Does it feel like Groundhogs Day?

Ever see the movie Groundhog Day? It's Bill Murray at his best. I love this movie.
(Bravo ranked it 32 on all time comedies!)
If you haven't seen it, let me give you the premise of the movie.
A weatherman, Bill Murray, finds himself living the same day over and over again. (That day being Groundhogs Day)
He is reluctantly sent to cover a story about a weather forecasting "rat" (as he calls it). This is his fourth year on the story, and he makes no effort to hide his frustration. On awaking the 'following' day he discovers that it's Groundhog Day again, and again, and again. First he uses this to his advantage, then comes the realization that he is doomed to spend the rest of eternity in the same place, seeing the same people do the same thing EVERY day.

Does your life ever feel like this? Doing the same thing, seeing the same people, losing heart because everything feels mundane....its simply a daily grind.
Ever read Ecclesiastes?
Solomon wrote this book and he understood that life can sometimes seem lifeless.
Ecc. 1:8 "All things are wearisome, more than one can say." And there is no hope for tomorrow, as verse nine states, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun."

Whats the point Solomon is getting at? Isn't he a follower of God? Why does he sound so hopeless?
The purpose is to demonstrate that life viewed merely from a realistic human perspective must result in pessimism. When we are left to mere human outlooks and efforts, life seems hopeless and meaningless. Human beings cannot begin to fathom the divine wisdom that undergirds and controls all things. Once human limitations are recognized, the faithful will gain a godly vision of life by renewing their reverence for God.
And in turn each new day is not simply wearisome but a joyful event. An opportunity to see something new. To do something new. To love life. Because God is in control. Because God made us. Because God loves us. God's vision of the world, of each day becomes our vision.

“If you think you are seeing the same show all over again seven times a week, you're crazy. Every morning you wake up to something that in all eternity never was before and never will be again. And the you that wakes up was never the same before and will never be the same again."- Frederick Buechner

When life seems dull, remember that it can be fresh. God's love is never stale but always powerful and vibrant. Let it rule your heart. And his love will rule the way you live each day. Loving God and loving others.

Upcoming Events

FRIGHT NIGHT FOOD DRIVE!

WHEN? Tues Oct 31st, 6:30-9:00 pm

WHERE? Meet at Covenant of Grace

For? HS Youth Group & Friends

Who says were too old to trick or treat?
Rather than ask for candy we are going door to door to ask for canned goods.
Proceeds will go to food bank or needy family at Thanksgiving.


DETAILS
1. Meet at church at 6:30 pm. We conlude at 9pm.
2. WEAR a costume.
3. Best costume gets a prize.
4. No costume means you wear the dreaded paper bag.
5. ALL costumes must be reasonable. We are representing the COG youth group not the devil or a cast from a horror movie.

Questions? Contact Jordan at Church

Or contact one of your fearless leaders.

"Extreme Makeover"

"Extreme Makeover: Transforming hearts in a changing world", was the title of a Youth Conference Conference that I attended some time ago. The question presented to us:

"Do we simply try to sell Jesus like a marketing rep? Like someone trying to sell vacuum cleaners? Or do we allow Jesus to touch the whole of our lives each day and as a result genuinely try to touch others for Christ?" Before we can engage another person's heart whether it be family, friend, a stranger, a child or a student, we must first be aware of what is going on and ruling our own hearts.

There is a big difference between asking someone how they’re doing and actually caring about the answer. I saw a young man in the mall once that had a T-shirt that had these words on the front "People always tell me to stop drinking.." and on the back the phrase ended with, "But no one ever asks me about my thirst."

Today's culture (MEANING= The world we live in everyday! Even our lives!) is built around trying to avoid the real questions. Avoid that void, the pain, the hurt.Why can't we be more enticed to see someone’s soul? To really be in tune with someones heart?Culture today lives for comfort and escapism and we wonder why were apathetic and indifferent. We should change our motto from "Land of the Free, to the, Land of the Numb". We can create ourselves island paradises if we have the right supplies. (TV's, DVDs, music, espresso machines, laptops, video games, nice cars, the right relationships, the cool shoes, the high position at work or church)

This was the idea Hugh Grant presented in the opening scenes of the movie, "About a Boy", the last line of that whole montage said the following,"...like all island dwellers you often have to visit the mainland." How often have we visited the mainland of our hearts? How often do we break out of this state of anesthesia and enter into another persons world and actually touch them?

As Brad Pitt says in the movie Fight Club, "We're the middle children of history.... no purpose or place. We have no Great War, no Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives." We associate with this quote, with this movie, or at least I did because we feel lost in this culture that says that we live for ourselves. At least those people back when had something to fight for, to fight against, right?

Nope...today we are simply trying to escape reality and enjoy every fake minute of it. We are self-absorbed, living somewhere between depressed and happy and never simply content. Turn off your TV's, your palm pilots, your cell phones, your video games, your computers for one night and face the quiet. How does it feel? Do you feel lonely? At a loss for what to do? Why do we always have to have something entertain us?

Because it numbs us from the reality that we need something greater than ourselves. If we occupy our time then we don’t have to worry about the reality of life. That it is lonely without God, without a relationship with Christ. When life gets hard, the dating scene seems old, your children wont behave, your spouse frustrates you, your job is depressing, your dog dies, school is too difficult, whatever..turning to the numbing agents of TV, computers, cell phones, and video games feel empty don't they? They dont quite satisfy during those rough times.

{As a side note- So we eventually turn to bigger self pleasers...bar scenes, clubs, relationships, drugs, wealth and whatever else}
I'm not saying to turn into a monk and throw away all your posessions, but be aware of what culture says is important, be aware of what you turn to when you feel lonely and empty. Turn away from the thin things that this consumeristic culture has put in our lives and turn to the thick promises and security found in a relationship greater than ourselves, a relationship with Jesus. And as a follower of Jesus the next time you bump into someone and ask them how they're doing....care. Show them the love of Christ. Crush them with love!

Heavy-Duty Love

Heavy-Duty Love

The term love tends to be over used and abused and the specialness of that word loses its meaning…like saying I love hot dogs! Or signing off your IM with Love ya!
OR when the society around you tells you love is all about having the perfect dating relationship. If all we did was watch TV and movies to get our defination for love then we would definately have a very different view of love.


So pause a minute and think, what are some of those insignficant meanings people have given to love? How does tv, movies display love? How have you seen that word used in culture, in school, with friends and from school?

How have you personally used the word love?

Now lets see what the Bible says about love:
I Corinthians 13:4-7
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Now think back on what culture says love is. Culture's love is often very self-seeking.
But God’s love, found here in the Bible is the highest expression of love.

Its pure, its unconditional, its self-giving, and its rare.

This is the kind of love we are talking about! This is the type of love we as Christians are to have for God and for others.

Have you seen this love before?
Here's an example. Remember the Amish school shootings a couple of weeks ago?
The families of those daughters who were shot to death were not even done burying their children before they went to the family of the killer and told them that they love them, that they have forgiven the killer, that they accept them into their community.
That takes some heavy duty love.

Where did they get the ability to forgive like this?

If you answered God then you got it. Why is the answer God?
Because God sent his only son to Earth to die on the cross for our sins so that we might have eternal life!
Okay, okay...you've heard that. But picture this. Imagine Jesus in Heaven for all eternity, like he was, imagine Jesus in perfect bliss. Jesus and God the Father had the most beautiful loving relationship in Heaven and yet Jesus left Heaven to come to a broken, sinful, painful Earth where he endured 33 years of human existence to die on a cross so that we might have access to that perfect blissful love with God the Father. Amazing.
Would you have left Heaven to do that? Probably not. But Jesus did.
And that is why we love others because Jesus loved us more than we can ever imagine.
He surrended himself on the cross willingly because he loved us so much. Thats the type of love that is heavy duty.

Examine your hearts today...Is your love self-seeking? Or is your love self-surrendering?

COG Youth Zone is Here.

COG Youth Zone exists for Covenant of Grace's youth ministry to reach out and touch someone. For us to communicate, to connect, to chat, to expound on ministry moments and lessons or to simply gather COG youth news.

So stay tuned. More to come!