MWYC 2010: I'm the Vine, You are the Branches

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Midwest Youth Conference

Sean Nebblett

What Can I Give Him?

Friends, we're going to have trials to face when we leave this place.

We're going to have, like I said just a few minutes ago, a real world.

It's nice to sit here in this place and talk about victory and talk about conquest, talk about righteousness.

But there's an enemy waiting at the door to make us pay for every inch of progress we might have made today.

An enemy of our souls that is highly invested in our destruction.

And all of us, at 1 time or another, will likely be faced with questions.

We'll likely be tempted to discouragement, tempted to give up, tempted to let go, tempted to think that it's not worth it.

I think I was about 14 or 15 years old when I first had my, when I had my first intimate experience with death.

It was the death of the father of some of my best friends at the time.

And as I experienced, as I lived through the days of being with him, associating with him, in the days following his death.

The reality, the finality, The pain was very real to an impressionable young boy.

And yet, as I looked at the situation, as I looked at 1 of my friends, who was just a little girl.

As I watched her take in the whole scene and then break down and cry And say, why?

And that question, why, is a question that's been echoed by thousands, by millions of people in this world.

And it wasn't until many years later looking back on that situation that I actually came to understand, not all of why, but came to understand the fact that there are some lessons God can only teach through death.

I picture, I imagine the disciples, the disciples that fled the scene before Christ was crucified.

I think they were hidden behind a wall somewhere, asking why.

This had been their life, this had been all of their hopes, this had been all of their dreams, This had been all of their dreams.

This has been all of their energy for the last couple of years.

Maybe they were 2 or 3 hills away, watching from behind a bush, and they saw the cross being lifted up and then settled down into the hole.

There are certain lessons God can teach only through death.

And that remains true for us in spiritual life as well.

God can reach us only, can teach us only, when we are willing to die, when we are willing to set ourselves completely and totally aside.

Let us learn from the path that is before us everything that God wants to teach us.

Let us choose to let his love operate in our lives.

And we will find that as we lay ourselves down, we take up something so much more glorious.

The streets were crowded on that day in the city for it was now that time of year when pilgrims traveled long to see Jerusalem for now the Passover was here as I walked I came upon Pilate's mansion An angry crowd outside His gate I saw the man they called Jesus, the Son of God Beneath the cross, fallen to fate Take up your cross, follow in the footsteps of your Lord, and Bear the loss, counting it but gain Surrender all, follow in the path that he has trod There's a light behind the darkness, a crown beyond the grave reward for those who stop to count the cost.

The crowd was louder now I stopped and watched in silence.

And while the soldiers yelled, Within my heart there swelled a deep desire to know his grace Then a soldier saw my look and firm commanded that I must now his burden bear.

But as lifted I the tree, praise God he lifted me, and in his cross I had a share take up your cross follow in the footsteps of your Lord, and bear the loss, counting it but gain.

Surrender all, follow in the path that He has trod.

There's a light behind the darkness, A crown beyond the grave, Reward for those who stop to count the cost.

Oh, listen, friend, upon that day I oft remember, As soldiers guard with spears and swords, I recognize the gift, the privilege to lift the cross for Jesus Christ the Lord.

And from that day it has remained my heart's desire to Follow Him through floods and flames.

Take up your cross, follow in the footsteps of your Lord, and bear the loss, counting it but gain.

Surrender all, following the path that He's trod.

There's a light behind the darkness, a crown beyond the grave.

Reward for those who stop to cut the cross.

It was just a day like any other afternoon.

We'd been over at a neighbor, having lunch and some fellowship with them.

Yet somewhere not very far away, somebody was in trouble.

And when they were able to get a hold of 911, all the radios in our part of the county started wailing.

Well, in a very few minutes, We mobilized.

Myself and my 4, my 3 siblings, the 4 of us, are EMTs and some of our neighbors are also EMTs.

And we jumped in the cars, we grabbed our bags, jumped in the cars, and we were off to a scene.

We had no idea what we were headed to, except that dispatcher said, lightning strike.

Okay, I thought, singed hair, somebody's a little bit worried, lightning strike.

But when we arrived and I jumped out of the car, purple gloves already on, I walked up to the back of the pickup truck and I said, Hi, I'm Sean Neblett, Kamado Ambulance Service.

And the 2 guys there, they said, no, no, no, it's not us, it's not us, our friend.

They pointed up the hillside to their friend, who had not moved in some time.

And as I scrambled up the muddy slope, the trees still dripping with rain around me, and looked at this man, everything in my mind all of a sudden changed.

But, it was almost as if we didn't stop to think.

Joshua was turning around our truck, getting ready to drive down the road to grab the rest of the rescuers that had gotten the wrong dispatch information.

And I said, wait a minute, Joshua, you're not going anywhere.

Natasha, I need you to come hold C-spine and maintain an airway.

And the next few minutes blurred as we worked on a man that needed help.

A few minutes later, it was probably 10 minutes, it felt like 2, we saw red lights, yes, and up came the ambulance and again our service director scrambled up the muddy slope with the long spine board and she said, I'm sorry guys, I'm sorry guys, I'm sorry guys, fresh out of school, This is our first call.

But as we scrambled down, slid down the muddy bank with the man and the board, jumped into the back of the ambulance, in a few minutes grabbed his friend who had also been hit by lightning, a few minutes, we're running down the road.

You never hesitate when there's a life to save.

And I didn't think about the mud, I didn't think about the slipping, I didn't think about getting cut on the sharp rocks as I'm there.

And I still didn't think about it as I was in the back of the ambulance.

Walking in, a medical professional will know exactly what I was walking in.

Every time you do CPR on someone, they lose their breakfast.

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What Can I Give Him?

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