Pay it Forward with Jr. High

So we were going to go and serve homeless people food tonight. Then they canclled on us.

Then we were going to go and play with old ladies in a nursing home. They also cancelled on us.

So what to do on a cold and rainy night? Last minute?

Movie night.

Yes - Movie Night with Jr. High

It's amazing how when you pick the mildest movie you can think of with a really good moral to the story - you suddenly realize how many swear words are in it.

And then when Helen Hunt starts walking around in her bra for a brief 5 second eternity and the pastor's son happily starts yelling "Oh Yeah!" you suddenly realize you just commited youth pastor suicide.

Then suddenly you realize that your happy bibbity boppity little flirty 8th graders are snuggling with the oppisite sex on one of the couches.

Then you realize there's some sort of deal been made between two of the 8th grade boys who at very regular intervals are switching places on the other couch so that they can have a fair share of sitting by one of the cute 8th grade girls. (That was very nice of them to share - I'm glad their parents taught them those values)

And then you have the couch of ernest good Christian 7th grade girls who are completely disgusted with the snuggling couch and completely annoyed that everyone else is talking so loud they can't listen to the movie.

Then off sulking in the corner you get the really depressed and bitter 9th grader whose friends are all in Sr. youth but she can't join them because she's still in 9th grade. And everytime another giddy 7th grader giggles she gets closer and closer to slitting her wrists.

And at the end of what seems like movie eternity - the main character sees the amazing results of his random acts of kindesses. And just as everyone is about to settle into emotional cusions of warm fuzzies - the main character gets stabbed and dies.

There is dramatic pause.

The Jr. Highers actually listen. There is uncomfortable wriggling. The youth pastor (me) tries her hardest not to get emotional as two lone tears go streaming down her face.

After drawn out moments of anquish - one young 7th grader pleads for the video to be stopped before everyone sees him cry.

Understanding his dimema - The youth pastor ends their anquish by pressing pause and then tries to make a strong but touching plea for the Jr. Highers to make a difference in their world (Hoping beyond hope that they forgot the swearing in the movie and the scene with the bra)

Even though - in the end when their parents asked what they did that night - they'll most likely remember snuggling on the couch, the multiple times they heard sh_t, and Helen Hunt in her turquoise bra

The End.