BRANCHES May 2014

BRANCHES
THE SOILS OF THE
COLLEGIATE HEART
an RUF campus
minister’s meditation
on matthew 13:1-23
five questions with
matt terrell
MAY 2014 | southwood.org
ask the staff:
what's up with the
sanctuary temperature?

SOUTHWOOD
contents
ABOUT THIS ISSUE
Senior Sunday is certainly a time to honor our graduating high school seniors,
but it is also an apropos opportunity to look at the full spectrum of student
ministries. From VBS to High-Life mission trips and everything in between,
our commitment to students is clear, and your involvement is necessary!
Children are brought up in our church family. Friends are invited along the
way. Students come together for High-Life. All hear the gospel and form
relationships that last for years.
As our graduating seniors head off, many will find the freedom and challenge
of college and independent living. Our continued connection with them is
especially evident in Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), where campus
ministers continue to challenge our students but also provide relational and
spiritual support.
This issue of BRANCHES highlights RUF and the ministry provided by it. A
few of our local RUF campus ministers have provided some insight for us in
this issue. While the ministry is targeted toward our college students, the
gospel message delivered is one we can all learn from. Take a few minutes
to see how our church family’s investment in students is applied and how you
might participate further.
2 about this issue
3 pastor’s note
REFLECT
6 soils of the colligate heart
A campus minister's insight on the
parables
RESPOND
8 ask a pastor
what's up with the sanctuary
temperature?
10 5 questions
Matt Terrell discusses RUF and the
joys of serving students
RELATE
4 by the numbers
5 session update
9 what does the volunteer say?
Volunteers from last year's VBS share
their heart
11 all that is fair
Coldplay's Hurts Like Heaven and
youthfulness
Jonathan Barnette, Editor
BRANCHES
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jonathan Barnette
DESIGNER Jacki Gil
CONTRIBUTORS
Will Spink
Reid Jones
Chad Townsley
Matt Terrell
James Parker
PHOTOS
Jonathan Barnette
Jacki Gil
Katie Cochran
FEEDBACK!
We want to hear from you! Please send
your suggestions and comments to
branches@southwood.org
1000 CARL T. JONES DRIVE | HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA 35802
(256) 882-3085 | WWW.SOUTHWOOD.ORG
JEAN F. LARROUX, III Senior Pastor
MELISSA PATTERSON Executive Assistant
ADULT MINISTRIES
SARAH NIEMITZ Director of Community Development/Assimilation
JAMES PARKER Chief Musician
WILL SPINK Associate Pastor/Shepherding
STUDENT MINISTRIES
KIM DELCHAMPS Administrative Assistant
NIÑA BANTA Director of Children
NANCY McCREIGHT Assistant Director /Children/Nursery
CHAD TOWNSLEY Associate Pastor/High-Life
WINNIE WINFORD Assistant Director/High-Life
MINISTRY SUPPORT
TERRI GOOD Accountant/Bookkeeper
JONATHAN BARNETTE Director of Communication
JACKI GIL Graphic Designer
JANICE CROWSON Director of Facilities/Finance
LYNDA CLAYDON Facilities
MIKE MARREN Facilities
ELIZABETH BUTZ Receptionist
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Senior Banquet
May 4th
Mother's Day
May 11
Peru Mission Trip
May 28
VBS/CLIMB
June 8-12
2 MAY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG

PASTOR’S NOTE
Uncommon Sense
With Senior Sunday approaching I decided to
write an advice column kind of pastor’s note for
this issue of BRANCHES. I’ve boiled down that
advice to 5 specific things for our graduating
Seniors (and something for the rest of us to think
about too!)
Your parents were right. If you are asking,
‘about what?’ then the answer is EVERYTHING.
In the next 4 years the people to whom you had
to explain Instagram will transform into very
wise beings. They didn’t change. You did. When
in doubt, trust your parent’s instincts. At some
point in the future, use that cell phone they are
paying for and call them to thank them. It won’t
seem like much to you, but it will be huge to
them. P.S. Parents aren’t infallible, you’ll learn
that too. Parents need to be forgiven as much as
they need to be respected.
You tend to marry the people you date. This
seems obvious, but follow the logic. You tend to
marry the people you date. You tend to date the
people you hang out with. You tend to hang out
with people you live with, room with, study with,
laugh with, eat with, etc. The people you choose
to associate with is an important decision. You
might think you are just "hanging out" with
classmates, sorority sisters or lab partners, but
you might actually be making decisions about
bridesmaids, groomsmen or who you will raise
your children with. It’s not "just lunch"— big life
decisions are the culmination of hundreds of
little ones.
You are not your profile. Half of the reason we
are so fearful that no one really knows us or likes
us is that no one really knows us. If someone is
filtered, cropped and edited before you see them
then you only know the image being portrayed,
not the real person. Be very careful about hiding
behind well-edited versions of yourself AND
be more careful of divulging your heart behind
the apparent safety of a keyboard and a screen.
Anyone who says they love you, like you or friend
you, but who only knows the images, quotes and
quips you’ve put on social media doesn’t really
know you at all.
Sex is not an extra-curricular activity. You
have been raised in a world where personal
gratification is a birthright and any attempt to find
that gratification is deemed "right." That is an
especially egregious lie as it pertains to sexuality.
The only real "friends with benefits" are those who
are willing to love you when you fall, call you out
when you are wrong, laugh with you when you are
happy and cry with you when you are sad. Sex was
designed to be a picture of union and intimacy.
Man and woman were designed by God to be
husband and wife, naked and unashamed—not
simply two people who are slaves to their biology
choosing to use each other for self-gratification.
Your faith matters. People will tell you that
religion is for cowards and the close-minded,
but you have not been raised to be religious, you
have been raised to be restored! In Christ you
have been restored to a Father you lost in the
Garden, restored to your fellow man and restored
to a right understanding of who you really are.
World peace, social justice and standing up for
lost causes are His ideas, not the inventions of a
university. Remember His grace. You are going to
fall, but when you fall, you do not fall out of His
Grace, you fall into it. Distrust your sinful nature.
Don’t ever believe that you can dabble with sin
because you belong to Him. To presume upon
the love of God is a declaration that you never
understood it in the first place. Let your life be
about what your church is about— experiencing
and expressing grace.
In conclusion, remember this: you can always come
home. No matter what you’ve done; no matter
where you’ve been; no matter what went wrong
and regardless of whether it can be made right—
you can come home. Home to Southwood? Yes,
but "coming home" was His idea first. Whenever
you need to hear the benediction His door and
ours are always open—Zephaniah 3:17
Jean F. Larroux, III
Senior Pastor
For more from Jean, check out
his sermons at southwood.org
jean.larroux@southwood.org
@jflarrouxiii
MAY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG 3

southwood by the numbers
This month all of our numbers are about RUF. To learn more about the
RUF ministries around the country visit ruf.org.
1976
The approximate
start date of RUF.
A small meeting at
The University of
Southern Mississippi
grew into what we
now know as RUF.
one
hundred
twenty
Campus Ministers that
have gone on to take
churches in RUF's 40
year history.
2,000
Students that attended last
year's Summer Conference.
53
Students in the
RUF intern class.
There are new
interns added
each week, so that
number won't be
the same for long!
125
The number of
RUF campuses
nationwide. There
will also be a few
campuses opening
in the fall.
twenty-two
Million dollars were donated last year to support RUF. Your
support is necessary for the interns of RUF to continue
their studies while in the RUF internship program.
4 MAY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG

elate
SOUTHWOOD
SESSION UPDATE Will Spink
As we thank God for a rich season of corporate worship and
fellowship through Holy Week and Easter services, please also
join us in praying for a full calendar of events as we look toward
summer. In the next few weeks, we will have Senior Sunday to
honor our graduates, missions trips, youth retreats, VBS and
Climb programs, and much more. Pray that God will make us
more than simply busy. Pray that He will use these activities as
opportunities to deepen our experience and expression of his
grace and to advance his kingdom in Huntsville and around
the world.
Please also join us for “Faith Matters” the first three Sundays
in May (4th, 11th, and 18th) from 9:00-10:00am. This will be a
particular opportunity to talk together about how the gospel and
our faith impact all of life. Jean Larroux will be leading a class
about making significant decisions in life and where God fits in
with these difficult choices, while Will Spink will be leading a class
on how our Christianity impacts our work, politics, and other issues
we face every day. These two short (3-week) classes will help us
apply the good news we hear every Sunday to life beyond the
doors of the church, so take advantage of this unique chance for
learning and discussion.
Southwood Night
at
Monday, May 19th
5:00 to 9:00 PM
Join us at Rosie’s on South
Parkway for dinner and 20%
of your check total will be
donated to help fund the
Scripture Union Mission Trip to
Peru, May 30th-June 9th.
Cards will be available in the
Guest Center as well as at the
hostess desk at Rosies on the
night of the event. You must
present the card in order for the
proceeds to be applied.
MAY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG 5

A Campus Minister’s Meditation
on Matthew 13:1-23
by Reid Jones
Our neighborhood was less than five years old when
we bought our first house in Huntsville two years ago.
Most of the trees were nearly that young too. Our cute
little home came furnished with three cute little trees—
all about as tall as me when we first moved in. When our
first Alabama spring came around, I noticed that two out
of the three trees began to bloom beautifully. But the
third was… struggling. In fact, that little tree looked like
it much preferred the fall to the spring —crisp, golden
leaves and all.
One day I was in the back yard when my neighbor Mike
decided he had enough of my ignorance of what had
really happened to my little always-autumn-never-spring
tree. “Looks like your tree’s dead over there, Reid. Yep,
it’s definitely a goner.” He was right. No longer three cute
little trees. Just two.
So I got out my one shovel and attempted to dig out the
roots and pull up the dead tree. I loosened the foundation
just enough to begin tugging on the little trunk. With my
first hard pull the tree came out of the ground so fast that I
almost fell to the ground. But it was the bottom of the tree
that caught my attention. Apparently, when the builders
planted our little trees they didn’t break up the ground
enough around this particular one. The roots had grown in
on themselves—and the tree had choked itself to death. It
looked like a ball of snakes wrapped around the base of our
tiny tree. The soil was too hard, the roots too entangled.
And there I stood—with an upside noose in my hand—and
a picture of what can happen in my own heart time and time
again: when “the worries of this life… choke the word of
God, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).
6 MAY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG

In the “Parable of the Sower” Jesus tells a huge crowd of people
about four types of soils. And one type of seed. The seed, Jesus
tells us, is “the message about the Kingdom” (v.19). It’s God’s
Word. It’s the Gospel. And the different soils are the various types
of hearts of those who hear the Word of God—yet something
different happens with the seed in each case. One seed, four soils.
As a campus minister, I have the opportunity to see all four types
of soil on a daily basis. In fact, I think that college can often be
the time our soil is tested for the first time, and our hearts begin
to be exposed.
You may be a student now—headed to college soon, or perhaps
already in the middle of your degree. Or maybe you’re a parent or
grandparent of a college student. And you might be wondering:
which soil am I? That’s a great question! Let’s consider:
The Hard Soil
First there’s the Hard Soil—the one that’s really just a path, where
the ground is too firm, too impenetrable for the seed to ever take
root. Instead, the seed lands on top of this firm soil and is eventually
either blown away by the wind or eaten by the birds. The Hard Soil
might be the student who grew up hearing of the Gospel (perhaps
in his home and in his home church), but his heart is closed to the
message. Jesus says that the evil one is at work here—snatching
away the message before it takes root (v.19).
The Rocky Soil
Then Jesus talks about the Rocky Soil—the soil that’s characterized
as “shallow” and “no root” and “not much.” Essentially the seed
that falls into this soil remains only for a time, but in the end it’s
scorched and dies out. The Rocky Soil can represent the student
who had a strong “spiritual experience” in high school. Someone
who is very excited to tell everyone about his most recent mission
trip, or how many bible studies he’s been a part of, or how much
He’s “done for Jesus.” But there’s very little understanding of
how much Jesus has done for him. And when the time of testing
comes, “they quickly fall away” (v.21).
The college campus is full of the rocky soil. I’ve seen this in
my own life as I was the Rocky Soil of my college. During my
freshman year, I felt that everyone I met should hear how much
I had accomplished for Jesus while in high school. There was
very little room on my spiritual résumé for how much Jesus
had accomplished for me. And when my faith was put to the
test it proved to be shallow. There was no room for the seed
to take root.
The Thorny Soil
The third soil is the Thorny Soil. This one is tricky. This soil is capable
of production, but what’s competing with the seed in the thorny
soil is why the seed just can’t take root. This is the soil that killed
my tree. There was no room for growth because there’s too much
fighting for life just underneath the ground. And the seed won’t
last. All of us, to a degree, live in what appears to be thorny soil.
Jesus says that this is the soil that is tangled in “the worries of life
and the deceitfulness of wealth” (v.22).
College students know something of these entangling thorns: The
SOUTHWOOD
worries of relationships. The deceitfulness of popularity. The anxiety
of life after graduation. The deceitfulness of a perfect future. Our
happiness in Christ is challenged by the thorny weeds all around us—
competing for life in the soils of our hearts.
The Good Soil
But it’s the fourth soil in Jesus’ list—the Good Soil—that’s the one that
we all want to be, right? This soil produces the right kind of crop. The
good seed planted in the good soil yields a plentiful harvest. Jesus says
that the good soil “produces a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times
what was sown” (v.8).
We all want to be the Good Soil. But how do we get there? We are left
at the end of Jesus’ parable begging for a to-do list. If you’re the Hard
Soil, you want to know what you have to do to break up the tough path
you find yourself underneath. If you’re the Rocky Soil, you want to know
what it will take to remove the rocks all around you so that you can be
a better producer of good fruit. If you’re the Thorny Soil, you want to
know what you can do to cut down the life-sucking thorny spikes—how
you can unwrap the entangling roots that are competing for your heart.
But Jesus doesn’t leave us with a to-do list. Instead He leaves us with a
picture of a soil that can’t do anything to make itself more productive.
My dead tree could not unwrap its suffocating roots. The rocky soil can’t
lift a finger to fling its dangerous stones. The soil has no power.
The Seed
It is the Seed—the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ—that has
all the power to explode the soils of our hearts—removing any and all
obstacles that prevent the roots from going out. And it is the Sower—the
One who has sown the Word in our hearts—who has all the power to take
His message deep, causing real growth and producing lasting fruit.
We are not given a to-do list. But we are given a loving, attentive and
kind Sower who desires to cultivate the gardens of our hearts so that
we’ll produce fruit that He loves, for His glory alone, both in college and
beyond college for the rest of our lives.
What then does the soil “do”? It receives the good Seed. And it receives
good care from the good Sower. If you’re a student and you’re asking
the question, “Which soil am I?,” allow me to encourage you to put
yourself in a position to receive the Word while you’re in college. To
be near the good Gardener who wants to produce good fruit in and
through your life. Sit under God’s taught word in the local church. Find
fellowship with other Christians your age—perhaps in a college ministry
on your campus. Stay near the power-filled, life-giving Gospel of Jesus
Christ. And watch him yield a crop in your life “a hundred, sixty or thirty
times what was sown.”
Reid Jones is the campus minister for
Reformed University Fellowship at UAH. He is
also a Teaching Elder in our local presbytery.
This article is the adaptation of a message Reid
shared this spring with a group of graduating
seniors in our Sr. High-Life ministry. Reid and his
wife Kelly and their two daughters have lived
and ministered in Huntsville for three years.
You can contact Reid via email at reid.jones@
ruf.org.

SOUTHWOOD respond
ASK A
PASTOR
Everyone's talking about
it... so we asked the staff
to help shed some light
on the heat (or the cold).
the
staff
What's up with the sanctuary temperature?
Too hot? Too cold? Just right? I’m not talking about
porridge, but the temperature in the Sanctuary! It can
seem like no one’s paying attention to the thermostat,
but that’s far from the truth. With a room as large and tall as the
Sanctuary, it’s inherently problematic to keep the temperature
static for several reasons. The system works on hot and cold
water, turning valves open and closed to adjust the temperature
of the air that is blowing. Based on the average reading of two
sensors in the room, if it’s too hot, that output will be extra cold
to adjust. If it’s too cold, the opposite happens. The system is
constantly trying to maintain the “ideal” temperature—typically
71.5 degrees. However, when exterior doors are opened, near
the beginning of a service, outside air rushes in, changing the
room dramatically. Additionally, as hundreds of warm-blooded
bodies enter the room, the system must cool it to compensate.
At seasonal changes, the system can really show its limits and
it can feel very hot one minute, and very cold just 10 minutes
later! Know that no one is cranking down the thermostat—it’s
all computer controlled and behind password, lock and key.
It’s just trying to make the changes required to bring us back
to the temperature requested, quickly. As you may have found
when entering other large rooms (movie theatres, restaurants,
coliseums) it’s often too extreme a difference in the opposite
direction as outside. So many people remove their jackets in
winter, and put on a sweater in the summer! And sometimes
within the same hour!
Your comfort is a concern, and those in charge of maintaining
the system take it seriously. But the dynamics of a large room,
large crowd, and inconsistent outside temperatures make it
quite a challenge. Barring mechanical failure, typically if you
feel especially hot or cold, just give it a few minutes. Things
should even out. Throw blankets have been provided on many
pews for those that need to make their own adjustment.
8 MAY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG
Mark Your
Calendars!
VBS/CLIMB
June 8-12

elate
SOUTHWOOD
WHAT
DOES THE
VOLUNTEER
SAY?
Niña Banta
Volunteering at VBS is one of
the best serving opportunities
at Southwood. Read what last
year's volunteers had to say
about their experience!
Ashley Mitchell says....
VBS is a fun-filled activity that kicks off the
start to our summer. It is highly anticipated
and amazing to experience a theme driven
program which transforms our entire
family at Southwood. I enjoy hearing
spirit filled singing and seeing dancing
from all ages. I always look forward to
new smiling faces from people in our
community and lots of excitement from
those who return every year. I feel that
God is smiling down when He sees little
and big hearts rejoicing over His Son.
Looking forward to seeing you this
summer at VBS!
Debbie Babin says....
As a VBS crew leader with preschool age children, I enjoyed watching their excitement
during the interactive Bible stories, music, and crafts. An experience that stands out to me
was a little boy that I watched every day in Crafts, where they kids experience science type
experiments. He never seemed to be totally focused on the task at hand and didn't say
much. On the last day of VBS, the leaders were questioning the children about what they
had learned during the week. This little boy spoke up and explained in much detail and
in the most articulate way, what had been taught and what it meant. It just goes to show
you that even when you don't think a child is taking in what you want them to hear, they
can surprise you.
Hayden Mayer says....
I remember going to VBS at Southwood
every year while growing up. It’s changed a
lot over the years but I've always loved going.
Now it’s really cool to serve as a youth crew
leader and is a fun way to give back to my
church. VBS is just fun! Everything about it is
fun! I like helping other kids enjoy something
that I really enjoyed doing as a kid. In fact,
I had the most fun at recreation time. It was
fun to interact with and build relationships
with the kids while playing games. VBS is a
great way to teach the younger kids about
Jesus in a different way than just sitting there
for an hour on a Sunday. After an entire week of VBS, kids really walk away with learning
about Jesus’ love for them and how His love never fails and that He saved us.
Patrick Harris says....
I had the chance to serve as a crew
leader for a great energy packed VBS!
It was so neat to see how excited the
kids were, even the crew leaders were
excited... in fact, everybody was excited!
Beautiful thing about the week of VBS is
watching adults and kids bond over Jesus
daily. The opportunity to serve and make
memories with my son Taylor and the
other kids on my crew were amazing and
irreplaceable.
Amy Williams says....
VBS is a great experience which I have been
able to be a part of for many years now. It
always amazes me just how much goes into
Bible school! The lessons, skits, props,
music, food, and enthusiasm are just
fabulous. The kids show up and can feel
the love of all the leaders and can feel the
enthusiasm that everyone has for Jesus!
That is the best part about it—everyone
singing and praising Jesus! It is a time
for the kids and adults just to act silly
and loud and have fun together.
MAY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG 9

SOUTHWOOD
relate
Why should the everyday
congregation member care and
be invested in the work of RUF?
The everyday congregation member should be invested in
RUF because RUF exists to serve the churches to which these
members belong! We don't exist to perpetuate
ourselves, but to serve the church by bringing
the grace and truth of the gospel to the
next generation. In other words, we
are trying to take the long view. Our
"success" isn't measured by how
many students show up to our
Bible studies, but by how those
students are serving Jesus and
his church 10, 20, and 30 years
after they graduate.
What can the
congregation of
Southwood do to
support the work
that RUF is doing at
Samford and across
the country?
Pray and give! Pray for our families,
our students, and our ministries. Pray that
our marriages and families would be full of
forgiveness, repentance, and grace. Pray that
our students would encounter Jesus through
the teaching of his word and fellowship with his
people. Pray that God would make RUF a place
where non-Christians come to faith in Jesus,
where discouraged Christians are strengthened
and built up, and where long-time Christians grow
in maturity. Pray that God would bring generous
givers to RUF to keep our ministries financially
stable and, as God makes you able, please
consider giving to RUF yourself! (Visit givetoruf.
org if that's something you would like to do.)
RUF Campus Minister answers
questions about college ministry
What is the purpose and
mission of RUF?
RUF's purpose is to reach students for Christ and equip
them to serve. We want to build communities on campus
where students of all walks of life can hear and wrestle with
the truths of Christianity, as well as be equipped
to follow and serve Jesus, his church, and
his kingdom.
What about the
current generation
of college students
most excites you?
The students I interact with,
whether Christian or not,
have a strong desire to be
connected to something
bigger than themselves.
They want to serve and
love their neighbors, their
communities, and their
world. I get the privilege
of telling them how Jesus
makes sense out of that
desire and how he rightly
directs and empowers their
serving by his grace.
Why did you choose
RUF/college ministry?
College is such a crucial time in the life of a student.
Most of them are asking great questions about who
they are and who they want to become. My wife
and I both wanted to do college ministry because
we love pouring into students as they sort through these
questions and bringing the light of God's word to them
as they search for answers.
10 MAY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG
Southwood's
Senior Sunday
May 4, 2014
Matt Terrell Preaching
at 10:30am worship
WHO IS MATT TERRELL AND WHY ASK HIM?
Matt Terrell is the campus
minister for Reformed University
Fellowship at Samford University.
Matt will be our featured speaker
for Southwood’s Senior Sunday
on May 4th during worship,
where we will recognize and
celebrate our graduating seniors
in high school. Matt and his wife
Megan have two children and
have ministered in Birmingham for over two years.

elate
SOUTHWOOD
ALL THAT
IS FAIR
HURTS LIKE
HEAVEN
James Parker
The most wonderful and tragic thing about being young
is that you have such explosive energy and passion. It’s
wonderful because you feel invincible and your joy seems
unshakable. And yet it’s tragic because you don’t know
what to do with all of it. You have the power you need
but you don’t have the benefit of a
lifetime of wisdom. When you’re
becoming an adult you struggle
with your identity, your place in
the world. The catch-22 is that in
order to find your place you have
to spend all that insane energy
in the process. So by the time
you get wisdom, you’re too tired
to care! There are probably very
few people who get to the end of
their life without wishing they had
done things differently.
From my own experience I can say
this is true. I so often think to myself,
“If only I’d known back then what I
know now.” It’s a common nag that
lingers in the souls of most people.
And it’s something we can’t actually have. It’s imagined.
How lovely it would be if it were possible to go back in time,
but it’s not. Willie Nelson said it this way, “I could cry for the
time I’ve wasted, but that’s a waste of time and tears, and I
know just what I’d change, if I went back in time somehow,
but there’s nothin I can do about it now.”
Is there anything in this world that can help us walk through
the blank canvas of our youth without painting too much
regret for ourselves? Is there anything that we can spend
ourselves for that wouldn’t feel like a waste of time later
on? I think there is.
Hurts Like Heaven is a Coldplay song from their 5th album,
Mylo Xyloto. It explodes off the speakers and catches your
attention from the first 5 seconds, sort of like the fire of
adolescence. The lines ask the same questions. “do you ever
get the feelin’ that you’re missin’ the mark?” and “I struggle
with the feelin’ that my life isn’t mine.” But the chorus gives
us an answer: “when you use your heart as a weapon, It hurts like
heaven.” What a beautiful picture. and what an interesting way to
say “love.” Love is the binding agent that holds together who we
were with who we are becoming. The love that we have from God
and for God, the love that we have for our neighbor, and the
love we have for ourselves. Any pursuit that starts from a heart of
love will “hurt like heaven,” or in other words, it will be worth the
energy we spent on it and it will make our lives mean something.
The bottom line of this song is be who God made you to be and
love with abandon and without fear.
If we can do this we might actually bypass regret and in some
small way, decrease the tragedy of our youth by spending it on the
comedy of our future! If I could send these words in a letter to my
high school self I would. I probably wouldn’t listen to myself but it
would be worth a shot!
Written in graffiti on a bridge in a park
'Do you ever get the feeling
that you're missing the mark?'
It's so cold, it's so cold
It's so cold, it's so cold
Written up in marker on a factory sign
'I struggle with the feeling
that my life isn't mine'
It's so cold, it's so cold
It's so cold, it's so cold
See the arrow that they shot,
trying to tear us apart
to Take the fire from my belly and the
beat from my heart
Still I won't let go, Still I won't let go
Oh you use your heart as a weapon
And it hurts like heaven
On every street every car
every surface a name
Tonight the streets are ours
And we’re writing and saying
Don't let them take control
No we won't let them take control
Yes, I feel a little bit nervous,
Yes, I feel nervous and I cannot relax,
How come they're out to get us?
How come they're out
when they don't know the facts?
So on concrete canvas
under cover of dark
On concrete canvas,
I'll go making my mark
Armed with a spray can soul
I'll be armed with a spray can soul
It's true, When you
Use your heart as a weapon
It hurts like heaven
MAY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG 11

May 4, 11, 18 • 9-10am
Faith and god's will
How do I know God's will for
my life? What if I've missed
it? Is there only one soulmate
out there for me? Am I in
the wrong career? How can
I stop being paralyzed by
indecision?
Faith and daily life
What does Sunday have to do
with Monday through Friday?
Does God care whether I work
or stay home with kids? Is
my job valuable for anything
besides putting food on the
table? Can church and state
really be separate?