What an awesome thing it is to see God move and stir in hearts. I don't want to say too much as I think it minimizes it...but parents, ask your students if they saw God moving at the annex tonight (6/29). Tonight we had a "Prayer Party" of sorts, to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of our Youth Ministry Prayer Team. Chuck shared a great devotion for the students tonight. He really highlighted some of the biggest issues we deal with that distract us from our prayer lives. I know it sounds crazy... but tonight our pastor said that he wanted to see these teenagers become rebellious. Sound crazy? Have you ever heard a pastor tell teens that he wants to see teens rebel. Don't get too worked up, as I am absolutely in full agreement. Again, ask your teenager what Chuck meant by that...and then, please, please, please encourage them in their rebellion!
Thank all of you for your efforts and prayers and please, if you are not already a part of our prayer team please contact me or Sheila Wright about how you can join.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The Audacity
I have really been challenged recently by a book written by Steven Furtick called "Sun Stand Still". The gist of the book is that in today's world we could really use more of the audacious faith that Joshua displayed in Joshua 10:12&13 where he actually asks God to make the sun stand still in the sky and extend a day. When I read this I thought it so perfectly fit with the series that we are currently doing that I knew I had teach last night from Joshua 10. (it would be well worth your time to go read this account right now)
Live out an audacious faith and pray audacious prayers. This is basically what this whole "God of Wonders" series has been calling our students to do, and Joshua 10 shows, from Scripture that God approves of this thinking. There are some huge needs in our world today that are going to require some HUGE interventions from God. But the cool thing is that God apparently Big enough to do just that and answer some big requests. We talked a lot last night about the fact that most of us have never seen God move in ways that are similar to what we read about in scripture. Think about the miracles that you have seen...any of them look like the parting of the Red Sea, water turning to wine, manna falling from heaven, fire coming down from heaven to burn an alter, or the sun stopping in the sky for about a day. Why do we not see things like this? I am not minimizing the miracles we do see today... a child being born, a person healed from disease, someone surviving a horrific car accident...but, many miracles in scripture seem to look a bit different to me. Why? Maybe it is because we are not asking BIG things of God. That's what this series is all about. We have a Big God, who has the power (and I believe the desire) to do big things in some very difficult situations.
Think about it. These issues we are talking about (poverty, AIDS, human trafficking, the persecuted church) are setting up the perfect recipe for God to move. These issues are way to big for us to do anything about them...most of us have already succumbed to that fact and become apathetic already. Now God has the perfect opportunity to move mightily and intervene in miraculous ways so that only He can receive the glory that He deserves. Maybe he is just waiting for a generation of Christians to step forward in humility and obedience and ask some big, audacious things of God. It is my prayer that this generation might be that generation... if we will empower and encourage them to be.
Live out an audacious faith and pray audacious prayers. This is basically what this whole "God of Wonders" series has been calling our students to do, and Joshua 10 shows, from Scripture that God approves of this thinking. There are some huge needs in our world today that are going to require some HUGE interventions from God. But the cool thing is that God apparently Big enough to do just that and answer some big requests. We talked a lot last night about the fact that most of us have never seen God move in ways that are similar to what we read about in scripture. Think about the miracles that you have seen...any of them look like the parting of the Red Sea, water turning to wine, manna falling from heaven, fire coming down from heaven to burn an alter, or the sun stopping in the sky for about a day. Why do we not see things like this? I am not minimizing the miracles we do see today... a child being born, a person healed from disease, someone surviving a horrific car accident...but, many miracles in scripture seem to look a bit different to me. Why? Maybe it is because we are not asking BIG things of God. That's what this series is all about. We have a Big God, who has the power (and I believe the desire) to do big things in some very difficult situations.
Think about it. These issues we are talking about (poverty, AIDS, human trafficking, the persecuted church) are setting up the perfect recipe for God to move. These issues are way to big for us to do anything about them...most of us have already succumbed to that fact and become apathetic already. Now God has the perfect opportunity to move mightily and intervene in miraculous ways so that only He can receive the glory that He deserves. Maybe he is just waiting for a generation of Christians to step forward in humility and obedience and ask some big, audacious things of God. It is my prayer that this generation might be that generation... if we will empower and encourage them to be.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Slavery Today
Continuing in our series on "Our God of Wonders", this week we looked at what many are now calling the fastest growing crime in the world, the modern day slave trade and human trafficking. There are currently about 27 million people held captive around the world as slaves. That is more than at any other time in history. 80% of those people are women and half of them are children. This issue involves slavery of all different kinds. Many are laborers in an endless variety of industries. Some, mostly children in Africa, are abducted and forced to serve as soldiers under barbaric regimes. Some, actually the vast majority of slaves around the world today are held in the sex-trade. This is a huge business said to be around $32 billion a year. That was $32 billion...with a "b". To put that in perspective, it is more than the yearly profits of Google, Nike and Starbucks combined!
Even more significant in this issue than just the shear vastness of it...is the fact that each of these 27 million slaves are precious, individual lives...most of which are helpless to improve their own situation. They are in dire need of help. Can we just ignore this issue? Can we just ignore these women and children? For how long? But how can we help? We discussed three organizations that are trying to inform people about this issue and help some of these people get out of these situations and start new lives. Chack them out if you can: 1) Takenoglory.com 2) wellspringliving.org 3) Olivia's Song (info on Facebook and Vimeo)
As with each week of this series we have looked at another issue that is so big, we could never impact it on our own. We would have to have a big God intervene on our behalf. Do we really believe that our God is that big? The even bigger question though, that I asked our students is..."Are you willing to surrender your life and ask God to use you as His vessel to greatly impact this issue?"
Even more significant in this issue than just the shear vastness of it...is the fact that each of these 27 million slaves are precious, individual lives...most of which are helpless to improve their own situation. They are in dire need of help. Can we just ignore this issue? Can we just ignore these women and children? For how long? But how can we help? We discussed three organizations that are trying to inform people about this issue and help some of these people get out of these situations and start new lives. Chack them out if you can: 1) Takenoglory.com 2) wellspringliving.org 3) Olivia's Song (info on Facebook and Vimeo)
As with each week of this series we have looked at another issue that is so big, we could never impact it on our own. We would have to have a big God intervene on our behalf. Do we really believe that our God is that big? The even bigger question though, that I asked our students is..."Are you willing to surrender your life and ask God to use you as His vessel to greatly impact this issue?"
Sunday, September 12, 2010
What We Are Talking About
For the last 4 weeks we have been going through a series called "The Wonders of God". The first week we looked at several scriptures (Job 38-41, Psalm 113, Psalm 145,) that talked about what a wondrous God we serve. We focused on Deuteronomy 10:21 which says, "He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome works your eyes have seen." (HCSB) The Israelites had seen many times and situations where they needed a great and mighty God to come and act because the strength and works of man would not have been sufficient. They asked for this, and according to this scripture they had seen His works with their own eyes.
I asked the students several questions. I asked them why they believe that our God is a mighty God of Wonders? Is it just because they have been told that? Or is it because they have read that in the Bible? Or is it because they have truly seen the wonders of God as the Israelites had? Do our lives reflect that we believe that our God is great and mighty? How?
Then I challenged the students with this question that will be the platform for the rest of this series... "If we really believed that our God was great would we not ask great things of Him?" What have we asked of God lately? For the next (and past) several weeks we will be looking at some of the incredibly difficult (even impossible) issues facing our world today and looking at it through the filter of this question. I want to present some information that maybe we don't hear about too often. I also want to present some of the people and organizations that are attempting to get involved in these issues...people that are truly asking great things of God!
We have already spent one week talking about poverty (hunger, poor sanitation, lack of drinking water, communicable disease, etc) around the world. Another week we talked about the persecuted church around the world and last week we talked about the impact of the AIDS epidemic around the world especially in Africa. The bottom line is that these issues are WAY to big for any of us to do anything about them. Because of that most people throw their hands in the air and ignore them. But, as Christians, if we do that what does that say about our beliefs about our God? Is He not big enough to impact these issues? Of course He is...and maybe, just maybe, He wants to use some of us...even our teens... as His vessel to bring that impact into these issues.
We have talked about how God is using organizations like ONE, WorldVision, and Feed the Hunger to make an impact on poverty. We talked about the underground church and how an organization like Voice of the Martyrs is making a huge impact for these people. Last week we talked about how God is working (RED), AIDSLink and Mike and Carolyn Ennis with Rafiki Foundation, to shine the love of Christ into a horrific situation.
We will continue to look at some of these issues each week leading up to the Global Impact Celebration November 3rd-7th. It is my prayer that these students would see that our world is full HUGE issues, but more importantly that our God is big enough to reach into those situations and make an impact through people that are willing to obey and surrender everything to Him. Are we willing to ask Him to use us that way?
Remember, to check back each week as I will try to give you a synopsis (briefer than this) of what we are discussing on Wednesday nights.
I asked the students several questions. I asked them why they believe that our God is a mighty God of Wonders? Is it just because they have been told that? Or is it because they have read that in the Bible? Or is it because they have truly seen the wonders of God as the Israelites had? Do our lives reflect that we believe that our God is great and mighty? How?
Then I challenged the students with this question that will be the platform for the rest of this series... "If we really believed that our God was great would we not ask great things of Him?" What have we asked of God lately? For the next (and past) several weeks we will be looking at some of the incredibly difficult (even impossible) issues facing our world today and looking at it through the filter of this question. I want to present some information that maybe we don't hear about too often. I also want to present some of the people and organizations that are attempting to get involved in these issues...people that are truly asking great things of God!
We have already spent one week talking about poverty (hunger, poor sanitation, lack of drinking water, communicable disease, etc) around the world. Another week we talked about the persecuted church around the world and last week we talked about the impact of the AIDS epidemic around the world especially in Africa. The bottom line is that these issues are WAY to big for any of us to do anything about them. Because of that most people throw their hands in the air and ignore them. But, as Christians, if we do that what does that say about our beliefs about our God? Is He not big enough to impact these issues? Of course He is...and maybe, just maybe, He wants to use some of us...even our teens... as His vessel to bring that impact into these issues.
We have talked about how God is using organizations like ONE, WorldVision, and Feed the Hunger to make an impact on poverty. We talked about the underground church and how an organization like Voice of the Martyrs is making a huge impact for these people. Last week we talked about how God is working (RED), AIDSLink and Mike and Carolyn Ennis with Rafiki Foundation, to shine the love of Christ into a horrific situation.
We will continue to look at some of these issues each week leading up to the Global Impact Celebration November 3rd-7th. It is my prayer that these students would see that our world is full HUGE issues, but more importantly that our God is big enough to reach into those situations and make an impact through people that are willing to obey and surrender everything to Him. Are we willing to ask Him to use us that way?
Remember, to check back each week as I will try to give you a synopsis (briefer than this) of what we are discussing on Wednesday nights.
Friday, September 10, 2010
New Focus
One of the big things that God has shown me in my time in youth ministry is that it should really be thought of as family ministry. God has just really convicted me that there needs to be more focus on parents and specifically encouraging, challenging and assisting them in their call to disciple their children. One of the ways that I want to try and do this is through this blog. I want to try and incorporate more time "blogging" for you parents. Not everything they I put on here will be for you but much of it will. On Thursday or Friday of each week I will try to give a little synopsis of what we studied at BNX on Wednesday night. This has two purposes. The obvious first purpose is just to "keep you in the loop". But a second more important purpose is that hopefully this will give you guys some platforms from which to start some discussions with your kids. I think we have a tendency to sometimes make the process of discipling our kids more difficult and daunting than it should be. We don't have to be Biible scholars and theologians to disciple them. We really just need to love them and have a willingness to talk to them about our lives and theirs. We need to talk to them about how God is working in our own life and how that effects our thinking and our daily decision making processes. Hopefully this will help you with that sometimes.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
'Fake Christians'
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/27/almost.christian/index.html?hpt=T2
I have copied a link to an article that was sent to me that I thought was quite interesting. This is certainly something that I think needs our prayerful consideration...and our down right attention and focus! I want to really appeal to parents to read the part under the heading that reads... "How 'radical' parents instill religious passion in their children"
They offer some great points for us as parents to ponder. I must say though, that it struck me what they were refering to as "radical". As I thought about it I had to ask myself, is this really radical? Or is this just what the basic life of a Christian should look like. Sure, some decisions are certainly radical, but are we sometimes making things seem so extreme when they really don't need to be? Is it really that hard to explain to our kids why we do things and let them know that our daily decisions in life are influenced by our faith? Or maybe we need to be vulnerable and talk to them about the times that we did not let our faith influence a decision like it should. Is that really a "radical" concept for us? I hope not. It does not take a special book by James Dobson and a prescribed daily agenda for us to disciple our children. Live life, and share with them how God is impacting you each day. I guess in our culture today, that is a pretty radical concept.
I have copied a link to an article that was sent to me that I thought was quite interesting. This is certainly something that I think needs our prayerful consideration...and our down right attention and focus! I want to really appeal to parents to read the part under the heading that reads... "How 'radical' parents instill religious passion in their children"
They offer some great points for us as parents to ponder. I must say though, that it struck me what they were refering to as "radical". As I thought about it I had to ask myself, is this really radical? Or is this just what the basic life of a Christian should look like. Sure, some decisions are certainly radical, but are we sometimes making things seem so extreme when they really don't need to be? Is it really that hard to explain to our kids why we do things and let them know that our daily decisions in life are influenced by our faith? Or maybe we need to be vulnerable and talk to them about the times that we did not let our faith influence a decision like it should. Is that really a "radical" concept for us? I hope not. It does not take a special book by James Dobson and a prescribed daily agenda for us to disciple our children. Live life, and share with them how God is impacting you each day. I guess in our culture today, that is a pretty radical concept.
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