Alex on #Panic

Tonight at Varsity, Josh described panic as the feeling that things are going to spiral out of control. Have you ever felt like that? Maybe you've learned your boyfriend is breaking up with you right before prom, your parents are getting a divorce, your brother is hooked on drugs, your best friend has a terminal illness. It's the same feeling you got when you lost your mom in the grocery store when you were little. Or the way your stomach queases when you feel turbulence on an airplane. Panic. It hurts. Sometimes it feels like a throbbing pain. Or an emptiness. Or a sudden heartbreak.

Mary's friend died. Not of a terminal illness or a car crash, but he was brutally tortured and murdered. Mary felt heartbreak. She went to his grave three days after his death and instead of seeing her friend, she saw two guys in white robes. She panicked and started to cry. They asked her why she was crying and she said that someone had taken her friend's body and she didn't know where they had put him. Behind her stood a man she thought was the gardener. He asked her why she was crying and who she was looking for. She cried harder and asked him if he had taken her friend's body away. And the man called her name "Mary" and she knew immediately who he was: Her friend, resurrected from the dead.

This is the story of Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Pay attention to how in the midst of Mary's heartache and panic, when she thought all was lost, Jesus appears and reveals himself to her. Jesus has a plan. When we've given up, when we think everything is over, Jesus reveals that this is only the beginning.

So don't give up. Sure, it may seem like your heartbreak or panic or ache is the end, but it's not. It may just be the beginning of something better.

Do you want to know why you often experience turbulence on airplanes? Because you're going somewhere. We experience pains in the life because we're going somewhere, we're growing into better people and stronger Christians. Pain doesn't mean you're any less Christian or any worse of a person. Pain is an opportunity to grow.

Today's sorrows may be the best stories of tomorrow.

Alex W / Message Writer

Alex on #Guys ...what else?

We've started talking about dating at Varsity. Dating is a very interesting topic, if I call it that. I don't know if my story is like yours, but I have never dated anyone. It's not that I haven't liked guys (I do), its because I haven't felt like God was giving me the "go-ahead". Plus, I'm very traditional, and I'd like the guy to make the first move. And since none have... Well, you know how it goes.

Tonight at Varsity, we talked about guys. I know you've heard it all before: Guys are visual, guys don't show emotion, guys are rude and think bodily functions are funny... All of those in true in some capacity. But here's something you probably didn't know.

Guys are and need to be manly. It's a guy thing. I was talking with a group of friends (all girls). Some had boyfriends and some didn't. They kept saying things like: I wish guys were nicer, I wish guys didn't stare, Wouldn't it be better if guys were easier to talk to, I wish guys were more sensitive... And it began to dawn on me that they were asking guys to be girls! Listen, there's nothing wrong with guys being masculine. In fact, nothing is more "hot" than a masculine guy who knows how and when to demonstrate his strength.

So, guys... Be guys. And girls - let the guys be guys.

Alex W / Message Writer

Alex on #Prayer

Read these three scenarios and see if you can identify with them.

#1 - Clara is a nice girl and she always wants to hang out with people. Sometimes she can come off as a little bit needy, though, because she's upset if one of her friends can't hang out on the weekends. She's always asking them to come over or to do something with her. If they don't want to spend time with her or take her places, she becomes upset.

#2 - Jason's dad has been emotionally absent from his life. Sure, his parents are still together and his dad lives in his house, but his dad doesn't normally take him to sports games or anything like that. When Jason brings home straight A report cards, his dad treats Jason well, but as soon as Jason makes a B or C, his dad is angry. Likewise with making sports teams or school organizations. Jason feels like he is constantly vying for his father's acceptance and support.

#3 - Rachel and her boyfriend are attending colleges in different states. Trying to maintain their relationship from high school as they start attending college has been very difficult, not to mention staying in touch. They keep up conversation by texting goodnight every evening and by calling to talk every Thursday, the day neither of them have work or other activities. It's still difficult, and sometimes Rachel wonders if she's still getting through to him.

I chose these specific scenarios because I believe that they all relate to God. Look back up and see if you recognize your relationship with God in them.

I'll help you out: You are like "Clara" if you constantly want stuff from God without developing a deep relationship with him. Maybe it's material things, certain feelings, or relationships. You are like "Jason" if you think that God doesn't accept you for who you are or that he isn't interested in your life. But you may be like "Rachel" - it's hard to endure a "long-distance" relationship with God, but you're trying your best to sustain it.

Listen, there are 3 things God is NOT. God is not a vending machine; God is not mad at you; and God is not far away from you.

In reality, God loves you. He will always give you what you need, not necessarily what you want. God wants to hear from you when things are bad, and when things are good. God desires that we tell him everything. Like Aaron said, "Tell God the truth. He's big enough to handle it." God wants to communicate with us just the way we are.

Think about it this way: When you send a text message to Twitter or Facebook Mobile, send up a prayer to God. If your status says, "Varsity was awesome!", then thank God for Varsity and the people who put it together. God wants to know what's on your mind. Go tell him!

Alex on #Stuff

Picture this: You come home from school and barge in the front door. You shove your iPhone in your mom's face and start explaining how your friend Casey bumped your arm and you dropped the phone and the screen is cracked and you need a new one. Your mom barely glances at the phone before saying something like, "I don't think you'll get a new one."

You put the phone on the table and run up to your room, slamming the door behind you. You had a pretty bad day and you can't believe your iPhone is broken. You can still see the screen, but you'd really like a new phone, even though you just got this one for Christmas.

Later, your mom and dad come up to your room together. Your mom sits on the end of the end of the bed while your dad sits in your desk chair. They calmly explain how your family is going to have to move. They can't afford the house you're living in. Your dad tells you that you will have to share a room with your younger sister/brother who drives you crazy. Your mom tells you there probably won't be enough room in the bedroom for your desk and you will have to sell it. As your parents are leaving, your dad makes a negative remark about all the stuff in your room. You slam the door behind them because you are so angry. But then you sit on the floor and look around you. There's a 1st generation iPod Touch on the floor which you don't use anymore since you got your iPhone. Near it is that book you begged your mom to buy that you "haven't found time" to read yet. There's also a couple games you've only played a couple times.

Is this starting to sound familiar? Sure, you may not have an iPhone. You may not have to move. You may not feel very rich at all. But seriously, compared to a vast majority of the world, we are quite rich!

James says to us, "Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you." (James 5:1) He goes on to say that wealth and money will not provide security or happiness to us. How many wealthy celebrities are facing problems right now? How many are in drug rehab centers or dealing with nasty divorces? Money doesn't make our problems go away.

However, money isn't bad. Dave Ramsey says that money is like a brick. You can use it for bad (like throwing it through a window) or good (like building a church). It's up to you.

We, as rich people, need to learn to live for something bigger than ourselves. See, God has this super-mega plan for the world which involves each person in a significant way. When we focus on how we can use our money, our talents, and our time in meaningful ways for other people, we can further God's plan and obey his commands.

Keep in mind, also, that God will not give you what you want just because you do what he wants. God isn't a vending machine. Be willing to do what is right even if you don't get any earthly rewards. Matthew 6:20 says, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."

Alex W / Message Writer

Alex on #Judge

When was the last time you sang these words: "Your will above all else, my purpose remains / The art of losing myself in bringing you praise" then turned around and said something negative or condescending about someone? Believe this: the Bible speaks to you! James 3:10 says, "And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!" (NLT)
At one church service, I overheard two girls talking to each other. One said loudly, "I hate that girl - the blonde one!" Fifteen minutes later they were raising their hands in worship to the music. Has this ever happened to you? I catch myself thinking or speaking cynical and unkind things about people all the time! Even when I'm supposed to be spending time with God!
What's wrong with this? The Bible says that people "have been made in the image of God", which means that we are relational (we like friends and community) and also that we are valuable to God. That's why it hurts so much when people say negative things about us. The truth is that each person on this earth, whether they look like a celebrity, whether they're talkative or shy, whether they make good grades or like to party... no matter what: Each person was created in the image of God. They are valuable and they matter to someone. So, treat them like you mean it! Everyone is worth getting to know. Everyone deserves respect.

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters...

- James 4:11a

The entire law is summed up in a single command:

'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

- Galatians 5:14

Alex W / Message Writer

Alex on #Pleasure

There are some things that just don't go together. When I was in middle school, I had a friend who would always buy Chick-fil-a for lunch once a week. She would always dip her chicken nuggets into barbeque sauce, then dip Cheetos into the leftover barbeque sauce. And I would tell her I thought that Cheetos in barbeque sauce was nasty. I think that Cheetos and Barbeque sauce do not go together.
Some other things don't go together, either. For example, a good relationship with God and a good relationship with this world have a hard time going together. So, what do I mean by 'a good relationship with the world'? I'm talking about a drive for pleasure and happiness.
If our primary goal is to please God and to grow closer to him, we can't also have the primary goal of reaching pleasure from the world. It's more than Cheetos and barbeque sauce - it's like snow in Mexico in July. It's impossible.
See, God has a plan for each of us that works within his plans for the world. His plan for you may not include earthly pleasure. It may include living in a jungle somewhere as a missionary. It may include having or adopting children who require special medical attention. It may include working at a lower-income job where you're needed, rather than a high-paying job. It may include staying single, even if you'd like to get married. None of these scenarios is particularly 'pleasure-full'. But God doesn't desire that we be happy in this life. He desires that we know him, that we inspire others to seek him.
We can't hold God in one hand and the world in the other. You'll either have to let go of one or be torn in two pieces.
Jesus said that wherever your teasure is, your heart will be there, too. (Luke 12:34) If you prize your iPod, your clothes, your car, your grades, your friends, your sports, your house... More than the things of God, your heart will still be on earth - your goals will be from the world. But if you prize your God, your Savior, your friends coming to know Christ, your time with other Christians, your realization of God... More than the things of this world, your heart will be in heaven - your goals will be from God.

So, where is your treasure?
Where is your heart?
Where do you goals lead you? To Christ? Or to the world?
Are you living for your pleasure or for God's? God doesn't need our praise and thanks, but he deserves them because he loves us unconditionally.

Alex W / Message Writer

Alex on #Favoritism

Who do you sit with during lunch? Who do you walk to classes with? Who do you invite to sleepover at your house or go to the movies or play Ping-Pong with you?
Since I go to a very small school, there's really only two groups of girls in my senior class. The first group is three popular girls who always hang out with the guys, dress a little more provocatively, and seem to have it all together. The second group is my group. We may not have boyfriends, but we pride ourselves in making good grades and not caring about what people wear or how people act.
Well... Most of the time.
See, there's this one girl who usually hangs out with us. She's incredibly smart, but she doesn't really have any people skills. She likes to think that she's always right and she takes control of group projects to make them her projects. It's frustrating.
My other friends and I sometimes try to ignore her. We talk about her idiosyncrasies behind her back. We'll find ways to pair up for group projects that exclude her.

But if my goal is to look more like Jesus, that's definitely not how Jesus would act. James 2:1 says, "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism." James is saying that we should treat people fairly and friendly, reguardless of whether or not they wear expensive clothes, whether or not they are friendly.
Believe me, when God made us (every one of us), he called us good. So when we put other people down because of something they say or wear or do, we're hurting God's creation, something God called good. And if we try to "fit in" by changing our appearances or trying to do or say different things, we're hurting ourselves, which is also someone God has called good.


Alex W / Message Writer

Alex on #Do

For years, I had a Wednesday night / Sunday morning faith. I "picked up" Jesus like a bookbag or a jacket when I walked into church, Bible class, or my grandma's house. Jesus seemed to live in my back pocket, and I could pull him out when I wanted him, or shove him back when I was finished with him.
But that changed one day. Because I found out that Christianity isn't about Jesus in my pocket. Or a little Jesus on the side. Josh told us tonight that Jesus isn't a 30-second blip on iTunes. He's the full song. He isn't a little department in our lives. He should be our lives. He should fill all our lives.
Recently, I began a daily devotional/Bible study time with God. I found a great time, got a new Bible, and started to waste less time each morning. I carved out some moments to spend with the God who made me. I had some extra minutes in the morning, and I decided to spend them with God instead of on Facebook.
So, I urge you, don't spend your life in a Wednesday night faith. Find Jesus for yourself. For me, that means 15 minutes each weekday morning at the kitchen table with some poptarts. For you, it could mean listening to an Audio Bible each morning on the way to school. Or flipping open a devotional book to read at night. Whatever it is, Jesus must be more than an hour and a half on Wednesday nights. He must be your life.

But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
James 1:25

Alex on #Suffering

Myth: Accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior will make life easy

Fact: "In this world you will have trouble." (John 16:33)

Haven't faced trouble, hardship, or suffering yet? It's coming soon, believe me! There is so much pain in our lives each and every day. All of us can talk about something we've faced in our own lives that hurts deeply. And if anyone ever tells you that a relationship with Christ will take away all of your problems, they couldn't be further from the truth.

However, Jesus doesn't leave us hanging. He doesn't say, "Hey, man, welcome to my friends list! Oh, and by the way, you're going to be facing some really tough issues for the rest of your life. Alright, bye, dude! See you later!" Nope! That's not Jesus at all.

I quoted John 16:33 earlier, which says, "In this world, you will have trouble." But it doesn't end there. The verse goes on to say, "But take heart! I have overcome the world." That's Jesus talking, reminding us of his love for us. 1 John 4:4 says, "...the one who is in you [Jesus] is greater than the one who is in the world [Satan]."

No one can explain away your hurt and difficulties, but it can help to understand why you're in pain. God allows suffering and difficulties in our lives for many reasons. He doesn't cause pain, because God is all and only good. One reason God allows pain in our lives is so that we can grow. Sometimes our parents let us make our own decisions, so that when we are left with the consequences, we'll have to deal with them; it's a maturing process. God also allows pain to bring others to him. If a friend or acquaintance of yours sees God's work in your heart and life, that might inspire them to seek out a relationship with God.

Remember, God can take a horrible situation and use it for something good and beautiful. Romans 8:28 says, "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."

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)