Raising Dorks

Raising Dorks

Here is a brief little article about raising dorks that I think speaks to teens trying to walk the tight rope between social acceptance and reckless abandonment to the Lord. Enjoy.

Starbucks Studying

I came to Starbucks as I usually do on Thursdays to study and dig a bit deeper. Last night at Reality Jr. High I talked about the importance of community and consequently today while reading 'Total Church' by Chester and Timmis, this is the topic they are tackling. Granted, this is what the majority of the book centers around but I saw a quote I wanted to share.

"this cross-love is the primary, dynamic test of whether or not we have understood the gospel word and experienced it's power. Not our doctrinal orthodoxy, as important as that is. Not our ingenious strategizing, as fascinating as that is. Not our commitment to preaching, as vital as that is. Not our innovative approach to planting, as radical as it may be. It is our cross-love for each other that proclaims the truth of the gospel to a watching and skeptical world. Our love for one another, to the extent that it imitates and conforms to the cross-love of Jesus for us, is evangelistic."

I thought this was powerful and convicting especially for those of us in leadership positions in the church. What are we more concerned with, what we are preaching on Sumday or who we are preaching to???


Happy Youthing

Thoughts from Dallas Willard

Abandonment in Christ equals Joy and Peace. It doesn't seem to go hand in hand that abandonment, something that sounds a lot of times painful and a lot like giving up, would go hand in hand with joy and peace, but that is exactly what Dallas WIllard is talking about in his book Renovation of the Heart.

The question remains, what exactly does that mean, and beyond that, why does joy flow from abandonment?

According to Willard, "Peace is the assurance that things will turn out well. We no longer strive inwardly or outwardly, to create some outcome. To be a peace with God and others is a great attainment and depends on graces far beyond ourselves and our own efforts."

So when we are at peace that means that the grace of others and of God are overflowing, we are receiving them and that is awesome, but what if someone decideds not to extend you grace? What if someone condemns you over something you did to them or refuses to forgive you even though you have done all you can to deal with the repercussions of your sin?

Then we need to think about who it is that is condemning us (reminding ourselves that it is not God) and "draw on the abundance of it (grace) from God." If we remind ourselves that ultimate grace comes from God then we are assured that we can pursue peace with all people, even those who condemn you. And once we get to this point we are okay abandoning our lives to Christ, to get full peace and joy in Him, because He knows what gives us life and life to the fullest, He knows the desires of hearts and he knows the plans He has for us, all of which to prosper us and not harm us.

So when we are secure in the grace that God gives us then we can begin to live in joy and peace, fully.

September 1 Lift Letter

Alright, alright, putting aside the fact that the Giants swept the Rockies (there goes my job security, sorry boss) we are still doing ministry around here. Now in the past I have told you about how we are in an exciting time in ministry and probably used really cool lingo like; “we are rolling” and “this is peachy keen,” and what not, but let me tell you, we are rollin’ in this peachy keen time of ministry! Now as September is officially here and the cool 99 degree breeze is upon our cheeks, let us think about change and reflect upon the newness of this season of life, back to schedules and waking up early, packing lunches and attending sports games.

That’s how life is around Selma FBC as well, we are back to our weekly routine, and beyond that we are into our competition series for both the Jr. High and High School students. This means that on Sundays and Wednesdays your student has been placed on a team and are competing for the championship of the world. Points are based on attendance, bringing new people, winning the games, and wearing their team wristbands and colors when I see them at school. Speaking of school, Tuesdays I am at Selma High, Wednesdays I am at ALMS and Thursdays I am driving out to Immanuel.

Once last little announcement, the Junior High Lock-in is this Friday and it is going to be radical(radical…really?)! It starts at 9pm and goes until 7am, dinner is provided as well as entertainment and a great night of friends and a message at midnight. The cost is 20 bucks for the whole night and when you think about it, that is less than hiring someone to babysit for a night, and we are entertaining them. So drop your student and one of their friends off at 9 and don’t be late to picking them up on Saturday, as I would like to recover a bit on Saturday. Any questions, give me a call.