Paul tells us in Romans.......8:17-23......"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
The cry of the universe should be "MARANATHA........" which means........................."OUR LORD, COME!!!......................come quickly Lord Jesus come................
This word is of Aramaic orgin....and it occurs only once in the Bible.................Paul includes it in his climactic conclusion to his first letter to the Corinthian Church...............(1 Corinthians 16:22).....
"The Maranatha Group"...............................The teen bible study I started a couple of weeks ago and they named themselves the "The Maranatha Group"...................
Every Thursday at 6pm a group of high school girls come and empty themselves of the world.........they read the scripture together and we pray for the strength to sustain them through the weekend..............the weekend of the hard choices...............the choices to not drink of this world...........................and to avoid filling themselves with the empty........we talk about Evie and how it all started at the garden of good and evil..................and how Evie listened to the lies of the enemy...............and then I beg and plead for them to run for lives from the taunting...............the taunting lies of Satan............repeating his same old tricks................. your never going to be good enough.................and God doesn't really love you............................Genesis 3:5 (English Standard Version)
5For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
From the beginning just like Evie we want more............never satisfied with what we have.....................and in an instant................we bite..................and our lives are never the same..................we are filled............filled with the temporary............................the temporary happiness...........of the world................a world that says you can have it all....................and you can have it your way......................................
We talk about the grace....................God's grace..............and how He endured the cross......we talk about the Joy that endures from the cross....................................that means eternity...........we talk about how it is free..................free choice...............that He has chose to give...........................they know it and they want it......but they choose...................another way........a harder way..................a way that leads to the quick fix..............the quick feel good...............then the quick empty....................the rejection of the empty promises...............intoxicated by this world.........they say the yes to God and the Christian thing...............but really meaning the no...................................with a hunger remaining.......for the things of this world........................... 
I bake them brownies..........and light a candle for prayer................
We close with the forever.......................the forever meaning..............surrender................surrendering to God...............like the woman at the well...........................knowing if they just drink from the living waters.............they will never be alone.................the forever meaning.....................no more pain......................the forever meaning...................no more tears..........the forever meaning no more rejection............................the forever meaning..............JOY................JOY COMETH FROM THE LORD...........happiness is only circumstantial................but JOY...........................IS FOREVER.....................
