Wonderful Wednesday 2-25-09

Once again we had a marvelous time at Gangway on Wednesday night! We played, laughed and learned together.

However, there was a point when things were getting just a bit crazy. The students were finding it a little hard to calm down and ended up being obnoxious and disrespectful. So, I sat them all down and discussed with them that there is a time to goof around and a time to be serious. This seemed to work for the remainder of the night, with a few exceptions. For this reason I am requesting 2 things from you as parents. 1 - please consider volunteering, even if it is only a couple times a month. 2 - please talk with your students about being respectful and obedient while at Gangway (much the same as they would in school). With your assistance I believe that we can make Wednesday nigh Gangway not only run smoother, but be more exciting as well!

As for this past Wednesday...

We opened the night with a hilarious game. We played "have you ever?" On pieces of paper I wrote random things that the students may or may not have done (i.e. - been snow skiing, fallen in a pool, etc.). Then on other pieces of paper I wrote random motions and movements (i.e. - 2 steps forward, turn "180 degrees", etc.). As I called out the "have you ever" part, if they had ever done that particular thing then they did the motion or whatever I called out next. The object was to be the first to reach the other side of the gym. It was hysterical!

After another quick game, we split up for the lesson. The guys and I talked about Proverbs 6:6-11. We discussed 2 aspects of laziness, physical and spiritual. We noted that in both areas we need to exercise discipline in order to keep from being overtaken by laziness. We used sports or playing an instrument as an example. We mentioned that to be good you need to practice and that takes discipline. The same goes for our spiritual lives; we need to practice it, work at it, be disciplined in it. So, I then asked the guys which is worse, being physically lazy or spiritually lazy? Everyone agreed that spiritual laziness is worse. So, being that all of them play sports or an instrument, I challenged them to ask themselves next time the get ready to practice, "have I practiced in my spiritual life yet today?" If the answer is "no", then they are really saying that physical laziness is worse and that is why they are putting all their efforts into that type of practice.

Please join with me in encouraging our students in the spiritual disciplines of bible reading, Scripture memory, prayer and fellowship. I pray that we would have some star athletes and performers of the spiritual life in our presence. Let us work together to both be an example of this disciplined life as well as teachers of it. For, these students are the future, let's not lose them.

For His Kingdom...

Humble Pie (HS Sunday School 2/22/09)

This Sunday I brought the high school students more bad news. Last week we talked about God's just wrath and our idolatry (click here to read). This week as we looked at Romans 2:1 - 3:20. Paul declares that everyone is guilty before God; no one can measure up to His standard and be righteous in His sight. The point I wanted the students to take home is that despite a Christian upbringing or knowledge of the Bible, our sin makes us guilty before God. On our own we are no better than those outside the church. We have no room to boast. In fact, because we have been blessed with being brought up in the church, we have a greater responsibility to live out God's Word. Paul warns the Jews in these verses not to be self-righteous in themselves. A problem we face in the modern church. Paul says the Jew claim to be "a guild for the bind" (vs.2:19-20) but they don't practice what they preach (vs. 2:21-24). Paul then quotes Isaiah 52 saying, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." All of this is true of the church today. Finally, Paul puts a nail in the coffin in the first part of Chapter 3. He states Jews and Gentiles are under the power of sin and then tells us of our condition in verses 10 -19. It is not a pretty picture.
So Sunday was a humbling day for all of us. It is important that we understand how dire our condition is so we can know how great our salvation is. In two weeks we will look again at the good news of God's provision of justification. (this Sunday we will have a combined Sunday School as I am preparing to for the Youth and Children Worship Service).

~Bear

Youth and Children's Worship Service

This Sunday is the Youth and Children's Worship Service.  It has been postponed several times before but it is finally upon us.  Please pray that God would pour out His Spirit in an special way this Sunday.  Pray that He would strengthen the families with His love.  Pray that we would all take the responsibility of discipleship more seriously, especially to our children.  Pray that I would be faithful in preaching His word for His glory.  Pray for my health as I am coming down a cold.  Pray for all those who don't know Christ - that they may recognize their sin and see the splendor of the Savior.  Pray! Pray! Pray!  Pray for the youth and children.  

~Bear   

Sunday, Sunday...

Once again I am amazed at how God moves and works in our midst. He continues to mold and shape us with such love and precision. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for a particular purpose; to glorify God! I was reminded of this on Sunday morning as I gathered with a bunch of wonderful Jr. High students. Even more poignantly, I was reminded that I have been called to glorify God as I minister to, and serve the students that God has placed in my charge for such a time as this.

As we met together for Sunday school yesterday I was praying that God would just teach us all something; something practical and applicable to our lives.

So, we opened up the Scripture to Numbers 16 - Korah's rebellion.

We talked for a bit about the essence of the rebellion, why it happened in the first place. It was suggested that it may have been jealousy, anger, bitterness or hatred on Korah's part. Yet, we came to the conclusion that it was sin festering in their hearts and was now being unleashed on Moses and Aaron. We then looked at how even though Korah and his rebel buddies seemed to be rebelling against Moses and Aaron, in reality they were rebelling against God. This point was made clear when we discussed how it was God who appointed Mose and Aaron to lead. They were not self appointed and, in fact, Moses didn't even want the job at first. However, this is the way God would have it and He was about to show the whole congregation of Israel who His real appointed leaders were.

So, Moses called a meeting and Korah and his 250 rebel buddies showed up along with all of Israel. Moses testified to all that the Lord will make known His appointed leaders for all to see. Thus, God told Moses to have all the people get away from Korah and all his rebel friends and all their houses. Don't talk to them, don't touch their stuff, just get away. Then, in an instant, the ground opened up and swallowed Korah and his rebel minions. Those who were left, God struck with fire from the pillar of fire residing over the Tabernacle (God Himself). So it was that God had proven Moses and Aaron to be His appointed leaders before all the people.

Now, to make this applicable we looked at Romans 13:1, 2. We talked about how to sin against God's appointed leaders, whether in the home (parents), at school (teachers, principals, etc.), at church (pastors, elders, leaders, etc.) or event in the government is to, in reality, sin against God.

This was the message of Korah's rebellion. That is why God has preserved that story for us, so that we don't make the same mistake, so that we don't live out the same sin. We are to respect and pray for our leaders, trusting that God has set them up for a purpose and He knows what He is doing.

With all that said, I think we all learned something in Sunday school. I hope and pray that what takes place on Sunday and Wednesday will continue to be talked about, though about and prayed about in the home throughout the week. I am grateful for the time I have with our students, but the time parents have with them is much more important. Don't let it just pass by!

To all the students here... "I love you guys!"

For His Kingdom

Another Wednesday Night...

Another Wednesday night has come and gone. Yet, I hope and pray that the message of this past evening has not gone from the students minds quite so quickly.

It began as a typical Wednesday night Gangway. The students gathered together to throw balls around, chat it up with each other, goof around, play some games and just be Jr. highers. It's really a great time! Even though it gets crazy sometimes, it's our little community. I love all the students who show up because each one brings something special to our ministry. God truly does have a sense of humor :)

After settling down ,we played a game of "Categories." I wrote some categories (ie. sports, food, animal, etc.) on 2 white boards and then pitted the guys against the girls, each with their own white board. Then I called out a letter and each team had to come up with an answer for each category that started with that particular letter. It was fantastic to see how creative they all got! Each team held their own for 4 intense rounds. However, in the end the boys prevailed over the girls in sudden death.

After this, we all scrambled to our particular meeting places for the bible lesson.

I do need to interrupt here to thank and praise Amelia R. for bringing cupcakes. They might have been the best cupcakes I have ever eaten. You go girl!

As we have been going through the Proverbs, looking at practical instructions for life, we have come to Proverbs 5. In this chapter we are confronted with instruction regarding "the forbidden woman." So, the boys and I talked about girls. We drew from last weeks lesson about "keeping your heart with all vigilance" (Prov. 4:23a) and how we can apply this to their relationship with girls (whatever that looks like as determined by their parents). We noted that we need to keep our hearts after the ways of God and not after the ways of this world because the 2 are not compatible. So, we looked at what Proverbs 5 said about the forbidden woman. We discussed how she is sly, deceitful and tempting; but also lost, without life herself and leading to death. Thus, we talked about how not everything that looks or seems good and desirable necessarily is. This is why we need to keep our hearts, in order to be discerning and to make wise decisions. We concluded with the idea that, as young men, they need to be striving for God; keeping their hearts in check, disciplined in God's ways so that they may be able to make wise choices as life comes at them. This is especially true with regards to young ladies.

As we talked about this mature subject I was very proud to see all my boys paying attention and not giggling and smirking at any comments or points made. They all handled the study well and for that I praise and thank God!

I hope that as parents you will continue to ask your child(ren) about their time at Gangway; what they did, what they learned, who they met, etc. We want to work in tandem with you to provide the best training and guidance for the students as they move through this crazy life. So, may the Lord use us all to the benefit of His children and the building of His church!

For His Kingdom...

Senior High Sunday School 2/15/09

This past Sunday we continued our study of the book of Romans. I reviewed the prior Sunday's lesson (see earlier post). This week we looked at Romans 1:18-32. The overall theme for this section is God's just judgment and wrath. This may seem unusual because Paul has just proclaimed the good news of God's righteousness in the gospel. However, Paul wants the church in Rome and us to understand why we need God's righteousness. For on our own we make a mess of things.
After we talked a bit about the difference between general revelation (v. 20) and special revelation (Jn 14:6, 2 Tim 3:16), I pointed out two other issues this passage brings up. The first concerns homosexuality. While this is a hot cultural topic, I decided to hold off on discussing it. Instead, I focused on the second (greater) issue Paul brings up - idolatry.
Most of the students understand what idolatry is and can even point out some of the forms it takes today. So we looked at an Old Testament passage that I believe is relevant to both the passage of Scripture in Romans we are studying and our current situation with the possible merge with New City.
It is the narrative found in 2 Kings 18. Hezekiah has become king and he was one of the few good kings during the divided kingdom. Hezekiah starts his reign by removing all the pagan idols. Then he does something that is surprising. In the middle of verse 4 it says, "He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made." While we cheer at the destruction of the Asherah poles (not sure what that is but it doesn't sound good) and other idols, we pause for a moment at the bronze snake. God had commanded Moses to make this bronze serpent for a special purpose. Countless Israelites looked upon this serpent-on-a-pole (in faith) to be saved from the deadly affects of poisonous snake bites. The bronze snake was used for salvific purposes. Why did Hezekiah shatter it to pieces? We are not left to wonder for the next phrase in verse 4 tells us. It says, "for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)" The bronze snake had become an idol. It was even given a name. Hezekiah had to take action.
Now what does this have to do with the merge and our study of Romans 1:18-32? I called attention to the fact that many of the students may overhear or even engage in talks about the merge. As it looks more and more like God is bringing the two churches together, some are desiring to put stakes in the ground, saying "this is where I draw the line." It may sound like this, "God used this or that to bring me to Himself" or "God has used this or that to draw many others to Himself." Whether if be part of the building, a particular ministry, or even a staff member, the importance of these things are elevated. Here is where we are in danger of making it into an idol like the bronze snake. What was once used by God, even brought about by one of God's faithful servants, can become an object of worship. There should be nothing elevated above our worship of God. Not tradition, not a building, not a program, not even a person. Hezekiah understood that in order to follow God and restore the kingdom, the bronze serpent had to go. So it is with the merge. If we truly want to follow God then we need to be prepared to shatter some bronze snakes on both sides. This is how the narrative of the Hezekiah and the bronze snake relate with us today. It is a reality check and a warning.
So back in Romans, Paul gives us the reality and the warning, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." The reality is that left on our own, we make a mess of things. We suppress the knowledge of God and worship things created (even things that God uses for very special purposes) instead of the Creator. The warning is that we guard against idolatry of any kind. This is why we continually need God's righteousness. Paul declares in Philippians, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." (verse 12-13).
I finished by reading John 3:14-15. "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." Here Jesus redeems the purpose of the bronze snake. It teaches us about faith and points towards the cross. May all we do point and direct people to faith in Christ.

Glorious Sunday

Sunday was a difficult day for me as my Grandma passed away earlier that morning. I have been blessed with a very close family both in proximity and personally. The family frequently got together for dinner and we all enjoyed our annual family vacation in Orlando. All of these times were attributed to my Grandma's love for her family and her generosity and commitment to have us together. I know the entire family will miss her.
I also know the entire family rejoices that Grandma Jominy is now in the presence of her Savior. While we will grieve the temporary time away from our beloved grandma, we know that when we see her again it will be glorious. For we will be reunited in eternal worship of our great and mighty God. All of our stuggles will have come to an end and sin and death will no longer seperate us.
So while Sunday was a bit challenging for me, I was reminded that the Lord's Day was moved form Saturday to Sunday because we celebrate Christ's resurrection. We have hope that just as God raised Jesus, so too will He raise all those who have put their trust in Him.
Thank you to all who have been praying for me and my family.

~Bear

Just a little shout out

Before it completely slips my mind, I just want to say "Thank You" to a few of our students who came out to the CRPC men's softball game this past Saturday night.

Our wonderful Jr. Highers...

Zach Ferraguti
Alex Griswold
Jonathan Ferguson
Michaela Garretson
Jessica MacClugage
Rachel Tyson

Some energetic Sr. Highers...

Alex Bushman
Will Bushman
Tyler Curley

I appreciate you all and am grateful for your cheers and all around crowd rallying! I hope to see you all, and others, out there again.

For His Kingdom...

Jr. High Sunday School - 2/15/09

We had a blast in our last Sunday School! This was undoubtedly because my beautiful wife brought in Valentine's Day fun-fetti cake for everyone. It was amazingly moist with vibrant pink frosting that just screamed to our students "we love you guys." Needless to say, it was gone rather quickly and most of the young boys were now bouncing off the walls. But hey... that's ministry for ya! :)

After settling them all down, we got down to business. We opened up the Scriptures to the last 3/4 of Numbers 14 in order to finish up our discussion on the 2 different perspectives found amidst the spies that were sent into Canaan (the Promised Land).

At first we reviewed what the 2 perspectives in this group were. All of the spies went into the land, experienced it, partook of it and reveled in it. However, 10 of the spies regarded the inhabitants of the land as too big of an obstacle to take the land. Thus, their perspective was one that lacked faith and viewed God as small and unable to make good on His promise. Yet, the remaining 2 spies (Caleb and Joshua) regarded the inhabitants of the lands as nothing more than bread for the people of Israel, for God had promised them the land and was with them! Thus, their perspective was one of full faith and viewed God as huge and more than able to make good on His promise.

Next we looked at how these different perspectives were impressed upon the rest of the people and the outcome they both produced. As the people were persuaded by the 10 spies it showed that the whole congregation shared their perspective. This caused them to want to ditch Moses and the like and return to Egypt. In effect they were not only turning their backs on Moses, Caleb and Joshua, but God as well. This was utter rebellion! Yet, when they heard Caleb and Joshua's perspective they were not persuaded but wanted to stone them instead. This was the tragic state of the people of Israel as they camped at the boarder of Canaan.

Now, before the people were able to pick up stones to dispose of Caleb and Joshua, God appeared on the scene. He was severely angered and wanted to do away with the people of Israel and start fresh with Moses, creating a new nation from him. However, Moses, being the Godly leader he was, interceded on the people's behalf. Thus, he became a mediator between God and man. He pleaded that God would act according to His divine mercy and pardon the people. Moses pleaded with regard to God's ability, saying that the neighboring nations would say that the God of the Israelites was not able to deliver them into the land He promised them. So, God pardoned the people.

However, He did punish them to some degree. He caused them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years so that all those who had rebelled against Him of that generation died in the wilderness. The only exceptions were Caleb and Joshua (and their families). For God says of Caleb, and can be inferred of Joshua as well, that he had a different spirit and was full of faith. This is what allowed them to enter into the Promised land; the spirit of God and faith!

Thus, we concluded by asking, "what shapes our perspective?" Is our perspective of God shaped by His spirit within us producing faith like Caleb and Joshua or is it like that of the other 10 spies (and the whole of Israel), faithless and spiritless? For we too must have the Spirit of God producing faith in us if we want to one day see God's eternal promised land - the new heavens and earth!

So, we noted that our perspective is important and so is what shapes it. I hope and pray that we would all check ourselves, examining our perspective of God and what it is that shapes it. May the Lord guide us in this process, molding us and shaping us into people who are willing to step out and do amazing, world changing things for the cause of Christ!

For His Kingdom...

Hey, if Hallmark has a holiday then I want one too...

Well, today is Valentine's Day and I had the privilege of spending it with the most wonderfully amazing woman on the planet, my wife Amy!!!

We woke up semi-early and began our journey down to the wonderful city of Miami. Amy has never been to Miami, so I thought that this would be a perfect way to spend the day. Now, just prior to hitting I-95 we made a quick stop at the world famous "Brew" coffee shop for our morning cup of joe. Then, south we headed...

The plan was to visit Coconut Grove and have lunch at a quaint little restaurant callet "Tu Tu Tango." However, as goes in the life of the Perry's, the plan is rarely carried out as planed. First we realized that the Coconut Grove art festival was going on today so traffic was, how do you say... fun! Then, when we finally arrived and parked we found out that Tu Tu Tango is no longer open. But hey, we're in Miami and there is art everywhere... seems good to us.

We ended up meeting up with my good friend Jary Reed and his 2 sons and having some amazing pizza for lunch. Then we just walked around and enjoyed the weather, people and scenery. All in all it was a wonderful day!

So, Happy Valentine's Day to all...

For His Kingdom

Senior High Gangway's Valentine Party

What a fun night! We played the game Famous Couples. The students where give a heart with a name and they had to find their match. Jack had to find Jill. Romeo had to find Juliet. The boys had to initiate and could not state their name nor use the girls name. It was a like a Junior High dance. Then we played the game "Hunny do you love me?" A student had to ask another student, "Hunny, if you love me then smile." The other student had to respond without smiling, "I do love you, but I just can't smile." If they smiled, then they had to go ask another person the same question. Needless to say we had tons of smile and tons of fun.
We then allowed the students to have some snacks that we had placed out (it was quite the spread of chips, candy, cake and drinks). They only had to follow three rules. First they could not get any food for themselves. Second they could not ask anyone to get them food. Finally, they could not plan, connive, scheme or partner up with anyone to get food. As you can imagine, there were many groans and complaints. There were even a few rule breakers. But after a few moments most of the students had some snacks and drinks. It was time to share the lesson for the night.
The lesson tonight was the second part of a two part lesson on love. Last week we asked if love is a gift or a disposition we had to develop. We concluded it is both. The snack game was used to demonstrate how we are all self focused. We all think of ourselves first. The process that took place for some of the students during the snack game was: I want . . . I will ask someone to get me . . . I will plan to get . . . Maybe I will just get someone else something and hope I get something . . . I will get more for other people. What began as an activity to see what they could get for themselves turned into a opportunity to serve others. I grant that not all the students went through this process. But as I shared this process they got to see the point. The Bible calls us to be others-focused. I read Galatians 5:13-14, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Then we closed in prayer.

XEE 2/11/09

Last night's XEE was a wonderful mix of instruction, discussion and practice. We covered part three of the Connect Life section. This lesson encourages us to focus on the other person by being attentive, asking questions, recall important things that have been shared and empathize with them. Out Connect Activity was with the fifth and sixth graders who were attending their midweek ministry event. The XEEer's got a chance to engage these students on their level - they were playing Dodge Ball. Once a student got out they had to talk with one of the XEEer's before they could jump back in the game. It was a crazy yet profitable time. Next week the XEEer's will return to follow up with these young people and share the good news with them. While many may know the Gospel, we are praying for those who don't and those who need assurance.

There is still time to join us on Wednesday Night for XEE. We would love to see you there.

Senior High Sunday School 2/8/09

We started our study of the book of Romans. While we could go verse by verse and unpack all that God has for us, that would take quite a while. So we are going to hit some of the major passages. We focused on chapter one verse 17 which state, "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." The question we wanted to address is, "What is the righteousness that is revealed and how is it by faith?"
So we discussed the righteousness that is in the gospel. That is the righteousness which is given to us by faith. We talked about how we are not actually righteous in that we all still sin. The righteousness that Paul is talking about is a declared righteousness. The theological term for this is justification. It is a legal term. In a court of law a person is ruled innocent by the declaration of the judge. That person is freed from all penalty due to a guilty person. When we respond to God's effectual call by faith in Christ, He rules us innocent. We now do not have to suffer the punishment for sin. This is the first part of justification. For this puts us in a state on innocence (like Adam) and not seen a righteous as the Romans 1:17 declares. So there is a second aspect of justification that needs to be clarified.
God declares us righteous based on what Jesus accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection. It can be pictured as Jesus' righteousness being deposited in our account. We now receive the benefits of having Christ's perfect life while we are still struggling with sin. We have the righteousness of God by faith as Paul says. This is the good news (gospel) - God demands righteousness and we have none to give. So God gave us His through His Son.
The last phrase, "The righteous will live by faith" shows that this righteousness has been transfered to us. What was God's (a righteousness from God) now is attributed to us (the righteous).

As we read further in Romans, we will find this wonderful truth further explained as well as the command to now live righteously by faith. What God has started (declared us righteous), He will complete (actually becoming more and more righteous). God looks upon as through Jesus and now He is molding to become more like His Son.

"For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Who's up for some prayer?

Today is our annual Knox day of prayer. Thus, I am devoting part of my day to prayer and petition for Knox, CRPC, the global church, friends and family. As I prepare for this time of prayer one of the burdens on my heart is our students and parents. So, I thought it would be a wonderful thing to post some prayer requests for the Youth Department in order to have as many people petitioning the Lord on our behalf as possible. Therefore, won't you please join with me in a concert of prayer to our Lord God!

- Divine strength for Bear and I (and our wives and families)
- Perseverance in the ministry we have been given
- That the Spirit would have freedom to move and work in our midst
- God's leading and empowering in all that we do
- The reality of God's presence in the lives of our students
- Visible change and spiritual growth in our students
- That Christ would be magnified!

Thank you all for you devotion to your children and support of the ministry here at Gangway!

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you

and give you peace.

(Num. 6:24-26)

Wednesday night "Gangway"

What a great time we are all having on Wednesday nights here at Gangway!!!
Last night we saw some faces that have been missing for a couple of weeks, and it was a delight to have them back. We also boasted a host of our regular wild and crazy students! All in all it was a great crowd and we thank God for each and every one of our students.

We began the night as usual, multiple balls flying by any given persons face at near sound breaking speeds, students literally bouncing off the walls, and everyone having a blast! Then, we settled them down, made a few announcements (No Gangway on March 4th) and proceeded to explain our opening game. Seeing that Valentine's day is coming up we played a charged up version of famous couples. Some famous couples included: Mickey and Minnie Mouse, The King and Queen of Hearts and Jack and Jill. It was a riot!

Having finished up our opening game we split up the guys and girls for our lesson time. The girls went with my wife Amy (ask them about the surprise I left them in their room) and the guys with myself and Mr. Ulrich. We discussed Proverbs 4:23: Keep you heart with all vigilance, For from it flow the springs of life. I told a story of how I was supposed to take the garbage out on night and I thought "I'll just do it tomorrow." Well, a week or 2 passed and the garbage was just piling up until the stench was so bad that I had to take it out. I told them that I had neglected my duty, my responsibility. I related this to the necessity we have to vigilantly keep our heart, if we neglect it then it will eventually start to stink like the world and sin. Then came the pay off question, "why?" I noted that out of our heart flow the springs of life. However, if we neglect our hearts the springs of life will not flow out of them, but springs of dirty, rotten water. We looked briefly at Matthew 12:34 - Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Thus, we concluded that our speech can often reveal our heart. If we are constantly putting others down, making fun of others, lying, being disrespectful, then we can get a pretty good idea of our hearts condition. On the flip side, if our speech is good then the condition of our heart is probably good as well. Whatever the case, we must keep our heart with all vigilance, looking after it and caring for it.

After our lesson, we turned them all loose for some good old fashioned dodge ball. Our night culminated with a free for all pegging session in which I got hit right in the neck, but hey, sometimes you gotta take one for the team.

For His Kingdom...

"Go Fish"

Have you ever played the classic card game "Go fish?" I would venture to say that most of us have. It's a great game; easy enough for a child to play but, still somehow remarkably entertaining for adults as well.

Basically you have a hand full of 7 cards and you as the opposing player whether or not they have any of a specific number or face card. If that person has one (or 2) then they have to give it to you. The object being to get 3 of a kind and lay them down until you get rid of all your cards. However, if the opposing player does not have any of the particular card asked for, then they say "Go fish" and you draw a card from the stack of the remaining cards.

Why do I bring up this silly little game?

Well, I'm afraid that much of how church is perceived in America these days is somewhat like the game of "Go fish." People go to one church or another asking, "Do you have any _________________ " (fill in the blank). If not, then they just go fishing for another church. Their focus is not on being the church, or at least a part of a local church, but on what the church has to offer them. This mindset is predominately driven by our consumer culture. We want the latest and greatest thing that will make our lives easier. Church is seen as just another thing that fills our lives for an hour or more a week and if another one comes along that has __________________ (again, fill in the blank) then we pack ourselves up and make the move.

However, this is not what the church is supposed to be. We, the people of God, are the church. We make church what it is. We need to be committed to our local body to its health, growth and vibrancy. We need not be about what the church has to offer me, but how can I be a part of the church and its mission to extend the Kingdom of God in this world. We must be involved in our local church, striving to be of one mind and one spirit (Phil. 1:27b), unified and passionate about what God is doing and how we can get on board.

Therefore, let us consider our attitude towards church and how, if needed, we can change it. May we evermore be seeking a more biblical understanding, especially as it relates to the church. And let us always be quick to admit our faults, accept forgiveness and press on towards Christ and the building of His Kingdom. Otherwise...

"Go fish!"

For His Kingdom!

Senior High Gangway 2/5/09

Last Thursday was the Ultimate Winter Gangway. We started by opening the patio doors and using an industrial floor fan to blast in some cold air (if you recall the temps outside were cooler than normal). Then we brought the students in for our crazy winter game. Four adventurous students volunteered to participate in the fun. They removed their socks and shoes and stood in pan of ice water. They were instructed to dig (with just their faces) in a pile of snow (whipped cream) to find a piece of bubble gum. The first one to blow a bubble would win. To make the game more like a real winter sport, we handed out small marshmallows to the students watching so they could "make it snow" during the competition. It was a wildly fun and very messy time. In the end, Bethany Sproc came out victorious.
After the mayhem, I shared a story about a Spanish King who used almond trees to show his beloved wife what a snow covered hill looked like. I also shared the story of my engagement. Both stories were meant to introduce the topic of love. I reminded the students of the preeminent theme of love throughout the Bible. Then I asked if true love is a gift or a disposition that we develop. We read Roams 5:5, "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." According to this verse, and many others, love is a gift. Yet, the first phrase after the famous love chapter (1 Cor 13) is "pursue love" (1 Cor 14:1). So love is also something we need to pursue - that is develop.
The application is simple. In our relationships love is a gift but we must also pursue it. We see this first in our most important relationship, or relationship with God. We love God because He first loved us (the gift). But we must also pursue and develop this relationship. We must grow in love and faith for God. That is the first and greatest commandment - to love God. We see this secondly in our relationships with each other. The people God has placed in our lives are blessings. Our love for them and vise versa is a gift. But again we are called to grow that love. Thus the second of the greatest commandments is to love our neighbors. So the challenge then is to pursue love. That means love takes effort and work. It is so worth it though. For God tells us "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:13).
This Thursday's Gangway (our Valentine Gangway) we are going to talk about the things that keep us from pursuing love the way God intended.

Another one bites the dust...

Today in my 7th grade GAP group from Westminster Academy we talked about the recently exploited "A-Rod" (Alex Rodriguez - NY Yankees 3rd baseman) steroid scandal.

Here is a man who has become a baseball icon, not to mention the highest paid player in the game. He was on track to become one of, if not, the best player of all time. He is a man of the fans, shining in the spotlight every time it's turned on. People from all over love him, idolize him and look to him as a true sports hero.

However, he has of late been accused by Sports Illustrated magazine of taking performance enhancing steroids. This should come as no surprise due to the ramped use of performance enhancing substances in professional sports today. But there was a surprise. Yet, it did not come from the fact that he took steroids as much as it did that he blatantly and publicly lied about it. When bluntly asked if he'd ever taken performance enhancing drugs of any sort, he told Katie Couric in an interview "NO." Now, after the publishing of SI's incriminating story A-Rod sat down with Peter Gammons of ESPN and admitted to taking enhancement drugs from 2001-2003.

And so goes the story... another one bites the dust.
Another hero has fallen and the public has seen it. The American icon has been shattered and his legacy now marred.

What are we to make of this? How are we to believe in heroes anymore if the great majority of them are falling all around us? Who are we to look to? Where are we to find hope?

These are the questions I posed to my 7th graders. Their answers ranged from "don't have heroes" to "look up to our parents" to "we must look to God." I think that the last of these 3 answers deserve some real attention in our day.

For, we must ultimately look to Jesus as our pure, perfect, true and amazing hero/savior. He is truth and cannot lie. He laid down His life and resurrected on the 3rd day, conquering death and sin in order that His hero/savior status be immortalized. He will never fall or fail us. He is the ultimate hero!!!

I also agree that this generation of young people need to look up to their parents. As such, parents need to be worthy of hero status. They need to be people of character, godliness, honesty and strength. Parents need to invest in their children, respecting them and giving of their time, energy and resources to building them up in the faith. This will never be done perfectly because no one is perfect, but it should be a matter of great concern.

All that being said... we at Gangway are here to help. We desire more than anything to see our days characterized by the words of Malachi's prophecy, saying:

"Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."

(Mal. 4:5, 6)

Jr. High update...

Our Jr. High...

We had a great Wednesday night last week. We attempted a classic game of 3 legged soccer which was fun except that we used rope to tie the students feet together. After about 5 minutes they all had some form of rope burn on their ankles. But hey, what is youth group for???
We then had our lesson time and the girls went with my wife Amy and I kept the rowdy boys. We looked into Proverbs 3:5, 6, 28-32. We discussed the contrast between "trusting in the Lord" and "leaning on our own understanding." We talked about how we are to "acknowledge" the Lord in every aspect of our lives. From here we noted the last few verses give us practical ways to live out our trusting in the Lord and acknowledging Him. After the lesson we had a great game of Gatorball which was a good conclusion to the evening.

In Sunday School we looked at Numbers 13 and 14:6-10. The lesson began with an illustration on perspectives. We then took a glimpse the spies that went into the Promised land and what they saw, experienced and took back with them. We then noted that the spies were sent into the land as a test by God. For, there were 12 spies; 10 of them came back and gave what the bible tells us was a "bad report" (13:32), saying that the land was good but that the inhabitants were too big and powerful and that the people could not take the land. This was 1 perspective and it affected the whole congregation of Israel. However, there was another perspective. Joshua and Caleb came back and told the people that the land was good and that God was on their side so they sould get up and take the land. They warned the people that to do otherwise would be rebellion against God. This perspective also affected all the people. Thus, we concluded that the 10 spies had the wrong perspective, their God was little and unable; but Caleb and Joshua had the wright perspective, their God was big and able. So, I closed by asking the students what their perspective of God is... is He small and unable to handle the situations of their lives, or... is He big and able to handle anything in their lives?

In light of the above question, I would encourage you all to continue to discuss with your kids their perspective of God. Through this, may the Lord bless you and keep you!

For His Kingdom...