Matt Beeman: Just Me

August 27th, 2008

Notes from “Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions” by George Barna

Posted by matt in General

I just finished “Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions” by George Barna, who is one of the top researchers of the attitudes and behaviors of Christians in the U.S. I highly recommend this book to parents, and especially to those that are responsible for the ministry to children. It talks about what the churches and parents in this country are doing (or not doing) in order to raise children to be true spiritual champions. Here is the stuff that I highlighted or underlined, lots of great nuggets and thought processes:

If your life is to be lived for a grand purpose — namely, to love God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul, and to love others as you love yourself — then you must evaluate each choice you make in light of its consistency with that purpose (see Luke 10:27)

most churches are interested in acquiring a turnkey curriculum — resources that require minimal administration by the church, minimal preparation time by the teacher, minimal prior knowledge by the students and the provision of all the ideas, materials, and directions needed to fill the entire class time.

they are not able to demand the depth of commitment that children and their parents need to make in order to see significant life change occur. Without that mantle of authority, many of these volunteers lament that they feel as if they are engaging in church-sanctioned babysitting rather than spiritual transformation

if we could see the world through God’s eyes, we would quickly recognize that the only return on investment that truly matters is lives transformed to love God more deeply and to obey Him more perfectly.

Their moral, physical, emotional, and intellectual perspectives and behaviors intersect with those that honor God only when such choices appear to be to their immediate and personal advantage. Unfortunately, even most individuals who think of themselves as Christian do not truly operate on the basis of God’s principles and expectations, except when it is convenient or inescapable. Again, our national research suggests that shockingly few Christian adults make their moral, physical, emotional, and intellectual choices on the basis of sound reasoning from Scripture. The results is that they miss God’s richest blessings and begin to question why God doesn’t love them and doesn’t take better care of them, and they even question if He is real. Is that how you want your children to grow up — being in tune with God only when it seems to serve their best interests and losing out on the great life He has in mind for them if they would only pay attention and get with the program?

When we watch a movie, we tend to think of it as either being satisfying or unsatisfying entertainment. However, a movie is much more than that. It is a weapon in the eternal conflict to either strength or weaken our worldview and our capacity to represent our side int he eternal war.

In fact, one of the greatest victories won (so far) by God’s enemy has been the ability to convince most people - even most Christians - that there is no war being waged, so we might as well relax, feel good, and enjoy life.

Meaning and purpose are not all about occupational choices, educational degrees, marital status, financial security, personal achievement or leisure and recreational pursuits. It is about knowing God so intimately that you can discern His calling upon your life.

when you consistently live for God, His desires eventually become indistinguishable from your desires.

God calls each of us to commit to that vision -our calling - and prepares us for success in its pursuit by giving us the special combination of talents, skills, education, experiences, relationships and spiritual gifts required to bring that vision to reality.

A mark of God’s purpose for our lives is that there is little chance of accomplishing that purpose based solely on our human capabilities.

If we had a life purpose that we could accomplish without divine intervention and empowerment, then who would need God

What can you do to help the youngsters with whom you have contact discover God’s purpose for their lives? As you explore their personally, spiritual gifts, passion, intellectual capacity, physical abilities, character traits, and resonance with particular biblical characters and stories, funnel that knowledge toward guiding them to a clear idea of the role that has been reserved for them in God’s army. Encourage them to feel neither arrogant nor disappointed by that role. No calling is better than any other, and if it is God’s calling for them, then it is perfect for them. Keep in mind that discerning the calling takes time, effort, and sometimes a period of struggle or suffering. In other words, this is a process, not just a morning-long project. Be prepared to work alongside a child for a prolonged period of time as God unfolds the insights and experiences that will crystallize the calling in a way that generates ownership by the called individual.

Unfortunately, most Americans develop their worldview by default. In other words, it is essentially learn through the sources of influence identified earlier. The alternative to worldview-by-default is for you, as a parent or spiritual leader, to intentionally and strategically lead a young person through a process designed to help the youth arrive at a worldview that is consistent with God’s truths, principles, and desires for His creation. Once the worldview of children has been shaped and embraced, they unconsciously strive to make choices that are consistent with their perspective. To do otherwise raises internal dissonance, which brings discomfort and a sense of being lost. Many of the battles that we fight in our culture today — battles related to personal values, public policies and laws, individual behavior and religious beliefs and practices - are predictable and inevitable given the worldviews that people possess. If we want to transform our society so that it honors God, we must address the worldview that most young people embrace. They are prone to behavior that is consistent with their beliefs, and their beliefs are the result of their worldview. The notion of help other develop a biblical worldview seems daunting to many parents and spiritual leaders. It need not be, through. We start with an understanding of what resources are required to facilitate such an outcome.

As a coach in this worldview process, your challenge is to raise the young person’s acceptance of and reliance upon Scripture as a trustworthy source of direction and wisdom.

If we profess to be followers of Jesus Christ, then our worldview should demonstrate a commitment to His principles and standards as manifested in our daily choices and actions. Your challenge is to motivate young people to have a thirst for the righteousness of God; that is, to always do what is right in God’s eyes because they want nothing more than to honor and please Him.

shared experiences are among the most successful teaching episodes. Teenagers and adolescents, who tend to move about with their relational tribe of 4 to 12 individuals, often rely on experiences to provide their defining moments.

As people seeking to introduce righteousness and holiness into a fallen world and within a culture that revels in darkness, being different will brings its share of challenges. In a world that treasures position, possessions, and pleasure, the notion of sacrificing personal rewards and opportunities for the benefit of the spiritual growth of children is frowned upon.

Initially, adults have the opportunity to provide moral and spiritual lessons simply because they are adults. After a short while, though, children are able to assess the spiritual integrity of the adults in their lives. From that point forward, the adult must earn the right to flex that authority.

in order to rise above the noise of the culture and become spiritual champions. The content of their needs relates to developing a biblical worldview, knowing themselves and God well enough to discern their mission and vision, achieving genuine security in their relationship with God (both eternal and present-day security), attaining a sense of empowerment to carry out His will regardless of the consequences, developing the supportive relationships that produce both encouragement and accountability and being competent in living out the six pillars of a truly spiritual life (worship, evangelism, discipleship, stewardship, service, and spiritual community). Spiritual development is not so much about what your children know but who they are. Helping them to become people of godly character starts with you; it is not the job of a church to produce such people.

but the activities implemented tend to be ritualistic and of questionable quality; and the outcomes usually are not measured, tracked, or interpreted. It also seemed as if a church starts its ministry full of high hopes and energy, committed to high-impact ministry; but as it develops its own persona and ministry niche within the community, the ministry to children generally takes a backseat to the more visible and adult-oriented efforts of the church.

One of the typical building blocks is a clear conceptual foundation - a philosophy that permeates every department, program, and policy. Not surprisingly, this was true of the best children’s ministries, too.

Ultimately, the determinant of effectiveness is whether the person’s life has been significantly changed as a result of the spiritual growth that has occurred. These churches often make a critical distinction, though, between change and transformation. Change is a shift that may or may not last, tends to happen at a discrete and identifiable moment in time and is often incremental in nature — almost imperceptible in many cases. Transformation, however, is an enduring process in which the person is radically reformed and does not revert to his or her previous condition. This distinction is monumental, because transformation is Spirit driven while change is program driven. Transformation is facilitated but unpredictable, and change is caused and inevitable under the right conditions and stimuli. The most effective churches recognize that the goal is to facilitate transformation,yet they understand that they cannot engineer it no matter how sincere, professional, comprehensive, and biblical their approach may be. Only God brings about lasting transformation in a person’s life. A ministry may have the privilege of enabling such new life to emerge, but it can neither take credit for it nor describe the step-by-step approach that makes it happen. Consequently, the philosophy of children’s ministry in these churches tends to express their awe at the miracle of transformation, which is the Church’s hope but God’s domain.

The church must know what parents are seeking to accomplish in the lives of their kids as well as some of the struggles that are encountering in their efforts.

Consequently, the resources used by the church in its ministry to young people are designed to prepare parents for greater effectiveness, to advance existing efforts by the parents, to serve as a catalyst for new developmental ventures attempted by the family and to enhance the quality of the approaches and exercised used to mature children’s faith.

One of the simplest but most profound strategies to foster this integration is for the entire congregation to focus upon the same biblical principle during a particular week. Whether you attend a worship service, youth-group meeting, small-group meeting, prayer service, men’s breakfast or elders meeting, the same principle is focused upon during that week. The value of this consistency of focus is that it ensures that everyone in the church is moving in the same direction spiritually, that parents have acquired some core level of knowledge and insight related to the principle (and thus have the ability to converse with and challenge their children on the subject matter during the week) and that a refined body of spiritual wisdom is delivered to congregants within a compact period of time (We found that these churches rotate the spiritual principles they cover on anywhere from one-year to a five-year cycle. The duration of the cycle depends upon the instructional strategy utilized by the church.

4 out of every 5 churched 13-year-olds do now know what worship is, and a substantial majority of them admit that they do not feel they have ever experienced God’s presence.

Every weekend I get parent after parent chasing me down to ask about their kids. But what they want to know is whether or not their child showed up to class, whether their child had his or her Bible and whether their child was well behaved during the class. Nobody seems to care very much about how the child is doing spiritually, as if merely showing up two or three times a month precludes having to even ask the question.

if children are gleaning anything at all from their church experience, they will return to their home and watch to see if the principles and beliefs taught to them are consistent with and reinforce by the behavior of their primary spiritual nurturers — their parents. Sadly, even when useful information and ideas learned from church experiences are grasped by these children, they are lost or negated in the spiritual confusion that reigns within the typical churched household.

That common refusal to substitute good intentions for good outcomes distinguishes those ministries that facilitate spiritual growth from those who only talk about it.

August 22nd, 2008

“Do Hard Things” on sale at Family Christian Stores

Posted by matt in General

My new favorite book, “Do Hard Things”, is on sale starting this weekend through the middle of September at Family Christian Stores for only $10.19 as one of their “Book of the Month” selections. This is the best price that I have ever seen for this awesome book. The list price is usually $16.99, and even at “The Rebelution” conference, the book was $10. Buy this book, buy this book, buy this book.

July 15th, 2008

Thundercats are Go!

Posted by matt in General

It looks like the newest Tobler is on her way, so here are a few of the 54 Ways to Be a Perfect Dad from Cookie Magazine this month:
1. He understands why you want to go away with a friend for a weekend (and is not petrified to be on his own with the kids, will not need to call on any grandparents for help, and will not refer to his time with the kids — this weekend or ever — as “babysitting”, “kid duty”, or “being locked in a Turkish prison”).

10. Reminds you, as your heart breaks over the thought of your son being the only one at the recital who didn’t have a parent there, that it’s a long game, this parenting thing, and one — or ten — screw-ups do not make you a bad mother.

11. Is not afraid to wipe a butt

31. Applies equal enthusiasm and verve to playing dolls and kicking a soccer ball.

38. Accepts that your children have free will and that they may not want to grow up to be athletes or doctors or investment bankers.

47. Doesn’t assume that your decision to stay home with the kids means that he gets to opt out of attending the parent-teacher conference, packing the bookbag, replacing the Diaper Genie cartridge, and parrticipating in the general day-to-day operations of raising children.

48. Doesn’t assume that you’re the one who has to rearrange your workday when the babysitter calls in sick.

52. Packs lunches.

53. Recognizes that, while parenting is never for one second easy and often makes both of you tired and edge and wistful for your prekid days, it’s the most rewarding, most life-affirming thing you will ever do in your lives.

Congratulations Jen and Jamie!

July 1st, 2008

Philosophy

Posted by matt in General

When you minor in philosophy, people consider you intelligent…. when you major in philosophy, people consider you irrelevant. — Erwin McManus

June 26th, 2008

Almost normal again

Posted by matt in General

If I blogged more than once a month, you may have noticed that I was gone. Since I don’t, I had to remind most people that I went on church retreat last week, even my boss, who was attempting to make me work during my trip.

So, anyways, I volunteered to go camping in the Uhwarrie National Forest near Troy, North Carolina with 4 other adults (including “General Jody” Mitchell) and 13 of our middle school kids. We teamed up with God’s Country Outfitters and their “Survivor” camp program. After paintball, rapelling, kayaking, cliff jumping, and an adventure race, it took me nearly 4 days to work all of the soreness out of my body. It probably didn’t help that I had to run our youth service less than 2 hours after I returned, then 2 more the following morning, followed by 2 meetings, another service, then had to go to work the following days.

So, anyway, I am almost back to the point where I feel normal again in terms of sleep and soreness. So, what did I learn?

I learned that I am able to successfully convince students to jump off a 32 foot cliff. I am thinking that is a good thing, I am telling myself that is my ability to influence, and not just blind followers.

I learned that for some people, the fear of jumping is less about what the experience will be like, but the fear of letting go of what is familiar and what they already trust.

I learned that your day can be much more productive if you see it as an adventure.

I learned that it is very challenging to be receptive to instructions when we are tired.

June 8th, 2008

Books, Anyone?

Posted by matt in Books, Church, Me, Family, Philosophy, Ministry

If you didn’t know, I own a lot of books, as in a extremely disproportionate number of books in relation to how big my apartment is. I am not one of those packrat people that justs has piles of books around, but I doubt you will find any person in a 1 bedroom apartment with 3 bookshelves worth of books. I believe I have started nearly all of them, and I am going through and reading them again, this time actually writing down when I read it. In any case, since I can only read 2 books at a time, it is really a waste for me to have these books sitting around and them not being put to any use, so I thought that I would list them here and offer them to anyone who wanted them. The only problem is that would be mean that I would have to type out the name of each book, so I didn’t do it for a while. Then, I found this site called GoodReads, which would actually take my list of books that I own and make it into an XML file. With that, I was able to write a quick little plug-in for my blog that went through the file and grabbed all the titles, and is able to display them here. So, this is my list of books, if you are interested in anything, let me know and I will get back to you on what I am willing to do with that book. Happy Reading!

  • 10 Rules to Break and Rules to Make
  • 48 Days to the Work You Love
  • 5 Pillars of Leadership: Leadership fundations
  • 7 Laws of Highest Prosperity : Making Your Life Count for What really Counts!
  • A Better Way to Live: Og Mandino's Own Personal Story of Success Featuring 17 Rules to Live By
  • A Fine Young Man: What Parents, Mentors, and Educators Can Do to Shape Adolescent Boys into Exceptional Men
  • A Life God Rewards: Why Everything You Do Today Matters Forever
  • A Setback Is a Setup for a Comeback: Turn Your Moments of Doubt and Fear into Times of Triumph
  • Acres of Diamonds
  • Am I Making Myself Clear?: Secrets of the World's Greatest Communicators
  • Be a People Person
  • Become a Person of Influence
  • Become Who You Were Born to Be: We All Have a Gift. . . . Have You Discovered Yours?
  • Being Better than My Best : How You Can Raise Your Own Bar By Recreating Who You Really Are!
  • Being God's Man in the Search for Success
  • Believe and Achieve: W. Clement Stone's 17 Principles of Success
  • Big Picture, The
  • Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship
  • Boys and Girls Learn Differently!: A Guide for Teachers and Parents
  • Bringing Out the Best in People: How to Enjoy Helping Others Excel
  • Bringing Up Boys
  • Business @ the Speed of Thought : Using a Digital Nervous System
  • Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul
  • Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul: 101 Stories (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
  • Children Are from Heaven: Positive Parenting Skills for Raising Cooperative, Confident, and Compassionate Children
  • Christianity: Hoax or History? (Pocket Guide)
  • Coaching for Impact: Leadership and the Art of Coaching
  • Controlled Chaos: Making Sense of Junior High Ministry
  • Creating Your Own Destiny: How to Get Exactly What You Want Out of Life
  • Creative Christian Media
  • Democracy in America (Penguin Classics)
  • Destination Success: A Map for Living Out Your Dreams
  • Disciples Are Made Not Born
  • Discover Your God Given Gifts
  • Don't Waste Your Life
  • Dream Making in a Dream-Taking World
  • Dynamic People Skills
  • Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time (The Every Man Series)
  • Failing Forward: How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes
  • Full of It: Ideas to Fill Youth Ministry Volunteers with Encouragement
  • He-Motions: Even Strong Men Struggle (Jakes, T. D.)
  • Hope From My Heart Ten Lessons For Life
  • How Faith Works
  • How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling
  • How Jane Won: 55 Successful Women Share How They Grew from Ordinary Girls to Extraordinary Women
  • How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People
  • How to Live Life on Purpose: Discover Your Calling and How You Can Fulfill It (Life on Purpose (Paperback))
  • How To Start A Conversation And Make Friends: Revised And Updated
  • How to Think Like a Millionaire
  • How to Win Friends & Influence People
  • Hung by the Tongue: What You Say is What You Get
  • I Kissed Dating Goodbye
  • If It's Going to Be, It's Up to Me: The Eight Proven Principles of Possibility Thinking
  • In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars
  • In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership
  • It Only Takes A Minute To Change Your Life
  • It Only Takes Everything You'Ve Got!: Lessons for a Life of Success/Large Type
  • It's OK to Leave the Plantation : The New Underground Railroad
  • Jesus With Dirty Feet: A Down-To-Earth Look at Christianity for the Curious & Skeptical
  • Keeping Faith: A Father-Son Story About Love and the U.S. Marine Corps
  • Know What You Believe: Connecting Faith and Truth
  • Know Why You Believe
  • Kurt & Scott's Junior High Adventure: Taking Your Ministry Beyond Duct Tape, Dodgeball and Double-Dog Dares
  • Life is Not a Game of Perfect: Finding Your Real Talent and Making It Work for You
  • Living Loving and Learning
  • Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days
  • Man of Steel and Velvet: A Guide to Masculine Development
  • Marriage Builder, The
  • Maximized Manhood
  • More Than a Carpenter
  • My Utmost for His Highest: Traditional Updated Edition (My Utmost for His Highest)
  • Napoleon Hill's Keys to Positive Thinking: 10 Steps to Health, Wealth, and Success
  • Opportunity Knocks
  • Our Last Best Shot: Guiding our Children Through Early Adolescence
  • Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself
  • Piercing the Darkness (Darkness Set, Book #2)
  • Purpose-Driven® Youth Ministry
  • Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys
  • Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service
  • Real Boys : Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood
  • Real Boys' Voices
  • Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls
  • Rich Dad's Rich Kid, Smart Kid: Giving Your Children a Financial Headstart
  • Rich Dad, Poor Dad
  • Rich God Poor God
  • Road Signs for Success: 99 Powerful Principles to Guide You on the Road to Personal Achievement
  • Secrets of the Vine: Breaking Through to Abundance (Breakthrough Series)
  • See You at the Top = Formerly Entitled Biscuits, Fleas, and Pump Handles (Motivational Series)
  • Seeds Of Greatness
  • Shelter of Each Other
  • Spend Less, Reach More: A Pastor's Guide to Reaching the Most People for the Least Amount of Money
  • Success! The Glenn Bland Method
  • Suck it up and Step out
  • Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology
  • The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
  • The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens
  • The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God
  • The Clustered World : How We Live, What We Buy, and What It All Means About Who We Are
  • The Disappearance of Childhood
  • The Dream Giver
  • The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School
  • The Fight: A Practical Handbook to Christian Living
  • The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
  • The Friendship Factor: How to Get Closer to the People You Care for
  • The God of the Breakthrough will visit Your House
  • The Good Son: Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men
  • The Government We Deserve : Responsive Democracy and Changing Expectations
  • The Magic is in the Extra Mile
  • The Magic of Thinking Big
  • The Master Key to Riches
  • The Millionaire Mentor: A Simple Way to Get Ahead in Your Work and in Life
  • The Ministry of Nurture (How to build real-life faith into your kids)
  • The Next Millionaires
  • The One Minute Manager: The Quickest Way to Increase Your Own Prosperity
  • The Parent You Want to Be: Who You Are Matters More Than What You Do
  • The Power of Meeting New People: Start Conversations, Keep Them Going, Build Rapport, Develop Friendships, and Expand Business
  • The Power of Positive Thinking
  • The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life
  • The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here for?
  • The Referral of a Lifetime: The Networking System that Produces Bottom-Line Results . . . Every Day! (The Ken Blanchard Series; Simple Truths Uplifting the Value of People in Organizations)
  • The Seven Best Things Smart Teens Do
  • The Ten Offenses
  • The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
  • The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
  • The Ultimate Gift
  • The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors and Educators Can Do to Shape Boys into Exceptional Men
  • The Wonder of Girls : Understanding the Hidden Nature of Our Daughters
  • Think and Grow Rich
  • Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions
  • Trust God for Your Finances
  • Under God
  • Unstoppable Confidence
  • Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive
  • Whale Done! : The Power of Positive Relationships
  • What Choice Do I Have?: 26 Choice Secrets to Help You Achieve the Results You Want in All Areas of Life and Work
  • What to Say When You Talk to Your Self
  • When God Writes Your Love Story: The Ultimate Approach to Guy/Girl Relationships
  • When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box
  • Who Are You Really, and What Do You Want?
  • Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
  • Winning Without Intimidation
  • You and Your Network: 8 Vital Links to an Exciting Life
  • Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry

May 23rd, 2008

Did you choose to be happy today?

Posted by matt in Philosophy

I chose to be grateful and it lead me there.

May 19th, 2008

Do Hard Things

Posted by matt in General

This page has the notes (a summary, not a transcript), so I recommend that you listen or watch the message.

John Piper - Let No One Dispise You for Your Youth

Some other cool links:

 http://www.therebelution.com/

April 9th, 2008

Notes from Captivating

Posted by matt in Books, Church, Family, God

Yes, I know it is a book written for women, but I was encouraged to read it by my Pastor, “General” Jody Mitchell, so no jokes about getting in touch with my “feminine side”. Although, I had to stop and remember that “we” means women, or when it says “you”, it is talking to a woman.

Here’s my highlights:

When God creates Eve, he calls her an ezer kenegdo…
Alter is getting close when he translates it “sustainer beside him”

The word ezer is used only twenty other places in the entire Old Testament. And in every other instance the person being described is God himself, when you need him to come through for you desperately

You see, every little girl — and every little boy — is asking one fundamental question. But they are very different questions, depending on whether you are a little boy or a little girl. Little boys want to know, Do I have what it takes? All that rough and tumble, all the daring and superhero dress up, all of that is a boy seeking to prove that he does have what it takes. He was made in the image of a warrior God. Nearly all a man does is fueled by his search for validation, that longing he carries for an answer to his Question. little girls want to know, Am I lovely? The twirling skirts, the dress up, the longing to be pretty and to be seen — that is what that’s all about. We are seeking an answer to our Question.

Aren’t your deepst worries and heartaches relational– aren’t they connected to someone?

Much of what we call our “personalities” is actually the mosaic of our choices for self-protection plus our plan to get something of the love we were created for.

Jesus has to thwart us too — thwart our self-redemptive plans, our controlling and our hiding, thwart the ways we are seeking to fill the ache within us. Otherwise, we would never fully turn to him for our rescue. Oh, we might turn to him for our “salvation,” for a ticket to heaven when we die. We might turn to him even in the form of Christian service, regular church attendance, a moral life. But inside, our hearts remain broken and captive and far from the One who can help us.

It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in a cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triump to be one all the time when no one knows it.

I warned men that the greatest obstacle to loving a woman was this: too many take their Question to Eve. They look to her for the validation of their souls.

We do long to be fought for; loved enough to be courageously protected.

Jesus knew who he was. He knew where he had come from and where he was going. He knew why he was here. And so, in power and strength, in humility and complete freedom, he offters. He ministers to and ultimately he pours out his life as an offering for ours. Pleasing and holy and acceptable. Jesus does this, he says, as “an example that you should do as I have done for you” (v15)

Jesus is extending his hand to you. He is inviting you to dance with him. He asks, “May I have this dance… every day of your life?” His gaze is fixed on you. He is captivated by your beauty. He is smiling. He cares nothing of the opinions of others. He is standing. He will lead. He waits for your response.

April 9th, 2008

One of those Moments

Posted by matt in Church, Ministry

The 4 regular readers of my blog probably know that I do youth ministry for middle school on a volunteer basis. Those of you that are reading this for the first time are asking yourself why would someone volunteer to spend time with middle school kids, what kind of mental disfunction do you have? Um…, that’s a longer discussion then I want to get into right now, but anyway. I love middle school ministry, minds that are thirsty for knowledge, kids that still just want to have fun, but they aren’t so cool that they are high on themselves. It’s awesome seeing seeing them and answering the same questions over and over again about the basics of faith, being my true goofy self, which is a side most people don’t see, and just showing kids that being comfortable with who you are is ok, God mades us individuals for a reason.

But anyway, I have been doing middle school ministry for about 2 years now. By most people’s counts, we have a fairly large middle school group, we average anywhere from 50-70 over three services on a weekend, and we are still getting our feet wet in terms of knowing what to do with the ministry to help it function the best and obviously, to help it grow. Our senior pastor, Pastor Steve Caronna, did a series last spring called “The Church I See”, which was an 8 week series on the vision of the church, and we need to continually be visualizing what our ministry is supposed to look like. While I was hanging out after our 2nd Sunday service this past weekend, I looked out over our ministry room and I caught a glimpse of part what I had been envisioning for this ministry. Students had come up to me asking questions after the service, one of the students who had given her life to the lord was talking to one of the other leaders, the students were hanging out in groups in the cafe, in the lounge, in the arcade, and were just enjoying being with each other. I had to go run and get a camera to capture it, the pictures don’t do it justice, but it was a great moment for me:

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