Risk Taking Mission & Service Series

Risk Taking Mission & Service

Extravagant Generousity

Recap the series....

Radical Hospitality

Passionate Worship

Intentional Faith Development

Risk Taking Mission & Service, Extravagant Generosity = Service

I. Don't Waste Your Life [video] "It's Not Too Late"

- Do any of you think that it is too late to do something? Or maybe you are the opposite, maybe you think it isn't time for you to do anything. Maybe you think that being a teenager is all about video games, friends and school. Where does that thinking come from? Do you hear it from parents? or teachers? or other friends you hang out with?

Let's take a poll [Poll Everywhere slide]

? What's the most important thing you do all day?

Video Games

Facebook/Texting/Friends

School Work

Spending time with Family

I don't do anything important

Many of us just live life as it comes to us. We go to school, we do homework. We are part of a team, we practice, we play, we go home. We do what our parents say (most of the time). Most of our days are just filled with life. We don't think beyond ourselves. We have things we do and we get them done. Some of you are incredibly busy with almost every waking hour taken up. Some of you have incredibly boring lives where you pretty much don't do anything.

[Maybe use With Honors example???]

Are we wasting our lives? Are we allowing life to live us, rather than us living a life? Are we allowing the world around us to define what a real life looks like? Do we see the movie stars, the sports stars and think, I wish I could be like that. They always seem to have it together. We tend sometimes to put people in the media on these pedestals that in reality, are virtually impossible for anyone to live up to and then if something does happen, we can't believe that it happened. We watch movies, TV and look at magazines of people similar to us and wonder why their life seems so glamorous compared to ours.

The two guys in the skit were at the end of their life, wondering why they didn't do things different. They were wondering if their life mattered in the grand scheme of things. What do we need to do to have a life that matters? What is it that we can do that people are going to sit up and say, "wow, I can't believe they did that?" There is a book called "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris from Australia. I had the chance to see these guys talk, and I was loving it. Here is the official book description, "The next generation stands on the brink of a "rebelution."

With over 16 million hits to their website TheRebelution.com, Alex and Brett Harris are leading the charge in a growing movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to "do hard things" for the glory of God.

Written when they were 18 years old, Do Hard Things is the Harris twins' revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential.

Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact.

Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry from the heart of revolution already in progress challenges the next generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today."

What can we do in our lives, in our youth group, in our church, in our community to start a Rebelution? One of the cool things about the Harris brothers is that they point to other teenagers who are making a difference in their world. Zach Hunter decided that slavery was still a problem and decided to do something about it. When he was 12 years old, he launched Loose Change to Loosen Chains, a student-led effort to raise awareness and funds to end slavery. In March 2008, the students at Saddleback church in California decided that having shoes was something that everyone in the world needed. So the Jr High and Sr High ministries collected over 50,000 pairs of shoes to give to people in the US and around the world.

In order to leave a legacy behind you and have people be in awe of your life, you need to give it away. You need to break out of any shell the world has you in and break free, Do Hard Things...