G.A.B.Y. Update

Here's a description of what went down for our last two youth group meetings:

Sunday, November 8th: We mixed middle school and high school to do something called "Operation Christmas Child". Maybe you've have heard of the program. It sends shoe boxes filled with hygiene products, toys, school supplies, etc. as Christmas presents to children in third-world countries who are struggling to survive. If not for Operation Christmas Child, these impoverished children would never receive a Christmas gift and would likely never hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Not only is Operation Christmas Child providing these children with a reason to smile on Christmas, it more importantly points them toward the ever-satisfying love of their Creator and Savior! I encourage you to look into Operation Christmas Child if you've never done so before. It's too late to do it this year, but they'll do it again next Christmas and it is amazing to be a part of. If you're interested, check out the O.C.C. website: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

To make our shoe boxes for GABY, we walked to Wal-Mart and divided into 10 groups-- five guys groups and five girls groups. We split up to get our gifts, with a $10 budget for each shoe box. We ended up spending $112 total, which isn't bad considering ten children will receive hygiene products, school supplies, and toys in their shoe boxes. We got them things like notebooks, markers, pens, pencils, soap, toothbrushes, games, puzzles, balls, dolls, and tons more. When we got back to Grand, we took time to write each child a personal letter.

Here's the group with our shoe boxes:

By the way, praise God for answered prayers for growth. We had 22 middle and high school students show up for this youth group!

Sunday, November 15: Sweet turnout again! 12 high schoolers came! I taught from Hebrews 11:1-8. This passage will change the way you think about EVERYTHING, if you let it. Here are a few of my teaching notes:

-On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 0 being completely evil and 10 being completely good), how good are people in general? (Answers in the group ranged from 1.5 to 6.5)

-Romans 3:23 says we are NOT a 10 (completely good), "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and Psalm 51:3 says, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

-So, then, are we neutral (somewhere between 0 and 10)?

-Hebrews 11:6 states, "without faith it is impossible to please God."

-Neutral actions do NOT exist! Anything not done by faith in Christ is wholly evil (i.e. displeasing to God). This means that "good" things like praying, helping orphans, or giving offering to church, if not done by faith, are evil actions because they do not please God.

-If neutral actions do not exist, neither do neutral people. We are either 100% evil, or 100% good. We are sinful from conception, and we need to be purified to meet God's standard.

-Only through trust in Christ (who was 100% good), can we be cleansed from our lack of faith (our displeasure to God). (Romans 3:22-26)

-Our goodness comes only through faith in Jesus. Only by faith in Him can we bring pleasure to God. We're unable to earn our way to #10 on the scale. In fact, we're unable to earn our way to #1 on the scale. (Romans 5:6 -- "...at just the right time, while we were still powerless,Christ died for the ungodly.")

-We have no power to earn our salvation. Earning salvation was done on the Cross and it was finished on the Cross (John 19:30).

Barbershop Chorus

If you've got a few minutes, this is worth your time. I've never heard so many voices sound like one before! (Maybe a small, small, small, small, small, small, small glimpse of what Heaven will be like? Though we won't be singing about trombones, I'm sure...) Not typically my choice of music flavor, but this performance is too cool not to appreciate: