Speaking Life to Lovely Creatures

Last night Joseph and I went to a youth worship night at a Vineyard church in Arcadia. It was three separate youth groups that met together to worship, share testimonies and fellowship together. At one point, one of the youth Pastors, Theo, got up and shared his life verse. I had the thought earlier in the service that I would like to ask God to lead me to a life verse. Funny ... Theo shared his not long after that thought popped in and I wrote it down in my Moleskine. Not that I want to yoink Theo's life verse but I really like it so I'm going to write it here. Romans 12:1-2: "I appeal to you therefore (siblings) by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect". I'm supposed to talk tomorrow night at our youth group girl's meeting that Katie and I just got going last week. I've been wondering what to speak on and I have found myself just whispering to God all week, "What can I talk about? What do you want for them? Do I have any freaking thing to say of worth?". I think God weaves things together from lots of scraps. I'd like to make an art project some day from scraps of things that have either been discarded or broken or are just small and seem insignificant. I would like to make them into something beautiful. I am going to speak about this verse tomorrow and even as i write this I am seeing God weave things together. Like this: okay, many of the girls in the group describe themselves as Goth. They want to be radical and out there and seen that way. The Christian faith when lived to it's fullest is the most radical form of self love, love for others and self-expression/self-knowledge that I have ever encountered. I really want the girls to get that. I still want to get that. Praise God!!! Maybe God can use my pathetic attempts at connecting with these lovely girls after all. Time to pray ... I'll be back.

So I'm praying and God reminded me how easy it can seem to just become radical and leave God to sit it out. Not okay! Radical comes from God. No leaving God out. If you do, you're just a poser!