Youth // St. Stephen Youth // St. Stephen

 You know that scene in Toy Story, where Woody has an identity crisis because Buzz Lightyear arrives on the scene and steals the title of "Andy's favorite toy"? I feel for Woody! I mean, it wasn't very cool of him to plot Buzz's death of course, but it's hard when you feel insecure, jealous, or afraid that you don't matter. In the Bible, I'm reminded of Cain, who jealously killed his brother Abel, or Joseph's brothers, who sold him into slavery because he was their father's favorite kid, or some of the early Jesus-followers, who were jealous of each other's talents and gifts. But here's what Scripture tells us is true: we don't need to be jealous of each other, because we were all carefully and intentionally designed by a good Creator who designed each of us on purpose. So if you've ever felt jealous, insecure, or unimportant, remember this: because of who God is, we can trust how God has made us.


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Have you ever failed? Like, big time? Have you ever felt like you've failed God? I know I have! Those moments can leave us feeling defeated, ashamed, or hopeless, but today I want to challenge you to think about failure differently. What if failure isn't something to fear or be ashamed of? What if failure can actually help our faith grow? The Bible is full of people who failed God in huge ways, but who God never gave up on. Paul talked about this in II Corinthians 12, saying he struggles to do what's right and can't stop doing what's wrong. And for that, he says he's thankful because his weaknesses bring him closer to Jesus. When you fail like Paul often did, you have two choices. You can let shame, frustration, and hopelessness knock you down. Or you can let God use your failure to make your faith grow stronger. Remember, you can stretch your faith even when you fail.


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Have you ever seen those "before and after" posts of body-builders who document their journeys of building muscle and lifting heavier and heavier weights? Those transformations can be pretty drastic, but even the most drastic transformations are the result of something really simple: new habits, like daily workouts, specific foods, and nutrient supplements. And you know what? If you want to grow your faith (and not just your muscles), the same principle applies. You can grow your faith by starting a new habit that helps you spend more time with God (like reading the Bible, praying, or worshiping on your own), but Romans 12 and II Peter 1 tell us about some other habits that will help our faith grow too, and they're all about loving each other well. So do you want to stretch your faith? You can, by starting something new — like a habit that helps you love God and love others better.


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Stop what you're doing right now and stretch. Seriously, do it! Stretch! It feels pretty good, right? That's because stretching your body helps your muscles stay healthy, flexible, and able to grow. Your faith is kind of like that too. In Scripture, we can learn how to stretch and grow our own faith from the stories and words of the Jesus-followers who've gone before us. There are Peter and Andrew, who dropped everything to follow Jesus; or Mary Magdelene, who followed Jesus even when things got really difficult; or Paul, whose entire life changed the instant he chose to follow Jesus. These people have pretty extraordinary stories of faith, but they all started in the exact same way: they simply made a commitment. So if you want to stretch your faith, what's a new commitment you could make? To follow Jesus for the first time? To love God more? To love others more? You can stretch your faith with a commitment. So let's stretch!

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Have you ever gone roller skating? It's not as easy as you might think! When people go roller skating, they sometimes think holding hands with a friend will help them stay standing. But most of the time, they're, uh, wrong. Instead of helping each other stay standing, they end up sprawled all over the ground. Roller skating probably isn't going to be the most difficult challenge we're going to experience, but you and your friends will soon face a challenge where you'll need to help each other stay standing, like when you're tempted to make poor or dangerous choices, or when someone experiences a tragedy or questions what they believe. In Ephesians 6, Paul tells us how to prepare for danger and difficulty. First, he says, "put on the armor of God." We need God's truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and Spirit to stand strong. Second, pray for each other, because when we're under attack, we can stand strong together.


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Have you ever been on a team? Maybe a football or basketball team? A band? A dance or comedy group? A planning team? No matter what kind of team you were on, I'm guessing this was true: if you did well, it's because your team members learned to work together well. The key to winning is to learn to work with team members whose strengths are different from your own. In Ephesians chapter 4, the author Paul tells us that the same thing is true about the Church. We all have unique strengths and roles to play in God's family, just like any winning team. But what does "winning" mean in the context of following Jesus? It means growth! Maturity! You and I can't grow closer to God, or grow more like Jesus, all alone. But we can grow together. Getting along won't always be easy, but it's how we'll grow — together.


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