Send Me

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah 6:8

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Believe it or not Summer is right around the corner and that means summer camps, nick @ night and mission trips. Over the last five years I have taken several students to Myrtle Beach to help Lakewood Ministries in their continued efforts to spread the love of Christ throughout the campground. I have seen a lot of spiritual growth come out of this mission trip. As we prepare to once again head to the beach this August, I want to take a minute to ask you to pray about going on mission this summer. It doesn't have to be the beach trip, it can be as simple as a local mission or maybe even a foreign mission. Spend some quite time with God and ask Him where you can serve this summer. When God reveals where it is he wants you to go, don't hesitate, pack your bags and go!

Just Do It

Why is it that we are fearful when God asks us to do something? Why do we choose to sit back and stay in the norm rather than take advantage of this new opportunity? Why do we let that fear make decisions for us rather than the truth that God knows what's best for us?

I think it's fair to say that everyone - at one time or another/many - has had difficulty following a call that God has put on their life. I'm not talking just huge, crazy - move out of your parent's home and become a missionary in a country where you don't speak the language - callings, but even the small ones - go talk to the kid at school you saw crying in the hall, or telling your friend about your faith or defending God when your friends are talking badly about 'christianity', not gossipping when all of your friends are, helping your brother load the dish washer even though he would never help you.

The Holy Spirit puts these little urges in us. To show and share God's love. Yet, for some reason, we often say 'No'....'I must be confused'....'that can't be the Holy Spirit'.... I think if we said 'yes' to each of those opportunities when they arise - we would feel a sense of contentment that God intends for us to feel when we are inline with His will for us.

Satan lures us to resist those opportunities - he doesn't want us to feel that pure happiness that we find when we are doing what God designed us to do...he helps us come up with 'really good excuses'. Cause once we do seize those opportunities and find that peace and joy of the Lord....we won't stop....and Satan has one more huge enemy that will be working with God to show His love.

Read Romans 12: 1-8. Be a Living Sacrifice to God...not a pawn of satan.

So I leave you with this....listen for what God is telling you to do....don't ignore it.....then 'just do it'.

Busy Busy week!

Good Monday morning to all of you. Some of you know that I am in the field with my Soldiers this week and might not be around my computer very much the next couple of days. I'm excited about Wednesday night though. It is going to be a great night. So for the next couple of days I decided to leave the readings up to you. But here's the stipulation. You have to read one chapter out of Psalms, one chapter out of Proverbs and one out of the book of Romans. It is a free for all on those. So for the next two days read a chapter out of those three books each day!! If you get stuck or need guidance just write a comment on here and one of us will help guide you. Enjoy the reading!!!!! See you guys Wednesday night!!!

*josh

I have faith, how 'bout you?

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?"

James 2:14

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Have you showed anyone your faith today? That might be a hard question for some of us to answer. You may think to yourself, how can I show someone something that is inside of me? Well it's pretty simple if you think of faith and deeds together. You see if you are in the faith, then your actions and deeds should exemplify your love for Christ. James 2 talks about this very thing. James tells us that faith without deeds is dead, meaning not alive. 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. So take a few minutes and read James 2 and meditate over these verses, then ask God to show you what true faith looks like.

Have a great weekend!!!

Did you hear that?

Hey guys and gals!! I feel like I haven't seen you all in ages...a week can really feel like a long time. Well, I'm excited we'll all be back together again for Illuminate tonight.

I've written before about themes that God puts in my life and speaks to me about. The most recent theme is one on 'hearing God through everything'. It started last week when I went to my friend's church service. Their pastor talked about how Moses went over to the burning bush and listened to God speak (Exodus 3:1-10)....when most of us would have gotten a hose to put the fire out...or simply would have walked away...too busy keeping track of our sheep. I'm reading a book called 'Windows of the Soul' by Ken Gire. Kind of a 'trippy' title, but really is a good book so far.

If we are longing for a relationship with God (which we all are, we just may not have admitted it to ourselves yet...and try to fill that desire with things of this world...which will always leave us unfulfilled) we need to listen for the ways in which He communicates with us. I am reminded of Psalm 46:10 'Be still and know that I am God'...we need to understand that God is omni-present - meaning He is everywhere - and is always communicating with us - every second of every day. How often do you hear Him? How often are you listening?

God can teach us and mold us through every event. We say we want to be like Jesus....Jesus looked deeper...read Luke 21:1-4 about the widow's offering. Most people at that temple only heard a small clink and thought that she didn't give much back to God...but Jesus saw that she gave more (as a percentage) than most...her tithe truly required trust in God - that He would provide food for her. Jesus listened for more than the click of coins to see her generosity. He looked at the women - saw what God saw - that she gave all she had.

I pray that God gives each of us His eyes to see what He sees and ears to listen to what is it that He would teach us in each situation we encounter.

Take a second look, take a second listen, don't be too busy to learn something from each situation that you encounter....no matter how simple it initially seems.

Isaiah....

So a lot of times we read only New Testament stuff or Psalms and Proverbs. tonight let's take a look at the book of isaiah. there are two chapters in there that i really like. tonight read Isaiah 6 and Isaiah 26. both have made huge impacts on my life from the time i was a teenager to now. it will take a little longer than a usual monday night devotional but read, pray and enjoy!!

*josh

Do you care?

"Better is open rebuke than hidden love"

Proverbs 27:5

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Have you guys ever saw a friend or family member do something you knew was wrong. Maybe it was something that would not be pleasing to God. Throughout the bible God tells us how to live holy and pleasing. He also says that it is better to openly tell someone they are wrong then to ignore the situation. This is what the verse above is telling us. But please be warned, you must do this out of love. Easier said then done. God commands us to love one another. How can you love someone if your not willing to help them spiritually. If you see someone doing something wrong go to them speak with them about it and let them know you care about them.

Read Galatians 2:14

See you Sunday.

John 2

So tonight let's continue on with our journey through the book of John. I decided to use this book because we have a lot of younger Christians in the youth group and i think it would be best for us to look at the life of Jesus Christ to help us understand fully why we believe in Him the way we do. Enjoy it and spend time in prayer over what you've read tonight. I'm excited about sunday morning. See you all there!

*josh

Illuminate TONIGHT!!!

So Monday's post was supposed to say take the next two nights and read through John 1. We are about to embark on a journey of the book of John tonight. I'm so excited to worship with and speak to you guys/gals tonight at Illuminate! God did a lot this past weekend at the event I lead worship at and my heart is about to explode with all that God did. Tonight will be so awesome!! Bring your 'A' game if you plan to play football with everyone. HA!!! See you all there!!!

*josh

John 1

Hey guys Josh asked me to write and tell everyone to read John 1 tonight. He will be preaching on these verses Wednesday. See you all at Illuminate.

Why am I doing this?

"So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today - to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul - then I will send rain on your land in its season."

Deuteronomy 11:13-14a

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Isn't it funny how when your sitting around feeling down, God sends you a little note or sign that gives you a whole new perspective on the situation. That happened to me today. I have been pondering the question, "Why am I doing this?", over the last few weeks. The "this" is Youth ministry. I won't lie to you, there are times when I just want to give up and that's when God steps in. You see sometimes I let it get to me when I see youth make mistakes or stop coming to church or act in a way that is not pleasing to God. I have to keep reminding myself that I was a teenager once. But regardless the question still pops up every now and again. And then God shows up. The passage above was part of a devotion I get from Purpose Driven. The devotion talked about serving God with all your heart and that means serving God with your passion. My passion for the last six years has been youth ministry. These verses remind me that if I serve this ministry with my whole heart and serve him passionately, then the rain (in this case blessings) will come in His own timing not mine. So your probably wondering why I am writing this. Well I simply wanted to give you an example of how God talks to me and let you know that He wants so desperately to have a relationship with you. Just a little word of encouragement from me to you. If somethings bothering you or somethings got you down, open up God's word and let him talk to you today. Love you guys and I thank God for putting you in my life. Have a great weekend and hope to see you on Sunday.

God's Plan is to Rescue Us from Sin

Sorry this is so late....but a reminder that it won't just be the youth tonight....we have the North Point After Dark service. Be there by 6:30...but you can still come hang out beforehand :)

It's really crazy all of things God has been showing me lately. It's almost overwhelming to try to keep all of it straight in my head. So now I get to see which one God wants me to share with you in this blog...and the winner is...God's plan is to rescue us from sin.

Read Psalm 91.

When we hear of great stories of God coming to the rescue it seems as if He always gives us just what people want - the end of the story is happy for everyone - man, women, child and dog. I believe that is true at times - a happily ever after ending - but it also needs to be understood that sometimes rescue looks different than we think it will look. God has the ability to rescue us with miracles or just as our heart desires, but that's not his ultimate goal. His goal is help us grow spiritually - however that may look. We may grow in faith through waiting. We may grow in humbleness through failing a class or losing a job. I think God is not focused on the outcomes or the results, but is focused on what we learn during the journey...and that learning who He is...how much He loves us....and that we can trust in Him IS the rescue. Knowing who God is and how much He loves you will pull you away from sin.

v. 14a "Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him."

Also read Micah 7: 18-20

Do You Know God Loves You?

so today this thought has been on my mind for a friend of mine and i decided to share it with you. you know in this world we all seek acceptance from others. whether or not we want to admit it, we all want to be loved by someone. and in that seeking of love from friends and relationships we forget that God loves us more than anyone in this world ever could. here is a simple scripture for you to read tonight and just think about. as you pray i pray that God reveals His complete love for you. the Bible is full of scriptures on God's love so take the initiative and look in the back under the word 'love' and read other scriptures along with this one. Just remember that God knows right where you're at and holds your every moment in His hands!!! JESUS loves you and His love NEVER fails!!!

Ephesians 3:17 . . . I pray that you . . . (18) may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, (19) and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.