Shining Like Stars in the Universe

The Sunday morning message was nothing less than applicable to the past week's circumstances. "Are You Ready to Die?" sat at the top of the sermon notes. Pastor Terry talked about what we would change if we found out we would die today. Who would we mend relationships with? What sin would we repent of? What would we be more thankful for? 

Later on at Immersion, the youth pastor began the message with a clip from a video on true lies teens believe. It was graphic and disturbing to look at our generation from that perspective. It broke my heart to see how many students were not only numb to the scenes, but thought it was cool. He continued in his message in Romans, where Paul talks about living according to sinful nature. We talked about how we need to "hate what is evil and cling to what is good." We broke into small groups and prayed that God would get rid of the disease of numbness and desensitization and bring the innocence back into the lives of today's Christian teens. 

What was amazing to me was how much the message from Immersion connected with the message at NKBC. On Sunday morning Pastor Terry closed with Philippians 2:4-16. "... become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe..." which went hand-in-hand with the closing at Immersion, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2