"Words"

We are building off of what we discussed last week, the importance of taming your tongue. The questions we talk about are based off of the ones from Student Ministry.

1. What's the most common remark you make to others that may not be very Christ-like? Cursing, put-downs, pressure/threats, black mail, sarcasm, sexual jokes
2. How does that make you feel when you say them? We got quite a mix of answers: bad, better, guilty, good, regret, happy.
3. How does it make you feel when those remarks are said to you? Sad, upset, horrible, mad. It's obvious that we don't like being told non-Christ-like words, yet we still tend to say them to other people.
4. Are you more likely to say mean things to others when you are with others and why? Yes, because you are putting on a facade for other people, trying to look "cool".
5. When you put others down, are you the bigger person? Our teens answered that it "depends". They feel like the bigger person when they are venting their feelings to others.
6. When person A calmly puts down person B, but person B retaliates, who really wins that situation? No one-they are both on the same level.

There are many ways to vent to other people that does not involve remarks that are not Christ-like. You will never be the bigger person if you "vent" using hurtful and ugly words. No one likes hearing those words said to them, so we shouldn't be quick to say them to other people. "Say only what helps, each word a gift" (Ephesians 4:29, MSG).

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
~Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)

Words
Hawk Nelson

They've made me feel like a prisoner
They've made me feel set free
They've made me feel like a criminal
Made me feel like a king

They've lifted my heart
To places I'd never been
And they've dragged me down
Back to where I began

Words can build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your heart or
Put it out

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

You can heal the heartache
Speak over the fear
(Speak over the fear)
God, Your voice is the only thing
We need to hear
(We need to hear)

Words can build us up
Words can break us down
Start a fire in our hearts or
Put it out

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You
(Back to You)

Let the words I say
(Let the words I say)
Be the sound of Your grace
(Sound like Your grace)
I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

I wanna speak Your love
Not just another noise
Oh, I wanna be Your light
I wanna be Your voice

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You
(Back to You)

Let the words I say
(Let the words I say)
Be the sound of Your grace
(Sound like Your grace)
I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You
(Back to You)

Words can build us up
Words can break us down
Start a fire in our hearts
Or put it out

I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

"Wait and See"

We're going to talk about the meaning behind some of the Christian songs that you can find on KLOVE or Air1. This week, we're talking about "Wait and See" by Brandon Heath. The song will be posted below our discussion with the lyrics under the video.

This song is an autobiographical story. Can we relate to any of the song?

Even though bad things happen, there is hope. He won't forget even though other people will. Your story is not over yet.

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

~Jeremiah 29 (NIV)

For that to happen, call on Him. Seek Him so that He can fulfill His plan.

¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
~Colossians 1 (NIV)
²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
~Romans 8 (NIV)
Things may not happen as fast or be as convenient as we want, but it's His plan, we need to have faith in His timing. This is for God's plan, not ours. Everything will work together for God's plan. Anything that happens to us is all  part of His plan, we just need to wait and see what He does with our lives.
We have weaknesses and fail, but we have hope that He's not finished yet.



Wait and See by Brandon Heath

I was born in Tennessee
Late July humidity
Doctor said I was lucky to be alive

I’ve been trouble since the day that I got here
Trouble till the day that I disappear
That’ll be the day that I finally get it right

Chorus:
There is hope for me yet
Because God won’t forget
All the plans he’s made for me
I have to wait and see
He’s not finished with me yet

I never really was that good in school
I talked too much, broke the rules
Teacher thought I was hopeless fool alright

I don’t know how but I made it through
It’s one of those things that you’ve gotta do
But I always had a knack for telling the truth

Chorus

Still wondering why I’m here
Still wrestling with my fear
But oh, He’s up to something
And the farther on I go
I’ve seen enough to know
That I’m, not here for nothing
He’s up to something

So now’s my time to be a man
Follow my heart as far as I can
No telling where I’m ending up tonight
I never slow down or so it seems
But singing my heart it’s one of my dreams
All I gotta do is hold on tight

Chorus

"There Will Be a Day"

We're going to talk about the meaning behind some of the Christian songs that you can find on KLOVE or Air1. This week, we're talking about "There Will Be a Day" by Jeremy Camp. Amanda, one of our teens, is giving the lesson this week. The song will be posted below our discussion with the lyrics under the video.

The song uses a reference from Revelation:

⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
~Revelation 21 (NIV)

It is a promise given by God that one day, when we go to Heaven, there will be no more pain. He will wipe away all of the suffering, guilt and sadness that we have ever felt.

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth
That we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

I know the journey seems so long
You feel you're walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you've walked out all alone

The second verse tells us that God is always there, even when you don't think He's there, and even when you don't want Him to be there. He will never leave you, even if you want Him gone. God will always be there to help you. He may not help right away, or in the way you want Him to, but He is helping you. Don't ever lose hope.

¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
 ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
 ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
~Romans 8 (NIV)

While we are here, we need to spread His word. Give Him glory for the life in Heaven that we will receive!God will relieve you from your troubles. He will always be around to help you.


God will ALWAYS keep that promise.




There Will Be a Day by Jeremy Camp

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth
That we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

There will be a day with no more tears
No more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place
Will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

I know the journey seems so long
You feel you're walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you've walked out all alone

Troubled soul don't lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that's in store
Outweighs the hurt of life's sting
But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

There will be a day with no more tears
No more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place
Will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

I can't wait until that day where the very one
I've lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I've faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery
O, this is why, this is why I sing

There will be a day with no more tears
No more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place
Will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face

There will be a day with no more tears
No more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place
Will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face

There will be a day he will wipe away the tears
He will wipe away the tears
He will wipe away the tears
There will be a day


The first verse tells us that God is the only one we should hold onto. The things that we hold onto are bringing us down. Our past, our opinions, our judgements and anything that takes us away from God are not important, and things that we should not and do not have to hold on to.

"Hero"

We're going to talk about the meaning behind some of the Christian songs that you can find on KLOVE or Air1. This week, we're talking about "Hero" by Abandon. The song will be posted below our discussion with the lyrics under the video.

Easter is on Sunday, and it is one of the two most important holidays in Christianity (the other being Christmas). It is what the religion is based on. The song "Hero" takes us through Jesus' life. Jesus performed many miracles throughout His life, and taught about love, but many people thought that He was a hypocrite, that He didn't really live the life He preached. The final part of Jesus' life was the death and resurrection.  Jesus was to be a flawless sacrifice, the only way that we can live and still may see God's face.
Jesus was brutally murdered by being beat, having His limbs be broken, and nailed to the cross to die of suffocation. It was excrutiating pain, nothing can compare to it. Did He want to be put through that pain? No. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to God, His father and asked if there was another way for this to be done (Matthew 26:36-46). This was the only way. Jesus did not want to be in pain, but he wanted to take the pain away from us. He wants to be on your side and help you.

Jesus did the hard work for us, and paved the way to salvation. It's now our decision to follow Him and spread His message. He is giving us the ability to say I've sinned/I've messed up (even on purpose), but will you take my issues as your own? He will take our issues. He is giving you the opportunity to go to Heaven. He is handing salvation to you on a silver platter. All you have to do is ask for it.

This is what the Christian faith is about, Jesus dying and coming back to life, but people still do not believe.

¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

~John 10 (NIV)

 Jesus said that we need to have faith, to believe without seeing. We believe without seeing all the time: we believe that our family is safe when we are not with them, and we believe that the school building is still standing even when we are home. How can we know it's true? How can we believe without seeing? We can see God work in many ways. We need to watch and listen for God.





"Hero" by Abandon

He walked the dirty streets famous for nothing

He said, "Come follow me" and they came

A face like all the rest, but something was different

The Son of God would lead the way

And soon they all would say

There He goes, a hero, a savior to the world

Here He stands with scars in His hands

With love He gave His life so we could be free

The savior of the world

He spoke with clarity, walked across the sea

A single word would calm the storm

His touch could heal the sick, but He was called a hypocrite

Laid behind the stone, his death was shortly mourned

He left the curtain torn

There He goes, a hero, a savior to the world

Here He stands with scars in His hands

With love He gave His life so we could be free

The savior of the world

He chose to take the cross, shed tears for the lost

The broken and the needy, forgiving those who were and will be

The angel made it clear, he told them, "Have no fear

He's not here, He's not here"

(The savior of the world)

There He goes, a hero, a savior to the world

Here He stands with scars in His hands

With love He gave His life so we could be free

The savior of the world

The savior of the world

(The savior of the world)

The savior of the world

"Hurricane"

We're going to talk about the meaning behind some of the Christian songs that you can find on KLOVE or Air1. This week, we're talking about "Hurricane" by Samestate. The song will be posted below our discussion with the lyrics under the video.

What is love?

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”
~C.S. Lewis

God loves each and every person and YOU regardless of what you've done, will do, and whether you love yourself or Him or not. He never has stopped loving you, and never will stop loving you from when you were born to when you will die. There may be times that you fall away, but His love is something that you can always come back to.

It is hard to understand because there is no other love like it, but it is a two-way street like a human love. God is always loving you, but you need to make the decision to love Him back.

A question was brought up: Why do we have to go to church if God loves us anyways? The answer is simple: We want to worship and give thanks to God for loving us.

 ⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
 ¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
 ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
~1John 4 (NIV)

As you go through the week, here is a question to consider:
When are some times that you feel God's love? Is it when you feel the sun shining down after a cloudy morning? A problem that you've been having is quickly and easily resolved? Every person feels God's love differently. Listen carefully to hear when God is saying "I love you."



"Hurricane" by Samestate The tide has turned around,
We’re washing away,
With thunder and rain,
You’ll be back again,
It’s getting hard to believe,
And even harder to see,
That You could love,
Those like me.

Cause what do we really do
To deserve love so true,

Now all at once heads are spinning faster like a hurricane,
Cause all we did was nothing
But the love still came,
And is bringing in Good News,
His love is comin' back for you,

What if I never cared,
But now I do,
With only hours left,
How is it I still choose,

Cause what did we really do
To deserve love so true,

Now all at once heads are spinning faster like a hurricane,
Cause all we did was nothing
But the love still came,
And it’s bringing in Good News,
His love is comin' back,
For all of us who have a hard time
Getting it through our brains,
That all we did was nothing
But the love still came,
And it’s bringing in Good News,
Love is comin' back for you,
Oh, for you, oh

'Cause what do we really do?
I don't get it
Oh, what do we really do?
I don't get it
Oh, what do we really do?
Sometimes we don't have to understand

All at once heads are spinning faster like a hurricane,
Cause all we did was nothing
But a love still came,
And it’s bringing in Good News,
Yeah, love is comin back,
For all of us who have a hard time
Getting it through our brains,
That all we did was nothing
But the love still came,
And it’s bringing in Good News,
Love is comin back like a hurricane,

Like a hurricane,
Like a hurricane,
Like a hurricane,
For you,
Oh the love is comin' back for you.

"Long Way Home"

We're going to talk about the meaning behind some of the Christian songs that you can find on KLOVE or Air1. This week, we're talking about "Long Way Home" by Steven Curtis Chapman. The song will be posted below our discussion with the lyrics under the video.

Has something ever happened to you that you can't let go of or want to change? Are you stuck and miserable?

When you're stuck and dwelling on an event, think about the part of the song that says:

Some rocks on my shoes
Fears I wish I could lose
That make the mountians so hard to climb
And my heart gets so heavy with the weight of the world sometimes
There's a bag of regrets,
Should've beens, and not yets
That keep on dragging around
And I can hardly wait till the day I get to lay them all down
I know that day is coming
I know its gonna be here soon
I won't turn back even if the whole world says I'm going the wrong way
Cause its just the long way home

¹³But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 3 (NIV)

We need to try and let go and not dwell on our past mistakes. We can't cover or forget what happened; it's the past, it's part of us, but we need to keep moving. When we keep moving, the healing will start.

Another version, the Message, says it a little differently:
^12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
~Phillipians 3 (MSG)

The ultimate goal is Christ. When we dwell on the past, it keeps us from God, and Satan is winning. We need to stay focused on the goal. We have to think: How can God help?



"Long Way Home" by Steven Curtis Chapman

I set out on a great adventure
The day my Father started leading me home
Said theres gonna be mountians to climb
And valleys were gonna go through

But I had no way of knowing
Just how hard this journey could be
Cause the mountians are steeper
And the valleys are deeper than I ever would had dreamed

But I know were gonna make it
And I know were gonna get there soon
And I know sometimes it seems like, were going the wrong way
But its just the long way home

Some rocks on my shoes
Fears I wish I could lose
That make the mountians so hard to climb
And my heart gets so heavy with the weight of the world sometimes

There's a bag of regrets,
Should've beens, and not yets
That keep on dragging around
And I can hardly wait till the day I get to lay them all down

I know that day is coming
I know its gonna be here soon
I won't turn back even if the whole world says I'm going the wrong way
Cause its just the long way home

When we cant take another step
The Father will pick us up and carry us in His arms
And even on the best days, He says to remember were not home yet
So don't get too comfortable
Cause we are just pilgrams passing through

I know that day is coming
I know were gonna be there soon
I keep on singing and believing
What all of my songs say

Cause our God has made a promise
And I know everything He says is true
He promised He would never ever leave us
He's gonna lead us
He'll lead us home

Every single step of the long way home
So keep on, were gonna make it
Were just taking the long way home
So keep on, were gonna make it
I know, were gonna make it
Its just the long way home

"Everytime You Run"

We're going to talk about the meaning behind some of the Christian songs that you can find on KLOVE or Air1. This week, we're talking about "Everytime You Run" by Manafest. The song will be posted below our discussion with the lyrics under the video.

Josh started off the lesson asking if anyone has experienced depression in their lives, and a few of our teens and Bob shared their stories, and Josh shared about a time in his life when he could have easily slipped into depression, but turned to God.

Everyone experiences a time in their lives when they become sad, and some become depressed. It doesn't always feel like it, but God is always with you. He is standing beside you no matter what you are going through and can help you through it. You can't do it on your own.

 ²⁸ You have shown me the way of life,
      and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’
~Acts 2 (NLT)

It's easy to run and hide from your problems, and when we succumb to depression, the devil is winning in those who are hurting you, and in the emotions you are feeling. God is what helps, and gets you through your darkest times.

²⁵ “‘I saw the Lord always before me.
   Because he is at my right hand,
   I will not be shaken.
²⁶ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
   my body also will rest in hope,
²⁷ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
   you will not let your holy one see decay.
²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life;
   you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
~Acts 2 (NIV)

Your challenge: Remember the words from the chorus everytime you're feeling sad



"Everytime You Run" by Manafest

Last night got a little crazy
I don’t remember, woke up spun with the pasties
My friends say I was tweaked out,
Passed out on a dirty couch, still in the house
It kinda scares me, I don’t know
Am I out of control, always waking up still in my clothes
I wrote a note that said goodbye to pain, goodbye to shame
But couldn’t find a way, I just cry for days
I’m so depressed, soakin' wet, I can’t rest
These thoughts just beat me to death; I’m unkept
I thought of a song my mom used to sing in church
But it’s been so long I can’t remember the words


Every time you run, every time you hide
Every time it hurts, every time you cry
Every time you run away, every time you hide your face
And it feels so far away, I’m right here, with you

Every time you run

I keep sleeping in, don’t want to wake up
I keep hearing from the landlord, 'pay up'
Hide my face in my pillow till the sun sets
Hung over and I haven’t seen a pay check
I took a job downtown at the factory
I was hired and fired with no salary
I keep running from responsibility
It seems impossible, the pressure is hitting me
I know I need to man up, or sit down
Stand up and get out of this crowd
I thought of a song my mom used to sing in church
But it’s been so long I can’t remember the words


Every time you run, every time you hide
Every time it hurts, every time you cry
Every time you run away, every time you hide your face
And it feels so far away, I’m right here, with you

Well, I know I’m not ready to die, But I’ve
Sure thought about the meaning of life
Cause I can’t seem to find a purpose for me
It’s just the choices and I fail to proceed
I got a “get up, get up, get up, get up
Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up"
I hear voices in my mind, one's a devil, one's Jesus
I can feel it. Can you help me find the pieces?
Like an angel on my shoulder, you hold the
Joy of the lord raising up a soldier
You gave me the song my mom used to sing in church
I promised not to quit and I remembered the words
I promised not to quit and I remembered the words

Every time you run, every time you hide
Every time it hurts, every time you cry
Every time you run away, every time you hide your face
And it feels so far away, I’m right here, with you

"It's Your Life"

We're going to talk about the meaning behind some of the Christian songs that you can find on KLOVE or Air1. This week, we're talking about "It's Your Life" by Francesca Battistelli. The song will be posted below our discussion with the lyrics under the video.

  ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
~Matthew 5 (NIV)

This passage is saying that a town on a hill can be seen everywhere, just as when you light a candle, you wouldn't hide it, but let it shine. We are lights for God, and we need to shine to others.

What we do and how we live is all about our decisions. We show people a Godly lifestyle in how we live. You can't think that your choices don't matter.

In what ways can you live a Godly lifestyle? Praying for guidance to help you live a more Godly lifestyle. If you find that you are about to swear, change the swear word to a different word. If someone's books fall all over the hallway, instead of laughing and walking away, help them pick up the papers.

You are to the age where you make your own decisions. Yes, you have to follow your parents rules, but they don't make your decisions for you. You can chose to live like a sinner, or to live like God. It's YOUR choice.



It's Your Life by Francesca Battistelli

This is the moment
It’s on the line
Which way you gonna fall?
In the middle between
Wrong and right
But you know after all

(Chorus)
It’s your life
What you gonna do?
The world is watching you
Every day the choices you make
Say what you are and who
Your heart beats for
It’s an open door
It’s your life

Are you who you always said you would be?
With a sinking feeling in your chest
Always waiting for someone else to fix you
Tell me when did you forget

(Chorus)

To live the way that you believe
This is your opportunity
To let your life be one that lights the way

(Chorus)

"Someone Worth Dying For"

We're going to talk about the meaning behind some of the Christian songs that you can find on KLOVE or Air1. This week, we're talking about "Someone Worth Dying For" by Mikeschair. The song will be posted below our discussion with the lyrics under the video.

What does being someone worth dying for mean? Well, Jesus died for us and our sins so that we can be saved and go to Heaven. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can be free of sin.

In what ways have you felt that you aren't worth dying for? Low self-esteem, depression, sinning, self-afflicting pain?

Why are we worthy? Are we? In our right, we aren't. There's nothing that we have done or can do that makes us worthy of Jesus' death on the cross. The reason why we are worth dying for is because we are God's children.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
~John 3 (NIV)



Someone Worth Dying For by Mikeschair

You might be the wife,
Waiting up at night
You might be the man,
Struggling to provide
Feeling like it's hopeless

Maybe you're the son,
Who chose a broken road
Maybe you're the girl,
Thinking you'll end up alone
Praying God can you hear me?
Oh God are you listening?

(Chorus)
Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I wanna believe, I wanna believe that
I'm not just some wandering soul
That you don't see and you don't know
Yeah I wanna believe, Jesus help me believe that I
Am someone worth dying for

I know you've heard the truth that God has set you free
But you think you're the one that grace could never reach
So you just keep asking, what everybody's asking

Chorus

You're worth it, you can't earn it
Yeah the Cross has proven
That you're sacred and blameless
Your life has purpose

And you are more than flesh and bone
Can't you see you're something beautiful
Yeah you gotta believe, you gotta believe
He wants you to see, He wants you to see
That you're not just some wandering soul
That can't be seen and can't be known
Yeah you gotta believe, you gotta believe that you
Are someone worth dying for

You're someone worth dying for
You're someone worth dying for

Christian Atheist: He's Not Fair

As part of our Christian Atheist series, we've talked about not knowing God, being ashamed of your past/not being sure that God loves you, and pursuing happiness at any cost. This week, we're talking about when you believe in God, but think that He's not fair.

(Source)

Is God always fair? In what ways? I'm not thinking in the sense of having a car to drive or enough money to buy a candy bar, I'm going a little deeper than that.

I have a few examples:

1. Job. There is a great summary of the book of Job here, or you can read it here. Basically, God and Satan talk, and God lets Satan take everything away from Job that God gave him, just to see if Job would still believe in God.
2. Paula Merrill, one of our youth leaders, was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer 2 weeks after graduating college and 3 months before getting married.
3. Katie Moore, Josh Merrill's sister, was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer (one of the more deadly cancers) 4 months after giving birth to her first child.
4. Shane Billings, Amy Hogue's brother, stepped on an IED on a volunteer mission for the Marines, and has been struggling through surgeries to save his foot.

 ¹ As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  ³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
~John 9:1-3 (NIV)

²⁴ A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” ²⁵ He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
~John 9:24-25 (NIV)

There are three facts:

1. We don't deserve good things
2. Good things happen to bad people (us)
3. God is present in your pain

Just because these bad things are happening, it does not mean that we are alone in the event. God is with us through the pain, whether we realize it or not. The reason that we have to experience pain in our lives is so that we can show the works of God, as the first passage says. In the story of Job, Job never stopped believing in God, and he got his possessions back. In the story of Paula, after surgery and one treatment, she is basically cured. In the story of Katie, after surgery, the doctors found that her situation is very unique, leading her to be virtually cured. Shane's story is currently in progress, but the IED did not full explode, and rain let the mud take most of the impact. In each of these stories, there was a tremendous amount of pain that each individual experienced, but God was present at each step.

It's very hard to understand, but luckily, we don't have to! All that we need to know, like the blind man, is that we were sick, and He healed us.

We started the evening with singing the song below during music. It's a great songs showing that the bad things that happen to us are from God too, and if that's how we find God, maybe it's not the worst thing in the world.