Game On- Building the Foundation

Your name has been called, you are running to the field and it is your turn to show what you are made of. It is your turn to prove that you are a good baseball player. Your team is down by 1, bases are loaded, 2 outs. It is all up to you. Your coach has called you off the bench and here is your game on moment. Throughout life we experiences these moments where there is no more preparation, no more studying, no more practice, no more trials. It is now time to perform. Game On. Our skills and abilities are challenged. When we are under pressure, our faith is tested too. When it comes to our confidence in God and who He says He is, life circumstances create “game on” moments. Daniel is a guy from the Old Testament who faced some very difficult circumstances in life. In the midst of those circumstances his faith didn’t just survive, it flourished. One of the reasons his faith flourished is because at the foundation of his faith, he knew the Word of God. Not just knew where he could go and look up what it says in Exodus about the Passover or Deuteronomy to reread the 10 commandments or Leviticus to read the different laws and what to do if you get mold in your tent. He knew it to the degree that when he was placed in King Nebuchadnezzar’s elite training program that the food given to this group of men would have gone against what God had commanded the Israelites.  Daniel’s faith in God and knowing following God’s laws on what foods to eat was more important to him than finding favor with king Nebuchadnezzar and his officials. So here is Daniel in a Game On moment. So when we are in Game on moments, do you know what God’s Word says so you can stand strong on the foundation of your faith?  It is important to read the Bible and it can seem like a daunting task. The words can be big, names unpronounceable, language confusing. But we shouldn’t let those things stop us from diving into God’s Word. Here are 3 steps to help us in our personal devotion time.

Step 1: Get a Bible. Seems simple enough, but if you do not have your own Bible, let me know and I would be happy to help you acquire your own.

Step 2: Pick a Place. Pick a physical place to read, your bedroom, your basement, outside. Somewhere you can go and not be distracted by tv, radio, cell phones, facebook, instagram, little siblings. Also pick a place to read in the Bible. If you aren’t sure where to start, try Psalms, or John.

Step 3: Ask Questions. As you are reading the passage ask yourself what does this passage say and try to put it in your own words. If you are just reading a verse try putting that verse in your own words. If you are reading a whole chapter try summarizing the chapter. Then once you know what it says, ask yourself what does this passage say to me? How can you apply what you just heard. If a passage doesn’t make sense, write it down and ask someone you trust (pastor, youth group leader, parent, grandparent, or maybe older sibling) to explain it to you.

Challenge for you and your family this week: Start in Psalms and read together using the questions in step 3. You can do it on your own and then ask your parent or ask your child what they have learned each day over dinner. Continue the conversation!

Cardboard and Duct Tape

What can you do with a whole lot of cardboard and duct tape? Well, quite a bit, but March 6 the junior high students tried to make a chair using only those two supplies. Some succeeded, while others did not. It is a task that takes some team work, again some succeeded at team work while others lucked out that their chair worked without really working together to build it. The requirements of the chair: had to resemble a chair, at least 4 legs, a back rest, the seat at least 18 inches from the ground. It had to hold a person for at least 5 seconds.

After everyone was done building their chairs and clearing up their area we talked a little bit about what worked well and what didn’t work out. Unfortunately there were few kind comments about their teams and we ended the night taking time to encourage and affirm each other. Everyone wrote their name on a sheet of paper that was passed around the group and their peers were given a time to write down one thing they appreciate about the person or something they did well during the Cardboard Chair challenge. We sent them away with these words from Paul that he wrote in his letter to the Thessalonians “And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love! Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8-15 The Message) It is easy for us to talk down about someone or to tear people apart about little things they may do. But that is not how God intended for us to live with each other. This is our responsibility to each other, to those in our group, to those we encounter daily. If we follow these words that God spoke through Paul, if we are patient, gentle, looking for the best in each other, the world would see something different about us. They would see Christ inside us and his love shining through our words and actions. Go and do.



 

Distorted

Many of us have a distorted Godview because we think God’s primary goal is either for us to be good or for us to be happy. While there may be some truth in those statements, if we see those as His primary goals, then we walk through life with remarkable–and self-made–expectations. When those expectations aren’t met, our faith is shattered and destroyed. Jesus tells John’s disciples to go tell John while he is in prison “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Matthew 11:6) Essentially, He’s communicating that even if the “good” and “happy” things don’t happen, the person who follows Him no matter what life brings is blessed. Jesus asks us to walk this difficult path that He has already taken. He lived it out too. He lived His life not in pursuit of happiness, but in obedience to God- the same God who allowed Him to endure suffering and a painful death.

Like John, we eventually discover life isn’t nice and clean. It’s messy. We quickly realize that God isn’t a formula or set of principles for better living. He hasn’t come to fix our lives and our problems. Faith isn’t about trusting Jesus to make you happy. It isn’t about following Jesus in order to become the best, moral version of you either. We may come to Jesus because we are miserable or because we aren’t good and we are looking for something different- but if that is all we came to Jesus for, we will surely be disappointed. Instead we have to learn to follow a God who is bigger than our expectations. We have to come to the foot of the cross, to the person of Jesus, and surrender the things we have clung to for happiness in the past that haven’t been Him…it’s kind of like when you were younger (maybe some of you haven’t yet) you had to let go of your blankie. The blanket that you carried with you everywhere, it made you a superhero, protected you from darkness. You had to let go… maybe you stopped using it on your own or your mom or dad took it from you and threw it away. But you learn that you don’t really need it anymore. The dark isn’t so scary; there are no superhero powers in that blanket. You have to surrender to Christ your happiness…you have to surrender your control. When we start to surrender our need for control over people, places, and things- Jesus enters to teach us how to surrender that which wouldn’t satisfy us anyway. God doesn’t promise us we are going to be happy. God does promise He is going to be God. That is what has to become sufficient for us. It’s in the moments when things seem to be out of control and nothing is going according to our plans and expectations that we most need an accurate view of God. That’s when we most need God to be God. You will find that God does care if you are happy and when you surrender to Him and trust Him with what he has handed you- you will find a happiness that nothing in this world can compare to, a fulfilling eternal happiness.

GodView

What comes to mind when you think about God? Who do you believe God is? How do you believe God interacts with you personally and with your world? These are some of the questions the junior high is going to be addressing over the next couple meetings. You see, every one of us has a Godview whether we think about it or not. For many of us, it’s just a vague impression formed when we were younger. For some, it’s an image of Someone against whom we have a strong resistance. For others, God is personal and mysterious, offering an adventure to anyone ready to pursue a relationship with Him. While we can never really know everything about God – because He’s that big and that mysterious- the things we can learn about Him shape the way we respond to whatever life brings. That’s why author A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

No matter who we are, we all have a Godview. And the way we think about God affects how we interact with our world. Many people struggle because they have a negative or distorted view of God. Peter struggled at times because his view was distorted. He rebukes Jesus because he doesn’t believe that God would be tortured and die (Matthew 16). Later Peter steps up and comes to Jesus’ defense. In the moments as Jesus was being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, Peter draws his sword and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. Peter thought he was doing the right thing, defending Jesus, fighting for him. As the night goes on we see Peter deny three times being one of the disciples. Here is a guy who just a few hours earlier was cutting off a guy’s ear to fight on Jesus’ behalf. Here is a guy who stood up when everyone else was silent and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” On some level Peter had always been one of Jesus’ closest followers, but here he is pretending he doesn’t even know Jesus. Was Peter right? Did he know Jesus, really? Can you know someone but not really know that person? That’s where Peter was. He knew Jesus, but there was so much about Jesus Peter thought he knew and really didn’t. The Jesus who was now arrested wasn’t the Jesus he thought he knew. He never expected Jesus to submit to beatings. He never expected Jesus to allow Himself to be so degraded. He never expected to watch Jesus die on a cross!

Do you really know God? Are you still relating to Jesus in the same way that you did when you were four. When you hold up your picture of God, has it changed at all? Every year you grow you, every year you learn more about God you will find your picture of God getting bigger.

Escape

Junior High Winter Retreat

January 7-9, 2010, 17 junior high students from First Church and New Life escaped to Timber-Lee Camp for a winter retreat. We played broomball, held snakes, tubed down a hill covered in snow, and went tobogganing.  The weather was cold, the wind strong but that did not keep many people from enjoying the winter sports. To take shelter from the wind and cold we played some Suckers…spoons with tootsie pop suckers cause we didn’t have spoons. A couple rounds of catch phrase during dinner, and cards later in the evening. While the fellowship was great among the students and leaders, lots of laughs and inside jokes, the main session and breakaway times allowed for opportunities to question and discover more about who God is, why He sent His son to earth so many years ago. The theme verse was Isaiah 61:1b “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” We spent some time talking about heaven and what Jesus is saving us from Friday night. Saturday morning Dave, our speaker encouraged us to have some JAM time (Jesus and Me time). He shared with us what it means to have JAM time, which it can be a time of reading the Bible, a time of talking to God, and sharing with him all that is going on in your life, to talk to him like you do your best friend. Saturday evening, Dave continued talking about escaping and more specifically escaping the things around us that are keeping us from God. Sunday morning Dave closed by talking about what our groups would look like if we were living to “bring Heaven to earth”, what a difference our groups can make if we love one another, even those who are hard to love at times. 

Are you still taking time to escape into the Word of God? To escape into God’s presence? Remember not only the fun times you had on the ice or tubing hill, or the laughs over silly things that in another setting would not be funny or make sense. But remember what God was saying to you over the weekend through your friends, through the speaker, through the leaders. Remember what you learned about God and how Jesus came to save you.

This Little Light of Mine

This little light of mine, are you letting it shine? Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Jesus taught that Christians are like lights set on a hill and that the light would be no good if it were hidden. Even a small light in darkness will make a difference. There is no Christian who is less important or has less to do. All light, no matter the size, will shatter the darkness. If we hide our light, however, it will have no effect on the dark world. The light spreads, as we encounter others in the world the light can spread. What is a way you can be a light in the darkness this week?

Sunday night the junior high students split up and helped deliver some of the Thanksgiving food baskets, an example of them shining their light in a small little way.

What’s Your Faith Story?

We all have a story, a faith story and we all have a choice whether or not to share that story with those around us. Paul courageously told his faith story of what Jesus meant to him and had done for him. No matter where he was or whom he was with, it seemed that Paul was always ready to talk about Jesus with people. Acts 21:37-22:21 is one of those times as he was being taken away to jail. God has chosen us to tell others who he is, and what he has done for us. It is not a game- life is not a game- one’s broken relationship with God because of sin is serious. Our friends, neighbors and relatives need the gospel. Without Christ they have no hope. Like Paul, we have many opportunities to tell others our faith story or testimony. Some who listen to us will put their faith in Christ, others will think about it and perhaps accept Christ and his message later, and still others will reject him. But that is all by the power of the Holy Spirit- not by what we do by our power, but the same Holy Spirit that works inside non-believers to accept Christ, works in us to share Christ with others. He will give you the words to say but you have to be willing to speak! What will you do with your opportunities? Will you hide your faith, worried what others may think of you? Or will you boldly and strategically tell others your story? To help you tell your story, finish the following sentences:

                I believe that Jesus Christ —

                I believe that a true Christian is a person who —

                I first became aware of Jesus Christ when —

                I know that I am a Christian because —

                The best thing about being a Christian is —

Do you see Him?

The Sunday of Jesus’ resurrection, two men were walking along the road to Emmaus. As they were discussing the events of the weekend a man joined them and began to ask what was wrong… Luke 24: 13-35 continues to tell us that the two men invited this man to join them when they arrived to their destination. As they sat together and had a meal, they finally saw that it was Jesus when he broke the bread. He had been with them all day, walking with them, talking with them, sharing a meal with them but they didn’t recognize Him. Do you recognize Jesus walking with you, talking with you, sharing a meal with you each day? Sometimes it is hard for us to see Jesus right next to us because we do not expect him to be there or we do not think he would be on the soccer field with us, or in the theater watching the movie with us. We put him in a box and think that he can only move, work, and function in that box. Think out of the box…expect to see Jesus all around you…to walk beside you…at your dinner table…in your classroom…on the basketball court…riding your bike…in the news. Invite Jesus into your life, as your personal Lord and Savior and invite him to be with you daily. Invite him to join you on your bike ride, hanging out with your friends, in the classroom, in the hallways at school. Don’t be surprised to see him all around you and don’t be surprised that God will use you to be his presence in your group of friends, at the lunch table at school, in the car with your siblings. Jesus is everywhere…open your eyes and you will see him.

Being Transformed

“They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chisled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (the Message)
Moses was allowed to enter the presence of God, a privilege not everyone was able to have in his time. There were trips to the mountain that would last 40 days and 40 nights, one of those trips he asked God to see His Glory. While Moses wasn’t allowed to see God’s face, he did see God’s back. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. He was transformed; his appearance was altered after encountering God. Paul in 2 Corinthians tells us that we have unveiled faces, shining with the brightness of God’s face. The glory is ever increasing. We never leave the presence of God. We never come down the mountain because God’s presence is in us. His Spirit lives within us. Because God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. Jesus’ death and resurrection paid the price fulfilling all the offerings and laws God told Moses. Through Jesus we have been set free from the law of sin and death. We are free- not to sin, but to enjoy God in our lives. Because of that freedom we are being transformed. God is transforming us, not in the future or the past, but daily. When you spend time in God’s presence, you are transformed into His likeness. Every day of your life, get in God’s presence as soon as possible and stay there for as long as possible. God is seeking to transform you into His image and He wants to do so with ever increasing glory. He wants to be able to see the radiance of His glory; He wants you to radiate His glory to the world around you. Are you in God’s presence daily? What can you do to be in His presence at each moment?