A humbling trip to work

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. "

Philippians 2:3-4

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I don't know about you, but I am still on an emotional high after this past Wednesday. We had a great night with all the new students and everything seemed to flow so well. In fact it's hard for me not to well up with pride. One thing I always remember when that happens is that I can't do anything without God and the people he has placed in my life. Everyone played a huge part in making the night run smoothly.

Two events this past week have really drove home the message of humility. The first was watching how students act during hangout time and in the service. If we all take Philippians 2:4 and apply it to the way we treat others when they come to church, then we will create a welcoming environment that people and students will want to come back to. If we care more about what we want, then that environment becomes uninviting. God wants the youth of Northeast Columbia to seek after his face and it's our job as believers to point them to that life changing relationship. That is why it is included in our mission statement.

The second event was last night at my home. I had a childhood friend that I hadn't seen in years come over for dinner. She brought her husband and family over and we spent the night talking about old times. After they left, my wife made the comment that I didn't do a very good job at asking them about themselves and what had been going on in their lives. I didn't think much about it at the time, but this morning while driving to work I realize that I do have a tendency to talk about everything from sports to what was on television last night and not really take the time to get to know the individual as a person. So I did the best thing I know to do and prayed. I prayed that God would help me be mindful of others. To ask people how things are going in their lives. People like it when you are interested in them. I'm not saying that I'm not interested in others, I just need to be more intentional about getting to know them.

Read Philippians 2:1-18 and learn how to imitate Christ's humility and then pray that God will help you put it into practice. Remember the only way to win someone over for Christ is to love them like Christ loves them.

See you Sunday!!!

Like a thief in the night….

Like a thief in the night….

It’s been an interesting week….a lot of stuff has been going on. The topic that God has put on my heart this week is ‘a thief in the night’. My boyfriend, Robert, some of you have met him at church, had his house broken into Monday evening – when we were having dinner at my house. The thieves stole his TV, his brother’s Wii (that was broken and he was planning to fix), a remote that he had fixed up to work as a mouse to control his computer via his tv, they broke glass and kicked in a door. He and I were talking about how it’s a creepy thought to think that people waited for him to leave, broke a window in the back of the house and let themselves in. Then they wandered through his house, they went through the bedrooms, looking for money and/or jewelry. Who knows how long they were inside. We wondered if his car had been there would they have still tried to come in…probably not…but sometimes with a weapon they will. What would have happened if Robert had come home while they had been in the house.

I’m actually going to look at this topic from two sides…one being how we need to be ready for Satan’s sneaky ways and the second being how Jesus will ‘come like a thief’ upon His return to reclaim the earth.

Read 2 Peter 3

My bible study group just started a study called Arm Yourself Against the Enemy’s Schemes…When Godly People Do Ungodly Things. We’re only a week into the study but, man, is it good. It really is in line with what God has been telling me. The thing is…I’m still struggling….and I’m a little scared. I like to know what will happen and when. When I go to the dentist, they need to tell me exactly what they are goign to do before they do it...that way i can be prepared.

A lot of people believe that we are getting close to Jesus’ return, like, could be in-our-lifetime-on-earth close. Even if it is 'close' we still don't know exactly when. Sometimes that lack of knowing causes us to get complacent. Satan, who has had temporary power over the earth, knows that his time to reign is coming to an end…and he’s not happy about it. He’s acting like a big baby and making a big mess, and turning over tables, and putting a fight while he can until Jesus takes that power back – because He is the true, one and only Prince….King of Kings…Lord of Lords. We’re kind of stuck in the middle, in this time where Satan is attacking more than ever. But, if we believe this then we should have more faith and strength to have God driven, Christ centered decisions.

We can no longer just be living this life like tomorrow will always be here…I pray that we, as a youth group of the church of Christ, live each day knowing that Satan will attack…and being ready for it. God gives us warnings, in the Bible, about Satan’s tactics, but we need to be knowledgeable. We also need to know what the Bible teaches about how God can help us in these attacks. However, we need to also remember….there is light at the end of the tunnel, we can see it…it’s not a mirage…God promised it to us….so we need to live with hope, faith and passion in and for Christ.

What to do now.

Something that ive noticed the past three years that ive been a Christian (and really in the two months or so that ive been writing for the blog), is that sometimes we can hear and feel the holy spirit working in us and we know just exactly what we need to do. Other times it seems strangely silent and we may feel a little bit lost. After examining the issue on a personal level ive come down to two reasons as to why this occurs. The first and most obvious is that sometimes we allow things into our lives that while they dont seem bad at first are actually changing us in subtle ways that prevent us from hearing what the spirit has to say.

The other way and something that ive been struggling with recently is that sometimes the sheep, or the children need to tackle something on their own for a little bit. Not to say that God leaves us alone because thats just not the case, but children cant always were floaties in the pool and they cant keep the training wheels on forever. When I first started writing the blog I would feel very strongly about some topic or some verse for several days before i would even write it down and I knew for sure that that was what i was supposed to write on. Then other weeks (mostly the weeks that ive missed) i didnt really feel overly strong about anything in particular and then the time to write came up and it became convenient to forget because I didnt want to have to work to find the message i was supposed to write about. I didnt want to have to take the time. Well that was my mistake and for those missed posts I apoligize.

The path will not always be clear and sometimes it will seem like we have to make very tough decisions on our own and it can be anything from a blog topic or, who to date, or if you should tell a little lie to your parents, it could even be as big as if you need to quit your job or maybe even move. Decisions like these can be difficult, especially if you feel like your not being listened too. But always remember that God hears your prayers its just that sometimes he remains quiet because he knows whats best for us all of the time, because we dont almost all of the time.

P.S, When you feel like your not being listened to always remember theres this crazy book that God left here on earth called the Bible. Maybe he's being quiet because it time for you to spend more time in its pages than you have been, for me i think thats exactly what it is (if you noticed i havnt posted a verse on here in awhile).

Take a minute to read these three verses and maybe if your in a spot where you feel like God's being strangely quiet then maybe these words will encourage you.

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:19

'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. ' Isaiah 41:10

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

This Little Light of Mine.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

John 8:12

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This week the elementary students went to Camp Kid Jam in Anderson. As part of my role to pray for the kids at camp, I was given a dry erase pen to write on my mirror in the bathroom. That way every morning I would be reminded to pray for certain kids and things. I picked the pen up last night and it had the words "Chase the Light" along with "John 8:12" written on it. That was the theme for this years camp.

When we think about light, things like the sun, light bulbs and flashlights come to mind. Without these things the world would be dark. In a dark world we wouldn't be able to survive. Plants and people need light to grow. Things can't grow and thrive in darkness. We frequently associate darkness with bad things such as depression, fear and of course Satan himself. In fact surveys by health organizations even equate high suicide rates to areas that are usually rainy and dark.

Several years ago DC Talk had a song called "In the Light". The lyrics say "I want to be in the light, as you are in the light. I want to shine like the stars in the heavens. Oh lord be my light and be my salvation. All I want is to be in the light." Psalm 27:1 reads, "The Lord is my light and my salvation." If you are in Christ and Christ in you then you also are in the light. If you remember, Illuminate has a verse that we associate with and it's Matthew 5:16, "let your light shine before men."

Spend some time thinking about these verses and then ask yourself these questions. 1) Am I in the light? and 2) Am I letting that light shine before men?

Have a great weekend and see you Sunday!!!

The battle wages on...

Ok...so I really love when God puts themes in my life. I love to know He's there and feel His presence by these 'God sightings' (to put it in Nick@Night terms) that have a consistent theme. So the theme right now...what the Holy Spirit has been urging me to pray about for my small group (including myself), and for you - the youth, and what Pastor John spoke about on Sunday, and what I just read about in Josh's blog...is Spiritual Warfare.

When I was a younger Christian I was afraid of this idea...that fear caused me to believe it didn't exist. For some number of years up through college, I didn't beleive the devil existed. I actually thought - yes, there is a God...but there is no devil. It's nicer and prettier that way...and easier. Just because we ignore something it doesn't make it do away or not exist. It means, especially if it's something like Spiritual Warfare, that we simply and surely will not be ready when it attacks.

Read Ephesians 6:10-18.

We need to stand strong IN GOD....not far away from Him...not near Him when we feel like it. we are only safe when we are with God. This battle wages all the time. It doesn't sleep...satan's wariors don't take breaks. Therefore, our standing in God and our preparedness for this battle must not take breaks. Because as soon as we get slack - that's when satan makes contact and we are wounded. Our souls will forever be scarred by the sins we commit. I'm not certain how that plays out in eternity - because God will still forgive us - thanks to Jesus' blood - and His will will still be done. I just know that with our sins - when we deviate from God - comes consequences.

First we need to recognize the war is real.
Second we need to realize we are in it - whether we want to be or not.
Third we need to take it seriously and prepare mentally and spiritually for this war. To be ready for battle.
Fourth we need to live our lives each second - ready for the emeny to attack and knowing and having faith that God is more powerful and has already won.

We are fighting for the winning side - we need to live like it.

The chance to shine

fSo an interesting story about something that happened to a friend Christians do, they figured that since they were planning on getting married that little slips in the physical aspect of their relationship would be ok. They were not having sex or anything but they were struggling nonetheless. So at one point they get convicted and realize that what they have been doint is lying to themselves in order to get what they wanted. So they sat down and rededicated themselves to remaining pure. So these two do really well for a while they remain strong and whenever one of them would slip up and take a step down that road the other one would be encouraging and remind them of their promise. Well fast forward a little bit and these two love birds go on a trip together to visit his mom. Things are goin great everyone is having a great time and then the second night rolls around and everyone is in the basement watching tv. Well his mom gets tired and goes upstairs to bed. The two young ones remain in a dark room completly free of supervision and with no chance of getting caught. But they continue to watch the movie and it ends around 1:30 or 2:00 in the morning. They clean the room up a bit and then start to head upstairs for their respective bedrooms. Thats when they realize that out of habit his mother had locked them downstairs whilst going to bed that night. So here we have two teenagers who have had issues with their physical relationship before locked downstairs together for an entire night. This could be a recipe for disaster however these two kids made the right choice. They looked around the basement scrounged up two incredibly uncomfortable and cold places to sleep and suffered through the night and the next morning with hurt necks, sore backs, and a definate need for more sleep. At any time they could have said oh well its cold so we should sleep together for some warmth or they could have just given into the tempation altogether and just thrown their promise out the window. But they didnt and that gets me to the point and the moral that I drew from this story.

We need to grow, its fine to struggle with things because we all struggle with something and there is always going to be an issue that will probably trip you up from time to time. However, if time and time again the same issue get in your way and if everytime your confronted with it you fail then something is wrong. There needs to be growth, there needs to come a time when your specific issue crops up and you say nope enough is enough because if that doesnt happen then i would question just how hard your trying to free yourself from the vice. The issue is that everyone at everytime when they are confronted with something can extracate themselves from it, almost everyone has cell phones so if you find yourself in a situation you know you shouldnt be in or that you know will tempt you then call somebody to either pick you up or in the event that thats not possible to just talk to you until that temptation has passed. As brothers and sisters (and that is what we are) no one should be afraid and no one should be upset to make or recieve a call from a friend who is in need no matter what the time of day is. So just today id like to challenge you to just take a quick moment and evaluate if you've grown recently. Have you allowed your spiritual life to stagnate, have you taken steps to fight your specific issue. There is always another option there is always a way out all I ask if for you to look at yourselves and find out if your choosing to give in or if your looking for the way out, what you do with the answer that you fiind is between you and God.

Communicating with Him

"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well"

James 5:15a

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Well it's been a couple of weeks now since my last blog and I am ready to jump back in. For those of you that have been attending Illuminate over the past few weeks you know that we have been talking about spiritual disciplines. This past Wednesday we talked about prayer. I have to admit that my prayer life could be alot better. I, like so many others, struggle to fit prayer into my daily routine.

When my wife and I don't take the time to communicate with one another, we start to have troubles. Communication is a huge part of a marriage. It's what helps two people get to know one another and to grow closer. Prayer is the most important part of being in a relationship with Christ. Prayer is our way of communicating with Him and getting to know him. Without prayer we will fall away from God and trouble sets in.

The other night I asked the students to pray for a friend of mine's daughter. She was scheduled for brain surgery on Thursday. I found out later that they had to postpone it because of illness. As I continue to pray for her, I am reminded of some verses in the book of James.

Read James 5:13-20

Take note of how James tells the reader that prayer must be accompanied by faith to be effective. Please continue to pray and I will see you on Sunday!!!

Getting Back to Basics

As some of you may have noticed, blogging was a little sparse in June. This wasn't by design, it just sort of happened. I know for me, work got crazy, life got crazy, planning and getting ready for Nick@Night happened, and I wasn't being told anything specific to write about by the Holy Spirit....so i just didn't write (probably because I wasn't really listening very closely anyway).

So as leaders; Fritts, Joe and I are going to get back on track with the blog. It's a commitment that I made to God last week and I'm making to you now.

So how did this happen? How did I get so caught up with 'life' that I didn't have time to write the blog? How did I get so caught up with life that I didn't have time to read the bible everyday and talk to God as well as listen to him throughout the day? How did I get so caught up with life that my number 1 priority (God) became 2 or 3?

My passion for God lost it's passion.

I didn't mean for it to happen...but it slowly did. But I'm not ok with that....and I want it to change. So how do I get back to a place where my life is focused on God...where I'm living for Him?

I need to get back to basics.

That passion I felt when I first came to know Him, at that point of my salvation, has lost it's brightness. So I'm going to return to the foundation of my faith - to put some mortar where the foundation has gotten a little weak...it's taken a beating from the trails of life. I'm coming to realize that it's ok to have to return to the foundation and make some repairs. There's no point in beating myself up about it. I just need to do what it takes to get the foundation strong again.

We're never too spiritually mature to reflect back on the foundation of what it means to be a Christ follower. Let's, together, take a look at the basics...

read John 3:11-21

God sent us Jesus to give us hope and a future. We are all sinners and without Jesus we are all destined to an eternity separated from God - since God cannot have sin in his presence. If we believe that Jesus is the son of God sent as our sacrifice to cleanse us of our sin - wash our hearts clean - then we may have an eternal life with God in heaven. Jesus is an example of how we should live our lives - but God still forgives us when we don't live that way, that is...if we believe that previous sentence. We were and are in a world filled with sin. Jesus came to save us - and many of us reject him because we are so content with our sin - but God offers so much more. He offers true contentment. He offers true happiness. Not that it will always be easy - but as least we'll be living a life with love and fulfillment ...and a future...rather than a life of deceit and empty promises. Verse 21 made me challenge myself with this: I'm a christian....let's make sure I'm living that way!

So where do you stand? What do you believe? Do you believe it with your heart and are you living it out? If not...get back to basics. It's ok. It's between you and God. He loves you. He forgives you.