Tuesday, March 18, 2008

How Will they Know Series

 

John 15: 20 “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” 

 

Fifteen Minutes of Cool

 

Recently, I was asked to speak for the middle school youth.   Actually, Paul tried to get several others to speak and no one emailed him back so he said, “Chip, since I couldn’t get anyone else, would you mind speaking to the middle school youth on Wednesday night?”  I can speak for 800 congregants on Sunday morning and I am fearless.    Unfortunately, 40 middle schoolers terrify me because I am an uncool commodity for them.  

 

The subject I was given was “if you standup for Christ you will face difficulties.”   The translation for middle school is “if you are a student of influence there are times you may face ridicule.”   I told the adult middle school advisors before I spoke that I was afraid they would not hear me because I’m not as cool as their regular speaker.  I must admit my degree of uncoolness has been reiterated by my children and from time to time the staff.       

 

The night came.  It was a day I had done a funeral late in the afternoon so I was dressed in a gray suit, dark tie, and wingtip shoes.   Trey Hill, our youth worship leader, introduced me.  He said, “Most Wednesday nights you have Paul, our very cool Youth Minister.  This week we have Old Mr. Chip who is decidedly uncool.”     Trey said, “I think we could add a little cool to his life.” I’m sure I looked askance and almost forgot what I was supposed to be doing when Trey said, “Let’s lose that funeral coat and tie.” 

 

He then informed me that tucked in shirts were not cool.   He reminded me that he and Paul were very cool and they always spoke to the youth with  their shirts crumpled and their shirt tails out.   I felt a little odd as he pulled my shirttail out of my pants.  Next, he said, “You notice, Chip, I don’t wear shoes when I sing on Wednesday and Sunday nights because I believe I’m standing on Holy Ground.  I had noticed that but had no idea why he did it.   So he said, “Lose the wingtips.”    I was so hoping he wouldn’t ask me to take off my socks.  They happened to be new which meant when I took them off I would have black fuzzy stuff between my toes.  Fortunately, he did not insist that I take off my socks.  

 

I asked Trey, “Am I cool enough to speak yet?”  He said, “No, one more thing.”   I kid you not - Trey brought out this wax hair stuff, put it on his hands, rubbed it in my hair so it spiked out in every direction.  I looked like I just stuck my finger in an electric socket!    The next thing I knew every middle schooler in the room was facing me and pointing their cell phones at me.  I had no idea what that meant until Trey said, “This image will be on the internet forever!”   

 

As Trey finished my odd transformation from uncool to ridiculously cool, I decided “Cool is overrated!”   

 

The truth is the message of having to stand up for your faith is a message that whether you are cool or completely uncool still stands.   If you are a Christian sooner or later you have to choose your faith over being cool in the eyes of the world.      

 

Prayer:

Dear God, help me to be a person of faith.   Amen.