Some Scripture I read today - 3/19

Continuing to read through 1 Peter, I read these in chapter 2 and was encouraged/challenged.

v. 11-12 - "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

• We get trapped into living our lives the way the rest of the world does.  But, ultimately, when we do that, there is a battle going on between our faith and the worldly desires.  We need to live our lives pleasing to the Lord so that we can bring glory to Him.

v. 16 - "Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God."

v. 23 - "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly."

• It can be so easy for us, when we are persecuted or made fun of because of our beliefs, to retaliate and say things back to defend ourselves.  But, if Christ, hanging on the cross did not, then maybe we should take a step back and allow the Lord to justly judge and we, as v. 11-12 state, live our lives to glorify Him.

Take a Minute and ponder these verses.  Pray and meditate on them before the Lord and see what HE puts on your heart today because of them.

May God bless you all today and do a great work!

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Some Scripture I read today

Today I started reading through 1 Peter.  Here are some verses that stuck out to me:

v. 7 - "These [Trials] have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (emphasis mine)

v. 15-16 - "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

v. 24-25 - "For, 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.' And this is the word that was preached to you." (emphasis mine)

Take a minute and ponder these verses and see what the Lord puts on your heart today because of them.

May God bless you all today and do a great work!

tompounder.blogspot.com

What am I suppose to learn from this?

Throughout our lives we go through "seasons".  I don't know whoever coined this term but if he/she would have trademarked this bad boy, they would be filthy rich right now as it is a very popular word.  Well, right now I am going through a season and to be honest, I'm over it.  I'm ready to move on as I've been in this season for too long. 

As I have had a wide range of emotions during this season in my life, I realize that God is not done with me yet.  He has me here for a reason and although I may be done, the reality is that I may not have even begun to experience what God wants to teach me throughout this season.

The passage I look towards a lot during this time in my life is Romans 5:1-5.  Take a minute and read it.

In this passage Paul says that we need to rejoice in our sufferings because it produces perseverance, character and hope.  Now, don't get me wrong, all seasons in our lives ARE NOT ALWAYS sufferings.  But if we look at this passage that in everything, even our sufferings, God can continue to build into us, He will make us better through any experience or season in our lives.  The question I need to keep asking is, "Lord, what do you want to teach me through this?"  Why am I going through this time in my life.  It is not all "whoa is me", but an earnest desire to learn from the Lord during this time.

Regardless of what the Lord is trying to teach me, I know 2 things:

1. I have to continue to seek Him (Matthew 6:33)
2. He will use this for His glory.  It's not all about me - never has been and never will be.  So, I need to stop looking at this from a "me" perspective and more at how can I use this for His Glory?

Just like me, you may be going through a season in your life where you may not be understanding that God is trying to teach you.  My encouragement to you is to continue to pursue the Lord.  He has you where you are for a reason and if it is through sufferings, He is there with us and will build into us more Christlike qualities to make us more effective for the Kingdom of heaven.

As Paul says, "hope does not disappoint us" (v. 5).  Rest in God's hope and trust that He will not only bring you through all seasons but you will be better off because of it.

Take some time to pray and pursue the Lord.  Whether this season is a tough time for you or not, ask Him what He wants you to learn from this season in your life.

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4:30 am, really?

If you know me, you know that I am an early riser.  I love to get up in the morning when it is just me.  After all, with 4 young children under the age of 8 running around, it is hard to get that alone time.  My routine usually involves:

• praying
• reading some scripture
• dosing off
• checking facebook, twitter and some youth ministry blogs
• working on Cedar Run stuff like lesson prep or emails

The reason why I get up early in the morning is because it is time when I can just have as "Tom" time.  All the girls are asleep and I can really focus in on some things.

The question I have for you all is - do you get that time alone to contemplate, to spend time with the Lord in prayer and search the scripture, to plan ahead for future goals and ideas.  Do you make it a priority or is it just one of the many "to-dos" you try to fit into your day?  When you make it a priority, you choose to do these things regardless of time and structure of your day.

I know I get up insanely early (4:30 am most days), but I cherish these times.  This time where I can do these things are a priority for me.  But, in order to get this time alone, I have to wake up early or stay up late - I choose early.

What do you like to do when you wake up?  Do you get up early enough to have that alone time so where you are not rushed in the morning?  Aren't we rushed enough throughout the day not to be rushed in the morning as well?

This week, spend some time getting up earlier in the morning and:

• find a good place in your house to claim as your morning time
• grab a cup of coffee, soda, juice, whatever
• grab your Bible and prayer journal and, as Samuel did, say to the Lord, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." (1 Samuel 3)
• ask the Lord to not just speak to you now, but to start preparing you for what lies ahead.

God has some great plans for our lives.  It would just be a shame to never make time to find out what those plans really are.

Examining Your Walls

As I continue to read through Nehemiah, a ton of things are coming out of it.

Take a minute and read Nehemiah 2:11-20

Some questions to process:

1. What sticks out to you in these verses?
2. What was the first thing Nehemiah did with the Jerusalem wall?
3. What was his assessment of the wall?
4. How did the workers respond to Nehemiah's challenge?

Before Nehemiah got into actually rebuilding the Jerusalem wall, he had to do an assessment of the wall.  He had to find out where the weak points were so he could hit those rough spots first.  Once those weak areas were rebuilt and strengthened, the city of Jerusalem would be strong and better equipped to defend her city.

As I was reading through this I thought of how often I assess my life.  How often do I look for weak areas or things that need improving?

I know it is not easy to look for weak or struggling areas in our lives.  It can be a very humbling experience.  But, as Paul points out in 1 Peter 5:5-6, when we humble ourselves, he will lift us up - "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."

This week, do an assessment of your life.  What are some strong areas and weak areas in your life?  Of the weak areas, what steps can you take this week to improve?

After Nehemiah examined the walls, he devised a plan to strengthen them.  The walls improved slowly, but eventually were rebuilt.  In the same way, we can not expect God to repair those weak areas in our lives overnight.  But if we come up with a plan and stick to it, we will be successful in rebuilding our walls as well.

Pray that God would allow you to see the walls in your life that you can begin to repair and strengthen them so you can glorify Him with who you are in all that you do.

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So your saying there's a chance?

In my personal devotion time, I am going through Nehemiah. I just started but what made me fascinated with reading through Nehemiah was the fact that he was chiefly responsible for organizing the effort to rebuild the Jerusalem wall. So, I began to read through and was struck by a few things. As I read and process, I will continue to write about them and I hope you are challenged/encouraged by them as well.

Read Nehemiah 1-2:10

Some questions to answer:

1. Who was Nehemiah?
2. What was on his heart to do?
3. How was God instrumental in allowing him to go on his mission?

Nehemiah was just a simple cupbearer. He didn't have real power or authority to do anything. But, his heart was to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall that was destroyed when they were taken over.

He knew that Israel messed up big time when they disobeyed the Lord (1:5-9). None-the-less, he went before God and prayed for a chance, just an opportunity to go before the King and make his petition. Then, in 2:1-4a, the King asked him for what he wanted. How crazy is that? That had God written all over that as how many times do you think a high King would take an interest in such a lowly cupbearer?

What is on your heart? How is God moving within it?

If God is pressing something on your heart, go before the Lord and pray for a chance to do something with it. Then, when he provides you with an opportunity, Carpe Diem - SEIZE THE DAY! God is giving you a chance, now do something with it.

Just because God gives you a chance to do something, big or small, doesn't mean it will be easy for you to do it. In 2:2, Nehemiah says that he was afraid. But, ultimately, he spoke up and got what he wanted. Do not let fear or uncertainty of the unknown effect your decision to go for it or not. Seize the day and be thankful to God that he has given you this great opportunity.

So again, is God pressing something on your heart to do? Go before him to verify if it is from the Lord or not. Then, if it is something He wants you to take action on, pray for an opportunity and then make the most out of the opportunity you have. Nehemiah did and you can too.

Genesis 4 Devotional

This was the devotional that we gave out to the Cedar Run youth for this past week.

Read Genesis 4

1. Cain and Able were brothers. What did each of them do for a living?

2. Cain and Able brought an offering to the Lord. What was the difference between the two offerings and which one was view upon as better?

3. Because of the difference, Cain did what? Why do you think Cain did this? DIG DEEPER – Read 1 John 3:12.

4. What happened to Cain because of his actions?

5. This is yet another example of the consequences of sin. Review Genesis 3:1-19 to see past examples of the consequences of sin. We suffer these consequences when we fall away from the Lord’s provisions in our lives. This week, what is one thing you could do that will help you resist temptation to fall away from God and his provisions for you? (One suggestion is to read Ephesians 6:10-18)

The choices we make

Last Sunday, we talked about Genesis 3 - the Fall of man. In case you don't know what happens in Genesis 3, allow me to sum up.

• God told Adam and Eve that they could eat from whatever tree they wanted, except for one specific tree.
• Satan came alone (in the form of a snake) and caused Eve to 2nd guess what God had commanded.
• Through Satan's temptation, Eve gave in and ate of the fruit that God told her not to.
• After Eve ate it, she gave some to Adam, who was there with her, and he ate the fruit as well
• After they ate of the fruit, the Lord found out and gave consequences to the snake, Eve and Adam (Genesis 3:14-19)

Now, Adam and Eve didn't have to eat that fruit. They had plenty of other food provided for them by God. Plus, they didn't have to listen to the snake. After all, who actually talks to a snake unless you live in Disney World?

But the fact is they choose to eat the fruit. They choose to listen to the snake. Therefore, the consequences they suffered were a direct result of their choices.

In the same way, the choices we make are going to either push us closer to Christ or further away. There is no way we can expect ourselves to "live it up" according to a worldly perspective and still expect to grow closer to Christ.

My encouragement to you today is to closely examine all the choices you make. As you are making decisions ask yourself, "Will ____________ draw me closer to Christ or further away?". It's a simple question but the rewards or consequences may not be very simple (see Adam, Eve and the Snake for reference).

May God impact you in a mighty way today!

Getting rid of your idols

Read Judges 10:6-16

I help teach our Middle School "Grounded" class. Grounded is a walk through the Bible and some important Church doctrine.

Currently, we are going over the Judges and Kings of Israel. With the Judges a pattern that is often repeated goes something like this:

1. Israel sins and worship other gods and idols
2. God allows Israel and their faithlessness to be overtaken by an enemy
3. Israel learns their lesson, gets rid of the idols and cries out to the Lord for help
4. God hears their cry and helps them by sending a Judge to defeat their enemies
5. After victory, they live in peace for X amount of years until that Judge dies
6. Repeat steps 1-5

The reading in Judges 10:6-16 is very similar to this pattern.

The key point that I would like to discuss is pattern #3 where Israel learns their lesson, gets rid of the idols and cries to God for help. Obviously today we do not have idols or false gods such as Baal or whatever else the Israelites worshiped back then. But, we do have idols that take our focus off of Christ and onto something else.

Some current day idols could be our friends, alcohol, drugs, money, fame, a TV show, facebook or other social media outlets, or even our iPhones. Again, an idol is whatever takes our focus off of Christ. Do you have an idol?

Well, if you do, I want to encourage you to take the next step, as Israel did - get rid of your idols. See, they worshipped other idols and it didn't quite work out for them. So, they had to get right with the Lord again. In order to do that, they had to first get rid of the idols. I'm not saying that a requirement for God to help you means you have to get rid of your idols, but that is what is constantly demonstrated with the Israelites. Plus, how can we completely turn our focus on the Lord if we have our idols still with us? Get rid of your idols whatever they may be.

We have to get rid of the idols that hinder our relationship with Christ. Christ said that he has come to give us life to the full (John 10:10). How can he possibly do that if we are turning to other things as well?

My encouragement for you all today is:

• examine your life. Do you have idols that are hindering what God wants to do in your life? If so,
• Get rid of all the idols that are doing that. Throw them out or do whatever you have to do get into a position where God can minister to you and provide a life that is full (please note - I said full which does not necessarily mean fun or prosperous).

God will always provide, but not necessarily in the ways we think he "should" or will. Throw out your idols and turn your focus on Christ. Then, see how he provides.

Dance Party Options

As you know we are going to have another Dance Party on Jan. 22nd. Well, we need your help in deciding the theme. Click the one theme you would prefer you do.

You have until Jan. 13th to decide. Results will be posted here!

New Years and New Beginnings

It's the new year and as it is all the time when January rolls around, people try to make the most out of it by striving to make bold new starts. Whether it is giving up a bad habit or trying to lose weight, people see January 1 as the time to get serious.

Did you know that the most popular new years resolutions are:

• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Save Money
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Get a Better Education
• Drink Less Alcohol
• Quit Smoking Now
• Reduce Stress Overall
• Reduce Stress at Work
• Take a Trip

Those are all great resolutions, but where are doing resolutions to be more like Christ fall in? It would be a shame to do some of these most popular resolutions but fail to grow closer to Christ in any way.

Mark 6:33 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." If we seek him and strive for him first and foremost, all these other things we strive for or need will fall into place.

Therefore, my personal goal for 2010 is to never miss a day without spending time in Scripture and Prayer. It may be generic or common, but I am striving for it and hope not to fall short so that I can benefit and those around me can as well.

So what are you striving for this year? How can you draw closer to Christ this year? Make a goal and strive towards Him.

Source:

http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml

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