What message to teenagers?

Years ago I noticed that the church youth weren't learning some things that seemed fairly important—such as what the real differences and similarities were among denominations. So, I wrote a book to correct this, about the background for the faith. I gather from the lack of responses from test readers that it is not a page turner.

I did not feel as though I was the best person to write about how to live a Christian life (physician, heal thyself). But over time I've learned a few things, even when my applications of them aren't entirely thorough.

Suppose I was given time for a short talk to the youth groups. And imagine for the moment that they weren't distracted (fat chance, I know). What would they most need to hear?

No doubt that's very individual. Still, some things should not be surprises—and they often are.

1. There is often a dark night of the soul. There can be days, months, years of silence. Do not doubt in the darkness what you saw in the light.
2. Suffering is not abolished, but transformed. All God's children got troubles, and the more you love, the more people can hurt you. And somehow you come closer to God as you enter into His suffering.
3. God often wants us to wait. Moses didn’t appear on the scene to lead the Israelites to freedom right away, and even when he did try, he had to back off for another 40 years. Jesus didn't show up full grown. Get ready and wait. Persevere.
4. Joy and love have lots of imitators, and sometimes only time or stress distinguishes the fakes from the real. Or you can learn from the experiences of people who made those mistakes. "Good time lovers" don’t love you. The thrills of a youth group activity aren't really joy and the happy feelings from a concert aren't love or the voice of the Holy Spirit. "Now you've left off preaching and gone to meddling."
5. Your lives are eaten up with amusements—and usually passive ones. You have more entertainments at hand in an average day than any but emperors did before—and at the end of the day what have you accomplished? Really. Jesus was pretty clear that God wants fruit from our lives. Maybe that will have been playing with the baby, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't watching videos all day or checking Facebook/Blogger every few minutes.
6. You are rich. Christianity has some warnings for the rich. Retail therapy is part of the deceitfulness of wealth.
7. Pop culture is lying to you about sex and money.
8. Silence is an important part of life. Do you have time for any?

They won't sit still for them all. What would you say first?