Brennen Takes the Lead

The same day the campout ended--the sleepless campout for the two boys pictured on screen--they helped lead  youth group! I mean, I remember being young and able to stay up for days on end and function reasonably well and stuff, but wowza!

I hope Brennen has buddies praying over him all the rest of his life. What a gift to already have this happening as a young man! Here are a few pictures I took during his talk and the during the songs he led for worship time. I know they're a bit blurry, but our computer was having a hard time casting crisply that particular evening (and yes, it's laundry day again :)




All the youth leaders and several parents were super excited by the all-youth led youth group night (a sister and brother opened the evening with music and a life lesson). Brennen and his buddy led games, well beyond the normal end of youth group, but I guess they extended it because they didn't have Zoom break-outs afterwards for small group. Super cool that B wanted to be part of this unique opportunity to share a message that God put on his heart for other kids his age. I'll post what he spoke about below . . .

Recently, my sister Caelan got a puppy. The puppy’s either an Australian Shepherd or an Aussie … I’m not sure which. All I know is that her name is Muriel, she’s adorable, and that she’s a little ball of energy. 

Since she isn’t a trained dog, she doesn’t listen to what we say. We have another dog, a Bernese Mountain Dog mix, named Chauncey, who is trained, but sometimes we wish he’d listen better. (I promise this ties back into the lesson)

My dogs are, in a way, disciples. They follow what we say (sometimes), and come when their names are called. However, that’s not the kind of disciple I want to talk about tonight.
Not just a person (or in this case, animal) being led blindly by another
person. But a follower of something they believe in.

Disciple. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear that word? Comment in below what you think of. It may be a picture of a bunch of old guys with sweet duck hunter
beards sitting around a table with Jesus, or Peter walking on water, or maybe
even how incredibly clueless they were when Jesus taught.

But what does it really mean to be disciple? I mean the duck hunters are nice and all, but what does it mean? I think that John 8:31-32 helps us see: 

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

OK, so we see that when we
listen to what Jesus says, we’ll be his disciples. Seems simple, right? Just be
a good person and you’ll be fine. Nope! Unfortunately, that’s not how life
works. We’re bound to make mistakes and mess up at times in our life.

Just trying to do what’s right is kind of like my family’s dogs, they try their best to please us, but oftentimes, they mess it up. That’s sort of like us and God. So, how do we make
sure that we’re not just being led blindly?

Jesus added the second part for a reason. He says we will know the truth. What is this truth? Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God.
Or, even more directly stated, truth is the self-expression of God.

This means that God’s
expression of Himself – in the form of Jesus dying on the cross for us- is the
truth. This ties back into the verse because if we believe in Christ dying and
rising from the dead, then we become disciples. Also when we believe this, we
are set free from our sin and shame. See how this connects?

God shows us His boundless mercy through Jesus Christ’s actions. When we believe everything Jesus said, everything He did, how He healed, how He loved, and how He died and rose again, we are freed and saved by our faith.

However, to be a true disciple
of Jesus, we have to do more than just accept Christ and move on with our
lives. We have to live as a disciple too. When I say that, I don’t just mean
reading your Bible, praying, or going to Church. Although those are all really
good things, don’t get me wrong.

We have to follow Jesus through our actions as well. We are sinful beings, but God shows us the right path to walk on. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13: 

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 

This is good news, God will never leave us. He will always be by our side. Our faith in God will show us the way we should go. I know there are trials in life, but I also know God will
see us through it all.

There are two kinds of disciples I’d like to talk about:

Brand-spankin’ new ones who don’t know what they’re doing yet, and ones that have been disciples for most of their lives.

Again, these are both kind of like our dogs, one, Muriel, is young and doesn’t know what to do yet, that is the reason for her disobedience. Just like brand-new Christian disciples, she
doesn’t fully comprehend what’s against the rules.

Chauncey on the other hand, is super old, he’s known the rules for over 8 years, and yet, he still doesn’t always follow them. That’s how it is with many disciples too, they live their entire lives in the faith, but still disobey. They know what they’re doing, but they
don’t stop.

There are many believers,
however, who stand firm against the evil in life. The thing is, everyone
stumbles. So, what do we do about our sin? Take it to Jesus. That’s the short
answer. He will always listen to what you have to say. He loves you, He will
never just ignore you.

Admit your sins to Christ and to the people that you hurt in your actions, then ask for forgiveness. That is the best advice I can give you for dealing with sin. Life is hard, but don’t
give up. God is our Savior and King.

My final question is: Are you a disciple? Do you follow Jesus with all of your heart, mind, body and soul? If not, I ask you to accept the Lord as your God and Father. He’s waiting for you with arms open wide.

Has your picture of a disciple changed at all? Please, I hope and I pray that you would follow Jesus and be a disciple yourself. Live life in a God-honoring way. Remember the one who helps you through temptations, will also help you through every aspect of your life.