Man, Am I Angry

"In your anger do not sin"

Ephesian 4:26a

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What a simple but powerful verse. I was checking my Facebook the other night and came across a statement posted by a former student. It absolutely floored me. I couldn't believe that they would write something like that. Later in the week I saw this person online and started a conversation with them. It seems the reason for their language was due in part by the fact that a friend of theirs is dying. I don't know all the details about this particular case, but it reminded me of a song that I heard back when I was in college. I went to a concert and this band was the opening act. Let me preface this with saying that this was during my before Christ days. Anyway, the lead singer told the story of why she wrote this song. It was because she had a friend that had died and she was angry. In the song she basically cursed God. Needless to say their career didn't last too long. I wonder why.

In James 1:2, Paul writes "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." The key word in this passage is "whenever". This means you will face trials, not you may face trials. God measures your heart buy the way you handle those trials when they come. He also uses them to mold you into the person he wants you to be. I'm not saying that it's wrong to get angry, but if you sin out of your anger, then that's wrong.

Further Reading

James 1: 1-18

Have a great weekend and like always I'll see you Sunday.

Philippians

So today i really latched onto Philippians 3:12-21.  read it in your translation of the Bible then go to www.biblegateway.com and read it in THE MESSAGE version of the Bible.  very awesome to see the way it's put into our terms.  enjoy this and let it help push your walk tonight!

*josh

Will you be my fwend?

This weekend - in going through the study at D-now - the topic of accountibility partners arose. I told the girls I'd love to see for a strong accountibility program within the youth group - where each person is matched up with someone or maybe 2 people and we have a time before service - where we can talk with our friends about how our walks with Christ are going....struggles we may be having...etc. If you aren't a christian yet, you can be paired with someone who you can go to with questions that you may have.

Read Galations 6: 1-2. We all stumble, we all fall....we need someone who loves us to be there to let us know - through the love of Christ (rather than judgement) - that we need to take a U-turn, hop on a different train, take a different path. Also, take a look at Hebrews 10:24. We need to be there for one another - to encourage one another - guide each other to live our lives for Christ.

Read John 3:19-21. One of the main benefits that I have seen in accountibility partners is the ability to talk about sins that we struggle with. Sin is dark. It grows in us when we keep it inside. Yet, when we talk about it - with a person who we trust and we know cares about us - we expose that sin to light. It takes away power that the sin had. When we talk about it - we are admitting it's a problem....we are saying that we want to make a change.....we are saying that we want Christ to help us. Christ is the perfect solution to a dark sin. Christ is light and has the power to wash it away.

So....think about it. Pray about it. Would you be interested in having an accountibility partner? Let me know.

See you all at Illuminate tonight :)

Great Weekend

So Disciple Now was a blast!! i had to rest yesterday because if i didn't i was going to explode! haha. well i know we all had a great time and learned a lot on what it looks like to focus on our walks with the Lord. i'll be posting up pictures later on this week from the weekend. i haven't even had time to put them on my computer yet. but tonight look at reading Joshua 1. i know a lot of times we read Psalms or new testament stuff but tonight look at that chapter and see if anything jumps out at you. I love reading the old testament because it shows the faith of those that didn't even have Jesus to rely on yet because He hadn't been born yet. Love you guys and see you tomorrow night!

*josh

D-Now is this weekend!

So i'm really excited that our 2009 Disciple Now begins tomorrow. The concert, our Bible studies, Finley Park and our saturday night at North Point will be great!!! Tonight pray that God open your mind and your heart to all that He has to share with you this weekend. Read over Colossians 3 tonight and also read Psalm 138. Two great chapters to focus on the Lord and your hearts before we really learn what Focus means in our lives. See you at North Point tomorrow at 4:30!!

*josh

With Great Forgiveness....Comes Great Responsibility!

Ok....so I love Spiderman. I might as well just come right out and say it - based on the title of today's blog.

A few days ago in my devotional I read 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1. This section is titled 'Believer's Freedom' in the NIV. Read these verses. Think on them for a few minutes. Ask God to show you what they mean. After that, read what I write below and see how it aligns with what God spoke to you about.

Thanks to Christ, everything is different than the time before his life. We now live under the 'new covenant'. What that means is we don't live under the 'law' that way God's people did in the time of the old testament. Thanks to Jesus, we have been forgiven of all sins - and we all have a long list. The laws are not the rules to please God - but His guidance to us on how to remain under His umbrella of protection. Based on that - some may say, 'well....technically, I'm going to be forgiven anyway...so why not just do this thing - that I know I shouldn't do - and repent later'. The verses above are the reason not to think that way.

With great forgiveness, comes great responsibility. God has forgiven us of every sin we have ever committed and every sin we will commit in the future. However, if we truly are thankful to God for such an unbelievably gracious gift...should we not ask Him how we can show Him thanks and gratitude? If we do - He'd say - 'show others the love I have for you...the protection I offer you...be an example of my way...the way Jesus was an example for you." Paul urges the people of Corinth to be considerate and not cause others to stumble. As Christians - we should be proud, trustful, and thankful of God's way - and our lives should be a walking example of that. When we choose the path of temptation, we are saying that God's way is only good some of the time - and our friends, brothers, sisters, parents, kids that look up to us at church - might think, 'well, I guess God's way isn't the only way'. We don't want to live that lie. No one said it'd be easy. But it certainly will be rewarding - when we can look at the face of God and He will say to us: 'Well done, good and faithful servant!' Mathew 25:21

See you at Illuminate tonight!! Hope everyone is signed up for D-Now....it's going to be great!

Blog Was Down Yesterday!~!

Okay, so i tried and tried yesterday to put up the blog but it wouldn't let me type. But apparently this morning the box is open to write in. How was everyone's weekend? I had a blast relaxing before our big weekend coming up this week with our Disciple Now upon us. If you are attending it start to look at what FOCUSING your life means to you. That will be our topic of study this weekend. Just focusing on our walks with Christ...if there is even a relationship with Christ at all in your life. So tonight study and focus on what being a new creation in Christ is all about. Read Colossians 3 tonight. It's a little lengthy but take your time with it and write down things that stand out that you are doing right, you are doing wrong and that you aren't doing at all in your life. Love you guys and i will see you at Illuminate tomorrow night!!

*josh

Show Me Some Love

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders, make the most of every opportunity."

Colossians 4:5

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I saw a video one time that showed a man outside a Marilyn Manson concert screaming at the kids going in. He was quoting scripture and condemning their acts in a violent tone. I thought to myself, "self, I wonder how many souls where won over to Christ by this man." Probably none, if fact I would venture to say that he probably drove people further away. Do you know people like this? I have said it before and I'll say it again, how can I expect to win you over if I treat you any different then I would anyone else? This is why the bible says "Love your neighbors as yourself." Use kind words when speaking to others. Show them the love that was shown by Christ himself. Colossians 4:6 tells us, "Let your conversation be always full of grace." This is an area we all need work in, even me.

Further Reading

Colossians 4:2-6

Galatians 5:13-15

See you Sunday!

The Thursday Low Down

What a great turn out last night! I really enjoyed hanging out with all of you before and after Illuminate. i loved that it was warm enoug for all of us to get outside for a bit last night and for some of us to play a little football. Well, as you remember, Thursday blogs are just a recap of the scriptures we read through the night before at Illuminate. You've got two chapters to read tonight. First go back and recap, like we did last night, last week to help this week make some sense. So read 1 Corinthians 13. Then turn over and read Psalm 37:3-7. We talked about how the love of God never fails and how we need to learn to trust in Jesus and be patient on His timing. enjoy your reading tonight and see if anything new jumps out at you!!

*josh

And you think you're busy!?!?!

I often leave for work in the morning and don't make it home until 9 or 10 at night - just enough time to go to bed and do the same thing the next day. I'd say I'm a pretty busy person. There's always something going on. Granted, I do accept the invitations and I'm not saying that my friends club me over the head and drag me to these events. It's something that I enjoy doing...hanging out my friends and spending time with them. I had this issue, a few months ago, of having difficulty making time for God each day. My alarm would go off and I'd jump out of bed with just enough time to take a shower and make it to work - then I was busy all day and didn't spend a lot of time talking with Him. God has been showing me over the last few months the importance of getting into the routine of giving time to Him each morning - to start my day off saying 'God, you are important to me - I know that I need you to get through my day.' My devotional this Sunday emphasized this point.

Read Mark 1:29-39.

These verses tell us about how Jesus - who had crowds of people following him around to see him, to hear him, to be healed by him - made time for God. Verse 35 tell us that 'In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.' Jesus knew that in order to get through his very important, very God focused day of serving others and teaching of God's love - he needed to get back on track with God each morning. To insure that he was doing God's will and not his own. Jesus made an effort to get up before everyone else...they were all cozy in their beds...and he got up...went to a quiet place...where he was without distraction and where he could focus on God...and he prayed. He spoke to God...He connected with his father. He didn't do it to put a tally mark on the board - he did it because he knew the importance of working on and putting effort into his relationship with God.

What a perfect example.

If Jesus had time and felt the need to do this in the morning...then who am I to think that I can get through my day not praying to God...or to say that I'm too busy? Do you want to live for God? Do you want to have Him guide you each day?

It may take sacrifices....losing a half hour of sleep in the morning, staying home on a Friday night to pray with God or do a devotional, or to volunteer your time to an organization when your friends are watching a movie....but ask yourself: Am I giving God the time I should give Him? Am I doing this because I truly am looking to improve my relationship with Him?

I pray that in asking these questions, the Holy Spirit will reveal things to you and truly change your heart to be passionate about God in an uncompromising way! See you all at Illuminate in a few hours :)

Are You Wise?

do you consider yourself to be a wise person? i know sometimes i feel like i know it all. but tonight take a look at what the Lord has to say about wisdom. in your quiet time tonight read James 3:13-18. don't just read it and be done. read it and think about what it says. think about how you live. think about your own walk with God. then spend time in prayer with Jesus.

Show me Your ways

Today, Psalm 25, came across my lap. it speaks of trusting in God and allowing Him to lead and guide you. Read this 22 verse chapter and see what God shows you today. And thank you to everyone for your prayers while i've been sick. I'm finally starting to feel better so your continued prayers are awesome!! Tomorrow's blog will be a little longer but enjoy Psalm 25 tonight!

*josh

Good Work

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:10

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I was watching an episode of the greatest TV show of all time (Heroes) the other night and one of the characters reiterated a quote he had made in a previous episode. "Did you ever feel like you were created for something extraordinary, but did know what?" Wow they really captured the essence of trying to figure out God's will for us. In Ephesians 2:10 we are told that we are created for something extraordinary. And that extraordinary something is good works. If we truly want to change our schools, community and world we must embrace the will of God and do the good works he has created for us. This means we must serve with a grateful heart that is full of love for others. I challenge you to pray and ask God to show you the good works he has created for you and then get out there and make a difference.

Further Reading:

Ephesians 2:1-10

Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Sunday.

Love?

so if you were at Illuminate last night you know i spoke on God's love. and how His love never fails even when everyone and everything around us seems to be going down. Tonight re-read 1 Corinthians 13 and dig a little deeper on your own about God's love and see if He shows you more than we talked about last night! Have a great night guys/gals!

*josh

God's Hands in Our Lives...to mold us...to shape us

Sometimes there isn't much of a point to try to reitterate something that was put so well. I'm going to add a link to a blog/journal from Mike from Tenth Avenue North. Please take the time to read it. I pray for each of the students and the leaders of Illuminate that we really be convicted to see the areas of our lives that aren't fully given to God. That God show us where our focus is - aside from Him - and that we give ourselves to Him to change that in us. God needs to be our everything!
http://tenthavenuenorth.com/blog/2009/02/03/chapter-6-break-me-down/

Don't Wanna Be Like Mike

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

Ephesians 5:15-16

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So if you have turned on the television or looked at a paper in the last couple of days, you have no doubtingly seen the story about Michael Phelps. The saddest part of the whole thing is that he was a role model for so many kids. People from all over, regardless of age, admired him and looked up to him. He has, because of a stupid mistake, let so many down. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to pass judgement on him. In fact it has made me ponder the question, am I living in a way that is pleasing to God? Pastor John's sermon this past Sunday dealt with becoming holy. He asked two questions: Do you want to be Holy? and Do you want to live like Christ? I hope the answer is yes. I know it is for me. So let us ask ourselves another question: Are we doing anything that would hurt our witness? If the answer is yes then I challenge you to stop, confess it to God, ask for forgiveness and don't do it anymore.

Further Reading:
1 Peter 1:13-19
Ephesians 5:1-21

Have a great night and see you at Illuminate tomorrow!

Also please be in prayer for Josh, he is not feeling well and his car is giving him a lot of trouble.