Second Youth Indy

Quiet.   Where is life feeling most “loud” at the moment? In this season of Lent, how might you add some quiet to your daily rhythm? Where is God showing up in the quiet?  

  Passion.   What are your passions? How do you go about pursuing your passions? In what ways does your faith intersect with your passions?

  Stillness.  “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul…” (Psalm 131:1-2a)   How do you find stillness? What do you do to calm and quiet your soul? How do you experience God in the stillness?

  Beauty. First, know this. You are a beautiful and beloved child of God. On Sunday, we will be singing For the Beauty of the Earth . This hymn speaks about experiencing the beauty of creation, the joy of human love, and the gift of God's divine love. Where do you experience the beauty of creation? From whom do you experience the beauty of human love? How have you experienced the beauty of receiving the gift of God's divine love?

  Lent has officially begun.    Throughout the season of Lent, we will be offering a Word of the Day Devotional.    Each day we will be posting a word of the day for you (youth and adults!) to spend some time contemplating.    We will include guiding questions along with each word.    Today’s word is Silence.    What comes to mind when you think of silence?  Are you comfortable with silence?  Or does silence make you uncomfortable?  Where do you go when you’re in need of silence? What is God up to in the silence?

 I have personally become aware of how much I carry with me everyday.  There is the grief over lives lost and loved ones missed . . .  There is the uncertainty surrounding what may be ahead . . .  There is the sadness about opportunities missed . . . There is the guilt over things done and things left undone . . . There is the weight of unreasonable expectations I place on myself or what I think others expect of me . . . There is the fear of letting others down . . . There is . . .  This list could go on. Maybe you have a similar one. Today, we find ourselves halfway through this Season of Lent - a season of the Christian calendar that opens the door for reflection, introspection, contemplation, and renewal. As a part of this journey, what if we took the opportunity to take a long look at all of the things we carry? What if we examined each one and reflected on where they come from? What if we then asked if this particular thing is something that is ours to carr...

Sometimes it is hard to remember who you are. There is just so much noise. There is just so much to do. There are just so many voices vying for attention. There is just so much negativity. There is just so much to worry about. There are just so many distractions. In the midst of it all, it is really hard to remember who you are. And it all seems to move so fast. In the Gospel of Mark, we have a similar fast moving story that takes the reader through Jesus' baptism, his temptation in the desert, and his proclamation of the kingdom of God. This is where it all begins for the author. Listen to the voice of God through this reading from Mark.  "In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.   And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved;   with you I am well pleased.' And the Spirit immediatel...