Generocity Youth

Your daily hit of Youth Awesomeness...

[generocityyouth]

Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable - A blog by Mark

Hey Crew!

I’m extremely excited that the winter season is here. The ground is frosty, the day are short and every second person is wearing an expression of distaste on their face. It’s the time of the year that we are inconvenienced, uncomfortable and instinctively seek comfort.

Yes I’m a little loopy but hear me out: Winter can be metaphorical of the hard times in our lives. It makes us appreciate things more. Like winter, we can expect to have harsh seasons come to us in life. During these times we often ask where is God? I’ve often asked that question myself.

The answer I got wasn’t what I expected. I had a weird prompting to find 2 Corinthians 1:6-4. I was a little confused. Then I stated reading 2 Corinthians 1:6, then 5, and then 4. Sort of in reverse. This is what came out:

If we are afflicted, it is for the comfort of our salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for God's comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. We share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too; who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

As Christians God places us out of comfort so that we can find comfort in him. So that we can endure, so others are drawn to seek comfort in us. So that we may share our comfort with them, which is Him.

Our stories of overcoming define our lives. The hard times we face grow us to appreciate great times to come. Without knowing discomfort how can we know comfort?

How good is it on a cold night slipping into a nice warm bed right? If it wasn’t cold out, that bed wouldn’t seem so good.

The same goes with our relationship with our awesome God. The time we have in His embrace during the hard times in life remind us how much a relationship with Him is worth.

Finding comfort in God is a right we all have access to. Christ Himself suffered on the cross for our sins; He’s shared in our pain. Wouldn’t He want to share His comfort with us?

The trials in our life test us and arm us with a testimony. Those trials grow us, define us and instill within us resilience. There is a reason that during humanities darkest times we call on our faith. It’s instinctual.

Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).

I love that we have a God that wants a relationship with us, a God that understands what we’re going through, and that we’re tired of being burdened. He doesn’t say he’ll always take away the burden, though we can find comfort in his presence. 

[generocityyouth]

Iron Sharpens Iron - A blog by Rachel

Hey everyone, hope your week has been fantastic so far!

I’m really excited to take a few minutes to share with you guys this week on the blog.

Quick question, did you know that God doesn’t want you to do life alone? God’s been helping me to realise lately just how important our relationships are. Not only our relationship with Him (which is incredible and super important!) but also with the people around us.

I love this verse in Proverbs 27:17 that says: “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” So if you were to sharpen an iron knife with another, both knives would come out even sharper than before and are now more equipped and effective to carry out their jobs. This is like us; when you come alongside good friends or even your leaders; you are constantly becoming better equipped to fulfil the purpose God has for your life.

Right from the beginning in Genesis, after God made Adam, He said “it is not good for man to be alone”, so He created another; He created Eve. We weren't designed to live in isolation or without friendships, but rather to run this race called life with people around us, encouraging us and sharpening us.

And sometimes we need to be the ones doing the sharpening; speaking words of life into someone else, sharing an uplifting verse or praying with someone who needs it.

Basically I just wanted to encourage you today: don’t do it by yourself. Find someone to get alongside, maybe it’s a friend, youth leader, or mentor, and don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way.

Encourage each other, love each other, build each other up, and don’t run this race alone.

Love you all, and have the best night at youth this Friday!

Rach

[generocityyouth]

The Weight of Words - A blog by Ezekiel

Hey everyone! Hope you’re all coping being half way through the school term!!

I was really challenged this week whilst reading through the book of James, and although this may be a bit heavy, I hope you can take a moment to share in this revelation.

In Chapter 3, James (the author) talks about the great need but ultimate struggle to control our tongues. He says in verse 7-10:

“People tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!”

And you know what? It isn’t right. But I believe it’s something that we all unfortunately struggle with! Just last week I can recall multiple occasions where I said some hurtful things to those I care about, shouted something angrily at another driver on the road or cursed under my breath when I hurt myself.

We all fall short of the great need to control our tongues.

Earlier in this chapter James likens controlling our tongues to a rudder steering a boat. Although it is such a small piece of the overall mass of a ship, it’s essential to the guidance on the vessel, and without it, the entire ship would have no control over its direction. But on the same note, just because it has a rudder, does not mean it steers the ship in the right direction.

In the same way, our tongues guide our lives. It can help shape relationships by either encouraging and building them, or tearing them apart. It can help increase school/work experiences by building the team around you, or making them all turn on you. The tongue can be either a force for good or evil.

Proverbs 12:6 – “The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of the godly save lives.”

Let’s keep in mind the weight of our words the next time we enter a circle of friends at school, engage in conversation with a colleague at work, or talk with family at home.

Words can either build or break these situations, and God can help us choose the right path.

Have a great week!

Ezekiel

[generocityyouth]

All Things Through Love - A blog by Eli

Hey Guys!

Hope your week is going strong. I hope you are kicking goals, smashing crates and just collecting incredible amounts of bananas. (Yes in this metaphor life is a Donkey Kong game)

As I thought about this weeks blog I couldn’t help but turn to Galatians 5 verse 6. This whole chapter discusses the difference between old law and our new freedom in Christ, and this particular verse sums it up so well.

‘The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.’

Often, especially if you have been in church or youth a long time, we get into a routine. We do youth because its just what we do on a Friday night. It becomes all about a ritual and habit. But this chapter tells us that it is no longer about what we do or the rules we follow but the relationship we have with Jesus. Our efforts are not good enough, the only thing that counts is our faith… expressed through love.

I guess the thing I want to encourage you with is to do all things through love. Don’t praise God simply because it is what everyone is doing but do it out of a genuine love and faith for our Lord and above all KEEP YOUR FAITH THROUGH ALL THINGS!

Love you guys

Eli

[generocityyouth]

“What Am I Doing With My Life?” - A blog by Steph

Hey everyone! Steph here! I’m so excited to be sharing with you in with week’s blog!

Sometimes we come into seasons where we ask that age-old question “What am I doing with my life?”

I honestly don't know how many times I've asked that, and sometimes I feel like I'm “failing at life” because I can't always answer that question. Now I think of it, how could I have possibly answered that question when I was looking to the world for the answer? Teacher? Florist? Big sister? Friend? It wasn't until recently, that instead of seeking a worldly answer, God gave me a real revelation as to what I and (collectively) us as Christians are called to be.

Note that key word. BE. Not do. But – BE.

In Matthew 9, Jesus meets a tax collector named Matthew. He’s no one special in the eyes of society; and if you asked if he had any talents or skills, people would probably have said, “being a cheat” and “having friends that are a low lives, like him”. He wasn't well liked, and he probably knew it.

In Matthew 9:9 we read the story:

 “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.”

Sometimes we focus on the wrong things first. We meet Jesus and then skip past getting to know and become friends with Jesus, and instead we focus on the new things we think we must do. “What am I going to do for you Jesus?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“What's my calling?”

“Where am I going?”

In the way Jesus intended it for Matthew, I believe he intended it for us as well. Jesus simply met Matthew where he was at, while he was still a tax collector living in sin, and ripping other people off.  Jesus said to him “Follow me and BE my disciple”. Disciple can be a confusing word, it simply means getting to know Jesus on a personal level. It is just like when you make a new friend and you really like them. You want to hang out with them, talk to them, and get to know them, go places with them and be around them.

I really want to encourage you, whoever you are - I am someone who constantly has to guard herself from falling into the trap of doing. When we focus on growing in our relationship with Jesus, and BEING his disciple, we learn to follow him with all our heart. This comes from a place of desiring to know Him, and to be in relationship with him. Through this we begin to grow in a Christ like attitude (Philippians 2:5). We realise life is not about us, our own dreams or desires, and God is so much bigger than us and He is always in control, even when we look around and try to beg to differ.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33 NIV)

“For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.” (1 John 3:20 MSG)

It makes sense that when we seek the God who created us, and who knows us better than we do ourselves, we find answers. And not just good answers but God answers. Even though sometimes it may not feel like it, He knows our situations and circumstances the best (For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11) And even though sometimes things in life feel like they're constantly changing, and life can feel unstable or inconsistent - God is consistent and reliable  (“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” - Hebrews 13:8 ) and you can find security (Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. - Psalm 16:5 NIV) and identity in Him. (For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. - Colossians 3:3)

I’m praying this has blessed you in some way! Have a great week and enjoy GC Youth on Friday night!

[generocityyouth]

Endurance - A blog by Eli

Hi everybody (I hope you said that in DrNicks voice)

I thought that this week it would be coolto share with you a bit about what I am reading in 2 Timothy. It’s one of those small books in the Bible that kind of gets lost and forgotten about but it has some really awesome and practical advice for life in it.

One particular verse that stood out to me was verse 12 in chapter 2 which says:

‘If we endure, we will also reign with Him.’

The word endure is the one that really stuck out to me. It is a word that, unfortunately, does not seem to be put into practice as much as it should.

It takes endurance to finish a marathon, it takes endurance to finish an entire match of football, it takes endurance to finish a century in cricket and it takes endurance to finish life well.

So often when life gets us down and begins to get hard or even painful, the only option that seems fit is to give up and go for something easier like sleeping. But God admits that life will be hard.

In fact in the first chapter of James He says to count it a joy when you meet trials and struggles because it develops what? ENDURANCE! God wants us to have endurance so that when stuff gets hard we can continue to do God’s work without giving up.

To finish, I just want to say, that the first race a runner ever runs is not a marathon or a triathlon, they start small and build up their endurance. Just like them, God does not expect you to have it perfect immediately, but that we gain more and more endurance over time so that we can not only finish His race, but also win His race!

Hope your week is the best!

 Eli Kinscher Dubbo Campus

[generocityyouth]

Pure Like Jesus - A blog by Liz

Hey GC Youth,

Liz here, Iwanted to share with you a great verse I read in the Bible the other night, which has been impacting and encouraging me this last week.

In 1 John 3:3 it says,

And everyone who has this hope in Him (Jesus) purifies himself, just as He (Jesus) is pure.

When I read this I had to stop for a moment and consider – as I put my hope in Jesus, I’ll be made pure? But doesn't that seem too easy?

As I thought about it, I remembered that in the Bible it says that keeping God’s commandments isn't burdensome (1 John 5:3). Sometimes in my walk with God, I can feel weighed down, knowing that God has a lot of transforming to do in my life, to shape me to be more like Jesus. And it can be easy to focus on my shortcomings in life, instead of the victories.

But Jesus is standing beside us, and in His amazing Love, He doesn't try and make us feel guilty, instead He says – Keep your hope in me, and I’ll make you pure, I’ll transform your life, I’ll shape you to be all I created you to be.

It blows me away that our amazing God, is so loving, so patient, so willing to endure with us through the ups and downs of life, our good days and bad, and encourage us – to keep hoping in Him.

I'm praying for each of you as you read this that you would stop for a moment, and let your heart put its hope in Jesus, let His love and patience purify your life, today and always. Remember that His commandments aren't too hard; Hope and Love will inspire you to follow Jesus, in the small things and the big things.

Love to you all! Have a great week!

Liz White Parkes Campus

[generocityyouth]

Chasing God - A blog by Dave

HiGenerocity Youth, it’s Dave from Parkes here bringing the first Youth Blog postfor 2015!

Iwas reading the first letter by John in the Bible over the weekend and therewere a couple of verses in Chapter 2 that really jumped out at me. It says:

“Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love theworld’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practicallyeverything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity”. 1 John 2:15-17 [MSG]

It’s easy to get caught up in the culture around us and to start to blend in with it. The world tries to put people at the centre of the universe… Usually one person… Me! The world convinces us that if we’re at the centre of the universe, then our needs are the most important in the universe… So what I want goes! Lastly, the world tries to shift our focus off the future and onto the here-and-now.

The world tries to get a hold of us by tricking us into three things:

o   Wanting everything for ourselves (cool clothes, tech gear or other material goods). o   Wanting to fit in (popularity, confidence or acceptance). o   Wanting our own way (no matter what the costs is).  

But there are three problems with what the world tries to sell us:

o   We aren’t told the real price. o   We aren’t created to fit-in, we’re created to stand-out. o   We aren’t just created for life now, we’re created for life forever.

God called us to leave the world (and the things it values) behind, and to be set apart. God wants us to live out Christian-values, so that people around us will realise that God is real and will discover what God is like. There’s only room for one person in the centre of our lives, if we try to put ourselves in the centre we don’t leave room for God. We need to put him in first place. At the end of the day we are only here for a short amount of time, if we focus too much on trying to collect worldly-things now, we might find that we’re missing out on saving up spiritual things for eternity. But if we invest our time, talent and treasure in eternity, we will fin that our life can count for more than just the here-and-now.

Dave White Parkes Campus

[generocityyouth]

Dont freak out, its me! - A blog by Eli

How’s is life treating you all??

I hope it’s treating you well. If not you should try a Cadbury marvelous creations ice cream. It will literally change your life!!

  I thought I would share with you a little about what God has shared with me

There is this awesome story in the Bible (Matthew 14:22) about Jesus walking on water. And he walks towards a boat with some of his disciples in it. They think it’s a ghost, but Jesus is like “Don’t freak out, It’s me.” This guy called Peter says “Well if its you let me come out on the water with you.” So Peter steps out on water and walks towards Jesus. He is going strong but when he looks away and sees the wind and the waves he begins to sink. So Jesus reaches out and picks him up out of the water.

I think this story is so cool, and not just because I would love to walk on water. But as I was reading it I realized that when we focus on Jesus and put him as our number one goal, then we can accomplish all things, even walking on water. However we can easily be scared about our own limitations. Wondering whether we are good enough or strong enough or smart enough.

  Phillipians 4:13 says that ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ You have the strength of God inside you. If you keep God as your number one goal and keep your eyes on him, then despite all our own limitations, you can do all things!!

Eli

Dubbo Campus Youth Leader

[generocityyouth]

Connecting our Community to Christ - A blog by Josh

Hey guys and girls

This is my first ever blog and it can be a little daunting but what a great opportunity to recourse young people with skills and information this world needs!

Today I want to encourage you all on being a part of your community, having the courage to be different and connecting people to GOD.

MATTHEW 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.”

Being a part of your community can look very different for people. Whether it be sport, committees, volunteer work, shopping local or your afternoon walk. We are making ourselves available for god to work through us. When is the last time a complete stranger has come to your door and wanted to talk about life? It doesn’t happen! We must be visible and available to a community that needs us. “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”

Being out in your community can be scary for some people and that is understandable, you are leaving your place of comfort. Temptation is very evident in the world and we must stand firm on GOD. We must choose to be different, or a LECRAE puts it, “BE A REBEL”. GOD calls us the light of the world. In a dark room people will look and turn to the light, it stands out, makes an impact, and causes change. Romans 12 says do not conform but be transformed, John 15 says we are in the world but not of the world. You can choose to be different, it’s the only way to be an influence in the dark and cause change.

Lastly we do all this with a heart to connect people to Christ. It’s the final step in the verse, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven”. What better than to share your amazing GOD with all your friends, school, family or workplace.

All this can be said in three easy steps.

1. MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE

2. CHOOSE TO BE DIFFERENT

3. SHARE YOUR GOD

Connecting your community to Christ.

Josh

[generocityyouth]

Connecting our Community to Christ

Hey GCY!

How good is it to have these blogs up and running again! Today’s blog is a little different to how it was last time round, and we are using the phrase “Connecting our Community to Christ”. Now if you’re anything like me, you go straight into the overwhelmed state of mind: “Well how am I to do that? There is so much that can be associated with it? Where do I start? What do they mean exactly?” And my mind quickly gets caught up in the perplexity of it, instead of taking a step back and focusing on one thing that is attainable.

 So as I thought more about what is a simple yet personal and attainable way that I can connect those around me, I thought about the fact that last week we have all received our youth flyer/programs/term planners, whatever you want to call them. And as I looked I noticed a few lines to the right hand side, just like you would a postcard. We are often saying to take one to give to a friend, but I want to take it that one step further: I want you to take one and I want you to write someone’s name in that space, to address it to them personally, and then give it to them.

It is something that is so simple, yet can become so personal and intentional and oh so relational. It then becomes a personal invitation to that person, you are already including them, you are then inviting that person to a place that you love, a place they can enter and feel welcomed and valued, a place that they can enjoy just as much as you do, a place where they can hear and learn a little bit more about this amazing guy we call Jesus.

We are here to connect our community to Christ, so let’s start that process by taking small steps and utilising the tools around us, like these term planners.

Ana Sargent Narromine Campus Youth Leader

[generocityyouth]

Leadership – Being Genuine

Last week I was sitting in a work meeting and someone said something that was so simple, yet for me had a much deeper meaning: "The more you know your stuff, the more people will come to you."

 And as I thought more about that line in the sense of youth ministry, I realised it was a profound insight into leadership if you change "your stuff" to "yourself" and change "come to" to "follow" so it would then be "The more you know yourself, the more people will follow you". Knowing yourself and being expressive of that is called being genuine.

You see, being genuine is one of the most important and most attractive things about any leader. You take any great leader who is having even a small impact on someone else's life and you'll notice that it's through their genuine-ness that people are drawn to them. They are expressing everything they do in a real and genuine way: their love is genuine, their faith is genuine and their walk with Christ is genuine.

Being genuine also creates many opportunities for us to live humbly, as sometimes it means we have to deal with self-image, whether it be poor, good or over the top. God works through our humble-ness, as it's no longer about us, but about Him and about His purpose for our lives.

And don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about getting to know yourself so you can brag or be self-focused, I'm talking about knowing who God has created you to be, and living your life with an outward expression of who that person is, shining Christ to the world.

Being genuine is one of the most effective ways to lead people; it's attractive and it draws people in, but most importantly, it's relatable and real.

I encourage you: be genuine in your leadership.

Ezekiel Sargent Narromine Campus Youth Leader

[generocityyouth]

Discipleship - A Blog by Dave

Hey guys, I hope that your Term has been off to a great start and that you’re enjoying the first couple of weeks of autumn!

  I’ve been learning lately that God will always accept us where we’re at (with all of our faults and imperfections), but that he’s also committed to transforming us, so that we can leave behind our old sinful nature and step into the fullness of his plans for our lives.

But sometimes it can be hard as young people who want to follow God, to know where to start out and how to step into God’s transforming power.

  I reckon that 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says it really well (because it was written to a young guy who was starting out in Christian Leadership). It says:

  “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work”.

  God uses the Bible to speak directly into our lives and into our situations right now. God shows us through the Bible:

Who He is,

How He interacts with people, and

What His standards are.

  To be able to receive what God’s got in-store though, we need to be regularly reading the Word, looking out for a line that seems to pop out and then thinking about how we can apply that line during the day.

  Three simple ways that you can get deeper into the Bible are:

Make the decision to set aside a time each day (maybe just after breakfast) when you can read one Chapter of the Bible and work through a book.

Look for characters in the Bible stories that are similar to you and try to figure out how they find their victory in their circumstances.

As a Connect Group work through the same book of the Bible, so that you can chat about what you are learning during the week and on Connect nights.

  I hope that you all have an awesome week. I’m looking forward to catching you all on Friday night.

  Dave White

[generocityyouth]

New term flyer for Term 2 2014!