Excuses, Excuses...

I can't even think of any good reasons why I haven't posted anything for the last month, so I'll just say I'm sorry! I'll try to keep more up to date on this!
So, the last post was the word for February 11th. There is no post for February 18th because youth group was cancelled due to a freak snow storm that caught us off guard. We were sitting having girls bible study at the Eby's house and all of a sudden it was a winter wonderland outside! Well Jesus, thanks for the reminder that your ways are mysterious and of the beauty of your nature, but I think your timing might have been better ;) Since February 25th was Crash and Bash week, we are up to date until March. (So I'm not as behind as you think ;)
We've been talking about what it means to live the mission. We've decided both as a group and as individuals to pursue this idea with reckless abandon (because that's our name, duh!) But we haven't done anything about it yet. We've started putting ourselves out there in little ways. Last week, a few of you told about the ways you started getting out of your comfort zones, and that is awesome! Doesn't it feel good to step outside of what you know and do something hard? You're gaining confidence and momentum. But we have got to keep pushing the envelope on this thing. "How do we do that?", you ask. Well, let God show you.
Read 1 Samuel 3: 1-11 and Acts 9:10-17.
There was a distinct call in both of these people's lives. God called them by name. He didn't call them and give them instructions all in one shot. He didn't give out general instructions. "Hey, will someone please take out the garbage?" God called these people by name! Why is it so important to call people by name? What does it show them?
Do you like it when someone says your name? Most people do. Why? Because it's personal. It's not just a "hey you" thrown out there to get someone's attention. If you know someone, you know their name, but if you don't you have to find ways to get around that. Sometimes you'll throw out a "buddy" or "pal" just to get by, but someone who knows you well doesn't need to do that. At least I hope that your friends don't forget your name. If they do, you might want to rethink who your real friends are.
So, here's a good example. When people get married, everyone knows the speech. "I, Mara Penelope Wilcox (Penelope is not my middle name, p.s.) do take you, Prince Charming Esquire to be my husband." We don't say, "I take you to be my spouse" because it could mean anyone in the room. 'I take you" doesn't require any previous knowledge of the person. It's not very intimate. And I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't marry someone who doesn't know my name!
In both of these passages, God calls these people by name. Samuel and Ananias knew God and God knew them, so it made sense that God called them by name.
Think of these last few weeks as God getting your attention. You know that God is calling you to live the mission, not just me, not just someone else, but you specifically. Now it's up to you to respond.
Read James 2:14-18.
Responding can be scary. Think about it this way. If you're the main character of a horror movie and you're hiding from the ax murderer and he calls your name, are you going to answer him? UH, no. Why? When you respond, you're letting that person in on 3 things.
First, you're letting that person know where you are. If it's God calling you, it's ok because He already knows where you are, physically, geographically, emotionally, spiritually, whatever. He knows. But sometimes we think we can hide from him and we don't want to let him know where we are. Sometimes it's because of shame or guilt, or maybe we just think we're not ready for Him. The point is revealing where you are is scary.
Second, You're making yourself available to them. If your mom calls you from the bottom of the stairs in a very angry, demanding voice, do you want to answer her? No usually. Because when you answer her, you're giving her the opportunity to yell at you, or tell you to do something, or maybe she just wanted to tell you she loves you. (in an angry voice) You don't know what she's going to say, but by responding to her, you're giving her the opportunity to do any of those things.
Third, how you respond reveals your feelings. Confidence, frustration, anger, annoyance, fear, anything you are feeling is going to come out in the way your respond. Are you ready to reveal that much of yourself?
There's a song called "Here I am" by the group Downhere. It's a great song that talks about the importance of responding to God and how we respond to him. Give it a listen. Respond to Him. Because while the responding might be scary, and the mission might be uncomfortable, God is no ax murderer looking to destroy you. He doesn't give you a mission or a calling that will cause you lots of pain and heartache for no reason. He doesn't delight in our suffering, but he's looking for us to step out in faith so he can grow our faith, so he can give us that abundant life he promises. I don't know of anyone who doesn't want that! So today, step out in faith and answer God. I promise that you won't regret it!