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(This resource is an excerpt from Jonathan's new book
10-Minute Talks.)
TALK 13
TOPIC: Clean SlateTITLE: A NEW BEGINNING BIG IDEA: God cares more about our future than our past. SCRIPTURE:
"‘...Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.'" (John 8:11) PARTICULARS:
This young woman's story is true and powerful, but I changed the names and small details for anonymity. It's a
great story to help kids not only consider their day-to-day choices but also realize it's not too late to make
a change.THE STORY:
The only thing worse than dying of AIDS is living with AIDS. Donna has been living with AIDS for almost a
decade.Donna's friends from high school wouldn't even recognize her now. Her body has taken a beating for the last eight years. Her hair is cut shorter for easier care, and her weight has dropped to a level that leaves her looking as frail as a woman three times her age. Donna never knows when she'll get sick. She'll feel great one moment, and the next moment she'll be sick to her stomach. At times, while she shopped at the mall, she lost control of her bowels. She has a few close friends who come to get her at times like these, bringing her home and helping her clean herself up. Donna never would've guessed this is how her life would turn out. She was a popular student in high school and very pretty. Like most of her friends, she frequented parties and tried drinking-and even a little pot. It never even occurred to her that she'd become an alcoholic. She never considered the possibility that she'd wake up with guys she didn't even know. And AIDS was never a fear. In Donna's mind, AIDS was never even a possibility. But Donna's drinking became more regular and her partying became more severe. The more she partied, the more reckless her behavior became. She doesn't even remember the first time she had sex-she couldn't tell you his name. Donna's drinking led to other substance abuse. Donna was living her life for herself, and she figured she'd be happiest doing whatever she wanted. That was her philosophy in life: Do whatever I want, and take it one day at a time. By the time Donna would've graduated from high school, she'd dropped out, was kicked out of her house, and found herself sleeping with people for alcohol or drugs. But this wasn't enough to support her habit, so she began robbing houses with some of her friends. This went on for several years. Donna would sometimes wake up on a sidewalk somewhere on a street she didn't recognize. Then this became a regular occurrence-she was homeless. One day Donna woke up on someone's front lawn in the suburbs. She had no idea where she was-she couldn't even remember the night before. But her eyes opened to see a well-dressed older couple standing over her. "Are you okay, young lady? Should we call an ambulance?" Donna quickly waved them away. "I'm fine. Sorry, I just felt sick and had to lie down for a few minutes." But the couple didn't go away. They insisted she come inside their house and get something to eat. Donna says she was thinking, This is great! I'll get a free meal out of these idiots and stake out their house so I can come and rip them off later. This became an easy possibility because the couple fed her eggs and some delicious hot blueberry muffins, then told her they needed to leave for church. They invited Donna, but she refused: "Sorry. I don't do church." She started to get up to leave, but the couple insisted she stay for a while. "We'll be back in just a couple of hours. Make yourself at home." The man put on his coat and the lady disappeared into the bedroom for a moment. Donna thought to herself, These Christians could be the stupidest people in the entire world. They have no idea who they just invited into their house. The lady brought Donna a blanket, tucked her in on the hide-a-bed in the living room, and left for church with her husband. Donna was pretty tired, so she thought she'd catch a quick nap, then rip these people off when she woke up. Donna awoke to the smell of something delicious. She opened her eyes and saw the Christian lady darting around the kitchen in an apron. Donna was a little bummed that she'd overslept, but she thought she'd wait it out and see what happened. The lady brought her lunch: Pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, and hot, fresh chocolate chip cookies. The three of them sat there and talked. The couple was probably about the age of Donna's parents, she figured. But she hadn't seen them in years-ever since she was kicked out of the house. To this day, the last image she remembers of them is her mom crying in the living room and her dad calling the locksmith to change the locks. Donna didn't blame them. She had sold about $2,500 worth of her mom's jewelry at a pawnshop. But this couple was different. They were nice, not very invasive, and the woman was a really good cook. Day turned to evening and the couple invited Donna to stay the night. Donna gladly accepted and went to bed figuring that she would rip off these stupid people-nice, but stupid-in the morning. One day turned to two. Days turned to weeks and weeks into months. The hospitality continued and so did the invitations to church. Donna always kindly refused church but accepted the hospitality. And this couple continued to offer hospitality despite her resistance to church attendance. Donna still partied with her friends, but now she had a place to sleep if she needed it. She kept coming back. Every night as she went to bed, she figured she'd probably rip them off the next day. But she never did. One Saturday afternoon Donna sat in the kitchen watching the lady make a coffee cake. Donna began asking questions, and the questions turned into a conversation about God and the meaning of life. The lady had never been pushy about God or church, and she wasn't at this moment. She just shared what she believed. She explained that God had changed them and was still changing them for the better every day. Donna asked more about this relationship with God. The lady shared that it gave her meaning and fulfillment. Donna had never had either of those things, but she longed for them-and in all honesty, if these people had this relationship with God, that was good enough for Donna. These were the nicest people she'd ever met. She figured that if God was anything like these people, then that was a pretty cool God. Thirty minutes later Donna got on her knees on the mustard-yellow linoleum and prayed with her new friend. With the sweet smell of brown sugar in the kitchen air, Donna gave her life to Christ. Donna began going to church and learning about this new relationship with God. She learned about the Bible and praying. She learned more about Jesus and the sacrifice he made. Donna even began memorizing Scripture and attending a women's Bible study at the church. Six months passed. Donna was sober and drug-free. She hadn't attended a party since her commitment. But one weekend the couple traveled out of town to visit relatives. Donna stayed-and found the house quiet and depressing when it was empty. At that unfortunate time, the phone rang. It was one of her partying buddies from six months earlier when she was partying, too, while living at this house. Her friend invited her to come party, and Donna initially refused. But her friend kept pressing, and Donna figured it wouldn't hurt. She could just enjoy the social element of the party and not return to her old habits. Donna saw all her old friends at the party. It was a life she thought she'd left behind, but she missed her friends and enjoyed the energy of the party. She had a drink or two, and before she knew it, she was on her sixth drink. One thing led to another, and Donna did some things that she swore she'd left behind. And that night-that one night-Donna got AIDS. TRANSITION STATEMENT:
Some of us have a past that haunts us. Maybe not a past like Donna's, but a past nevertheless. The crazy thing is that often kids
think, "If I've blown it once, it's too late now. I've already blown it, so who cares what I do now?"Let me tell you the truth. It's not too late for a new beginning. Donna had done every bad thing in the book, and God still poured out grace on her. There's nothing we can do that separates us from the love of God. In all of Donna's wrongdoings, she was miraculously given a fresh start-a new beginning. You have that right now. You have a new beginning. Whatever you've done before you walked in that door tonight is behind you. You have your life ahead of you. It's not too late. APPLICATION AND SCRIPTURE:
In John chapter 8 Jesus meets a woman who might have been much like Donna. This woman had just been caught in the act of adultery.
Some of the religious people of the day tried to find out how Jesus would respond to a woman caught in this kind of sin. Jesus
simply told them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (v.7)No one was sinless-they all knew it-so they all left until just Jesus and the woman were standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (vv. 3-11) CLOSING:
Donna and this woman were given a second chance. Donna returned to her life of sin, and it cost her. We don't know how this woman
responded.How will you respond? Why don't you all close your eyes and bow your heads, thinking about yourself for a moment and not about those around you. Tonight, God cares a whole lot more about your future than about your past. It doesn't matter how you walked in those doors tonight, but it does matter how you leave. You've been given a second chance. "Go and sin no more." Sure, you're not going to be perfect. I'm sure Donna wasn't perfect during those six months. But she left her life of sin because she knew how empty that life was. God has given you a fresh start. You can take this opportunity for a new life, or you can return to your old ways. It's your choice, and no one can make it for you. Let's pray.
TALK 13 (Small Group Discussion)
TOPIC: Clean SlateTITLE: A New Beginning BIG IDEA: God cares more about our future than our past. DIRECTIONS: Go through the book version of the talk-including the Transition Statement-then break into small groups and use the following discussion questions: DISCUSSION QUESTIONS WITH APPLICATION AND SCRIPTURE:
1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: Before we get started, let's go around and share our names and our favorite pizza toppings.
YOU SAY: In John, chapter 8, Jesus met a woman who might have been much like Donna. This woman
had just been caught in the act of adultery. Some of the religious people of the day tried to find out how Jesus would respond
to a woman caught in this kind of sin. Jesus simply told them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a
stone at her" (v. 7)2. A FEW OF YOU: In the story we just heard, how would you describe Donna's life before she started staying with the nice couple? 3. A FEW OF YOU: What was it about the couple that started to change Donna's behavior and attitude? 4. A FEW OF YOU: Was Donna completely free from harm's way once she gave her life to Christ, attended church, and stopped partying? If not, why not? (She was clean for six months.) No one was sinless-they all knew it-so they all left until just Jesus and the woman were standing there. Check out what happens, starting in verse 10: SCRIPTURE:
"Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' ‘No one, sir,' she said.
‘Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.'" (vv. 10-11) 5. SOMEONE: This woman had just been caught in the act of adultery. What did Jesus do about it? 6. A FEW OF YOU: Does Jesus' reaction surprise you? Why or why not? 7. SOMEONE: After Jesus told her he didn't condemn her, what else did he tell her? 8. A FEW OF YOU: Why do you think Jesus told her this? 9. A FEW OF YOU: Sometimes when people are thinking about doing something wrong, they tell themselves, "God will forgive me anyway." Is there anything wrong with this kind of thinking? 10. A FEW OF YOU: Will God always forgive us? (1 John 1:9) Might we still have to face consequences for our sins? (1 Corinthians 6:12) 11. A FEW OF YOU: What mistake did Donna make that led to her getting AIDS? (When exactly did she make the mistake? When she drank her fourth drink? When she drank her first drink? When she went through with the party? When she called her old friends?) 12. AROUND THE CIRCLE: What's one thing you heard during our time here that made you consider truth? 13. AROUND THE CIRCLE: Do you need a fresh start tonight? Is there something in your life that you need to truly give up to God? CLOSING:
Donna and this woman were given a second chance. Donna returned to her life of sin, and it cost her. We don't know how this
woman responded.How will you respond? Why don't you all close your eyes and bow your heads, thinking about yourself for a moment and not about those around you. Tonight, God cares a whole lot more about your future than about your past. It doesn't matter how you walked in those doors tonight, but it does matter how you leave. You've been given a second chance. "Go and sin no more." Sure, you're not going to be perfect. I'm sure Donna wasn't perfect during those six months. But she left her life of sin because she knew how empty that life was. God has given you a fresh start. You can take this opportunity for a new life, or you can return to your old ways. It's your choice, and no one can make it for you. Let's pray. 
This is just one of the 24 Talksand Small Group Curriculum provided in this fantastic book!  TABLE OF CONTENTS Why 10 Minutes? 11 10-Minute Tips: How to Use This Book 14 Section One: Spiritual Growth Talks (listed by title / topic)
1. Who's in Your Back Seat? / Friends 20 2. It's Me / Compassion 28 3. Do the Right Thing / Integrity 36 4. Save Me! / God Works in Hidden Ways 42 5. Semi Angry / Anger 54 6. With Kierra / Lifestyle Evangelism 64 7. Unrestrained Friendship / Christ, Our Friend 74 8. Steering Toward Darkness / Sin 86 9. Jake's Last Stand / Lifestyle Evangelism 92 10. Freedom from Hate / Forgiveness 102 11. The Shopping Cart / Giving God Total Control 112 12. Motivated / Focus on Christ 118 Section Two: Outreach Talks (listed by title / topic)
13. A New Beginning / Clean Slate 130 14. The American Dream-or Was It? / Satisfaction in Christ 138 15. Are You Hungry? / Faith 146 16. Two Houses / Foundation 156 17. More Than This / Emptiness 170 18. One Foot on the Wire / Faith 180 19. Having It All / Temporary vs. Eternal 190 20. The Briefcase / Faith 200 21. Hard-Learned Lessons / Fulfillment 214 22. Stepping Stones / Evidence That Demands a Choice 224 23. Blaming God / Response to Tragedy 232 24. Running Home / God's Love for Us 242 
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