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

Are You A Warrior?

Since the end of August I've been training to run the Warrior Dash. For the ones that don't know what Warrior Dash is: Warrior Dash is an extreme 5k running race with at least 12 obstacles, including jumping over fire and crawling through mud with barbed wire hung overhead.

Having never ran over a mile in my life I decided before hitting the battleground that I should at least see what 3.11 miles looks like. A week into training I signed up with my wife's family to run the One In A Million 5k in Livingston. Well we all finished and I accomplished something I've never done before.

So knowing this Warrior Dash was going to be more than 3.11 miles of paving I knew I'd have to prepare. Now before you think I went all P90X or Insanity I just want to clarify that I will not be setting a winning time at the Warrior Dash. However I do know I will finish along with three of my friends. For the past 7 week I've been running twice a week with strength workouts throughout the week. Knowing it will be a lot different from the three miles we've been running, I pray we are able to run, climb, crawl, swim, and jump through that battleground victoriously.

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.

Okay so this isn't exactly talking about Warrior Dash but I love that God is with us and will give his children strength.

Zechariah 10:12

By my power I will make my people strong, and by my authority they will go wherever they wish. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Zechariah's commentary and footnotes are great as well.

They shall have God’s favor and presence, and shall be owned and accepted of Him. This is the foundation of all the rest: The Lord is with them, Zech. 10:5. They are encouraged to expect strength and success from Him in all their struggles with the enemies. He espouses their cause, takes their part, is on their side; and, if He be for them, who can be against them?

Warrior Dash is Oct 13th and I am looking forward to posting some pictures as well.

"Are We There Yet?"

"Are we there yet?" This was the question that was asked all the way to the beach.
Each year we take a family vacation to the beach. We had a wonderful time this year. The weather was great  and the water was the best I've seen. We wanted to share a few pictures with everyone. Enjoy!

Check Out This Cool Dude!

Catching Some Waves...

...Caught One!

 

The Panic On Grandma's Face..."You're Too Far Out!"

Workin' On My Swag

Game On At The Track

All By Himself Racing Dad

But He Still Needs Dad As His Co-Pilot
(Check Out That Foot Action)

"Shoot Em! Shoot Em!"

Looks Like We're Ready To Race...

This Looked Like A Real Good Idea

But We Got Completely Soaked.
But Had An Awesome Time!

 

Celebrating Misty's Birthday At The Beach.
The Boys Were Tired.

See! We Were Beat.

Good Morning!!
The Boys In Their Rock Star PJ's Having A Breakfast Of Champions. 

Calling Lab from Momentum

Anna has put together her notes from the Calling Lab we had at Momentum. 
This makes a good bible study on being called by God.
Just click on the link below,  I'm sure you will be blessed. 

Calling Lab Notes

Special thanks to Anna for putting this together.

SYATP- Sept 26th

See You At The Pole is this Wednesday.
Students at Holden will meet around the school flagpole at 7:30am to pray.
That evening from 7:00 to 8:00pm there will be a See You At The Pole Rally for the Youth. This rally will take place in Holden Junior High Gym. 
Doors open at 6:30pm.

Are You In The Word?

One of the biggest reasons why we may remain in bondage to sin, even though we have been 'legally' set free, is because of ignorance of the truth. 

Jesus speaks of this in John 8:31-36

³¹ Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. ³² And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³ “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. ³⁵ A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

"...faithful to my teachings" 

This past Sunday during our Young Adults Sunday School class we talked about challenging our faith.

It came down to the fact that sometimes we don't share our faith because we're not equipping ourselves properly. Therefore we hesitate sharing it.

(Something to chew on)

Are we ignorant to the truth? Are you in the Word?

The Early Church Made An Impact

Acts 2:42-47
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity- all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

A healthy Christian community attracts people to Christ. The church's zeal for worship and brotherly love was contagious. A healthy, loving church will grow in numbers and most of all closer to Christ.

What are you doing to make the church the kind of place that will attract others to Christ?

I'm sure we just thought of plenty of reasons why someone wouldn't be attracted to Christ because of the church. But the question was..."What are you doing...?

We all have a part in the kingdom's growth.  Even if we think its too small of a part to make and impact, it matters. Verse 42 "All believers devoted themselves..."

Check out the entire chapter of Acts 2. 
These believers just experience the Holy Spirit. As believers we also have been promised the Holy Spirit and "We know Him".

John 14:15-30 Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
...and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, ...you know Him, because He lives with you now... But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative--that is, the Holy Spirit-- He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Make an impact in your life today: your household, your job, your school, your circle of friends, your church. Feed yourself with the Word of God, share the love and joy of knowing Christ, and pray for those around you to experience the power of the Holy Spirit.