What If

This week addressed the question... "What If?" The message focused on two aspects. First, what if tragedy struck and you lost a good friend? Sharing our faith can be very difficult and scary, yet the message must be shared with others. CT (Christian Thompson) shared the story of Esther and how God used her message to save the people. Because of her risk taking and willingness to share God's message, God's people were saved.

The Second theme of the evening was, "what if tragedy struck your own life?" How would you be remembered? What faith story would your life communicate? We ended this series reflecting on the same life timeline that we began the series and made it clear that our timeline's have an end. It is thinking through that reality of the future, that helps us make wise choices for the future.

Beyond Recognition

Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

If we want to transform we cannot conform.

The Beyond Recognition message focused on the need to transform ourselves after we enter into a relationship with God.

This transformation does not come easily and involves a struggle against ourselves. We began the message discussing the best TV Show on the planet (I guess this could be argued), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Assuming you've watched the show, the same predictable pattern is present:

• A family tells the story of it's struggles.
• The community discusses how great the individuals need is and how, despite their difficult situation is, they continue to serve others.
• The family discusses what needs to happen to better their situation.
• The family goes on an awesome getaway.
• They watch their house be destroyed.
• Their home is constructed.
• They come home.

It is so awesome to watch these stories unfold. There are certainly some parallels from that show to our own spiritual life. We too have struggles, we have been separated from God as a result of sin. Our home, needs a little Ty to get rebuilt. Jesus comes into our lives and orchestrates change. Our baptism into Christ resembles the demolition of our former house. That's where the similarities stop.

For the Christian, there is no, "MOVE THAT BUS" reveal to show the remade us. Our lives remain and continue to be in construction phase. It's an interesting coordinated effort in which Jesus refuses to do all the work for us, yet without the assistance of Jesus, our efforts produce nothing.

We looked at the healing of the paralytic Mark 2:1-12 and discussed the following questions with regard to our transformation:

DO YOU KNOW WHAT NEEDS FIXED??? The paralytic knew his legs didn't work properly. Do we know what needs transformed in our own lives?

DO YOU QUIT WHEN YOU FACE BARRIERS??? As they went to approach Jesus they realized that they couldn't get to Jesus through the crowd. However, they persevered and created a new way. Are we willing to press on when it gets hard, or do we just quit and say we tried?

WHAT CAN HELP??? WHAT ARE YOUR RESOURCES??? The paralytic had a set of friends who were willing to help him out. They also used resources to get on the roof and also through the roof.

ARE YOU GOING TO GOD??? The guys all went to Jesus. It is so easy to go everywhere else with our problems and not want to "bother" God. Do we go to Jesus?

WHAT IF THE PROBLEM YOU WROTE DOWN IS NOT YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM? Jesus displayed more concern over the man's sin issue rather than his physical issue. What if the thing that we are most concerned with isn't our biggest problem?

Tough Love

This week we focused on tough love. Not the tough love you would receive from a parent or coach but rather a tough love that is love channeled to others rather than to self.
If we were going to be honest with ourselves, we are all pretty selfish. We have a natural tendency to look out for our own personal interests. That could be everyday pleasures, defense, or looking to get ahead in life.

We made a statement that if you commit to tough love two things will happen.
1) We will become better friends, students, children, in every role to others
2) We will learn how to help others become their best. (Last week the focus was on our value God because we are unique and have a purpose. This week we need to convey that message to others!)

In order to make this kind of shift, we almost need to switch places totally with other people in order to see what others really need and are about. We looked at Philippians 2: 1-11 for a plan.

From this text we discover the following:

• Our value is found in God


• We’re all on the same journey


• We tend to look at our own needs first and this should not be!


• If we are selfish we begin to be competitive in relationships, and every area of life and therefore look at others as competitors. We view things as either wins or losses. When there is a winner… there is a loser… no one likes losing!


• WE MUST Focus on Christ’s humility.


• There are rewards…God is Proud… You are a better Student/child/friend, others are better.

We concluded the message with a poem by Emily Dickinson:
"A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day."

Make your words and your actions count for building others up. In the context of your life “Beyond the Yearbook” the words and support that are said to you and by you today, will certainly affect your future!

Jump In

Speaker - Ethan Magness

This weeks message centered on the idea that we need to "Just Jump In." God does not call us to live a life of boredom or even safty. God wants us to trust our future in His hands an be willing to take GOD SIZED RISKS and trust that he will see us through.The initial statement to students:

If I live till 45, then I want life to be…
Exciting and not lame
Surprising and not lame
Significant and not lame

In order to fulfill this statement and not "be lame" we must do things that are exciting, surprising, and significant. We must be willing to take a risk and invest ourselves in life. Hebrews 10:39 was a key verse. Below are two versions of the text:

ESV - But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Message -But we're not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We'll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.

The challenge of the day was to think of the risk God is calling us to make and then go for it. Look for a Godly witness (someone who can be an example of God honoring a risk) and then go for it. Hebrews 12:1-2 was the key text...

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.