We recognized three teenage

girls in our worship services last Sunday.

All three have recently completed

the eight grade and, in the fall, will be freshmen (fresh women? fresh

persons?) in high school. Meredith Lytle will be enrolled at Starr's Mill

High School in Fayette County. She lives in Peachtree City and is the

daughter of Victor and Denise Lytle. Amanda Hale, whose parents are Dan

and Stephanie Hale, will be in the 9th grade at Landmark in Fairburn.

Ashley Lauria, who will also be a freshman at Landmark, is the daughter

of Manny and Geri Lauria. The Hales and the Laurias also reside in Peachtree

City.

They weren't recognized for

their scholastic ability, although all three girls are extremely bright.

Neither did we single them out because of their perfect attendance in

church, though all three are almost always in faithful attendance. They

weren't even recognized for their faithful and consistent service as acolytes,

although they have all served in that capacity for several years. And

they weren't recognized for their athletic prowess, even though all three

are involved in sports and are excellent athletes. In fact, all three

were involved in soccer during the spring.

Nevertheless, at the close

of last week's service, all three were asked to come to the front of the

church where a grateful and appreciative congregation served up a healthy

dose of applause. Why? Because, when faced with a difficult choice, all

three young ladies chose to do what was right and good rather than what

was expedient and expected.

It was a simple thing, really.

Amanda and Meredith played on the same soccer team. Ashley was a member

of another team in the league. On the weekend of Pentecost, a significant

day in the calendar of the Church, both soccer teams were scheduled, along

with other teams, to play in important tournaments. The teams played on

Saturday morning and again on Saturday afternoon. They were also to play

on Sunday morning and again on Sunday afternoon. The three girls informed

their coaches and teammates that they would not be available to play in

the tournament on Sunday morning. They made the decision to be in church

to worship God.

It's sad that young people

should be forced to make such a choice. After all, it is adults, not children,

that schedule such events. It is adults and soccer associations that decide

that soccer games and tournaments should have a greater priority in the

lives of kids than spiritual development. Adults should know better. Association

officials should know better. Certainly, parents who purport to be Christians

should know better and should seek to use their influence to ban such

games on Sunday mornings. Yet, in this current secularized culture, it

is normal that sports should be considered superior to the worship of

God. Even many Christians have bought into the popular lie.

I do not imagine that the decision

to not participate in the Sunday morning tournament game was an easy one

to make. There is a tremendous amount of pressure on young people to conform.

When teens say that "everybody is doing it," it's because that

everybody else really is "doing it." It takes courage, integrity,

and maturity to stand alone and to do the right thing. I sincerely admire

Ashley, Meredith, and Amanda for choosing to be in their place in worship

on Sunday morning. They didn't have an ax to grind-they just wanted to

do the right thing. I also admire their parents who have obviously instilled

in their daughters the values that will last long after the last ball

has been kicked and the last goal has been scored.

Here is what I have learned

over the yearspeople are the sum of their decisions. Those who are successful

in life have learned from their mistakes and have made a habit of making

good decisions. They have learned to choose the good and right way, even

at personal cost. People who are failures, many of them bitter and resentful,

are often in that state because they have consistently chosen the easy,

expedient, or convenient way. So, when Amanda Hale, Ashley Lauria, and

Meredith Lytle choose to worship in Church, rather than to play in a soccer

tournament on Sunday morning, we recognized the rightness, courage, and

integrity of that decision. I know they are just teens-but they have become

my latest heroes.