Intro: What Am I Doing Here?

Okay, I really don't know why I created a blog. It seemed like a cool idea, so I did. I'm kind of playing this by ear, so here it goes. I've been thinking about high school. An interesting topic, to be sure. But what does it all mean? I mean we endure four years of peer pressure, Mt. Homework and socializing to the point where it's overwhelming. Surely it means more than that. Yes, there's all kinds of extracurricular activities that make my head spin just thinking about them, and there's chillin' with friends and making funny memories with them, but is that all?
Really?
That may be all right for some, but what about the Church? Are we as teenagers really stepping up to make an impact in our homes, communities, and globally? What kind of an account can we give of ourselves? All of these are troubling questions. How do we answer them?
Not with more services on Sunday mornings, more Starbucks outings, more Bible studies, more hang-out time, or even more small-group sessions. It takes each of us separating from the group for a little bit and saying, "God, what am I missing? How do you want to use me to impact the people around me?" Because a still, small voice is hard to hear when the music is booming and people are demanding your attention.
Now, I'm NOT saying that any of these things are bad at all. Please don't misunderstand. It's just a growing problem in American youth groups everywhere.
Imagine you are at a youth service Wednesday night at your church. The youth pastor gets up and says, "We need to commit as a church to reach our schools for the gospel! You need to rise up and claim your schools for Jesus!"
Everyone cheers and applauds and gets hyped up about the whole idea.
Thursday morning, you wake up and reach for your Bible, but your phone goes off. You read the text, and by the time the conversation is over, you don't have time for your quiet time.
Oh well, you think, I'll just read it tonight.
After arriving at school, you see "the geek" at your school drop a million papers all over the floor. As you go to help her, your BFF beckons to you across the hallway. You suddenly remember something really important you have to say to him RIGHT THEN, and you leave Miss Nerd alone.
Lunch time rolls around, and you are on your way to sit with that kid who got teased mercilessly in P.E. again when you see an empty spot next to that girl you like at the opposite end of the cafeteria.
I think you get the picture. We get on fire for Jesus, but in our first real-world situation we allow Satan to distract us with "harmless things."
More to say on this tomorrow.
Think about it.