youth camp: round 2

after a few scheduling issues, shelly and i made it to the 2nd of the 4 camps that we're leading worship for this summer. this one was different than any other than we've ever done though. we were a part of this same camp last year, so we knew a lot of the youth. we knew their issues. we knew what they made pledges to do at the camp last year.

on the last night of camp, this group has the tradition of sitting in a circle, passing a candle around, and sharing what they learned or enjoyed most about camp. i sat midway through the group of 60 and listened to 30 students before me talk about how they just were glad that they got to come because they felt closer to God this week than they had in the past year...

wow...that's great right? isn't that what we as leaders on the trip want? well yes, and no. I asked the kids to compare their lives during camp to their lives at home and the contrast is stark. tv & video games vs. the bible.....sleeping til noon vs. worshiping God early in the morning....hanging with the wrong crowd vs. encouraging fellowship...

is it any wonder that when we leave the tv off and read the bible, or put down the video game controllers and pray...or instead of just watching movies, we encourage each other with the Word of God that God uses that to draw us closer to himself?

I guess I wasn't as surprised at the results of the camp as most of the students were...

"We put down the Bible and pick up the play station, And we can’t defend our faith ’cause we don’t even know it, We say we love his word but pick a funny way to show it."
-OC Supertones
Return of the Revolution

fca on three

this past week, shelly and I (with a little help from our friends), got to spend a week at the anual FCA leadership camp at Campbell University. Attending the camp were high school and middle school students from the southeast. They came fired up, and left even more a blaze.

I have a problem with being too critical. Most of the time I come up with a reason about what problems these kids have, or what they need to fix about their faith, etc. You know, the typical "i'm mature in my faith, and you students have a lot to learn...from me..."

One story stands out - a student requested a song all week long that I don't particularly like. I told him that if he could find the verse that it was from we would play that song. To make a long story short, the next day the kid brought me a Bible, opened it to the OT passage and read me the verse. I asked him to explain it to me ... and he did! He explained how david was praising God because the ark of the covenent was finally brought back, and how no matter what he was going to praise God. See, that was this kid's story. He was so excited that God had saved him that he was bent on praising no matter who watched and made fun of him, or told him he looked foolish...

oh to have that kind of mature faith...

more later -

Ephesians 1:1

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus"

I used to try to set personal goals, ministry goals, academic goals, etc. so that I could see if I was making progress. I would write things down in my journal like "by the end of the year I will be in full-time music ministry", or "I will go to the gym at least three times a week..." Maybe this sounds a little like you as well. I resolved to do everything it took to be in ministry. I committed firmly to working out consistently. My will, however, is fickle. It is constantly wavering and changing. In fact, most of the time I don't even know what I want.

I find myself amazed at how often I've read the Bible, but how rarely I've actually studied it. Maybe you're like me and you've read things a thousand times, only to come across a verse and your reaction is "have I ever read this verse before?!" So, stare at the verse at the top of the blog and make note of what you see. See it yet?

...by the will of God

Paul realized and believed something essential to the Christian life. He realized that he was only who he was because of the will of God. But why does this matter? What real difference does it make? In fact, could he not have just left out that small phrase? Moreover, why is it important that we understand why Paul would include that phrase?

Acts 17:28 says that in Him (Christ) we live and move and have our being! Why was Paul an apostle, writing letters to the saints in Ephesus? Because of the firm, resolved, unwavering, unchanging will of the only God. Indeed, you and I also should recognize our place in the Sovereign will of a Holy God.

How sweet is the peace that is found in the will of a gracious God.

matthew 5:14-16

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Two things you should know about me: I was a Communication major in college, where I specialized in how to read people. I play music quite often. It would seem logical then that while I'm on stage my mind is trying to process the reactions of the audience. Head nods are good. Amens every now and then are good as well. These are the reactions that we've received the most. Which is why tonight was so very different.

We were added, last minute, to a hard core band's show. They are friends of ours, playing the club scene. When we started playing, I felt this immediate pressure to "water down" the stories behind our songs. To just play. Don't talk. And definitely don't share the gospel...

What conviction these verses brought to my heart! I have been light with a fire in my heart that should "shine before men" and why? that they may what? "see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Yes, that's it. That they may know the One who is heaven. Be bold then, stand as lights on a hill, validating the truth of the gospel in all situations.

smb_bubbles 

psalm 30:11-12

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever"

The Lord is good, amen?! I love His Word. He reveals Himself through His never changing Word. I'm challenged daily to read it, to know it, to study it, to apply it, to share it with others. Beginning to study His Word is sometimes overwhelming. Where do we start? Well...we start with the text. What does it say?

I love the Psalms. In them we see the heart of God, as well as the heart of those seeking to follow Him. In Psalm 30, we see several things, but mainly I see the mercy and graciousness of a loving, hearing God. The text says that God has "turned for me my mourning into dancing". Mourning for what? Should I be mourning? Christ says in the gospels, "blessed are those who mourn"...ok so that seems to answer the question of "Should we?"...but why should we mourn? I mourn because of my sinful condition, my lack of goodness, my lack of righteousness, my inability to please God. I mourn over the sins of others as well, that they don't have an understanding of a Just and Forgiving God.

I'm sure we can all remember when we were young and our parents told us to stop crying. Or maybe when a friend told us "not to be so sad" I think sometimes that mindset hinders us from seeing what the text says. It doesn't say that God took merely took away our mourning, it says that he turned our mourning into dancing. What a glorious exchange! Therefore, our response is Psalm 30:12. We sing. We praise. We do not remain silent, but instead we give thanks!

That my friends is the gospel.