Who Are We?

Harvard professor, Samuel Huntington, wrote a very eurocentric book some years back entitled: "Who Are We?" Looking at essential "American"  characteristics, values, and ways of identifying ourselves.  

Rather than consider that book, lets take a look at the recently named roster for the US National Soccer team that will be traveling to South Africa this summer to represent this country in the most popular sport in the world. More in depth article

This is America (names in parenthesis are the club team that player is currently playing for)
Viva Estados Unidos! ...que viva!

The roster:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan, Italy), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Denmark), Stuart Holden (Bolton, England), Jose Torres (Pachuca, Mexico)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull, England), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles), Robbie Findley (Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Pachuca, Mexico).

Who are you...preached at youth sunday

August 23, 2009

Westminster Presbyterian Church, Santa Fe

Who are you..who who who who?

THis was actually preached by Trasie, because I was sick...I don't know what the final version looked like, but I'm sure she changed a fair amount. 

When someone asks us that question, how are we supposed to respond? Well Chester says: I’m Chester.  Woah, that raises eye-brows.  Is that really his name? Maybe we talk about occupation? Chester’s a Presbyterian minister.  Talk about a conversation killer.

Who are you? 

When Chester interviewed for this position at the church Thomas Burnett asked me a question: What do you think is the biggest problem facing young people today? The answer was easy.  Identity.  Who are you?  If we don’t know who are we  can easily be swayed into doing this thing or that thing, that is really not who we are. If we don’t know who we are we are blown to and fro and never have any grounding or stability in our lives.  I am cool.  I am smart. I am a soccer player. I am a nerd, that’s what Claudia always says..about herself J.

So often our identity is defined by others…and sure there are people who really love us and say nice things about us, but there are also people who will tell us hurtful things, and would like to see us fail.   What does God say about who we are?

A woman was very bitter and upset with everyone. She went see a pastor-councilor about a failing marriage and she shared an experience when she was very young—when she was in the fourth grade. She had a teacher that didn’t like her when she misbehaved. One day she did something that was very disturbing. The teacher called her forward to sit in front of the class and said, “Catherine, do you realize that nobody in this class likes you?”