We are all Misfits

As I wrote in my last post, I love Christmas and all that there is about Christmas. I especially love all the Christmas specials. ABC Family has a ton of them every year in the 25 Days of Christmas so I record most of them and watch them over and over again my daughters.

One of my favorite Christmas specials is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Not only is it a classic Christmas special, but it has a great message as well.

Check out this clip and see what I'm talking about.

These "misfit" toys were stranded on the island with no hopes of ever being loved and cared for by someone else. That was until Santa came for them and delivered them on Christmas to the little boys and girls around the world.

In many ways, we are misfits too. We all have things about ourselves that we do not like or are proud of. We feel like misfits that no one could possibly love us for this or that.

BUT, the great news for us is that Christ was born, lived and died for all of us misfits.

John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

He saw our deficiencies and still came and died for us all. How great is that!?! Today and the rest of this holiday season, rejoice in the fact that we have a savior that loved us so much that despite our "misfit" qualities, he came down for us and offered us such hope.

If you have never taken a minute to accept the grace and hope of Christ, all you have to do is:

• Admit you have fallen short (Romans 3:23)
• Believe that Christ died for you (Isaiah 53:6, Romans 5:8 and Romans 6:23)
• Commit to following after Him (Romans 10:9-10)

Christ loves all of us no matter how much we feel like misfits. This Christmas season, rest in the hope and grace of Christ and let his love reign in your life.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thinking about Christmas

I love Christmas! It is by far my favorite time of the year. As soon as Thanksgiving is over and Black Friday begins, I love decorating the house, putting up the Christmas tree, listening to Christmas music and even SHOPPING! I know, shoot me, but I love the build up to Christmas.

The funny thing about my love for Christmas, though, is that as soon as Dec. 26th rolls around, I'm not so much into Christmas. I don't play Christmas music and I am already mapping out what decorations to take down and when to do them. I know, it's a bit silly.

Yesterday, I was reading a blog from my friend Barry Hill and he highlighted a group that started, I think, last year. It's called Advent Conspiracy. Take a minute and watch this video.

It has gotten me all fired up thinking about Christmas - the real meaning of Christmas. As a believer and active follower of Christ, I know what Christmas is about - the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. I understand that and I make sure our youth at Cedar Run know that and I make sure my own children know that.

Unfortunately for me, I can get so wrapped up in the season, the fun and the craziness of Christmas, I can sometimes forget the it's all about Christ. In fact, when Christmas is officially "over" on Dec. 26th, I need to not forget what it is about either. I don't need to pack up my beliefs of Christ just as I pack up my decorations. I need to use this season as an opportunity to proclaim Christ all the more. What a perfect opportunity to make an impact in the name of Christ!

Watching this video was a great reminder to me and I hope a great reminder for you what Christmas is about and to be sharing the stories of Christ, our great and wonderful savior to all people.

Serving within the Body of Christ

Oftentimes, when we think of serving and ministering to others, it is perceived that we have to go on a missions trip or work camp to serve. Those are great avenues to serve and share the love of Christ. But when we do that, I believe we miss opportunities locally, right in our backyard to serve. In particular, we miss opportunities to serve within our own body of Christ.

This past week, we looked at 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. In it, it talks about the body of Christ and using our spiritual gifts in unison so that we can be a complete, fully functioning unit.

In the same way, we should be using our gifts and abilities to serve each other the body of Christ. Yes, we want to reach out to our unbelieving friends and yes we want to reach the world with the hope and love of Christ. But, we cannot forget our fellow believers. We cannot serve everywhere but our those around us and in the our local Church. There are a ton of needs out there!

It could be a mom who needs a helper (young or old) to fold clothes, watch the kids, or go grocery shopping. It could be volunteering for the children's ministry program as they have needs for childcare during the service.

Regardless of who or what it is, there are plenty of needs right here in your backyard for you to be used by God as a witness and testimony.

Application:

Take a minute and think through what your gifts are that the Lord has bless you with. As 1 Corinthians 12 points out, we are all blessed with gifts from the Lord. The question is are you using them for the glory of the Lord?

Once you have thought through your gifting from the Lord, look for avenues you can share them with others. Whether it is that mom at Church who seems overwhelmed (and rightfully so) or that Children's Ministry Director who is desperate for help or someone completely different, go before the Lord and ask Him to open doors. Then, when those doors open, do not hesitate, but pursue and allow God to use you as a witness and testimony of Him.

Pray for God to open opportunities for you to serve and be a witness of Him this week. Then, when they are presented, go and DO!

Teaching all we know

When you hear the word "witnessing", what comes to mind? How do you feel about actually witnessing to others?

It has been my experience that when the word "witnessing" comes up, more people than not will tend to shy away from that as they think, "this is not for me". This often comes about because of some misconceptions that all witnessing is standing on a soap box in the middle of the mall or school proclaiming damnation on people if the do not repent.

Well, on Sunday morning we looked began to address this by looking at these 2 passages:

• Acts 1:8
• Matthew 28:19-20

Based on these passages, here are 2 Quick Questions to think about:

1. What does Christ call us to do?
2. How does he encourage us to share about Him?

In Acts 1:8, Christ gives us a plan of action to be "witnesses" of him. He told his disciples to go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Christ shared this with them in or around Jerusalem at the time. So, if you look at where he said this, you would understand that Christ's plan for us to be witnesses to others is to first look locally (Jerusalem for the disciples and your local town/city for you).

Then, in Matthew 28:19-20, Christ calls us what to share - teach "them to obey everything I have commanded you". Again, as I said earlier, often times when we think about sharing about Christ, a good amount of us tend to think that we can't do it or we wouldn't have the foggiest idea what to share. Well, Christ gives us all clear direction on what to share - share what He has taught you about life and living. If you profess to have Christ as your Lord and Savior, surely He has taught you something. Therefore, share with your friends and family all that Christ has taught you!

Application:

Pray that the Lord would open up doors and opportunities for you to share locally to others. It could be your friends, family, a parent at your child's school or someone in your class. Pray that God would open those doors.

Then, take a minute and jot down what Christ has taught you during your relationship with Him. I have found that it is always easier to remember those great things Christ has done in your life if you have them written down somewhere.

Finally, be ready to share with others.

May God bless you and give you the courage to take this great step of faith!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving and so it is appropriate to write about something that I am thankful for. So, here I go.

On Sunday night, at PowerHouse we talked about Jesus's question to his disciples found in Luke 9:18-20. He asked them, "Who do you say that I am"? Peter answered by saying, "The Christ (Messiah) of God". Peter knew this to be true about Jesus because of the many experiences he had with Jesus.

In the same way, my experiences with Christ recently have backed up entirely who I say Christ is. This fall has been a very challenging one for me on a lot of levels and it has caused me to draw closer to Him because of it. So, with that being said, who do I say that Christ is and what am I thankful for is very similar.

I say and I know for sure that Christ is

• MY PROVIDER
• MY SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT
• MY PROTECTOR
• MY ANXIETY RELIEVER

Scripture backs up all these characteristics of Christ. But, there is a difference between knowing the Truth and really experiencing the Truth. This fall, I really experienced the TRUTH of Christ.

Because Christ is all these things and so much more, I am extremely thankful today, thankful beyond I have ever been in my life.

THANK YOU JESUS!

What about you? Take a moment and identify who do you say Jesus is and thank Him for it!

The Benefits of Searching the Scriptures

This past week we continued our series on Knowing God as we looked at one of the ways that we can know who God is. We looked at a variety of scripture such as:

• Luke 15:11-32
• Daniel 6
• Genesis 9:1-17
• 1 Samuel 16:1-13
• Exodus 3:1-10

Based on these passage, what do we learn about the character of God and who He is?

We learn that Jesus to be a teacher and he loves and cares for all people, that God is powerful – powerful enough to shut the mouths of lions and protect his followers, that God is loving, that He examines our hearts, not our appearances as he cares more about who you are on the inside and that we learn that he listens to us and hear our cries.

Because we know that God is loving, someone who teaches, powerful, and hears our cries and desires to help, we know that we cares for us, wants to help us grow as people, desires to help and is powerful enough to do something about it. That has direct implications in our lives if we allow him to.

There is so much we can learn about God by just searching the scriptures. The question is are you willing to take the time to learn about him?

This week, search the scriptures and get to know who God is so that you can benefit from that knowledge.

Last Week's Capernaum

When I first came to Cedar Run, one of our goals was to find a quarterly service oppotunity for our youth to participate in. We always did a summer mission trip and with the success of those trips, we wanted something to come home and do on a regular basis so our students didn't have to wait to summer to serve. As I was thinking through all that what we could do, the first places I looked at were food banks and other donation groups. Although they were good experiences and we did them a few times, our students never really connected with those groups. I don't know exactly why they weren't connecting other than our teens seem to be more geared towards relational ministry opportunities rather than stocking shelves with food or collecting clothes for the homeless.

So, we tried a Young Life ministry called Capernaum. I wish I could remember why we choose Capernaum (maybe it was because we have a few students with disabilities in our youth program), but it became clear very quickly that not only did our students support this, but they excelled in this format. From our very first time helping Capernaum over 4 years ago, a lot of our students showed up to help and when we buddied up with our Capernaum buddies, they took the initiative and loved these kids the way Christ loves them. It is quite impressive to see our students step up in a big way and take ownership I have rarely had to tell our students what to do or to engage their buddies. They came and they served wholeheartedly.

This past Saturday was our Capernaum Saturday night with this month's theme being a Karaoke and Dance Party night. We got American Idol for the Wii and the fun began! American Idol Karaoke has some classic songs like, "I'm every woman" by Whitney Houston and "Y.M.C.A." by the Village People. But it also has some newer songs like "Apologize" from Timberland and "Who Knew" by Pink. It is very easy to play as you just need the game, a Wii and 2 mics for the Wii.

From the moment the first song came on to to the very end, our students and their buddies sang song after song after song. Sometimes you couldn't understand what was being sung, but that just added to the carefree nature of the whole event. It was great as it seemed that almost every song ended up being an impromptu dance party. It was a lot of fun to see our student and their buddies singing their hearts out with reckless abandonment.

Normally when average high school students do karaoke with each other, it seems a little awkward at first until someone makes a complete fool of themselves which then gives others the freedom to go up and make a fool out of themselves. However, that was never an issue this past weekend as we had some of the coolest people in their high schools stand up and make a complete fool out of themselves. Why? Because they were serving the Lord and because, as a Capernaum Buddy, you have to be prepared for anything and to do anything. It was very rewarding to see the level of engagement our students had with their buddies. I have said this each time we do Capernaum - our students serving as Capernaum Buddies benefit just as much, if not more, as it benefits the buddies they serve. What a blessing!

The Way, the Truth and the Life???

On Sunday we began our 1st week in a 3 week series entitled "Knowing God". How you know God begins in a conversation between Jesus and his disciples in John 14:1-7.

In it, Jesus says that the way to know God is to know him and that he is the only way to know God (v.6-7).

The question I challenged the students with is if Jesus is THE ONLY WAY to know God, are we making him OUR WAY to know God? By that I meant that there are many people and many religions out there that will say that they are the way and that they have the right truth and if they follow them, they will get to God. Or, there are things out there that are tempting like that great party coming up or a hook-up that will make them feel that if they just do that, they will have found their way and that life would be complete because of that.

But, what Jesus is saying is that He is the way, the truth and the life. That if we want to get to know God, we have to go through Jesus. That is the only way.

So, the question is - is He YOUR way and YOUR truth? If so, why and if not, why not?

The challenge this week is to go out and discover who Christ is so that:

1. You can get to know who God is and what He is about.
2. You can begin to make him your way so that when that next big event that comes about or when that next person comes up and says he know the way to true happiness, you can say, "That's ok, I know the real way and the real truth that leads to true life".

This week, discover who Christ and God is by opening up the Bible and reading. If you need a place to start, start with Luke 1 and do a chapter a day for the rest of the week. When you are done with that chapter answer these 3 questions:

1. What did Jesus say or do?
2. What does Jesus' words or actions communicate about who God is?
3. How can I apply what happened to my life?

Based on my life, I know that when I follow Jesus' way, His truth, I know God better and my life is more complete. How about yours? This week, let's all go out of our way to search the way and the truth Christ was about so that our way and truth can lead up to a full life that Christ promises to give us by following Him (John 10:10)

A Dance Party at Church???

Yep, that is what we did. During our 5th Quarter event, we transformed our high school room into a cool dance floor.

Now, doing a dance party can be quite controversial as dancing in christian circles is not always encouraged. But, at Cedar Run, we are a non-denominational small-to-medium sized church with not lots of tradition. Because of this, we have done some very impromptu dance parties throughout the years so we thought this would be something we would like to try. But, in order to do this, I felt that there had to be some good benefits to doing this. Here are the benefits we felt we could gain by doing this:

• It was a way to draw students into our Church. As I have posted before, 5th Quarter has been a great bridge event. Because of this, we already have a solid reputation around the area and felt that we could have a big draw.
• The t-shirts are a good promotion tool as the students will likely wear those shirts again, spurring possible questions like, "Where did you get that shirt" or "You had a dance party at a Church"???
• The word about Cedar Run would expand. So far, the excitement that we generated from the dance party was something we haven't generated since the Super Bowl Bash. It gets people talking and hopefully helps the students realize that there is something for them at Cedar Run.
• It was a good opportunity to promote other things we were doing at Cedar Run. Our latest Sunday night series is on "Tough Choices". We figured that if more non-Christians were going to come to 5th Quarter on Friday night, this would be a great series to promote for them to come to. So, as students were leaving, the leaders and I passed out our fliers for Sunday night. Students got to see that we weren't a place in which you just had fun at. We were a place where we talked about tough choices students face.

The one thing I have always loved about Cedar Run is that they give us the freedom to try new things. They allow us to be creative in our efforts to draw students (as long as it is safe). If all we ever did was Sunday School and then Sunday night Youth Group, then I feel that we would have missed opportunities to draw new students into our program. That is the purpose of these "bridge events". A dance party is neither traditional or a new idea. But, it is something we wanted to try and I am glad we did.

For More on the Dance Party, you can check out my other blog - www.notamegachurch.com

Worship: Singing Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

This past Sunday was the 2nd week of our 3 week series on Worship. What is it exactly and what does it look like?

Worship is praising God's name and glorifying his name in all we do. It can take the form of many different ways, but this week, we actually looked worship through singing and praising God's name. In the Bible, there are many references to worship through song. Some of them are:

• Psalm 29:2 - “Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness or in holy array.”
• Ephesians 5:19-20 – “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• 1 Chronicles 16:9 – “Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on and talk of all His wondrous works and devoutly praise them!”
• Psalm 144:9 – “I will sing a new song to You, O God; upon a harp, an instrument of ten
• strings, will I offer praises to You.”
• Psalm 34:3 – “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

The challenge this week was to worship God through song, to take out that regular playlist on your iPod and replace it with worship music. So that, when you are in your car or just chilling, you can worship God through song.

But, like anything else, worship can sometimes become stale and mundane. You may know the song and the lyrics by heart so you just sing. Therefore, in addition to the challenge to sing praises to God he deserves, take worship a step further this week. Sing those songs with all your heart to the Lord. Focus on who He is and what He has done in your life. Then give him praise and honor.

So, worship the Lord today and the rest of the week. Sing to him psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and see how He ministers to you through that this week.

Loving Others

This week, we concluded our 3 week series on the Great Commandment by talking about Loving others (Matthew 22:39-40). In the 2 previous weeks in which we talked about how loving God starts with your heart (Luke 6:45) and how, before we could love other, we have to first be comfortable with who God created us to be.

Therefore, the challenge this week was simple - love others. In particular, love 3 people who are the hardest for you to love.

Jesus never gave guidelines for who we should love or how we should love them. He just simply said for us to love others as we love ourselves.

So, how are you doing loving others, especially the 3 you have the hardest time loving? Regardless of how you started off the week, finish this week strong. Love others this week with a passion and determination unlike any other and see how God blesses that commitment.

Loving God

This past week we began a series on the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40). This first week, we focused on Loving God.

To hear the message that Katie Von Kahle gave to the high school students, you can download it here or go to iTunes and search Tom Pounder.

What does it mean to love God? How can you love him with all your heart, mind and soul?

In Luke 6:45, Christ says, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

Loving God starts with your heart. It starts with a passion and a desire to love him and serve him – not just because he is God, but for all that he has done for you and brought you through.

So, how is your heart towards God? Do you love him with all your heart, mind and soul? If you don’t, why not? What is preventing you from that?

This week, do a gut check. Do you love God with all your heart, mind and soul? Why or why not?

Then, pray that God would give you that passion to love him the way he deserves to be loved.

My 30 Days of Prayer Update - Week 4

The one thing I have been most encouraged by with Cedar Run's 30 Days of Prayer challenge has been the focus to be praying for specific things.

That has caused me to think and rethink through my prayer strategy for our Youth Program. What am I praying for? Who am I praying for? Am I praying for and believing God will work in the lives of our students and our program?

This week's prayer focus for me is to be praying for our youth and our youth program more specifically. I want to be praying for God's movement in their lives and his guidance for our program. It can be very easy at times to just move and lead students by my own power or thought. But, the students don't need to be impacted by my movement. These students need to be impacted by the Lord and I need to be turning to him specifically for them.

These last 30 days of prayer have been a great reminder and refocus for me be actively praying for the youth and giving it all over to the Lord.

My 30 Days of Prayer Update - Week 3

Living in the past can be so easy. It's great to reflect on the glory days or the days of our youth in which we have some pretty fond memories. Bruce Springsteen even sings about the glory days.

But, just as great as those past days can be, it can also be a hinderance to moving forward. Sometimes looking at our past and reflecting on it can cause a lot of pain and suffering. You can see missed opportunities or painful events that will cause you to relive and experience those things.

It is very sad and although I may not be able to understand all that people went through or experienced in their past, I do know that getting out of the past and moving forward is not an easy thing to do.

But, some encouragement can be found in Philippians 3:13-14. In it Paul says, "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Paul had a crazy past before he came into a relationship with Christ. So, he had lots of opportunities to reflect on his past. That could have caused him to not be as impactful for Christ as he could have been. After all, he used to imprison Christians and participated in the deaths of other believers for following Christ. How then, could he be used for Christ's glory? Simple, by focusing on the future and the prize for which God called him heavenward in Christ!

I know it sounds simple but is not. But we have to move forward always striving to draw close to Christ and allowing him to direct us. He can and WILL use us despite our past. We, then, have to consciously decide to move forward and not let Satan distract us or use it against us.

So, that is my prayer for us this week. That we can look past our past and be open to God's leading so we can move forward.

My 30 Days of Prayer Update - Week 2

School has started! What a great time of year, a time of new beginnings and fresh starts.

But, as a parent myself, it is also a stressful time. Who are my children socializing with? Are they safe? Are they nice? How do the other children treat my daughters? Do my girls play well with others or are they selfish? Do they listen to their teachers?

There is so much to be stressful about, but alas, it is completely out of my control. That is why all I can do is offer it up in prayer to God. I find hope in:

Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

And, 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

So, my prayer this week is for my children and your children that they will be in safe hands and that the Lord will be with them throughout their time at school each day.

What about you? What are you praying for? How is God working in your life? Post a comment to encourage others.

My 30 Days of Prayer Update

This past Sunday at Cedar Run, we started a 30 days of Prayer Challenge. I referenced Paul's challenge to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to "pray continually" and the reasons why should pray. They were:

• It provides us with a way to confess our sins and accept his forgiveness (1 John 1:9)
• It is a way to hear his will for our lives and gives God a chance to guide and direct us (Proverbs 2:6-8)
• It gives us an opportunity to thank Him for all the blessings in our lives (Psalm 107:1)
• It provides us with a chance to pray for those who are sick or need healing, including ourselves (James 5:14-16)
• It is a way to worship Him and give him praises (Psalm 95:6)

These are great things to be praying through when you spend time with God. If you haven't looked at these verses before, spend some time on them and pray through them.

Well, this week I have been praying for 2 specific things:

1. For a college student I know who was having a challenging start to the semester. I prayed that God would work in this persons life, that they would be able to connect with other believers there and that they could continue to adjust to college life.
2. That God would move me and continue to open doors for me to further his kingdom, that I would not miss out on opportunities he presents.

It has been great to be specifically praying for these things and seeing God begin to work in them.

Are you doing the 30 Day Prayer Challenge? If so, what are you praying for and how are you seeing God work in that? Post a comment.

If not, start today and see how you experience God and how he works in those situations.

Testifying who God is

This morning I read John 5:31-45 and I was struck in particular by verse 36 when Christ said, "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. "

It struck me for a few reasons:

1. Because Christ was saying that everything he is doing is because of his life purpose.
2. That everything he was doing testifies to God.
3. Christ finished strong! He accomplished his life purpose.

This led me to 2 questions and I challenge you to think about them as well. It caused me to think:

1. Is everything I am doing what God intended me to do?
2. Is everything I am doing a positive testimony to God?

Everyday, Christ was a living testimony to God's plan for his life and was always a positive witness to God and his Kingdom. Because of this, it is safe to say that Christ has brought more people into the Kingdom of Heaven then we will ever be able to know or understand. His impact is beyond comprehension.

Can the same be said of my life? Of your life?

Psalm 42:1-2 says, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?"

When we hunger and thirst for the Lord and seek Him first and foremost, he is faithful and will encourage us and take us to that next level so that in everything that we do, we know that we are living according to his intended purpose and being a positive testimony to his greatness and glory.

Missed Opportunities

Just recently, Anne and I lost a good friend of ours, Pete Hill. I knew Pete for over 15 years dating back to when he was a youth group leader and I was in high school. Pete was a great man, husband and father. Please pray for his wife and 2 young children.

For the longest time, Pete and I were very close as we shared a love for the Cowboys and a heart for young people to come to know the Lord. We also did ministry together for years, we were roommates for a few years and he was in my wedding. We had several great times together. But, over the last few years, life happens and while we still talked, we rarely hung out. And that, is probably the one thing that bothers me the most. It is the amount of missed opportunities I had with him over the past few years.

I can make excuse after excuse as to why we both allowed things to prevent us from getting together more often, but that does no good now. Pete is gone and I had missed opportunities to spend time with a great man.

Christ says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

I know this scripture is used so much in regards to outreach, but I think this passage reflects exactly what Pete did in his life. He went and made disciples in all that he did. Whether it was how he acted or what he said (or didn't say), he represented Christ and sought to make disciples. Therefore, as fellow believers and followers of Christ, I want to encourage you this week to:

• Make time for those most important to you. Don't miss opportunities and let time pass by without seeing and spending time together. One of the things I loved about Pete was that he was genuinely interested in you and wanted to spend time with you. Life happens and we become busy, but when we allow life to dictate what we do and don't do, we may miss great opportunities to spend time with others who are very important to us.
• Share the love of Christ to others. As I already mentioned, one of the other things I loved about Pete is that he represented and reflected Christ's nature so much that it was impossible for us to be together and not talk about Christ and how we can be growing in Him. When you are with others this week, especially believers, talk about and encourage each other in Christ. It is true that we never know when someone will be taken away from us. Therefore, don't miss opportunities to share Christ and who he is to others. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Pete was saved and knew Christ as his Lord and savior. But, there are others in my life who I am not certain of. Are there others in your life that you may not be certain of? Don't let time go by and miss opportunities to share Christ with them.

It is sad that it takes a very unexpected and tragic event to make you reflect on what matters most. I am going to miss my friend very much. Don't wait for a tragic event to happen in your life. Act now and share Christ with those you care about the most.

Take some time and pray that God opens doors for you to connect with others and share Him this week.

Serving this Summer

This summer has been a great service summer for the youth (and congregation as a whole) of Cedar Run. The Youth went to Coatesville, PA, helped a team to Nicaragua and helped out at Vacation Bible School. Each service opportunity was a great success as many people got to hear about God's love and see it in action.

Why do we serve? What purpose does it meet?

There are many reasons to serve, but I believe a chief reason is to emulate the example of Christ himself.

Read Mark 10:43-45

1. What does Christ say here?
2. How does Christ model servanthood?

Application:

Christ could have simply said, "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all" and that would have been a great saying. But, as everyone knows, talk is cheap. So, while James and John were asking Jesus to help them hold such a high position in the kingdom of heaven, Christ called them and us to a higher standard. Not only did Christ call us to a higher standard, he modeled it and showed everyone what that meant.

So, again, why do you serve? Do you serve out of the goodness of your heart? Do you serve because you will feel better about yourself or because you want to get recognized?

OR, do you serve because of the example Christ gave to us? Do you serve because the King of Kings viewed service so importantly that he came down from heaven, in obedience to his father (Philippians 2:7-8), to die for our sins?

Remember, Christ didn't have to die. He choose to serve us and die. He gave us his royal throne and all the perks that he had in heaven to die for us. That is sacrificing. That is serving.

Based on Christ's example, how can you serve others this week?

Pray that God opens up opportunities for you to serve others this week.

Mission Trip - Saturday Update and Devotional

Well, we are coming home today! But, it has been an amazing trip. This trip will go down as one of the best mission trips Cedar Run has taken and I pray that we can build upon this and carry the momentum, community and excitement with us into the fall.

Our teams worked so hard yesterday to complete as much work as possible yesterday in their last day. They did such a great job. But, what was even more amazing was to see the looks on our teams faces when they had to leave the families we were ministering to all week. Yes, we did a great work for different families and they were blessed because of it. But, it seemed like we were blessed far more than they were. The memories and stories we have to share are numerous and we will be sharing them all when we return today.

Here is our devotional we will be working on today:

DEVOTIONAL:

Have you ever said something, either blatantly or innocently, that has offended someone? How did that person you offended respond? Were you able to bring resolution to the incident? If so, how?

Read Matthew 5:23-24, 6:14-15, Ephesians 4:25-27

What do these verses say about making a relationship right?


Why should we go and make a relationship right?

Additional Thoughts and Application:

Over the course of a week where you spend 24 hours a day with others, tensions can run high and things can be said to that offend and may even deeply hurt someone else. Whether you intended to do it or now, you may have offended someone over the past week. Because of that offense, a foothold may have been created that could cause friction and ungodly attitudes towards others. Christ calls us to so much more than that. Christ unites, not divides.

Take a minute and think about whether or not you have offended or hurt someone with something you said or did this week. Following the example Christ and Peter talked about, prayerful consider how you can bring reconciliation to a relationship before you leave Coatesville.

Mission Trip - Friday Update and Devotional

Yesterday was a packed day as we accomplished a lot as well as had a great chance to minister to the families we are helping.

Our group basically finished the roof that was desperately needed. Here's a picture of Auston and Trevor taking a breather. It was definitely hotter and more humid today. Other groups finished windows, painted and worked on some interior work. It was a long day, but we are trying to accomplish all we can before we wrap up later today.

After we showered at the YMCA (are you singing the tune in your head now?), we headed over to a very nice park where we invited all the families over for a BBQ. Below is a picture of Heather and Laurel at the swing set with Kylie. We had a great time with them all and got to talk more with the families and learned more about their lives and history. They were all very grateful for us spending time with them and repairing the homes.

As I mentioned yesterday, this trip has been so rewarding. But please, continue to pray for us today:

1. Pray that we can finish strong
2. Pray that God allows more opportunities for us to share the love of Christ with them
3. Pray for the safe travel home for 7 of our students (they are going to YL camp early Saturday morning) and Sue Masters. They are planning on leaving after dinner.

If you would like to follow along with our devotional for the day, here it is.

DEVOTIONAL:

How patient of a person are you? What causes you to become impatient?

Read Philippians 4:6,7; 1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 6:33

What do these verse tell you about patience? Where should our focus be?

How do you think God can help you during times of impatience?

Additional Thoughts and Application:

Today is your last full day on the Mission Trip! Often times, when the end is in sight, I can try to rush things just to get to the end quicker. The problem with doing this is that I can sometimes miss some of the great things I could experience because I was so focused on the end.

Even though this is the last day, God wants to teach you something and reveal himself to you in someway. Spend some time praying that God would teach you something new today and help you grow closer to Him. Then, stay focused throughout the day on being here and what God wants to teach you today.

Mission Trip - Thursday Update and Devotional

I know these are getting kind of long, but please bear with me. This has been a very encouraging trip on a lot of levels:

1. Our group has really bonded well here. In some cases, it feels like these students have known each other for years. I can honestly say that there is not one student in our group who has been left out or felt excluded in any way on this trip (that would be a first). And, I believe this bond can carry over into the fall which will take our group to that next level. This is especially important with losing so many seniors from last year.
2. Our teams are working so hard! As I have mentioned before, we have been asked to do so many things that they have never been asked to do before. But, they have done them and done them with excellence.
3. God is opening up great conversations for me to have with our students. They have always said that going on a trip with youth can replace years of contact work with that I'd be able to do at home. That is very true, especially here on this mission trip. I have had some great conversations with them and gotten to know them in a way I would never have at home.
4. These students love to minister. It may not always be in the verbal proclamation, but they desire to show the love of Christ to others - especially children. When they see them at their homes or at the basketball courts, their eyes light up and they get a new burst of energy being around them.

Pastor Morris came up yesterday to see the students and encourage them. I believe that any time Pastor Morris takes time to see the students or be with them is always a plus. It show them that they matter to him. I have seen to many Senior Pastors never interact with the youth. That is not our Pastor and he does a great job showing our youth that he cares. Gabi Guetierrez couldn't believe that he would come up just for a few hours yesterday to see how we were doing and encourage us.

Some pictures:

This is Auston, Laurel, Trevor and Jonathan working on installing the metal roof on the house we are working on. We made a lot of progress yesterday but PLEASE PRAY that we get the roof on today as they are expecting Thunderstorms this afternoon.

Last night, after our meeting, some of our youth wanted to go watch the Summer League again and see if we could see any more of our V.B.S. youth from last year. Well, we did see more and got a chance to meet a few other students as well. What made this outing great was that after the summer league games were over, Gabi just went up to a few children and started a basketball game! We ended up playing 5-on-5 with these children - very fun.

God is definitely at work here. Please continue to pray for us, for endurance to press on, for God to continue to minister to us and reveal himself to us, and for more ministry opportunities for us to share Him to others.

If you want to track along with what our devotional is today, here it is.

DEVOTIONAL:

Say your friend jus told you he saw a U.F.O. What would it take for you to believe that he was telling the truth?

Read 1 Kings 18:19-39

What did Elijah believe about God?


How did God prevail in this story? Do you think it had anything to do with Elijah’s faith in God? Why or why not?


Additional Thoughts and Application:

What do you believe about God? Do you believe that does not make mistakes? I do and I know that you are here, serving on this trip, for a reason. Whether your parents made you come or you signed up to go with a friend, you are here for a reason! You have been up there for almost a week, so what is that reason? Why does God have you here?

Spend some time with God, asking him to reveal to you what you are suppose to be learning and how you can grow from this experience.

Mission Trip - Wednesday Update and Devotional

Yesterday was another beautiful day up in Coatesville. We have been blessed with really good weather up here - very low humidity and in the low 80s. Because of the great weather, a lot of our work focus has been on outside work. Among other things, yesterday's work consisted of finishing some of the windows we replaced, tearing down a staircase, laying down tile in a bathroom and putting up a new one, and putting on a primer coat on around the a house.

What has impressed me the most so far is how well our students are learning and doing. These are not easy things to do and very few of them have ever done any kind of work like this before. BUT, they are learning and accomplishing the tasks. They are working very hard and have great attitudes about what is expected.

Some great relational work was done as well yesterday. We are continuing to get to know our families and minister to them. On my team, Laurel, Kelly and Jenna got to play with the baby some more and got some good starter conversations with the mother (on Monday, she didn't say anything to them except that they could hold the baby). The husband was at home all day yesterday so we learned a lot about him and he was very interested to know about our church and why we came all the way up from VA to help out.

Last night, we had the "night off" from organized meetings. So, about 15 of us went down to the basketball courts (about 2 blocks away) where Richard Hamiliton (former Wizard, current Piston player) has a Summer Basketball League for Coatesville. He buys them all jerseys and will show up every once in a while (he grew up in Coatesville and is a living legend here). It is some very good basketball to watch. Anyways, when we were down there, we ran into some old friends! We saw some of the V.B.S. students we minister to last year! It was amazing catching up with them. Here is the picture of 2 of the students with Trevor and Joe.

Not bad for a camera phone picture!

Even thought we had the "night off", I did pull our church together to debrief and talk about what we are learning at the sights and in their time with Christ. It is very encouraging to hear their responses - God is working in them. Continue to pray for us. Pray that we remain encouraged with the work we are doing and that the Lord provides opportunities for us to minister to the families we are working for. Also, pray that our group continues to gel together and that we can build strong relationships with each other and the Lord.

If you want to follow along with our devotional today, here it is:

DEVOTIONAL:

How important is prayer to you? What do you pray for? Do you believe that God answers your prayers?

Read Matthew 6:5-13; John 15:7

Jesus gives some guidance in verses 5-8 about where to pray and the manner in which you should pray? What are those?

In verses 9-13, Jesus shows us how to pray? Break it down into today's English. What is he asking you to do in each verse?

V. 9:

V. 10:

V. 11:

V. 12:

V. 13:

Additional Thoughts and Application:

Prayer is a powerful tool God gives us to speak to him and share our heart with him. It is so important he show us exactly how to pray. With today in mind, use the model Christ gave us in verses 9-13 and spend some time right now praying to God. Give him glory and honor, thanking him for all He has done and will continue to do, while also offering up prayers for the day. Remember, God is great and holy. He can and will do anything. Therefore, today, let's seek him and see where he leads and provides.

Mission Trip - Tuesday Update and Devotional

Yesterday was a great start for us. We got met our families and started working on our homes. From the 3 houses, some of what we did was to change out 3 windows, tore out bamboo, took out a microwave, installed flooring and a bathtub thanks to some great help from some local plumbers, and did some exterior beautification. It was neat to see everyone work together and accomplish the tasks we had. I am excited about the work ahead for the day.

But, what made yesterday even better was the interaction with the families. At one house, we had 3 of the children actually help out with the team as they worked on their house! They latched on to the team and just followed them around wherever they went. At my house, 2 of the children were gone to day camp for part of the time. But, there was a 6 month old boy there that Laurel Brubaker, Jenna Millman and Kelly Hard just wanted to pick up and hold. So, when the opportunity came about, and the mother let them hold him, they had a good time as they started to get to know the mother. The 3rd house had a guy who started to share about his love for bikes and that lead to some great conversations.

Please continue to pray for us as we minister to these families and each other. It's some hard work, but pray that God would give us the strength to endure and accomplish some great things for Him.

If you want to follow along with our devotional today, here it is:

DEVOTIONAL:

How would you describe what love is?

Read 1 Corinthians 13

According to this chapter, what are some characteristics of love?

If you do a really good job today and help out a lot of people, but did not love them, your team or God, is that ok? Why or why not?

Additional Thoughts and Application:

Love defined by God can look very different from the way we define love. Reread verses 4-7. What characteristic of love are you really good at and what are you a little weak in? Today, strive to communicate the love of Christ. Write down a few specific things you can do or say to foster the kind of love Paul speaks about here.

Pray, then Love!

Mission Trip - Monday Update and Devotional

The Cedar Run Youth are on our annual mission trip to Coatesville, PA. We arrived safely and ready to do a great work. We are broken up into 3 teams. Each team will have a dedicated house to work on for the entire week. The great news is that every house has 3-5 children there in which we can minister to. In fact, Good Works, Inc. has told us that our 1st priority is to minister to the families and then work on their house. That means that if a child comes up to us and wants to talk and play a game, we are to take the time and minister to them. The work on their house will come later.

We are all very excited for the week ahead. If you want to track along with us on what we are doing devotionally, take a minute and do the devotional below.

DEVOTIONAL

What chore is the hardest for you to do at home? Why?

Read John 14:21

From this verse, what does it mean to obey Jesus?

When we obey, what does that demonstrate?

What does Jesus promise us if we obey?

Additional Thoughts and Application:

Charles Colson once said, “Holiness is obeying God”. We should be striving daily to become holy. Becoming holy comes from obeying God.

Are you obedient to God with your life? Are you being obedient during this trip? Obedience is more than just saying yes and doing the job. It takes place in your heart first and foremost. So, check your heart – how is your heart?

Write down 1 way you can become more obedient this week.

Pray, then Do!

Serving out of Love

On Sunday, Phil Covert shared about serving and how serving others is serving God. Christ, himself, modeled servanthood by coming down to earth and giving his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). But, he didn't just choose to serve others through this one, great deed. He lived his life this way. He served others constantly. One example can be found in John 13:1-17. Take a minute and read it.

1. Why did Jesus do this particular act of service?
2. Why do you think Jesus washed his disciples' feet? Why did Peter want his whole body washed?
3. What did Christ encourage his disciples do now that their feet had been washed (verses 12-17)?

Application:

Make no mistake about it, this was a truly humble experience for Christ. He, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, got down and washed his disciples' feet - probably the dirtiest part of their bodies (Remember, they didn't have close-toed shoes or highly paved sidewalks back then. They walked in sandals on dirt roads).

Why did he do this? Because he wanted to show them the full extent of his love for them (v.1).

Is service to others and God for you an extent of your love for them or is it simply just and act that you are suppose to do?

At the end of his loving act, he challenged his disciples to go and do likewise. This week, choose to serve other and God. But, don't just do it because you are suppose to. Do it with a loving heart and a desire to serve. When we choose to serve that way, then we are truly emulating Christ's example.

Pray, then serve!

Sharing the Truth with others

Two weeks ago, Grant Diamond shared with us on Sunday the benefits of staying in the word and how spending time daily can help us.

Read Deuteronomy 6:3-9

Some of this scripture is familiar from previous weeks, but as you can see, God is preparing to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land - the land filled with milk and honey.

1. Why is God telling them to obey?
2. What should we do with all the knowledge we have gained from spending time with God?
3. How will this benefit others?
4. How will this benefit us?

Application:

Oftentimes, when I read the Bible, I can become me-centric. By that I mean that I tend to focus on myself and how the verses apply to myself. But, God challenges us to look beyond ourselves here. In verse 7-9, he tells us share them with our children, talk about them as you are hanging out with others, and make it known to others what the Truth is.

How are you doing sharing the Truth of God to others? Remember, in Christ's command to make disciples, he challenged his followers to teach others everything he has commanded them (Matthew 28:20). Are you doing that?

This week, spend time reading the Truth. Then, write down an application. When you are doing your application, include one thing you can share with someone else and see how God blesses that.

Pray

FYI - To download Grant Diamond's message, go to http://tompounder.podomatic.com or go to iTunes and search Tom Pounder

Loving God, Reading the Bible and Living our Day

On Sunday, Grant Diamond talked about the importance of staying in the word and living our lives through what God teaches us in it. He used Deuteronomy 6:5-6 as his main scripture.

1. What does God say here about the importance of following his commands?
2. How does it tie into loving God with all we have?

Grant's point was that the only way to truly know how to love God with all we have is to know the truth found in the Bible. It is His source for truth us today.

Read Psalm 119:97, 119:105

1. What does the writer of this Psalm, do with reading the word?
2. How does it benefit him throughout?

The writer meditates on what he reads and uses it to be a guiding light for his daily life. What do you do with God's word?

Application:

Too often than I would like to hope, I read God's word, write down a not or application about it and then forget about what I read. I don't use it as God intends us to. Therefore, I miss out on opportunities to love God during the day benefit from it.

But, if we sit down, meditate on God's word throughout the whole day, it will help us:

1. Love God and
2. Love Others

It will impact us throughout the day! So, right now, take a minute and write down 1 application you can have from today's reading.

Pray, Meditate and Apply God's word to your life today!

Remembering the Good God has done in our Lives

On Sunday, we talked about Memorial Day and how it is the day we remember all of those great Americans who died fighting for our freedom.

Just as we remember our fallen Americans for the great things they have done, do you remember the great things God has done in your life? We looked at Joshua 4:1-7 as just one of the many times the Israelites set up memorials to remember the great things God has done for them. They were set up so that when their children asked what those stones meant, they would be able tell them how God provided for them.

What God has done in your life? Is it an answered prayer, an unexpected provision at the right time, help in overcoming an obstacle or temptation?

Take a minute and think through what God has done for you and do 2 things:

1. Memorialize it in some way. The Israelites set up stone pillars some of the times, but it could look differently for you (and probably should as having a variety of stone pillars set up in your room or throughout your house could become an obstacle for you and your family members). You could do a bookmark, write in a journal or even do a small creation that would help you remember.
2. If, after searching your life, you feel that God hasn't done anything significant in your life, I would challenge you to pray that he does move in your life in some way. Pray specifically and consistently for God to work and see how he brings about a resolution or blessing in your life. Once he does, memorialize it in some way.

When we memorialize the great things God has done in our lives, it enables us to always remember what he has done. So that when tough times hit and we have a crisis of faith, we can remember all that God has done and can do in our lives.

Pray

The Truth be told

On Sunday, Bruce talked about being honest and telling the truth. He shared his experience of being caught trying to change a grade in high school and how that had a snowball effect on his life as his character quickly came into question.

Take a minute and review the scripture he shared. Read Matthew 5:33-37

If we are people who honor our promises and oath, then we have a sense of integrity and truth. Being truthful and honest are a direct reflection on your character - who you really are and what you really believe.

So, where do you get your truth from? Where do you get your sense of integrity and honesty?

Is it from your friends, TV or movies (seriously), what you read in the newspapers or online?

How do you know that those are the truth?

Ultimately, we find truth through Christ. Read John 14:6. What a bold statement! He IS the Truth and since we know that God does not lie (Hebrews 6:18, Numbers 23:19), we know that we can take him for his word and his promises will never fail.

Is that true of the other places we can find truth?

Application:

Even though we may know that the 100% undeniable truth can only be found in Christ, we rarely take the time to spend it with Him. When we become so busy with life and the things we have to do, we fail to get that knowledge and understanding that will help us throughout the day.

So, today, take time and get to know the truth! Spend time reading through the Bible and discovering or rediscovering the truth found in Christ and God alone. Don't rely on other sources, rely on the one who IS the truth.

Then, jot down a note or 2 about what truth you learned and stick it in your pocket so you can reflect or turn to it throughout the day. Who knows, it may end up being very helpful for you throughout the day!

Pray and spend time with Christ today!

Spring Cleaning - What's Important

On Sunday, we talked about identifying what is most important in our lives. That, if we are going to clean out our lives, as we clean out our rooms and homes, we have to first identify the most important things in them so that we don't throw them away.

As we discussed this, we looked at what Christ said to the Samaritan Woman.

Read John 4:4-26

1. What did Jesus ask the woman? What was her response?
2. What did Jesus offer the woman? Why was what he was offering different?
3. How can we have this water?

Application:

Jesus promised the woman that the water he was offering her, living water, would quench her thirst forever. Not only that but it "suggests that availability, accessibility and abundance of the divine life for believers" that ultimately leads to eternal life.

Are you drinking from the water Christ offers or are you trying to quench your thirst with things others view as important and necessary?

We can all have this water by being with Christ. When you are spending time in prayer, mediation, or study of the Bible, you are drinking from the living water that only Christ alone can offer you.

This week, spend time with Christ - more than just a 5-10 minute Bible reading - in which you are drinking the water and then enabling it to quench your thirst and provide that nourishment that we all need.

Pray

Source: Life Application Bible: John (pp. 77-83)

Spring Cleaning - Discovering our Purpose

On Sunday we introduced a new series on Spring Cleaning. The whole purpose of spring cleaning is to clean out all the junk and clutter in our house that we stored up over winter and get it out of the house. It's a time to open up the window and let fresh air in and re-organize your house.

In the same way, we can do a Spring Cleaning in our personal lives as well. In order to do that, it is good to look at what God, our creator, had in mind when he created us.

Read Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 1:16, 1 Peter 4:10

1. What do these scriptures tell us about our purpose?
2. Does everyone have a gift? If so, how are we to use it?

Application:

It is clear that we were created as a masterpiece from God. He perfectly designed us for a purpose. Each person has a purpose and is gifted in some great way to serve others.

What is your purpose and your gift? I have no idea, but the Lord does and wants to reveal it to you.

This week, seek God to have him reveal your purpose and gifting. Spend time praying and listening to hear his truth about your life, direction and gifting. Then, use your gift to serve others and proclaim Christ.

Pray

Staying Connected to God's word

On Sunday we had Karly, Corie and Kim all share about how spending time with Christ has made a tremendous impact in their lives. As they emphasized, it's so important to stay close to Christ daily.

God also emphasizes this to Joshua.

Read Joshua 1:6-9

1. What does God command Joshua to do?
2. Why did he encourage him to be strong and courageous?
3. What is Joshua to do with the book of the law? How do you think this helps him?
4. What's the promise God makes Joshua if he knows the law and obeys it?
5. How does this apply to us?

Application:

When Joshua had this encounter with God, he was just taking over the leadership of the Israelites as they headed into the Promised Land. Moses had just died and now, after 40 years of wondering in the wilderness, Joshua was put into this leadership role as they moved into their new land. Of all the times Joshua needed guidance and direction, it was now.

So, you would probably imagine that Joshua needed to hear something great from God at this point. Of all the things God could have said to him, he challenged him to be strong and courageous and to meditate on His word day and night. It is only through this that Joshua would be prosperous and successful. That's it! Stay close to the Lord by knowing, meditating and understanding his word. When he would do that, he would be prosperous and successful.

In the same way, if we are spending time with Christ daily, meditating and applying it to our lives, we will be in a much better place than if we did not do this. We will be prosperous and successful in life - maybe not in the way the world judges success and prosperity, but you will be successful by walking the path God has set for you.

Are you turning to God and his word for guidance and direction in your life?

This week, take time daily to spend time with Christ and see how you benefit from doing that. Set aside time each day - be intentional about it - and make sure that you can get encouragement and support from our creator. Then, apply what you learn and see what God has in store for you!

Pray

Easter Characters - Jesus

On Sunday, we concluded our Easter series by looking at the reason for the Easter celebration - Jesus. We looked at His resurrection in Luke 24:1-12 and then his appearance to the disciples in John 20:24-29.

But the resurrection and the power of this great event didn't end on this great Sunday.

The power of the resurrection and the greatness of God continued to transform people and the world. Take a minute and read Acts 9:1-31, Acts 11:1-18, Acts 6:1-10). After you read each section, answer these questions:

1. What happened in this story?
2. Who was the person God reached out to? What was their mission?
3. What did each event reveal about God's plan to reach others?
4. Do you think these events would have happened had Jesus not rise from the dead?

Application:

When Christ died, the followers of Christ were left wondering what to do next. They were afraid and scared of what was going to happen to them and what they were going to do from that time forward. BUT, when Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, they got a 2nd wind and a decided to do something great because of it. God continued to guide and direct them as they impacted the world for HIM.

What has the power of Christ's resurrection meant to you? How has it impacted you and your life?

Remember, if Christ can overcome death, is there anything he can't do? Of course not! In Philippians 4:13, Paul says, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Through Christ and his power, you can do all things. This week, allow the power of Christ's resurrection to give you that 2nd wind and a fire to share about Him to those closest to you. When the disciples trusted God and relied on the power of the resurrection, they impacted the world!

Pray that God would put some people on your heart for you to share about Him to them this week.

Easter Characters - Peter

Our Sunday, we continued our series on some of the main Easter Characters by focusing on Peter. We focused on how Peter went from being a fighter for Christ (John 18:7-11) to be a denier of Christ (Luke 22:54-62). Thinking through your life, when is it easy for you to go from a fighter for to a denier of Christ?

It is definitely hard to fight for Christ always as FEAR can creep in and cause you to deny - maybe not so much an an blatant denial, but it could be like not speaking up when you could say something.

Unlike Judas, the great thing for Peter is that he was given an opportunity for reconciliation with Christ.

Read John 21:15-19

1. What did Jesus ask Peter? How many times did he ask him this?
2. Why do you think Jesus asked Peter this and that many times?
3. What were the 3 responses Christ said to Peter's responses? What do you think these mean?

Application:

Christ asked Peter 3 times if he loved him. Christ didn't just model forgiveness here, but he also issued a challenge to Peter. He gave Peter the opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to himself (after denying him 3 times) and then told him to "feed my sheep". Peter went on to become one of the great evangelists ever as he was on the forefront of spreading the gospel, not just the the Jews, but to the Gentiles as well.

Christ gives us the opportunity to reconcile with him daily. But, just like with Peter, he calls us to go and "feed his sheep." We are to go and further his kingdom.

We can not let fear or anything else allow us to prevent us from furthering the kingdom. Considering that this week is Good Friday and Easter, it is the perfect opportunity for you to share the love of Christ to others. Ask the Lord to provide opportunities for you to share about him to others. Then, when those opportunities open up, walk in boldness because you know that the Lord has given them to you.

Pray

Easter Characters - Judas

On Sunday, we introduced our new series on 3 main characters in the Easter story - Judas, Peter and Jesus. We started by looking at Judas (John 12:1-6, Matthew 26:14-15). As a review, what do these verses reveal to us about Judas?

Judas' love of money provided ammunition for Satan to use against him. It gave Satan a foothold against Judas. As Peter talks about in 1 Peter 5:8, the devil roams around the earth looking for someone to devour. As followers of Christ, we are particularly targeted. When we provide him a foothold to use against us in our relationship with Christ, Satan is better equipped to tear us apart.

That is why we need Christ all the more and through him we can overcome.

Read Ephesians 6:10-18.

1. Who are we to be strong in?
2. How are we to be strong in him?
3. What does it mean that our battle is not against flesh and blood? Who is it against?
4. What does each part of the Armor of God help us with? How will they be useful to fight of Satan's attacks?

Application:

Paul calls us to put on the full armor of God "so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes" (v.10). It goes on to say that our battle is not against flesh and blood but "against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms". Whoa! This is some serious stuff.

Because our battle is with Satan and all his goonies, we need this armor! This armor helps us stand firm by providing us the:

• belt of Truth
• breastplate of righteousness
• gospel of peace at our feet
• shield of faith
• helmet of salvation
• sword of the spirit - the word of God

Furthermore, Paul challenges us to be praying continually for those in the fight!

What powerful pieces to combat this battle! Are you equipped to fight with these pieces of armor? When we fail to put on the armor of God, we are leaving ourselves vulnerable to Satan's attacks. This week, let's be intentional about putting on the armor of God. Let's

• speak the truth to others
• live our lives with righteousness
• be ready to share the great news of Christ when needed
• have faith in the promises of God
• spend time with Christ as much as possible
• pray for others, as well as our lives

The battle we fight is daily and long. So, today, let's choose to put on the armor of God so we will be victorious - one day at a time.

Pray that God would give you the strength and desire to pursue him and be victorious for HIM in the battle.

He said what? - Producing Good Fruit

On Sunday, we wrapped up our series on "He Said what?" by looking at Matthew 7:15-20. In this section, Christ calls us to produce good fruit. By that, he was challenging us that in all that we do and say we proclaim him and make followers of him.

In the book of Acts, it talks about the history of the early Christians and the first Churches. Take a minute and read about the Church of Antioch in Acts 11:19-26.

1. In verses 19-21, what were these Christians doing?
2. In verse 26, what were these same people doing?
3. How do verses 19-21 connect with verse 26?

Application:

These first Christians took to heart Christ's challenge to produce good fruit.  Even under great persecution, they spoke to both Jews and Gentiles about Christ and many were saved (v.19-21). In addition, they took time to hear about God for themselves.  They were taught by Paul and Barnabas for a whole year (v.26)

In order to produce good fruit, we need to remain in Christ (John 15:4-6).  We have to be learning about Him and pushing ourselves in our relationship with him.  If we are not connected to Christ, we lose our power source (v.4).  Therefore, in order to produce good fruit, we have to stay connected to him daily.

On Sunday, we talked about ways that we can remain in Christ this week:

• Memorize a Bible Verse and apply it
• Be held accountable to someone else this week

These were just 2 ways we discussed but, there are many other ways.  Brainstorm for a minute other ways you can remain in Christ this week.

This week, the challenge is to 1. Remain in Christ (stay connected to him daily) and 2. Produce good fruit.

Pray this week for the desire and hunger to remain in Christ.  Also pray that God would use you to produce good fruit in all that you do and say.

He said what? - Clean the inside of your cup?!?

On Sunday we continued our He Said What series talking about cleaning out the inside of your cup.

We looked at these primary verses - Matthew 5:21-30, 38-48.

1. Did Christ's challenge shock you at all? How so?
2. Of the ones that Christ identified (hate, lust, revenge and love for enemies), which is more challenging for you to step up to?

As Christ encouraged us, we need to continue to do what is right, but he takes it a step further by saying in Matthew 12:34 that all our actions and good works have to stem from our heart. God cares more about our heart than our actions. The perfect example of this is found in 1 Samuel 16:1-13.

1. What was Samuel's mission here?
2. In verse 6, Samuel thought he had the right son of Jesse to be king. But, God had someone else in mind. What was God's criteria for the new king (v.7)?
3. How was David described? Did he look like he could be king?

Application:

David didn't necessarily look like a King. He was young and smaller than the rest of his brothers. But, most importantly, he had the heart that was right. He had a heart that was passionate about God and to follow him - "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." (Psalm 63:1-8). Even though David didn't look like a King, because of his heart and how it impacted his actions, he went down in the history books as one of the great Kings of Israel.

Sure, David made his share of mistakes but time and again, he heart was always for God and his relationship with the Lord impacted him. That is what is important to God. David desired to have a clean heart, one that would worship and praise God (Psalm 51:1-17).

So, how is your heart? How is the inside of your cup?

This week, let's do good and reflect Christ in all that we do. But, let's keep our heart in check and make sure that out of the overflow of our heart, we act and speak.

Pray that God would create in you a clean heart, one that is passionate about him and that your actions this week will reflect that clean heart.

He said what? - Ask, Seek and Knock

On Sunday we introduced a 3 week series on tough saying Christ said during his Sermon on the Mount. For the complete sermon, check out Matthew 5 - 7.

Of Christ's entire message, we have selected 3 sections in which made me (and probably you) say, "He said what?". Basically, these are head turning statements that challenge and push us to in how we live our life.

The 1st one we looked at was Matthew 7:7-14. Take a moment in read it.

In this section Christ made 2 "He said what?" statements:

• Ask, Seek and Knock and the door will be opened to you (v.7-12)
• Few find and go through the gate that is narrow. Many people enter the wide gate but it ultimately leads to destruction (v.13-14)

1. What or whom are these statements referring to?

• When we ask, what do we receive?
• When we seek, what do we find?
• When we knock, who will open the door?

2. Why do you think few enter the gate that is narrow?

Application:

These are head turners for me because too often we believe that we will find Christ without having to put forth any effort of our own. As believers we expect him to be there and make everything right. Well, that is half right. He is always there for us, BUT, we have to make some effort - even just the simple ask, seek and knock. How easy is that? When we do that, Christ promises us that we will find him and that we will be blessed (v.11).

This week, let's ask, seek and knock on CHRIST's door! Let's enter the narrow gate this week and choose to follow CHRIST this week!

There are many things we can ask for and seek that lead us no where. Let's choose to follow Christ this week and see how he blesses us and bless those around us.

It begins with seeking him. If you do not have a quiet time plan for the week, let me suggest you do these:

Day 1: Matthew 14:22-33
Day 2: Matthew 5:13-16
Day 3: Matthew 13:1-23
Day 4: John 5:1-15
Day 5: John 8:1-11
Day 6: John 21:1-25

Some questions you can ask yourself during these times are:

1. What happened in the story?
2. What did Jesus say or do?
3. How can I adjust my life to what he said or did?

I believe that if we truly seek after CHRIST this week, we will find him and be blessed because of it.

Pray that Christ would give you the strength, time and desire to pursue him this week.

Fruit of the Spirit - Self-Control

I'm hooked on "24". This might surprise some people as they know that I liked to make fun of "24" for years. Don't get me wrong, I loved the concept of the show, I was just amazed at all Jack Bauer could do in a 24 hour time period.

In the midst of the craziness of the day, Jack is very controlled and is able to get the things done that needs to be done. However, there are times when things do not go as planned (ie, a terror suspect doesn't answer the questions quick enough or something unexpected happens) that Jack loses his self-control and gets more than a little mad in his efforts to accomplish his task.

Does this sound familiar with you at all? Do you demonstrate self-control up to a point? What sets you over the edge?

No matter what our circumstances are, God has some thoughts about what it means to be self-controlled and how it affects ourselves and others.

Read 1 Corinthians 9:25, 2 Peter 1:5-8

1. What do these verses tell us about self-control?
2. What is the strict training we, as believers, are involved in?
3. How is self-control apart of that training?

Application:

This whole series on the Fruit of the Spirit was meant to be an encouragement to fight for Christ! I've said it before, but we have to choose each day to follow Christ. It's an active choice in an active relationship. 1 Timothy 6:12 says, "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

This week, fight the good fight of your faith each day by instilling the fruit of the spirit in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Clothe yourself with one or more of these fruit and encourage others to walk alongside of you as you all, together, fight for your relationship with Christ. Choose to follow him today and see how he blesses you!

Pray