First day of school (sort of)

Well, today’s the day! I’m off to school again this evening and am already a little excited about the 3 hour drive that’s ahead of me this evening. Well, I’m not excited so much about the drive, but the fact that at the end of the drive will be LCCS waiting there for me! I’m looking forward to seeing my buddies on E2 (the wing I stay on in the dorm) again. (On a side note: I also get to see my girl on Tuesday!) Likewise, I think it will be a great thing getting into class again both as an educator and as a student. That’s something that I’ve never personally encountered before. It will be a trying semester but I think I’m at, or at least entering, a stage in my life where I can handle it.

Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him”. These words here are encouraging in two ways. First off, this verse says God’s words are flawless. Every single one. Knowing that someone can be trusted because they do not lie or tell half truths will allow you to put your confidence in that person. The same principle also applies to God here. If you’ve never taken the opportunity to take God at his word to see if he’ll pull through, I encourage you to try it and see. It may not happen just the way that you had thought or planned, but the Lord will not fail to back up his promises. The second part of this verse describes God as a shield. A shield is used for protection against swords, arrows, and dragon fire in the medieval sense and laser beams and proton charges in the sci-fi genre. Any way we wish to look at it, God is a protector of his people. He will not fail here either. One thing to be wary of, however, is that a shield does no good to some one who doesn’t use it. We’ll end up crispy critters if we go up against a dragon while leaving our shields hung on the wall at home. Likewise, if we leave God out of the picture, hanging on the wall like a picture, we shouldn’t be surprised if we get attacked and “wounded” by our hostile world. The temptation will be to blame God, but this must be resisted because it was not he who chose to stay on the wall at home.

Big Deal is from 7-8:30 this week and from now on.
Look for info about the Windows of the World conference in the mail this week.

Later…

The Return of School Lunch

At the close of last school year, I posted an entry lamenting the end of the school year and missing the food that’s served there. Really and truly, I don’t miss the food all that much. However, I did miss the opportunities to sit down with friends at North Clay, Northview, and Lincoln and chat about life over lunch. But the day has come when I get to return to lunches of saturated fats and salty, gooey substances and head back to school. NHS started in the middle of the week which gave a good 3 days for everyone to settle in. the interesting thing for me will now be relearning where all my buddies sit and eat and when they do it. LCC will be a lot simpler. Lot's less people to keep track of, for one thing! I’m excited about getting back into class, but I’ve definitely missed the fellowship with my friends at the school. With this school year also comes a new experience for me in that I’ll be helping out in a youth ministry foundations class as a field consultant or Q&A guy of sorts. I’m looking forward to that as well. I’m sure to benefit from being there as well as helping the students figure out that youth ministry is a wild animal that is not easily trained. All these things are leading me to have a positive outlook on the fall.

Proverbs 23:4-5 says, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle”. These verses go along really well with what we’ve been talking about on Sunday evenings lately. Matthew 6:19-34 is part of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus is telling his disciples not to spend their lives trying to attain the things of the world, whatever they might be. Money, recognition, power, clothes, food, etc., are all things that fall into what Jesus speaks of. Restraint is a mark of wisdom Proverbs says. When we restrain ourselves from pursuing the pleasures and things of this life, we show that we aren’t controlled by it. That restraint coupled with the God-focused life that’s described and encouraged by Jesus in Matthew, that produces a life that is pleasing to God and guarantees our position as a child of God. If you’ve ever seen The Karate Kid, remember the scenes where Mr. Miyagi is kneeling at his table with a pair of chopsticks trying to catch a fly. That’s kind of the idea here. We spend a lot of time trying to catch something that is very illusive and sometimes, someone else comes along and gets what we’re after (Daniel caught a fly in one of his first tries) which only frustrates us more. Instead of chasing the illusive, “...seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”, (Matthew 6:33).

Wednesday: Big Deal @ the church 7-8 pm
Saturday: People of Prayer 6-7 pm
Sunday: Youth Sunday…shoot me an email, call me, or post a comment to get involved.

Later…

Rain, rain...

It’s nice to see rain again. For the last couple weeks, we’ve enjoyed seemingly flawless weather, except for the fact that we’ve not gotten much, if any, moisture. My yard is proof positive of that. There are large patches that that remind me of desert colors as opposed to a nice, rich green that grass is supposed to have. The trees even seem like they needed it. I’m looking out my office window at a house across the road and in their yard, there is a tree with one branch that seems to think it’s October instead of mid August. It’s just been dry but I haven’t noticed it because the blue skies and cool temps have shielded me against the fact that it needs to be cloudy and wet every once in a while in order to give more color to those blue, cool days. So, I’m glad it’s raining today. It won’t be long until we won’t have green grass to cut and enjoy, so it’s good that our yards are getting a shot in the arm here late in the summer. Enjoy it while you can.

Proverbs 20:3 says, “It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel”. Let me also quote the NLT, which says, “Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling”. If you know me and much about my past, you know that growing up I was a “good kid”. That basically meant that I didn’t get into fights at school, got average grades, and my parents didn’t have to beat me in public. I never really understood the idea behind getting into a fight. I just couldn’t get how two guys going to the IGA parking lot or someone’s back yard and hitting one another could settle a difference of opinion or prove that one guy deserved the privilege of going out with whatever girl over the other. Two movies come to mind as I write this. The first is a movie about a group of overworked and depressed guys, would get together once a week and fight. There were rules to be followed, but basically the two guys in the middle would wail on each other until the stress of the day wore off or they forgot what had gotten them fired up and one would tap out. The other is Maverick, in which card shark and gun-slinger Brett Maverick (Mel Gibson), who had a knack for misquoting his sagely father said about getting into a gun fight, “He who runs away today can run away another day”. I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that. Sure, the guys who got all bloodied up can forget about their problems for a while, but the problems are still there. It may seem cowardly to avoid a fight, but the essence of the Scripture here is not creating a problem in the first place. That’s the issue. You aren’t a chicken if you try and live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18). God says that’s a mark of honor. Fools think with their fists (or maybe a war of words)! Keep your blood where it should be (on the inside) and honor God by living at peace.

Hey, Youth Sunday is next week, Aug 29. Sign up for your place of service on my list on Sunday.
Make a spot on your calendars for Windows of the World & the National Missionary Convention, Oct 1-3.

Later…

Thunderstorms and comebacks

We got our little swimming party in last night. We swam for almost an hour and by the time the thunderstorm moved in, we were all pretty hungry anyways. I personally had a great time. It was fun splashing around, racing back and forth, and throwing TB about 10 feet in the air! Not all got wet. Some entertained themselves by playing cards or toying with the cat. We had 15 there, if my count is correct, which is a pretty good number to start a year off with. I enjoyed hearing about everyone’s first day of school. It’s interesting to me to hear the differences in response between the sixth graders and the Seniors. This year is off to a good start.

While some entertained themselves playing cards, Risk, playing with Tracy’s cell phone rings, and soccer (Autumn, I know you can’t do that on a regular basis!), quite a few of us were gathered around the TV watching the Olympics. It’s funny that everyone is an expert on everything when it comes Olympic time every four years! I know, I’m guilty of it myself so I can’t point fingers. I just lump myself in there with the rest of the world and laugh at the whole lot of us. Anyways, Paul Hamm seemed to be the focus of everyone’s attention last evening. It seemed for a while that he was going to challenge for the win all the way through the end, then it happened. He was on the vault making his run and everything went great until the landing, which, if you saw it, had to have been embarrassing. He ended up stumbling backwards and in trying to catch himself, fell into the judges table! Well, he all but looked like he was going to hang up his hat and be done and the TV commentators had written him off as well. But there were two more rotations and everyone else had to finish. Paul killed both his last two elements and his competition made little mistakes that added up to little deductions that brought the field back together. Hamm pulled it out by 0.012 of a point! That’s insane! Only in the Olympics!

Proverbs 19:3 says, “A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD”. I went through a stage in life where every time something went wrong, I would announce, “It’s not my fault”. This stage didn’t last long because my mom got tired of it really quickly. To this day, though, I struggle placing blame, or at least reassuring myself that the problem, no matter what it is, doesn’t lie with me. If we’re all honest, this is something that affects each one of us. I’m sure you’ve heard people question and even blame God for the bad things that happen to them in life. “If God were a loving God, then [insert bad event] wouldn’t have happened”! Lot’s of variations of this conversation have occurred, but not very often to you hear people say, “You know, if I hadn’t done/said [insert stupid deed/statement] this probably wouldn’t have happened”. We’re always so quick to place blame that we can see that many times we’re products of our own devices. We get what we pay for, we reap what we sow. There’s no quick fix to this problem however. We must be humble in our lives to know when we’re wrong and when we need to fess up to what we screwed up. Even though it’s hard, God promises to exalt the humble and give that person grace. It’s that grace that allows us to get through life without having to prove ourselves at every turn. We can rest in it. Remember: when you point fingers, there’s three pointing back at you.

Later…

New year and new air

It's here at last! Today was Clay Co. first day of school. I've not talked with any of my youth yet but I'm sure that the day was full of hopes and aspirations as well as a few disappointments. If it wasn't, they probably didn't go to school. I can just imagine that a few would have liked to sleep in and probably would have if given the chance. The different years of school have personalities all of their own, especially on the first day. Sixth graders and freshmen all have the same basic look to them: an open-mouthed, wide-eyed look of wonder and amazement at how much bigger this place is than "my old school". Fear is definitely present and is sometimes covered by the guise of toughness or flirtiness (for guys and girls, respectively). Sophomores and seventh graders all have the (misguided) assumption that they know it all, having been there for one year already. They are quick to speak and give advice to those new up-and-comers, but usually have a knack for getting in to trouble and sticking their feet in their mouths. Juniors and seventh graders share a bit in common in that they know they are no longer the lowest on the totem pole but they aren't to royalty status yet. The junior year has a tendency to be the hardest for most, for some reason. Finally, Seniors and eighth graders have made it to their respective tops. They have paid the dues, done the homework, endured the lectures to finally take their positions as the ones to be hailed and looked up to. If you're a student and find yourself discribed here, whether you like it or not, make the most of your stage in life and don't wish it away.

My day has gone well. I now have an air-conditioner that works! I think it's a good thing, too, since it's warmed up in the last week. And it looks like we'll have a great evening ahead of us for the Big Deal swimming party. Cool.

Proverbs 18:1 says, "An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgement". There are a couple other translations I want to point out as well. The New American Standard says, "He who separates himself seeks his own desire, he quarrels against all sound wisdom". And the Message says, "Loners who care only for themselves spit on the common good". As I started thinking about this, I got visions of monks and hermits sitting on deserted islands (well, not the monks). As I continued, I remembered kids who would sit by themselves at lunch, usually not by choice, and eat in solitude. I don't think that any of these things is what is at the Bible's heart on this subject. It seems to indicate a thought out, purposeful withdrawal from those surrounding a person. Friends, family, loved ones, etc. are all put on the back burner of this persons mind in order to pursue personal gain. The Bible says that this flies in the face of all that is right and sound. It isn't logical, ethical, moral, or even nice. I think that's why we're made to be people in community. We need one another. We can't go it alone. The body of Christ is emphasized in the New Testament for a reason. So, when you see someone you know that might need a friend or a kind word, be there or say it. If you find yourself faced with a person asking if you're ok or need a hand, have the presence of mind to know that you just might need it.

See you tonight at the Wilkinson's for the Big Deal swimming party. 6:00-8:00 pm. Jr high bring drinks, Sr High bring snacks.
Youth Sunday is Aug. 29. If you want to be involved, let me know.
NMC Windows of the World is Oct. 1-3. There will be a sign up sheet posted soon.

Later...

New faces

It’s always encouraging to me to see new faces at church and in the youth group. At very least, it shows that we/I are doing something interesting. There were several in church on Sunday morning and I know there was one in the pm. (She’s a really good frizbee player, too!) Kudos to those of you who brought friends to church on Sunday. I hope that I, as well as the group, made a good first impression. You only get one chance to make a first impression, you know?

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed”. Sounds pretty good, eh? I think this is one of those simple truths in God’s word that is really easy to get our minds around, but we get caught up in other things that keep us from actually taking hold of it. There’s a Saturn commercial out now featuring a fellow, obviously, trying to buy a car. The salesman finishes his pitch and the young man asks about “the catch”, to which the salesman replies, “There is no catch”. The young man persists to find out about the hidden cost or expectation in the man’s offer, but he continues to hold to the fact that the offer is as stands. It’s really quite amusing. Anyhoo, I think the same thing is true of our Lord. He offers us a promise that is there for us to take…no strings attached. The verse says our “plans will succeed” if we only commit to the Lord what we do. The Hebrew word used here is better translated as established. Our plans will be established if what we do is for God. Either way you look at it, when we work for the Lord, the things we hope for will be set up and built up before us. No strings attached. Sure, the guy will have to pay for the car. And sure, we will first have to commit ourselves to God’s work. But the trade off seems to be in our favor, because if we are committed to the Lord and working for him, our plans will be his plans, and he will more than gladly give us the desires of our hearts, because they are the things of his heart as well.

Too bad, so sad: There will be no Adventure Trip this weekend. Maybe later in the fall.
Wednesday Aug 18: First day of school, first Big Deal of the year. Swimming party at Wilkinson’s (7224 N Haywood Farms Rd). Sr. High bring snacks & Jr. High bring drinks. See you there.
Oct. 1-3: National Missionary Convention Windows of the World Teen Convention Peoria, IL.

Later…

In review...

Well, my last post was about how we would be leaving for Cedar Point. So, I suppose you want an update on the trip. We had a good time. 15 of us went and enjoy each other’s company and some really great weather on the trip. There was about 5 minutes of the trip that was rainy, but the rest of it was dry and clear. We got a late start (big surprise) and had to set up in the dark. Our food gurus had us fed pretty shortly after everything was set up. Relative to the time we got there, we went to bed pretty early. The next morning, we got packed and on the road in what I thought was really good time. It didn’t take us very long to get into the park once we got there, then we dispersed to find whatever fun we could cram into the day. All in all, we had a good end-of-summer trip. Now we look forward to the new school year and all that has to offer. Big Deal will start when school does and there will be other events and such to liven up the calendar along the way. Get ready….you don’t have a choice!

Proverbs 9 (read this on your own) is a comparison of the houses of Wisdom and Folly. Both have prepared their houses to invite people in. Both offer an invitation to all and both have plenty for everyone. However, their motivations are diametrically opposed. Let me give you a few opposing elements of the houses: growth vs. immaturity, love vs. hate, selflessness vs. selfishness, good teaching vs. bad teaching, life vs. death, benefits vs. suffering, truth vs. lies. In reading these comparisons, it seems that the decision would be a no-brainer. However, there are people living very comfortably in the house of the Foolish and are quite content with dying. God’s Wisdom is sustaining and it guides us to life. The woman Wisdom seems very intense and concerned, and she should be! She knows what God has to offer and she knows the alternative! If the way of Foolishness and the way of Wisdom are so easy to distinguish, why then do we always look longingly at the house of the Foolish? Sin tempts us in this way to make what it is look so enticing and inviting. But we know from reading this that what lies inside is death. Choose life! Choose Wisdom! Live right and live strong.

Sign up for the Adventure Trip (Aug. 21-22) on the bulletin board.
First Big Deal of the year is Aug 18 at Jerry and Sherry Wilkinson’s pool. 6-8 pm. Bring bathing suits/trunks and towels. Jr. High bring drinks, Highschool bring snacks.

Later

The wheels on the bus

Today is the day! Praise the Lord, it’s finally here. All the planning and calling and rearranging and more calling comes down to today. Our Cedar Point trip leaves this afternoon! I’m excited about it for a couple different reasons. First off, because Cedar Point is probably the best ride park in the world. 16 coasters, folks! That’s a lot of stomach-swallowing action! Secondly, I’m excited, in a nervous sort of way, because all the work is done. As I write this, 99% of everything that needs to get done before we leave is completed. It’s a little scary for me. I’m usually running around minutes before we leave looking for van keys, a screw driver, Kleenex, or extra storage space. This time, it’s all done before hand. I’m growing up and learning about planning ahead. I vaguely remember my mom saying something about that concept as I was growing up, but I was too concerned about learning the finer points of procrastination. As lovely of a thing as that is, it’s scientifically proven to take years off your life. (Well, I really can’t prove that, but it sure feels like it.) We load up and head out on our little excursion at 1:00 this afternoon. Pray for us as we go. We'll gloat…er…tell you all how it went when we get home.

Proverbs 4:4-6 says, “he [my father] taught me and said, ‘Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her and she will watch over you’”. A father’s job is to teach his children in the way they should go. Again, the book of Proverbs is written from the perspective of a father teaching his son how to live a good life. We ought to heed these wise words as if they were being spoken directly to us. The good words spoken to us by our Father in heaven are meant to bring us life. He encourages us to pursue wisdom in a serious way. It’s interesting to me to see how many people get into car accidents because they were swerving to miss some small woodland creature. Squirrel, rabbit, dog (not exactly woodland, but I digress) whatever, it’s a better alternative than Mack, Freightliner, Kenworth…you get the idea. We aren’t to swerve from the good teaching we receive, no matter how much better we think we understand. But as youth, we tend to do just that. As mom was teaching me to plan ahead and get stuff done while I had the time, I thought there were better alternatives. To this day, I can’t tell you a tenth of what I did fooling around while I should have been doing homework. But I can tell you what I got on my report cards and homework grades (thanks to mom!). Learn to be wise now and save yourselves the trouble of having to do it later. That’s the stuff that matters.

We’re leaving at 1 for CP.
I’ll have the sign up sheet for the Adventure Trip posted on Sunday.

Later.

Writer's block

I remember an old Golden Girls episode where Blanche was trying to be a romance novelist. (Just for the record, just because I used to watch Golden Girls doesn’t make me old. Good grief, it was a show in the 80’s, so I would have been like 8 when it first aired!) At one point in the show, she complained to the other girls that she had writer’s block. This condition is the bane of all writers. It’s characterized by the inability of the writer to come up with anything beyond what they’ve already got. The ideas just stop flowing. Well, all that to say that I have writer’s block. Well, I did until I remembered that old TV show. Thanks Blanche!

I rode with the Fast Group to Nevins, IL last night. This route is the hilly version of the Thursday ride. A fellow named Bill showed up for the first time (at least as far as I had seen of him) in a while and rode with us. This man is an absolute beast on a bicycle! He rode so hard in the first half of the trip out, he dropped me and another girl who are both usually able to keep up at fast paces. Poor Peanut had two flats and a dropped water bottle that held him up. I had a day like that last week. Anyways, on the way back, I felt good on the hills and rode off the front on my own for a bit, but got reeled back in 2 hills from the finish. The cool thing about the whole ride was that a friend of mine asked me about coming to church! It was great! I just pray that we’ll have more opportunities to talk and keep that line of communication open.

Proverbs 3:3-5 says, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man”. Love and faithfulness are key components in the Christian life. If you’ve been to Youth Group at all this year, you know that our theme teaching has been Love God, Love People, as Jesus said these two are the greatest commandments. Faithfulness moves in two ways. First is our faithfulness to God and his word. Secondly, out of the first comes people knowledge of our faithfulness and their perception of us will be one of a person who can be trusted. I think that’s what this verse is getting at. If these two things are with us all the time, like a necklace or garment (bind them around your neck) and the written law of conduct for our lives (…the tablet of your heart…) we’ll be seen for what we truly are by God and by the people around us. Try and guard against writer’s block when you do this, though. Writing God’s word on ours hearts is not as difficult as it might seem.

*Pray for those of us who will be driving to Cedar Point tomorrow. We leave at 1pm.
*Clear your calendars for the Adventure Trip to Adventure Christian Church on Aug. 21-22. There will be a sign up sheet on the Youth Board on Sunday.
*Big Deal starts up again on Aug. 18! Get ready for a brand new year!

Later.