Who's group is it?

I have been reflecting a lot about our discussion on Sunday. In trying to think through all of the things you guys brought up I keep coming back to this question. What is God's expectation of us as a group? That includes both you and me. We spent a lot of time on Sunday talking about what the youth group isn't and what it used to be. I am curious as to how you think our group should be in light of our purpose as Christians? I also want to say that, except for Gwen and Edwin, no other youth group member has signed up to take part in the Heir Force re-visioning project. What does that say about the personal investment of actual participants of our group? posted by: J-Wild at: 11:20 AM -  16 comments

All That and A Bag of Chips
Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of the snack foods that we eat? It’s amazing what it takes to make a simple "Cool Ranch" Dorito. A small list of some of the ingredients are: Corn, Vegetable Oil, Buttermilk Solids, Salt, Tomato Powder, Corn Syrup Solids, Corn Starch, Monosodium Glutamate, Cheddar Cheese, Sugar, Dextrose, Sodium Citrate, Disodium Inosinate, and Disodium Guanylate.

I don't know what half of those things are or even how they occur in nature (or if they occur in nature at all). But I love Cool Ranch Doritos so what does it matter...it tastes good. Whatever they do to make the chip doesn't concern me, as long as I get a good chip to go with my sandwich. Besides no one has ever died from eating one bag of Doritos.

Of course if you want to be a healthy person then there is no way you would accept those ingredients (let alone calories, fats, or sugars) in your food. Why? Because you would know that over time those bags of Doritos add up and take a real toll on the health of your body. In order to be healthy it's important to watch what you eat all the time.

But eating healthy is really hard to do because often times it quicker, easier, cheaper, and more fun to eat the "convenient food" that's all around us. I believe there are a lot parallels between the struggle of eating right for our health and the struggle to remain spiritually healthy in our society. Just like no one is going to die from eating at McDonalds or Taco Bell a few dozen times in your life, a person isn't going to go to hell for watching a few R rated movies, or drinking a little bit too much at a party a few times. Yet, the continued consumption of high fat foods will eventually lead to obesity, heart disease, and body shut down. A continued participation in the things that expose a person to violence, sex, and sin will lead that person to view others and themselves in a way that stands in opposition to God.

In the same way you have to be deliberate in taking care of your health by watching what you eat all the time, you have to be dedicated to strengthening your spiritual health by being deliberate in what you watch, listen to, and participate in. I like how "The Message" puts Psalms 34:11-22. Verse 21 says "The wicked commit slow suicide; they waste their lives hating the good."

So what are the things you love to eat even though you know it's bad for you, and what would it take for you to give it up? What are the things you participate in that push you away from God, and what would it take for you to give that up? posted by: J-Wild at: 1:22 PM -  2 comments