The Evil Empire... Huh?

Chick Fil A has really caught the wrath of mainstream media's attack on Christians. I am amazed at the lengths they go to destroy a company for standing for their values. When put to a vote, same sex marriage is defeated every time by the people. The only states that have laws allowing same sex marriages are states where they passed it through government action not by the people. Chick Fil A to my knowledge does not discriminate. They do not charge higher amounts for a chicken sandwich to those who are pro same sex marriage. They absolutely can not ask questions about sexual orientation when hiring. So the bottom line is Chick Fila is evil because it donates to Focus on the Family. Jim Henson's company is the good guys because they donate to GLADD. I really don't understand the uproar over this except it is another attempt by the liberal media to stir the pot against Christians. Why can't we as a country get along. I am a Christian, I am a pastor, I support traditional marriage between one man and one woman. Guess what, I love you if you disagree. It's ok to disagree. We live in the only country where the law says it is ok to disagree but when we disagree there is always a person or group ready to spew their venom. I hope we as Americans can wake up and come together before we destroy our self. I will eat at Chick Fil A, I will also eat at McDonalds who support homosexual organizations. It's ok, that is their company's values.

The Challenge of the Day

Every day we are faced with challenges. Challenges in our life, family, friends and many other areas you can think of. As I write this blog I am going through one of those challenging days. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it".We like to believe that God will not put challenges on our lives that are more than we can handle. However that is not what this verse says. God will not allow temptation to be bigger than we can handle. So my question is what do we do with our challenges? When we are ignored by friends, hurt by loved ones and betrayed by those you trust, how are we to respond. If we set the record straight we are considered defensive. If we give in we are considered passive. How do we lead from the point of challenge? Jesus all throughout His ministry faced challenges. His biggest challenges were from the His "people", the Pharisees. Not much has changed in 2000 years. The people called to shepherd their flocks face challenges from their own people. It is never good enough. So why do pastors continue to shepherd? We can work in secular jobs and reach the lost for Christ. I have pondered this question for quite some time but now I am writing because I need to. When I left Dayton, Ohio I had a good job, a nice house and many close friends. In four years I have a nice house and not much more. So I go back to my original thought, does God put us through challenges that are bigger than we can handle? The answer is yes. I am living proof of it right now. God does not do this so we can fail. God does this so He can be glorified through us. It is not easy, I want to quit, but I know God has called me to His mission. Therefore Quitting is not an option. I must continue press on for the prize that Christ has called us to, Philippians 3:13-14.

Pray, Catch, Rejoice...

The Band Perry has one of the most popular songs right now entitled "If I Die Young". The song is a ballad about life cut short. Kimberly Perry says, "We wanted to write a song about making the most of whatever time you're given -- whether it's two years, twenty years or two hundred". What are some of the most memorable events in our lives? Weddings, funerals, the birth of a child, there are many things in life that cause one to stop and think. Psalm 90:12 says "so teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom" (ESV). The psalmist speaks of the importance of living each day to it's fullest. Sometimes parents miss this point when it comes to teens. The stresses on teens may seem minimal to us as parents but it is probably the first time a teen feels real stress that really challenges them. Teens genuinely seek after the abundant life Christ speaks of in John 10:10. Let us help our teens to accomplish their goals by praying. Pray for wise decisions, no matter how much we agree or disagree, teens are going to make their own choices. Second catch, when teens fall because of their choices the last thing they want to hear is " I told you so". Be ready to catch them on their fall and get them right back in to the game. Lastly, rejoice with teens. The majority of choices teens make will result in rejoicing. Parents must rejoice when the decision made result in success. Teens, when a Choice is made that may go against your parent's counsel and it works, "I told you so" should never be your response. Encourage your parents to know you made the choice based on the parenting you received and the counsel you received from God. I pray that teens never get to the point where they begin to believe the line in the song that says:

A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar

They're worth so much more after I'm a goner

And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singing

Funny, when you're dead people start listening

Unfortunately many teens get to this point and truly believe this verse. Hope is in Christ and Christ alone.

Life's End...

No, not death. We ended Life 2010 Saturday with a parade of missionaries in the morning along with 6500 students partaking in communion together. In the evening we closed with the idea that God breathes life in to us. Jason Ostrander reminded us that we are the light of the world and with that we closed with a song and glow sticks to represent our light in a dark world. There were many highlights to the week.

• Lunch together with the Burlington Church Monday afternoon.
• Arriving in Louisville and seeing some of my old friends.
• The energy that our kids showed the desire they had to listen God during sessions and seminars.
• The depth with which each student shared during the week about their COLLISION with God.
• A baseball game in which the Life group made the local news.
• Several concerts from Hawk Nelson and Kutless to Corban a band from Central America, a comedian and a magician.
• The opportunity we had to worship God in song and contemplation as each day their there was a pray of blessing prayed over the entire group from the leaders of Life.

Many highlights above but probably the one that touched us the most was the Alliance Youth Project. This was an interactive journey to experience and bring focus to issues around the world. We heard that 1 in 6 people in the world have clean water and in Africa they may walk 3 to 5 miles per day to find clean water. That water is then used for everything from cooking to bathing to washing clothes. We saw a floating school like the ones in Cambodia that refugees must study in. They are great improvements over what they had. We visited an area where human trafficking was explained and shown how people get caught up in that. Or rather should I say tricked in to the schemes of the evil ones. We saw a village in Africa where a well has been put in place. The wells cost $6000 each and are being built through the Great Commission. We were challenged to get involved and the kids in our group really wrestled with this issues as we discussed them as a group. And finally the offering was great we took an offering Saturday morning along with pledges all going to the Great Commission and the total was over $250,000!!!!!!! BY TEENS!!!!!

We have arrived back home after spending 22 hours traveling from Louisville to Greenfield. It is time for rest. Check back for more entries to this blog as we continue to unpack Life 2010 and look forward to Life 2013 in St. Louis MO.

LIFE 2010 Day 4

Take me out to the ballgame... I want you to check out the video.
What a great day we had. Today was supposed to be spent at Six Flags but was changed when Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom did not open this summer. We started the day with a visit from The Evangelism Linebacker. We were challenged in the morning to look up because Gad came down, Look in so God can work outwardly in our lives. We quickly ran to our seminars and the students have had great experiences in the seminars. Following lunch we headed to our evening session which was held early. Then board our bus to head to Louisville Slugger Field. We heard a concert by Kutless then watched the Louisville Bats and Toledo Mud hens baseball game. As you saw in the video above we set a record for the largest mob dance.
Highlights for Friday is the Alliance Project where students will be encouraged to focus on some serious world issues such as Human Trafficking, Lack of water and education. We also get a concert from Kutless. So Check back tomorrow for details of a fast paced Friday.

Day 3 Highlights

WOW!!!!! What a day we had. Francis Chan was awsome and challenged us with two things. First, we are made for God not ourself and second, life following Christ is a battle. Satan is like a lion wanting to devour us!!! We walked through the Alliance Youth Project. AYP draws attention to real life issues of sex trafficing, lack of water and poverty. 1 in 6 people are without clean water in the world. The activities center is awsome. It has been a good day and a half. The group is a little tired but up iand ready for what God has for us today. Today features Derwin Gray, Kutless and Louisville Bats (AAA for the Cincinnati Reds, Woo Hoo!!) baseball game. Check back for more updates.

LIFE 2010 Day 1 and 2

Five states in a day and a half. We loaded the bus on Monday at about 2:30 pm and began the trip to Louisville, KY. The trip was quite uneventful. After a few stops we arrived in Louisville about 10:30 am Tuesday. The rooms were ready so we had a few hours to relax, take a nap or go swim. After dinner we headed to the Louisville Fairgrounds for the LIFE 2010 conference. We saw the activities hall where there are carnival rides, large inflatable, a full court basketball court and other sports to play. We played corn hole, ping pong and pool. The Logan Martin Band was great as the worship band. We had a painter paint during the evening session. Jason Ostrander challenged us to pray for God’s to be done in our lives. That is the challenge that I hope the youth will pray for daily. Well this will do for this time. Check back tomorrow as we will fill you in about Francis Chan and Trace Bundy. For now good night and sleep well.