Pause and Reflect

2011-03-02T11:18:00.001-05:00

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2010-02-17T10:19:00.003-05:00

My bathroom mirror.

It's been awhile since I've blogged. There are a few good reasons for that.

Reason #1: twitter on my phone! No need to say any more.

Reason #2: gmail distribution lists. I have been sending updates to our sponsors and prayer partners and haven't been taking the time to blog them. If you'd like to be added to the list let me know.

Reason #3: Other projects. I've been outlining a couple book ideas on other blogs, office work has been intense lately, and fundraising efforts have by necessity been renewed.

Reason #4: My bathroom mirror. No, really. My bathroom mirror has become my spiritual insights workshop and drivel drawing board. While it may be sad that my best time of focus is in the shower, it is still true. And so there's a dry-erase marker in my bathroom, and notes all over the mirror. Whether its a 3am epiphany, a bed-time nugget, or a shower sermon, my bathroom mirro is always waiting for my thoughts.

So the question, of course, on the collective mind (is that a thing?) of my readers is this: What is on that bathroom mirror now?

Well, drivel, of course. But beside the drivel is a thought. I am becoming convinced that all of our weights that the writer of Hebrews (this is one of the places he/she sounds like Paul, with all this metaphorical race speak) alludes to can be traced to a misdirection of our attention. When we focus on self rather than on God we fall into the following traps.

Depression: I'm not
Arrogance: I am
Fear: I can't do
Self-reliance: I can do
Pride: I did this thing
Guilt: I failed in such-and-such a way
Rudeness: I am important
Self-deprecation: I am less-than
Stubbornness: I won't
Excessive Liberty: I am sovereign

The list could go on and on. If you can think of a negative personality glitch, it can be traced to a misdirected focus. But when we focus on God, "I'm not" or "I am" becomes "He is". Each of the above list is kind of paired with its opposite extreme. Depression and arrogance are two sides of the same coin. Pride and guilt. Rudeness and excessive humility or self-deprecation. Each pair focuses on a different aspect of life and the success or failure of self-absorbed, self-guided results.
When we focus on God, the results are His responsibility! When we truly put things in hands our focus comes off of us and on to Him. Then truly, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (also on my mirror).

2009-09-30T09:54:00.006-04:00

One full year! I arrived on October 17th, the family followed on Thanksgiving day. Looking back it seems like longer; so much has happened in this time.

Our minister's meeting was quite an experience. Meeting the ministers, presenting a program, having been in the region less than a week. The outgoing board was indispensable as they helped me put together my presentation.

Our most memorable Thanksgiving, as we drove into town and had lunch at Old Country Buffet! It didn't seem like a sacrifice, we were entering a new season of God's call on our lives. We are so thankful for all of you who have helped us fulfill that call.

Then there was the collapse of the housing market, the freezing of the credit markets and the unexpected exodus of our renter in Kentucky. As Christmas approached we had to sign a lease with two houses to sell and no bank in the country lending money. Facing two voluntary foreclosures (we never missed a single payment on either house) God brought a miracle just in time.

Christmas banquet, Prayer Conference, Ladies Conference, Campmeeting, Youth Camp: the year has run by so fast. We've made relationships that will last forever. We know this because we still have friendships in Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia that have survived time and distance.

Coming up in October we have the freedom to do some things we've been wanting to do, since there is no minister's meeting to prepare for this year.

Amanda is hosting a girls sleepover in Waterville, ME October 9 and 10. She is expecting some 50 girls from 3 states. Her theme is Face to Face (playing off of Facebook). She's emphasizing getting face to face with God and face to face with friends. In a day where text messaging has replaced conversation, face time is so important. Real relationships provide real accountability and lead to real spiritual formation.

October 23-25 is the Not Your Ordinary Leadership Conference. Due to facility restrictions, we are limiting it to 12 high school juniors and seniors and college age adults. We are going to explore postmodernism, and post-postmodernism and how these philosophies affect ministry now and into the future. We'll be emphasizing servant leadership with ministry opportunities in the homeless shelter, Angelfood ministry, and working with the inner-city ministry: the Root Cellar. Participants will be set on a path to potentially work internships in some of our churches next summer.

We are excited about what God has done and what he is going to do in the coming year!

The Woodruffs

If you would like to sponsor the Woodruffs' work in the Mission Region of Northern New England, please e-mail us your address at nnecog.yce@gmail.com for a pledge card. All donations are made directly to the Northern New England Church of God Regional Offices and are therefore tax deductible.

2009-09-23T09:30:00.002-04:00

If you aren't following Bill Isaacs on Twitter, you should be. An insight a day. Usually more. Always "real".

2009-09-18T10:22:00.007-04:00

Monday and Tuesday the 14th and 15th of September, I had the privilege of attending the Symposium on the Great Commission in Atlanta. Many ministers across the Church of God came together to discuss and renew our focus on the mission at hand. General Overseer, Raymond Culpepper applied the question Norman Schwartzkopf repeated in strategic sessions during the first Gulf War: Why are we here?

The mission is the Great Commission.

Dr. Culpepper shared statistic after statistic outlining how the church in America - across denominational lines - is either stagnant or declining. The only category showing growth was Pentecostal/Charismatic, and even that growth was not keeping up with the growth of population.

Various models were shared from oversees. Ministers from Cambodia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Germany, and Israel each shared either in person or live via webcam. The message was strong though not stated. We are doing something wrong in America, and God is moving oversees. It was stated, however, that the mission field is at home.

The implications of this conference are multiple. There is a change in our movement regarding missions. Missions is still a priority, but it is clear that missions includes the US. In fact, the need is great here. As a minister in the "least churched" region in the US (less than 2% of the population in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont is in church on a given Sunday) I see the need to recognize the mission field in your back yard every day.

Second, there is a change in the way we are doing large meetings as a movement. There has been discussion of a "National Assembly" in the US. Did we just experience it? The General's message spoke primarily if not exclusively to the state of the church in the US. Alternately, General Assembly is changing. With teen talent removed from the equation, there is plenty of room for change in the format of General Assembly. Bill Issacs, via twitter, shared his belief that this is a model that should be considered for General Assembly.

Finally, we saw the need to come together. Change is coming and we need to be wise as serpents in considering that change. I met with a pastor in Atlanta who suggested that General Assembly should be done electronically via Skype in multiple locations worldwide. While I agree that involvement would skyrocket, I disagree that such a process would provide a net gain. What you gain is much less than what you lose: Community. Our coming together is our strength. I facebook. I tweet. Clearly, I blog (though more seldom). Our generation maintains more relationships than any before, but they tend to be more shallow than any generation before as well. Nothing takes the place of coming together face to face (this is the theme of the upcoming Girls Ministry conference my wife is facilitating). This Symposium allowed us to hear the stories of fellow laborers around the world (albeit often via webcam - yes, I see the irony) and refocus our attention on the mission: "why are we here".

In the coming days I hope to reflect on the individual messages presented at the Symposium.

2009-04-30T09:10:00.002-04:00

Now is a great time to be a Christian.

A global pandemic, which has been predicted for decades by many "out there" prophets and members of the medical community is quite possibly upon us. While swine flu is nowhere near global pandemic proportions, it at least has enough potential to spark the interest of every major media outlet. It's no longer a fringe idea when WHO (the World Health Organization) has raised its pandemic alert to phase 4 (of 5). In addition to this, though some say the economy is showing signs of recovery, third world nations will feel the effects of this bump in the road to Americans for decades even if the US economy recovers to 2007 levels tomorrow. In the midst of all this, exiled to the bottom of the screen ticker this morning is the fact that the British have officially withdrawn their troops from Iraq, the same day that conflict escalated between Turkey and Kurdish Iraq. A subconscious reminder that the US is still at war. Israel and the EU are at loggerheads. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan. Gay marriage or civil unions are recognized on some level in 12 states. Turmoil in every direction.

In the middle of all this (and more), the light of Jesus shines. We are not like those who have no hope. Better yet, in times like these we're the only ones who have hope! This is the opportunity of a lifetime for Christians to let their light shine. In a time where every institution is under attack, we can declare that Jesus transcends institution, that Christ offers hope in a hopeless time, and Jesus offers not only eternal life in heaven, but abundant life here on earth.

I'm not sure why I'm so upbeat today; I've been studying the corruption of the papacy leading up to the reformation. Yikes! I'll save my take on that and modern applications for another blog, but suffice to say, I'm more confident than ever that trust placed in Christ is trust well place.

He is able to do exceedingly abundant above all that we ask or even think. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Jesus is more than light at the end of a tunnel, he is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Tell the world that Jesus is the light that can dispel their darkness!

2009-04-28T15:24:00.000-04:00

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING SWINE FLU:

Don't do this.

2009-04-04T10:37:00.000-04:00

Jocelyn Barnett is preaching up a storm at the NNECOG Ladies Conference.

2009-03-17T14:49:00.000-04:00

I am returning from the listening tour in Connecticut. We had a fabulous time seeing the the quest for trust brought out of the ideological stage and into practicality. There was no preset agenda, simply an open mic. It was an opportunity for the ministers of the Church of God to voice concerns and ask questions of our general overseer and another member of the executive committee. Dr Culpepper was transparent and forthright with the men. He dodged no questions, even ones it was clear made him uncomfortable.
The topics raised surprised me. Many of the speakers asked about curriculum, resources and letters from HQ in either French or Spanish. One specifically asked for reciprocity in overseers (ie if there is a white overseer in a predominantly black region, there should be a black overseer in a predominantly white region) Gender equality was requested. Retirement for those not involved in a plan. Most of the concerns were regionally driven. Literally no questions were asked and no statements given by the men on the reduction of tithe-of-tithe, although it was referenced in the responses by Dr. Culpepper often. Usually as the reason their concern could not be addressed.
In the afternoon session, many of the questions were about church planting. Teen talent was mentioned and the response was the “probably” teen talent will no longer take place at the general assembly. I have vowed to write a letter to the EC to the effect that though I think removing teen talent from the general assembly may be a valuable decision and perhaps even necessary, it creates or exacerbates another problem. That being the generational disconnect. If we had a venue and opportunity to mitigate the ever widening gap it was the fact that our teens had the chance to participate in our general assembly, esp. the evening services. With this confluence lost, we need a venue to pass on the heritage of our church. Not that having the two together was enough to or even successful in passing on the heritage, but it at least gave the opportunity. Where is that opportunity now?

2009-02-16T11:40:00.000-05:00

7 converts yesterday morning in Newport, VT.

Beautiful church, beautiful drive. God is good.

2009-01-09T14:22:00.001-05:00

The wife just came into the office and fixed my pathetic attempt at print publication. She never ceases to amaze me.

2009-01-06T16:21:00.003-05:00

Finally Landed

In the last three months I've been in: Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hamphshire, Maine, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, and Vermont.

If you add in the summer, I've also been in Georgia, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, Minnesota, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

23 states and two provinces. Almost as many as Barack Obama. He was in 57 States.

And now it's beginning to calm down. We have landed in Maine after New Year's. We had a great time seeing family. My brother has joined the Navy and left for San Antonio the same day we returned to Maine.

We have been so stretched by God in this season. We never know what we're capable of until we are stretched.

I play Candy Land. I do. Don't judge me.

When my four-year-old and I play I usually let her win. I used to let her win every time until the break-down. I had just pulled ahead of her as we ran out of cards. I intentionally stacked the deck so that I would get the Candy Cane for my third card. For those of you not in the know on the Candy Land, the candy cane sends you almost back to the beginning. She was guaranteed to win, but to her eyes, it looked like she would lose.

As I got closer and closer to the end you could see the fear welling up inside her. One card away from the candy cane, she started screaming. "I don't wanna play anymore, I don't want you to win". I don't mean shouting, I don't mean yelling...I mean SCREAMING.

She would not finish the game. Just one card away from her victory she quit. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you".

Your Father has the deck stacked in your favor. Don't quit just before your faith becomes sight.

2008-12-31T17:38:00.002-05:00

A new year

For the first time in 8 years, I have no lock-in to host on New Years. So sad.

2008-12-14T20:29:00.002-05:00

Has is been two months since I blogged?

Well, so much has happened. It has been a faith journey to say the least.

God has provided three miracles in our lives and we only need two more. Please pray that we will have positive resolution of our house in Kentucky and that Amanda will find employment in Maine, or alternatively that funding will come in such that she can work beside me in the regional office.

For those who don't know we are in the middle of a move to Maine. God has shown Himself faithful throughout the journey, though I have had several "Lord I believe, help my unbelief" moments. I'll spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say that my faith has been stretched, my body has been affected by the stress, and I more than once wanted to quit at life.

There came a moment when I could take no more, that I told God, "you called us, we followed, now you have to clean up the mess in our wake". And He has. If you will step out in faith, God will take care of the wake. Not when you want it, or when you think you need it, but on time. Bishop Tim Hill preaches a sermon where one his points is that in some battles, Victory = Survival. How true. We are victorious. We are more than conquerors.

There is a passage in Isaiah 35 that says "the parched ground shall become a pool." The word for parched ground here is sharab (shaw-rawb') which means quivering glow (of the air), expec. the mirage -- heat, parched ground. Mirage! The mirage shall become a pool. That thing which you saw that others told you was not real -- that mirage -- shall become a pool. God knows your mirage, He knows what you've seen that wasn't there. He knows your hopes, dreams, the desires of your heart. To me that sounds an awful lot like the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things NOT seen.

Our visions, our dreams, our mirage, can become reality if we just have faith. The mirage shall become a pool. Reality. Faith will become sight. Don't we often give up when we realize that there is no substance to our dreams, that they were "just a mirage"? That's where faith begins. When there is no substance to our hopes, faith is the substance. When there's no evidence of victory, faith is the evidence. When faith becomes sight is when our mirage becomes a pool.

Continue to pray for the Woodruff family. Three miracles down, two to go.

2008-10-07T08:37:00.002-04:00

Virginia State ministers meeting is ongoing this Monday and Tuesday. I am unable to be there today (Tuesday), but last night I went to see and say goodbye to some friends who have become dear to us over the last four years.

In an unexpected turn of events, not only was I able to receive wisdom from our (Virgina's) State Youth Director, Pat Wright, an experienced director who has poured into my life over the past two decades, but also the Bishop was favorable to us.

During the vision casting service (which was awesome), the Bishop had me stand and recognized me "not for staying, but for going". Many of the men didn't yet know about our appointment to Northern New England, but all were enthusiastic in their applause.

I don't seek or desire applause, but the affirmation that the men of Virginia are behind us as we embark was encouraging. We even confirmed some preaching opportunities.

Continue to pray that God continues to amaze us with his Providence and Provision, with his Sovereignty and Sustaining hand.

2008-10-03T08:28:00.002-04:00

Wow, so much has happened since I last blogged.

Wednesday night I informed the group that we will be leaving Charlottesville, VA and Covenant Church. God has opened an amazing door for us to go to Maine. I have always wanted to work with youth pastors, resourcing and empowering them.

We've looked into starting a "Mission" or "Master's Commission" here in Charlottesville, but have always felt lead into state youth work. Finally God has opened a door for that to be possible. October 17th I leave for Portland, ME on an adventure. I have been confirmed as the Regional Youth Director for the Northern New England Region which encompasses Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Northern New England is a missions state, which basically means we will be missionaries and raising funds for salary.

The emotions run the gamut.

Excited to be doing what God has called us to do.
Nervous about selling our house.
Full of faith that God will provide for us financially.
Scared to be out on such a limb.
Confirmed in our vision and calling.
Sad that I will be living away from Amanda and the girls until the house sells
Sad to be leaving our great teens, church and friends.
Empowered to do the work of kingdom.

Pray for us as we embark on this adventure.

2008-07-09T18:32:00.002-04:00

I've finally found the opportunity to get to the library at the bustling metropolis of Maple Creek, SK (town of about 1000) which is only about one-half-hour from the camp ground.

http://diamondwillowretreat.ca/Diamond_Willow/Welcome.html

We are located squarely in the middle of nowhere.

The peacefulness out here is indescribable. Internet is 30 mins away, cell phones on roam, and absolute silence. Amanda and I walked to the "upper cabin" about a mile away from camp yesterday, and we could hear the kids playing volleyball over a mile away. The focus and perspective I've achieved are like nothing I've ever experienced.

This is very unlike Virginia camp. In Virginia, every moment of every day is scheduled in detail. We often ask the campers "where are you supposed to be?" But here, the schedule is more relaxed, the campers are allowed, even encouraged, to wonder off alone. I've always thought that I was an improviser, and laid back guy, but here I'm the rule-following stiff. It made me nervous at first, but hearing the words that God is speaking into these kids as they get alone with him is life changing. I've always said that students can hear from God just as well as adults, but I'm beginning to think that without their ipods, cellphones, videogames, and televisions, they might even hear Him more clearly than we do.

We spent time around the fire last night and the kids reiterated what God had been speaking to them. Amazing.

The intimacy is different as well. In Virginia we need to be more structure as there were 275 kids at camp, but here with 30 or so campers, and 10-15 staff you get to know everyone. Kids open up like I've never seen -- in front of peers even.

The first night six students raised there hands for salvation, and another 7 or 8 for rededication. Almost everyone responded to the altar call and sought healing for brokenness. The second night service was outside and the call give it all to God holding nothing back...to truly SERVE God. (No man can serve two masters). Several made new committments to sanctify their lives.

We are praying for God to continue to move Wednesday, (tonight) Thursday, and Friday nights.

Please be in prayer with us.

2008-06-23T12:26:00.003-04:00

Its amazing how much our bodies are connected. I recently awoke with a fever of 103.2 degrees which held on for two full days. I thought nothing of it because my daughters had previously had much higher temperatures. And I had no other symptoms. I didn't feel sick. Just a little weak. I was surprised at how concerned the other members of staff were about my situation. They told me that adults should not have a fever that high. They worry too much about me...it’s really sweet that they care. This was my attitude. So I went to the doctor. Again I was surprised at his concern. My doctor usually assures me everything is fine, not to worry. But this time I could see the concern in his face. He ran bloodwork...stat. Nothing.

With no answers readily available I told him about a tooth I had had trouble with six months before. My dentist had called it a "root canal gone bad". The nerve was gone so there was no pain, but the root around the post to the crown had rotted away leaving the crown loose. It eventually fell out. My dentist glued it back in but recommended that I have the whole thing extracted and an implant placed in my jawbone. With the obvious expense and likely pain, I waited.

Apparently, six months later, an infection had developed underneath. No pain still, because the nerve was gone, but below the surface all was not well. The infection grew until it spilled over into my bloodstream. This is what was causing my high fever. That same day I saw a documentary on the Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut who was killed by a similar tooth infection. Thankfully with the modern antibiotics my doctor prescribed I was right as rain in now time. The hidden swelling went down and the old crown fell out again. Now it was obviously time to take care of this tooth.

Even as I write this I'm sitting in the dentist's chair waiting for the anesthesia to kick in so the doc can rip what's left out of my mouth and put an implant into my jawbone…

He’s done, I’m numb and he says this is one of the top five worst teeth he’s ever dug out, and I do mean dug. If you want the gory details, just ask me sometime.

We can learn a lesson from my tooth. We are all a part of the body of Christ. When one of us hurts we all hurt. But our bodies hurt for a reason. Pain lets us know something is wrong. Because I had no nerve left in this tooth, I didn’t know anything was wrong. So it got worse and worse, until my dentist declared it “Tooth of the Year” – the most difficult extraction he’s seen in some time. I’m not recommending a Seinfeldian “airing of grievances” with all your friends and family, but if you are hurting, needy, offended, confused, or depressed, you have to set aside your pride and let the rest of the body know. Like my tooth, there’s often no need to go into the gory details, but some sign that there is a need is essential to finding a solution. Also, we can learn that problems under the surface can fester. If there’s a situation, it needs to be addressed or it will just get worse and cause more trouble.

1 Corinthians 12:26, 27 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

2008-05-25T09:11:00.001-04:00

Hey look for updates and pictures of the family at billandthegirls.blogspot.com!

2008-04-05T23:51:00.004-04:00

The Real Reason for Global Warming

2007-12-28T10:10:00.000-05:00

Put the X back in X-mas

I cringe when I see the abbreviation x-mas. Not because I think its sacrilegious. I cringe because I know some irate Christian is going to throw up their hands in disgust blaming the ACLU for ruining Christmas. As a matter of fact, I like X-mas. Not only because its shorter, but it also allows me to connect to the historical Christianity, allows me to break free of my Americanised, Jesus-was-born-in-a-barn, dumbing down of Christianity.

It allows me to feel connected to that day in October, two thousand and twelve years ago, when God became man, and was born as a baby in a likely stone trough in the back of the cave where they kept the animals because there was no room for him in the guest bedroom.

Everything in the above paragraph represent true facts that defuse myths about Christmas. Jesus was likely born in October. Probably in 4 B.C. A manger is simply a trough and in Isreal 4 B.C. most troughs were stone not wood. Houses were built into the mountainside like caves and had three room the living quarters, the guest room (or place where guests stayed - interpreted by King James' boys as "Inn") and an animal room in the back to heat the rest of the house.

Oh and X-mas isn't a sacrilege. X stands for Christ. More than stands for it is Christ. See, in the first few centuries AD, the church in the Roman empire was under intense persecution. They weren't allowed to meet in public. They hid in house churches and under the city always alert to the danger of persecution to the extent of martyrdom. They would communicate their meeting places through symbols. One of these is the ICTHUS. Icthus is Greek for fish and the symbol looked like just that. A fish. The letters of ICTHUS stood for the Greek words I (Jesus) X (Christ) Ө (God's) Y (Son) Σ (Our Saviour). See! The X (or Chi, pronounced Kie) stood for Christ.

But wait!! There's more!! [/used car salesman voice]. Another symbol they used to communicate was the Chi. A simple X on the wall to denote Christ is worshiped here. So I'm not a big fan of Christmas. All the shopping (yuck) and Santa's and Black Friday and commercialism and consumerism. But I love X-mas. X-mas is great, because Christ is worshiped here.

2007-10-15T15:07:00.000-04:00

Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg

That's easy for you to say! This is actually the ancestral name of Lake Webster and also the longest place name in the US.

More info on Lake Webster here and of course the wikipedia entry.

More on long words here.

Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg literally means "you fish on your side, I'll fish on my side, and nobody fishes the middle".

We are often told that Native Americans had/have no sense of land ownership. Everything belonged/belongs to all. This striking example shows us that even in this culture, ostensibly unencumbered by the concept of ownership, some conflict and territorialism at at least one point crept in.

Staking a claim can inhibit our flexibility. In our endeavor to hold onto what is ours we so burden ourselves with territorialism that we cannot even pronounce, much less enjoy what God has provided to all.

There is a great "game theory" exercise entitled, "Win As Much As You Can". The goal is to "win as much as you can". What you don't tell the participants is that they are to work together within their apparently adversarial groupings. Someone works for their own gain and hurts the group. In the church world, if we would let go of "my ministry", "my class", and "our church" and acknowledge that it all belongs to God, perhaps we would all be able to fish out of the deep water at the middle of the lake and enjoy its harvest together.

2007-09-28T11:49:00.000-04:00

From MSNBC’s Newsof the weird:

The periodic Christian Nudist Convocation took place in July at the Cherokee Lodge nudist camp in Tennessee, and according to a dispatch in Nashville Scene, the group evokes skepticism not only from most Christians (who dislike the flaunting of naked bodies, even if innocently done) but from most Cherokee Lodge members, who see them as too intense for naturism's laid-back attitude. One CNC attendee acknowledged that many Christians would not approve of Cherokee Lodge, but to him "(I)t's Jerusalem." Another compared his work at nudist camps to missionary work: "(S)ome people get sent to Africa, some people get sent to South America and the Lord was like, 'I want you to go to nudist resorts.' And I'm like, 'Wow, what an assignment.'" [Nashville Scene, 8-2-07]

It never ceases to amaze me what people will blame on God. I had a girl in college claim that God had told her to marry me. Apparently He forgot to tell me.

Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that God still speaks to His people, if we will but open our ears, but some of the so-called words from the Lord out there are out and out lies, wishful thinking, or pure delusion. Throughout history God's so-called voice has been the cause of The Children's Crusade where thousands of children were sold into slavery after the Mediterranean Sea failed to part as they marched on Jerusalem. In fact, "God wills it" was the battle cry given by Pope Innocent II to begin the first Crusade.

The Spanish Inquisition, though in reality mostly a political tool (it was set up and controlled by King Ferdinand and was essentially a secret police punishing crimes against the state) was enabled by the support of the religious leaders as a way to force conversion to Christianity through torture and if necessary, a death sentence.

Paul Hill has promoted the "justifiable homicide" of abortion practitioners. Hill's describes his "joy" after killing an abortion doctor and gives voice to his feeling that, in murdering the doctor, God had done "great things" through him. Many horrible and simply silly things have been blamed on God's voice.

A word from God will never be contrary to His word, and whether your cause be personal, political, or a genuine desire to do right, any perceived word from God must be lined up with His Word, the Bible. If there is a discrepancy, your perceived message is wrong, not the Bible. The Bible wouldn't condone murder, wouldn't suggest torture, and wouldn't point you towards life on a nudist ranch.

The Bible is our primary source for hearing from God. Its high time we treat it that way. Having rooted and grounded ourselves in the Word, we can seek specific words for our lives. Lord speak, your servants are listening.

2007-08-30T12:56:00.001-04:00

Chicago, Chicago, Chicago

I won't give you the details of the trip again. Long ride Saturday, Sunday service at Bill's home church, Sunday night at a "local church". Monday in Gary, IN doing drama and worship on the street corner. Tuesday we drove to Chicago, passed out flyers, served in a soup kitchen, and witnessed to the homeless in downtown Chicago; crazy day. Wednesday was a free day, we saw the "above ground" part of downtown Chicago. Thursday we worked in a food distribution warehouse and visited one of the largest churches in the country. Friday was a worship service in Portage, IN; our team was blessed. Saturday was a travel day. Sunday was another great service, this time in Winchester, KY.

That's a lot in one paragraph, huh? Well it was a lot in one week. I aggressively (stupidly?) booked two trips at once. An inner city missions trip, and a worship service/ministry trip. We've mostly focused on the missions aspect, but I'm going to share the worship service side.

The opening Sunday service was at the church I grew up in. To me it was the "new" building. To everyone in Mishawaka, Indiana it's just the church. A church full of people I didn't know, but who knew me. I left for college in 1995 and haven't lived in Mishawaka, IN since (except a couple summers through college). So it was a chance to see family, some old friends, but mostly to minister to people I didn't know. This was the only time on the trip that I preached. I spoke about God always being there.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, ^{[ a]} you are there

- Psalm. 139:8,9

Many folks were encouraged by the message and the teens ministry in music and drama. I mentioned something about finishing what we start. "If God put a work on your heart a decade ago and you've rebelled against the call now is the time for restoration of vision," I said. A woman came to me after service and said that God had spoken to her a decade ago to start an orphanage. She was trained, had the means, was a fit for this calling, but had become consumed by the work-a-day-world. She received restoration of the vision that day.

The second Church had a water main break a month before our arrival. They offered to cancel, saying that we could get a better offering elsewhere. I told them we weren't there for an offering. The church was changing the focus of their Sunday night service to a youth service, and we were to kick it off. The church was packed with youth and supportive adults. We did one of the "youthiest" music sets of the trip that night. I did not preach, but our students spoke the word with boldness and testified. The youth group at the local church was united in the altars. And by-the-way the church blessed us with an excellent offering.

On the return trip we held two worship services. The first was Friday night at Pastor Chad Muncy's church in Portage, IN. He's an old friend of mine and has spoken at our church. His whole district gathered for worship. The Holy Spirit moved in an amazing way in that service. Many of our students were blessed in ways that only they can tell. The testimonies of God's work were amazing, lives were changed and intercessory prayer for needs in the lives of teens were offered up. Pastor Chad called someone up to pray over the teens for : addiction, broken homes, cutting/depression, and other needs. Each one who prayed had been delivered from the bondage of what they prayed against. Awesome testimonies are still coming out from this night. As we tried to minister to others, God ministered to us.

The final service was Sunday morning the day we returned. Our teens were able to teach the high school Sunday school class and everyone shared their stories. As in all the services the drama team did an amazing job, especially as they actually had a big stage to work with! The local teens were in awe, and the stories from Chicago touched the whole congregation. The teens at the local church were inspired. One of them is adding our team on "facebook"! It became very apparent how much influence our team had on their lives. I am convinced that Consumed Student Ministries is a force to be reckoned with!

2007-08-20T11:41:00.000-04:00

And now…
an excerpt from the

Youth Ministry Dictionary
2007 unabridged, newly revised

Entry: Parentnoia

Pronunciation: "per-&nt-'noi-&”

Etymology: From Latin parere to give birth to and Greek, madness, from paranous demented, from para- + nous mind; literally to give birth to madness

Definition: a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness that in every situation concerning their children that the worst case scenario is the most likely. i.e. Small child bumps their head, parent assumes concussion. Telephone rings and parent of teenage drivers assumes it is the hospital. Parentnoia is normal. All parents suffer from it. Do not panic.

2007-05-06T13:33:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here on Sunday afternoon, looking at my beautiful baby girl. She really is a miracle. You can see her pictures on my myspace at www.myspace.com/whoise3. She was born Friday, at 8:03. She's 10 pounds even, and 21 and-a-half-inches.

It's amazing how many intricacies there are to life. So many things that could go wrong. So many systems working step by step in perfect order. Our God is a God of order. He causes the Earth to revolve around the sun at just the right distance that the Earth could be inhabited. Over 300 bones in the human body at birth, all working together. A digestive system perfectly balanced, thousands of arteries, veins, and capillaries.

If God can be trusted to hold the whole universe together, how is it that we find it so hard to trust him with the details of our lives? Our hurts, our pains, our hopes, our dreams. Successes and failures belong to the Lord. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God's word is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. He knows our hearts. Not just our physical hearts, but our loves. Not just our physical injuries, but our emotional pains. He not only knows all of our bones, but also our greatest hopes. He not only knows all of our smallest, deepest capillaries, he knows our grandest, deepest dreams.

Better than all that, He knows our intentions - our motives. He knows why we do what we do. He knows if we do good so we won't get caught doing bad, or if we're seeking applause. Do we serve Him from our love for Him or because that's what mama said we ought to do? Do we come to church because it's a good habit, because that's what our people do, because we want to worship with God's people, or to show off our new shoes. He knows the motivations of our hearts.

God loves us, even though he knows us. He controls the universe, trust Him with your life.

2007-04-04T14:47:00.000-04:00

Holiness

Holiness seems to be a hot topic these days. Reconciling a Pentecostal desire to be holy with a postmodern understanding of God’s grace and Love seems difficult. Until you realize that one doesn’t diminish the other. My grandmother was talking about tithing the other day. She mentioned that in younger days she occasionally missed and felt so guilty. I told her that she missed the entire point of tithing. Giving to God should come from a heart of thanksgiving, not a sense of obligation.

The same is true about holiness. We shouldn't serve God and seek to be holy because "that's what the rules say", or because we fear the repercussions (usually from others, not God).

The response is God is Love, so what we do doesn't matter. This misses it as well. And so balance is sought. We have to balance God's love with his holiness. After all God is a God of balance, right. Wrong. God is a God of extremes!

God is extreme in His love. Infinitely Loving. More loving and understanding and full of grace and mercy than the most liberal Christian could ever fathom. God's love reaches far beyond my shortcomings and understands my mess. His unconditional love is patient with me as I stumble again and again and again. His love has power to forgive more sin than I could commit in a lifetime. He Is Love.

God is extreme in His Holiness. Infinitely Holy. More holy and Righteous and Pure and Just than the most disciplined Pharisee could ever live up to. His holiness demands that I be holy. No measure of man could gauge the holiness of God. No set of rules comes close. No method formula or catechism can equal it. The command to be holy as he is holy is one that must be always pursued and never caught. To quit chasing is to fall away, to claim achievement is tantamount to blasphemy.

There's no escape from His love and no apprehending His holiness. Our eternal God is infinitely loving, and infinitely holy. To sum it up in "you shouldn't dance" or "God loves me so my actions are irrelevant" is an insult.

2007-02-07T16:31:00.000-05:00

The Rich Young Man

Just after Jesus reached out in compassion to a group of children a rich young man came to Him. Possibly expecting the gentleness He had shown the children, the young man asked Jesus what he must do to earn eternal life. That sounds a lot like us. We know Newton's third law of motion: to every action there is a reaction. The young man understood business and "the way things work". You pay X, you get Y. He was requesting a formula, a method for eternal life.

The ways of God are sometimes f=more simple and sometimes more complex than we like. Jesus' answer was that you must follow the commandments. "Which ones?" the man asked, trying to negotiate the cheapest price possible. Jesus' response is a surprise to me. He doesn't command him to live God with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength, which Jesus elsewhere says is the greatest commandment. He doesn't tell him not to have idols, not to take God's name in vain, or to remember the sabbath. Nothing about God at all. All the commands He lists are aimed at others. Don't murder, commit adultery, steal, or lie. Honer your mother and father and love your neighbor.

Why these "horizontal" commandments and not the "vertical" ones? Why does Christ point the man to others and not to God. I think a true test of whether our minds are on Christ is how we treat one another. Maybe the first step in putting our minds on God is to take them off of ourselves. Why do we struggle with our problems, why do we languish in our sins? Why are our faults so difficult to overcome? Maybe it is because we are looking at ourselves. If we look to others (not in judgment, but to their needs; to loving them) maybe we can be filled with the compassion that Christ showed the children and know what it is like to truly be like Him.

The young man is finally commanded to sell all that he has and give it to the poor, a command he cannot bring himself to obey. We often look at the rest as showing that he was "almost right with God" and this as the one thing he couldn't let go of; his possessions. But I think Jesus is hinting at the point from the very beginning. The young man is not only focused on his possessions, but on himself. Look outward past your hurts, pains, sins, and problems, to the genuine needs of others. Its only when you stop looking at yourself that you can see Jesus looking at you.

2007-01-03T16:13:00.000-05:00

What's New?

2007. Wow, that's messed up.

Do you have regrets from 2006? Are there things you did, or didn't do, that you wish you could make different? What would you have done more of? What would you have done less of?

Have you ever said something that as soon as it came out of your mouth you wished you could grab out of the air, stick back in your mouth and swallow it? Have you ever done something that seemed like a good idea at the time, but then you found out a key fact that gave you a new perspective, and you realized that what you did was really, really supid?

There is nothing that you did last year, last week, or yesterday that you can go back and change. There's no way I can undo what has been done.

But there is forgiveness through Jesus. He can make past sins as though they never happened. He can wipe away your past. If you put all your past sins into a giant hole, and it filled to the top, one drop of the blood of Jesus would be enough to cover them all.

You can also make new decisions going forward. 2007 can be a year when you can look back on with pride. It can be a year full of victories and testimonies. It can be a year when Christ reigns supreme in your life. Twelve people gave their lives to Jesus at the New Years Bash. For them it is the beginning of a new life in Christ. If you don't know Christ as your Lord and Savior, receive Him today and you can begin a new life. If you already know Him, life is a series of decisions. Each day you decide for or against God's will several times. Make 2007 a year full of decisions for Christ.

2006-12-24T20:30:00.000-05:00

The Sacrifice of Christmas

We often speak of Easter as Christ's sacrifice and refer to Christmas as a celebration of His birth. While that is accurate, it is also true that Christmas is the first of many sacrifices Christ made for you and I. Actually the first is from eternity past. Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth. But in time, the advent of Christ is His first sacrifice.

The senses that we are so thankful for and dependant on were sacrifices for Him. He stepped away from the cries of "Holy, Holy, Holy" echoing for all eternity in the throne room of the Most High God, to hear new sounds such as those of donkeys braying and "cattle lowing". He left the throne of omnipotence to take on the weakness of an infant and the earthly arms of suffering. He left sights of the land where there was no night because He was the light to enter the dark, damp recesses of a humble cave-dwelling. He left the aroma of altar of incense forever wafting a sweet savour in the nostrils of Yahweh, to take in the smells of manure and childbirth as Yeshua Ha'Mashiach. He left the security of eternity to the promise of death on a cross.

And he did it for you.

God bless you and keep him in the front of your mind this Christmas and every day.

2006-12-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

Socrates, Confucius, and
Clint Eastwood?

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are.

- 1 Corinthians 1:26-28

Things work differently in the spirit than they do in the flesh. In the flesh, wisdom is more desirable than foolishness. In the flesh, might makes right and only the strong survive. In the flesh, things that can be seen and touched are better than the invisible.

The opposite is true with God. God uses foolishness to confound the wise and weakness to overcome the strong. It is in my weakness that His strength shines forth the brightest. In fact, I believe God chooses the weak to do great things so that there’s no question who did it.

A few wise men have almost captured this idea. Confucius said “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance,” a sentiment echoed by Dirty Harry (“a man’s gotta know his limitations’). Confucius also said, “ what you don’t want done to you, do not do to others ” some 500 years before Christ laid down the Golden Rule, by the way. Confucius understood that his wisdom and knowledge were very limited and relatively useless. He understood that his wisdom, while widely recognized as great, was still finite, and indeed quite small.

Socrates put aside his noble birth and place in the Senate to declare himself the wisest man alive. On what basis? “I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.” The knowledge of his ignorance gave him a leg up on the rest of humanity who, he suggested, also were ignorant, but didn’t realize it. In fact, he spent the better part of his life trying to let other people know how ignorant they were; trying to make his foolishness confound their wisdom. He prided himself in making enemies of every class. He sought out those reputed to be wise among the politicians.

When I began to talk with him, I could not help thinking that he was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and still wiser by himself; and thereupon I tried to explain to him that he thought himself wise, but was not really wise; and the consequence was that he hated me, and his enmity was shared by several who were present… (Plato’s: The Apology of Socrates)

He then visited the poets finding them equally prideful and equally ignorant. Finally the artisans (skilled workers) were found to be full of pride. On the basis of his knowledge of his ignorance, Socrates declared himself the wisest of men.

Three of the wisest men in history – Socrates, Confucius, and Dirty Harry (he counts) – were able to understand that their wisdom was as worthless as a Jell-o pool cue, but were unable to turn that into a basis for dependence on God. It’s not just that we are weak—we all know that—it's that He is strong. Man is capable of understanding his weaknesses. Many people are surprised and disappointed when they hear of the weakness of a “great man”. How silly! The greatest men among us are well aware of their weaknesses. Some admit them, others try to hide them. But simply knowing we are weak is not enough. It is only when we put our weakness into God’s hands that we can declare, “He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world” (John 4:4).

2006-10-30T16:04:00.000-05:00

My wife and I were picking on each other the other day. Rest assured it was all in good fun. We set our two-year-old daughter up as the judge.
My wife asked our daughter, "Who is older, mommy or daddy?"
"Daddy!"
We both laughed which gave her the confidence to tell us a few more things we needed to know.
"Oh yeah?" I questioned. "Who is the boss, mommy or daddy?"
"Jesus."
Our mouths dropped. We were unaware that she understood the concept of "boss", a word we seldom if ever use. We were also unaware of the fact that she understood God's sovereignty. This brought to our attention to three very important facts.
1. Small children learn more by accident than they do on purpose. We work to expand our daughters base of knowledge and understanding. We teach numbers, (she can count to 20...sort of; she leaves out 15,16, and 17) letters, colors, and shapes. We work on her vocabulary, naming animals and objects like grass leaves. We work on concepts like ownership, value, and responsibility, but we never communicated the concept of "boss". Somewhere she picked up the word, attached it to the concept and has created a hierarchy in her own mind. Thankfully, she has placed Jesus above mommy and daddy. Even though he wasn't given as a choice in our little game of who's the boss, she recognized that He is sovereign over mommy and daddy, which to a two-year-old equals sovereignty over her whole world.
2. Proverbs 22:6 (NASB) says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." Okay, so my little girl isn't old. She has been trained, however. That training is mostly by accident too. You can teach a child about Jonah; you can tell him about Daniel and the lions den; you can even tell her how much Jesus loves her, but she will only learn that its true, she can only learn about His Lordship by the way you live your life.
3. Finally, whether by jest by truth we often forget about God's sovereignty, or at least overlook it in practice. We should be reminded often, that daddy may think he's the king of his castle and mommy may think she rules the roost, but at the end of the day, Jesus is the Boss.

2006-10-18T10:31:00.000-04:00

Madonna thought process:

I think I'll go to the park today...

Or maybe shopping...

Maybe I'll go to Asia.

Hey, I could get a baby, that would be fun!

The one year old boy, David Banda, was brought to London by Madonna's body guard and personal assistant. 'Cuz mommy had more important things to do. Like a photo shoot and a trip to Starbucks. Come on Madonna! This is a silly publicity stunt.

Ethiopian poet Lemn Sissay says, "when somebody takes a child from their native culture that is in itself an act of aggression." He should know he was adopted from Ethiopia by a couple in angled at a young age and given up at age 11. They gave him to the system and told them he had "the devil inside" him. He lived in the orphanages in England till age 18. He then found his birth parents only to discover that he fit nowhere.

I'm not saying this is how David Banda's story will end, nor is Sissay's story yet complete, but this is a perspective. Removing a child from its culture, its family, its heritage, though the result is an easier life, a life of wealth, may not be the answer. If Sissay had grown up in Ethiopia, perhaps he wouldn't have the life of wealth and recognition he has today, but perhaps he'd have a family.

2006-10-12T11:06:00.000-04:00

While in college I was a part of a group that ministered at a nursing home in Cleveland, TN. We would go in and sing the "old hymns" and preach to the patients, taking time afterward to visit with them and hear them preach.

On one particular occasion I spoke with a lady who was especially excited to see college students.
"I live over by the college", she said.

As she began to describe her house, behind the college, around the corner from the elementary school, down the road from the big church, it slowly became clear to where she had once lived. The only problem is the house had been gone for years and had recently been replaced by third base on the softball diamond.

Her house was gone and she didn't even know it. In my over-active imagination, I picture a day, some five years before our meeting, a family packing up her pictures, selling her furniture and giving away to charity some precious keepsakes that to the family looked like junk, but to the woman had once carried a deep sentimental value now lost in the wreckage that remained of her once sharp memory. They gave over the house to the wrecking ball of progress. They've moved out west but still visit once a year. They haven't the heart to tell her that all that remains of her life on that once quiet street behind the college, around the corner from the elementary school and down the street from the church is the muddled memories that creep in from time to from the cobwebbed corners of her recollection.

Neither did I have the heart. I simply said, "oh yes, I know exactly where you're talking about." Our visit continued pleasantly, and I was able to speak words of encouragement to her. I reminded her that God is always mindful of her and cares for her more than she knows. I listen to stories of what God had done in her life and was myself encouraged.

So many life lessons were illustrated to me in that moment, but the one encouraged me in recent years is the wisdom of silence. I hurt for that woman that day as I silently smiled and nodded to her stories of victory. Had I revealed that one piece of information it would have hurt her so bad as to prevent any opportunity for ministry. It could have broken her remaining will. As ministers (and all Christians should minister) we often have access to pieces of information that would ruin a day, an opporunity for ministry, or even a life. The wisdom of silence allows us to sit back and listen not defending ourselves, not trying to prove that we're "in the know" or "in the loop". Ministers take criticism to protect confidentiality, are accused of ignorance when revealing their knowledge would hurt the accuser, take a hit to maintain their integrity, and lose credibility, being viewed as weak or even deceitful when they refuse to defend themselves. That's ministry. That is also the example Jesus set for us.

He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn't open his mouth.
As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its
shearers is mute, so he didn't open his mouth. - Isaiah 53:7

The temptation to defend yourself, or to teach others, or to prove yourself competent and knowledgeable is much greater than the temptation I had to inform this elderly lady of new landmarks on her old property, but the wisdom of silence is just as critical. You will take a hit. You'll be viewed as heartless or incompetent or both, but your integrity will be intact before the Lord.

2006-10-12T10:45:00.000-04:00

The recent death of Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle in a plane crash in New York City brings about a mixed bag of reactions and emotions. It is presently 5:45 EDT and Mayor Bloomberg was unwilling to confirm the identities of either of the two pronounced dead at the scene, but random blue on the street has leaked that Lidles passport and other identifying documents have been found in the wreckage, Yankee manager Joe Torre has confirmed that the plane was registered to Lidle, and ESPN is reporting Lidle dead in the crash.

The two hours after the event were full of conflicting stories. It was a plane; it was a helicopter. It was an accident; it might have been intentional. In the end we were relieved to hear it was an accident and Bloomberg expressed releif that it wasn't "something serious".

The baseball world mourns and the rest of the country breathes a sigh of releif.

2006-09-27T11:21:00.000-04:00

I recently had the opportunity to listen to Josh McDowell speak in a somewhat intimate setting. His material on the reliability of the Bible was a springboard to a recent Wednesday night lesson. Let me share a few statistics with you from his newly revised New Evidence that Demands a Verdict. McDowell shares that archaeologists have found over 25,000 New Testament manuscripts. Some of these are small pieces of scroll with only a few words on them, while others are entire books of the New Testament. 25,000 witnesses to the gospel. The amazing part of this is that the book with the second most manuscripts is Homer's Iliad with just over 643 manuscripts. Not only that but the oldest New Testaments manuscript is dated at less than 100 years from the original, whereas the oldest copy of the Iliad was penned over 1000 years later than the original. In spite of all this and other evidence, scholars inexplicably accept the historicity of the Iliad, yet struggle with the New Testament.

This is not, however the topic of this blog. God's word is reliable, I have no doubt, but it is more than a reliable document.

The Bible is some of the most beautiful poetry and prose ever written. It is a love story from beginning to end. A story of God creating man for fellowship, and man rejecting him. It is a story of the ultimate price paid for love. A story of good and evil, of love and pain, of betrayal, punishment, atonement, repentance and forgiveness. Professors have been criticized for claiming the Bible is a great piece of literature; it is. It is historically reliable, it is beautifully crafted, but it is also the very word of God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him
all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light
shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understoodit.

-John 1:1-5

God's word was active in creation. In fact, Jesus is the word incarnate. More than just words on a page, the Bible is a living entity able to affect change in the lives of its readers. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." God's word penetrates our soul and spirit and judges our very thoughts. Don't just read the Bible, let the Bible read you! Let it judge, let it divide your soul from your spirit and change your life, driving out the darkness and revealing the wonderful light of Jesus Christ as you grow daily in Him. Praise God for his reliable, beautiful, powerful word.

2006-08-10T09:29:00.001-04:00

The Summer Series on sexual purity is wrapping up here at Consumed Student Ministries. About the time it ends will be the first release of The Consumed monthly newsletter. The students in charge of the newsletter have asked me to contribute monthly. This will be good for me. The result for Pause and Reflect readers will be more frequent posting. At least once a month I'll be facing a deadline. Back in the days when I wrote for a small town newspaper I was able to submit at least weekly. Now I just submit weakly...*rimshot*

But seriously folks...*rimshot*

Stop that.

As we wrap up this series on sexual purity, I'd like to submit these random observations:

1. The worst place to make a decision for Christ is in the back seat of a Chevy. Avoid difficult situations. Be aware of areas of temptation and flee! When I was in college, there were girls who I knew wanted me to compromise my integrity and my morals. I avoided relationships with them. You must guard your purity.

2. Purity begins in the mind. While "bouncing your eyes" is good, a blind man can lust. I used to have a blind roomate, and although he couldn't see, he struggled with lustful thoughts just like any other man. The Bible teels us to "take every thought captive". We are to "love the LORD with all our" heart and mind (heart OT and NT, mind NT only). The battle field is the mind the heart and the emotions. More to come on the difference between the heart and the mind.

3. Remember the kittens.

4. Formulate a plan... see #3. Use a post it note or calendar to keep track of habits, both good and bad.

5. Remember that struggling doesn't mean you are beyond hope; giving up does.

2006-07-20T07:55:00.000-04:00

Wow, so I haven't blogged in almost 3 months. So here we go.

I have a friend named Tony whose alarm went off and he rolled over and went back to sleep.

Then he got up.
He brushed his teeth.
He took a shower.
He ate breakfast.
He did his hair.

Then his mother came in and woke him up, screaming "you're late for school".

"What?," you ask? He had dreamt it all. The shower: a dream. The breakfast: just a dream.
In his dreams he had gone through all the motions of getting ready for school. Good thing he didn't go to the bathroom!

Is it that way with you and the things of God? When you lift your hands are you worshipping or just going through the motions? When you read your Bible, are you taking in the meaning or just staring at the page?

Worst of all, some people confess Christ without really living for Him. They say they are a Christian but remain in their sin. They take an imaginary shower while laying in their bed of sin.

Is your life really one lived for Jesus, or are you just showering in your bed?

2006-04-24T09:14:00.003-04:00

Posted Below is the original scuminess speech reprinted in its entirety for those of you who don't have internet connections fast enough to be chasing links. This was the second half of last Wednesday's message on sex. The first half was "the proper place to light a fire". We started a (very small and very controlled) fire on the stage (on a piece of unseen sheet metal--very safe; we also had a fire extinguisher-- dude, stop worrying, trust me).

The students shouted me down that I couldn't start a fire. "Why not," I asked, "I've been camping a hundred times, and I've always started a fire. I think I know what I'm doing". Eye-roll.

"You can't do it here!"

"Why not," I asked.

The responses varied from, "because its a wooden stage, dummy" to "because we're inside", to "because its a church." The point was the same. That was the wrong place to build a fire. Too many teens start the passionate fire of sexual attraction in the wrong place. The only place that sexual passion should burn is within marriage. With this in mind, I give you...the scum blog.

The beauty of Holiness vs. The Booty of Hoe-iness
The Scoop on Scuminess

The Speech Teenage guys are scum. All of them. If teenage girls knew what went on in the minds of teenage guys, there would be no dating. Some guys are less scummy than others. Some are top scum, while others are the scummy scum at the bottom that has been sitting there awhile. But they're all scum.

The Responses Are you scum? I am recovering scum. When I was a teenage guy, I was definitely scum. Somewhere around 23 most guys (the top scum, at least) turn a corner where their scuminess is brought under control. So-and-so isn't scum. He's different Ha. Hahaha. HA Many who have said this to me, have returned weeks later only to report that, you guessed it, teenage guys are scum. All of them. I'm a teenage guy, and I'm not scum Not only are you scum, you are lying scum.

The Truth Many have tried to twist the word to disprove the teenage guys are scum speech. We have all sinned, and there is none righteous, no not one. If the speech is ever used to say that teenage girls are perfect or somehow better than teenage guys, that is a gross misuse of it. Again all have sinned. Teenage girls sin tends to result less in scuminess and more in selfishness, self-absorption, jealousy, depression, destructive speech, and slander. In my mind this is just as bad as scumminess.

Scuminess is another way of describing the sexual perversion that attacks teenage guys. Sexual perversion is Satan's primary weapon against teenage boys. It begins with erotic dreams in early adolescence, and continues through perverted jokes and pornography in junior high. If allowed to go unchecked it ends in casual sex, homosexuality, or date rape in high school. Sexual perversion is a spiritual battle that all men must face and flee. It is the only demon influence that the Bible tells us to run from. It takes guts to admit that we have impure thoughts. I've heard it said that you can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair. That mean, scumminess happens, but you've got to shake it off.

In today's society (much worse than when I graduated high school just 10 years ago) every teenage guy gets a hair-do full of bird crap on a daily basis. This isn't something that girls should mock or ridicule guys for. The good Lord knows we'd have plenty to mock ya'll about if we were selfish, self absorbed, jealou--- you get the idea. It's something girls should understand and help to alleviate the scumminess.

Unfortunately teenage girls all too often do the opposite. The Bible talks about something called lasciviousness. If post-modern American teenage guys are scum, then post-modern American teenage girls are lascivious. It means lewd (showing a desire for, or unseemly interest in, sex) provoking or exciting lust. It means doing the kind of things that are going to cause others to lust. It goes all the way from wearing the shorts that you know don't cover your behind to touching that place on his neck that you know drives him wild. I have known more guys who broke up with their girlfriends because of pressure to have sex than the other way around. One guy left for camp after turning down an invitation to stay with his girlfriend instead. It was one of those invitations that included sex while her parents were away. He called her from camp only to find out that after he turned down the invitation, it was extended to someone else. Girls act this way for a variety of reasons. The primary one is a poor self image. They think they can feel better about themselves if they can get attention from guys: "If they think I'm sexy, then that makes me better than so-and-so, and if I'm better than her, I must be good."

But that was more in my generation. This generation has it ingrained in them that sexually illicit behavior is normal. I once had a girl say to me "Bill, the things I do are normal for girls my age". My response was that we aren't called to be normal. We are called to be different. We are called to be in this world but not of it. We are called to be a peculiar people, a royal priesthood and a Holy nation. God says "be holy as I am holy". That's a tall order, one that doesn't go well with a side of promiscuity. We are called to build one another up, not to perpetuate the downfall of our brother or sister. We are told to worship in the beauty of holiness. Holiness: a word that is foreign to the pop culture that determines so much of how a "normal teenager" acts.

2006-02-07T15:34:00.000-05:00

Spiritual Revival Strikes Teens

God moved in the hearts of members of Consumed Student Ministries this weekend in powerful ways. The stories are too numerous to tell, but I will try to find time to enumerate them in the coming weeks. Tongues and Prophecy are going forth. This type of manifestation of the gifts is relatively new to many of our kids, and they didn't know how to deal with what was happening in them.

Since Winterfest our church office has been abuzz with the work that God is doing. Monday morning the Baptist school up the road called me. They said that two of my girls were speaking in tongues at school and they didn't know what to do. Also one girl in the local public school was speaking in tongues and the school sent her to the hospital.

My initial reaction was to rebuke the kids, until I later found out that several of the staff at the school were asking questions. One of the school administrators is religious and felt something in her spirit. She told the mother that she knew that God was moving on the student. The guidance counselor wants me to come to the school Thursday morning and talk to her (and possibly the other staff). I am trying to arrange for Reggie Dabbs to come to town.

I have talked to the kids involved about balance, and that God is a God of order. We will be studying 1 Corinthians 14 on the regulation of Spiritual Gifts. We want our faith not to focus on our experience, but to point to Christ.

Rejoice with me in what God is doing, but also pray for me and my team that we teach proper balance in spiritual things.

2006-01-11T16:36:00.000-05:00

Pause Reflect Goes International

This afternoon I received a phone call telling me to open my browser and go to www.churchofgod.cc. To my amazement Monday's Pause and Reflect was on the front page. I'll make this short so that Monday's blog stays high, but I thought regular readers might want to know.

2006-01-09T11:51:00.000-05:00

31 Make Decisions for Christ at New Years Bash

In one of the most dramatic worship services I've ever witnessed, 31 souls were added to the Kingdom of God at Covenant Church's Consumed Student Ministries' New Years event.

The night - titled New Years Bash 2: Snosty's revenge - was a variation on last years theme: Snosty the Froman. Snosty is an afro-wearing, culturally relevant relative of Frosty the Snowman and the New Years Bash mascot. The evening began in the gym with a basketball tournament, blowup games, door prizes, pizza, video games, coffee shop and an "art pit" - a place where anyone could express their love for God on what would later be the back-drop of the worship service.

At 9:30 the party traveled to the Youth Sanctuary for pre-service which included frozen games including a brain-freeze inducing Slurpee Chug, the culmination of Snosty's revenge.

Around 10:00 "Haggard Lane", out of Lexington, KY, took the stage and led in powerful, anointed worship. Adam Frye, Covenant's Fine Arts Pastor, brought a message entitled: "Measuring Up", encouraging those present to measure themselves by the word of God, and not by culture or peers. Cody Steele of "Haggard Lane" added a testimony on "taking God seriously" and in two altar calls, 31 responded to the salvation call. All 31 were led in the sinners prayer aloud, as altar workers were unable to get to each individually.

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
- Romans 10:9, 10 (NIV)

The confession of faith was made and accountability is in place. We do new converts a disservice if we call them to the front and provide no direction afterward. Matthew 28:19 calls us to make disciples - not just converts - so follow-up is ongoing. We praise God for what He is doing in Consumed Student Ministries.

2005-12-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

Trying to go halfway with God never turns out pretty.

Last Wednesday night I arrived at Consumed Student Ministries Hub Night with half a beard. Everyone asked if I had lost a bet. As I still had both eyebrows, this was obviously not the case. The half-beard was an object lesson.

Trying to go half way with God never turns out pretty. I asked the kids how many preferred the beard. 15+ hands. How many liked no beard. 15 hands. How many liked it better half and half? 20. Wierdos.

But with God, trying to go half way never turns out pretty. Jesus told John the Revelator to write to the church of Laodicea, "so, because you are lukewarm, —neither hot nor cold, —I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

In another passage, Hosea talks of a half-baked cake. "Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over." So many lukewarm half-baked believers are around today that many theologians believe we are in the Laodicean church age. They compare the seven churches of Revelation to time periods since the time of Christ.

Biblical examples of half-heartedness are plentiful. Cain's half-baked sacrifice was rejected by God, Ananias and Sapphira only gave part of the money and of their hearts, and the Pharisees whom Jesus called white washed sepulchers. God doesn't have much patience for half way believers. Religious pretense infuriates Him. He wants to stretch you, to push you to new heights in Him. Don't be two faced with God.

2005-12-02T10:14:00.000-05:00

Azuza Revisited

On February 22, 1906 William Seymour arrived in Los Angeles California and began preaching only days later. Within a few months one of the greastest revivals the church has ever experienced was in full bloom. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the "Bible evidence" of speaking in toungues was renewed in the modern church. Although predated by outpourings in Wales, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas, (Genesis of the Pentecostal Movement) Azusa Street remains the landmark of the modern Petecostal movement and as such indirectly of the Charismatic Renewal.

A. C. Valdez attended the Azusa street revival and wrote the following:

"Many times waves of glory would come over the tarrying room or meeting
room, and people would cry out prayers of thanks or praise as they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Meetings used to go past midnight and into the early hours of the morning. Hours there seemed like minutes. Sometimes after a wave of glory, a lot of people would speak in tongues. Then a holy quietness would come over the place, followed by a chorus of prayer in languages we had never before heard. Many were slain in the Spirit [in a trance-like state], buckling to the floor, unconscious, in a beautiful Holy Spirit cloud, and the Lord gave them visions."

As we enter the 100 year anniversary of Azusa, please take some time to ponder what God is doing in these post-modern times. "And in the last days I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh."

Please visit the Azusa Centennial link on the right sidebar of this page.

2005-11-28T14:44:00.000-05:00

Keep your old answering machine messages.

The Edge Church Think Tank Blog has one of the funniest messages to a church I have ever heard. It makes me wish I had kept recordings of the infamous "brick through the front door" incident at Man-o-War Church of God.

A bitter man (we'll call him Bob) who was in the latter stages of terminal cancer having drank to the point of intoxication, often called our pastor leaving rather rude messages. At some point, the pastor took a stand and confronted him. Having lost his dart-board/shoulder to cry on, he began calling me. The patience of a 25-year-old youth pastor didn't last nearly as long as that of the 60-year-old pastor had, and I soon began screening my calls. My answering machine greeting ended with "have a blessed day." Being ignored and told to be blessed didn't sit well with Bob. In a final plea for attention, he left a message at two o'clock in the morning that he had left some 2-liters (unsolicited and unexpected) for donation at the church, and that while there, he had noticed a brick thrown through the window. The security audio recording placed the sound of shattering glass within a minute of his phone call.

His messages were often lengthy, incoherent and quite hilarious. "uhhh hey! I went by the church tonight, and...uh...I left you some cokes. Somebody chucked a brick plum through the door. I wasn't me but I though you might want to know. Have a blessed day." The security audio recording placed the sound of shattering glass within a minute of his phone call. Bob spent that blessed day in the county jail.

2005-11-22T14:10:00.000-05:00

Bless God, not the Turkey

Too many times when we “pray for the food” it resembles a pagan incantation more than it does a prayer to the Most High. The mealtime blessing was not intended to be such.

On www.askmoses.com, Rabbi Shalom Hazan speaks to this very issue. He says, "When saying a blessing before eating, we are not blessing the food. We are blessing and thanking G-d for providing us with that food." It is not that we are praying poison, or curses (or calories) out of a tater tot, but rather that we are giving thanks to God. We are thanking Him for providing our needs. We are thanking Him for being our source. We blessing God. So instead of blessing the one to whom all blessing is due, we end up blessing the yams, or worse yet, wanting all the blessing ourselves (don't get me started on "bless me" Christians").

So when you sit down this year at the family table, take less time to "count your blessings", and less time to "pray over the food". Instead, take some time to bless God, not the turkey.

2005-07-13T09:29:00.000-04:00

For all you out-of-town readers, this is a fairly recent picture of my baby girl. More will be forthcoming.

She is universally regarded as the best behaved child in the history of mankind. She adjusts quickly to new surroundings. She smiles and claps most of the time. She plays well with other kids. But even Alyssa gets an attitude once in a while.

She is impatient. If she sees us making a bottle she has to have it right away, even if she isn't hungry. We have to hide it from her if we want to take it to the car with us.

She is defiant. She knows she isn't supposed to go near electrical outlets, but if we're somewhere that doesn't have the outlet covers, that's exactly what she heads for. She has even been known to look back at us, smile a rebellious little smile and then head for the plug.

Within each of us is the sinful nature handed down from Adam. Each of us tends toward sin. Impatience, defiance, ha! That's just the start for most of us. We have the sinful nature within us from the start. We all need a savior. We all need a deliverer. We all need Jesus.

2005-06-28T13:26:00.000-04:00

The days of youth camp are just around the corner. The campground here in Virginia reminds me of the old Riverdale campground in Indiana. The giant open-air tabernacle, the close quartered cafeteria, and the vast acreage. I'm looking forward to camp this year. It will be different than Lexington. Instead of driving across town, I'll be driving 2 hours. Instead of having to worry about my kids being on and off the campground at will, I'll be driving them down in the church van.

I too have changed since my last youth camp. Being in the same location for four years allowed me to settle into a self-made rut. My life has been shaken. Things are changing. Goals, aspiritions have faded into one. The aspiration to be. Not to be this or that, but simply to be. It has been said of me often that I am genuine; that there is no facade about me. While I have not yet achieved, that is my goal: consistancy, genuineness, and transparency. There is no higher goal.

2005-06-27T16:22:00.000-04:00

I'm presently wrestling with the idea of balancing Reverence and Relevance in youth ministry. Be patient and a new blog will be forthcoming.

2005-05-26T09:38:00.000-04:00

Of Icewater and Interns

The plans are in the works for BlockParty '05. The local Baptist church is handing out tracts and bottled water. A local inner city ministry called Thee Place is supplying manpower, and our team is making arrangements. Heading up this project is the esteemed intern Jono K. Susie B. and Lyndsey D. are working with him and we expect the event to lead many to the Lord. Jono has been a joy to work with and is eager to learn and to do. Having him here has allowed me to catch up on some back burner projects. I actually took Tuesday (my day off) off!

Youth ministry can be so intense that a day of relaxation feels like sloth. Its hard not to fall into the trap of guilt for inaction. I've heard a minister say that he doesn't believe in "me time". While I understand the point that all of our time belongs to God, it must not be overlooked that our mind, will, emotions, body and spirit each demand both exercise and down time. If you are working your mind to its limits, take some time to do something physical. If your primary ministry is intercession, and your spirit is drained, exercise your mind for leisure.

I write for leisure. I used to write for a well known baseball website, but decided to turn my fun to a more productive end. Hopefully you will read this blog and take some time to sit down in a hammock with a nice cold glass of icewater and enjoy God's creation. Maybe not "me time", but definitely rest.

2005-04-28T10:09:00.000-04:00

A night that makes it all worth it.

This has been one of the most rewarding weeks in all my years as a Youth Pastor. Wednesday night I saw a team come togehter, setting egos aside, and put together one of the most timely worship services I've ever seen. There are turning points in ministry you never forget. In 2003 at Man o' War church of God, there was a Wednesday night worship service that lasted into the night. The Holy Spirit moved as a young woman named Lauren Adair worshiped and interceded. In 2004 a youth leader named Corey McGlone, decided Sunday morning worship would be better roaming around the fellowship area. He continued to intercede during the rest of the service. That morning changed worship at that church.

Last night several people decided they were going to take advantage of the opportunity to worship in a deeper way. Intercession went up; people gave themselves to God in new ways. Toni Inskeep and Josh Kramer decided to prostrate themselves before God. Intercession for those who were unsaved was given by leaders. At least one person was saved last night. And a new way of looking at Wednesday Nights came through.

All this two days before one of the biggest endeavors I've ever been a part of. Sevenglory will be at Covenant Church this Friday for a full-on YouthExplosion and Concert. Over 25 volunteers will come together for a common purpose. Lives will be changed forever. And the party won't stop. The challenge will be given to not stop, to grow more, to do more for Christ than you ever have before. Let us all repond to that challenge. For those of you who are away, pray for us.

2005-04-04T16:24:00.000-04:00

The level of expectation.

There is much talk around my office about leadership development these days. I am being developed by a team whose responsibility it is to develop me. I have been invited to attend our childeren's ministry leadership development program: Stepping Stones. I am making a concerted effort to do leadership development with my team.

In my estimation, the primary rule regarding leadership development is that people will rise or fall to the level of expectation. Let me elaborate. If you tell a five year old girl she is stupid, she will in all likelyhood struggle in school the following year. If you tell a thin young boy he's skinny, he will perceive himself as a weakling. There are obvious exceptions to this rule most of which are founded in our natural tendency to rebel against being pigeonholed and told that we are limited.

At Winterfest we were blessed to hear Israel Houghton sing "Friend of God". It is always interesting to me to see a songwriter do his own music. A songwriter can take liberties with his song that if anyone else were to do that it would be seen as ruining it. Israel ruined "Friend of God" in a wonderful way. At the end as the band continued to play the song softly and a little slower, he sang softly and slowly:

No Limits ...

No Boundaries ...

I see increase ...

All around me

Israel was developing leaders. Telling them that their limits no longer exist. Not that there isn't a context in which they are to operate. Not that they no longer need to take into account the overall vision. Not that there aren't boundaries in good-proper-Dobsonesqe sort of way. There certainly are. But raise the ceiling. That's leadership development. Raise the floor. people will rise up with it. Expect greatness and people will respond.

This phrase is hanging on my office wall: People will rise or fall to the level of expectation.

2005-02-18T09:16:00.000-05:00

This February marks the one year anniversary of the Refuge and Reflection Blog so I thought I'd revisit the first blog.

Friday, February 13, 2004

Finally found some time to sit down and think. It's a practice we should all engage in more frequently. That's why this blog is called Refuge and Reflection (R&R). There's nothing more restful and relaxing than finding a safe place to think.

The content may include spiritual insights, my thoughts on life, maybe my thoughts on the Cubs, and whatever other drivel spews from the cobwebbed corners of my mind.

The first subject is something I've been faced with lately. Shortcomings, weaknesses and the sheer finiteness of life. Paul said "for whenever I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor 12:10). Thats something we should never forget. God's grace is sufficient. What ever it is that you think you can't do, God can. Whenever you think you can't go on, God can. Whatever hurdle you can't overcome, God can.

There are so many areas in my life today that jeer "you can't handle this", or "you aren't good enough to do that". I just say "no...but God Can." Never let your accomplishments be limited by your ability. To man it seems impossible, but for God all things are possible.

The other side of that coin is this: Never let allow your strengths to overshadow God in your own eyes. No matter how talented, wealthy, charming, or driven you are, you are dust without God. An empty jar, no matter how beautiful and skillfully made, pours no refreshing drink.

Relish your weaknesses, and rejoice in your imperfections. God want to shine in you and through you.

Reflect on that.

This one year anniversary will also mark a return to the original intent of the blog. It is a place for thoughts and devotions, but at some point (around the time of the "official Winterfest blog and the birth of my first child, Alyssa) caught the tangent of updates on the family and ministry. I will attempt a return to the original format and intent and start e-mailing baby pictures and ministry updates.

So we return once again to the random drivel that spews from the cobwebbed corners of my mind!

2005-01-06T14:13:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year

News in the fam:

Amanda, Alyssa and I are moving. Not a new town; just a new apartment. Alyssa goes back to the doctor next Tuesday to see about her lack of weight gain. My mom came through gall bladder surgery well and is enjoying the time off work!

News in the ministry:

The New Years Bash was a great success. 80+ in attendance. 50+ in the altars. 10+ gave their hearts to the Lord. A great time was had by all. DDR, Slam Dunk, 3on3 basketball, volleyball, and pool tournaments and many others were scattered through the wee hours of the morning, and there was lots of food. Free food. An abundance of wonderful, beautiful food.

The sermon was on going to the next level with God, and more than 50 people made a commitment to get deeper into the things of God. It wasn't a new years resolution, it was a covenant with God. It was a decision to worship, to witness, to seek after spiritual gift, and most of all to engage in right relationship with God.

What have you done lately about the commitments you have made to God? In our new apartment, the walk from the parking to our front door is about 75 yards. The process of moving has been complicated by this journey. When carrying a large load, some things begin to slip. With each step that pillow-that-you-didn't-want-to-make-an-extra-trip-for-so-you-stuck-it-under-your-already-over-burdened-arm slips lower and lower. As it slips it becomes harder and harder to hold onto. Eventually you have to stop and rearrange the load to make sure it doesn't fall. Maybe its time to stop and rearrange the load. What is the pillow under your right arm that is requiring so much attention that the lead-crystal vase in in your left hand is in danger of crashing to the ground? Set your priorities straight. Some projects should be put off because they require more attention than you can give them today. Some things can be set down and come back for later. Some things should go into the trash bin at the old house.

2004-12-22T09:38:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

Amanda, Alyssa and I are getting ready to head home for Christmas this evening. We're going to try to make the 11 1/2 hour trip overnight. The thought of this endeavor prompts - in addition to dread and loathing - memories of the 10 1/2 hour drive to college. Ok...9 1/2 if Amanda and Jamie were driving.

It has me thinking of the changes we go through in life. And yet we remain the same person. I was talking with my former Youth Pastor, Bill Edwards, the other day. He reminded me of a time when I was twelve years old and answered a question in Sunday School in a precise and articulate manner. One of the older teens suggested that I ought to "talk like a twelve-year-old"! That same year I would use a sling-shot to put out a neighbors windows, act as a sniper, shooting a neighbor from the cover of an old shed, cry after being removed from pitching a baseball game and shoot bottle rockets at a friend: four very childish activities.

At every age it has been the same: very smart in word, but pretty foolish in some of my actions. Systematic thought, emotionalism, verbosity, insecurity. All have been part of my personality as long as I can remember. My point is, that as we grow up, we don't really change. We are the same person reacting to responding to new circumstances, but who we are doesn't really change.

God created you the way you are. Embrace it.

Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said unto him,

Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb,

or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the LORD?

Whatever is good about you, God made it that way. Whatever parts of your personality are hard or difficult for you to understand, know that God put those tendencies in you for a reason.

Psalm 139:13 You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You,

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Nothing is more inward than your personality. Don't quit trying to improve, but know that you are who you are, and God loves you that way.

2004-10-29T08:41:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in my office again.

One month has passed since the 7-11 in Lexington. In that month we have packed up, said goobye, packed some more, said goodbye again...and again, loaded up the truck and moved to beverl...oh wait that's someone else...focus...oh yeah, loaded up the truck in the rain, walked into Cracker Barrell like drowned rats to sit in front of the fire. We then proceeded to drive into the night and through to Catlettsburg, KY before crashing into a hotel room. Woke up in the morning, drove 8 more hours because the truck would only go 40 MPH up hill (and there were a lot of hills!). We finally landed in Charlottesville at about 6:30 and made it to service about 7:30, met the group (great kids) and crashed.

We're getting settled into a routine, Alyssa is healthy and is doing this new thing where she nods her head up and down for no apparent reason. I'll ask her random questions as she nods, but once I get to, "is daddy the smartest man alive?" she quits nodding.

Tonight we're have a Friday Night Live, from 7-11 and one of my youth leaders (Suzie) is heading it up. She does a great job and the teens seem to love it.

Thank you ALIVE for loving us for so long and helping us through the move, and thank you PIERCED, Student Impact and Youth Rock for welcoming us with open arms.

New pictures of Alyssa will be up next Thursday.

2004-09-24T20:16:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in my office at the September 24th 7-11. I have a confession to make. I stole the name 7-11. I stole it from C.B. Wiseman. He probably stole it from someone else. Most of my best ideas are stolen. Stealing good ideas is a practice we should all engage in more often. The games we will play tonight were stolen from websites that specialize in team games, most of the songs we will sing were written by someone else that doesn't attend our church, and half of the ideas for our stage background were learned from observing what other churches do (black stage, lighting, metal backdrop - the zebra rug IS original). The writer of Ecclesiastes said "there is nothing new under the sun", and its true. The sooner we can realize that somebody somewhere has a better idea than us, the sooner we can borrow it, improve on it, and have "the best". There is no shame in research.

As I sit here writing, Cody is speaking over the sound system, instructing on games. Michael is organizing the night. Cory and Danny are guarding the expensive equipment from stray dodgeballs (that's what leaders REALLY do). Ken is cleaning up after the cookout. It strikes me that everything is progressing fine without the leader.

A.L.I.V.E. Youth, you have come so far! A year ago it would have been mass chaos if I left the room for one minute. Two years ago, a door was broken in one wing while I was dealing with a situation in another wing. Why? Because there were no leaders. Today, leaders are everywhere. When one leaves, three spring up in his/her place. It this type of leadership (not just Cory and Anna, but all the pieces that fit together) that will make the vision of A.L.I.V.E. Youth come to fruition. You can do it. You must do it; souls depend on you.

2004-06-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

The beauty of Holiness vs. The Booty of Hoe-iness
The Scoop on Scuminess

Its been almost a month since I last blogged, and I promised the folks on the message board that my next blog would concern the scuminess of teenage guys. So without further ado...

The Speech
Teenage guys are scum. All of them. If teenage girls knew what went on in the minds of teenage guys, there would be no dating. Some guys are less scummy than others. Some are top scum, while others are the scummy scum at the bottom that has been sitting there awhile. But they're all scum.

The Responses
Are you scum?
I am recovering scum. When I was a teenage guy, I was definitely scum. Somewhere around 23 most guys (the top scum, at least) turn a corner where their scuminess is brought under control.

So-and-so isn't scum. He's different
Ha. Hahaha. HA
Many who have said this to me, have returned weeks later only to report that, you guessed it, teenage guys are scum. All of them.

I'm a teenage guy, and I'm not scum
Not only are you scum, you are lying scum.

The Truth
Many have tried to twist the word to disprove the teenage guys are scum speech. We have all sinned, and there is none righteous, no not one. If the speech is ever used to say that teenage girls are perfect or somehow better than teenage guys, that is a gross misuse of it. Again all have sinned. Teenage girls sin tends to result less in scuminess and more in selfishness, self-absorption, jealousy, depression, destructive speech, and slander. In my mind this is just as bad as scumminess.

Scuminess is another way of describing the sexual perversion that attacks teenage guys. Sexual perversion is Satan's primary weapon against teenage boys. It begins with erotic dreams in early adolescence, and continues through perverted jokes and pornography in junior high. If allowed to go unchecked it ends in casual sex, homosexuality, or date rape in high school. Sexual perversion is a spiritual battle that all men must face and flee. It is the only demon influence that the Bible tells us to run from. It takes guts to admit that we have impure thoughts. I've heard it said that you can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair. That mean, scumminess happens, but you've got to shake it off. In today's society (much worse than when I graduated high school just 10 years ago) every teenage guy gets a hair-do full of bird crap on a daily basis.

This isn't something that girls should mock or ridicule guys for. The good Lord knows we'd have plenty to mock ya'll about if we were selfish, self absorbed, jealou--- you get the idea. It's something girls should understand and help to alleviate the scumminess. Unfortunately teenage girls all too often do the opposite. The Bible talks about something called lasciviousness. If post-modern American teenage guys are scum, then post-modern American teenage girls are lascivious. It means lewd (showing a desire for, or unseemly interest in, sex) provoking or exciting lust. It means doing the kind of things that are going to cause others to lust. It goes all the way from wearing the shorts that you know don't cover your behind to touching that place on his neck that you know drives him wild.

I have known more guys who broke up with their girlfriends because of pressure to have sex than the other way around. One guy left for camp after turning down an invitation to stay with his girlfriend instead. It was one of those invitations that included sex while her parents were away. He called her from camp only to find out that after he turned down the invitation, it was extended to someone else.

Girls act this way for a variety of reasons. The primary one is a poor self image. They think they can feel better about themselves if they can get attention from guys: "If they think I'm sexy, then that makes me better than so-and-so, and if I'm better than her, I must be good." But that was more in my generation. This generation has it ingrained in them that sexually illicit behavior is normal. I once had a girl say to me "Bill, the things I do are normal for girls my age". My response was that we aren't called to be normal. We are called to be different. We are called to be in this world but not of it. We are called to be a peculiar people, a royal priesthood and a Holy nation. God says "be holy as I am holy". That's a tall order, one that doesn't go well with a side of promiscuity. We are called to build one another up, not to perpetuate the downfall of our brother or sister.

We are told to worship in the beauty of holiness. Holiness: a word that is foreign to the pop culture that determines so much of how a "normal teenager" acts.

2004-04-13T10:59:00.000-04:00

Pictures are up of the baby at www.aliveyouthmin.org. Follow the links. Alyssa Grace was born at 00:37 Easter Sunday April 11, 2004. She was 8lbs 7oz and 20 3/4 inches tall.

2004-04-07T14:04:00.000-04:00

Sorry so long

I've had some people complaining about how long its been since I blogged, so here goes.

My Kids

Every time I get discouraged by this situation or that in the youth Ministry, I'm reminded how good A.L.I.V.E. Youth really is. I have warned over and over that we are not to be satisfied with being "better than average", or become complacent in striving to be like Christ. That said, I want to give honor to our members.

You might ask, "Why now, when there seems to be trouble around every turn and situations rising seemingly out of nowhere?". Partly because its times like these that true colors come out. When you've made a mistake, or been wronged, or are going through family issues (never have I had more teens in my youth ministry grounded from church at the same time), then the world sees your reaction. If life was roses all the time, no one would know how you'd react.

That's the first reason. The second is because I know these situations are an attack from the enemy. Satan doesn't like the commitments you made at Winterfest. He doesn't care for the unity that has been growing in A.L.I.V.E. Youth Ministries. He desires to steal, to kill and to destroy. He knows we are strategically positioned to do some awesome things to further the Kingdom of God.

I noticed today that we have very few individual entries to Teen Talent. Normally a group with strong personalities like ours would have solos out the wazoo. Though I wish we had more solos, I am happy that you guys want to do things together. With four "group" entries, we have more than any church in the state save one.

We have a good student led Bible study on Monday nights. Most churches are unable to find enough kids willing to read their Bible to pull that off. Our Wednesday night attendance is about one fourth our church's Sunday morning attendance.

We have leaders willing to use their time and talents to organize events. I have a list on my desk of about thirty people who will be taking active leadership roles in the upcoming Spring Slam 2004 Neighborhood Luau. Our goal is to see 500 teens in our parking lot that day. As always there will be an appeal at the end of the evening, and we hope to see 100 give their hearts to the Lord.

Keep up the good work A.L.I.V.E. Youth Ministries You are making a difference!

2004-03-18T15:55:00.000-05:00

Official Winterfest Blog III
The journey home

Sunday morning 7:30 came earlier than it's ever come before, but all were up (even Lloyd) and packed very near the agreed upon time. We grabbed a continental breakfast to go and headed to Knoxville. After a few technical difficulties, Kirk Franklin was on the stage. He looked much older than last time we saw him. Without the zoot-suit and silver sun-glasses, he looked less like a movie star and more like a youth pastor decked out in jeans and a t-shirt. He was less flash and more fun than before. Not that the flash was bad, it was just who he was (at least in my little mind). He danced, and was obviously having fun. It was good. It wasn't deep, meaningful, or life-changing, but it was good.

After tracking down the bus and Elizabeth's parents (we miss you lizard-breath), we hit the road. Ely's were ahead of us by several minutes, and Roach's were behind us. Shoney's - the official restaurant of the Church of God - was good to us. One potty stop later we were pulling into the church parking lot. The kids did a wonderful job cleaning the bus, and were very orderly in sorting their luggage.

Church Sunday night was great. We have several on the trip that attend different churches on Sundays but come to ours on Wednesdays. Many of them stuck around and many parents showed up. Worship was wonderful. We kept it short and sweet in order to leave as much time as possible for testimonies. A half-hour later there were few dry eyes in the house. The testimonies this year weren't just about what "God did for me", or "the blessing I got". This year one student organized a CD burning where we got rid of some 60-80 CDs (that's Crap-filled Disks). Two decided to stop dancing for the world and start dancing for Jesus. Several were delivered from sexual sins. A few gave up relationships they felt were holding them back. All came back ready to do something big for Jesus.

I was overwhelmed with the results. Often a man of few tears and many words, I was speechless, moved to moistness and dabbed the ducts. The members of ALIVE Youth Ministry have really inspired me to keep chugging; that it is making a difference. We are beginning research on whole new areas of ministry. I think we have the excitement and the man-power for the first time ever to pull off some amazing things that will impact more lives than we've ever imagined.

ALIVE, stick together, we're going places...and nobody wonder off!

2004-03-17T11:10:00.000-05:00

Official Winterfest Blog...Continued

Saturday began slow and ended in a frenzy. We started the day out at 9:45 loading the bus and heading to Five Oaks Outlet Mall and Nascar Go-karts. A few stayed behind at the hotel to enjoy the attractions near the hotel. We rode, we shopped, we ate. At 2:00ish we headed to the hotel to get a jump on the rush to the stadium. We ate on the way and sent some ahead who had already eaten. The best seats they could grab were in the nose bleed section, but they were together. Worship was great. As usual on Saturday nights, they tried to jam two services into one. I guess they're trying to give us our money's worth, but its so much. Like I said the worship was great, and then they brought out Heather Mercer. Her message was amazing, but her delivery, though good, wasn't teen-ager-ish. She lost the kids attention. Towards the end (about 30 minutes into her speech) she began talking about her experiences in Afghanistan. She spoke of Gabriel, a local who worked for her and was miraculously delivered by an angel from the beatings he received daily. It was nearly identical to the story of Peter's deliverance in Acts 12. She also talked about how the locals would have their hands cut off if they were found worshipping Jesus. They had a saying, "that's alright, I can still lift my other hand in praise". Some powerful stuff that most of the 24,000 teens in the room missed, not just ours.

Then Israel Houghton came back out and we worshipped again. This time it was a little more like a concert, whereas the previous night, Israel was the worship leader. Good stuff, fun. Inside, for the past hour and a half, I had been chanting, "Reg-gie, Reg-gie". I was ready for the sermon. I was about this time that someone came up to me, and told me that one of the kids was sick. I went to check on the sick kid, and the pregnant wife (who was sitting in the handicapped section because it was less steep, and she kept losing her balance in our section). I missed part of Reggie's sermon, but what I did catch was ... less impactful than last year. He told stories of characters in the dramas. The story of a girl who skipped town and left her widower father behind. Her life went downhill and she finally came home. Moving stories, but not Reggie's typical in-your-face-but-still-funny preaching.

The altar call was awesome. If ever you're going to sit on the second or third level at Winterfest, make sure it's the night Reggie speaks. Once again he had the youth ministers and chaperones go out into the concourse. We were praying so loud that we couldn't hear what Reggie was saying. All in all I'd say I missed 1/3 of what he said that night. But I knew what was coming. As Reggie called out their sins and struggles, my kids came streaming down the stairs, into the concourse, and into my arms. Others came down the stairs on the other side, and I had to fight my way over to them, calling to other youth leaders to follow me, climbing over four feet tall concrete walls to get to them.

The results of that altar call were more deep, and numerous than anything that has ever happened to our group. They dropped habits, relationships, pastimes, and clubs that they felt were holding them back. They prayed for one another, and many were saved and filled with the Holy Ghost.

Rounding them up to head out was easy, and then I got a bright idea. My wife is 36 weeks pregnant. I was told that we could drop her off and pick her up at the handicapped drop-off. So I decided to have the whole group wait there and have the bus come to meet us. This was the first in a long line of mistakes that night.

For whatever reason (security guards, mix-up on street names?), the bus driver was unable to get to where we were. So once I figured out where he was, I told him to keep on that route. He would soon pass an intersection 1/2 block away from us. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. The group ran to the intersection, and half of them kept running. The Police officer screamed at the bus driver that he couldn't load there and sent him around the corner. I ran from across the street to where the bus was sent, and half the group followed me.

I got yelled at by the Police after claiming full responsibility, the bus driver nearly got a ticket for trying to load in an illegal fashion. Only then did I load the bus to discover that we were missing 24 of our group. We were able to track down our group using cell phones. This proved relatively easy. We had gotten everyone's cell phones on a list that I kept in my binder and each of the chaperones and some of the kids had a copy of. Lloyd gathered them together in an orderly fashion. We sent them back to the arena and said we'd come pick them up. They got yelled at by a third policeman for loitering.

During the five minutes it took me to find our group, the bus driver got lost, because there was no one to give him directions. It took us nearly 20 minutes to get back to the arena (that's 5 minutes to get yelled at, five minutes to call the lost boys, and get lost ourselves, and 20 minutes to get back to the arena), and by that time the traffic, security guards, and traffic directing cops were all gone. All was well that ended well.

I had faced my second greatest Winterfest fear (losing a kid) multiplied by 24 and had survived. It was no big deal. We pulled together, and everything was okay. We decided against group devotionals that night, since we were loading the bus at 7:45 the next morning and it was already 1:00+. Each room had breif devotions, heated up their Wal-mart bought meals and went straight to bed. Yeah right.

Sunday was the day of Winterfest that had the biggest impact on me.

...to be continued

2004-03-16T15:21:00.000-05:00

The official post-Winterfest Blog

Winterfest is over, but revival in our youth is just beginning.

Winterfest was an adventure. To all the friends of Alive Youth, here is a recap. The trip down was uneventful. The bus ride promoted unity in the group, although I was a little concerned that there seemed to be one group in the back of the bus and one in the front. A good time was had by all (but only after you sit down!!)

Check in at the hotel was uneventful. Thank you Chuck for taking the time to drive me down to registration, giving the kids time to hang out. A few took the opportunity to swim while Chuck and I spent an hour in line for admission lanyards (that's a thing that goes around your neck - not condescending...I didn't know). When I took 52 of the remaining 200 or so, the 15 people in line behind me were none too happy. I think Luke Respondek wanted to string me up, because by the time he got to registration in Pigeon Forge, there were no supplies left. He eventually registered at the arena in Knoxville, and was well.

Then on to church. Our late arrivals met us at the arena with no problem. Cell phones are a beautiful invention...more on that later. Like last year we rushed the reserved seating as soon as they opened it to the general public. This year, however, with our group nearly twice as big, we weren't able to sit together, and again I saw two groups. The service was great. There were no superfluous names. No Lee University Choirs. There weren't two services - just one intense powerful move of God. Israel and New Breed rawked the house. Our group worshiped and really got into the service. Chosen was awesome and really inspired some of the aspiring dancers in our group. Jentsen Franklin preached his heart out on sexual purity and made a difference in the lives of many of our kids. That man can shuck the corn.

Friday night we had a short walk to the bus and a long drive back to the hotel without incident. Many of the in-room devotions were powerful and life changing. Still others prepared hearts for Saturday. Saturday, March 13th, 2004 was a day that our group will remember forever.

to be continued...

2004-03-02T13:58:00.000-05:00

A Look at the Cross

I finally saw it last night. I didn't sit and stare at the screen for 5 minutes (about thirty seconds). I didn't weep, I didn't moan. I didn't walk around mumbling "I'm not worthy". I did think. The whole ride home I thought. As I sat down in my usual chair in front of my usual television I thought. As I went back to my usual life, I continued to think. I tried to turn on the TV, but all I could do was flip to the classical jazz station (I never listen to those stations) and think.

Thinking is good. Its a practice we should all engage in more often. I thought of my sins. I thought of His suffering. I thought of how he could have just waved a hand and been down. Or even have called down a hundred black-birds to peck at those beating Him. I though of how many times I had spit in His face just as the chief priest did.

"When, where, how, will you end the torture?" His mother asked.

When? When will I learn? When will I truly live a holy life? When will my walk add up with my talk? Where? Where is my arrogance, my defense? Where did my desire for TV, news, pleasure go? Where do I go from here? How? How could he just sit there and take it, when I lash out at my wife just for telling me to change lanes? How can I live up to that? How will I live now; will anything really change?

I didn't learn much. The brutality didn't surprise me. I had heard it was bad; I was actually expecting worse. I didn't see anti-semitism. I didn't see intolerance. I saw the message of Christ. The one I have heard my whole life. The one I accepted years ago. The one that demands you do something with it.

That is what struck me the most when I walked out of that theatre. This movie demands a response. Because it's a great movie? No. Because it is the message of Jesus the Messiah. You cannot walk out of a theatre after see The Passion of the Christ and ignore the message of Christ. Then again I can't fathom how anyone could have ignored it before. You have to do something with it. You have to choose to reject it or to embrace it. This movie forces that choice on you. What will you do with the message of the Death and resurrection of the Christ, the anointed one?

My father - also named Bill Woodruff - is convinced (as am I) that this movie is in the inspired plan of God to draw a line in the sand. This and other recent events (such as partial birth abortion, gay marriage, etc.) will make a more definite distinction between those who stand with the sovereign Lord and those who stand against Him. The grey areas, upon closer review, will turn out as a chess board of starkly contrasting sides living together on the same board, in the same country. America will be divided, turned upside down with the message of Christ.

Christ told us "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you..." (John 15:18-20) Align your life today with the Cross. Embrace it. The Creator of the universe chose to come to earth to die for you and me. Let that message change you forever.

2004-02-28T14:31:00.000-05:00

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Neat little paper-back on investment and understanding personal finances. Talks about thinking outside the box, taking risks, and most importantly the concept of perceived truth. Most of what you think is true about finances is false. Particularly most of what you have been taught is false. For example, the Kiyosaki's biological (poor) dad always taught him to get a good education, a nice secure, high paying job with good benefits and save money in the bank. That's how you get rich. The author says this is a flawed method.

Kiyosaki asserts that the quest for security is the best way to maintain a paycheck to paycheck lifestyle. He points out that no matter how much money you make from your job, you will find ways to spend it. Better paying jobs require more expensive clothes, status symbol cars...Etc. In other words, few people will ever earn enough money to live comfortably. His secret is to take risks, invest and create wealth, rather than earning money. Good read.

The book has little spiritual significance on the surface, but when you begin to look at the concepts, they application in the spiritual realm. First, thinking outside the box. We need to look at new ideas and be open to whatever God has for us. I won't waste much space on this topic, since I just wrote on it Tuesday, February 17th.

Second, taking risks. We always want to do things the safe way. Christians of all people should be willing to take risks. The man who buried his talent was reprimanded by his master. We should invest our talents; that's stewardship. Think big and do big. Its easy to think big, but most people stop there. They never go on to do big. Take on big projects aggressively. Even if they fail, you will have learned something in the process.

Third, learning that much of what we know is false. Whether that be straight knowledge (most people think that Jesus was born in a disconnected wood building outside an inn, when he was actually born in a stone house. There was no room in the guestroom - inn - so they slept in the room behind it where the animals were kept.) or whether it be concepts, methods and motives. Challenge what you know. Learn everyday. Enter every situation willing to be taught, even by someone you don't look at as a teacher. Teachability is a prerequisite to greatness.

2004-02-20T16:44:00.000-05:00

Books I'm Currently Reading

Non-Fiction

Developing the Leaders Around You - John Maxwell

Learning some interesting concepts and techniques for lifting up those around me. If we work together, we all win. In ministry, as in other businesses (and don't kid yourself, there is a business aspect to ministry), we see constant competition. One having to outdo the other, having to receive "the credit I deserve". Often we compete not just for position, but also for favor among men.

Why do so many ministers seem to need to be liked? Is it because of a perceived lack of job security? Is it because of a desire to advance? Who knows, but one thing I can tell you is I refuse to be a man pleaser. In Galatians 1:10 Paul poses this question: 10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. True servants of Christ care nothing about pleasing men, but only pleasing God. If I strive to please God, God will take care of me when everyone else walks away. We can't let public opinion sway our decisions. By the same token, we followers (I'm one of those too) must not give the people we're following cause to grieve when making a decision. When I disagree with my Pastor, no one knows about it - often not even him. I have to trust him as one over me in the Lord and allow him to follow God.

Back to the book: As a leader, then, I don't need to worry about competing with other leaders around me. Until recently I didn't place much importance on speeches. I hated being thanked for asking someone to teach my youth group. I didn't like wasting preaching time thanking people for inviting me. I didn't like being recognized for my accomplishments (it still makes me a little uncomfortable) and I thought that unless people were egomaniacal, they would rather not be recognized as well. I'm learning that these things are important. It is good for me to point out those doing well under me to encourage them that I do appreciate their work, and let them know that I'm not jealous of or intimidated by their success.

ALIVE Youth Ministries is growing up. It is coming to a point where one leader can't handle all the responsibilities. God is raising up adult leaders to help shoulder the load. More importantly He is raising up an entire group of leaders, 20-30 strong. But we need focus. If one is promoting one program and another is trying to push his agenda, then we remain still. But if we all pull in the same direction, there's no telling what we can do.

There are changes coming. I don't know if its time for committees (I hate committees by the way). I don't know if its time to split the group - but I don't think so. I don't know what's next, but changes are coming, and God is going to send in the harvest. I've said before that God won't send in a harvest just to watch it rot on the threshing floor. We have to be ready, we have to be organized, we have to be on the same page. We have to be unified.

There is a story in Developing the Leaders Around You of two oxen at a state fair. The champion was able to pull 4,500 pounds, whereas the runner up pulled 4,400. Someone wondered aloud how much they could pull together. Some guessed 8,900 pounds, the sum of their individual accomplishments. Some said more; others, less. When yolked together they were able to pull 12,000 pounds. When we get together, we accomplish more than we ever could apart.

This was supposed to be about all the books I'm currently reading; a real short one...lol. I guess I'll have to get to the other ones later.

Preview: Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, In the Grip of Grace.

2004-02-17T13:59:00.000-05:00

Today's big news (in my world anyway - and welcome to it, by the way) is the Yankees signing of Alex Rodriguez. As a friend of mine put it, "the Yankees needed a thirdbaseman, so they went and got the best shortstop in baseball. Now that's thinking outside the box."

This may not mean anything to you if you don't know that shortstop is a much more difficult position to play than third base. A thirdbaseman needs a good arm, but not much speed. A shortstop needs both arm and speed. So Alex Rodriguez is overqualified for the job, as it were. As much as I despise what King George has done to the game of baseball, this got me thinking.

Why do we settle for "good enough" and "better than" when God intends for us to have the best? It has been said that good is the enemy of best, and its true. Why do we strive to make ends meet when God's will is abundance in all areas of our life? Why do so many in our churches sit on their laurels - among other things - when God wants us in the streets, at our jobs and in our neighborhoods to be meeting people and leading them to Him. It frustrates me - and I believe God - to have churches full of saints.

When asked why they don't worship fervently or witness zealously, people usually respond, "that's not my personality". That's the point! It is His personality shining through you. That's getting beyond yourself. That's getting into God so deep that people see God and not you. That's thinking outside the box we call human existence.

There's a line that fits in here about Rodriguez being a traditional shortstop, and "that's where he's always played" and he should stay at shortstop because he's the best fielder and that's the way we've always done it. I'm just not sure what that line is.

Your church may be good, but why not make it better? Do something out of the ordinary.

2004-02-14T08:54:00.000-05:00

Jesus Doesn't Do One Night Stands

If you want a history on Valentine's Day you've come to the wrong place. Run a google search on it or read any one of a thousand other blogs that will be working that angle today. The short version: Pagan holiday that the Catholic church tried to turn into a Christian one. Instead it has a Christian name and most of the pagan traditions. See also: Easter, Christmas.

If you're looking for a sermon on I Corinthians 13, you're also out of luck. Read it and if you don't get it, then post at the message board at www.aliveyouthmin.org. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

Here's my take on Valentines Day. Its overrated. But then, I'm not a big fan of holidays in general. If Valentine's is the only time of year that you show your love for your significant other, then your relationship is doomed. It's like the old lady who asked her husband, "why don't you tell me you love me, dear". He responded, "I told you I love you 40 years ago at our wedding. If I change my mind, I'll let you know."

It's okay to buy her flowers on Valentine's Day, but buy her more when those die, and maybe plant some Tulips in April. Too many people get all sappy around Valentine's Day and don't show love the rest of the year. Too many people get caught up in the drama of "being in love" and their relationships never go beyond drama. Be genuine, be consistent, be reliable.

The same is true in our relationship with God. With some it's just Christmas and Easter. They stop by with a bundle of flowers and chocolates and they're gone. Others show up every Sunday and disappear the rest of the week. Still others worship God in "intense" services, but pass notes on a typical Sunday morning. Jesus doesn't do one night stands! Be consistent with God. Dramatic behavior doesn't' impress God. Rather than have your sweet cards once a year, he'd rather have your undying love day in and day out.

2004-02-13T12:35:00.000-05:00

2004-02-13T12:11:00.000-05:00

Finally found some time to sit down and think. It's a practice we should all engage in more frequently. That's why this blog is called Refuge and Reflection (R&R). There's nothing more restful and relaxing than finding a safe place to think. I'll link this site to www.aliveyouthmin.org for easier accessability. DO NOT go to aliveyouthmin.org. It has been the victim of a hacker. For the security of your computer, don't go there.

The content may include spiritual insights, my thoughts on life, maybe my thoughts on the Cubs, and whatever other drivel spews from the cobwebbed corners of my mind.

The first subject is something I've been faced with lately. Shortcomings, weaknesses and the sheer finiteness of life. Paul said "for whenever I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor 12:10). Thats something we should never forget. God's grace is sufficient. What ever it is that you think you can't do, God can. Whenever you think you can't go on, God can. Whatever hurdle you can't overcome, God can.

There are so many areas in my life today that jeer "you can't handle this", or "you aren't good enough to do that". I just say "no...but God Can." Never let your accomplishments be limited by your ability. To man it seems impossible, but for God all things are possible.

The other side of that coin is this: Never let allow your strengths to overshadow God in your own eyes. No matter how talented, wealthy, charming, or driven you are, you are dust without God. An empty jar, no matter how beautiful and skillfully made, pours no refreshing drink.

Relish your weaknesses, and rejoice in your imperfections. God want to shine in you and through you.

Reflect on that.