It was a dangerous thing...
Illustration
It was a dangerous thing to do taking the youth fellowship to the mall. The directions were simple. The dozen youth would pair up with five dollars to spend. The object was to see who could buy the most of anything not exceeding the five dollar limit. They were to report back to the center of the mall in exactly one hour's length of time.
The first group consisted of two teenage boys who headed straight to the arcade. They really were not interested in participating but viewed it as a good way to get to the mall with their parents' approval. They would enjoy some games while keeping an eye out for girls.
Another team, consisting of two girls, went to one of the popular clothing stores to check out the latest fashions. Another pair of teenagers just walked around trying their best to look cool. There were actually a couple of youth who took the assignment seriously and went store-to-store looking for what they could buy the most of for five dollars. The task was harder than they imagined it would be.
At the appointed time and place the youth group met their leader. Amid the giggles, the first group shared their goodies from the dollar store. They purchased twenty postcards. The girls, again voicing how hard the assignment was, produced some hair bands and barrettes. The last to share was the boys, the ones who went directly to the arcade. After hanging out and playing a couple of games, they went to the food court and bought the largest container of French fries they could. As it turned out, they had the most items.
There in the center of the mall, the youth leader read to them the parable of the talents. The boys were moved to share their fries not only with others in the group but with anyone who walked past. Of course they would never admit it, but they were touched by the gospel and moved to action.
The first group consisted of two teenage boys who headed straight to the arcade. They really were not interested in participating but viewed it as a good way to get to the mall with their parents' approval. They would enjoy some games while keeping an eye out for girls.
Another team, consisting of two girls, went to one of the popular clothing stores to check out the latest fashions. Another pair of teenagers just walked around trying their best to look cool. There were actually a couple of youth who took the assignment seriously and went store-to-store looking for what they could buy the most of for five dollars. The task was harder than they imagined it would be.
At the appointed time and place the youth group met their leader. Amid the giggles, the first group shared their goodies from the dollar store. They purchased twenty postcards. The girls, again voicing how hard the assignment was, produced some hair bands and barrettes. The last to share was the boys, the ones who went directly to the arcade. After hanging out and playing a couple of games, they went to the food court and bought the largest container of French fries they could. As it turned out, they had the most items.
There in the center of the mall, the youth leader read to them the parable of the talents. The boys were moved to share their fries not only with others in the group but with anyone who walked past. Of course they would never admit it, but they were touched by the gospel and moved to action.
