Whatever Takes Us Away

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in diffferent kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one just as he determines." (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

I've found a Bible podcast on iTunes recently and have been listening to 1 Corinthians chapters 1 through 15 for a couple days now. I have read and re-read this passage and even have it highlighted in my Bible, but hearing it a couple days ago opened my eyes to something . . .

I have known that there are reasons for different denominations among the church and have somewhat understood this in the past, but for some reason this passage of scripture really made it clear to me. Each denomination has its own way of doing things, its own special missions and ministries and I think this helps to clarify why we have these denominations. The Holy Spirit gives each of us different gifts, talents and abilities - in a quantity that matches our level of faith - and we in turn usually gravitate towards those of like mind, talents and abilities. Some of the more Pentacostal churches I've attended usually had more people with the gift of speaking in tongues, and to a certain degreee, interpreting those tongues. Other churches seem to have large numbers of people that see visions and are able to prophesy.

The passage goes on to talk about how the body (both the physical & the church) is made of many different parts. Not one of them makes a body, but all together they make the body complete. "If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?" (1 Cor. 12:17) As many different denominations we are all parts and pieces of the body of Christ, not just one makes up the whole.



As the whole body of Christ, we, the different denominations need to start working more with instead of against each other. If you have a friend, co-worker or family member that attends a different church, good, encourage that person to continue (granted that church is one that believes in Christ Jesus, and Him crucified and risen). Don't try to say that your church is better. Don't try to explain why that church is wrong. Your church isn't better and their church isn't wrong, but rather, build each other up and learn the small, distinct differences in your churches; understand them and embrace them. Talk about the good things in each other's churches. When we focus on the negative we force ourselves back into divisions. (I wrote about divisions among the church back in February (Judge not . . . divide not)) and have been seeking more guidance in this since that post. 1 Corinthians Chapter 3 talks more about divisions among the believers, take a few minutes to read it, then fast forward to chapter 12 and read about the spiritual gifts and the body.

We are one in Christ, let us act that way.

The weekend went very well. Got a few things accomplished around the house, mowed the grass and headed towards the parent's house to help out there (and to rally my Dad up for some fishing). So, around 5:00 we headed towards the lake. By 5:15 we were in the boat, Dad, Jake and myself, as we pushed off across the water. Within minutes of slowing I killed the motor and reeled in the first fish of the day, a decent crappie worthy of keeping. Just moments after that another, and another and another. Dad was getting a little frustrated as he was tending to the fish, trying to keep them on the stringer (forgot the basket & the bucket). So, I halted my casting for a few minutes and watched Jake and Dad as they cast. Finally, I wasn't the only one retrieving fish from the lake. Dad caught a few and put them on the stringer, I started fishing again. By this time there were six good sized fish to take home and Dad landed another one. Somehow, and I wasn't watching until too late, Dad got another one and as he was reaching for the stringer it fell. He was devastated, the work, the time (a mere 30 minutes or so) just gone. He took the fish he still had on his line, strung it up and we continued. Mind you, we threw a few small ones back, bass, catfish, blue gill and we still ended up taking home 17 fish! We caught 31 fish in about two and a half hours. A day well spent.

Sunday morning went pretty well, church, lunch with Mom & Dad and then we headed back to church for Youth Group. We struggled to keep focus (the teens as well as Tina and I), but we managed to work on some new songs and began preping for the Youth service. Afterwards we packed everything and everyone up and headed back to my parents' house for a fish fry.

Between Tina, my Dad and I we ate every bit of fish we had caught the day before. It was very tasty and I look forward to having more days like that throughout the summer.

Head for home, get kids to bed, relax, right?

Wrong. Very wrong.

In Luke, Chapter 10 you'll find the parable of the Good Samaritan. I'm sure many of you know this story, but I'll go ahead and paraphrase. Man gets mugged on his way to Jericho, left on the side of the road. A priest walks by see the man laying there, goes around him. So to, a Levite (set aside for God's work) sees and goes around the man. Then, a Samaritan came along the road, took the beaten man and cared for his needs, paid for him to have a place to stay and recover and was willing to come back and pay for any extra expenses. That's a pretty nice guy if you ask me, helping a complete stranger.

Now, after our return to the house Sunday evening Tina checked to see if we'd missed any calls as I got the kids ready for bed. Not knowing what was going on or who she was talking too I continued my task, got the kids tucked in and then found her sitting on the stairs, crying, still talking on the phone.

As I found out, her mother had fallen in the shower and broke her lower leg, separated her ankle from her calf. Papa Bill was at work when this happened so she crawled out of the shower, called 911 and crawled to the door when they arrived. She had also called Tina's sister.

I love Debbie as I would my own sister, but as she is one who deals with being Bi-Polar I sometimes struggle to find in myself the capacity to love her as a Christian. When she received the phone call from her mother she was too busy cooking a souffle and would send her husband, Dean. Tina's mom was devastated and hung up the phone.

After the visit to the emergency room Tina's Dad called again to see if they could help get Mom in the house when they got there. Again, they were too busy shopping and having dinner; so a group of elderly people helped get Anna inside once she returned home (they live in a senior community).

As of last night Debbie had still yet to even pay her own mother a visit or check on her. I pain inside as we are nearly on opposite ends of the continent. 2700 miles separate us and Tina's folks and I hope there can be a change in that in the not-too-distant future.

Anna will go in Thursday for surgery to have everything put back together and get the "ankle bones connected to the leg bones" and pray that all goes well with that. She seems to be in good spirits despite everything.

Pray also for Tina and I as we struggle to understand how somone, family member, stanger, anyone, could act in such a way. Pray that we find peace and understanding and are able to deal with Debbie in a Christian manner when the time comes.

"Which of these three do you think was the neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert of the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:36-37 NIV)

I'll keep this post short. There's a lot on my mind and I don't really have the proper amount of time to get it all out in a concise manner right now.

Keep Tina and her family in prayer, her mother broke her lower leg the other day.

Keep the youth group and I in prayer as we are working on putting together a Praise & Worship service coming in a few weeks.

I'll give better updates shortly. Until then . . .

I need to say thanks to our friends at Kingsway Fellowship for having our group at their Life Change event yesterday. It was a good learning experience, a good time of fellowship, and a good time of worship. I'm always excited about seeing what other area churches are doing, especially when it comes to youth things - and judging by what we saw, they've really got it going on there! I was really moved to know that the worship band for the day was all youth lead; it was an awesome experience and I'm glad we were a part of it. Equally moving were the speakers throughout the day. I think we all agreed that Pastor Chris Wallis was pretty good, and the kids in the group thought he was pretty funny to boot. Likewise, they enjoyed listening to Terra Schaeffer. That woman has some serious passion about what she does, and it shows. A good speaker and a great woman of God. All in all, we had a great time and look forward to being a part of it again next year.



Sadly we had to leave a little early and didn't get to see Josh Bates perform. However, we did get to see Britt Nicole (2nd time this year - WinterJam) and she did an amazing job. Prior to her taking the stage there was an alter call and many of the teens there got up and went forward, nailing something they've been bearing to a cross (metaphorically and physically nailing). During this time Tina and I had the opportunity to pray for and pray with some of those that came forward, and to our amazement, Britt Nicole was doing the same thing; going around and praying with the teens that came forward. That was a truly awesome thing to see. Here you have a nationally recognized singer, getting down and into the thick of things, praying with these young people. You see people like that on stage, on TV, hear them on the radio and think they don't get down to business when it comes to church things, people things, real life things. But there she was, doing what seemed to be what God wanted her to do at that time, pray with those that needed it. Thanks!

I can't say that everyone we took had a life changing time, but I do know that they all had some kind of God encounter - some that didn't expect it, and some that did. Again, I say thanks to our wonderful hosts at Kingsway Fellowship and to Pastor Darrell.

We are past Easter now. We have worshiped and learned more about our Risen Savior, and now we move forward. This Saturday we will be heading over to nearby Batavia for a youth conference. Our friends at King's Way Fellowship were nice enough to extend the invitation and we've responded. If you haven't talked to Tina or I about this conference, please let either of us know ASAP (Friday at the latest).

Also upcoming will be the start of NHUMC's Youth Sunday School. This Sunday morning @ 9:15 in the Youth Room. Bring yourself, your Bible, and whatever manner of breakfast drink you most prefer - I know not all of you drink coffee, so I won't be in charge of drinks.

In line with that, the Youth Group will be meeting every Sunday evening from now on - unless otherwise noted. Check the church website for updated events, times and places (look for link to church calendar). As soon as we get the materials we'll be starting the Rise Up cirriculum (it goes along with ATF/Battlecry) so start bringing friends and family.

Lastly, thanks to those of you that showed up last Saturday. Despite the cold weather we still got some things accomplished! Special thanks to Blueberry Boy of Stix in the Sneaux! You're awesome!

6:30 am, that's not the best time to have a church service, but then, anytime is a good time for a church service. However, the Easter Sunrise service at church this past weekend ran me over, drug me behind, and slammed me to the ground physically. I think I've caught up on sleep now.

It was a good service. I hope next year we have more people there, it is an awesome thing to be a part of. I fumbled through the songs on guitar, but we all tried our best to worship none-the-less.

Afterwards we had breakfast! One of my favorite things to do - eat! More people need to show up for that next year as well. Get up early, go to church, worship, eat - nice day in my opinion.

Christ
Easter. The Risen Christ. That is the reason we exist as Christians today. However, most citizens of the United States today would distance themselves from the church – holding little faith in what the church seems to stands for today. Ask many non-believers what the church stands for and the response might sound something like anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-big government, anti-anything. The responses we might not hear would be something along the lines of we stand for Christ Jesus, we stand for helping the under-privileged, we stand for unity in the body, we stand for faithful living, and so on. The things we should most be quoted for saying and being are the least in the minds of non-believers because of our actions and our lack of living out our faith. Many “church leaders” have been using their status as a political platform, using Christ as a springboard towards what they want to accomplish, not what God wants to accomplish through them. We are told to go into the world and make disciples, what we do is go into the world and spread dissension and confusion. Easter is a time where we should take a real hard look at ourselves, individually, and see what it is we really stand for, Christ or the world. I want to vow that I will make a recommitment to Jesus Christ this Easter, putting Him before all other decisions in my life, letting Him guide my decisions, letting Him be the head of my house.

Faith
Our faith is being tested during these times. Many of us put our faith in things of this world, rather than putting our faith and trust in God. As a parent, what is the worst thing you could imagine? How about putting your own child on death row, knowing he/she did nothing wrong? Why is that so hard to imagine? God did it 2000 years ago. It is in that birth to be death that our faith should lie, not on what the latest trends are, not on the current charismatic speakers, not on a book about a book about a movie. Complete trust or confidence in someone or something, that’s a dictionary definition of faith. Do we have complete trust or confidence in Christ? Many of us, myself included, are probably not in that category. I did a search online for quotes about faith, and to my surprise the first 18 quotations that popped up were all negative towards faith; cynical at best. Is that how we want to be seen when it comes to faith in Christ? Let’s all make a recommitment to our faith in Jesus this Easter; faith in who He was, who He is, and who He Will Be.

Hope
“A feeling of expectation and desire for something to happen.” Hope. I hope the weather gets better this week! I hope the New York Yankees win the World Series this year. I hope my kids go to college and I don’t have to pay for it! That’s what hope is to most of us. Hope for things of the world, hope for things, not hope for eternal things. My feelings of expectation and desire are for Christ to return. I understand that it may not be during my own lifetime, and I’m okay with that, but that’s where my hope lies. The Bible speaks truth, absolute truth, and it says that one day Jesus will return for all of those who’s faith rests in Him. What do you hope for? What are your expectations this Easter? I remember as a child that my expectations for Easter were for candy, maybe some new toys, and I knew I’d get that Easter outfit I’d only wear once. I usually got those things, but in a matter of days, sometimes hours, those things would be gone, never to be seen again. Today, as an adult I can only hope and pray that the thing I want most will come soon. How awesome would it be to wake up to our Savior ready to lead us to our eternal home? To me, that’s what hope is for, looking forward to the best of times, the best of things – knowing that I and all those around me would be perfect in God’s sight forever, with God forever. Isn’t that worth looking forward to? Let’s make a recommitment to hope. Not just hope in our lives, but hope in the future of the church, hope in each other, hope in the day Christ will come. Christ has died halleluiah. Christ has risen halleluiah. Christ will come again halleluiah!

Love
Jesus taught us the greatest commandment, to love. Love one another. Love as I have loved. Did you hear what Jesus said after those? Love, period. It wasn’t love, but put some restrictions on that love. He just said to love, period. In Greek there are a few different words for love; a word for brotherly love, physical love, and unconditional love. The word used to describe the love Jesus talks about is unconditional, or agape love. Love without end, without restrictions, love with out saying something after it. I love you all. I love you because Jesus loves you. In a real community, love, not power should be what drives us all to live together in harmony. Love, not money should lead our paths and ways of life. If you honestly love someone, regardless of what they do, regardless of who they may hang around, regardless of the addictions they may carry, if you really love someone, tell them. Just say it. I love you. Don’t put anything else after it, except maybe a hug, a kiss on the cheek, a holding of hands, or just a simple pat on the back. I love you without restriction. With all my heart, soul, mind and everything I have, I love you. This type of love is what it is to be a Christian, but too often we stray from that love and turn to the physical or brotherly love, love with things attached to it. The Father gave us His One and Only Son, to live a perfect life, without sin, without blame; the Son He put to death on a cross. He did this because He loved us from before we were born. And Jesus, out of love and obedience to His Father, loved us so much that He put Himself on that cross to blot out our sins from the Father’s eyes. He did this for you, He did this for me. Unconditional, unashamed love. Let’s recommit ourselves to what love should be, to what love is, to what Jesus wanted from us when He gave us the instructions to love one another.

Weather. It's a fickle thing we cannot control. As it looks for tomorrow we won't be spending much, if any, time outside for our service project. However, we may be doing a few things inside and will most likely have some devotion/worship time. We may spend a little time outdoors, so dress appropriately.

We're still on for 2:00 pm and will probably go to about 4:00. If you need a ride please let me or Tina know by 12:00 pm Saturday.

He is Risen!

I don't even know where to begin, but I'll attempt . . . God answers prayer.

I have struggled the last few months with being a "youth director" and whether or not it's where I'm supposed to be. I may have stated this before, but I got some confirmation while on our trip to Muncie last month. Still, I sometimes question myself and I continually seek God's guidance in this, ask for help and pray a lot over this.

Normally I can't attend the Wednesday evening prayer service, but I had stiches removed this afternoon and stayed home from work as a result - as it turned out there was a board meeting/discussion time along with the prayer meeting tonight at church. God works in funny ways sometimes. All I was hoping to do was see if we could get the church's support with the youth ministry (not just financial support, but physical, spiritual and prayer support).

We've been here alomst a year now and there's a lot Tina and I don't know about the history of NHUMC, but we are willing to learn and be a part of that history as it unfolds before our eyes. What I learned this evening was there was a couple a while ago (probably 15 years at least) that was in charge of the youth group at the time, very involved, very energetic, and in touch (as much as possible) with the teens of that time. One of those teens was sitting at the table with us during this meeting; grown with children. Another thing learned was that the prayer group that started a few years ago had a priority list, and at the top of that list was the youth of the church.

I can't remember the exact moments, but some really awesome things happened at this meeting and I received more confirmation as to my status as the youth director.

So, here I am, back at home typing on the iMac. Where is this going?

Here.

Right now.

This church gets it. Everyone at the meeting agreed that the youth of today will be the church leadership of tomorrow and they need the support of everyone elder to them. They are so willing to let God use them, their talents, skills, abilities, everything and I am humbled to be a part of that. I'm so used to having to jump through hoops to get anything accomplished at church. I've been praying that God would open doors for this group of teens entrusted to me. Praying that I would be able to be the man God wants me to be. Praying that my life can be an example of Christ to these kids. Tonight, sitting there with many of the elders of this church, I was humbled several times over. A few times I fought back tears. These people are awesome and they want to reach out to as many teens as they can. One said to me that she is so glad that I came to this church and told me how glad she was that I share my talents and abilities with the teens (one of whom is her grand daughter).



What I expected was not what I received. What I received was unexpected. What I received I will gladly share with any teen that walks through those doors; broken, beaten, depressed, stressed, addicted, happy, sad, mad - I am not bothered by the conditions, but I do care about you and I will share something truly amazing with you . . . a story that broke even me and was shared with even me, the story that came from heaven.

Jesus.

Is there a difference between living your spiritual life in an emotionally driven, high-octane, event visiting way and living your spiritual life in a personal relationship way?

I remember reading something prior to Acquire The Fire that I thought was a bit odd, that some of these types of events just used emotionalism to "reach" people. And, while I still don't agree with a statement like that, I do feel that if we allow ourselves to go from one thing to another we do run that risk of thinking that we can only be in the presence of our awesome God when in a large-scale setting. How incorrect! How ludicrous! Some of my most intimate memories were in small spaces with small groups of people - sometimes even alone. These events are good, don't get me wrong, but there needs to be a personal side to it.

How is your spiritual life? Are you living for the next event, the next thing, the next person? Or, are you living as an example of Christ to those around you? "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." (Romans 12:10-12) Keep your spiritual fervor! Be zealous for the Lord. The passage goes on to tell us the be faithful in prayer, share with God's people, rejoice with those around you, mourn with those around you, bless and do not curse. These things we can do with groups and we can do by ourselves. If we find ourselves looking towards that next thing to keep us going we are missing the point. If we are in Christ we need for nothing else. If our happiness revolves around people, places and things - are we then truly happy or are we just looking for the easy way out?

I'm not saying we should not gather in large numbers or that one can't have a good experience in a large setting. Hebrews 10:25 "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." We are encouraged by scripture to meet together. What I am attempting to get at is this: We can fill our schedules with all kinds of conferences, concerts, events and gatherings and think those are the places we really get into the spirit. While we can be met by the Holy Spirit during these times, they aren't the only times.

Fill your schedule first with God. See what can happen. Read His Word and let it sink in. If it takes reading a passage several times before it really sinks in, read it several times. Meditate on the Word, pray continually, seek His will for you. Be excited about a couple of those conferences and concerts each year and let those be subtle power boosts for you. Be re-energized by them, but don't let them be your only filling.