by Terry Barone & Holly Smith

SAN JOSE - Students, parents and youth leaders were challenged to believe they have been "marked" by God for His purpose in the world, during the Tsunami Student Conference in late December.

"Marked" was the theme of the Dec. 28-30 gathering attended by more than 2,400, where 59 made professions of faith in Christ, 79 rededicated their lives, 12 made decisions to be baptized by their local church and five surrendered to missionary service.

The students, parents and leaders also


 gave $8,000 to help support summer missionaries who will serve throughout California from June-August,

 enjoyed inflatable games and other activities,

 browsed through an exhibit area and book store,

 participated in afternoon mission projects cleaning up graffiti in San Jose and working at emergency housing shelters, and

 attended breakout sessions called "Hot Topics," ranging from "Stop, Drop and Pray!" to "God's Work in our Backyard," "Faith, Feeling or Fact: Is God Real or a Figment of Our Imagination?" and "You Can't Bring Your Mom: How to Survive College and Make an Impact."

During the three-day Tsunami at the San Jose Convention Center, participants were challenged by Matt Brown, pastor of Sandals Church in Riverside, and Efrem Smith, pastor of Sanctuary Church in Minneapolis. Featured musicians included hip-hop artists Goup1Crew and contemporary Christian band The Afters. Leading worship was Travis Ryan and his band from Saddleback Church in San Clemente.

On the first night, Brown got the students' attention as he asked them to respond by text-message to the question, "Did God make you the way you were supposed to be?" Results from the "poll" were tallied instantly and displayed on image magnification screens as Brown went on to say that "the truth is, every single one of you today spent way more time on your external person than you did on your internal person."

He noted people wear specific designer labels because "we so desperately want to be marked; we want to fit in with something or someone."

"Every single one of us has been marked," Brown declared. "Every single one of us on our souls has a signature that says 'Made in ... ' and it isn't China!
"You were made by God. Whether you see it, feel it or believe it, you have God's mark on you; you were made in His image - you reflect Him."

Brown used the object lesson of an over-size mirror to demonstrate that "sin paints a caricature of us" as he spray-painted images and words on the mirror. "We see things, not in a clear and perfect mirror, but in a poor reflection.

"What you see when you look in the mirror is not really you - you've been hijacked, you've been infected by a thing called sin," Brown said.

However, as he broke the glass of the mirror the letters "GOD" appeared.

"When the false image is broken, we see God," Brown asserted.

Efrem Smith told the group he grew up in a family where he knew what it was like to "run into the loving arms of a loving dad."

"Everyone doesn't have that experience. Many live in a world where they don't see or feel love. But the Heavenly Father says, 'I love you, I have marked you and have a purpose for your life.'

"God's love is free for all of us, to change us and to give us a new identity," Smith declared. "When God's love is bestowed on us, we are a changed life."

He said an impala, an African deer with spiral horns - not the automobile - has the ability to jump almost 15 feet from a standing position, and when the animal is running can jump and land as much as 30 feet in front of where he started. Yet, Smith noted, the animals are contained by a three-foot wall at the Minneapolis Zoo. He explained their containment is successful behind the short wall because the animals won't jump if they can't see where they will land.

He asked the youth and their leaders, "What is the three-foot wall that is keeping your purpose and mission in life from being realized?" Smith encouraged them to "get over the wall and don't let the enemy keep you from doing what God has called you to do. With God's love you can go higher and further than ever before!"

Smith told the students God marked the lives of young biblical heroes such as Josiah, Samuel, Esther and David to do incredible things for Him, adding the Bible says one young hero - David - killed a lion that was trying to steal a sheep.

Smith said the principle to learn from the biblical story is that "all of us have lions and we need to allow God to help us deal with them and take them out."

He asked the students to identify the lions - temptations or evil forces - in their lives and to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through them to defeat those lions. "Don't be nice to the lions in your life," Smith said, "because lions have no place in your life."

During the conference, Daryl Watts, California Southern Baptist Convention youth and family ministry specialist who heads coordination of the event, had his beard shaved and his mustache painted fluorescent green by text "vote" of the students. He told them, "I now bear the mark of Tsunami and people will be able to see it."

Watts challenged students and their leaders to "bear the mark of Jesus Christ so people can see it."

The conference concluded with Watts asking, "How will you show the mark of Jesus Christ in 2010 so people will see the difference He has made in your life and how He can make that same difference in theirs?"

Tsunami 2010 is slated for Dec. 27-29 in Long Beach. For more information visit www.studentwave.com.