To our parents...

Just want to remind, or perhaps officially inform you of the up coming parent/student meeting. Below is all the "need to know"

When: Thursday, January 7th @ 6:30 pm

Where: Gangway (south end of CRPC)

Who: Parents and Students

What: Meeting to recap this past year and inform and explore this coming year

If you need more information, please feel free to contact the Student Ministries office. On behalf of all the Student Ministries, we are greatly indebted to you for your continuous support. We hope to see you all there!

* light refreshments will be served

For His Kingdom...

Back in the saddle.

So, today is my first day back. Amy and I spent the past 7 days in Tampa w/ her family - our family :)

We left town after a wonderful time of Christmas partying (Gangway style)! Both our Middle School and High School Christmas parties were fantastic! If you happened to have missed out on all the festivities, you can check out the pics on the Gangway Facebook page.

We had a great time in Tampa! It was awesome to spend so much time w/ the family! We hung out, shot BB guns, played catch, chased the dogs, slept a lot and went to see Sherlock Holmes.

Christmas was spectacular! I'm totally spoiled. We had a blast exchanging gifts and laughing together.

Now, I'm back and Dylan and I are busy preparing for the new year. So, if we don't see you between now and 2010...

HAVE A BLESSED AND JOYOUS NEW YEAR!!!

For His Kingdom...

Christmas Parties!!!

Tonight is the Middle School Christmas Party/white elephant gift exchange. I am super excited to see how it all turns out. We are going to have some games, some gifts and lots and lots of fun. So, if you have a Middle School student, send them out. It starts @ 6:30pm and goes to 8:00pm.

Tomorrow night is the High School Christmas Party/white elephant gift exchange. Hopefully it will be just as much fun as the M.S. one (maybe more - who knows). But, if you have a High School student, encourage them to come check it out. It starts @ 7:00pm and ends around 9:00pm.

I hope to see many students come and have a great time!

For His Kingdom...

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

Hello world! (Or, at least the few who happen upon this blog)

Below are a few upcoming events and important dates we here in the Student Ministries would like you to be aware of.

December 16th - M.S. Christmas Party (white elephant gift exchange)

December 17th - H.S. Christmas Party (white elephant gift exchange)

January 6th - Miami Heat B-Ball Game (M.S. & H.S.)

January 7th - Parent/Student Meeting (6:30pm)

January 17th - Vision/Volunteer Meeting (1:00pm)

We hope that this is beneficial to your own calendar planning.

For His Kingdom...

Decorate me O, Lord...

So, today I've been considering Christmas decorations for the Student Ministries. I've scoured the church and invaded many secret hiding places and prop stashes looking for extra decorations. So far I have come up with nothing. But, I have not lost heart for I may just slyly "borrow" some from the Fellowship Hall :)

However, as I have been looking for decorations I got to thinking about the whole process. We decorate our homes, work places and churches to show forth our Christmas spirit. In some way we want to show off how beautiful this world could be and how beautiful we can be. This, no doubt, is not the full intention of many. In fact, most people decorate for no significant reason other than it's just what is done this time of year. Yet, this is not the case for my wife, she decorates out of sheer joy for the season - and for her Lord!

So, as I contemplated this I wondered, is my life decorated? Does my life resemble that amazingly luminescent house that everybody drives out of their way to preview? Or, am I that house that has no lights, no decor, nothing? Have I become so caught up in the ways of the world that I have quenched the Spirit and I have a few bulbs out?

All of this caused me to go to the throne of Grace and ask, "Decorate me O, Lord!"

Just something to think about.

For His Kingdom...

Turkey, Football and Faith...

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

I had the joy of spending Thanksgiving morning with some great friends. We gathered @ Westminster Academy's West Campus and embarked on our 1st annual "Gangway Turkey Bowl." It was a blast! However, it did serve to remind me that I am no longer 18 and I just can't, no matter how much my mind/ego wants to, keep up with some of these guys (and gals - shout out Patia and Lezlie).

After the game it was a refreshing drive home, a quick shower and a hike up to Stuart w/Amy to my dad's house for dinner and a superb Cowboys victory! (shout out Tullian)

Unfortunately, the following day Amy had to work so we headed home early. Although, I was quite tempted to stay b/c my sister-in-law was talking about some crazy "Black Friday" shopping and the schedule she was proposing sounded at least intriguing. Then I came to my senses and wisely declined.

That next evening Amy's parents and siblings (minus Jenny) came to visit for the weekend. It was a double blessing b/c we had waited to tell them that we were pregnant, so when we laid it on them they were ecstatic! But, then they surprised us w/ a new TV! Ok, well it's not brand new, but it's new to us and it's huge!

We had a great time with them, just hanging and being together. They left yesterday and it's always a bit sad watching them go.

All of this came rushing back down upon me this morning as I was having my morning devotions. I was reading through Hebrews 11 - the "faith hall-of-fame" chapter - and got to thinking about life, especially my life. The chapter begins with a definition of what faith is and then proceeds to give a list of biblical examples of faith in action, of people who not only professed faith but lived in it. As I read, I had to stop and examine my own life. Is this what my daily experience looks like? Is my faith always genuine or do I often profess a generic wish/faith? If I were to exercise this kind of faith, the kind Abraham and Noah and Moses had, would my life be extremely different? All these questions immediately collided with my afore mentioned Thanksgiving schedule. I thought to myself that in the midst of all that "to do" I don't remember ever having to really exercise any faith - it all just happened. Now, I'm not saying that any of the activities I did are wrong or bad, I'm just wondering if they are distractions.

See, in this world we live in, if we are really honest, we rarely need to exercise real, genuine faith. This world offers us everything and anything. If I want food I go buy it. If I want stuff I go shopping. If I want companionship I go to the Internet. Whatever we want, it's at our fingertips. This world has made faith the enemy and seeks to afford us with every opportunity to be self-sufficient and composed. Thus, faith is becoming less and less a necessity for us. This is a serious problem b/c this world we live in has propped itself up as the ultimate means of gratification and eliminates our desire for something else, something better.

All these thoughts rushed upon me this morning and I just thought I'd share them. I hope that we can all be pricked by these questions and take a hard look @ ourselves and our lives. May God be honored and all of our faith increased!

For His Kingdom...

We've moved into the 21st century...

Chris and Dylan are now in the Twittershpere! That means we can now be found on Twitter.com.

Follow @dylankallioinen and @choyeperry.

For His Kingdom...

Let's all get together...

On Sunday my cohort and partner in crime Dylan was not well. He was stricken with a bad case of "everything on the inside wanting to be on the outside" (thank you Brian Regan for the description). How this came about is a seeming mystery, but we suspect that it may be some kind of divine trickery being played on him for making fun of Kyle for being sick - but who knows.

Anyway, all that was to say that He was not here on Sunday and so I had the opportunity to speak to both the Middle School and High School students together. This always makes for an interesting time. It's always quite humorous to observe this awkward social environment and note the changes in certain student's behaviors. We do love experiments here in the Student Ministries :)

Despite the awkwardness of the situation it really was a sweet time.

Our discussion for the morning centered around King Hezekiah and the impending doom being proposed by Assyria. It really was a perilous time for Judah and its capital Jerusalem. So, we explored the background of what was going on and then focused our attention on King Hezekiah's prayer (found in Isaiah 37:14-20). This is a most amazing prayer for several reasons. It is quite genuine and personal. Hezekiah does not pray abstractly or ritualistically, but refreshingly from his heart. He lays the burdens confronting him and his people before the Lord with great humility and yet, wonderful boldness. The prayer is also direct and honest. Hezekiah pleads for rescue and protection from Assyria. He notes their power and strength, but trusts that it is all at the hand of the Lord and He will deal with them accordingly. He then proclaims his unwavering trust in the Lord, the one true living God. He recognizes that none of the other nations' false gods could save them, but the God of Israel is REAL and will save them.

With all of this right in front of us, I posed some inescapable questions.

- Do we trust the Lord with the same intensity and surety as King Hezekiah?

- If so, do we then pray with such genuine honesty and faith as King Hezekiah?

These questions are most pressing and dire for all of us to ponder. See, Hezekiah was surrounded by enemies, his people were living in fear, the spiritual temperature of Judah was mild at best and to top it off he had Assyria showing up on his doorstep insulting him, his people and his God. This is likely a situation that not many of us comfortable, church going, optimistic Americans can fathom or understand. Thus, Hezekiah's prayer does not affect us as it should. It lacks the force that would come if we truly could place ourselves in Hezekiah's place (or even in the place of an Israelite living in Judah at that time).

So, we need to seek the help of the Holy Spirit to help us rightly understand the circumstance of Hezekiah in order for us to grasp the wonder of his prayer. From there, we must confront ourselves with the above questions and search long and hard for their answer. For, Hezekiah's God is our God and His faith ours. Thus, we must seek God in prayer as Hezekiah did, with intensity and purpose, laying our burdens before the Lord and imploring Him to act on our behalf.

Revival fire fall on your people in this day, O Lord!

For His Kingdom...

Volleyball...

So, tonight our WA Lady Lions volleyball team will be taking on the Calvary ladies in a regional showdown. Some how a rivalry has been created between these 2 teams. This is interesting being that both schools are dedicated to the same one, true, living God and are bound to train up their students in righteousness and Godliness. But, however it has come about, it is set and sometimes fierce.

Thus, tonight's game will be intense to say the least. I'll be there to show my support and I hope the gym will be packed; not with hatred and hostility, but with love, humility and good sportsmanship.

See you all there!

For His Kingdom...

Ooops...

So, my first question is - "I wonder how many people's church lives were affected by the time change?"

Our Sunday school attendance was low on Sunday and I propose 3 possible reasons:

First, the time change messed our student's (and possibly parent's) sleeping habits up and this resulted in an altered church day.

Second, our students ingested so much candy and sugar over the weekend that they were either sick or the "crash" was too much and they could not physically get out of bed.

Or third, and more likely, I'm a really boring Sunday school teacher and the students are starting to revolt.

Whatever the reason, we hope to see more of our students out this week and weekend! So, if you've missed coming as of late, we've missed having you and hope to see you soon!

This week we are on for all of our regularly scheduled events (please see above calendar for more info.) and want to not only greet old friends but meet new ones! So, if you are coming to either our mid-week gatherings or our Sunday school, bring a friend or bring 2 :)

See you all soon!

For His Kingdom...

What the heck is an inheritance anyway?

In 1 Peter 1:3-5 the Apostle Peter says this:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

I read this text just the other day and have been thinking quite a bit about it lately. What it essentially boils down to is that God in Christ has caused us to be reborn to a living hope. We, being firstly born "dead in our trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1), have in Christ been given a 2nd birth. This birth is not hopeless, leading fatefully to death, but is hopeful, leading surely to resurrection life! With this new life also comes a blessed inheritance. This inheritance, which = is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, is being kept and looked after for us by God in heaven. It is most surely ours, but awaits our ultimate possession of it at the culmination of our salvation.

And what is this blessed inheritance? It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! He is our great inheritance, our sure hope, our eternal life!

Now, the reason I've been thinking about this text lately is because of my grandfather's recent passing. It got me thinking about the inheritance he may or may not have left behind. Let me first clarify that I was not and am not thinking of this inheritance with any motive toward selfish gain. I am simply curious. I don't really know how the process of passing on an inheritance works; and I would assume most people (or at least the students I work with) don't either. So, it is for this reason I have been pondering the above text.

If I don't really understand "inheritances" then how am I to rightly glean from this text the rich nutrients it is meant to provide? If I know little or, in my case, nothing about inheritances, then how is knowing or learning that Christ is my inheritance supposed to move my soul to deeper love and adoration for Christ?

It is from these questions that got me thinking about how we read and understand the Scriptures. Please don't misunderstand what I'm about to say, for I have spent the past 4 years studying in a seminary that has a high and reverent view of Scripture and they taught me to handle it with the utmost care and diligence. I have studied the original languages and mulled over text upon text discovering deep theological truths that the Scriptures hold and pronounce. However, it was in that context, as well as working with students, that I began to realize that even thought the Bible holds these proverbial "nuggets" of deep truth it also houses a wealth of practical truths that sit on the surface of the text and stare us straight in the face. The problem is that we don't even understand these truths rightly. We have become so far removed from the culture of the Scriptures that we miss some of even the simplest truths.

Thus, I have started to read the Scriptures a little differently as of late. I have moved from the posture of detective, looking for clues within the Scripture that lead to deep and profound truth (this mostly because I'm just not smart enough to do that) and have taken the position of a curious child. I want to see and hear God in the simplest of stories and be moved by the Spirit with the most obvious truths!

So, the curious question which springs from my lack of understanding as of late is "what the heck is an inheritance anyway?"

What's yours?

For His Kingdom...

It's been awhile...

True, it has been some time since my last post. For this I sincerely apologize as this blog began with the intent of posting almost everyday. I had hoped that this would be a real means of communicating all that is going on in the Student Ministries of CRPC, as well as a place to share thoughts, musings, experiments and ideas. However, I have found it much harder to do that than initially expected. So, that coupled with the often discouraging lack of comments and interaction has caused a sense of waste in these writings.

Then I remember that it is not necessarily how many people view this blog, comment on posts or even get anything out of accidently coming across this page; but it is an issue of being faithful and committed to what I've began. So, with that in mind - I write.

Things have been a little crazy around here. Not just in ministry but in my personal life as well. I feel like I have been very absent as of late. I have been out of town for various things such as Spiritual Retreats, getaways, concerts and 50th birthdays. All of this has really been good, but it has also really jumbled my schedule. So I am glad to finally have a bunch of that travel behind me.

The ministry is going well! We have established a student leadership team and have had 3 meetings already. I have high hopes and expectations for these students. Our mid-week programs continue to be a good time to fellowship with students and speak truth into their lives. We are currently looking in to how we can make these programs better. Sunday school is also continuing on. This is a wonderful time of fellowship, rest and learning. I pray that these times are not a waste and that God would use these times to really touch the hearts and lives of our students.

With all that, please keep (or start) praying for us. We desperately need God to work in our lives and in the students lives.

For His Kingdom...

Parent Meeting...

I love experiments!

This will be my 2nd one I've attempted on this blog-site. So, we'll see how it goes...

We are in the midst of planning our next parent meeting and were wondering when the best day and time to hold it would be. So, we thought we'd do the most obvious thing and just ask.

Parents, this is for you.

- What would be the best day for you? Week day or week end?

- When would be the best time for you? Morning? Afternoon? Evening?

Please leave us a comment and we'll do the best we can to make the recommended accommodations.

Thank you for your continued patience with us as we move through this trying season of ministry.

For His Kingdom...

Life...

Life seems to come at us so quickly and sometimes so harshly. Not only is this so but many times it creeps up and blindsides us. We are swiftly caught off guard and soon find ourselves wondering what has happened.

This has been my experience over this past week. A couple of family issues, including the loss of my Grand-dad, aka "Papap," as well as ministry and church struggles have come upon me in no easy fashion. I have found myself feeling completely weak and abused, looking around for some glimmer of hope or perhaps even a slight answer to all this.

Then, yesterday at Papap's funeral I felt (I know, strange for a Presbyterian to say) God's presence in a very real and vital way. I was lead to read 2 Corinthians 1-3 with Amy before we left for the funeral, paying special attention to chapter 1. I was confronted by the comfort of God Himself and it quickly began to leak from the pages of Scripture into my own heart. I was no longer needing to be satisfied by answers or the discovery of hope. I found in that moment God was enough! I also understood that with this comfort, as was the case for Paul and Timothy, I was to comfort others. Thus, I took the comfort of God and sought to spread it to my family and friends. I pray that in that funeral God was honored and glorified and that His comfort was truly felt.

I mention this because I have heard Pastor Tullian say time and again that "Christ plus nothing equals everything." I believe that with all my heart and understand if fully. However, I wanted to experience it. So, I prayed. God has since brought all this "stuff" into my life that has stripped me down. Then, when I was feeling quite low and just tired, God granted me the desire of my prayer! He drew near to me and comforted me. God is great and His grace is ever so sweet!

"Papap, I'll miss you!"

For His Kingdom...

Progress...

What a wonderful time we had this Sunday together!

The middle school students and I talked about Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. It was a fun time retelling the story in modern vernacular and seeing that there is but one, true God who will not share His glory with anyone or anything. We saw that God means business when it comes to who/what we worship and that He alone must be the object of our worship. We saw how worshipping and putting our trust in anyone or anything else is futile and simply foolish.

This was cleverly illustrated by a makeshift tug-o-war match between Jessica M. and 5 boys. It was initially apparent that Jess had no chance of winning. Then I gave the boys their instructions. They had to lay on their bellies and pull only with their left hand. This was absolutely hilarious and most helpful to show the students that the 5 boys were basically useless in the contest.

What a great time we have together!

May God truly bless the Student Ministries as we seek Him in all that we do!

For His Kingdom...

For my students...

As was blatantly evident from some conversations held last night, there are some valid and honest questions and concerns circulating through our student community. This should not come as a surprise, nor should it be simply swept under the rug of "oh, they're just kids." The majority of these students are communicant members of this church (CRPC) and have not only a right to these questions, as they pertain to their church, but a right to a fair and tender treatment of theses questions and concerns.

As such, I attempted to give an adequate answer to some of their questions and concerns last night. The students I spoke with were genuine in their concerns and also quite willing and open to discuss them in an unbiased and humble manner. Thus, we were able to converse together as loving brothers in Christ. As we chatted I tried to present the facts of all that has and is taking place in our church as I know them. I was also able to encourage these students to be mindful and aware of a couple of things.

First, in all of this there is a great deal of emotion involved. Not that emotion is all bad, but emotion unchecked by reason and facts can wreak havoc on any situation or conversation. So, I humbly asked these students to keep this in mind and to be a people who don't overly cater to emotions but check them with truth. Also, when someone comes emotionally charged, making accusations and definitive statements of which the students don't have adequate facts and truth, I requested them to kindly defer from discussing the situation.

Second, there is a lot of here-say and second hand information being disseminated amidst our community. Therefore, I asked these students to check the sources of those who are speaking this or that to them. If it has come from someone who heard from someone else, then to dismiss it as what it is - gossip! It is very easy to not only misconstrue a persons words when you hear them from that person, but when you hear it from someone who heard it from someone else, this leaves much room for misunderstanding and even reinterpretation. So, I asked them to just be careful what they count as truth and facts and what they count as gossip.

Finally, I encouraged our students to consider the frailty of people. We need to remember that we are all vessels that are so easily broken and that the utmost care needs to be taken in dealing with each other. We must seek to be a gracious and loving people, even to those we count as being of differing opinion than us (Matt. 5:43-45). So, as we are engaged in conversation regarding all that is taking place here @ CRPC, we must be swift to entertain the proverb that says, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Prov. 15:1)

This was my humble word to the students I spoke with last night. I know that I was unable to answer all their questions and satisfy all their concerns, but it is my hope and prayer that they will continue to come to us. I hope and pray that as life descends quickly and heavily and even harshly upon them that they will come us. They will continue to question and have concerns and wrestle with their faith. As this happens, we are here for them. We (the Student Ministries dept.) love all our students dearly and deeply! We love those who signed the petition and those who didn't. We love them regardless and pray diligently for all of them. We are here, and we are praying that we would spend ourselves and be spent for these students and their families.

So, for my students:

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Thank you for sharing your lives with us and for allowing us to minister to and with you! Let's make our ministry truly heaven on earth!

Num. 6:24-26

For His Kingdom...

Hooray Weekend!

What a weekend!

So many things to talk about regarding this past weekend; where should I start???

Most important, at least in my humble opinion, our church rallied behind our Senior Pastor this Sunday and with a significant majority voted to retain him as our Pastor. I am thrilled about this outcome for several reasons, of which I will name just a few.

Tullian is first and foremost a man on a mission. He takes God and His Word seriously and makes no buts about it. He has a specific purpose and vision for our church and how we are to reach both our community and this world for the Glory of Christ!

Tullian is also a dear friend and wonderful leader. I have no reserve following him. He is a man I believe is following Christ with all his might and that is something I need to see. As the Apostle Paul said "Be imitators of me as I am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1), so I shall seek to imitate Pastor Tullian as he imitates Christ before our church!

Lastly, Tullian has 3 children that are all either in the Student Ministries or are going to be. Thus, he is a huge proponent of the S.M. and sees what we do as valuable and important. For that I am most grateful!

This being the event of utmost importance this weekend I thought it should receive first mention in this post. However, we did have another fantastic event this past Friday night Saturday.

Dylan, Brooke, Amy, Ali and myself along with 43 middle school students all experience a sort of preparation for what a Florida Winter may feel like. We met up here at the church on Friday night for some wild Winter themed games, such as "freeze tag," "carpet skiing," "toilet paper snowball fighting" and "icy toes." It was a most exciting and hilarious sight! Then, before catching some much need ZZZZ's before our early Saturday morning departure, we watched the movie "Ice Age 2" - Sid the Sloth, need I say more! Next stop, dream land...

Saturday morning came all too early as we awoke at a very brisk 6:00am. I woke the boys up and then proceeded to most gently and graciously wake the girls up with a bullhorn and whistle - I love my job! We packed up our stuff, had a hearty cereal breakfast and loaded up for our 3 hour trip to Orlando and the Winter themed water park "Blizzard Beach." We arrived around 10:30am and the rest is history. We had complete run of the place till it closed at 5:00pm. We went on some crazy rides, such as "Summit Plummet" which was basically straight down and the largest water slide in the U.S. We also rode some toboggan sled rides and tube rides that held 6 people - it was great! At the end of the day, we were all spent. Around 5:30pm we loaded the bus once again to begin our journey back home.

I love our church, our students and the time I get to spend with each and every one of them. This trip was meant to get to know some students better and just have some fun together. So, with that - mission accomplished!

Until the next crazy event...

For His Kingdom...

Oh, what a birthday...

Yesterday (Sunday) I celebrated my 29th birthday! It was a wonderfully peculiar day.

First of all, we are having a congregational meeting @ our church next Sunday to decide whether or not to retain Pastor Tullian as our Senior Pastor. This is a hard thing in the life of our church. The meeting will be one of pro and con address and a final voting process to determine a majority decision. This being the case, all communicant members are entitled to vote. So, naturally this affects 90% of our students.

So, we had one of our Elders here, James Turner, come and address the students during Sunday School. He talked about the meeting, how it was to be conducted, process and procedures and the like. Then some questions were addressed and hopefully answered sufficiently.

It was my heartfelt desire for our students to realize the magnitude of what is going on and to understand that it affects them. They are a part of this church as much as anyone and have the right to express themselves in all its dealings. Thus, I encouraged all our students to, along with their families, prayerfully consider what God is calling them to with regards to this meeting. I am praying that in all of this, God would be glorified and exalted by His people in unity and love!

As we closed and prayer and were ready to dismiss, Dylan interrupted me. He would not let anyone leave without singing "Happy Birthday" to me - mostly off key and extremely loud. It was super fun! Then we, all 90+ of us, enjoyed cake thanks to Dylan and Elizabeth - what a wonderful staff of friends! The students showed me more love than I could ever have wanted - or needed all at once :) Laura H. baked me a cake as well - it was amazing!

From there, it was on to an amazing worship service with my beloved wife, dad and step mom - they came down from Stuart to go to church and lunch with us (pray for their coming to faith please).

This was my morning...

That afternoon and evening I just relaxed with Amy - it was awesome!

Well, 30 here I come - Lord willing :)

For His Kingdom...

Put off Lies / Put on Truth-telling

So...

As another semester of school and ministry begins to pick up steam, we've had a great couple of weeks here in the Student Ministries @ CRPC. Last week we had our official "kick-off" for both Middle School and High School. For M.S. we had a wonderful time running, swimming, slipping and sliding @ our "Wet-n-Wild" Gangway. As for H.S., well, let's just say it was AWESOME! We had a great group of students participating in 4 different heart pounding, strength testing and gut checking events @ our "Gladiator" Gangway. All in all, it was an adventurous 2 nights!

From slip-n-slides and sock wrestling to gathering for fellowship and study, we began our regularly scheduled mid-week activities this week.

On Wednesday we had about 50+ Middle School students gathered in Bay D basically causing havoc on the entire South end of the church! They were jazzed for Gangway and it showed in their energy and rambunctiousness :) I hope to continue that energy and excitement, but perhaps just contain it and direct it a little bit better (sorry Wendy).

We began our time playing a game called "2 truths and a lie." We got a couple of students to come up and, as convincingly as possible, tell us 2 truths and 1 lie about themselves. Then the rest of us had to try and guess which one was the lie. The good news is that most of the students were terrible liars! The only one to successfully lie to us was Zoey Masters - way to go Zoey :)

On Thursday night we had about 15+ High School students (darn WA sports BBQ!) gathered for snacks, songs and, of course, fun (hopefully)! I am hoping that since we pretty much have the run of the facilities on Thursday nights we can begin to pack the place out - so students... START BRINGING FRIENDS!

The night started out with a real treat and blessing in that we had our newly formed Student Music Team leading us in praise and worship! I need to say "thank you" to all the team and especially to Matt Tyson for his work with the students - you're the man! It was a wonderful time of singing and praising and enjoying God together. Then we recapped for all who didn't make it last week what fun we had @ "Gladiator" Gangway - this was made possible by Dylan's expert technical video making skills!

The discussion for both nights were centered around the same text and theme. We looked at Ephesians 4:17-25. We talked about how this text is calling for action, not just belief. We saw that there are 2 ways to live; according to the old self or according to the new self. We, as Christians, are to live according to the new self, putting to death the old self. So, Paul gives us in Ephesians a principle to follow; the Put Off / Put On principle. We need to, by God's grace and empowerment, put off certain thing and put on other things.

But, how? What does this look like?

Well, we looked at vs. 25 for the first application of this principle - put off lies / put on truth telling. We discussed the reason for this and the implications, both positive and negative of living this principle out. If we live according to the old self, as liars, there will be negative implications, both for us and for those around us. If we live according to the new self, as truth-tellers, there will be positive implications. We noted that living as liars or truth-tellers doesn't only affect us, but those around us - family, friends, community, church... It was a real good time of fleshing out practical ways of living according to the new self.

All of this is to say that we are having a great time here in the Student Ministries! However, please continue to pray for us, as we continue to pray for you and may God bless us as we endeavor to train up students in the way of Godliness!

For His Kingdom...

President Obama's Speech to Students...

First of all, if you perchance missed our President's speech to students this morning I will below post links to both see and hear it - I hope you will visit these links!

The speech itself was a well delivered and necessary one. In a time when school is just not "cool" and education sits low on most young people's priorities, President Obama exhorts students everywhere to commit to their education. He also reminds students that though it is partially the responsibility of parents, teachers and schools to be the educators, it is very much the responsibility of students to be educated and to take their education seriously.

In his address, the President makes many good points of application to our students regarding their education. Some of these points of application are things such as Discipline, Commitment, Hard Work and Perseverance. As these points can and should be applied to our students education, they can also be applied to our students Christianity. As in their education, and so much more in their faith, should our students take responsibility, work hard, be disciplined and committed!

This is a crucial notion in our day. For we live in a time that does not often portray hard work or commitment or discipline as virtues. Students simply do not see value in eduction or church or really anything that expects these virtues. Yet, this is not only what our President calls for in education, but what our God calls for in this life. We, as Christians, are called to Spiritual Discipline, Commitment to God's Word and His Church, Hard Work and Perseverance in doing good and right. This is our lot and our privilege. Thus, we need to be about not only calling our students to a higher standard, but modeling one as well.

So, with that, I say, "Thank you Mr. President for your bold proclamation of a real need in the life of education. Also, thank you for a viable application of real virtues in our Christian life."

For His Kingdom...

Here are some links to check out:

Al Mohler's blog - www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=4404

John Piper's blog - www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1989_ive_read_the_presidents_speech_amazing/

Speech in writing - www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

Speech in video - www.foxnews.com/video/index.html (title: "fulfill your responsibilities")

Here we go...

This past Sunday morning we finished up our Summer curriculum for Sunday School. We, the Middle School students, closed out the Summer talking about King Solomon. We looked quite intently at the end of his life. Though he began doing great things for God, later in his life he fell into utter ruin.

King Solomon was lead astray in his heart! He had multiple foreign wives (exactly what God warned not to have in Duet. 7 & 17) who turned his heart to false gods - IDOLS! He made a Great Exchange! He exchanged God for things that were not God; he exchanged the greater for the lesser. Because of this Great Exchange there were consequences. God stripped the Kingdom from Solomon. All that Solomon was, all that he did would come to naught. He would become but a memory. Yet, because of God's covenant/promise to David, God gave a small part of the Kingdom to one of Solomon's sons. God is faithful even in the midst of our disobedience and waywardness.

This was a great place to end the Summer. We noted that we are not all too different from King Solomon. We too are lead astray in our hearts. We too are idolatrous. We too have made a Great Exchange! All the time we exchange the greater for the lesser; God for what is not God. We exchange God for friends, God for sports, God for fashion or technology. Thus, we are much like King Solomon - utterly ruined.

So, as Summer comes to an end we see ourselves as like Solomon at the end of his life - failures.

But, we begin this new semester with Hope! We have hope because God is faithful even in the midst of our failures and disobedience. Though we have made a Great Exchange by exchanging God for idols, another Great Exchange has taken place. Christ has come and Exchanged His life for ours. He offers us an even Greater Exchange than the one we daily make; he offers life for death; righteousness for sin; hope for despair. This is the great faithfulness, love and mercy of God! For He is the Son of David who now sits on the eternal throne who has not failed but fulfilled all that God has commanded. He is our hope! He is our Great Exchange!

So, here we go!

This semester we, the Middle School students, will be looking at the divided Kingdom. We will still see some failure, but we will also see God's faithfulness and sovereign workings pointing us to hope in Christ. It's going to be a wonderful time!

For His Kingdom...

"Solo" - An Uncommon Devotional

Just a heads up for all who are interested - the devotional we, the Student Ministries staff, are going through is now available in the CRPC bookstore!!!

It is a wonderful devotional for students and we highly recommend it! It is simple yet profound; and it's lay out, with sections entitled "Read", "Think", "Pray", "Live" truly engages the reader are most helpful for taking the text and really applying it to everyday life.

So, swing by the bookstore, check out the devotional and say hi to Brooke - she'll appreciate it :)

For His Kingdom...

Start Dates...

New Season the TV show of "Dr. House, M.D." - Monday, September 21st @ 8:00pm

Middle School Gangway - Wednesday, September 2nd @ 6:00pm

Dallas Cowboys Regular Season - Sunday, September 13th @ 12:00pm (my birthday!!!)

High School Bible Study - Wednesday, September 2nd @ 6:30pm

High School Gangway - Thursday, September 3rd @ 6:30pm

Regular Time (end of DST) - Sunday, November 1st @ 2:00am

X-EE (high school) - Tuesday, September 8th @ 6:00pm [it's going to be awesome!]

Enjoy!

For His Kingdom...

Hello

This post is a test. I repeat this post is a test. Thank you.

From One Season To The Next...

Tis the season...

Not the holly jolly, Santa seeing, it's really only 5 degrees colder here in South Florida than July type season; but the season of change and transition. It comes upon us right around this time every year. It affects everyone from students to parents to business men and women.

Students are beginning the transition from Summer break to the period of time when they are just counting the days to the next Summer break. School is starting! They are moving from the lazy days of Summer to the daily grind of early mornings, quizzes, gym clothes and home work. The days of sleeping in late, staying up late, hanging out with friends on what seems like a constant 12 hour clock, frequenting the beach, the mall and the ever popular local Tiajuana Flats are over. This is a real change for them.

For others, who are not operating within the realms of the local school calendar, this is also a time of transition. Family vacations have come and gone. Summer travels have become a distant hazy memory. People are gearing up for the upcoming business quarter. Major holidays are right around the corner and for some people in other parts of the country cooler weather. So for them, it's out with the shorts and jeans and in with the snow boots and jackets. This too is real change.

No matter how you look at it, unless you look at things funny, this is a time of change and transition.

With this, we here in the Student Ministries are gathering steam for this upcoming ministry season. We have some wonderful events and activities planned as well as some amazing opportunities for discipleship and service. We are preparing the ministry to receive new students with love and joy, sharing the gospel and showing forth Christ in all we do. We are also, preparing the ministry to take our settled community of students to a deeper level in their spiritual lives. All this is by its nature a type of change and transition.

So, change and transition is not all bad. In fact, we see it as good and necessary. Thus, we are inviting all our students, parents and volunteers to join with us; to change and transition with us. From this it is our hope, desire and prayer that we all will encounter Christ and His gospel in a more vibrant, enlightening and profound way this year!

For His Kingdom...

It's all about the info. baby!

Last night we had our end of Summer, here we come Fall parent / student meeting. It was a great time of fellowship and information sharing. We were able to talk about the overall movement of the ministry within a given calendar year; as well as looking more closely at this up coming semester of ministry.

We feel that the evening went really well. We gave parents and students a lot of information as well as where to find more info and just some general life and ministry resources.

There was also a brief time for questions and we hope that all those that were posed were adequately answered. I also made known that if there are still any lingering questions, concerns or confusion that I would be happy to meet with any of our parents on an individual basis to be of as much help as possible.

Also, thanks to Dylan's quick thinking and technological savviness, we were able to record last night's meeting. As soon he edits the recording and makes me sound much better than I actually do, we will have it posted. It will most likely be posted on the CRPC website on the Student Ministries page. Yet, if it ends up being posted elsewhere, we'll be sure to let you know.

So, thank you to all the parents and students who came last night, it was a great time. For those of you who could not make it, fret not, we will be having another meeting at the end of this semester.

Until, then... May the Lord bless you and keep you!

For His Kingdom...

Resources...

I'm one of those people who is always looking for opportunities to learn and grow. I have come to realize over the years that I actually know very little and, in fact, have a lot of growing to do. So, with that in mind I am constantly fishing for resources to help me along on my journey.

Therefore, I thought that I would, in turn, post just a few resources that I have found especially helpful. These are by no means exhaustive in scope or depth, but have proven to be profitable in my life and ministry.

1) "The Ministry of Nurture" - by Duffy Robbins

2) "Solo - An Uncommon Devotional" - by Eugene H. Peterson

3) "Learning To Pray Through The Psalms" - James W. Sire

I hope that these can serve you well as resources both for life and ministry. We will be continuing to update this list of resources as we come across them.

May the Lord bless you all!

For His Kingdom...

Upcoming Parent/Student Meeting

Dear Parents,

I wanted to take this opportunity to personally invite both you and your student(s) to our upcoming Parent/Student meeting. This will be taking place on Monday, August 10, 2009 at 7:00pm in the Student Meeting Room (aka Gangway).

We will be gathering to recast our hopes and vision for the Student Ministries and to explore how we might be able to best partner with you in the discipleship and nurture your student(s). We will also be going over a bit of our calendar for this upcoming semester of both school and ministry.

This meeting is part of our ongoing efforts to better communicate all the advancements in the life of CRPC Student Ministries. We affectionately request your presence, desiring it to be a sweet time of fellowship and encouragement.

For His Kingdom…

Back on...

Well, it's been a little while but we are back on this week for Mid-week gatherings! Wednesday for MS and Thursday for HS.

Being away at camp for the past 2 weeks was a wonderful experience! I enjoyed hanging with some of our students in a completely different setting and at time quite close quarters :) We all had a great time of fellowship, fun and hopefully some spiritual growth. I also enjoyed meeting new friends and connecting with other youth pastors and leaders. I'm sure that the Lord is going to use all that took place over those 2 weeks in a marvelous way in all of our lives.

However, while I was away I found that I truly missed our weekly gatherings and Sunday school times. I missed seeing all our students and interacting with them in their own corner of the world. I appreciate all of our students and how each one of them makes the ministry here special and touches me in a unique and passionate way. Even though our weekly activities can soon become routine, there never ceases to be a moment when I feel God is near. He is using us to be a part of His Kingdom work and building and for that I am most candidly grateful!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I deeply love my church, my staff and the ministry God has given us here. Most of all, I love our students! They are the church, the ministry, the next generation and the ones for whom Christ poured out His life. Thus, I want to pour mine out to them as well.

For His Kingdom...

Pancho Villa is not dancing at the party...

Wow!!!

What a great time we had @ middle school camp this past week! It was a time of crazy, silly, energetic, delirious fun and excitement. We blobbed, canoed, tubed, swam, rode horses, played soccer, dodge ball and some other wacky games. We were non-stop for 5 days and it was AWESOME!

Wayne Kerr totally rocked! He not only lead us through some of the strangest songs and wake up activities but also into a real state of worship. The students loved him and I grew to appreciate him greatly.

We also had a wonderful opportunity to sit under some amazing teaching! We were lead through the Bible's "big story." It consisted of 4 chapters - Creation, Fall, the Cross and Fulfillment. The first 2 have passed, we are living in the 3rd and the 4th is coming. This is God's story and our lives, our story is very much a part of that big story.

All in all, it was a marvelous time! We all met new friends, grew closer to old ones and just had a blast!!!

So, in one last word... beware of moose crossing; they are truly dangerous animals :)

For His Kingdom...

"Whoa-oh-oooh-ohoh-oah" / H.S. Camp

We have returned!!!

It is both sad and exciting that we are all back from our amazing High School Camp adventure. Sad because it was so good and refreshing to get away for a little while. Plus, we had a spectacular time getting to know each other, waking up early, staying up late, dominating other churches in sports and games and of course white water rafting!!! It was also an awakening and special time of sitting under superb preaching and teaching of the Word! We were all confronted with the reality of our multitudes of "idols."

However, it is also exciting to be back. Now we all get the chance to share our stories and implement all that we learned. Being back means taking the atmosphere and attitude of camp and making it a continuing reality. Here, at home, we can live out our changed lives and become catalysts for others to be changed. What a wild concept, huh?

So, I am so grateful for this past week of camp. I loved getting to know everyone better and sharing life with friends and family - we truly had real community!

So, until next time... "whoa-oh-ohhh-oh-a-ohh!!!"

For His Kingdom...

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

On Sunday we had a great time in the middle school Sunday school!

We looked through the book of Ruth. We began by reading various portions of the book, then we discussed it as a group, then we prayed about how it affects us today, and finally we sought to apply the text to our lives.

It was an interesting and encouraging time.

The Great Name Change...

As the cat begins to scramble out of the bag, we here in the Student Ministries are kicking around the idea of changing the name of the ministry. This idea began not as an attempt to simply be "new" or "novel" but through the desire to communicate better the heartbeat and hopes of the Student Ministries.

The name "Gangway" has been around for as long as probably anyone can remember. It's an interesting name with a particular meaning. The term "Gangway" refers to the plank that spans the gap between a ship and the dock. Back when this name was introduced, the entire theme of the Student Ministries was nautical - hence the name "Gangway," "galley groups" etc. However, over the years this theme became obsolete, but the name Gangway just stuck . As Gangway was originally not the name of the overall Student Ministries but merely one aspect of the ministry (mid-week gatherings), it has through out the years now morphed into an all encompassing term. So that today, when we speak of "Gangway" it can mean anything from Sunday school to the name of the meeting room itself.

This being the case, we want to move away from a name that refers to a bygone theme in favor of one that will project the present reality and vision of the Student Ministries. However, even as we brainstorm for a proper and befitting name we realize that this must not be held in a closed fist close to our chest but in open hands lifted toward heaven. Just as the name Gangway served it's time and purpose in the history of our church, so to will this new name. Yet, it is only a matter of time till this name too becomes obsolete and in due season will also be changed.

Regardless of the names chosen, this should not be something we are deterred by. For it is not the name of the Student Ministry that matters to God but those for whom the name represents - the people! This should be and must be what matters most to us as well.

With all that said, and much more could be said, I invite you all to join with us in exploring names for the Student Ministries. Thus far we have come up only with a name for the room itself; but we have not concluded upon a name for the ministry (i.e. - "U-turn Student Ministries").

So, let's get those God-given creative juices flowing!

For His Kingdom...

Vacation, anniversary and a revelation...

As my wife began our vacation this past Sunday, I had a bitter/sweet feeling of being gone for an entire week. Though I believe in time away, both for rest, relaxation and rejuvenation as well as caring for my family/wife, I often find it hard to leave the ministry - namely the students! However, rest assured, as I am, that things are running just as smoothly, if not more so, in my absence with Dylan, Kathryn and Elizabeth faithfully plugging along. I will be in constant prayer for all our wonderful students, our volunteer leadership and staff; and I would invite all who read this to be about that same business!

With this vacation not only comes time away, but also Amy and I's 2 year anniversary. They (whoever they are) say that the first 2 years are the hardest. If that is the case then praise God b/c we've had a great time thus far! I thank God for Amy as she compliments me so well - if nothing else Amy is a testimony to God's absolute sovereignty b/c I'm sure there is nobody else who could put up with my continued shenanigans. As we celebrate 2 years [today actually - I expect presents when I return :)] I look forward to where and into what adventures God is going to lead us into in the coming years. Yet, in this time we are having an absolute blast serving the students and families @ CRPC.

However, in all this I've had a revelation. It has finally occurred to me how needy and desperate I actually am. I have mentally consented to this for some time now, but through certain events that have taken place thus far, I am sure in the depths of my soul that this is the absolute case. This has driven me to a deeper understanding of myself and of God - and I praise Him for making me privy to all this.

However, I am now being overtaken by my family... so more about this later!

For His Kingdom...

Lesson Synopsis for June 24 & 25 with questions

All Peoples Guide to the Universe: Scripture our Guide for Life

Walk away point: Our lives often demonstrate that we hold more valuable what the world says over what God says and that needs to change.

One of the most tragic occurrences in the world at large, but sadly even in our churches, is that many have lost trust in the sufficiency and relevancy of the Bible. In the minds of countless people, the Bible is just an outdated book. Not only is the Bible treated as irrelevant in our day by non-Christians, but many professing Christians have lost the deep conviction of solaScriptura (scripture as the authority for Christian faith). I have no question that people in the church and abroad believe the bible contains some truth. But I believe we’d be hard pressed to find a majority of professing Christians who believe the Bible is absolute truth or total truth. A good deal of what we believe, the methods we employ and perspectives we hold, come from other sources than the Bible. Many would sooner believe what a university professor would say or maybe a scientist or a doctor since they are the supposed leading scholars and authorities on truth. In this lesson, we want to challenge the students to ask critical questions of themselves as to whether they really believe that the Bible is from God, is true, reliable, inerrant and so forth. While God can be known in some ways through creation he has "added the light of his Word in order that he might make himself known unto salvation."[1] Calvin compares Scripture to being like a pair of spectacles, that enable us to properly interpret what we see in creation:

“For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there is something written, are scarcely able to make out two consecutive words, but, when aided by glasses, begin to read distinctly, so Scripture, gathering together the impressions of Deity, which, till then, lay confused in our minds, dissipates the darkness, and shows us the true God clearly.” [1]

For the Christian, the Bible should be our rule for life, the guide we follow. I have no doubt that many profess belief in the Bible, I just know that when it comes to actively applying the truth of God’s word to how we make decisions, what we do or even how we think, we very often fall short.

[1] Calvin, John. “The Need of Scripture, as a Guide and Teacher, in Coming to God as Creator.”
The Institutes of the Christian Religion. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008.

Questions:
1. What has been the most important decision you have had to make up until this point in your life?

2. When you made this decision where did you look for help in making the decision? How did the choice or decision go for you?

3. How often do you apply the Bible to your life (how you should act) or in decision making?
Depending on your answer why or why not?

4. How often do those you ask for advice, whether family or friends, bring you to the bible for
guidance or instruction?

5. Why do you think we don’t turn to the Bible for help in how we are to act in particular situation or in decisions we make?

6. How would a better understanding and application of the bible help you to be different from the world (worldliness) and make a difference in the world?

The Avondale Project

We here at in the Student Ministries are getting getting on board with the Outreach Department to serve our community through what's being called "The Avondale Project." It's going to be an event that seeks to reach out to the Avondale community by providing a fair-type atmosphere for kids complete with games, activities and events. It will also offer a health fair area and other "ministry" related areas.

The event will be taking place on July 18, 2009 from 11:30am - 3:00pm. The exact location will be provided soon.

So, here's what we're going to be doing!

From now until July 15 we, the Student Ministries, are going to be collecting backpacks and various school items to fill those backpacks. Here is a list of items:

pencils

colored pencils

pens

paper

crayons

safety scissors

glue

folders

etc.

Starting this Sunday we will have a bin out in "Gangway" for students to start bringing in backpacks or any of these other items. All items must be new.

Please encourage our students to be involved with us in this community re:newing event!

For His Kingdom...

Mid-week lesson 2 (6/17 - 6/18)

"www.what-in-the-world.com"

Preparation for lesson: Read chapter 2 & 3 of Unfashionable.

Walk away point: Against the World for the World

The World asks, “Are you Christians for or against us?” The Church responds by saying, “Yes!”

In this weeks lesson we are going to discuss the helpful distinctions made between the uses of the word “world” in the Bible. Rightly understanding these distinctions will enable us to understand the churches place in the world and much of the Christian’s life in the world. When reading the bible, one can become confused because some of the language is seemingly contradictory. What we need to understand is that there are multiple meanings of the word world in the bible. The original language distinguishes between the meanings but when translated to English there is only one word to describe them, “world”. Let’s look quickly at some passages that have different usages of the word world in the Bible.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

“Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you.” (2 Corinthians 6:17)

“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)

When we read these verses it seems that the Bible is practicing double talk. Three helpful categories will help us tell the difference between the way “world” is applied in the bible.

1. World as the created order

2. World as the human communities

3. World as the sinful ways of humanity

When the bible calls us to be at odds with the “world” it’s referring to this third category. If we look again to 1 John 2:15-17 Paul isn’t calling us to be against the created order (peoples places and things), but against “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions” which could be described as worldliness. We aren’t called to show displeasure toward people (your neighbors), places (Ft. Lauderdale) or things (buildings & baseballs), but we show our displeasure toward sin and worldliness. Worldliness can be described as the sinful misdirection of God’s good creation. For example a knife in and of itself isn’t a bad thing. Yet, a knife in the hands of a malicious person could be perceived as a bad thing. But, before we go calling a knife bad, what has changed about that knife? Nothing! So it’s not that the knife is bad, but it’s the misuse of the knife for evil or bad. Actually, in and of itself the knife is neither good or bad. The improper use of a thing does not invalidate the proper use of a thing. So the Christian is to live against worldliness.

This begs the question, “How are we for the world?” Christians are living for the world when they live according to God’s ways and communicate God’s truth in the world. In doing this the Christian acts as salt and light. It is for the world’s good that we fight against every sinful motive, action, desire...

So, as Christians we are to be for the world against the world (or worldliness), putting on godliness and putting off worldliness.

Questions:

1. What is your favorite thing (possession) or thing to do (activity) in the whole entire world?

Sample answers:

• I love my car, I love my books, I love my computer, I love my pet, I love my collection of...

• I love to play sports, I love to read, I love watching beautiful sunsets, I love to spend time with friends and family, I love to draw, I love watching TV, I love rafting or kayaking, I love worshipping God.

2. In (1 John 2:15) we read that we are not to love the world or the things in it. How can we understand these verses when we also read in (John 3:16) that God so loved the world... How can we love the world and at the same time not?

Sample answer:

• We have to understand what it is we are supposed to appreciate about the world and what we are should be opposed to in the world Created Order vs. Worldliness

3. When the bible talks negatively about the world it often speaks about wrong desires or the misuse of good gifts that God has given (read context of 1 John 2:15-17). What are some ways we misuse God’s good gifts?

Sample answers:

• We selfishly use money (problem of greed)

• We use our words to hurt not help

• We use people to get what we want

4. How does knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord help us to resist worldliness and at the same time give us a greater love for His world?

Sample answers:

• We learn through the Bible how to make use of the gifts God has given and how to appropriately enjoy them.

All We Need is Love, Love, Love...

This past Sunday I had the privilege of leading our wonderful high school students in a discussion on "love."

We began our time by talking about how flippantly we throw about the word "love" in our daily life. We say we love things like "chocolate" or "the color purple"; or places and things like "Cheesecake Factory" or "Brad Pitt." Yet, when we blurt this kind of thing out we rarely consider the weight of what we are saying. This is b/c, for the most part, our notion of love is so weak that we just assume that if we really like something we therefore "love" it. But this should not be so! We, as Christians, should of all people have a much higher view of love.

So, we decided to try and come up with a working idea or definition of love. Let me just say, we all fell woefully short of a good one. I then played for the students a song by a Christian hip-hop group, Mars Ill, called "Love's Not." It speaks about what love is by affirming what it's not. However, it's the last line, the one that proclaims what love is, that I think is absolutely beautiful.

"Love is blood and body, bread and water

remember the time,

Love is God divine,

crucified for mankind"

This is "love!" This is what the Scriptures say love is. It's not a feeling or fashion - it's Christ! Jesus is love personified. He is what defines love for us. As we discussed this, we looked at how this should affect how we love God and love others. This should also make us think twice about how easily we let the word "love" roll off our tongues.

From here we mulled over our need to properly love God and others. This is our call; it was how Jesus lived and how He calls us to live as well.

For His Kingdom...

Summer Kick-off's

We had a fantabulous time this past Wednesday and Thursday @ our official "Summer Kick-offs!!!"

We hung out, played some games - some serious dodge ball on Wednesday - and dove right into a study of Pastor Tullian's book "Unfashionable."

I hope everyone had a grand time and will continue to come out throughout the Summer.  Also, we hope and pray that it will be so exciting that our students will start bringing their friends - sweet!!!

I'd like to extend a huge "thank you" to all the volunteer leadership that came out and helped make the 2 nights a success.  We could not have done it without you.

Until next time - stay in the shade, it's hot out there!

For His Kingdom...

M.S. Talking Points for 6/14/09

Here are some points you (parents) may wish to converse with you student(s) about.

 - What are the 5 points of the "cycle of the judges"? - discussed them last week

 - Why does God continue to have mercy on the Israelites?  Us?  - His covenant faithfulness

 - What was Deborah confident in? - God / What was Sisera confident in? - his chariots

 - Who was praised for the victory? - God / What victories can we praise God for?

For His Kingdom...

"What a Mess"

This past Sunday we had a ball in middle school Sunday education!  We had a ton of middle schoolers all gathered to look at Scripture together (some more than others of course).  

We began our time by way of review.  We briefly scanned the history of the children of Israel from Abraham to the time of Joshua.  We looked especially at God's Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the whole of the children of Israel.  

This review landed us in the Promised Land just before the time of the Judges.  We especially noted that God is always faithful to His Covenant.  Yet, we, like the Israelites, often break that Covenant.  Such was the case at this particular time in Israel's history.  It was in deed a mess of a time.

The children of Israel were keeping the Covenant while Joshua was alive and even unto the time after Joshua while his elders were still alive.  However, the elders eventually died and the text tells us that the next generation arose and had no knowledge or memory of God and His work among the children of Israel.  Thus, they did evil in God's sight and turned away from Him to follow after pagan gods.  

What a mess!  

This is one of the most distressing parts of Scripture for me as a Student Leader to read.  This is because the generation I am working with have the very real possibility of being described in this way.  Thus, we here in the Student Ministries, by God's grace, are spending ourselves in the service of His students, "the next generation."  It is our earnest hope and prayer that the generation we are working with will not be condemned as those who "forgot God," but will be heralded as those who "worship God."

However, this is ultimately out of our control.  For, it is God alone who changes, molds, shapes and orders lives.  We are but His tool and agents and we wish to be well used.  

From this point in our study we begin the "cycle of the Judges."  This is a repeating cycle that is found throughout the book of Judges.  It goes something like this:

- Israel forgets God and does evil in His sight

- God gives them into the hands of their enemy

- The Israelites cry out for help

- God sends them a Judge/Deliverer

- The Israelites are obedient (at least until the Judge dies, then the cycle repeats)

The cycle is more than just a pithy way of reading the book of Judges, it is a story or picture of our own lives.  

- We have forgotten God and done evil in His sight (covenant breakers).  

- God gives us into the hand of our enemies - our own minds [Rom. 1:24, 25] (our punishment).  

- God's Spirit works in our hearts and we cry out to God for help (repentance).  

- God has sent the ultimate and final Judge/Deliverer - Jesus Christ (God's covenant faithfulness).  

- By faith we are obedient to the covenant through Christ (covenant keepers).  

Thus, we must read these stories and realize that they are not just ancient myths to be read at bedtime.  They are our history, and history has a funny way of repeating itself.  So, look to these stories to see your own needs.  Then turn not to any of the specific judges, but to the one, true Judge - Jesus Christ - and find deliverance.  

For His Kingdom...

Ride the Rapids, have some fun; ride the Rapids everyone!

Today I had the great privilege of joining the 7th and 8th graders of Westminster Academy on their annual Rapids water park excursion. This is my 3rd year going to the Rapids with all my students and each year is just as much fun as the previous one!

I love being able to hang with the students in an environment that is much less abrasive than the church building. I got to have some great conversations with students in lazy river, in line for rides and around the lunch picnic table. For me, this is ministry. Not b/c I was having a blast at a water park all day, but b/c here some of the hierarchical structure of ministry was broken down and the conversation and general opening up was not to Chris the youth leader, but to Chris the mentor and friend. This was both wonderfully encouraging and fearfully humbling all at once.

So, I hope and pray that today's activities were both fulfilled and memorable! I also hope and pray that they were impacting for some of the students I chatted with, b/c they were for me.

Thanks for letting me tag along :)

For His Kingdom...