Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Home Bible Studies

For those who are not signed up, we met to get the HBS groups together last night. Sing up now! It helps us make these groups. For those that are signed up, you should find out in a few days what's going on.

A little heads up, I'm moving this weekend. I have loved you all and will miss you dearly... wait, I'm moving closer tot he church, never mind. So if I don't return your email or you have some question that can wait until next week, I'll talk to you then.

Sign up for HBS!

T

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Why Always Me?

I don't know why, but for some reason people always pick me to be messed up because I'm a youth pastor. Today, no different. I'm getting the oil changed in Lorie's car. Now, before I left we packed it up with boxes and other things because we're moving at the end of the month, so we've been taking things over a little at a time. Basically, the back of Lorie's car is full of boxes, a waffle iron we got for our wedding, her scrapbooking stuff, my computer manuals, etc.

So, I'm sitting reading, the guys are working on our car and one guy starts out of nowhere:

"What do you do?"
"What?" - That'd be me
"What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a youth minister."
"Oh, that explains it."
"Explains what?"
"All the stuff in your car."

Um, what?! How does me being a youth pastor mean the waffle iron and the scrapbooking stuff is normal? "You're a youth pastor? They all have cars full of crap, so that's why you do too." I mean seriously, what?!

On that note, bedtime, first McPrayer tomorrow...

T

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Invitiation

A little refresher course from Sunday.

In a few days is the Back to School Bash. We're trying to get as many people as possible there. The problem is, even with a crazy frizbee golf course, three-on-three basketball, inflatible fun, CTF and everything else, that's not what people come for. 90% of people come to church because they are invited.

And here's the catcher. Most people are not invited to church. They are informed about church. Example. Information is "Hey, my church is having a Back To School bash with all sorts of fun. You should check it out." Invitation is "Hey my church is having a Back To School Bash. I'm going, would you like to come with me? What time do you want me to pick you up?"

Simply giving information is not an invitation. Remember, Jesus didn't simply give the disciples information about what He wanted to do, He invited them.

Matthew 4:18-19a ~ "One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me."

T

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

God's "Plan" For You

I'm sure this is something you've all heard before. It's spouted all the time. God has a plan for you. And He does, I wholeheartedly agree with that. I do have a new twist on it though...

I was reading an article about God's Plan and the author made a very, very good point that isn't stressed in enough churches. We all hear about how God has a plan for you, but whenever we talk about it, we make it sound far off, in the distance, something we need to strive for. It seems like God's plan is never reachable because it is always in the future.

Have you ever thought that you might actually be living God's plan for you?

Yes, there are plans for the future, but God also planned what's already happened, and what's happening right now. Students, maybe God has a plan that in ten years you will be some great chemical engineer, but maybe, part of that plan, is for you to be exactly where you are right now, going to high school so you can learn what you need for that job. Maybe God has plans for you to be the next Billy Graham, but a part of that plan is for you to be involved in our student ministry so you get a foundation for your faith before you go out and do that.

So for all those who have heard that God has this grandiose plan for your life but have had those days where you feel you've fallen short because you're not living it, reevaluate. Maybe you are living that plan, you're just not at the huge exciting part yet...

~Jeremiah 29:11 - I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.

T