Letter from Grandma

Today's Sermon (this month is a series entitled 'Hot Topics') was on Promiscuity.

To help ease the way into the very serious subject, Jim introduced a bit of levity.
The point was well made on the unfortunate message our modern society sends in so many ways. In this case, the latest fashion.

And so, I give you the 'Letter from Grandma':

A message from Grandma

I just spent several hours observing teenagers who were "hanging out"
at our local mall. I came to the conclusion that many teens in America are
now living in poverty. Most of the young men don't even own a belt; there was
not one among the lot of them. But that wasn't the sad part --- many of them
had to wear their daddy's jeans. Some of those jeans were so big and baggy
that they hung low on their hips, exposing their underwear.

I know some of 'em must have been ashamed their daddy was so short,
because his jeans hardly went below their knees. They weren't even their
daddies' good jeans! Most of them had holes ripped in the knees and had a dirty
look to them. It really grieves me that in a modern, affluent society like
America, there are people who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I have been
thinking about asking my church to start a "jean drive" for those poor kids at
the mall. Then on Christmas Eve, we could go caroling and distribute jeans to
these poor teenagers.

Also, I don't think this group of boys had even had much to eat,
because as they were walking, their heads leaned to one side, as if they didn't
have enough strength to keep them up. Oh, they tried. With each step, they
tried to lift them up, but to no avail; they always dropped back to the side.
This group of guys must be from the same family, because they all walked with
their heads bobbing together in the same manner.

But that wasn't the saddest part. It was the girls they were hanging
out with that disturbed me the most. I have never in all of my life seen such
"poor" girls. These girls had the opposite problem from the guys --- they
all had to wear their little sister's clothes. Their jeans were about five
sizes too small. I don't know how they even got the jeans on, let alone buttoned
them up. Their jeans barely went over their hipbones. Most of them also had
on their little sister's top because it hardly covered their midsection. Oh,
they were trying to keep their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight to
see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes.

However, it was their underwear that bothered me the most. They, like
the boys, ... because of the improper fit of their clothes, also had their
underwear exposed. I have never seen anything like it. It looked like their
underwear was only held together by a single piece of --- string!
String, mind you! I know that it must also sadden your heart too to
receive this report on the condition of our American teenagers. While
I go to bed every night with a closet full of clothes nearby, there are
million of "mall girls" who barely have enough material to keep it together.

I think their "poorness' is why these two groups hang out at the mall:
the boys with their short daddies' ripped jeans and the girls wearing
their younger sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can find
acceptance. So, the next time you are at the mall doing your shopping and you
pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you say a prayer for 'em?
And one more thing ... Will you PLEASE pray that the guys' pants won't
fall down and that the girls' strings won't break?

Oh, I forgot to tell you --- none of 'em own a hair comb.

Love,

Grandma