Breaking Free

This weekend I had the privilege of teaching at New Temple's Breaking Free (aka D-Now). I had the 11th grade girls. We had a great time hanging out and learning more about what it takes to be a disciple for Christ. I also learned that I am way too old to be staying up late and to get up as early as we did. Unless God changes my mind - that was my last one to teach. I feel like I have come full circle. New Temple was the first D-Now I ever taught in 1998. And now ten years later it seems only fitting that it be my last one to teach. Its been a great run. I have met lots of great girls over the past ten years, learned a lot about the Word, was able to give back and serve the Lord and got lots of t-shirts along the way.

During our Mission Project on Saturday we went to the Mission of Hope and had a competition of bagging can foods for the Mission to give out during Food Giveaway. The kids got to give back and with it being a competition have a little fun in the process. Over the weekend we had talked about the gifts that God give us and how its so important to be good stewards of those gifts. We also talked about the Body of Christ and working together. That afternoon I was able to see it in action. As the kids were doing their competition I saw how each one had a job and how well their goal was accomplished when they did what they were supposed to do. I also saw how dissension and distractions can come up and caused the teams to be in utter chaos.

You see the kids were split into two teams, and told to elect a leader and given a list of what foods to put into the bags. What they didn't know was that some of the adult leaders were going to tell them to put the wrong things in their bags (which wasn't on their list) and distract them from their job. Team Mission Possible won - they clobbered Team Unicorn.

As I was watching them I automatically thought of the church. When there is no leader - the body is in chaos, there is no plan of action and they are trying to make their own way. When distractions arise frustrations come and cause dissension among the people. Team Unicorn failed by not electing a leader and allowing the distractions to mess up their team. They were very frustrated with each other. Some of the members were listening to the distractions and messing up their plan. Team Mission Possible was working together as one unit, not listening to the distractions and working together each using their own gift to do the job that we called to do.

If only we as the church would learn that. If we could learn to follow the leader that the Lord has given us, to not let Satan and other distractions cause dissension amongst the people and do the job the Lord has called us to do. Wow - just imagine what we could get accomplished for the Kingdom!

I Corinthians 12
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.