Gabi, Gabi!

As i type, i am listening to a South African spiritual called, "Gabi, Gabi" sung by 338 Youth in a Mass Choir called Youth Project in Jackson, TN. WOW! Not only did they all do a great job, but the whole choir together did a wonderful job of working together over the course of just under 48 hours of intense rehearsals and rest.
 One of our own church students named Jonathan was chosen to Narrate part of the Script and he is just one example from our church of being ready to serve when called upon, he had about 2 hours preparation before recording. What an attitude of service - one that speaks strongly that of the Attitude of Christ, the Servant Lord who resides in many of the teens at our church - others are coming to know Him on a daily basis.

My heart and mind are moved to write about MUSIC and what the Bible says about Praise. In a simple search of the NIV on Biblegateway.com - PRAISE turned up 363 instances from Genesis to Revelation. Not all are the same type of praise or the same references. What we know of Praise is that God intends it to be returned to Him. There isn't a way that we have to do it - Music speaks to each of us differently and we know that we can be moved to emotion by music, but these are associations that our brains teach us after repeated hearing of the type of music used for scary, cheerful, mournful, etc.
Psalm 102:18 says “Let this be written that a future generation, a people not yet created, may praise the Lord.”. This is true of the Bible and of Music which is why it is the Theme of Youth Project - a project of the Tn Baptist Convention Music Department. 
Music speaks to young people - but we owe it to our children and Youth of our churches to expose them to good music - not just the music they resonate with from the radio and culture. Now they are singing, "and we all bow down...He is the Light of the World & the King of the Cross...and we all bow down, and worship Jesus. You are the Love, the Unfailing Love of God" There is not a soul in the sanctuary that is not moved when 338 Youth sing of the Love of God. They aren't raising their hands and dancing - but they are no less moved - I have heard them talking about the songs they love from this weekend. Good music, music about our Lord gets in the Human System and uplifts the soul! I know of churches where the Youth Choirs have dwindled away and sometimes the students with the programs. I sit here on the back pew typing and my SOUL IS WORSHIPING! My heart is full of pride for the Youth of our Church and State - youth culture is not lost - they just need to be directed & PRAISE TO THE LORD is a great motivator for the soul - Young & Old! 
Psalm 150:6, "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD."
   Won't you Praise the LORD?


 

We SOO Need One of These Nearby!!!

 Check this out! Being a Youth Minister - something about Trampolines and Dodgeball still excite me!
Wonder if we can Lobby for one of these in NW Tennessee!?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_weekend/20110121/ts_yblog_weekend/trampoline-dodgeball

The Cuckleburr Downhill 2010

Over the Christmas Break I took my last week of vacation. This year, we raced Northeast ahead of a Snow Storm and a White Christ-mas! We arrived in Central Kentucky at my in-laws farm just hours ahead of the snow and woke up 12 hours later to a blanket of white and visions of high speed runs down the rolling hills on my daughters new sleds - OKAY, those were just MY thoughts! However, I have a good evidence that my daughters were thinking similar thoughts - although they didn't have decades of other races and other snows to fondly remember.

This year we were able to add to our 100-yard+ sledding runs; a 4 wheeler to bring us back up the hill - with our socks and scarfs filled with explosions of cuckleburrs and bits of grass from our graceful wipe outs at the bottom of the hill. I was still smiles; but my daughters? - not so much, once they discovered cuckleburrs much more personally on Day 3.

Where we were - 3.5 inches of snow and sit-in molded plastic sleds were our 2010 combination for hours of cool, icy fun. In the past, I have sledded inside a Samsonite Suitcase (Hard Vinyl, zero control, Very Fast on Ice), I have sledded on a Metal Runner Sled (ideal for icy conditions - able to sled down Ky Mountain Roads - been there, done that), I have used Cardboard Boxes (very nice if you raise the front and have something to hold onto - they work till soaked with water), I have accidentally sledded on my rumpous-maximus while snow skiing (I fell and had a yard sale of all my equipment and couldn't stop on a black diamond run) Needless to say - I have used it all and love the snow. We got to sled 3 days this past December and made bunches of memories with film, video and snapshots of the mind.

Standing atop the hill looking at all the scenery - I was caught that God uses all manner of ways to get the attention of people whom He loves. He uses Creation, He uses Children and People, He has used and still uses the Supernatural through Miracles, but all of those venues have been ignored or have been ignored by the ones He loved - So He sent HIS SON - JESUS to be the Banner of Love - the Billboard of the Blessing - the One that would get the attention of the world - and keep our attention in some form or other this time of year for over 2000 years. It's true, you know - even those who don't acknowledge Jesus as Lord, still give gifts to their loved ones in remembrance of the Worship and Gifts of those in the Stable Inn. The World puts up decorations of God's Declaration; many thousands including the star that shined on Bethlehem or an image of the Proclamation Angels atop their tree.

God will continue to use a variety of means to cast the Gospel Seed to the Nations. The real question you must answer is will you be one of those tools? This New Year - will you share Jesus? I will.

What They See Is What They Become...

by Walt Mueller - Walt Mueller is the founder and President of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding and has been involved in Youth Ministry and its research in favor of families for 31 years. This article is a repost of his latest blog, found at the link above, about Hollywood's early sexualization of girls. Since Jessica and I have three little girls ourselves - this caught my attention and I felt it was worthy of passing on. For the Full Article & Statistics, you can click on the link below or paste the one below: http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/  

"What they see is who they become. That little seven-word sentence just might capture the realities of adolescent identity formation in today's world. Think about it. . . kids are looking for guidance and direction as they experience the powerful push and pull of the wrestling match that's all part of forming their definition of themselves and how they choose to present themselves to the world. And because we all know that example is one of the most powerful educators, it makes sense - sadly - that in today's media-saturated world kids are most likely to be most influenced by what they see and hear in the media. It's not rocket science. Which is why many of us who are older often find ourselves uttering things like "I can't believe that girl's dressed like that!!"

This week, the Parents Television Council (PTC) released a report entitled "Sexualized Teen Girls: Tinseltown's New Target." The study looks at the sexualization of female teenagers in prime-time television. The report's Executive Summary recalls a highly publicized 2007 report from the American Psychological Association that I referenced when it first came out. That report said that the sexualization of girls in the media both reflects and shapes current attitudes. It's both cause and effect.

The PTC has conducted an analysis of all scripted programs within the Neilsen ranking of the top 25 prime-time shows among viewers ages 12 to 17 during the 2009-2010 season. According to the PTC, here are the main findings:

• Underage female characters are shown participating in a higher percentage of sexual depictions compared to adults (47% and 29% respectively). [This is a shocking disparity]
• Out of all the sexualized female characters depicted in the underage and young adult category for the entire database, 86% were presented as only being of high school age.
• Seventy-five percent of shows that included sexualized underage female characters were shows that did not have an “S” descriptor to warn parents about the sexual content.
• The data revealed that 98% of the sexual incidents involving underage female characters occurred outside of any form of a committed relationship.
• The data show that 73% of the underage sexualized incidents were presented in a humorous manner or as a punch line to a joke. [Hollywood followed this same format of using humor to ease our culture into acceptance of homosexuality - laugh at sin and it is easier to feel okay with it]

And so our kids watch. . . learn. . . and become. Now is the time for parents, youth workers, educators, and the church to join together to save our kids from this kind of stuff. . . and even themselves. It's time to talk about finding our identity as one made in the image of God, about finding our identity in Christ, and about living a Biblical sexual ethic that leads to deep and lasting freedom, [within and looking forward to marriage]."

MISSING THE GUEST OF HONOR...

This is a repost of an email subscription that i get each week.

MISSING THE GUEST OF HONOR
By Dr. Michael A. Halleen

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2)

There's a story that has become legend in a small Minnesota town. I can't vouch for its truth, only that people tell it as though it really happened. It seems that the retiring mayor was to be honored at a party as he left office. He had been responsible for a number of significant improvements to the town, so it seemed good to have the community pay tribute.

The party was held at the VFW hall, and all agreed it was a great celebration. The music was loud, the room crowded and noisy. The finger food was unusual in its quality and liquid refreshment flowed without restraint until late into the evening. Over coffee the next morning in the Main Street diner, someone wondered aloud if the mayor had enjoyed it, but no one knew. No one in the diner had talked to him or had even seen him there. Only later did they learn that the mayor had checked into a hospital the previous day and had missed the party in his honor. Apparently no one had noticed.

It sounds a lot like Christmas. People get together, the food is great, the music warms the heart — but has anyone seen the guest of honor? The season has become about us — our menus, our travel plans, our expenses. We've lost perspective. Our celebration will be more authentic if our hopes are not only for good sales figures but also for good will among mankind. Christ will be seen among us if our prayers are not only for peace in travel but also for peace on earth.

Our church set out its nativity scene the other day. Life-sized figures of all the familiar characters are in place, kneeling around the manger — all but one. Seems the baby Jesus is missing. We couldn't find him this year. Mary and Joseph and the Wise Men are gazing reverently at some wisps of straw.

Sign of the times. Hopefully the Christ child will be found by Christmas.

What Are You NOT Ashamed Of?

I want to start with this thought, "What are you NOT Ashamed Of?" and these questions: "What comes up in your conversations without being drug out." "What is in your thoughts all the time?" "What don't you mind sharing with the world?"


Two Sundays ago I substituted for a regular teacher in Bible Study and instead of the obscure passage that is fun to pass on to the Sub, I was pleased with parts of Romans Chapters 1, 9 & 10. Specifically, Romans 1:14-16, "
 ¹⁴ I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. ¹⁵ That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
 ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
I noticed that verse 16 is often spoken alone, but it is actually finishing Paul's thought of his obligation to preach to everyone. He was not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the Power of God. Because of the Power of God that met him on the road to Damascus, he was changed. It is the same Power that works in you and me. So, i come back to the original question. Are you ashamed, or unashamed? Do you talk of the Life Changing Power in your life? If not, pray about this; find a way to share more often.

We get caught up in what people are going to think of us and it's not even us we are sharing - it is the Gospel & it's the Power of God who will change them, not me! Verse 14 states the fact that we are all under obligation to Jesus Saving Grace, it was given without a charge, but we are still obligated to Him who died. It is the Atoning Grace of His Death & Resurrection that gains us admission into the presence of God. Without that death - the Holy Righteous, Perfect, Sinless Death - it wouldn't matter what we did on earth, we would still suffer the penalty of hell, which by the way, is a real place, (if you'd like more information on that subject, i recently read a book called 23 Minutes in Hell. The author believes he was taken there by God to experience part of the terror so that he could warn others of hell's reality, something all believers should be doing out of love.) My fear in being unashamed is that we many times promote things other than the Savior and His Life Giving Grace - like Sports, Hobbies, Personal Accomplishments or even Time Wasters - and we pass over opportunities to Share The Gospel.

The other day i pulled up at a stoplight and noticed a largemouth bass wiggling on the trailer hitch of the truck in front of me. When the brake was applied, the fish wiggled its tail like it was hooked or swimming. When the truck was moving - the fish stopped "swimming." There was no doubt that this man loved to fish. I noticed the hitch fish first, but then i saw the numerous stickers, slogans and other logos about fishing.

Anyone who knows me, knows I like to fish - but I don't promote my fishing to that level. But that man's unashamed attitude about his hobby got me thinking. That guy wasn't ashamed of his fishing in the least, he made sure that everyone he was near knew about his love for fishing. In the same way are we unashamed of the Gospel Good News & Christ Jesus to the point that we don't mind what others think in light of Christ Jesus thinks of us?

A few final questions will keep us comfortably uncomfortable in the presence of Holy God.

Will we piously change the places that we shop because they don't use Christmas in their advertising or will we Engage with culture, and go into those shops with the intent of  USING THE TERM CHRISTMAS & being an Aroma of Christ among those that are being saved and those that are perishing? 2 CORINTHIANS 2:15 says, "¹⁵ For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." Smell good to Him this week.

Will we complain about the ways that our Church is not pleasing us or will we be used by the God that seeks the lost and sick, which will benefit the whole Body of Christ. LUKE 5:30-31 shows us that the Pharisees complained to Jesus' disciples of similar displeasures, " ³⁰Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹ Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Comfort is not always a good thing.

Will we refuse to change upon meeting the Savior on the Road of Life or will we continue on the path we have chosen for ourselves - many times to our own zealous destruction?  ACTS 26: 14-16, "as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. ¹⁴ We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads. [a goad is a sharp pointed guide to keep a labor animal in check, or pointed in a direction, brackets mine]
 ¹⁵ “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
   “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ¹⁶ ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me."

** All of us that know Christ are now His servants and witnesses of what He has done. We have a mission and to testify of what we have seen and will see of Christ. Merry Christmas, Engage someone with the SOMEONE you are not ashamed of and then Trust the Power of God to accomplish the task. 

Why I Missed Church On Sunday...

There are some things that you just can't miss, and one of those was Sunday. I went through all the proper channels to ask off months ago, and prepared a sermon to preach; honored because my dad who has also been my Pastor much of my life asked me to deliver the Word of God concerning Salvation to his congregation

Sunday was a Celebration of Salvation; my father's to be exact. Sunday was the 50th Anniversary of his Salvation & Baptism. 50 years ago this past weekend Bill Whittaker was confronted with his sin, the Holy Spirit drew him to God and did a work in his heart and as my Pastor here in Martin likes to say, "Bill Whittaker was gloriously saved!"

Every person that comes to Christ is gloriously saved, because the very work on Salvation is totally of God. The Creator of the Universe descending to be one of us, walking in our shoes, feeling what we feel, and dying for our sin - taking the Holy Wrath of God upon Himself as the perfect, holy, divinely offered sacrifice for that sin. As believers, we should never get over the Incarnation & Atonement of Jesus. We should do what my father did - CELEBRATE. So really, i didn't miss Church on Sunday, I was just celebrating in worship in a different building.

If you know Jesus, look back to the day of your Salvation - now draw a line through time to today. What have you done for Christ since then? Jesus saves us, but doesn't take us automatically to heaven. He has a job for us to do - Sharing the Gospel. The career you have chosen is a platform to reach others and tell them about the LOVE OF CHRIST that saved you. We need to invest wisely in that role.

1 Thessalonians 2:8 says, "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well."

What that means is - we are obligated to share Christ no matter what, but as you grow in relationship with other people you share with them out of love too. And not just share Christ, but open up our life and show them how Jesus changed us. Through time with people, we see new things that need to be conformed to godliness. We trust people with our requests and hurts, and we begin to sharpen each other as Proverbs 27:17 says, "¹⁷As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." With the love of God as the relational bond, we rub off on each other - and the hope is that we hone each other into tools with an edge that cuts into the world's influence, taking back pieces & people for Kingdom of God.

It was a pleasure to be with the people that God had gathered as a result of my Dad's salvation. He has influenced many, many people with His fire for the Lord. I am one of them. What have you done with the platform you've been given? Your salvation was a gift meant to be shared.