Merry Christmas From the McCorkle's

May you and your family have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dooms Day? Really?

December 21, 2012   7:00am

After much anticipation, the highly talked about Mayan Doomsday is here, also known as the day when the world will reportedly come to an end.

Except the ancient Maya never predicted a 2012 apocalypse.

For years, New Agers have predicted Friday would mark the destruction of civilization and the possibilities on what would occur during planet earth’s final moments are endless. From a fiery comet hurtling toward us, to a massive ice storm crushing our power system, conspiracy theorists have concluded the end would be nothing short of catastrophic.
But contrary to popular belief, experts have already known that Doomsday is simply a hoax, a misunderstanding based on actual artifacts found.
                                                                                                        --Fox News

Thank You Experts! I was starting to wonder what was going on.  
It was just a Hoax. (wiping forehead in relief) Yes I'm being a little sarcastic.
But I'm glad the experts knew that it was a hoax and a misunderstanding based on actual artifacts found. 

I'm no expert and I didn't dig up some artifact to predict this but I already knew it was a hoax. "For the Bible tells me so." -quote from song "Jesus Loves Me"

Mark 13   Jesus Foretells the Future

¹ As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”

² Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

³ Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, ⁴ “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”

⁵ Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, ⁶ for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. ⁷ And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. ⁸ Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

⁹ “When these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.¹⁰ For the Good News must first be preached to all nations. ¹¹ But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

¹² “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. ¹³ And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

¹⁴ “The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where he should not be.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. ¹⁵ A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. ¹⁶ A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. ¹⁷ How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. ¹⁸ And pray that your flight will not be in winter. ¹⁹ For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again. ²⁰ In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.

²¹ “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. ²² For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. ²³ Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!

²⁴ “At that time, after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light,²⁵ the stars will fall from the sky,and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

²⁶ Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory.²⁷ And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

²⁸ “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door. ³⁰ I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. ³¹ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

³² “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. ³³ And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!

³⁴ “The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. ³⁵ You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. ³⁶ Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. ³⁷ I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

A lot of the world prepared for dooms day with iron plate bunkers, a stock pile of food and water, guns and security, and the list goes on.

But is this the preparation Mark 13:33-36 talks about?

The news and Internet has been full of pictures and stories of people worshipping with hands lifted to the sky around these Mayan Ruins.

These people are being misled and when I look at these pictures I see all the lost souls that are being deceived. Satan will use anything, even us not being ready. 

We need to be prepared to share the Word of God, Loudly Proclaim the Message of Truth, and share the Love of Christ.

Be glad it’s not the end because today you still have a chance to share Christ!

Tacky Christmas Sweater Party

Had a great time Wednesday Night at our party. 

If you want to check out some more pictures of the party 

you can on our youth facebook page. 

Thanks to everyone that participated and dressed up. 

Hope everyone has a great Christmas!

It's That Time Again!

 Well it just seems like we got back from camp and kicked off the school year but it's that time again to collect youth camp deposits. This year we will be heading up the mountain to Global's Fort Mountain Retreat Center. Our camp dates are June 29th through July 3rd. 
You'll need to get your permission slip with your parent/guardian's signature in ASAP!
We always have a great time and the view from the mountain is great!

Warrior Dash 2012: We Are Warriors!

Stopped at Subway in Livingston to get lunch before we headed out.

Just happened to have my friend's gym in the background.

None of us go to BION. Thought it was funny we posed as phonies! 

Jason got a good laugh out of it.

The crowd gathering at the stage to dance to the music.

Lacing up the shoes and getting ready.

Zechariah 10:5

They will be like mighty warriors in battle, trampling their enemies in the mud under their feet. Since the Lord is with them as they fight, they will overthrow even the enemy’s horsemen.

Maddox was all excited that he saw the Ninja Turtles at Warrior Dash. 

He insisted on taking a picture with them.

 Headed to the starting line

 3...2...1.....GO!!!!!!!!!

Here we come from out of the woods, swamp and MUD!

 Making sure they're still behind us.

 Almost there!

Had to put it in slow motion to make sure everyone got a picture.

 One last obstacle: The Mud Crawl

 The dash to the Finish Line.

My Little Warriors!

What's Really Important

So, last night while watching The Voice a car commercial came on. My eye didn't catch the brand of the car at first but there were two little boys washing a car and having a blast. You first see the soap suds and water spraying everywhere. Then you notice that the windows are down in the car along with the sun roof wide open. The next camera shot shows the little boys inside the car scrubbing away at the dashboard and even one with a brush polishing the dashboard controls. As water is being sprayed inside the car, one of the little boys standing up through the sun roof empties the bucket of water across the top of the car.

Yeah sounds like a nightmare…right?

Then the dad walks up with a shortly lived look of shock on his face. The boys freeze... "Hi Dad..." and the dad smiles, picks up a sponge and says "You missed a spot" and proceeds to wash the windshield. The commercial ends with "One day I'll look back on this day and laugh. Love, what makes a Subaru a Subaru."

It hit me quickly…How do we respond to life's situations?

Here you see a father walking up on his two boys working hard trying to please him by washing his car. At that moment He could have went berserk, yelling at them and throwing a fit. Probably how we would have all reacted. But the father's reaction wasn't one of anger where he screamed at his boys probably embarrassing them and cutting them down in their attempt of a good deed. He came with a smile and love.

God has blessed us with all kinds of things. The most valuable are the relationships He has given us. So why do we place material things above these? Most of us are taught to react to life's situation with panic and anger. But what if we had the wisdom to take a moment to think and respond properly. It made me think about how I react to situations and what it will teach my boys. Honestly it’s easy to see all this through someone else’s life. But I pray I'm able to respond with wisdom and love and to one day sit back and laugh at the moments that pass through my life.

"Love, what makes a Subaru Christian a Subaru Christian." 

1 Corinthians 13:13 

Three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Lord, I pray that you guide me with Your wisdom and strength to deal with life's situation in a way that shows Your love and mercy. Let my actions and reactions prove that I have received Your love and that I have shown love to the ones You have placed in my life.

Psalms 25:4-7

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, 

and my hope is in you all day long.

Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good.

Check out the Subaru kid car wash commercial 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWB1kdbMLwM

AWAKEN SYATP RALLY 2012

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father... 

See You At The Pole was another great event. The students started off early that morning lifting up their prayer request to the Lord around the flagpole.

That evening students met in the gym for a SYATP Rally. They started off playing some games, then we had the band lead us in worship. 

I brought a message from Joshua 1:1-9 where God tells Joshua that he will lead..."Therefore, the the time has come for you to lead these people,..." and then God gave Joshua the command..."Be strong and courageous."  

We talked about the bravest things we've ever done? The students expressed their bravery from standing up for what they believe in, to risking their lives and even some thoughtless acts. But where does that courage come from?....God, Yes God. No not the courage to do some thoughtless act that we consider brave, but to stand up and live for God in a world that is falling away from bringing Him glory. To stand up even when we can't see the results. To trust in the Lord. 

I challenged the students to search for that strength and courage. This story of Joshua shows that he found the strength and courage from the Lord and so can we. So we also need to pray for the Lord to strengthen us and to give us courage to share Christ with this world in every way possible.

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. --Ephesians 3:14-21