Youthful, fruitful living

If you know me, you know there is a small island that has captured my heart. The people, the food, the culture, the needs, the natural beauty, the food (jk, but seriously), the youth group, the basketball, the fire pit worship…they all make me long to be back there. Anyways, while visiting over Spring Break, I had the opportunity to hang out with the local youth group on a Friday night. They started with an activity: anyone could go and stand in front of the group and share how God was evident in their life throughout the week…AND PEOPLE SHARED OPENLY! This was an awesome experience!

A few weeks later while I was teaching back at home, I got to talk about how I loved this time of sharing, and my youth group has started to do the same! We started sharing testimonies, how we experienced God moving in our lives throughout the week, at the start of our time together each Sunday night. This has been an absolute blessing in my life.

To watch the youth, and leaders, stand up in front of brothers and sisters in Christ. To hear them speak boldly. To laugh with joy at the way God makes Himself evident. I urge you to keep your eyes and heart open to God as He moves in your life this week. Seek Him, and you will find Him, as you seek Him with all of your heart. And when you experience His love, comfort, joy, peace, faithfulness, provision, etc….don’t shy away from sharing it! Your testimony matters.

[Revelation 12:11] starts off with this: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

When you wonder if your testimony matters, know that it has been grouped with the cross of Jesus Christ in this passage. Your testimony is grouped with the work of the Author and Perfecter of the Christian faith. Your testimony of God’s work in your life and through your life is powerful for building up and strengthening the body of believers, for sympathizing and empathizing with others, and for bringing others to know of God’s love, strength, providence, and faithfulness.

Be His witness as you go into your week. Wherever you go, that is your mission field. Your life is your worship. Respond to the King, and share of how He moves. Your testimony is a great tool to be used in pointing others to the cross, and the joy that has been made available by the work of our Savior.

I have also had the privilege of watching the youth plan some awesome outreach. During our last Youth Sunday, medicine bottles were handed out to be brought back filled with quarters in order to fund Hope for the Homeless; the congregation responded.

Tonight we had an awesome assembly line of youth filling bags with some basic essentials purchased with those quarters. Items were chosen that would be a blessing to someone in a tight spot. These bags will be available to the congregation during our next Youth Sunday (April 12th, be there: MP UMC 8:30 or 11:00) to be kept in the car and handed out when the opportunity arises. Each bag will have some food and drink items, as well as a Bible, a journal, and a personal note of encouragement written by the youth. How awesome is that?