Youth Matters To Me - Testimonial by an 11 year-old

YOUTH MATTERS TO ME

by Vincent Johnson

Youth matters.

Youth matters to me.

My name is Vincent Johnson and I am 11 years old, about to be 12, and this is my first year of Youth. And it is already making a difference.

My questions are not your questions. 

My understanding isn't the same as yours.

I am still learning who God is to me.

I am still learning about Jesus and what his sacrifice means.

I'm still learning to walk in this world, but not be of it.

And I need a place where I can ask the stupid questions, 

where I don't feel awkward,

Where I don't feel out of place,

and where I can feel safe to question all the things I keep being told.

Youth is a peer group.

Youth is a group of friends.

Youth is a place where we can discuss the things that bother us without the usual platitudes.

Youth is not just bible lessions,

or social hour,

or infinate fundraisers.

It is lead by Christian example.

It is without limits.

It is about what it means to be a Christian adult.

All week long, I go to school and I am afraid.

I'm big enough that bullies don't bother me.

I am smart enough that grades don't bother me.

But, I have real problems making friends.

I have a hard time relating to people

and sometimes I think that I just don't fit in.

But when I am here I stop worrying about that.

I know that no matter what I say,

no matter how I dress,

no matter what I do,

I am loved and accepted.

And THAT is why Youth matters.

This Testimonial was delivered during "Youth Sunday" at Kyle United Methodist Church in Kyle, Texas on Sunday September 29, 2013 where the author and his family are members.

God Listens... to Slayer.



Because... God ROCKS.

 I actually interviewed Tom Araya of Slayer in 2006. It was a fun interview. You can read it here - It's got some profanity.. so be aware - Slayer interview on Blistering.com



Since it WAS 2006 and that was the year that 6/6/06 happened and people called it "International Day of Slayer" I thought I'd go ahead and ask him "Is Slayer a Satanic band?"

Below is his response. It was interesting to hear him explain... pretty much he couldn't say "No, we aren't" and it didn't sound like the answer was "Yes, we are." It was more like... that's the image Slayer sold themselves as in 1983... here we are 30 years later and, in order to preserve the past, Tom wasn't able to give me a straight answer. I don't blame him, at all... I respect him more now because of how he answered me.

Sean Claes: "Is Slayer a Satanic band?"

Tom Araya: We brought that on ourselves. When we released Show No Mercy (1983) all of the songs were like "Black Magic" and "Evil Has No Boundaries." Then there’s the imagery that's been associated with the band.

We're not going to shy away from it. That's what the band was about when we started and the minute you start to turn your back on it, like anything else, the music will turn its back on you. We labeled ourselves and it just stuck.

We’re not going to change the kind of music we play and if we change our image we will lose our integrity. We haven’t turned our backs on ourselves and our fans.

Now... I have to say... if I'd interviewed Kerry King, I may have gotten an entirely different answer...

God loves Slayer... and you.

Something I heard on the Radio

I live in Kyle, Texas which is South of Austin and north of San Antonio on IH-35. I work in Round Rock, which is north of Austin... so I commute avout 40-50 miles each way daily. That means I spend a lot of time in the car. I like to listen to the radio and about 80% of the time, when I'm not listening to a CD, I'm listening to christian radio. In Austin, the local station is KFMK Spirit 105.9. I was listening this morning when they played their daily "Family Name Game" where they announce a name, and if you have someone in your family with that name, you call in and say something nice about them and if you're the first caller you win a little prize... usually gift certificates to a local restaurant.

Well.. this morning it was "Tiffany." The person who called in, while telling us about their Tiffany mentioned something that stuck. I paraphrase here:

"We're not called to try and change people. We're called to love them where they are in life."

That makes so much sense, and it's something that many Methodists (and Christians in general) don't follow. It's pretty simple, but hard to follow. It's how I try and live my life... not always successfully.

- Accept people where THEY are. Don't try and make them come to you.
- It's not your job to change people. God changes people... you can talk about faith and how it applies to YOUR life, but don't assume you know how other should apply it to theirs.
- If you're so inclined.. invite someone to your church worship service... but don't force it on them.. that only makes you sound and look like an overbearing Christian... because that's exactly what you're doing.

I am a Christian. I am a Methodist.

I also enjoy the same things most other folks do... I like to have a beer or two, I enjoy Austin music, I'll eat it if you cook it, for the most part, and I'm always looking for something that makes me smile and laugh. I like to goof off with my daughters, make my wife smile, and I use my twitter feed many times as a place where I publish steam of consciousness funnies that I think of during the day...

I know I'm not called to change people directly. I also know that my presence might be one of the pieces of the puzzle that may help someone get to where they need to go on their faith walk. When I'm out playing Co-Ed Kickball for my church team (The Kyle United Methodist Church's team PRAY BALL) I know that for a good number of the people out there... our interaction with them may be the only church they get that week.

Be a piece of the puzzle.
Be a vehicle that helps deliver God's Grace.
Be an example of a Christian living in the world today.
Just Be.

No...
I'm not perfect.. I'm far from it... this blog is as much a reminder for me than it is a story for you. Thanks for reading.
- Sean

Chuck Knows Church - Neat.

Chuck Knows Church is a neat little video series put on by the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church.

In the series, "Chuck" (played by Josh Childs) lets you know about things you may have always wondered about... like why do many Methodist Churches host a pancake dinner for Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday. Here's the video:




It launched back in November 2012.. and they have a Website,  Facebook Page, YouTube Account, and Twitter feed.

As of February 15, 2013 they had put together 16 videos and they encourage churches to use the videos wherever they'd like. VERY interesting outreach.

Well done.