How Do I Deal With Old People? - Day 3 and 4

Hey crew....sorry I missed yesterday....busy day being off and spending some quality time with my PS3...Anyways let's cover a couple of points today.  Wednesday we pointed out that the first thing we should do with the elderly is to show them honor.  Here's another couple of points we need to remember.

Treat them as family.


Read 1 Timothy 5:1-2.

Have you guys ever had to complete a family tree for a school project or anything?  It's a pretty interesting experience most the time.  There's all kinds of information that you learn that you may have not known about family that you thought you knew well.  You also sometimes learn of family that you never even had!

So how is the biological family similar to the spiritual family?  Isn't church supposed to be like a family?  If that's true than everybody that you see on Sundays and Wednesdays are part of your spiritual family.  Some of you have probably been influenced already in your lives by one or more of the elderly folks that we have at the church.  If you haven't already, you will....I can promise that.

See, Timothy was a young pastor who had a church filled with people of all ages, including the elderly.  Paul wrote to encourage Timothy to treat others with respect and honor, including the older members of his congregation.  Timothy's challenge was to treat the elderly he ministered to as if they were his father or mother.

Why do you think Timothy might have needed this advice from Paul?

How are the elderly treated in our church?  How will seeing the elderly as members in God's family - a family of which all Christians are a part - help you to treat them with greater respect?

Let's look at one more point quickly.....

Listen to their wisdom.


Read Job 12:12.

A lot of times we find it easy to dismiss the opinions of the elderly and we avoid taking time to visit them.  But Job 12:12 is a reminder that the elderly have a wisdom which can only be gained from experience and long life.  Some elderly people feel like no one wants to listen to them because of their age, but there are so many things to be learned from someone who has lived a long and full life in relationship with God.

So to rap this week up....let's summarize....we need to respect the older people in our lives and in our church family.  We need to honor them, treat them as family, and listen and learn from their wisdom.  Most of these things we already knew, but sometimes we need to be reminded!  Have a great weekend and we'll see ya Sunday morning!

Heffe

How Do I Deal With Old People? - Day 2

Good Wednesday to everyone!  Well I think a few people caught the hidden word play in the title yesterday... (How do I DILL with Old People......get it?......dill like a pickle.....anyways), but a few is better than none.

So yesterday we talked about the elderly and how our society, in a lot of ways, has devalued them to the point that we consider them a burden to us!  So how does that affect me, a teenage - Christ follower?  What do  I need to do with the elderly?  Well here's the first thing:

Show them honor.


If you read Leviticus 19, which I'm sure you all have, it presents a summary of how God's people were to live out His commandments in their community.  God says that one way you can show you honor and respect  Him is to honor and respect the elderly.

Read Leviticus 19:32

Do you ever stand up in the presence of the elderly - maybe to offer them your seat in a crowded room?  How does this demonstrate that you honor them?

The fact that God commanded the Israelites to honor the elderly shows how seriously that we should take the responsibility of respecting older people.  Senior adults often feel lonely or believe they are no longer useful.  Simply because they are "old" doesn't make people worth less.  God values all people, no matter what age they are.

What does it mean to "honor" the elderly to you and how can you do it?

Why is it so rare for the elderly to be honored in our culture today?

What is your typical response to the elderly: to honor or to dishonor them?

Hope that impacts your day in a small way today and we'll see you tonight at Ignite for another edition of Ask Anything.....we're gonna play "Dice of Death" so come check it out up in the Attic @ 6!

How Do I Dill With Old People? - Day 1

Alright, so this is not the most respectful title for sure, but I wanted to grab your attention for the blog this week!  This past Sunday we spent the morning talking about abortion and where the Bible stands on the issue....so I thought that since we talked about babies Sunday morning we move to the other end of the spectrum this week and talk about the elderly.

Given enough time, we're all gonna be old one day.  So what age do you think "old" starts at?  30?  40?  70?  What do you think you'll be like when you're old?  Will you be the crabby old person that hates everything, or will you be the sweet little old lady that everybody loves gettin' a hug from?  What age do you think people are too old to contribute to society?

Throughout history, people who most of us might consider "old" have done some pretty amazing things!  For example:  Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States at the age of 69.  Harry Bernstein published his first book at the age of 96!  Doris Hancock walked across the United States at the age of 90 and ran for public office at the age of 94.  Arthur Winston didn't retire from his job until he was 100.  George H. W. Bush jumped out of a plane on his 80th birthday.  Olive Riley started blogging when she was 107.  At the age of 84, Doc Pasowitz was still surfing everyday.  Mae Laborde began her acting career when she was 93.  Jack LaLanne did 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes when he was 70.  He published another book on physical fitness at the age of 95.  Willie Nelson continues to write songs and perform across the U.S. at the age of 75.

I have to admit I was a little surprised when I found these facts.  I was amazed at some of the things they could accomplish at their age, and amazed that they could accomplish them at all!  I mean 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes?  Are you serious?

Our church has senior adults who have much to offer.  You'll be learning a little bit more about some ways we are going to be connecting with them in the weeks to come!

Ok...back to the question....how do I deal with the old people....or elderly to be more respectful.  First off, how do you guys feel about the elderly?  Do you think our society values them?  Do you think our church values them?

So here's a word for you: Euthanasia - the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.

Our society doesn't put much value on the elderly, particularly those who are ill or in nursing homes.  Through the years, our culture has devalued life to the point of accepting a practice called euthanasia.  Euthanasia means intentionally making someone die, rather than waiting for the person to die naturally.  This practice of killing painlessly is intended to all someone who is suffering incurably to die on their time-table and without pain.

So what do you guys think euthanasia communicates about the value of life?

I'm sure most of you already knew about euthanasia, so tell me what you think about it!

We'll talk more tomorrow!

Heffe

How Can I Show That People Are Valuable - Day 3

Alright folks...I guess most of you are back at school RIGHT NOW....crazy to think the summer's gone!  I don't want to get you sent to detention your first day cause you're checking the blog in the middle of class so let's dive right in...

We're talking this week about how we can show people that we know that they are valuable....we've already talked about not using people and not condemning and accusing people...so what about today?

See past what they are to what they can become


Read John 8:8-11 this morning....

By saying that only a sinless person should throw the first stone at the accused woman, Jesus demonstrated that He loved the woman and valued her in spite of her sin.  As a result, each of the accusers walked away until Jesus was left alone with only the woman.

Those men left because they knew who they really were, and many of them had sin in their lives just as the woman did.  God doesn't put sin on a ranking system, with one being worse than the other - sin is sin.

So imagine you're that woman, waiting to be beaten or worse, and Jesus challenges all those accusing you and they leave.  How do you think you would be feeling about Jesus at that moment?

I hate planting/gardening stuff....it just doesn't really interest me, but it's still a pretty amazing process.  I could bring a seed or a plant in it's first stages and we could all sit around and guess what type of plant it would become.  The seed or the early plant might not look like it has that much potential...it might be really short or kinda ugly or really puny looking.  But imagine seeing that plant full grown and in full bloom.  The plant full-grown is obviously gonna look a whole lot different than the plant when it's first started.  Once the plant has been given what it needs to reach its full bloom it looks remarkably different.

It's the same with people....some folks may not look like they have much potential, but with the right amount of love and a sense of being valued, they can become much more than anybody thought!

Has there been a time when someone loved you past your mistakes and poor choices and you became much more than you thought you could become?

How does believing in people can change demonstrate that you value them?

Jesus doesn't treat sin lightly but He does offer sinful people the opportunity to be forgiven and to live their lives differently.  What the woman was caught doing was totally wrong and against God's laws.  But, Jesus didn't condemn the woman, but instead forgave her and challenged her to leave her life of sin.

When we sin, it deeply hurts God because sin destroys our relationship with Him.  When Jesus saw that the woman had been caught in the act of sin, His heart was, no doubt, broken for her.  He extended compassion toward her.  He saw past what she was at that moment to what He knew she could become (and what God had created her to be).

See Jesus was capable of balancing the righteousness of God with the love of God.

How can you maintain godly standards yet still express love to others who are doing what you know to be wrong?

It's a challenge sometimes to see past where people are now and to focus on who and where they could be....but I'm sure it's tough for people to do the same for us a lot of times too.  Think on that today!

Heffe

How Can I Show That People Are Valuable - Day 2

Alright youthies....well I hope you're all having a great Thursday....hopefully you guys got some sleep after our Ghost edition of Ask Anything last night!  This week we're talking about how we can show that we believe people are valuable.  Yesterday, we talked about not using people, so let's pick up right where we left off.  Here's today's point:

Don't be condemning or accusatory.


Can you remember a time when you felt "tried and convicted" by a group of people?  What is it about condemnation that makes people feel unloved?

Let's read John 8:6-7....

We don't know for sure what Jesus wrote on the ground while the woman's accusers continued to press Him for a response.  Some think Jesus was ignoring the men; others think He was listing the men's sins; others think He wrote out the Ten Commandments.  Regardless of what Jesus wrote on the ground, His answer forced the men to examine their personal lives for evidence of wrongdoing.

What do you think Jesus meant by His response in John 8:7?  How could an honest assessment of our own lives help us avoid being condemning of accusatory toward someone else?

Do you think the woman was surprised Jesus didn't immediately condemn her?

When other people are caught doing something bad, are you quick to pass judgement on them?  Why or why not?  How does acknowledging your own sin and God's forgiveness of it help you to extend love to  others?

Just as we mentioned yesterday, it doesn't feel good to be accused or condemned for mistakes we've made....often times it feels unfair, and it sure doesn't make us feel loved.  We need to remember this as we think about our actions and relationships with those around us!

We'll see you guys tomorrow on the blog...have a good one!

Heffe

How Can I Show That People Are Valuable - Day 1

Hey youthies....well ATL has come and gone with the rest of our summer, and most of you guys start back at the "S" word this week ("School" for those of you whose minds may be farther in the gutter than they should be!)  With school starting back, you guys are entering one of the most fertile mission grounds around: your schools.  You have the chance to fall back into your regular routine and continue impacting only the same old group of friends, or this year you can set out to change things up a bit and make a much larger footprint wherever you are!  This week we're gonna look at a helpful question to get you started.  Sunday we talked about how we can know that we are important to God and we found that He knows us, He's with us and He made us and therefore He loves us.  So the question now becomes how can we show that other people are valuable?

So how do you guys determine how much value something has?  Is it based on price?...or maybe whether you love it more than something else?  If you do believe an item is worth greater value, do you treat it differently than you do items you don't think are worth as much?  Why?

If you had a brand new iPad or a laptop or even a new Droid or iPhone, would you treat it differently than something you've had for let's say 2years?  Why?

This month we're going to discover how our actions and attitudes indicate the value we hold for other people.  So here's the first way that we can show people that we know that they are valuable:

Don't use people.


Has anybody ever told on you for doing something wrong?  My sister used to "rat" me out all the time and usually I ended up paying for it with my rear end (My pops was a Marine who knew how to give convincing spankings).

What does it mean to use someone?

Read John 8:1-6......

How did the people in this story use the woman?

A group of religious leaders brought before Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery...(basically she was having sex outside of marriage).  But they didn't bring the man with whom she was having sex with....according to Jewish law at that time, the penalty for adultery was stoning to death.

How do you think this girl felt in the presence of all the people accusing her?

What could the religious leaders have done to show love for this woman in spite of her sin?

See, the religious leaders could have brought the woman to Jesus privately instead of accusing her in public.  If these leaders were truly offended by this act of sin, they would have brought both the man and the woman.  The accusers weren't really concerned about this woman - they were simply using her to trap Jesus.  If Jesus said the woman shouldn't be stoned, He could be accused of not obeying the Jewish laws.  If Jesus said she should be stoned, then the religious leaders could report Him to the Roman authorities who didn't let the Jews carry out their own executions.

The religious leaders used this woman for their own purposes.  In what ways are people "used" today?  Have you ever felt like you were "used"?  Have you ever "used" someone else?

How does "using" someone demonstrate that you don't value them?

Being used is not an enjoyable experience....it's deeply hurtful to whomever is being used.  If we truly believe that people are valuable and important then we won't do something that purposely is hurtful and causes them pain.  Think on that one tonight and hopefully we'll see you guys at Ignite in about 90 minutes!!!

Heffe

What Do I Do When I Have Been Disobedient? - Day 3

Alright so yesterday was a great day here in G'ville...we had an amazing night of ministry with The Bridge last night under the Jefferson Street bridge where we served dinner, distributed personal items and a few sleeping bags and a bike to over 150 homeless folks in Nashville.  Excited about working with World Relief today!

Yesterday we said that the first thing we have to do when we've been disobedient to God is to realize and admit it....not an easy thing to do.  Once we realize it, what's next?

Repent of your sin. 

Read Revelation 2:1-5 if you haven't already.....

Revelation 2:5 states, "Remember then how far you have fallen; repent..."

What does God want you and me to remember?  What does it mean to repent - how would you define that word for a friend who is not a Christian?

Basically it goes like this....after we acknowledge our sin we need to ask for forgiveness.  When a person repents of their sin that means they turn away from it.  They choose to go in a completely different direction.

The writer of Revelation reminded the church at Ephesus how far they had drifted away from God.  The only way for them to come back to Him was through prayer and repentance.  God would not bless the church until they confessed their sins to Him.

It is one thing for us to admit we have sinned but it is something different for us to ask forgiveness for our sin.  In order for us to repent we must be willing to humble ourselves and commit our lives to Jesus.  We have all fallen away from God and we all need to ask for His forgiveness and grace.  It's impossible to have a healthy relationship with God if we refuse to repent.

When was the last time you were convicted about something you did?  Have you ever asked for God's forgiveness?  How did it feel to know you had been forgiven?

As Christians, when we sin we do not lose our salvation, but we do need to confess our sin and repent.  Each person needs to have their own, personal relationship with Christ.  If we turn away from something but have nowhere to go, we will still end up in trouble.  Jesus provides direction for our lives as well as the forgiveness of sin.

If you haven't repented of your sins because you don't have this personal relationship with Christ, then myself, Coat, or any of your Sunday School teachers would love to talk with you about how you can have a personal, real relationship with Jesus Christ!  Grab us anytime!

Hope to see a lot of you this morning and tonight at IGNITE @ 6 in The Attic!

Heffe

What Do I Do When I Have Been Disobedient? - Day 2

Alright so yesterday I left you to think all day about maybe some of the things that we let take the place of God in our love relationship with Him.  We said that allowing something to replace God in our lives is an act of disobedience.  So let's look at the first step of what we need to do when we have disobeyed

Realize your disobedience.

Read Revelation 2:1-5 again....

Revelation 2:4 warns us, "you have abandoned the love you had at first."

I used to work with disobedient students all the time when I was a coach/teacher back in Knoxville.  It didn't matter what I asked some kids to do, even if it was the simplest thing in the world, it would turn into a circus of disobedience and disrespect!  I remember telling a kid one time that he was gonna have to wait like 10 minutes before he could go to the water fountain because we were right in the middle of a test....simple to understand right?  I mean I didn't even tell him no....I just told him he had to be patient for another 10 minutes.  Well this kid went on a rampage....he shoved all his books in the floor, screamed out some "fun" school words, and made the biggest scene ever!  It ended up with him going to the office and spending the rest of the day in in-school suspension....all for a drink of water!

We are disobedient to God everyday.  Does it sometimes come off looking like the kid I just mentioned?

Ephesus was one of the most important (if not the most important) cities in Asia Minor.  It was located at the mouth of a river and was an important commercial and trade city.  The church at Ephesus was a very important and prosperous church.  Paul planted the church and it grew quickly.  It had been challenged by false prophets and the church had risen up and removed those men from the congregation.  The church had done many great things for the kingdom of God.  But, along the way, their priorities had shifted and their love for God had diminished.

It's really tough for us to admit when we have done something wrong.  We try to blame everybody except ourselves.  It is hard for us to take responsibility for our actions.  Disobedience surfaces in a person's life in a lot of different ways.  For many folks it's through actions, words, or how we behave ourselves.  God has the ability to look into a person's life and see areas of selfishness and rebellion.  It is important for us to realize our disobedience and stop trying to hide it.

What would be some positive things God would say in regard to your obedience to Him?  What about negative comments?

So the first step for us to take is really the toughest....to realize that we're in the wrong.  The challenge today is for you to try to step up and admit where you are in the wrong with God and admit it to him today!

Alright we'll see all our Bridge Ministry folks tonight at the church at 4:45!  Gonna be a blessed time tonight!  Check out Facebook for more info on the rest of the Take Back the City event this week!  Later.

Heffe

What Do I Do When I Have Been Disobedient? - Day 1

Welcome to Monday everybody!  It's gonna be a busy week with Take Back the City this week and our trip to ATL next Monday and Tuesday!  Hope to see you guys there!

Alright so yesterday morning in Family Groups we talked about why we disobey God even when we know we shouldn't.  This week we are going to look at what happens when we have been disobedient.  Let's jump right in!

If I asked you to stand up this morning if you considered yourself as obedient to your parents, then most of you would probably be standing at your computers or with your phones or wherever else you're reading this.  But what if I asked you to stand if you would describe yourself as obedient to God?  Would you still be standing up?

Read Revelation 2:1-5

We all got to ask ourselves if we are guilty of replacing our love for God with our love for something else.  That is disobedience!

So today all I want you to focus on are the possible things that you are replacing God with in your love life.  We'll examine them a little closer tomorrow!

Also, if you're going to go to The Bridge with us tomorrow night we will meet at the church at 4:45 and plan on leaving @ 5:00.  Message me or text me if you have any questions.

Heffe

What Situations Give Me A Pass on Obeying - Day 5

Alright so let's wrap up this week.....so if you've missed anything, just go back and review the past blogs for this week.

Yesterday we camped out on the point that we should obey even when we are afraid.  We talked about how Abram followed God with blind faith and was obedient, but he was definatley a little scared.

Check out this quote...

"Rest in this - it is His business to lead, command, impel, send, call or whatever you want to call it.  It is your business to obey, follow, move, respond, or what have you."  Jim Elliot.

Do you believe God will take care of you if you step out on blind faith?  Why or why not?

What is something that you have done with our youth group that has been out of your comfort zone ( maybe such as MFUGE or Bridge Ministry, or maybe it's coming up at Take Back the City next week)?

What did you learn from that experience?

How has God proven Himself to be faithful to you in the past?  How can those experiences help you trust Him in the future?

What are some things about your future (college, marriage, career) of which you are afraid?  How can God help you in those areas?  Do you trust God in those areas?

Imagine we were at church and all of a sudden we have a fire drill!  I stand up and call for everybody's attention and I tell you guys to get on your hands and knees and to follow me out of the room.  I tell you guys to remain calm and to stay directly behind me and close to me.  So I lead you guys outside the building safely.  Then lets' say I gather you all up outside the building and tell you guys it was only a drill - there wasn't a real fire.  Don't you think it's interesting how you guys would be willing to follow me on your hands and knees without asking too many questions?  You trusted me and you followed me without knowing where we were going or why we were going there.

If you will follow me or Coat with blind faith, why won't you follow God?

The point of this week has been to emphasize that we need to follow God regardless.  What does that mean to you?  What can you do this week to follow God more completely?

See ya on Sunday morning!

Heffe

What Situations Give Me A Pass on Obeying - Day 4

Alright....it was good to see a lot of you guys last night at IGNITE...look forward to seeing more of you Sunday morning at SS.  Ok....quick review....we're talking about situations where a lot of times we might think we can get a free pass on obedience so that we don't have to do what God commands us.  We've already seen that we need to obey even when it doesn't make sense and we've also seen we need to obey even when we don't know all the details....so here's one more situation to talk about...

Obey even when you are afraid.


What kinds of things cause you fear?  What is the one thing of which you are most afraid?  Why?

Ok so let's read Genesis 15:1 today...

What we see is that Abram was willing to uproot his entire family and lifestyle in order to obey God.  However, God knew Abram was concerned and a little afraid about the move.  God appeared to Abram and gave him comfort and reassurance that he would be alright.  God even promised Abram that He would be his shield and his protector.  Abram had God's promise that he and his family would be taken care of by God.  He was even promised a great reward for following God in blind faith!

Change can be a really scary thing.  Most people had rather things stay the same in their lives.  When there is no change then everyone knows what to expect and what to do.  When we are asked to step out of our comfort zone and go in a direction we have never gone before, it makes us very uncomfortable and sometimes even scared.  It is important for us to understand that when God calls us to a task He will equip us for that task.  If God calls, God provides!

What are some of the comfort zones in your life?  How hard is it for you to step out of those comfort zones?

We're gonna camp out on this point and hit it again tomorrow for a little bit!  Have a great day everybody!

Heffe

What Situations Give Me A Pass on Obeying - Day 3

What up youthies.....well it's Wednesday and that means another night together when IGNITE hits @ 6 PM.  Make sure to be there tonight as we tackle some questions about other Gods and we might have a little 4 on a Couch action...gonna be sweet!

Ok, so this week we are trying to determine if there are any situations where we can have a free pass from obeying God.  The first two days this week we spent talking about why we should obey even when it doesn't make any sense.  So that lets us know that we don't get a free pass to disobey if we use the excuse that we don't understand what's going on.

Let's look at another type of situation today, and what we should do if we are found in it.

Obey even when you don't know all the details.


Read Genesis 12:1-4 again today.

God did not tell Abram where he was going or how long it would take him to get there.  God did not promise him a smooth trip.  God did, however, promise Abram that He would be blessed because of his obedience.  Abram never questioned God about any of the details surrounding his new adventure.  He followed God's commands and left the planning up to God.

Why didn't Abram question God's instructions?  Why didn't Abram ask for more details?  I mean that's what we would have done right?

If you could ask God about some specific details of your life or your future, what would you ask?  What difference would that information make in the decisions you make now?

Often, God will call us to do something we are not expecting.  When God calls and gives us a command, we must follow.  We have to understand that we are not in control when God calls us, He is!  We may want to know every little detail about the trip, but we don't have to know.  Rest assured God knows where He is taking you and God has already worked out all the little details in your trip.  God doesn't need your help with directions.

When was the last time you and your family went on vacation?  Did you help them plan the trip?

Do you trust your parents to take you somewhere safely and bring you back?

Do you trust God to take you somewhere - guiding you and providing for you?

What make it hard to follow God when you don't know all the details?  Why would God want us to follow without knowing all the details?

Think on those things today, and we'll see ya at IGNITE tonight @ 6 in The Attic!

Heffe

What Situations Give Me A Pass On Obeying - Day 2

Gooooood Tuesday morning!  This week we are looking at obedience and if there are ever situations that we can get a "free pass" so to speak, from being obedient to God.  Yesterday we talked about the importance of obeying God even when it doesn't make sense.  We camped out in Genesis 12: 1-4 so I encourage you to read it again to refresh your brain a little bit!

So, you read it right?  Ok good.

Ok, so Abram had lived in the same place for a really long time.  His entire world revolved around his family, land, and livestock.  Sounds exciting, huh?  He probably planned on living there the rest of his life. He thought he had his life planned out.  But God had other plans for him.  God told him to pack up everything he owned and leave the land he loved so much - and leave his parents and other extended family members.  This must have been a huge shock to Abram and his family.

Sometimes God will instruct us to do things that don't make sense.  Many times we will plan out every detail of our lives and never consider what God may want us to do.  It's important for us to always be willing to obey God's voice.  Faith is following God when you don't understand what He is doing in your life.

Has your family ever moved from one city to another?  How did it feel to make that move?

Did your family move because God instructed them to move?

How did Abram know it was God telling him what to do?  How do you know when God is leading you to do something?

Think about those things and we'll see ya tomorrow on the blog and tomorrow night at 6 in the Attic for another Ask Anything night!

Heffe

What Situations Give Me a Pass on Obeying - Day 1

What up e'rebody!  It's good to be back in the G'ville after a great week at M-Fuge in Charleston last week.  I hope that we will have new visitiors joining the blog for the first time today so let's jump right in.

All month we've been talking about obedience and more specifically our obedience to God.  The first week we learned that our obedience to God starts by loving God and then loving others.  We learned that are obedience shows itself when we love God, walk in His ways, keep His commands, remain faithful to HJim and serve Him.

The second week we saw that the reason that we should obey God is that by doing so it shows our love for Him.  We saw that our obedience to God provides benefits for us such as getting to experience the love God, getting to enjoy the fellowship of God, and getting to express our relationship with God.

Yesterday morning, Andrew tackled the issue of partial obedience with you guys and we learned that partial obedience is really disobedience...not an easy thing to hear right?

Ok, so this week we are going to spend some time talking about whether or not there are any situations where you can get a free pass on obeying God.  So let's get into the word a little bit!

What we are going to see is that the Bible encourages us to obey God no matter what the situation.  That can be really, really tough, especially when we can't see the end result!  This week is going to help us understand the importance of not questioning God, but rather just following Him!

So here's the first point for the week:

Obey even when it doesn't make sense!


We're going to spend a couple of days on this one so let's just kinda introduce it today.  Have you ever had to follow some directions that you thought were totally ignorant?  Imagine if I pulled you up front Wednesday night at Ignite and told you to follow my directions regardless of how ridiculous they might sound.  What if I asked you to hold your breath for a minute and then to walk backward while barking like a seal; spin around 14 times and then do 8 jumping jacks; jump up and down while singing "Bye, Bye, Bye" and so on.....Would you do it?

Sometimes we are supposed to follow instructions even if they don't make sense!

Read Genesis 12:1-4........

Why didn't God instructions make sense?  What would you have done?

Think about that today and also think about how well you follow directions.....do you question everything you're asked to do?  Leave me some feedback or thoughts if you guys actually have any :)  Hope you have a great  Monday!

Heffe

What Are The Benefits of Obedience - Day 4

Alright.......my eyelids are half closed while typing this today, so if there's any new words created in this blog today, you'll have to forgive me!

Ok so yesterday we posed the question of "What are the benefits of Obedience?" and we found that the first benefit is that you get to experience the love of God.  Let's look at a second benefit today....

You enjoy the fellowship of God.


If I asked one of you guys to tell me something about your best friend.....something like their name, what they look like, where they attend school, or what makes them special enough to be considered a best friend, I'm sure you could do it.

Reread John 14:23-24 today.

God loved us enough to send His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins.  If we choose to accept Him as our Lord then we can enjoy His presence in our lives.  With His presence also comes His fellowship.  We all like hanging out with our best friend.  There is something special about having someone you can talk to and share things with.  But even your best friend will let you down at some point.  One thing we can count on is that Jesus will never let us down or disappoint us.  God's fellowship with His children is very special for sure!

Have you ever had a close friend disappoint you?  Did you feel betrayed and hurt?  Why?  What happened to the fellowship you enjoyed as friends as a result of the incident?

Do you understand that Jesus wants to have fellowship with you?  Why would Jesus want that type of relationship with us?

What does it mean to have fellowship with God?  And what is enjoyable about that fellowship?

Ok I'll check in with you guys one more time tomorrow and we'll look at one more benefit of obedience!

See ya
Heffe

What Are The Benefits of Obedience? - Days 1,2,3

Alright folks....sorry I'm so late this week....camp schedule throws a wrench into blogging that's for sure!  Ok so last Sunday morning we looked at the question of why we should obey God and found that we should obey God because it's the right thing to do, it shows our love for Him, and it brings us joy!

Basically we are emphasizing the importance of loving God and following His commands.  Obedience is an issue that we all struggle with in our daily lives.  This week we are going to challenge ourselves a little bit to live Godly lifestyles.

Start off by reading John 14:23-24.

Jesus made it very clear that if a person loves Him, he or she will listen to Him.  Jesus calls us to be obedient and submissive to His will for our lives....so let's look at 3 benefits of obedience.

First....

You experience the love of God.


Think of 3 things a person must do in order to earn your love and friendship and write those down.

See, Jesus made it very clear the only thing required from us is to love and obey God.  When we love and listen to God's commands, He will remain with us forever.  It is impossible to love God and love the world at the same time.  If we truly love God then we will allow Him to lead our lives.  After we submit to His will and love Him with all our heart, then we will understand His benefits.

What if your requirements to be loved were the standards God used?  Would any of us be worthy to be loved by God?

Read John 14:23-24 again.

What does Jesus mean that we will keep His word if we love Him?  What word is he talking about?

What did Jesus say it means if we don't keep His word?  Why is that?

Jesus wants everyone to come to know Him as his or her personal Savior.  The Bible tells us that God loved us first.  He is waiting for us to love and accept Him.  Jesus promised us when a person loves and obey Him, that He will remain in our hearts forever!  That is experiencing the love of God in a powerful way!

Gotta head to site so come back tomorrow for a second benefit....

Heffe

What Does Obedience to God Look Like? - Friday

Alright youthies, it's our final day of trying to answer the question of "What does obedience to God look like?".  Just to recap, so far we've discovered that our obedience shows up in the following way: loving  God, walking in His ways, keeping His commands, and through remaining faithful to Him.  So let's look at one more way our obedience shows up....

Obedience is serving Him.


Any guesses which verse we're gonna read today???.....that's right it's back to Joshua 22:5 one more time so get it out and read it one last time for the week!

So, Joshua commanded us "to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.".

Serving others is something most people don't want to do.  We would much rather be served than serve.  Joshua told the children of Israel that if they loved God they would serve Him.  That means they would do whatever He commanded them to do.  They would work and serve with all of their heart and soul.


So what does that mean for us?  Well it means that we have to try to start obeying God by serving him in our daily lives.  We can start serving God by digging into His word everyday.....we can serve God by spending a little time in prayer each day thanking Him and praising Him....we can start by looking for opportunities to serve in our church and in our community.


Where do you guys see some specific possibilities for service within our church?

Where do you think you might enjoy serving at FBCG?

I would love to hear back from some of you guys about some ideas and get you started with some new things!

So you remember the 3 questions that we answered earlier in the week on the special piece of paper I told you to keep track of?  Get it back out, and somewhere on it I want you to write down at least 5 ways that you can live your life in a godly way this week....things that you haven't been doing or that you know you need to change.  I want you to bring those papers with you on Sunday morning and place them in a prayer box that I'll have at the front of the room.  I will be praying over the box (not reading the things in there) over the next few weeks with you!

Hope to see you guys at the movie today!  Text me for details 8389755

Heffe

What Does Obedience to God Look Like? - Thursday

Good morning!

It's a busy Thursday today, so let's jump right in.  Just to get you caught up, we've been answering the question, "What Does Obedience to God Look Like?" all this week.  So far we've learned that you show your obedience through loving God, walking in His ways, and keeping His commands.  So let's look at a fourth characteristic of obedience.

Obedience is remaining faithful to Him.


Ok, so I know we've already done this a bunch, but read Joshua 22:5 again today.....

We see that Joshua 22:5 commands us "to remain faithful to Him..."

Have you ever had a boyfriend of girlfriend who was unfaithful to you?  Maybe they were sending notes to somebody else back in the middle school years or actually dating somebody behind your back?  How did that make ya feel?  Upset?  Hurt?  Disappointed?  All of the above?

Joshua encouraged the children of Israel to stop worshipping their false gods.  He warned them that God was the one into whom they should be pouring their heart and soul.  The Israelites had a history of not staying faithful to God.  They were easily drawn away from the one true God.

We need to understand that unfaithfulness hurts God just like it hurts us.  God loves us very much and His desire is that we obey His commands and follow Him.  A lot of folks struggle with remaining faithful to anyone or anything for very long.

Luckily for us God is and will always be faithful to us - even when we are unfaithful to Him.  He never leaves us or disappoints us.  Maybe, you're right in the middle of a really difficult time in your life and you feel like God isn't around.  Maybe you feel like he's not even paying attention to what's going on in your life and because of that you're turning your back on Him.  Think back......who do you think has let the other person down more often....do you think we let God down more often or do you think God disappoints us more often?  If we're honest we'll see that in almost every case God is faithful to us...it may not always look the way we think it should or expected, but He's faithful just the same!

Ok, so we've identified how we feel when someone is not faithful to us, so how do you think God feels when we are unfaithful to Him?

What are some reasons people might give for not remaining faithful to God?  What does the phrase "hold on to Him" mean in relation to remaining faithful?

Think about it and let me know what you guys come up with!  See ya tomorrow for the blog and the movie!

Heffe

What Does Obedience to God Look Like? - Wednesday

Good morning and welcome to Day 3 of our attempt to answer the question, "What Does Obedience to God Look Like?".  So far this week we've looked at Joshua 22:5 and found 2 characteristics to describe "the look" of obedience: loving God and walking in His ways.  Don't worry you can go back and read the last few blogs to catch up if you've missed anything.

Alright so let's the look at the third thing that Joshua points out.....so go ahead and read Joshua 22:5 again. So let's look at the third characteristic of obedience:

Obedience is keeping His commands.


So the third thing that Joshua commands us to do is "to keep His (God's) commands..."  Joshua explained what God expected from the people in the area of obedience.  It was very simple.  They were to love God with all of their heart and soul.  God would make their paths clear if they would just obey and follow Him. Joshua knew the people would struggle with this very simple concept.

We aren't any different from the children of Israel.  God has promised us success if we would just obey, trust, and follow Him.  That sounds simple, right?  But it's not.  We have things that come into our lives everyday that keep us from putting God first in our lives.

I want you to take out a sheet of paper this morning and I want you to write the answers to these 3 questions on that paper, fold it when you're done and put it someplace you'll remember until Friday.  So here are the 3 questions:

1.  What are some of the things in your life that are stopping you from obeying God?
2.  What would you have to change in order to be obedient to God?
3.  Are you willing to make those changes?

Those are some pretty tough questions and it make take you some time to think them through so I want you to ponder on those today and we'll talk more tomorrow.

Don't forget that we have Giant Cranium tonight at Ignite....meet in The Attic @ 6!

Also don't forget that we're having a FBCG @ The Movies this Friday to go see Despicable Me in 3-D! We'll meet at the church at 12:30 head to Blue Coast Burrito for lunch (usually about 10 bucks) and then catch a 2:25 movie ($13 for 3-D).  We'll be back at the church between 4:30-5:00.

Later,
Heffe

What Does Obedience to God Look Like? - Tuesday

Welcome back...alright so we're breaking down what our obedience to God actually looks like and we saw yesterday that the first way our obedience shows itself is through our loving God.  So let's look at another way today

Obedience is walking in His ways.


So read (if you missed yesterday) or re-read Joshua 22:5.  We see that the second thing Joshua commands us to do is to "walk in all His ways"....  It's important here that we see the word "all"in this verse.  How many of God's ways are we supposed to walk in?  All.  This is not the easiest thing to do right?

Why do you think Joshua would challenge the people to obey all of God's commands?  What is wrong with the philosophy that I can just pick and choose what I want to obey?  What if we did that with traffic laws?  Not.....goood.

What if I took two people, blindfolded them, and then spun them around until they were dizzy.  Then let's say I tell Person 1 to try and follow Person 2 out of the room.  It would be pretty funny right?....I mean they'd be running into chairs, falling over things, maybe even running into some walls, but it wouldn't be funny for the person who is blindfolded.

See, when we are blindfolded and dizzy, it is impossible to get where we need to go and do what we need to do.  God will never blindfold us or cause us to stumble around foolishly.  When we walk with God, our eyes are open and our future is bright and clear.  God provides direction for us.  Those who choose not to walk behind God will find their lives are dark and confusing.

How hard is it for you to follow someone?  Maybe you're usually the leader and you like setting the pace....maybe you are usually running somewhere in the middle of the pack...you don't like leading but you don't want to be at the end.....or maybe you're that reluctant follower who drags their feet and kicks the dirt and always falls behind the person at the front.  What does the phrase "to follow someone blindly" mean to you?

Have you ever walked and followed behind someone that led you astray?

Do you think following God and walking with Him is easy?

Does God expect us to follow His commands blindly?

God wants us to let Him lead our paths so that we can walk in His ways....it reminds me of being little and always trying to step in my dad's footprints in the sand on the beach....only problem was my legs were too short so I often missed....I had to continue growing so that I could firmly plant my feet in his footprints.  God wants you and I to continue to grow so that we can make our footprints the same as Jesus did.

Walking in God's ways is not an easy task, but it's one way that we can show our obedience to God!

Leave me some feedback about what "ways of God' you guys have trouble following....we'll see you back at the blog tomorrow and at Giant Cranium this Wednesday night at 6 PM!

Heffe

What Does Obedience to God look like? - Monday

Good morning!  Alright, so let's get started!

Yesterday morning we started to answer the question "Where does obedience to God start?" by discovering that Jesus told us that we have to love God with our whole being.  Jesus also said that along with loving God with all we are, we also have to love others as we do ourselves.  These are the two most important commandments.  It's only once we start doing these two things that we can start being obedient to God.

So this week on the blog we're gonna answer the question "What does obedience to God look like?".  We're gonna look at 5 different ways that our obedience to God can show up.

Let's start off by reading Joshua 22:5....that's right actually grab your Bible this morning, and open it up and read a little bit....just one tiny verse!

In this verse, Joshua gives us several things we can do to show our obedience to God.  So today, let's look at the first one...

Obedience is loving God.


Joshua starts this verse off by reminding the people to follow the commandments and laws that were given to them and the first thing he reminds them to do is "to love the Lord your God..."

What does it mean to love God?  How does your obedience relate to loving God?

Think about this.....several of you have your driver's licenses....several still don't but you can still play along.  Have you guys ever been given a speeding ticket?  If you have ever had a speeding ticket then you know there is a large price to pay for not obeying the speed limit....usually $100 at the least....just for going a little faster than you're supposed to.

There is also a huge price to pay for not obeying God's rules.  God does not give us rules and laws to hold us back from having fun.  He gives us rules to protect us from things that cause us harm, shame, or pain.

See, God wants us to be very careful in our obedience to Him.  God wants what is best for us but we have to be willing to follow and obey his commandments.  God has a perfect plan for our lives and that plan can only be carried out when we love God and obey God.  Loving Him shows true obedience to God!

Think about these things this morning:

Have you ever felt like God wanted you to do something and you didn't?  What was it?

Did it ever bother you to know that you disobeyed God?

Did you know at that very moment that you had disobeyed God or did you figure it out later?

If you could go back and have a "do over," what would you do differently?  Why?

So I know that our first example of loving God is a repeat from yesterday morning, but I just want to emphasize how important it is to love God.  If you don't truly love God, then you're going to find it very hard, if not impossible, to do the next 4 things that we found suggested in this verse.

Spend some time in prayer this morning, even if you haven't done it in a long time, and just ask God to help you love Him, love His Word, love the things He cares about, and to love Him even when things around you aren't the way you think they should be.  Our first way to show obedience to God is to love Him!

Feel free to post any questions or thoughts here on the blog.....or just drop me a note to let me know you're reading it!!  See you back here at the blog tomorrow morning!

Heffe

The Blog is Back!!!!

Alright, so you might say I "hit the wall" when it comes to blogging.  Maybe you're not familiar with that phrase and you are trying to figure out how running into a wall affects your blogging....but if you're familiar with sports at all then the term "hitting the wall" should ring true.  Now, I'm also not referencing NASCAR in any way here so I don't mean "hit the wall" in that sense either....(I seriously pray for all of you NASCAR fans out there....bless your heart).....No I'm talking about when you come out of the gates full speed ahead and you look prepared to totally dominate whatever circumstances you're in...You feel great and the adrenaline is flowing and you feel like you can't be stopped by anyone or anything....but then you start to feel that pain in your side....maybe your legs aren't able to give you the burst or lift that they were just a few moments ago, and in the blink of an eye the competition catches up and passes you...and you're not able to do anything but watch them pull farther and farther away.  That's what we call "hitting the wall".  Most people don't recover from it and abandon their goal and head off into the sunset to search out their next endeavor....but dear friends, today I am not like most people.  I have "hit the wall" and live to press on with that process that we know as "blogging"....so let's begin!

Alright so yesterday was a really great day.  I had a blast putting together the music for this coming Sunday's 11:00 service and spent my whole morning with the Lord in a time of worship and preparation!  I tell you, there can't be a better way to spend a cold, snowy morning then that right there!  But that's not all....the day got even better yesterday afternoon and evening.  We spent several hours working with our creative team doing a video shoot for some fun new creative elements for Lyle's next sermon series starting this Sunday....I don't want to give away too much, but let me just say that "Idolwood" should be a fun few minutes each Sunday morning.  I got to work with some amazing friends and we had a lot of laughter to keep us working!  After finishing up the video shoot, we headed over to Jake's house, where Becca was preparing steaks for myself, Jake, Coat and our friend Jonny who had filmed the shoot!  I mean is their a better dinner than steaks!

So we settled in and had a great night in front of us....We were going to watch the Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt game, followed by the Kentucky vs. Alabama game.  For desert we had a new episode of Lost and American Idol stored on the DVR to cap off an amazing night.  Only one problem....Tennessee got blown out of the gym by Vandy for the 2nd time this season.

.......................

Thanks a lot Tennessee....thanks for ruining my day.  Isn't it crazy how we find our happiness in things in which we often times have no control over like sports, movies, tv, etc....  Luckily I had read Psalms 1 this morning to remind me that the focus for all of us should be to find happiness in the presence of the Eternal One and in His Word.  Why do so many of us......or maybe me.......just not get as excited about time with the Lord as we do a sporting event or a stupid tv show (So ticked at Lost for killing off Juliet!!)?  We are told in Psalms 1 that for those who find their happiness and delight in the Lord....they're like trees planted beside cool, refreshing streams that never run dry...and that no matter what happens, you will prosper!!  Are you kidding me!!  You couldn't ask for anything more from someone when seeking happiness!  So to wrap this thing up, let me just share with you that I'm really gonna try to keep focused on finding my happiness in the Lord and to avoid the distraction that the world and all it's attractions pose each day.....so today's key word ladies and gentlemen is the "F" word....that's right.....FOCUS!!!!

I'm out

My thoughts on an Easy Button

Anybody else out there ever wish that the Easy Button was actually something that worked and not some funny little gadget some people put on their desk?

Could anybody else out there find a real, daily use for it, if that wonderfully, round, red button was a reality and not a piece of fiction?

I know I could....especially on days like today when it seems every time I turn around there is something there to be done!!

Isn't that something that we all wish for.....that things would be easier to accomplish, jobs able to be done quicker, or even better to have someone or something else around to do those tasks for us?  I know it sure would come in handy sometimes.

But I was reminded the other day as I read through the Creation account, that what sometimes looks like the easy way out or the "quick fix" can sometimes be the worst option imaginable.

I'm sure that that's how Eve saw the fruit from the tree in the garden.....an easy button of sorts....a way to get the results she wanted in a quick, no effort required, super easy way.

And we all know how that turned out.

A lot of times, I think God doesn't want us to take the easiest paths because it does us no good....we learn nothing from instant gratification.....we forget the value of things if no sacrifice is required to achieve our goal or whatever we might be after.

This doesn't sit well with most of us.....Why would a "loving" God want to make life harder on His children instead of granting all of our dreams and desires?

Answer is real simple......we can't handle it.

And without the journey...without the headaches....without the back-breaking, mind-numbing work that we must do.....without the conflict....without the trials,........we stay the same.

Our God is a loving God who does want the best for us.....and we must trust Him to bless us in life when we are able to handle it and grow from it............not when we can do nothing but be spoiled by it.

You remember that Easy Button.....I don't think I really want it...........I know I don't need it.

And neither do you.

My thoughts on Dora the Explorer

I HATE Dora the Explorer!!!!

I HATE Dora the Explorer for the following reasons:

1).  Dora the Explorer absolutely screams every word that she says.

2).  When on a flight where a child is watching Dora the Explorer DVD's on a laptop and not wearing headphones, then everyone on the plane is forced to hear Dora the Explorer scream Spanish words the entire flight.


Have you ever been, let's say, at the mall and seen some atrocious child making a huge scene and screaming at everyone including their parents.....guess who taught them that skill.....

Dora the Explorer

Or maybe your child runs off into the woods or the wilderness to go on a huge adventure with nothing but their backpack and a strange-colored monkey friend....and you end up having to search for your child hour after hour......you know who's to blame for this one don't you?

That's right, Dora the Explorer

Does your child talk to you in other languages and expect you to understand them?

It's all because of Dora.

I am officially launching the KDC.....that's right the Kill Dora Coalition is now being formed and I am looking for bright minds to help me plot the demise of this annoyance to humanity.  Let me know if you have what it takes to aid in this quest.

I'm out.

Wayne Chism ballin!!

Ok so if you've had a conversation with me at all this season about UT basketball then it comes as no surprise to you when I say that I generally don't like our Vols team this year.  I felt that way long before our 4 "scholar" athletes got busted for playing a real life mission of Grand Theft Auto, so don't think I'm just jumping on the bandwagon here.  Already in the early part of the season I had witnessed too much laziness, too much misappropriation of talent, too much thuggery (thank you JP Prince....who talks trash at the tip??!!), and too much selfish play.  I thought this team was destined for a repeat of last season's team.....you remember the team that showed no heart, no passion, and no killer instinct.  I was ready to accept the fate of another under-achieving, waste of a season.....but then the greatest thing that could have happened to this team did!!!

4 Vols who thought that they were invincible to the outside world got a reality check and woke up something in their teammates

Now I'm a realist here folks....I don't think that our team is all of a sudden gonna beat Kansas, or dominate Kentucky....but I do expect them to play with an energy, passion and fervor that we haven't seen since Lofton and JaJuan were the leaders of this program.  I have already had good friends close to the program tell me just how much the practices have changed this week.  Instead of Tyler Smith being the team leader by default...(the only thing he leads this team in is full body tatoos)...leaders are being identified by their actions and words.

I don't know what the rest of this season holds for the Vols but I would much rather watch the bunch that last night elevated their play and finally fought a little bit.....I would rather watch a focused and passionate Wayne Chism, Scotty Hopson, Bobby Maze, Kenny Hall, Renaldo Woolridge, Skylar McBee and ......yes even JP Prince..........then to watch the 4 morons who tarnished the reputation of our team, school and coach be allowed back only to infect this team again.

The Vol nation is an easy one to please as a player.....show up....play hard.....appreciate the opportunity that you've been given.....and make a big shot or two from time to time.

Let's hope that this situation serves as a wake-up call to not only our basketball program but to all athletes and coaches not just at UT but across the whole country....(at least in the the SEC since that's all that matters anyway)

Wayne Chism for Heisman!

My thoughts on Deliberate Rebellion

Alright so it's day 3 of Music Orlando and let me just tell you that Orlando might be the most boring city in America when the temperature drops below 40 degrees.....it seems like everything they have to do down here involves a lot of walking.....outside.....so I'm bonding with my hotel room each evening, but anyways.....

So I'm currently sitting in another music reading session this morning and we just heard a rocking, foot-stomping, "Glory" shouting Southern Gospel barn-burning song.  This song got a lot of the folk's blood-boiling and you could almost see foam and saliva running from their mouths....however I was not one of those folks.  Song wasn't my cup of tea because it had no identifiable melody anywhere in it, but this post is not about the flaws of Southern Gospel music..it's about thievery!!

So this guy a few rows ahead of me was very close to going into cardiac arrest at the end of the song due to his immense excitement and love for the piece.  Now, let me explain to you quickly how a music reading session goes...you show up, they give you packs that have one copy of each piece of music that you will be hearing and looking at, you sit down at a table and a company rep from each publisher comes up and directs you through each piece.  If you like a piece then you keep it......if not then you put it in the box at the back of the room on your way out where it goes back to the warehouse.

Well there were several other guys around this guy who felt the same way I did about the song, and they put their copy of the music into their personal discard pile....and that's when the other guy who we will just call Thief, went to work.

Thief began going down his table and the surrounding tables right in his area picking up copies of the song that people were going to be discarding to the box in the back.  At music conferences, this practice is frowned upon because it's........basically stealing music.  Thief was trying to gather enough copies of the song to form a complete choir set for his church so that he wouldn't have to spend the appx. $30 bucks it costs to buy a piece.

Luckily Thief came to my table and reached for my copy without even asking.....but Thief did not get my copy because my young hands were much faster than his.  Thief asked if I was going to use it and I replied that no I wasn't and I would be putting my copy in the back.  Well Thief kinda chuckled and went right about his business scoring copies.

Thief was deliberately doing something wrong, right where everyone could see it, and was having a good time doing it!!  I was like, "Wow this guy is a jerk"....I was hoping one of the Music Florida thugs would have him "taken care of" but it didn't happen.

Then I had a reality check.....how many times have I done something that I knew was wrong, and I did it deliberately.....and probably enjoyed myself immensely while doing it!!

It got me thinking that this is an area that gets a lot of us believers into a lot of trouble.  I think God understands when we slip into sin....not saying He likes it or encourages this practice, but I fully believe that He is aware that it's gonna happen due to the fact that we're.....well we're human.

What I mean by "slipping into sin" are all those times when we have a reaction to a situation, a reaction that happens in the blink of an eye, and maybe that reaction doesn't quite line up with God's will,.... or all those times when a conversation or a thought process suddenly slips down the opposite slope of holy and righteous thought or speech, and we end up saying something or thinking and dwelling on something that we are usually later ashamed of....those moments where we slip into a sin without planning out our actions or reactions......it's those times that I believe God understands our inadequacies as humans.

But what about all those other times....you know the times when we plan out a deliberate act of rebellion against God's will....or we take that step in a process that we know will obviously lead us away from God's will.....or even the times when our whole body, soul, stomach, conscience and everything within us tells us that something is not a good idea, but we go ahead with it anyway because we think that we can manage it, handle it, or work it out on our own to somehow benefit us in amazing ways?   It's in those times that I feel that God really wants to take us out behind the wood shed for a little tough love.

We see Scripture full of stories of people just like us, people who couldn't control their human desires and people who deliberately rebelled against God in some way shape or form......and have we forgotten how those stories end?.......usually not great....if you've forgotten go back and read the book of Genesis as a little reminder.

I don't know if I'll ever be mature enough, intelligent enough, spiritually-grounded enough to totally stop all my deliberate rebellion against the Lord, but if I had to make one New Year's Resolution then this is it:

Lord please give me strength to stop my deliberate rebellion, my deliberate disobedience of You and help me to regain a reverent fear of You!

I encourage you guys to join with me on this one....

And by the way, you remember Thief.....well he just spilled his coffee all over himself so my morning is complete and the vengeance of the Lord is swift and just!

Have a great Wednesday folks!

My Man-Crush on CJ

Just in case you haven't heard, the representatives for Titans running back Chris Johnson are working with the reps for Usain Bolt, the supposed "fastest human alive", and working towards setting up a possible foot race between the two.  No details have been set, and I don't think they have talked any specifics yet, but let me just tell you....

I have a huge man-crush on Chris Johnson

In no way shape or form is this affection for him attached to his looks...I mean have you seen the guy with his helmet off?....if not just imagine a cross between Predator and one of the Na'vi from Avatar....but in all my days of football watching, never have I watched someone more dangerous than this guy, maybe with the exception of Barry Sanders.  I mean he literally is a legitimate threat to take it to the house every time he touches it.....The Titans would be in the playoffs this year if they had just handed him the ball every down during their first six ballgames.  Anyone who's ever watched a Titans game with me undoubtedly goes to sleep with my voice screaming "Give the ball to CJ", or "Go CJ Go" or "CJ, I love you" stuck on repeat in their brains!

If they set this race up and CJ manages to win, I will more than likely have to leave my job, home, and family and make my life mission to follow him wherever he goes....

Just giving you guys a heads up.

Thoughts on America

So tonight at Music Florida, we had a choir (which I will leave nameless to protect the innocent)  from the Florida area come in and do a "World Premiere" of a new patriotic musical that was just recently released.  First off, for those of you who have never been to a "World Premiere" of a church choir musical, let me tell you that you have not lived a full life...it's just like going to a Hollywood movie premiere or a huge rock concert except that no one there is famous and everybody is wearing church polo shirts (except yours truly, thank the Good Lord).  Anyway the choir sounded great but I couldn't get over what they were wearing....

The men were dressed in dark slacks and blue polo shirts....not too shabby men!.....

But the ladies....THE LADIES....were all wearing these long-sleeve button down shirts that were one of three colors.  Your choices were Electric Blue.........Hot Pink, and I'm talking about the hot pink color that 4th and 5th grade girls wear (and Miley Cyrus)....or this awful Lime-ish, Puke-ish green color.

Now if this had been a kids choir, where the kids had no choice in what they were wearing, I could roll with this.  If the parents of these grown men and women had forced their adult offspring to perform in these fashion choices in fear of being grounded or having their curfew moved up then I could tolerate it.  But that wasn't what was happening here.  I have to assume that some adult, being of sound mind....probably one of the choir members with good "fashion sense" picked these outfits out.  I'm sorry but no one over the age of 15 should EVER wear these colors ( a big "Sorry" to anyone who is offended by this thought, but it's for your own good!) unless you plan on staying on your couch with absolute no chance of anyone witnessing that you own them or have ever had them on!  Therefore anyone wishing to have a say in choir costuming at FBCG will have to pass a strict color coordination exam and understand that any missteps could result in excommunication!

Now back to the point....the musical they did was awesome.  It stirred those good, goose-bumps on your arms, just want to hug a Veteran, patriotic feelings that just kinda lie around in our guts until we hear a really good version of the National Anthem at a ball game, or we catch Tom Hanks saving Private Ryan again on TNN, or until the month of July hits and we have a legitimate reason to try to set the sky on fire with all those "perfectly safe" fireworks and sparklers!

I had one of those moments while sitting in the Nashville airport waiting to board the plane to  Charlotte on Sunday night.  As I was rocking to some Crowder with my huge noise-cancelling head phones on, I noticed several young soldiers hanging out as well, dressed in their camo fatigues.  Of course I assumed these young (and I mean young, they looked fresh out of high school) men and women were returning from a Christmas leave.  I had no clue of their final destinations, but there was an immediate respect for them that rose up in my mind.  Also at the gate was a large family just hanging out and tossing a football around.  Of course, I naturally thought they were just a regular family that was returning home from visiting in Nashville for one reason or another.  I was wrong.  As it came time to board the plane, the gate became a very emotional place....It wasn't one large family, but rather two families....and they weren't returning home from a pleasure trip to Nashville....but instead these two families were there to send their two sons.....best friends it appeared....off to boot camp.

I cannot tell you how difficult it was to witness these mothers and fathers saying goodbye to these two brave young men.  The parents were giving it their best shot....they were fighting tears back with all their might in hopes of trying to be strong in front of their sons...but it didn't last long.  I found myself fighting back my own emotions and my heart immediately went out to these families.  The two young men hugged their moms and dads, smiles on their faces, telling their parents that they would be fine and they would call as soon as they could....and then they grabbed their small backpacks and headed down the ramp to the plane.

I'm not one who usually pays much attention to politics and I never weigh in or share my opinions on political topics....and I don't plan on doing that now.  I'm not here to say that the war in Iraq is either right or wrong....we all have our own thoughts and arguments on that one.

But one thing I think we can all agree with, with no doubt is that no matter your thoughts or feelings on the war, the government, the president, or anything else in Washington DC,......the men and women who fight for our country are amazing people who should have every ounce of our respect and should constantly be in our prayers.

I know I haven't remembered and respected these brave men and women anywhere close to the way I should have, but I can tell you this.....Brandon Webb and Josh Hammonds....those two young guys headed to Fort Jackson for basic training who I was blessed enough to talk to for a short time on the plane will have one more extended family member back in Nashville praying for them...

I plead with you to put a stronger focus on praying for our troops....there's a very good probability that you know someone.....a friend, spouse, family member, somebody who is serving right now.  I urge you to add that person to the top of your prayer list and to lift them up daily...

And if you don't know anybody personally...I'm sure Brandon and Josh wouldn't mind having a few more prayers being lifted on their behalf

G'night world.

Music Florida - Morning 1 thoughts

So I've been on the job at FBCG for two months now and how do you celebrate your 2 month anniversary at a new church.....you go to a MUSIC CONFERENCE IN FLORIDA!  Now there are lots of reasons that you do this.

1) It's in Florida...Orlando to be exact....so there's no better place to be in the month of January when you want to escape the cold weather right?

2)  You get to miss Monday morning staff meeting

3)  You get to sing choir music with a ton of worship pastors and refresh your heart and passion for worship and get some new ideas and a new direction for your ministry!

Totally an awesome week ahead right!  Plus after watching two grown women relieve themselves in the middle of Broadway on New Year's Eve (that's right....they went No.1 in the middle of the street with hundreds of complete strangers forced to watch in total disgust!)  I felt it essential that I get away and recover from this traumatic experience.

So this brings us to Florida....First thing on tap this morning are several audio seminars on mixing, sound, lighting, etc...  I woke up this morning pumped to get the day rolling!  Headed down to the lobby of the Ramada Orlando Celebration Resort and Convention Center and grabbed my $11 french toast bites and joined a few of my fellow conference goers for a quick sit down breakfast.  That's when things went totally wrong....

As the conversation went through the regular routines (what's your name, where you from, what church you at, how long ya been there, how many on roll, what's your attendance) we finally began to actually discuss some music.  One of the older gentlemen  was named Carl and Carl has been a minister of music at the same church in Decatur, GA for 28 years....that's right 28 years.  Carl began to express how he believed that all the dying churches across the South could easily save themselves if they would just get back to their roots.....aka Southern Gospel.

Now if you know me, or even if you don't, Southern Gospel music normally makes me want to permanently deafen myself....it's just not for me, and not for a lot of people if my thinking is correct....mainly it's not for most people under the age of 35.  Now I'm not saying that there aren't some people who are younger who enjoy it.....we're just talking majority here, folks.  Just like Carl was talking majority when he suggested that the solution to dying worship ministries or even stagnant worship ministries was more Southern Gospel.....I just can't help but imagining Carl at his church in Decatur prodding his musicians for "More Southern Gospel" in a very Christopher Walken-ish way (More Cowbell!)

Well it finally came my chance to talk about my thoughts on music and I mentioned that our church does two services and that I really pull a lot of our music and my inspiration from Hillsong United.  Their response?  Total silence.  They had no clue who I was talking about.  They had no clue that a church named Hillsong Church even existed.  My stomach dropped and I hung around for another minute or two and then luckily I was saved by a text message and found my escape opportunity.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that I've got the market cornered on what ALL churches everywhere should be doing in worship.  I'm not saying that every church needs a rocking band on stage or has to be singing "Break Free" at 8:30 in the morning.

What concerns me though is that it seems so many churches and worship pastors are still living in 1986....I mean are there that many ministers who have quit believing in a fresh word from the Lord?.....can that not also apply to our worship style?  If the pastor at your church got up every morning Sunday and gave the exact same sermon week after week, would you think he was spending enough time in preparation?  Or what if your pastor led your church in a year long study of the book of Genesis, and upon completion, he dives you right back into the exact same study of Genesis over, and over, and over again....would your heart be excited and stirred week after week?  I hope the answer to both of those questions is a resounding, yell at the top of your lungs, NO!!

So why are so many churches views on new and modern worship still so skeptical?  I mean have these guys read the Psalms?  Have they ever happened over Psalm 33:3?  Is God not so powerful that he couldn't work through the Black Eyed Peas if he chose to?  (I'm sure we could find some way to change Boom Boom Pow into a evangelistic tool right?)  Our God will never change, but that doesn't mean the way that we reach folks shouldn't either.....less we forget that Jesus was a rebel when he started His public ministry...Of course I'm not talking James Dean Rebel stature here...but the way He spoke, the way He taught, the way He interacted with people, in fact even the type of people He interacted with was fresh, different, not the status quo........So why does our church music have to be status quo?  Well I can promise you one thing, we won't be rolling that way at FBCG, I'm just saying....

Anyways, that's my sermon for the week....I promise, that upcoming posts this week will be much lighter...until then....have a good one

First Post....Man this is intimidating..

Blogging.....what is this weird phenomenon that has taken over our culture?  Evidently thousands of people must think that other people are genuinely interested in THEIR thoughts and opinions, and so as not to deprive the people of what they want, these same people created "blogs".  Not real sure where the word "blog" came from, but I gotta think we could have come up with something better.  When I hear the word "blog" the first words that come to my mind are "log" or "blob"....neither of which are really exciting or attractive.  I mean what if we had named them "sharfs" and instead of "bloggers" we could have had "sharfers".

Of course, changing the name would have no effect on the purpose of a blog....it's still just people...sharing their thoughts, their agendas, their complaints, or in my case their nonsense with other folks....all in hopes that it might mean something to someone, out there (Anybody remember that song from American Tail?...a cartoon classic ballad for sure).

So here's my blog....and man what a really lame first post this is turned out to be!