The Marshmallow Test

Do you ever feel like the kids in this video, that God is just teasing you? Do you ever feel like he’s saying “Hey, here’s something enjoyable that you could have now in life, but if you say no to that thing I’ll give you something way better in the future”?

The temptation to binge on temporary pleasures is ever looming. There’s the temptation to be lazy and avoid the work before us for an enticing nap. There’s the temptation to be proud and plaster all of our accomplishments over the internet. There’s the temptation to be greedy and store up as many songs on our iPods as possible. There’s the temptation to be selfish, sexually active, gluttonous, and so on and so on.

Everyone else in the world is giving themselves over to these temptations, it seems, and they seem to be doing quite alright. Why shouldn’t you jump in as well? How in the world are you supposed to exhibit self-control in a world like this?

*Note – There is one choice word in this video clip near the beginning, but I feel like it illustrates the message of goodness so well that it can be overlooked.

The above video, in case you can’t see it or somehow missed the pop culture phenomenon of 2008, is the ending to “The Dark Knight”. Throughout the film, Batman and Harvey Dent (A.K.A. Two-Face) represent the war that lies inside each and every one of us between the nature of good and the nature of evil. The Joker plays the role of tempter, trying desperately to pull both men towards the dark side. Harvey Dent chooses to embrace evil, while Batman chooses to embrace good.

Both choices have consequences. Harvey Dent’s choice leads to his untimely death. Batman’s choice, as seen at the end of this clip, leads him to sacrifice himself and any chance for a normal life for the sake of the good fight.

Each and every one of us faces the same choice in our own lives. Will you embrace good or embrace evil? Before you make that decision, take a closer look at what goodness is all about.

Last year The Hill had its first ever Rock In event featuring an all night jam session on Rock Band 2. The wild, raucous lock in was a rousing success and rumors of a sequel filled the air for months. This past weekend, the youth were surprised when a run of the mill lock in was transformed into Rock In II: A Hard Day’s Night!

The brand new Beatles Rock Band game provided the soundtrack for the craziest lock in we’ve ever had at The Hill. Two Beatles-inspired teams, the Blackbirds and the Mean Mr. Mustards, squared off in a series of competitions including Capture The Flag, Dodgeball, and Beatlemania (a variation of manhunt). Of course, there was also the matter of team 4 Square inside the Thunderdome.

Rock In II was more than fun and games. It was also the cap to a great kickoff week for the youth group at The Hill. Last Tuesday night we got to see the band Fee in concert at the Augusta Common. The concert may have been free but we got way more than our money’s worth! Last Wednesday brought about See You At The Pole, a day where students nationwide join hands at the flagpoles of their schools to pray for their schools and communities. We celebrated this day by gathering with other students from all over the CSRA at Warren Baptist Church for a special See You At The Pole Rally that was led by the stellar Aaron Keyes.

We’ve also rearranged the third floor for the new school year to better serve our small but growing community. In other words, the youth floor is now more ballin’ than ever.

All in all, the past week has focused on the theme of 1st Corinthians 4:20, which says “for the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk; it is living by God’s power.” The youth at The Hill are being pushed to make their faith more than words and to live lives truly impacted by God’s power and love.

This week is just the beginning of what is sure to be a memorable year on the top floor at The Hill and beyond. Join us on Wednesdays, Sundays, and everywhere in between. Stay posted on this blog for all the updates and recaps of our events and lessons. Join us in prayer for the next step in this unforgettable journey.

As someone who has toiled my way through a variety of customer service jobs (Movie Gallery, Video Warehouse, Family Christian Stores), I have learned that there is no rule more important or effective than “The Customer Is Always Right.” That’s Customer Service 101, and following this adage is generally the best way to resolve a conflict with a customer. It doesn’t matter who is actually in the wrong in the situation. The point is that as an employee you can usually win an angry customer back over to your side by listening to them, engaging with them, and working to resolve the issue rather than arguing about it.

Not only is this a basic guideline for customer service ,this is also the definition of one of the fruits of the spirit: gentleness.

Don’t be mistaken: being gentle does not mean being a push-over or a pansy. It simply means being considerate and kind to others. Of course, it’s not all that simple. This is really one of the hardest fruits of the spirit to grasp in our culture.

We live in a culture obsessed with war. The Iraq War may not take up the majority of the nightly news anymore, but the effects of this battle and the War on Terror are still ongoing. Our country was built on war. War is what we study in the history books everyday. The Civil War. World War I. World War II. The Vietnam War. The Korean War. And that’s not to mention the countless other countries engaged in war everyday.

Our culture is constantly in conflict. It’s integrated into our brains. We cannot avoid conflict. We face it everyday. But if we are to be the people God wants us to be, we must approach conflict with a sense of gentleness. If we do not, then we are sure to pay the price.

 

Probably My Favorite Movie

The film “Forrest Gump” tells the story of a simple man’s life as a he journeys through an extraordinary period in America’s history. One of the film’s most memorable moments comes when Forrest is fighting in the Vietnam War. 

His platoon is under a heavy attack, and the troop decides the best thing to do is to run away. As anyone who has seen the movie remembers, if there is one thing Forrest Gump knows how to do, it’s run. Forrest runs so fast he escapes the heat of the battle unscarred. He soon realizes that none of his other soldiers are close behind him. The one true friend he has made in his time in the military, Bubba, did not make it out of the jungle with Forrest. So, he decides to go back looking for him. 

On his way to look for Bubba, Forrest sees another soldier hurt on the ground, unable to get himself out of the line of fire. Instead of worrying about his own life or about Bubba’s, Forrest picks the soldier up and runs him out of the jungle. Going back again to look for Bubba, Forrest finds another soldier and takes him out of the jungle as well. This happens over and over and over again as Forrest nearly saves his whole platoon by the time the scene is over. 

How would you describe Forrest Gump’s actions in this scene? Brave? Courageous? Unselfish? How about foolish?