We're having a BABY!!! :)

So Jenny and I are pretty excited...we found out on November 2nd that she was pregnant! :) On November 19th we both saw and heard its heart beating! It was beating at 115 beats per minute! We are excited about the idea of being parents...Jenny is due on July 16th...so probably sometime in July we will have a baby to hold instead of just knowing it exists and seeing pictures of it growing! Here's the picture we have of it from November 19th! :)

Election

So being in Colorado, I saw nearly everything that I voted for as a believer...turn out the opposite way! I don't care about which candidate had which tax plan, etc. I CARED about whether a person and even the propositions lined up with what God says in His word. Only one person that I voted for (who was against abortion and against same sex marriage) won....and this was how close it was 50.21% to 49.79%. Obama, Mark Udahl (US Senate), John Salazar (US House), and Liane McFadyden (State House) all won by a considerable if not large margin and they all promote abortion and same sex marriage! Proposition 48 here in Colorado would have defined a "person" as someone from the moment of fertilization. It was defeated 70% to 30%. 70% of Colorado voted to continue killing the innocent and unborn! A similar law was defeated in South Dakota as well! Colorado, in effect, turned its back on God and His word yesterday and now must deal with the results of that statement! Look at the history in the Bible when people turned against God and did what was right in their own eyes...it wasn't fun! Our responsibility is to continue to live out the gospel in our lives to the best we can and continue to preach the gospel to those around us, regardless of the results from the elections. People can only do what is right when they are following God, but how can they follow God if they don't know Him??? Rom 10! Some good news....it looks like Proposition 8 in California passed (52% TO 48%) to ban gay marriage and similar bans passed in Arizona and Florida. This is the one HUGE win for people holding to what the Bible teaches...so good job California, Arizona and Florida, may the rest of America follow... So, where do we go from here??? Anyone want to move to Israel? :) Just kidding....mostly! :) Lastly....1 Timothy 2:1-2 "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." Have you given thanks and prayed for those who are in authority???? Not near as easy this morning as it was yesterday morning! :)

Submitting Part 2 - because Christ did!

1 Peter 2:21-25 Verse 21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” Why do we submit to all authority??? Because Christ did as an example for us. Matt. 26:50-54

“But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus tretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”

Mark 15:29-32

“And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.”

Isn’t it interesting that Christ submitted to the earthly authority even though it was wrongly sending Him to His death when He had all authority to do save Himself??? We submit to authority because Christ submitted to authority! Verse 22 “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth.” Jesus Christ is our example. He is the perfect example! What does vs. 22 say? He committed no sin! Not once in His entire life did He sin! Not when He was 4 years old, not when He was 30 years old. How many of us could truly say that we had committed no sin??? None. How about just in the last month? Last week? NONE! Matt 12:34

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

So what does that tell us about Jesus’ heart? What does that tell us about our hearts? What we say comes from what we put into our minds and into our hearts! It is going to be tough to speak and act the way Jesus did when all we put into our lives is worthless trash that our flesh, some of our friends and the world tells us we should want! The music we listen to, the movies we watch, the things we look at on the internet, the people we hang out with….all these things are going to affect you and me. What we fill our hearts up with is what our lives are going to be like! Jesus filled His life with following God and knowing Him intimately! He pursued other people, loved and served them even when He didn’t have to. He spent time alone with God daily and that was where He got His strength and encouragement from. Where does your strength and encouragement come from? Does it come from God or from something else? Verse 23 “while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;” So how do we endure life when it gets hard…especially when it isn’t deserved? What did Jesus do? He kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously! If you want to have peace, if you want to be close to God then you have keep intrusting yourself every day to Him who judges righteously! What you pour your life into is what you are hoping will satisfy you and make you happy… What/Who will never disappoint? Jesus…everything else will be disappointing in the end. (1 Peter 2:6; Romans 10:11) Verse 24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Jesus Christ Himself was dead to sin. That was why He could live His entire life without sinning. That is the reason that we can do the same thing! But we have to keep killing ourselves each and every day to be resurrected in righteousness. Each morning when you wake up (not literally!), you have to kill yourself, your desires, your flesh and be alive to Christ and His work in you! Verse 25 “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” We say we want to follow God but then we get distracted and start sinning and stop following God! We must return when we sin as quickly as possible! We must remain in Him every single day!

1 Peter 2:13-20

1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. So how many human institutions are we supposed to submit to? ALL Why? God has given authority to men, and we are to respect His decisions. (Rom 13:1-2) What if they are bad/evil people? Are they still God’s servants? Is it possible for God to use bad people for His glory? Yes, think about how God used Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 43:9) and Pharoah (Exodus) Submitting to authority is not the same as agreeing with that authority. It is not ok for us to take matters into our own hands like some people do that are against abortion (who blow up abortion clinics). We have ways to overturn those decisions but most of us aren’t involved enough to know how…there are many ways and they are done by people much more knowledgeable than me. (www.bound4life.com and www.abort73.com) and by voting. Who was emperor at the time Peter wrote this letter? Nero! Arguably, the most cruel and evil emperor Rome ever had...but what does Peter say? Submit. Peter knew from first hand experience what it was like to submit and even the time when he didn’t agree with the authority…but he did submit. Acts 4:18-20

"So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."

Acts 5:17-20

"Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life."

Acts 5:27-29

"And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men."

The apostles accepted their punishment from the authority for disobeying to laws that God disagreed with, and yet were still submissive to the authority. They obeyed God by telling people about Him and what He had done, but they also accepted the penalty for disobeying man's laws...they didn't fight the punishment or try to hide...they went right back into the temple and preaching again! How to respect those in authority over you…especially when you disagree! 1. Look at the person and listen carefully to be sure you understand. (without making faces, rolling eyes, sighing, etc) 2. Remain calm (especially when they say something you disagree with or know is not true) 3. Use a pleasant or neutral tone of voice. (Pr. 15:1, 16:21) 4. Acknowledge the person's decision verbally. It shows you were listening! 5. Possibly disagree at a later time. (go back later, especially after you have done what they asked you to do….that way they see you are willing to submit, listen and respect them 6. Avoid arguing, pouting or becoming angry. 15For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. One part of the will of God is to obey those who are in authority over you…who does that include? Police, Teachers, Parents, President, bosses, etc. You and I will always have authority in our lives because we will always be responsible to God! Freedom from sin not to sin! Your freedom doesn’t mean complete freedom to do whatever you want…it means responsible for your actions! Just because we are saved doesn’t mean we are free to continue sinning constantly! Rom 6:1-2, 11-15 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Honor – “a showing of usually merited respect” Why should we honor all people? They were all created by God and in His image! (Gen 1:27) How? By being respectful, not judging, giving up our own selfishness, loving, serving, not killing the defenseless! I found it interesting that for a reason I don’t know, Peter put fear God after he said to honor all people and love the brotherhood. If we don’t fear God then we aren’t going to honor all people and love the brotherhood…but if we do fear God…we will! 18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. Do you think people will notice you being different if you show respect for someone who hasn’t earned it in your eyes and the eyes of your friends? Is that different or normal? Are we supposed to stand out from the crowd as Christians? Phil 2:14-16

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain."

Light stands out in darkness...even the smallest light is very noticeable in complete darkness. In order stand out as lights, we must hold fast the word of life and if we do that then we will be blameless children of God!

Not gossiping about a person or teacher that everyone else is talking about is going to stand out and people will notice. It doesn’t mean you agree with the person or teacher….it does means you respect the person that God has put over you in authority by not arguing with or gossiping about. 19For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. We are rewarded by God in heaven for obeying Him and those He put in authority. We don’t get rewarded for sinning and suffering for it. If we want to find favor with God then we need to submit to all authority in our lives and honor all people. If we want to find favor with God we need to fear and love Him. He has given us everything…why do we hold back from Him?

Republicans & Sarah Palin

I'll post something more personal hopefully later today or this week... ...but this video (3 1/2 mins) was very interesting and helpful to me to understand a bit more about Sarah Palin, who she is and what she's done. Her speech at the convention was amazing!!! I was also happy to hear Newt Gingrich answer a question so emphatically...even though the media decided not to air this interview...you'll understand when you watch why! :)

Abraham Lincoln

He is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Presidents the United States has ever had. I had written down a few quotes from him and was looking at them again and just reminded of what a man he must have been....and how hard the Civil War must have been on him.

“The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time. In the present civil war it is quite possible that God's purpose is something different from the purpose of either party - and yet the human instrumentalities, working just as they do, are of the best adaptation to effect His purpose.”

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”

“Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them.”

How often am I driven to my knees because I had nowhere else to go? I should be there often, but I like to think that I can figure everything out on my own...how stupid and prideful of me! Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest men to have ever lived...how can I think that I can make it on my own when Lincoln refused to think that? May I live my life with constant meditation on the fact that I need to be desperate before God at all times!

Veterans....we should respect them!

So I came across this story and video and didn't want to wait until Nov. 11 to share it because why can't we be grateful for our veterans (and even current military) all the time???? This goes not just for American soldiers, but for all of them! Don't be afraid to say "thank you for serving" when you see a soldier in the store or anywhere else!

On November 11, 1999, Terry Kelly was in a Shoppers Drug Mart store, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store's PA asking customers who would still be of the premises at 11:00 am to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us. Terry was impressed with the store's leadership role in adopting the Legion's "two minutes of silence" initiative. He felt that the store's contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable. When eleven o'clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the "two minutes of silence" to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect. Terry's anger towards the father for trying to engage the store's clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was later channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, "A Pittance of Time".

A clear conscience is a wonderful thing! :)

So I came across a quote that was (in my opinion) mostly true.....I agree with the first part....not sure and never will be (Lord willing) the second.

"There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience or none at all."

- Ogden Nash

When compared with scripture I know that the only way to have a clear conscience is to be in a relationship with the Father. He has made us free from sin and the guilt that follows sin, but in order to maintain that "clean" state of being is to continue to obey what God commands (John 14:15) confess when we mess up (1 John 1:9) and to be grateful for the fact that God is gracious (Psalm 103:8). Praise Him for who He is and for who He allows us to be...1 Peter 2:9! :)

An interesting article on the Israeli/Palestinian dispute

I thought this was a very good article...most of the really good info is located a few paragraphs into the article. It was definitely worth reading and being aware of! You can read the article here. Here are a few quotes...to wet your appetite...

Two weeks ago the editor of the largest newspaper in South Africa, The Sunday Times, wrote an article saying that Israel applies apartheid to Palestinian Arabs. In this scandalous accusation, he joins Jimmy Carter and others who have defamed the Jewish state. The apartheid label is very dangerous. If it sticks, Israel's ability to defend itself diplomatically and militarily will be severely weakened. International pressure on South Africa's apartheid government eventually played a major role in ending its power. The apartheid label is calculated to break the resolve of the Israeli people, who are called upon to make terrible sacrifices for our Jewish state. Who wants to die for apartheid? In the State of Israel all citizens - Jew and Arab alike - are equal before the law. On the contrary: Israel is a vibrant liberal democracy which accords full political, civil and other human rights to all its people, including its one million-plus Arab citizens, many of whom hold positions of authority throughout the Jewish state - including that of cabinet minister, Knesset member and judge at every level of the judiciary, the Supreme Court included.

Enjoy the article...it only takes 5-10 minutes to read. :)

A man I respect and appreciate....

This is my boss, my senior pastor, one of my main encouragers, one of the people who helps me learn from my mistakes with the youth group, one of the people who challenges me to seek after God with a passion and determination I have never had but want desperately. This man I look up almost as much as I do my own father (for 7 months of the year he's the same age as my Dad), which is a lot! He has given me the opportunity (that no one else would give) to do what I love and have wanted to with my life since I was 16...be a youth pastor! He has become a very close friend in a very short time and I am grateful for him and for the relationship we have as pastors and as friends (and that includes all three of us pastor too). I have been blessed tremendously because of him and this picture is us at the top of the mountain....

Even more Mt. Democrat pics

Picture 11 - The view from near the top of where we came....you can't see our cars where we parked it was THAT steep! :)

Picture 12 - It was an amazing day....green grass, blue sky, nice temperature and even better fellowship :)

Picture 13 - the cool refreshing stream...look, but don't drink! :)

Picture 14 - one of the better pictures I've taken recently...

Picture 15 - Andrew showing the mountain who's boss with his fog horn! :)

More Mt. Democrat pics

Picture 6 - HALF WAY! :) and a decent view too! :)



Picture 7 - WE MADE IT! :) 14, 148 feet!



Picture 8 - 90 of the 360 degree view :)



Picture 9 - the students that came and they all made it to the top! :)
(Left to right) Front row - Kourtney and Christie, Back row - Ethan, Stacie, Me, Kasey, Carlie, Andrew



Picture 10 - the students showing their truer colors...they aren't smiling quite as much....they were tired and we still had to go down... :) :) :)

Hiking Mt. Democrat

So even though our church youth group climbed this mountain almost two weeks ago...I'm reminded to post some pictures for two reasons. One, my sunburn from this hike is finally peeling off and two, its been on my "to do" list and I'm able to do it now that our sports camp is over. We left the church at 4 am, drove for 2.5 hours to the base of the mountain and then hiked for 3 hours to get to the top. All of the students (and the rest of the group) made it up to the top! :) Here are a few pictures...


Picture 1 - The view from the base of Mt. Democrat (barely visible to the left and behind of the main peak). and yes there's snow :) I threw a lot of it! :)



Picture 2 - (Left to right) Christie, Stacie and Carlie before the hike...they look ready to go.... ;)



Picture 3 - The view from 1/3 of the way up the mountain



Picture 4 - We've got a ways to go...



Picture 5 - ...but Pastor Scott is there to encourage us upward! :)

Prepare your minds.....

Here is a sermon that I preached two sundays ago for the church our youth group worked with on their VBS. It is from 1 Peter 1:13-20. I will hopefully be updating the blog soon with details, highlights and stories from our trip to Delta, CO. Thanks for praying for us! :) Here's the link to the audio feed Prepare Your Minds.

Temptation, Priests and Excellent Behavior

One of my absolutely favorite verses and one that EVERYONE should memorize is 1 Corinthians 10:13

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

That means that there is no temptation that you will EVER be faced with that you won't be able to handle if you are trusting in God. NONE! That is so exciting because it means that whenever I am tempted by anything I have the power and ability to say NO! Each and every time we are tempted we have been given a way of escape so that we will stand in holiness. Another verse every Christian should memorize is 1 Peter 2:9

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

God calls each and every one of His children a priest! Every believer has been chosen by God to represent Him in this world as His chosen generation, His royal priests, and His own special people! We are called to proclaim what God has done in our life, how He brought us out of darkness and into His light! We should be acting as His priests, people who serve Him, who are holy and pure in our thoughts and actions, people who really know His word, and people who reflect how great and marvelous He truly is! The last verse we looked at was 1 Peter 2:12

"Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation."

If we have the ability to say no to temptation each and every time and if we are acting as God's chosen people, His royal priests, then we our behavior will be excellent in God's sight. The world without Christ will want us to stumble and fall into sin and will wrongfully accuse us of sinning, but if we have been behaving as God's chosen priests, then the world will know that we are people that follow God and they will glorify Him through our excellent behavior! There is no temptation that we won't be able to handle with our faith in God! We are chosen by God as His holy nation and His royal priests. We should keep our behavior excellent since we are able to handle any temptation we are faced with and because we are chosen by God to be His priests so that the world will know who we serve and glorify Him and not us!

What happens when you are a Youth Pastor

This is how you know you are loved......I guess! :)





The fun part is that I know who did this..... :) :) :)

WOW....Biblical facts.....unbiblical conclusions

Foxnews just published this story. It has some very remarkable (and biblical) ideas and facts, however some of the conclusions don't measure up very well against the Bible. The most interesting quote was

"Previous studies using mitochondrial DNA — which is passed down through mothers — have shown that all modern humans share one female ancestor (out of thousands), the "mitochondrial Eve," who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago."

I remember the Bible (in Genesis) mentioning someone named Eve. I also remember the Bible mentioning the near elimination of the human race (Genesis 6-7). The only people that survived were Noah, his wife, their three sons and their three wives. Which means all people could trace their "mitochondrial ancestery" back to Noah and his wife and then even farther back until you reach Eve (and Adam). Its very cool when people find things that the Bible already talks about. Although we still have to live by faith, not by sight (or facts for that matter!) Genesis 7:7-10

"So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth."

Genesis 7:23-24 "So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days."

Don't mess with Israel

This is an old story but I just found this picture and thought it would be interesting....

The following picture is a supposed nuclear facility that supposedly Israel bombed. The funny part is that the location of this picture is in Syria! If Israel did bomb this nuclear site, then Syria should take note because Israeli jets flew over their country and bombed their facility without being noticed.

Note: Syria has denied this was a nuclear facility and initially said there was an "internal" problem. Israel denied involvement in the bombing. Riiiiiight! :)



The picture was taken from foxnews and you can read their article here.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight O Lord.”

Have you have ever been insulted? Have you have ever been made fun of as part of a joke? How did you feel when you were insulted? When I was in elementary school whenever someone would insult someone else I would usually hear one of two responses....

I’m rubber, you’re glue, bounces off me and sticks to you

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

These statements are completely false and are only a lie we say to pretend that we are not affected by what people say. Matthew 12:34 “How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” If you are living a life that fears and obeys God, your words will be evidence of that. The heart speaks through the mouth. James 3:10-12 “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.” You can't get fresh water from the ocean and neither should you hear foul, abusive, or harsh speech coming from someone who has been transformed from a sinful being into a child of God. As a Christian I should be acting like a Christian, especially in regard to how I talk to people. Eph 4:29 “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Is everything I say encouraging? Is everything you say encouraging? Why should we be careful with our words??? Eph. 5:1-4 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.” Be imitators of God, walk in love, speak in love because God died for you! Col 3:8-9 “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another.” Don’t be someone who is abusive with their words. You probably all know someone that is and you probably don’t like them very much because they are always putting you down and insulting you! No one likes to be insulted, even if it’s a joke! Everyong likes to be around someone who is encouraging! As Christians, we should be the best at encouraging people! Eccl. 10:12-14 “Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him...yet the fool multiplies words.” Matt 12:36-37 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the Day of Judgment. ‘For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.’” This should make you more careful with what you say! You have to give an account for every word you say. It makes me want to say a lot less! James 1:19 “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” Most of us are exactly the opposite...we would rather talk than listen! The people I like to be around the most are the people that are good at listening to me. A good friend is one who will listen to you!. You want friends? Be a good listener! Col 4:6 “Let your speech always be with GRACE, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” How often SHOULD your words be spoken with grace? How often ARE your words be spoken with grace? Rom. 14:19 “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” Are you pursuing the things which build people up? Are you saying things that build people up? Are you respectful or are you rude? Are you gracious or are you harsh? Are you encouraging or are you discouraging? “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD.” (Psalm 19:14)

Words are cheap, actions are expensive!

This was the main point for youth group Sunday night. I have been studying and teaching about the fear of God in youth group the last couple weeks and have seen over and over again in the Scriptures that a person who fears God will obey God and a person who doesn't fear God won't obey God. John 14:23-24 “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word…...He who does not love Me does not keep My words…” 1 John 2:3 “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” If you believe in Jesus and have repented of your sin then the results of the transformation that comes when you are filled with the Holy Spirit should be evident! But how? Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” If you surrender your life to Jesus and live your life as a sacrifice to God then the results will be evident to the people around you. You will be different. Jesus was different! If you decide to live your life how you want to live it then you will look like the rest of the world and people will not see the transforming power of God in you! I want to be known as someone who is different, different because of Jesus and what He did for me. But it comes with a cost......"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matt 16:24-25) I want to be known as someone who follows Jesus but that means that I must obey His commandments instead of doing the things which I and the rest of the world want to do because our flesh is weak. (Matt 26:41) Some people (including me) think that keeping God's commandments is hard and a weight not worth carrying......but there is no greater joy than to walk in the Spirit and obey God's commandments. (3 John 1:4) God's "commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3)because God has given us the power and ability to do what is right by filling us with His Spirit (Romans 8:9-11). The weight of sin and guilt is immeasurably heavier than doing what is right. I used the example of driving 75 mph on the freeway instead of the speed limit of 65 mph. When I have driven that fast I have constantly been looking all around to see if there is a policeman somewhere that might catch me. If I only drove 65 then I wouldn't have to be worried because I would be doing what is right and not fearing the consequences of driving over the speed limit. When we do what is right we don't have to worry about the consequences because God is pleased and glorified by our actions. We may get made fun of by some friends for not doing certain things (drinking alcohol, doing drugs, sex outside of marriage, using foul language, etc) but God is pleased when we obey Him and THAT is what matters most! The consequences of disobeying God are far greater than the consequences of following Him and living as Jesus lived while He was on this earth! It isn't enough to say that you believe in God (James 2:19). If you say you believe in Jesus then your actions should be an exact replica of who you say you believe in. 1 John 3:18 "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." Actions speak louder than words! I wonder where that person who said that phrase got that idea from......maybe he or she read their Bible and came across 1 John 3:18. God said it. Don't just say something........DO IT! James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” If you say that you are a Christian then your actions should tell people that you are a Christian! James 1:22 “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” The pattern of your life should be one of obedience and Christ-likeness! PS. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

Global Warming

If you are annoyed at the global warming hysteria you should read this article. If you are a proponet of global warming then you should read this article. (Hint: they are the same article) :)

"You will never know God is all you need until He is all you have."

I have been thinking about this quote all week and yesterday God decided to give me a fresh and vivid reminder of the practical application of this quote. I woke up yesterday with some version of the stomach flu......I will not go into details, but it was the stomach flu. I was reminded 7 different times yesterday just how much I wanted to be in heaven instead of stuck on this earth with sickness and pain! God reminded me while I laid in bed all day that all the things that consume my life mean nothing when they are all taken away! I was reminded that He is to be my refuge and my strength.......I couldn't even keep water down! I was also reminded to pray and pray I did, not just when I was bowing down to the great white throne, but as I lay in bed with nothing to do. Today I feel much better, but am I praying as much as I did yesterday? Am I relying upon God to strengthen me like I did yesterday? What about tomorrow? Mattew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 " in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

A New Life :)

In the last month I have married the love of my life, more commonly known as Jennifer Edwards, moved 1200 miles away to a place called Pueblo West, CO and started a new job as a youth pastor at Majestic Baptist Church.

Change has been the word of the month for Jenny and I because EVERYTHING has been changing!!!! My cell phone number (719-334-5634), Jenny's name, our address (194 E. Spaulding Ave, Pueblo West, CO 81007), my job, my friends & neighbors, our pastor, our youth group, etc, etc, etc......its all been changing this last month.

However, there is one exception, God has not changed! This is something I have been very grateful for, especially this month because as wonderful as this month has been, it has been very hard to adapt and change just about everything I have been used to doing. It has been the one thing that has been reminding me that God is in control all the time and He is watching everything we are doing.

It is my responsibility to be constantly before His throne asking for His grace and wisdom in everyday life and especially in all the decisions Jenny and I have been making.

He has responded by pouring out His grace more abundantly than I imagined, we found a apartment which was exactly what we had been praying for (2 bedrooms, large living room, 1 1/2 bath, wonderful kitchen for the exact price we prayed for $650 a month)!!!! Jenny and I showed up on Sunday morning and were overwhelmed by all the encouragement and the friendliness of our new church home. THEN, when we showed up for youth group later that night, it wasn't youth group, it was a surprise welcome party for us which just blew us away! I didn't get to my lesson I had prepared though! :( but it was just amazing how thoughtful and welcoming the church was to us and we were both incredibly grateful for everything!

Those are just two examples of how God chose to shower us with His blessings these last two weeks. There have been things that have been hard, but the Lord is teaching us through them as well! :)

God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

Blessed be the Name

Job 1:21 "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." This is one of those verses that I constantly think about and the song that was made because of this verse instantly became one of my favorites as well. Blessed be your name In the land that is plentiful Where the streams of abundance flow Blessed be your name Blessed be your name When I'm found in the desert place Though I walk through the wilderness Blessed be your name Every blessing you pour out, I turn back to praise When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say... Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be your name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be your glorious name Blessed be your name When the sun's shining down on me When the world's all as it should be Blessed be your name Blessed be your name On the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in the offering Blessed be your name Every blessing you pour out, I turn back to praise When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say... Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be your name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be your glorious name You give and take away You give and take away My heart will choose to say Lord, Blessed be your name