that you’ll have had on that person’s day. They could have just had the worst day of their life and your smile, or sweet gesture completely turned their day around.

Not only are you shining Jesus’ light for others to see, but you, yourself are getting to truly feel His spirit welling up inside of you.

This is another way Jesus calls us to grow closer to Him, being Him in this crazy world!

Reflect:

Do something today (or tomorrow) to show compassion to someone.

After you’ve done your small act, reflect on it.

How have you grown closer to Jesus through your acts?

Love and Blessings!

Christine

Stand up or stand down?

Hey y'all!! I hope you're having a great week. I know school is in full swing now with tons of tests, games, practices, and performances. I'm praying for you so let me know if you have any specific prayer requests throughout the week!

Today I simply want to ask you some questions and I want you to reflect on them however you want to. 

First, say a prayer and ask God to open your eyes and your heart to something He needs you to see and hear.

1) Have you ever felt pressured to dress a certain way? Maybe not pressured but felt a desire to fit in so you wear whatever that group is wearing?

2) Have you ever felt pressured to talk a certain way?

3) Have you decided not to drink or do other behaviors that you knew were wrong, when others were around you are?

4) Have you ever felt alone even when you were with a bunch of people?

5) Have you ever felt slightly different from others in your class, in your group, on your team?

Now, read Jeremiah 1:4-8.

God is speaking to Jeremiah and calling him to stand up and witness to the people of Judah. Jeremiah is afraid and says, but Lord "I am only a child."God tells Jeremiah not to worry. He created him for a special purpose, and as long as Jeremiah leans on God, He will be with him. Jeremiah had a mighty job to do. He was asked to warn the people of Judah that if they didn't turn from their sinful ways God would be destruction and their nation would fall. Everyone was against Judah, but he continued to spread the words God was calling Him to. He did this for 40 years! 40 years, y'all! Can you imagine? I know I would eventually look up to God and say, "Alright, now I've done what you asked but obviously this isn't working, can I please stop now?" Luckily Jeremiah was a much better servant than I imagine I would be.

I can't tell you the countless situations I was in where friends around me used words they shouldn't, and I did nothing, told jokes that were offensive to other people and God, but I laughed anyways. I watched as others acted out in school or church and went along with the crowd and said nothing!

I'd like to tell you that things change when you become adults and everyone magically does what they should and you all of a sudden have this clarity about who to associate with and who not to. But unfortunately, that's not the case. Learning to stand up isn't easy, but it does get better with practice.

Every single one of you is special. I'm thrilled at the opportunities God is blessing me with to know you all better! I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has created each of you with a specific purpose in mind. 

He has set you apart!

But what does that look like? How should you live your lives each day? What can we do now to prepare you to stand up when everyone else is standing down?

We'll have discussions about this more on Sunday evening, so come prepared with your thoughts, stories, and ideas. 

Remember we are each other's "people," to lean on and learn from. 

Love and Blessings!

Christine

Posers

What is a pet peeve of yours? 

One of mine are "posers." I'm not sure if this term is used by people in your generation, but when I was in High School, probably more Middle School, the term "poser" meant someone who acted like they were one thing that they really weren't. The kids who acted and said they were one thing, but their actions said the opposite.

First of all this is a pet peeve of mine because why can't you just be yourself?! You are the best YOU that could ever be, why try to hide any of that greatness?! But that's for a different time and place...

Take a look at scripture here ... 

1 John 1:5-7

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.

How do you feel when someone lies?! 

Let's say you work super hard on a group project. Every time you were suppose to meet with your partner they either didn't show, or sat there playing on their phone the whole time you were actually WORKING! You decide to take the high road, turn the project in and just get it over with. You're awarded an A! Finally, you feel like this whole experience was worth it. Then you overhear your partner complaining to others in the class that you didn't do any of the work, they had to do it themselves. 

WHAT???!!! I would have a hard time keeping my cool and not going off completely! Hopefully you'd be able to control yourself and think though the situation.

Now...put yourself in God's shoes..

He sits watching us say..

 "I am a 'Good Christian'," but then we argue with our parents and siblings.

"I am a 'Good Christian'," but then we're rude to someone at school who we perceive to be different from us.

"I am a 'Good Christian'," but then we ignore Him all week.

Be who Christ calls you to be. Not just once or twice a week, or at Sunday School, but every moment of every day!

Journal Time!

 (Write down on old school paper with a pen or through some sort of technology...)

1) What do you want others, and most importantly God, to say about you? (What image are you trying to portray 7 days a week?)

2) Pray that God would open your eyes to ways you can grow closer to Him. 

Love and Blessings!

Christine

A Big Question for Sunday, September 7

Currently, I am sitting on our super comfy couch in the youth room looking out at a gorgeous sunny day. I've been working on our lesson for Sunday Evening and really feel God urging me to take a step back.

I am ecstatic about the year ahead. Y'all (our youth) are so awesome. I know I may use that word a lot but that is truly how I feel about y'all! You are amazing, wonderful, outstanding, the BEST Youth I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You are all so talented in many different forms. None of you are the same in the least bit. You each bring this gorgeous color to our group, and when all of our different "colors" come together as one group, it is breathtaking!

I want this to be the best year yet for our our individual faith journeys, for our relationships with each other, and for our youth group as a whole.

The text I asked you to read was Jeremiah 1:5: "I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations."

I don't believe it's just by chance that we are all here at Meadowlake together. I know in my heart that God chose each of us, He wrote it very carefully into all of our "stories" to be in this place together this year. He has BIG Plans for us! I am one who gets super excited and jumps full steam ahead into things before I stop to think about the logistics of how to get where we need to be.

That being said, I'm going to pause, take a breath and think about where He needs us to go, and how we best get there.

So my Big Question for Sunday's FIRST YOUTH GROUP MEETING OF THE YEAR!! is ...

Why Meadowlake Youth?        What sets us apart?        

Where do you want us to go this year?

Ok, so 3 questions. But be thinking...   :)

I can't wait to get things kicked off this Sunday evening from 5:00 - 6:00!

Love and Blessings!
Christine

Welcome Back!!

Hey everyone,
   I hope your school year is off to a great start! I am happy for all things fall! I love cooler weather, jeans, sweaters, FOOTBALL, and a fresh start!

Speaking of fresh start, I really hope this school year can be a fresh start for all of us. I want each of us, myself included, to really dig deeper in our relationship with God, and feel His presence more in our every day lives.

I thought it'd be cool for us to have a Blog where I post a devotional for you to do on your own once a week. This is just the beginning of the blog, as we grow together this year, the blog will grow too!  I'd love to post prayer requests and more throughout the week, to really keep us all connected. I know it is hard when we don't all go to the same school, but my hope is that through this we'll feel a little more connected this year. We will then come together during Youth Group on Sunday evenings to discuss the devotions and our weeks in small groups.

So for week one, I'd like each of you to read Jeremiah 1:5, Acts 26:16-17, and Deuteronomy 31:6. I encourage you to look it up in your bible if you have one, as a great habit to get into, however I understand you may not have it right beside you as you're reading this so I've included them at the bottom of this post.

Once you've read, answer the following questions in a journal, comment below, or however you'd like to. This is your time to read, reflect, and talk with God.


1) Are you a loner? Or do you require a group? We'll be looking in the bible to see what it takes to be a successful loner on Sunday evening.

2) Have you ever been the only person taking a stand on something? Find out Sunday evening how to be a stand alone Christian.

I hope you all have an awesome week, and I look forward to getting back together with you this Sunday night (September 7 from 5:00 - 6:00).

Love and Blessings!
Christine

         Jeremiah 1:5New International Version (NIV)

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Acts 26:16-17New International Version (NIV)

16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them

Deuteronomy 31:6New International Version (NIV)

6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Then