Tonight at Contagious

Tonight was "game night" we extended Hang Time and extra 35 minutes.  Had lots of good food and fun together.  Students were out in the front "lawn" playing bocci ball and corn hole.

Inside we had games of farkle and ping pong and a couple of dudes up on the balcony playing guitars together.

Since we were breaking from the normal routine we did not have family (small) groups.  We just gathered together in a bunch and I talked for about 20 minutes about why our youth group exists on the face of planet earth.  Below is the simple outline:

It is easy to get distracted from the purpose.

1.  Remember our Purpose

Our purpose:  Reaching Students to Discover Life in Christ.

¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 18:16-20

2.  Commit to our Purpose

Students are committed to many things in life, school, athletics, jobs, friends, relationships. Tonight I asked them to be committed to our purpose, to share their faith with their friends.  "How committed are you?"

3.  It's Not About You

We need to have the "It's not about me" attitude in life when it comes to living out our purpose.  

"Listen, I hate to pop your little bubble but life is not about you.  Some of us are spoiled rotten brats, right?  You know the little kid that lives in your neighborhood that gets everything he or she wants.  The kid that throws the fit in the store for the toy and the parents cave in because the parents think, “Life is all about my little one and I just want him or her to be happy.”  If you are a Christian, someone that has put their faith in Jesus Christ, life is not about you.  You don’t get your way."

²⁰I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:20

Next week we pick up on our series about dealing with stress again.

Our Kitchen Queens gave me some stats from tonight.  With half the youth group gone and half the YM team gone for the holiday weekend we still consumed:

2 large bags of Wavy chips

1 large bag of BBQ chips

3 bags of tortilla chips

2 tubs of french onion dip

2 gallons of lemonade

1 gallon of water

1 giant concession size can of nacho cheese

44 hot dogs

2.5 packages of cookies