As you look around this morning you probably notice that there is a big chunk of the teenage group missing up front, and that is because we are in Abingdon, Virginia on our fall retreat! Our theme for this weekend is entitled “The Outsider” and we are looking at how God calls us to be on the outside of culture. We are studying Queen Esther, Habakkuk and other sections of scripture to see not only how we as Christians are called to be an outsider… but also how following God puts us on the outside, how God proves himself faithful to those who are willing to live on the outside, and how in all reality… it is us, the outsiders in the worlds eyes, that are really the insiders in God’s kingdom! I am really excited about this weekend and am praying that God does great things in the group and that their eyes are opened to this truth! Would you please stop reading this for a second and say a prayer for that very thing? Thank you!

In today’s lesson at the retreat we are focusing in on the sentence Mordecai speaks to Esther to convince her to step out before the king when he says “And who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this?” I am really hoping that it will be a turning point for a lot of our teens where they realize that they are the leaders in the group and they are supposed to be following God now… not just sitting back and blending in to the crowd!

As I have talked about this theme with some of you, I have gotten a lot of positive responses and people making comments like “Yeah all the leaders graduated and it is time for the next generation of leaders to step up!” Which is totally true… but what I hope God does in your heart right now is convict you of how you need to step up and step out as well. If it is true for the youth group, it is certainly true for God’s church! How many of us are guilty of going through life and blending in… or having really good intentions and feeling like we have faith, but never taking the next step outside of the building to put our faith into action? This theme steps all over my toes. I am guilty of going into restaurants and stores and football games and recitals where I talk to people about all kinds of things…but then leaving without ever mentioning God to anyone! Looking back… I am blending in to the crowd just like everyone else even though God calls me as a Christian to be different. To stand out. To be an outsider. My commitment is that I am going to be different. I am going to start standing out more and being ok with people viewing me different or not wanting to be my friend or even serve me dinner because to them I am the smell of death (2 Cor 2:16)… because in God’s eyes… that’s when he will be able to look at me and say “Well done good and faithful servant” (Mt 25:23)

Striving alongside you for the prize,

Jay Cline