Leonard Sweet is a Seminary Prof and author. I really like him a lot. I recently read this quote of his:
"Your Baptism is your ordination into the ministry."
This is so true!!! That is one of the perceptions I am going to pound into your heads for as long as I am here. Once you get saved, once you commit your life to Christ, you are a minister of Jesus!! No options, no excuses. The question is, what kind of minister are you going to be?
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Darfur Game
So you like to play video games? Here's one with a point.
It's called Darfur is Dying.
For those of you who don't know, in the country of Sudan in East Arica, thousands of people are losing their lives daily, most Christians, to the hands of Muslims. I've had a heart for these people ever since I got a chance to talk with Abraham Nhial, who was 10 years old when his family was murdered. He had to keep alive by trekking across deserts, fighting aligators and drinking his own urine while avoiding the Militia who shot at him for target practice. All this while he was your age.
He is now attending seminary and training to be a pastor here in America. You can get his book here .
This video game will show you what a person your age will have to go through in his every day life. Pray for the people of Sudan as you play and check the links on the web page to see how you can help.
It's called Darfur is Dying.
For those of you who don't know, in the country of Sudan in East Arica, thousands of people are losing their lives daily, most Christians, to the hands of Muslims. I've had a heart for these people ever since I got a chance to talk with Abraham Nhial, who was 10 years old when his family was murdered. He had to keep alive by trekking across deserts, fighting aligators and drinking his own urine while avoiding the Militia who shot at him for target practice. All this while he was your age.
He is now attending seminary and training to be a pastor here in America. You can get his book here .
This video game will show you what a person your age will have to go through in his every day life. Pray for the people of Sudan as you play and check the links on the web page to see how you can help.
Ray Gun...Oh Yes
So, the government is testing a Ray Gun, here in Georgia actually, that shoots an invisible ray up to 500 yards. The kicker? It dosen't do any permenant damage to the unlucky victim, but it makes tham feel like they are on fire! I have to get one of these to use on Wednesday Night's!!!
You can read the news article about the ray gun here.
You can read the news article about the ray gun here.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Sea Monster
No joke, a prehistoric sea monster was captured off of the coast of Japan recently.
It's a type of shark that lives further down than humans can go. It lived for a few hours in a holding tank before it died. Scientists were able to get the first video footage ever of the creature.
Read the whole article and check out a picture of this thing here.
It's a type of shark that lives further down than humans can go. It lived for a few hours in a holding tank before it died. Scientists were able to get the first video footage ever of the creature.
Read the whole article and check out a picture of this thing here.
James 1:11
Life is short.
Just like the flower in this passage, our lives blossom and bloom, then they fade and we eventually will die. Depressed yet?
You may be saying, wait, I'm just a teenager, my whole life is in front of me. Let me tell you this, it flies by. It wasn't long ago when I was you, sitting in my middle school class with my whole life before me. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not over the hill yet, but time has flown by.
You have a short amount of time in which to live your life. Who are you living for? Yourself or for Jesus? If you are living for Jesus you will be spending your time, money and energy serving other people. If you are living for yourself you will be spending your time money and energy on yourself.
Life is short. What are you doing with the time that you've been given?
Just like the flower in this passage, our lives blossom and bloom, then they fade and we eventually will die. Depressed yet?
You may be saying, wait, I'm just a teenager, my whole life is in front of me. Let me tell you this, it flies by. It wasn't long ago when I was you, sitting in my middle school class with my whole life before me. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not over the hill yet, but time has flown by.
You have a short amount of time in which to live your life. Who are you living for? Yourself or for Jesus? If you are living for Jesus you will be spending your time, money and energy serving other people. If you are living for yourself you will be spending your time money and energy on yourself.
Life is short. What are you doing with the time that you've been given?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Bad Computer!
I wrote one of my best posts ever on James 1:9-10, but before I could post it, my computer decided to turn off on its own. It does that at least a couple of times a day. I'll try to re-type it soon. It was really awesome and even contained a link to a cool picture of a Tibetan Mountain Yak, which I will re-post here.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Cow Farts
On evotional.com, Mark Batterson gives us some surprising information.
Cow Farts are the biggest environmental threat in the world today. They are responsible for more environmentally harmful gasses than cars and factories combined.
Hmmm...Maybe the answer isn't to eat more chicken.
check out the full article here.
Cow Farts are the biggest environmental threat in the world today. They are responsible for more environmentally harmful gasses than cars and factories combined.
Hmmm...Maybe the answer isn't to eat more chicken.
check out the full article here.
James 1:5-8
Do you understand the Bible? Sometimes I don't quite understand what God is trying to say in a passage of scripture. Sometimes a certain story or teaching dosen't make any sense.
It is a comfort to know that even Peter had a tough time understanding some of the things Paul wrote (2 Peter 3:16). But what do we do if we can't understand a passage of scripture? Or, what do we do if we are facing a difficult choice that will affect our lives? What do we do if someone is teaching something we don't believe is true? What is we don't know what God is saying to us in a situation?
Luckily, James gives us an answer in this passage. Pray. Pray and ask God to give you understanding. Ask Him to help you make the right choice, follow Him in the situation, know what He is trying to teach you.
You should also search out the scriptures for answers. We are called to hide the word in our heart. It will instruct us in the way that we are to go.
So you see, understanding from God is like a circle. Search the scripture and pray for understanding. Pray for understanding and search the scripture. These are the ways that we communicate with God. This is how he transforms us to look more like His son. This is what we, as disciples are called to do.
So, lets get started.
It is a comfort to know that even Peter had a tough time understanding some of the things Paul wrote (2 Peter 3:16). But what do we do if we can't understand a passage of scripture? Or, what do we do if we are facing a difficult choice that will affect our lives? What do we do if someone is teaching something we don't believe is true? What is we don't know what God is saying to us in a situation?
Luckily, James gives us an answer in this passage. Pray. Pray and ask God to give you understanding. Ask Him to help you make the right choice, follow Him in the situation, know what He is trying to teach you.
You should also search out the scriptures for answers. We are called to hide the word in our heart. It will instruct us in the way that we are to go.
So you see, understanding from God is like a circle. Search the scripture and pray for understanding. Pray for understanding and search the scripture. These are the ways that we communicate with God. This is how he transforms us to look more like His son. This is what we, as disciples are called to do.
So, lets get started.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
James 1:4
If any of you were at Wired last night, you heard me talk about perseverance. James lets us know here that it takes great perseverance for us to become complete as Christians. It takes a great amount of perseverance for us to finish the race. But I want to be clear here, James isn't talking about us fixing ourselves. He isn't telling us to be good boys and girls and fix ourselves. The bottom line is, only Jesus can fix us.
So what am I saying? Why do we need perseverance? Our perseverance comes in constantly striving to put ourselves in the path of God so that He can work on us.
When I was in college I ran on the cross-country team. It wasn't always fun (there was a lot of running involved). But the worst day of the year always happened in the heat of August. On this day we ran a 14 mile run. But not just a 14 mile run. We ran 7 miles straight up a mountain side and 7 miles back down (which, it is actually more painful to run down than up) in 100 degree heat. At the end of the run, however, was one of the greatest experiences of my life. A crystal clear, cool mountain lake. There was nothing better than diving into that water and getting lost for a few minutes beneath its rippling surface.
Now, we didn't run to cool off, and we couldn't cool off on our own, but we ran to get to the lake. It was only because of the perseverance of the run, the heat of the day, and the difficulty of the conditions that we were able to realize how amazing the lake really was and how much we needed it.
In the same way, we are in desperate need of Jesus, but it is only through perseverance, through running the race of this life with our hearts and minds on Jesus that we realize how much we need Him and how wonderful He really is. It's only through diving into Him that we are transformed by His love. Press on, read your bible, pray, listen for what Jesus it trying to teach you and persevere. Jesus will take care of the rest.
So what am I saying? Why do we need perseverance? Our perseverance comes in constantly striving to put ourselves in the path of God so that He can work on us.
When I was in college I ran on the cross-country team. It wasn't always fun (there was a lot of running involved). But the worst day of the year always happened in the heat of August. On this day we ran a 14 mile run. But not just a 14 mile run. We ran 7 miles straight up a mountain side and 7 miles back down (which, it is actually more painful to run down than up) in 100 degree heat. At the end of the run, however, was one of the greatest experiences of my life. A crystal clear, cool mountain lake. There was nothing better than diving into that water and getting lost for a few minutes beneath its rippling surface.
Now, we didn't run to cool off, and we couldn't cool off on our own, but we ran to get to the lake. It was only because of the perseverance of the run, the heat of the day, and the difficulty of the conditions that we were able to realize how amazing the lake really was and how much we needed it.
In the same way, we are in desperate need of Jesus, but it is only through perseverance, through running the race of this life with our hearts and minds on Jesus that we realize how much we need Him and how wonderful He really is. It's only through diving into Him that we are transformed by His love. Press on, read your bible, pray, listen for what Jesus it trying to teach you and persevere. Jesus will take care of the rest.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Ice Skating this Sunday!!
Make sure you sign up for Ice Skating on the list in the MS Room or, post in the comments section below this entry that you want to go or e-mail me at cland@mabelwhite.org . The cost is $10 which we need by Sunday. an introduction and sign-up for D-Groups will come immediately afterwards and parents can pick you up at 4:00 PM. The cost includes lunch.
Monday, January 8, 2007
This Wednesday!
Are you ready for the return of Wired Wednesday? It's happening this week at 6:30 in the Middle School room. You're not gonna want to miss it.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Shaun Alexander
I'm a big fan of Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander. He is a hard worker, a talented athlete and a good role model. I'm not saying he's perfect, but he's definitely cool. In a recent book he wrote, he talks about his Christian faith, his life and football. You might want to check it out.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
FNL
Don't forget!! Tommorow from 6:00-8:00 PM is Friday Night Live! Bring some friends with you for this time of food, fun and hanging out!
James 1:2-3
We all go through stuff every day. You know what I mean by stuff? I'm talking about the junk that makes us mad or angry or sad. I'm talking about when people treat us worse than we think they should. I'm talking about when someone close to us hurts us, or when we hurt someone else. I'm talking about the things that make us scared, keep us awake at night and make us worry.
It's funny that we think of the Bible as an old book that has nothing to do with our real lives. That is so untrue of the Bible. You see, the Bible is God's word, but it is also about people and God uses people to write it. James knows what it means to go through tough times. He's had a life that was a lot tougher than most of us will ever face. So we should listen when he talks about tough times.
That's what he's talking about in this passage. He says we are supposed to be happy when we have tough times. Does that make sense to you? It dosen't really make sense to me either. Until he starts talking about how these trials come to test our faith and to make it strong. James makes it clear, if we trust God in the tough times, our faith will grow and we'll start to be more like Jesus. The tough times are how God works on us.
Why are you in school? To learn? To get ready for college? To get ready for life? Because your parents make you go? Tough times are like the school of life. In the tough times we learn the truth about other people. We learn the truth about ourselves. But most importantly, we learn the truth about God. If we only look for Him, He will teach us.
So go to the school of life. It will be tough. But like James says, Persevere (which means to work through something that is not easy). If you persevere, God will make your faith grow, he will teach you and he will make you mature so that you can stand strong in more difficult times ahead.
It's funny that we think of the Bible as an old book that has nothing to do with our real lives. That is so untrue of the Bible. You see, the Bible is God's word, but it is also about people and God uses people to write it. James knows what it means to go through tough times. He's had a life that was a lot tougher than most of us will ever face. So we should listen when he talks about tough times.
That's what he's talking about in this passage. He says we are supposed to be happy when we have tough times. Does that make sense to you? It dosen't really make sense to me either. Until he starts talking about how these trials come to test our faith and to make it strong. James makes it clear, if we trust God in the tough times, our faith will grow and we'll start to be more like Jesus. The tough times are how God works on us.
Why are you in school? To learn? To get ready for college? To get ready for life? Because your parents make you go? Tough times are like the school of life. In the tough times we learn the truth about other people. We learn the truth about ourselves. But most importantly, we learn the truth about God. If we only look for Him, He will teach us.
So go to the school of life. It will be tough. But like James says, Persevere (which means to work through something that is not easy). If you persevere, God will make your faith grow, he will teach you and he will make you mature so that you can stand strong in more difficult times ahead.
Candystand
If you're looking for free cool online games, candystand is the place to find them. Miniature Golf is my favorite. I think I even got a par one time.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
James - Intro
Let's talk a little about the Bible. We'll start with James, which is a cool book in the New Testament of the Bible. The reason its cool is because James, who was the brother of Jesus, is really concerned with how faith in Jesus plays out in every day life. It is full of practical advice.
Open up your Bible and turn it to James (If you don't know where it is, its ok, no one is watching you, you can look it up in the contents). In your Bible, it may be called The Epistle of James. "Epistle" is just a big fancy religious word for "letter." So this "book" was a letter first. James wrote this letter to all the christian churches.
As we read this verse by verse over the next few weeks, notice how much James talks about "works" and "faith." A question for you to think about is, "What do works and faith have to do with each other?"
Another cool thing about this letter to me is the fact that James wrote it. He was the brother of Jesus, but in the first verse he writes that he is a "servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." This guy was Jesus brother, yet he is calling Him "Lord" and saying he is his servant?
Do you have a sibling? Would you ever call them God and declare to the whole world that you are forever their servant? I have two brothers and a sister and I'm not about to do that. My older brother made me eat, among other things, a mosquito stick, comet, soap, the pink wall insulation and a worm. I'm not going to be his servant.
That makes the story of Jesus even cooler. If His own brothers were willing to follow him, and his mother (who at one time changed his stinky diapers), shouldn't we?
Open up your Bible and turn it to James (If you don't know where it is, its ok, no one is watching you, you can look it up in the contents). In your Bible, it may be called The Epistle of James. "Epistle" is just a big fancy religious word for "letter." So this "book" was a letter first. James wrote this letter to all the christian churches.
As we read this verse by verse over the next few weeks, notice how much James talks about "works" and "faith." A question for you to think about is, "What do works and faith have to do with each other?"
Another cool thing about this letter to me is the fact that James wrote it. He was the brother of Jesus, but in the first verse he writes that he is a "servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." This guy was Jesus brother, yet he is calling Him "Lord" and saying he is his servant?
Do you have a sibling? Would you ever call them God and declare to the whole world that you are forever their servant? I have two brothers and a sister and I'm not about to do that. My older brother made me eat, among other things, a mosquito stick, comet, soap, the pink wall insulation and a worm. I'm not going to be his servant.
That makes the story of Jesus even cooler. If His own brothers were willing to follow him, and his mother (who at one time changed his stinky diapers), shouldn't we?
Youth Fire
I found a cool website for Christian youth that has free Christian music, online radio, devotions, bible studies, and other stuff. Check it out.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
hisecho.com
I put a link to hisecho.com over on the sidebar. You might recognize Anson McMahon as one of the speakers from YEC and a Superwow speaker. His Echo is the work of Anson and two of the other student/young adult pastors at a church in Modesto, CA. Shawn was my youth pastor in High School and both Anson and Shawn were mentors of mine before they moved across the country to California. If you can, sign up for the EchoCast, a podcast where the guys sit around and teach the Bible in a laid back format. It's worth a listen.
Check Us Out!
So we may not have a cool website, but the new year will bring about a blog site. I'll keep you posted on events in the Middle School ministry, check here for announcements and important dates. You can also get involved by responding to my posts. That means you can ask questions right here on the site! Don't forget to come to Friday Night Live this friday and we start Wired Wednesday back up on Wednesday, January 10th! Keep checking in!!!
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