One

Ok'd is over. I'm sad, but also relieved.

I have to say that this year's ok'd was pretty different and all of us on the theme team were nervous because the old tried and true method worked pretty well.

This year's theme was "ONE", based on the verse, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world." Our planning team also read the book, "Hurt," by Chap Clark and were quite convicted by the information that we found there.

Those two things in mind shaped heavily what we wanted the focus to be.

Friday night, the mini-theme was "one versus the world: why me?" The first activity that we had the youth do were prayer stations. They made cards for needy families, but we also had 4 big murals that said, "In this world we'll have trouble" (with a globe that I painted). We asked them to write something that they were struggling with or to post a newspaper article of things that were going on in the world.

I was amazed at the things the kids wrote on the murals. Some were pretty obvious, (friends, parents, etc), but others were a little more eye-opening (a girl wrote, the secret pain of having two miscarriages," and many, many people wrote that they were fighting depression, and were failing at living up to their parents' expectations). We also had them fill out a survey so that we could get the "pulse" of the youth who attend ok'd. There were some interesting responses.

After the prayer stations, our speaker, Micah Parker opened up family time bible study and the youth walked through the story of Joseph. After family time, Micah talked about "adversity trust" and told us the story about the relationship with his first wife Corinne, who died in her late 20's. It was so, so very timely for the Messiah kids because what they have experienced in September with the death of Darren. Friday night closed with the reminder of Christ's love for the youth.

Saturday Morning's theme was "the ONE vs. the World: Why him?" focusing on how Christ has gone through what we have gone through and because of that, we have someone who understands us. And the fact that we have a God who was willing to become man for us, to struggle with our struggles is a strong reminder of his love for us. Micah talked again and we did a more in depth Bible study based on Joseph's life in Egypt.

Servant events that afternoon took place all over the city of Tulsa. Messiah Youth went to Lutheran Church of Our Savior and made Swahili Braille Bibles, which was really cool. Other groups made "panda packs" and the communion bread for that evening's worship service with communion.

After servant events groups had time for dinner before Worship. The theme for worship was, "One with Christ," and addressed the fact that even though there are struggles, we are united with One who has conquered those strugggles. After worship the youth came back and we had gone to the prayer station murals and painted crosses over their stresses, concerns and newspaper clippings and completed the verse, "take heart, I have overcome the world." Micah talked about "Why bad things happen" and how God can use those bad things and use them for good, but also how God can use you in the midst of your troubles. We had more family time, in which the kids completed the story of Joseph and talked about how God has used them for good in times of stress and trouble.

Sunday Morning the theme was, "One body," and we talked about how we are not alone as we thought, but that we are united together in Christ. Micah talked about Gideon and how God used his small army to defeat the midianites and how God can use us (the small) to defeat the things that are going on. He also showed a video clip of Veggie Tales, which was awesome.

It was a great weekend. The message, I think was timely for my youth, but also many, many other youth who have been feeling lost, alone, at sea in their overscheduled, stress filled lives. I was glad that the gospel message was preached again and again that Jesus, our great comforter, has conquered everything in their life.

Illinois Tuesday. Yay!