Presbyterian Youth
Koinania October, 2001 Loosen up Someone pray… Bummy
Chilocothe
I’ve spent the last 30 years of my life working with teenagers. I love teenagers more than any other age group
BUT … There’s always disease that attacks you.. no other age group gets it. Most will grow out of it, but some won’t. It hurts your grades.. hurts your friendships… hurts your love-life.. hurts your relationship with Jesus! You’re Paranoid. YOU’RE TOO TIGHT!!
To be the You that God made, you’ve got to loosen up!
Watch 3rd graders get off a bus.....energy, fun...war! Watch 5th-graders: pushing, kidding, laughing...mayhem, blood Watch adults...no more pushing and shoving, but smiling and talking to each other... anxious to get on with things.... Watch senior citizens bus… nearly all smiling....friendly. slower, but happy. Watch teenagers....God..where are we now? How long is this gonna last? Is this gonna be boring? Do they have anything to drink? AND MOST OF ALL: What do they think of me? How do I look? Is something gonna happen that we can go back to school and talk about? TIGHT! UPTIGHT! NERVOUS! SELF-CONSCIOUS!
Anxieties? Purse.. bag.. What you brought tonight..
Prepared for everything....Me...keys….draft card...comb!
Want to loosen up be want Jesus has in mind? Simple. Be the only one in your group who is NOT constantly afraid of looking bad, or stupid, or uncool. Adolescent egocentrism: the feeling that everyone’s watching and judging. Sorry to disappoint you, but they’re not.
Kids: what they have. Teens: what they do. Adults: who they are. Most of you are stuck in the “What they do” stage. I’ve got to DO all the right things.
“For most teenagers, who they are depends upon who the most important people in their life think they are.”
How do you loosen up? You can start tonight.. right now.. and I guarantee you, you’ll be happier by morning. #1: ask yourself the question: Who am I trying to please?
Hiney The Mule
Don’t be confused. Please God and forget the rest of us.
2nd if you want to Loosen up.. and really get all Jesus wants to give you, Get Your Mind off yourself.
Billie Jo:
If you want to loosen up, get your mind off yourself.
Becky Smith................
Dale Carnegie: “You will make more friends in one day by being truly interested in other people than in an entire month of trying to get other people interested in you.” Whether getting a boyfriend, getting a job, or running for President. Get interested in other people!
How I got my job: My testimony…
Mr. Rogers
- If you really want Loosen up to serve Jesus, Don’t take yourself so seriously….. -----------------Sarah
If you want to be a witness for Christ, Loosen up!
LOOSEN UP! A few Spiritual suggestions: Go barefoot more often eat nothing but ice cream for an entire day bad day coming: wear your underwear backwards McDonnalds..”Have a Nice Day” Why? Do some serious coloring Ask Dr. Kay to serve pizza at the next communion. Biggest grouch in your school “I Just want you to know that I feel great!”
Feel free to dream.. Bill Gates.. “I have enough computer geniuses. What I need.. what the world needs.. is more dreamers.”
Boy who knew how to loosen up: Matt, Kim, baritone.
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Rejoice. Rejoice. Rejoice! Loosen up! Jeff W... free spirit....robbed
4th GREAT ENERGY SAVER: Stop judging people. Judging makes you very tight. It takes up all your time.
You go to school with some real jerks, right? You go to school with some goody-goodies who get all the breaks, right? You frankly aren’t too crazy about some people in this room right now, right? That’s cool. That’s alright.. But let me tell you a little secret about how to stop letting them bother you. Let Jesus handle it.
Seek Ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and Let me take care of what’s bothering you. You’ve got one job tonight and tomorrow.. Just one job: Get closer to God and find out how much He loves you. That’s it! God said we must love our enemies..He didn’t say we had to like them. Pray for them! A lady I couldn’t stand..
Just became a Christian.. Now I work with her every week. Sometimes I want to shout: “Okay God! That’s enough!”
Don’t judge people too quickly… Church lady Uptight: Roger Ebert
And finally....if you want to loosen up and receive all that God has for you, You’ve got to get to know people……what makes them tick. Get your mind off yourself and find out about others.
There are people in this room that you would absolutely love if you’d just get to know them. Some of you have gone to school for years with people whom you know hardly anything about.
Before you got here, you’ve run through this retreat several times.. How you plan to act.. Who’s going to be there? Will they like me? What if I’m left out? And above all… What should I wear?
How can Jesus use you when you’re so busy worrying?
So Let’s do it. Here. Let me show you how it’s done.
Stand up....month of birth. (say Hi) Cannot stand anchovies sleeps in only their underwear won’t be wearing tonight what you usually wear Used to take one large step into bed Used to cover up all but a place to breathe Honest: The main thing you’ve worried about this weekend is sleeping in the same room with strangers. Has ever faked being sick so you wouldn’t have to go to school Were talked into coming here?
Puppy story.
End: Jesus made you to be you… Not the you you pretend to be. This is the perfect weekend to see if what I’m saying is true.
Most of you have told yourself, “I’m afraid to let people know what I’m really like because if they found out, I’m afraid they wouldn’t like me.” You are so very wrong.
Pass the Ball. Dumbest mistake you’ve made in the last couple weeks. What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you? If God would answer one prayer for you tonight.
Presby Youth Koinania
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