People thought Jesus was crazy.

Friday mornings are always fun!

It was great to be back at Founders this morning. For the past 4 weeks we have only been able to have WyldLife every other Friday morning because of kids having Fridays off, but now we get to settle in. I can't wait to see what happens as we have more consistency and get to have WyldLife every Friday morning!

Balloon popping mayhem 

Bryce, one of our amazing leaders, came up with the game for us this week. It was a balloon stomping frenzy. Kids were given different color balloons, and the teamed up by color of balloon. After everyone got into teams the balloons were thrown in the middle and on the count of three everyone tried to pop the other teams balloons while trying to make sure none of theirs were popped. Some of the kids ran to the bathroom and snuck some water into their balloons, but that just made everything that much better. 

There might have been a few balloons that were filled with water

It is always fun seeing kids having a blast and running around. Giving these guys opportunities to go crazy and be kids is something we are passionate about. We want to make sure they know that we want them to have fun, and we want them to be kids. We don't expect them to be on their best behavior, or to act more mature than they are, we just want them to enjoy being crazy middle schoolers together, and then show them that Jesus loves them just like they are.

Grant sharing about Jesus 

Grant, another one of our amazing leaders, gave the talk today and shared about a time when Jesus' own family thought we was crazy. In the Bible in the second book of the New Testament, Mark, Jesus had just healed the man with the shriveled hand, and started going around healing people. Crowds began to flock to Jesus and he began to have a large following. One time, as he was in a house trying to have a meal with his disciples, so many people came in and gathered around that they couldn't even eat. Jesus was becoming a really big deal. His family heard about this, and the author of Mark tells us that, "they went to take charge of him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind.'"

Jesus' family, the family he grew up with, the people that would have known him best thought he was "out of his mind."

Middle schoolers seem to be out of their minds often. They just don't always seem to make sense. The choices they make, what they want to do for fun, the things they want to spend their time and money on… it just seems they are out of their mind sometimes. Then, not only that, the social structure of middle school is one that will make them feel even more crazy. If they don't feel like their family thinks they are crazy, they are being told they are crazy by someone else. 

I can relate as well. There are more times in my life right now where I question if what I am doing is crazy. I question if I am just "out of my mind." Am I crazy for spending so much time and effort trying to show kids that Jesus loves them? Is it crazy to try to follow Jesus when it might be easier to just live a "normal" life and work a "normal" job? There might be something in your life you are doing that makes you question your sanity, or makes others question it (of course there are some harmful things we can do that will rightly make others think we are crazy). But in the world today, something like fighting to keep your marriage going even when you are going through a really hard time, and you and your spouse just don't seem to be clicking at all… people might think you are crazy for fighting to stay together. Or taking a job where you might make a little less money but are able to be more present in your kids' lives, or not going into debt in order to keep up the appearance of wealth… people might think you are crazy for these things.

People thought Jesus was crazy. Some even thought he was possessed by the devil. 

But Jesus was the most sane person that has ever lived. He was the most whole and healthy human being to ever walk the earth.

That same day, as Jesus' mother and brothers came to the house and started calling for him to come out, he looked around at the people listening to him and said, "Here are my mother and brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Its important to note that Jesus wasn't being disrespectful to his family here, but he was inviting everyone listening to him to come and join the family of God. He was giving everyone listening to him a place to belong, and a team to be a part of. Jesus is saying, in a sense,  "While people around you may think you are crazy or out of you mind for doing God's will, I call you brother, sister, family."

To really have kids sit with the idea of being on a team, Grant had everyone close their eyes and then think about the best team they have ever been a part of. He asked them to think about what made that team so special. Then Grant shared a story of his freshman year of high school. Grant was a loner, and this was never more apparent than during PE. He would sit with his head down against a wall, but one day a kid invited him to come play hackey-sack and welcomed Grant into his group of friends. 8 years later Grant was a groomsman at that kids wedding.

Belonging and being a part of a family or team is crucial to kids… honestly it crucial to human beings in general. To know Jesus is inviting us to be a part of his family, even when everyone else may think we are crazy is incredible. It can be the life boat that saves a kids life. It can be what gives our own lives meaning and encouragement when it seems like we are all alone.

So, if you want to talk to your kids about WyldLife today, ask them about what happened with the balloons. Ask them what the best team they have ever been on was, and why it was so good. Ask them if Jesus' family ever thought he was crazy, and then what the invitation was that Jesus gave out.

Jesus doesn't think you are crazy, and the invitation to be a part of his family is as real now as it ever has been.

Small group time is the best