A Life Lesson From Driver’s Ed. (A Pondering On This Faith Journey)

(The Preamble)
I had almost forgotten I still had a blog.
This road seems quite dusty and untraveled as of late. Far too many of life’s challenges have taken its place and shuffled my priorities past what I can even recognize as “normal” anymore. Still, there is this itch that I cannot shake. No, I don’t need some sort of itch cream, it’s a mental itch rooting around in my brain, struggling to grasp just one spark of life so that the rest of those creative neurons will fire once more. It’s the itch to put to proverbial pen and paper what’s been brimming inside my brain threatening to spill over. It’s the itch that will not subside until I have committed to it once more. So…here I am. Scratching.

Can I tell you a story?
ok. here goes.

My 15-year-old twins, on their birthday, were adamant about getting their driver’s permits. So, off we went and, sure enough, they took the test and passed. Then, both of them, with smiles from ear to ear took a photo of their proud achievement. I realized at that moment that I had driven them to that location begrudgingly because they are my babies and I still can’t believe they are old enough to drive. Still, with my heart solidly lodged in my throat, I allowed them to drive me home. They don’t know this, but I still see them as the babies they once were: all diapered up, running around in opposite directions and causing all sorts of chaos and mayhem in our little home. That’s the twins I still see when I look at them, but they’re growing up and, perhaps a small part of me (or maybe a large part of me) doesn’t want them to age. In fact, I wished I could reverse time and keep things the way they were.

I am in this chapter of my life where I am once again sitting in the co-pilot seat and sometimes, if Shanais (their Mom) is in the car with us, I am relegated to the backseat where I become the most epic backseat driver that has ever lived. These co-pilot trips are nerve-wracking. Far too many times than I can count I have slammed on my imaginary brake pedal as my son or daughter has taken a curve too fast or has decided to brake too late as the cars in front are at a standstill. I have experienced heart palpitations and, sometimes it has even skipped a beat, as my trust in these rookie drivers has waned and I secretly think to myself “This state really needs to revamp its driver’s training tests” as I white-knuckle the handle just above the passenger door.

I need to confess something: I have trust issues.
I sometimes have doubts that my babies should be driving, and I’m embarrassed to say that I am often surprised when they surpass my road-test “I am worthy” expectations. Sure, they still make mistakes while behind the wheel, but ever-so-slowly they are improving and becoming the driving experts that I know they can become.

The last time I was riding shotgun as one of my “babies” drove, I had an epiphany right there in the passenger seat, white-knuckling the door handle. This must be how our Heavenly Father feels when we still have so much to learn while on this road of life. It sounds kinda cheesy, but I think it’s sort of true. He knows what we are capable of, and yet there are many times that I’m sure he has white-knuckled that passenger door handle as He’s journeyed along with me (and perhaps you). I know that I have trust issues, but I doubt God does. He knows you and me. He knows that we get nervous, or fear failure, or dread having “that meeting” at work, or__________(insert your fear here).

Psalm 139 says that before we were even born God knew us. Perhaps He still longs for that baby stage too, but He journeys with us wherever we go, even when we make mistakes and belatedly hit the brakes with regret.

I am reminded, through these co-pilot scenes in the car with my kids that despite my best efforts, I have to trust that God holds these precious babies in His hands and I can’t always protect them from all of life’s lessons, no matter how hard I try.

I am also reminded of how many times I have failed in this life, and despite my failings, God still loves me and desires for me to get back up, buckle up, adjust the rearview mirror, learn from my mistakes, and mature in my faith as I journey along with Him. It was never a high-speed race to the finish line, but rather a marathon in which we often get banged up and bruised along the way.

So how’s your driver’s education going?
Are you still making mistakes?
Have you thrown your hands up in defeat recently?
Do you fear failure?
Are you defeated right at this very moment?
God is near.
He knows you.
He loves you, and you have never been alone…He might have held onto that door handle a bit harder at some points in your journey, but He’s right there with you.

This is just me, pondering on…for what it’s worth.

Blessings my friends!

June 7, 2023 3

In Search of Significance

People look for significance in what they do instead of who they are. God made something amazing when He made you. Don’t ever doubt that you matter to Him even when this world might try to drag you down. You are loved.

Henri Nouwen was a widely successful writer, theologian, and professor. One would think that significance was found in presenting theologically deep lectures or in writing books and yet after twenty years of collegiate work he left that world and began to work with the developmentally disabled individuals at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Canada.

Henri Nouwen once wrote: “This is what life is about. It is being sent on a trip by a loving God, who is waiting at home for our return and is eager to watch the slides we took and hear about the friends we made. When we travel with the eyes and ears of the God who sent us, we will see wonderful sights, hear wonderful sounds, meet wonderful people … and be happy to return home.” (The return of the Prodigal Son, 1992).

I often wonder what it will be like when we finally rest in the presence of God. What will He say of the choices we have made in our lives? What will He say of our faith…or the lack there of? I can recall many moments of unfaithfulness to God in my life. I am not proud of these moments. In those dark chapters, I found myself clawing at circumstances and troubles with my own strength and knowledge until my soul was raw and empty. Perhaps this was what it was like when David wrote Psalm 13:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Sometimes, in our search for significance, we come to the realization that God has not followed us to this ego-driven destination. Sometimes we are left wanting for more because the things that we were searching for are found and still they did not fill us because they could never replace the all-consuming presence of God. We try to fill that God-shaped hole in our souls with titles, trophies, monuments to our names, and legacies that people will remember. We spend so much time caring about what others think of us and the reputations or personas that we have built around ourselves – only to feel as empty as when we first started out. It was all for nothing. Why? Because none of it could replace what we left behind – The Father. Our Creator. Our Author. The One who has known us before we even had breath in our lungs (read Psalm 139).

“Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.”
(Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life.)

So here it is:

All of the ladder climbing, elbow-rubbing, name-dropping, butt-kissing motivations will never fill that void we feel in search of meaningless significance in this life.

I am not saying don’t work hard, or find fulfilling missions and work to belong to. We should work hard and love what we do. However, if all that we do is work at being known by the world, and in our ego-driven, self-promoting ways, find some semblance of recognition – it will never be enough. There will always be another hill of success we will look longingly upon and regret not having what we could not reach.

Yet, God comes to us. At our level, lowly as it is, and says to us, “You are loved by me. You matter to me. I made you, I am proud of you – that is enough.” Think of it: The God of the Universe says that our primary significance is found in our identity as a son and daughter of the Most-High. We can find true and holy fulfillment in His presence and not in all of the attention-seeking practices of our world. How simple and how profound!

“God created us for love, for union, for forgiveness and compassion and, yet, that has not been our storyline. That has not been our history.” -Richard Rohr.

May we finally begin to recognize our true self-worth that is only found abiding in the very presence of the Holy One. May His reflection be present in us before it is seen, and may our search for significance be realized in the simplicity and sanctity of Holiness which is fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit.

-Something more to ponder today.

April 4, 2022 2

Dear Christians, If Church is your foundation then you NEED to rebuild!

“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.” -Billy Sunday

Being a member of a church is not enough.
Carrying a bible and wearing “church clothes” isn’t enough either.
Saying all of the right prayers and calling out a timely “amen” isn’t enough either.

We can look the part.
We can act the part.
But if there is no difference in your heart.
Then it all that you have been doing is acting – not being.

We can often times get the “doing” before the “being“.
Do you know what I mean?

What I mean by that is this:
We can do church.
We can even do Christianese.
We can do all of the right things for all of the wrong reasons, and still not BE holy as God has called us to be holy. (1 Peter 1:15).

Doing requires works and action (Which in the right context are good, but AS the context can be bad).
Being requires deep, lasting change.
Being requires identity, the true source of context and provides us with the true foundation – God Himself.
We are made in the image of God.
We are His.
Being His requires surrender, sacrifice, dying of our old self and taking on this new image.

“You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.” -Ephesians 4:22-24 (The Message Version)

If we simply “do Church” we are attempting to “faith-hack” our relationship with Christ and with those He called us to minister to.

If our entire faith journey is all about how Church is blessing ME then we have corrupted our faith and have deleted the great commission from our ideology. We might rationalize it like this: “Sure, reaching people is good as long as they come to our church and as long as they fit the mold of what I think Christians should look and sound like.”

I fear that our Western ideology has polluted our perspective of what being a Christ-follower looks like.
The Christ-following ecclesia (as found in the Acts 2 early Church) was about the Body (the group of believers) being unified, sharing everything while adding to their numbers by reaching out into the world and preaching, teaching and making disciples. The love (Agape love) was evident and was like a sweet aroma to the world around them.

Have we lost that lovin’ feeling?
In our attempts to grow our churches, have we lost sight of reaching out and loving others?

Jesus didn’t call us into the safety of a church building to being silos, develop our own church culture and making it hard for the “outsider” to relate let alone earn their membership cards to our exclusive club. We as humans can sometimes make Jesus almost inaccessible to the sinner when we ourselves are sinners save by grace.

Jesus didn’t call us to become comfortable and complacent in our faith.
He did not want us to leave people out or write them off either.
If we are hiding behind Church, or dare I say, if Church has replaced God as our faith in religious practices, rituals and observances, then we MUST rebuild our faith.

How About You?
Church is not four walls of a building where we practice piety.
Church is not about rituals and the styles of our expressions in worship.
Church is not about having an exclusive club membership.

Church is you and me, human beings, living out our faith expression first of all for the glory of God (and not because we prefer this style of worship music or style of service). Secondly, we express this living and active faith so that others might see the image of Christ through us. When we do this, we are helping others discover that faith journey too for the purpose of a Jesus relationship.

Burn the walls of division.
Burn the halls of exclusivity
Tear down the rituals that have hidden Christ instead of revealed Him to others.
Break the traditions that do not glorify but only serve to prevent new membership and fellowship.

YOU are the Church.
YOU are the prophet that God has called to minister to others (that only you can minister to).
YOU are called and equipped.
YOU must check your foundation and if it is in need of repair – begin the restoration process today!

-Something more to ponder today.

June 1, 2021 1

“Re-filling The Well.”

“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” – Mark Twain

To those today questioning your self-worth…you are important and loved.
To the person seeking hope in what seems to be a hopeless dark mass of despair, God’s light will shine and guide you through this.
To the person who has been beaten down by the world, has zero confidence left and wonders if they matter at all – well, guess what – YOU DO!

Why do we need to hear words of encouragement and comfort?
That is probably a dumb question, isn’t it?
~~We want,~~ no that’s not a strong enough word, we all need a sense of belonging, acceptance, love and knowledge that who and what we do matters.

So let me ask you, when was the last time someone affirmed that in you?
When was the last time you felt that deep warmth of belonging?
I’m not just talking about your workplace or career, I’m talking about every facet of your life. Do you have a well of encouragement from yourself and others to draw from? If not, just like water in a desert, it can evaporate and run dry. We need to constantly draw from this well of assurance and encouragement. That’s why God provides to us companionship and friendship. We cannot go about our lives on our own. We cannot live vicariously through episodes we binge watch on Netflix. We need other humans and their interaction in our lives to help us draw from this well again and again.

This isn’t to say that we become an attention sponge or needy in our attempts to self-congratulate ourselves, but rather we find a healthy medium of friendships that challenge us, drive us forward and offers to us a safe space where we can refill our minds, bodies and souls.

I am sorry if this sounds like an episode of Dr Phil, but the truth of the matter is far too many of us are running on empty when it comes to deep accountability, encouragement and human connection. We were made for fellowship with God and that of other human beings. We need to be encouraged and to encourage others – thereby refilling that well over and over again. -This is humanity…this is where we live and breathe and where we exist…we may want to dissect ourselves and separate it all out in neat little compartments, but at the end of the day humanity is us and we are humanity.

Questions:
Who can you encourage today?
What will you say to them? What will you do for them?
How can you brighten someone’s day? It is not something mystical, but what we find when we encourage is that we too are drawing from that well…we too are replenished and renewed. Encouragement, love and a sense of community is infectious and our world needs more of it.

Be encouraged today…“He who began a good work in you will carry it on into completion.” Philippians 1:6

Go and refill the well.
Something more to ponder today.

January 16, 2020 0

Silence is a Killer…A Devotional Pondering.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Let’s face it, we all encounter difficult days…some more difficult than others.
There are days that we can manage on our own, and then there are days when we are completely floored by the problems that come our way. The pressures may seem impossible to overcome, and sometimes that may be true…

I know what you’re thinking, “that doesn’t sound very encouraging to me”…let me finish:
The pressures may seem impossible to overcome, and sometimes that may be true…but we were never meant to handle it all on our own.

In the Apostle Paul’s day, the new believers in Thessalonica were encountering all kinds of trouble. Thessalonica was the largest city in Macedonia which boasted over 200,000 people. This city was known for being a military and commercial port city. So within this large city in Macedonia, these young Christians were encountering all sorts of trouble – even persecution and death because of their new-found declarations of faith. In the midst of their living testimonies, they longed for the day of Christ’s return. What does that mean? They lived in fear every single day, and couldn’t wait for Christ to come back. And so these young Christians lived expectant lives while encouraging each other onward.

The persecution in Thessalonica must have been fierce for the Apostle Paul to remind them that they needed one another and they ought to continue (“just as you are doing”) to encourage one another.

Let’s put this into perspective:
We might not be facing certain death for our faith, instead we might be struggling to pay rent, finding funds to feed our families, enduring a tough problem at work or at home…all of these situations are arduous and, at times they keep us up at night.
The killer is silence.
What do I mean?
We think no other Christian is struggling, and if they are it must mean that their faith isn’t strong enough. This could not be further from the truth.
We have this idea that we shouldn’t let other Christians know how discouraged we really are, because we don’t want them to think less of us. Because we don’t want others to talk. Because we fear judgment of others. Because we believe in the perfect Christian life that really doesn’t exist…because we’ve bought the lie that to be a Christian means we don’t struggle with these things anymore.

And so, silence is a killer.
No one knows.
We don’t share.
And our hurts go unchecked, unnoticed, and unaddressed.

Dear Christian,
How can we encourage one another if we aren’t being honest with each other?
How can we carry each other’s burdens if we allow silence to slowly kill our souls?
We cannot continue to buy the lie that everything is fine when we face times of trial and we keep it private. (Some will laugh at this and say, but church is full of hypocrites and gossipers…then find REAL believers in whom you can confide!)

Healing can begin with out this kind of encouragement, but long is the process and deep the scars. When we have others who will journey beside us, and encourage us, we will find added strength, hope, abundance and encouragement.

Don’t let silence kill you.

September 3, 2018 2

4 Ways We Get Christianity Wrong

First of all let me set the record straight, if we aren’t following Christ and desiring to be like Him in every way, then we really shouldn’t call ourselves Christians. That’s a bold statement, but it’s true. We can’t understand who this Jesus guy is, unless we actually read and study His life. What did He teach? What did He do? With whom did He associate with, and who did Jesus heal? When we study who Jesus was and is, we begin to see the kind of life that we are also called to live – if we are to follow Him.

Today, I would like to focus on just 4 Ways We Get Christianity Wrong.
It should be noted that there are more ways to get this wrong, but for the sake of time, lets cover just four.

Emotionalism:
I used to despise altar calls. (There, I’ve said it, phew what a weight off of my chest)
Why did I despise altar calls? It wasn’t because I was running away from the Holy Spirit, but rather I was running away from what I felt was manipulation. That sounds rather bold, and perhaps you will disagree with me, but isn’t there an element of the rehearsed, “I’m going to pull on your heart strings” emotionalism that can sometimes be present in altar calls? Some denominations have basically built their entire church on “feeling”.But let me ask you, what happens to those who just don’t “feel” it? Are they just not in touch with the Holy Spirit? I would add that some have walked away from the faith because of these kinds of emotionalism doctrines thinking to themselves, “I must not be good enough, or emotionally vulnerable enough, because I just don’t feel the way the rest of the church feels.”

Don’t get me wrong, when the Holy Spirit falls upon His people (and He does) we know it, but it isn’t always tied up in our emotions and tear ducts. Altar calls certainly have their place, but when it is not genuine, but rather stats driven…then it’s merely manipulation, and I don’t think that’s truly God-honoring. Don’t manipulate people into coming to an altar when there isn’t even an altar in their hearts yet for Him. That desire comes from knowing Him through the fellowship of other believers – also known as discipleship.

I am also not discouraging the use of the altar, it can be a wonderful, glorious place to receive Christ and to rededicate ones life, but it has been mistreated, overused and used to manipulate others as well. Use it wisely!
It’s All About ME!
The problem with an individualistic society is the loss of “others”. No, we do not lose the sense of others around us, but rather the desire to help others, or to see the needs of others before our own. Jesus indicated to His disciples that if they were to be great, they had to first serve others. Our world teaches us through our own experiences, and we rely on these self-experiences to get us through life…but what if we’re missing the experience to serve others? Couldn’t serving others actually teach us more about ourselves as well as how God sees all of us?The problem with modern Christianity and Church is the need to find a place to be “fed”, but we never seek to feed others. If we find the first, but neglect the latter – we have missed the entire point of Christianity. Too often we see out churches to entertain us, to meet our needs, and to watch our children…but isn’t there more to going to church? Isn’t there more involved in being a Christian?

We get Christianity wrong when we internalize God’s blessing, but never make the effort to externalize it for others.
The Christian Fast-Food Menu Order
Another component to the individualistic society that we live in is to use the Bible as a fast-food menu. By that I mean we can sometimes pick and choose the statements and teachings in the Bible that matches our lifestyle choices so that we feel less guilt, when all along we know that the Holy Spirit is speaking to us…and at times convicting us. We can all be guilty of this, and it can be easy to gloss over portions of scripture that don’t necessarily mesh with what we’ve chosen to put into our lives.Jesus consolidated the Ten Commandments into to very important truths:
1. Love God (Heart, Mind, Soul, Body)
2. And love Others.
When we do those two things and actually practice them in our lives the truth of the rest of scripture becomes real in our lives. By that I mean, we are more in tune with the Holy Spirit and more willing to listen to His calling.
Commitment Is Vacant
We live in a very fast-paced world.
We literally have the world in the palms of our hands with smart devices that are linked to almost every place in the world. Isn’t it funny that we can spend 5-10 hours a day scrolling on our phones, but when it comes time to go to Bible Study or that group you said you would go to – we can’t seem to find the time.

This isn’t a guilt trip – this is simply the truth.
We might make excuses like, “Well, they really won’t miss me.” or “It’s just not for me.” or even, “That study is BORING!”…but what we miss out when we don’t commit is human connection with other Christians brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all imperfect and faulty…some ARE boring…some ARE not really geared for you…but the connection with other Christ-followers is vital!

Yes, we all have families.
Yes, we all have busy schedules – and time is a precious commodity, but if you can spend 5 hours + on Facebook, you can spend 5 minutes a day doing devotions or praying to the Lord. For some of you who have that commitment, I applaud you – keep going! Some of us need to get into some spiritual shape…and we need to actually commit.

These are just 4 Ways We Get Christianity Wrong…for what it’s worth.
Blessings on you!

June 9, 2018 1

If It’s Not Broke…Then Break It.

There is a problem with our self-reliance.
Independence is a great thing, but are we independent from God?
Do we only require God’s help when it gets tough and we use God like a panic button?
The problem with self-reliance isn’t about having too much control, it’s about the willful choice of not surrendering.

what?
But isn’t surrendering a sign of weakness?

Not when it comes to surrendering to God.
He desires it.
Longs for it.
Yet, so few of us ACTUALLY surrender ourselves completely to Him.

Did you know that only reason Christianity spread so far and wide in the Acts church is because they were shattered and scattered? Act chapter 8 records the shattering of the church as Saul persecutes Christ-followers. Before he becomes Paul, he plays this vital role of breaking…

Without the breaking we don’t have a gospel message that goes far and wide.
Still today, without the breaking, I fear our witness becomes far too comfortable and contained…so much so that Satan doesn’t have to worry about us anymore.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t long for the breaking…no one ever truly longs for such a time, but sometimes it is needed.

Could there be a need of breaking in your life right now?
Have you become comfortable in your faith or church or current state of life right now?
God desires our full surrender, and unfortunately, sometimes the only way for us to become fully committed and surrendered to Him is to be broken…to be shattered again.

What needs to be broken in your life in order for you to grow spiritually again?
What must you surrender to God in order to truly live for Him?
My fear in this time and era of the Church is that there are far too many Christians comfortably numb to the moving of the Holy Spirit. I am afraid that many churches and Christians in the Western world are asleep and unaware of what God longs to do.

We have to WAKE UP.
We have to be shattered and broken again.
Without this, I am unsure if any of us will truly know the freedom of living by faith in God’s grace…because we haven’t invested or stepped beyond what we are comfortable with. Did you catch that?

What WE are comfortable with.
There is no inclusion of His presence in that statement.
It’s all about what WE feel, and what WE want, and what WE can get from it…

God,
SHATTER me again.
Lord,
BREAK me.

May it be our desire to be fully surrendered.
Not in our own time and convenience.
Not because we have nothing better to do, or we “freed up” some time in our schedules.
BUT, because it’s what God desires from us.
FULL and COMPLETE Surrender.

Father,
Break us again.

AMEN.

April 26, 2018 0

Lenten Messy Church – Temptation

Key Verses: Matthew 4:1-11, 26:36-45, 69-75

The Theme is – How to be Strong, Prayer & Lenten/Easter

We all face temptations in life, but how and where do we find the inner strength to say ‘no’ to what is harmful and instead choose what is best? How do we decide what is dangerous, especially if something looks ‘right’?

Christians believe that God’s words in the Bible can help us know the right path to take and that God promises through Jesus to make us strong enough to choose the way. Jesus faced temptation about the best way to rescue the world during his 40 days in the desert. He also prayed in the garden of Gathsemane in a moment of true temptation and sorrow, just before he suffered an illegal trial, beating, humiliation and death on the cross – all for the purpose of our salvation. Jesus used God’s words from the Bible to help him know the right thing to do. Peter, at the same time faced the temptation of denying Jesus, just as Jesus had predicted. How would we fair when the pressure mounted?

Activities: Each Station should last 10 minutes.
(Items Needed)
Station 1 Items needed: Large Jenga Blocks (or small ones if you can’t find the larger versions)
Station 2 Items needed: Construction paper, sand, glue, cotton balls, markers, sticks
Station 3 Items needed: Pre-make cupcakes stacked and ready, get some colored frosting or add food dye to vanilla frosting for extra colors. Add sprinkles and other toppings.
Station 4 Items needed: Large puzzle (with perhaps large sized pieces)
Station 5 Items needed: strips of construction paper of the following colors –
Red = Sorry
Yellow = Thanks
Pink = Please
Blue = Other People
Green = Our Community
Purple = Our World
And a strip of paper for each participant with the scripture passage printed on it.
Tape, Markers, pencils, crayons.

Station 1 – Build a Tower (10 Minutes)
Use Giant Jenga Blocks, to construct the tallest tower that they can in 7 minutes or less (give time at the end to discuss the questions below).
Scripture Verse: “Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down…” Matthew 4:5-6

Talk About: How do you decide what is risky to do and what is safe?
(Say) Jesus was tempted by Satan before His ministry began and one of the temptations, Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem and stood on the highest place (probably the top of a tower) and he told Jesus to throw himself off. What do you think Jesus did? Answer: He resisted the devil and told him “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”
It is important to know what is risky and what is safe in life, and it is also very important to resist temptations when they come. God will give you the strength if you ask Him for His help!

Station 2 – Sand Art: (10 Minutes)
Create a collage of a desert scene involving sand, glue, small cotton balls for stones and maybe some dead twigs if you can find enough for your groups.
Scripture Verse: “The Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry” (Matthew 4:1,2)

Talk About: What gives you strength to survive hard times?
When is life like a dry desert? Is it always easy to pray? When is it hard to pray?
(Say) Even in the desert times of our lives, God promises to never leave us or forsake us. It might be hard to believe sometimes, but it’s true. When we call out to God, He hears us and He is very near. So where are some places that we can pray? Do we have to be on our knees to pray?

Station 3 – Cup Cake Decoration table: (10 Minutes)
Decorate cup cakes with various colors of frosting and sprinkles (the more toppings the better)
Leader Ask: “what temptations do you find hard to resist?”
Say – just like these tasty looking cupcakes that we are lathering on frosting, temptations can often appeal to us. We might hear one of our parents tell us not to eat that cookie, but we feel the temptation and maybe sometimes we act on that temptation by taking the cookie we were told not to take.

Ask: Jesus was led into the desert where he was tempted by the devil, do you think Jesus gave into those temptations? (No).
How can we avoid the traps of temptation? Who do you think will give us the strength to resist temptation in our Life? (God)
Scripture Verse: “Jesus said to him (the devil), “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ Matthew 4:7

Station 4 – Puzzle Table: (10 Minutes)
Have a large piece puzzle (something that might be accomplished in under 10 minutes) out for the group to put together. As the puzzle is being put together Ask: How do you know which puzzle pieces fit in the right place on this puzzle? What happens when they don’t fit? How would you go about rescuing the world from the mess it sometimes gets itself into? Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He took His disciples with Him. He was about to put the world back together again. Because of sin, the world was broken like this puzzle, and no one else could save us except for Jesus. But he struggled with this life and death decision, because it would mean that He would have to ACTUALLY suffer and die. So all night long Jesus prayed to the Father to help Him with these important pieces of the puzzle of sin.
Scripture Verse: “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray”…and He began to be sorrowful and troubled.” Matthew 26:36-37

Ask: Why did you think it was so hard for Jesus?
Do you think any other puzzle piece (besides Jesus) would have fit into this story of Salvation for the world?
Say: John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the World that He gave His one and only Son (Jesus) that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (The puzzle is complete!!)

Station 5 – “Prayer Chains”: (10 Minutes)
Create prayer chains with multi-colored strips of paper.
Red = Sorry
Yellow = Thanks
Pink = Please
Blue = Other People
Green = Our Community
Purple = Our World

Write or draw your prayers on the corresponding colored paper strips, then add them together using tape to make a prayer chain that each person will take home with them.

Leader: While the prayer chains are being created, ask – “Who do you want to ask God to give strength to at the moment? Are there times when you need that strength in your own life?

Say: Peter was very afraid when Jesus was arrested. People came up to him on that night and kept asking him if he was one of the disciples of Jesus…and because Peter was really afraid and lacked the courage, he denied even knowing Jesus.

Ask: Are there times when we are afraid to admit that we are followers of Jesus too? How does God giving strength help us through difficult moments in life? Do you believe that God hears our prayers? Are there special words that we are required to use in order to get God’s attention? (No!)

Say: God knows what we need before we ask Him, but He wants us to talk to Him. We can talk to Him about our troubles and fears as well as asking Him to help with the troubles and fears of other people we know, like our parents, grandparents, cousins, neighbors, school friends, teachers and so on. God hears us when we pray to Him!

Scripture Verse: “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Philippians 4:6-7 (Message Version)

(Include this passage on a piece of paper for every person to attach to their prayer chain).

Devotions: (5-10 minutes)
Recap the Scripture passages and the theme of temptation and God’s strength helping us overcome the lures of temptation. Close with a chorus (we did “The Joy of the Lord is my strength”)

March 19, 2018 0

Lenten Perspectives Day 5b – Featuring Cadet Justin Steckbauer

Where did the human race come from? Did we evolve out of space dust and starlight? Or were we designed for a specific purpose? That is the ultimate question. But even if we were to say evolution is true, which is a stretch, where did the material for the universe come from? A big bang can’t explode from nothing. That doesn’t make sense. So it’s logical to believe then, that the best explanation for our universe, our planet, and ourselves, is that an intelligent creative eternal being made the universe, and made us.

Therefore, God does exist. But who is God? I believe God has revealed himself through something we call, “The Bible.” The Bible has been criticized a great deal, many say it’s just a book full of stories, it’s just myths, it has contradictions, all of these attacks are levied, and Christians are criticized, and are said to be bigoted and hypocritical.

But is this really true? I believe that we can trust the Bible. In fact the biblical documents we have today have been trusted by billions of people through history that believed God really came to Earth, as the person of Jesus Christ. Thousands of archaeological discoveries have been made by using the Bible. And the Bible matches with history, we see countries like Syria, Babylon, and the Roman empire, real civilizations interacting with biblical history. The truth is we can trust the Bible.

And if we’ve been hurt by Christians who have not lived up to the standard of Christ, we should remember, that we are not called to follow other Christians, we’re called to follow Jesus Christ alone. I’d encourage you today, as you eat your meal, think about these things. Think about how everything in the universe fits together so well, that the food on your plates is designed just right to nourish your body. And remember that the hands that serve this food say without a doubt that they do so because Jesus has saved them, and they feel called to serve others.

Jesus Christ, the God-man come to Earth, came on a rescue mission to save all of us from sin. Sin are those things in our lives that separate us from God: things that cause us pain, that hurt our relationships, things we’ve done wrong, things like selfishness, self-seeking, and pride. Jesus came to save us from all of that.

And he saved me from all of that. At one point in my life I had lost all hope. I was addicted to drugs for years, and my family had given up on me. My soul had turned grey, and everything seemed dark, and hopeless in my life. I had given up on ever having a better life, on ever being ok again. Can you relate? But then someone told me about one name, the name, Jesus Christ. There is power in that name. And I went on my knees and cried out, “Jesus help me, Jesus save me.” And He swept into my life, changed me internally into a new person, and put me to work for his kingdom.

Seek Him in your life. Fall on your knees and cry out to Him. Now is the time of salvation. Keep this in your mind: When you are at the bottom, cry out to Jesus: Cry out Jesus save me! Jesus help me! He will answer. Trust in Him. Reaffirm your trust in Him. Make certain He is the center of your life. He is our real, living Savior.

-Justin Steckbauer is a first year Cadet in the Central Territory USA.

March 16, 2018 0

Lenten Perspectives Day 5a – Featuring Cadet Aaron Johnson

As we enter into the Lenten season, let us remember that Jesus is no longer in the tomb. On the third day He was raised from the dead, defeating the dark forces of sin and death. As we contemplate the sacrifice of Christ, we should also ponder our willingness to sacrifice for Him. God calls us out of the world and into the life He has planned for us, knowing our daily struggles. In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, we hear Jesus state to Paul concerning a personal struggle, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” As believers our joy is not grounded in our circumstances. We know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ has won the victory and our earthly home is not our forever home, but at times it seems impossible for us to sacrifice everything in order for us to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. These are the times we need to remember that it is not by anything that we have done that we are saved, but by God’s grace and mercy. Each day we should count it a blessing that we have been called apart from the rest of the world to be a living sacrifice for Jesus Christ. The act of submitting to the will of God, just as Jesus submitted to the will of His Father, is the reason we were created. God desires a relationship with us, giving strength to face each obstacles in God’s power.

Today, take time to listen to the Holy Spirit’s calling on your life. Is there something in which you need to relinquish control? Ask God to grant you His power to sacrifice the things in your life which do not lead to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. In the end, you may find that giving up the things which you so greedily hold on to, was the easiest thing you’ve ever done in light of Christ’s sacrifice for His children.

Cadet Aaron Johnson is a second year Cadet in the Central Territory USA.