Do any of us realize fully how much Christian’s done for us? Seriously, he’s been our youth group pastor for a really really long time; longer than most of us have even been coming to this church. I don’t think any of us fully appreciates all the work he’s put into making the youth group what it is now. After he told us how much he loved us all this past YG, I think it’s time to give him a big round of applause and tell him how much he means to us. I know that Christian has made a huge impact in my life.  One of the biggest ways he’s influenced me, I think, is the way that he leads by example. His particular brand of leadership has inspired me to do the same thing in whatever small ways I can.

How about you? Let’s make Christian feel loved by posting about how much we love him and how he’s changed our lives.

Tonight, Christian’s teaching was about character, and what it is, exactly.  Character can be defined in many different ways, but Christian described character as how you act when nobody’s around. If, for instance, you ACT like a “good Christian” on the outside, but do random drugs and murder people when you’re at home alone, then your character probably isn’t very strong. Unfortunately, we tend to let our facades slip when nobody’s watching us. Referring back to a previous post, we may act a certain way because of who we’re with, how we’re feeling, or what people expect of us. But who we TRULY are is defined by the way we act when there are no expectations, nobody around to judge, and no reward in it for us. Sacrificing time, money, energy, and/or sleep are all signs of character. Those of us who help the old lady with her groceries, who pick up the dropped papers for the college kid, who spend time consoling a friend in tears even though it makes us late for class…these are people of character.

Think about it. The times when we have nothing to gain by helping someone, when we actually stand to lose something — those are the times when our character truly shows. When we sacrifice ourselves for someone in need, we show character. Your true character shows when nobody’s watching. Will you choose to help, or to pass on the other side?

This is tough to hear, I know. Fortunately for most of us (myself included), character is actually easy to build! All we need to do to build character is to practice. When given a choice between school and Facebook this week, try picking school sometime. It builds character. It’s hard at first, but once you get the little things, the bigger things will come more naturally. Every little thing builds your character up a little more each time. Try it out. It actually works!

God’s the ultimate comforter. We all know that. But sometimes when things get rough, we feel like we need a human to help us out — someone who can hug us and assure us that everything will be all right. Don’t worry, it’s normal. We all feel like that sometimes. Thing is, God knows that and even planned it that way. He gives comfort to US so that we can give it to other people. To illustrate:

God ——–(comfort)——-> Us ———(comfort)——–> Someone else

It’s like Christian showed: if David needs water to drink because his cup is empty and asks Becca for water, she can’t give him any because her cup is empty too. But if Becca goes to Christian for water, then she has enough to give to David. Works the same way with redemption and help that God gives us. God comforts us in times of need because: A) We need help B) He wants good things for us and C) Because he wants us to pass that comfort on to others.

We’re meant to be comforters: people who care about and for others when they need it. But if we try to comfort someone using only our own strength and comforting power, it won’t be as effective as it would if we’d gone to God first. So, moral of all this…Christian’s teaching boiled down to ONE line for those of you who have ADD:

Let God help you. Because then you can help others better.

We had a BONFIRE tonight! It was awesome. We almost burned the forest down (not really). Christian also gave a short like 5 minute teaching on the majesty of nature. He made what I thought was a great analogy between the view from a mountaintop and worship. He pointed out that when we climb a mountain, we’re awed and inspired by the view because we never see it. A person who LIVES on that mountain, on the other hand, sees the view every day, and thus is desensitized to it. The same can happen with worship. Because we go to church once a week and worship, it can become a ritual thing, rather than a chance to give back a little to the one who made us and revel in how great he is. Instead of being a celebration of God’s greatness, it can become an ordeal to be endured each week.

So how do you view worship? Is it a special experience each time, or do you have to work at it? When is worship most meaningful for you? How can we make worship more of a special experience rather than a repetition of the same thing we’ve done each Sunday for years?