This was shared at my church a couple of weeks ago.
Brian Warner had joined a youth group, but he was a sort of outcast in it. I mean, the youth pastor would talk to him for a little, but then he would go talk to the more popular and more responsive kids. So Brian never got plugged in to this youth group, and never really was made to feel welcome.
One day, the youth group to a trip to an amusement park. The youth director announced once they had arrived for everyone to pair off. Soon, everyone had a partner. Except for one. No one would be a partner to Brian Warner. Soon after that, he left the youth group.
Years later, the old director had retired and a kid that was formally in the youth group had taken over. One day, the old director got a call from the new director. The new director said,
"Hey, do you remember that kid that was in our youth program a couple of years ago? Brian Warner? He wasn't really popular or anything."
"Yeah," the old director replied. "Vaguely."
"Well," the new one began, "He isn't called Brian Warner anymore."
"No?" The old director was confused. "What is he called?"
"Marilyn Manson."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
How does this make you feel? If one person in that youth group had dared to go against the flow, dared to reach out a helping hand to poor searching Brian Warner, then maybe he wouldn't have become Marilyn Manson. Maybe, just maybe, instead of having a violent persecutor of the Christian faith, we would've had a man on fire for God, passionately promoting it, declaring it to the world. All it took was one person to say a kind word, or befriend him. Or stand up and volunteer to be his partner. But no one did. And it changed the entire course of hundreds of peoples' lives.
Brian Warner had joined a youth group, but he was a sort of outcast in it. I mean, the youth pastor would talk to him for a little, but then he would go talk to the more popular and more responsive kids. So Brian never got plugged in to this youth group, and never really was made to feel welcome.
One day, the youth group to a trip to an amusement park. The youth director announced once they had arrived for everyone to pair off. Soon, everyone had a partner. Except for one. No one would be a partner to Brian Warner. Soon after that, he left the youth group.
Years later, the old director had retired and a kid that was formally in the youth group had taken over. One day, the old director got a call from the new director. The new director said,
"Hey, do you remember that kid that was in our youth program a couple of years ago? Brian Warner? He wasn't really popular or anything."
"Yeah," the old director replied. "Vaguely."
"Well," the new one began, "He isn't called Brian Warner anymore."
"No?" The old director was confused. "What is he called?"
"Marilyn Manson."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
How does this make you feel? If one person in that youth group had dared to go against the flow, dared to reach out a helping hand to poor searching Brian Warner, then maybe he wouldn't have become Marilyn Manson. Maybe, just maybe, instead of having a violent persecutor of the Christian faith, we would've had a man on fire for God, passionately promoting it, declaring it to the world. All it took was one person to say a kind word, or befriend him. Or stand up and volunteer to be his partner. But no one did. And it changed the entire course of hundreds of peoples' lives.