Blog Archives: January 2010 — December 2010
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December 06, 2010
How Did I Get Here?Sarah Smith
Life is often crazy and leads us to unexpected places. Our choices affect where we will end up, and sometimes we don't always make the best ones. Getting into a pattern of making wrong decisions can lead us to places we never thought we'd be and turn us into people we never thought we'd become, and this can make us wonder, "How did I get here?"
It only takes one bad decision to start a spiral down the wrong path. It only takes one drink, one puff, one lie, even one rude act to get us off track and headed towards a place we've never been. So ...
October 01, 2010
If Necessary, Use WordsSarah Smith
Saint Francis once said, "Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words." I think this is a great way to evangelize to a broken world that's in need of Christ's love and the gift He is offering to all. We can preach the Gospel at all times because evangelism goes deeper than just the words we speak to other people. We can share the Gospel with others through every aspect of our life. We can demonstrate the Gospel through our actions and behaviors towards one another as well as with our words.
The Gospel of Christ is the good news, ...
July 05, 2010
The Spiritual BuffetMerritt Johnston
Picture this. You walk into church this Sunday to find that all the seats have been removed. Rows of buffet style serving lines are in their place. Everyone is instructed to get a serving of whatever spiritual food he or she desires. Many rush to the dessert section to load up with joy, peace, prosperity...you get the picture.buffet.jpg
As you make your way through the line, you realize that one item is left untouched. A generous supply of suffering sits under the heat lamp.
You have a decision to make. Dish yourself a generous helping, ...
July 01, 2010
God's Growing PainsSarah Smith
I always hated when someone would say to me "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" while I was going through a hard time. Nobody really wants to hear that when times are difficult, but the saying does prove true. Suffering makes us stronger on the inside and builds our character. Many biblical characters grew in strength and wisdom because of the suffering they went through.
One of my favorite biblical characters whose suffering made him a better man is Joseph from the Old Testament. Joseph was first betrayed by his brothers when they ...
June 05, 2010
Are You Accountable?Merritt Johnston
Talk is cheap...unless you go over your allotted cell phone minutes. Then it becomes very, very expensive. You see, the wireless powers that be have the right to monitor how you use your mobile time and to charge you accordingly. And at the end of the day, you (or your parents) are accountable to pay what is owed.
But most likely, it's not you who is worried about the cell phone bill. It's probably your parents who want an explanation for why you sent 1,000 texts last month. In your mind, texting non-stop seems harmless because you've never ...
June 01, 2010
Hide and SeekSarah Smith
Ninety-eight...ninety-nine...one hundred! Ready or not, here I come! I always hated being the seeker in hide and seek because it was so frustrating when I couldn't find who I was looking for. Some people can find really good hiding places, which would make the search for them even more difficult. But as I think about it, it wouldn't be much fun if I opened my eyes to find one of the hiders sitting on the couch in plain sight. The whole thrill of the game is the catch, finding who you're looking for. It can be frustrating, but when you do ...
May 11, 2010
5 Ways to Keep Your Student MinisterMerritt Johnston
An Open Letter to Churches in America Regarding Student Ministry Leaders
Want to know how you can keep that youth guy around? Here's a five-step action plan for all the list-makers and strategists out there.
5) Respect him. In other words, don't treat him like he's one of his students. He's a grown man and God's Chosen to shepherd the kids in your church and community, so give him the respect he's due. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) Don't belittle his calling just because God called him to work with students and not super-smart adults like ...
May 06, 2010
Why Modesty?Kate Henderson
We often get caught up in the do's and don'ts of modest dressing and totally skip the 'why'. What's the big deal anyway? Why does the length of your shorts or the width of your tanktop straps really matter? There are many reasons, but I'd like to tell you about three.
First, we choose modesty because it sets us apart. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world..." What is the pattern of this world? It is to show as much as you can as often as you can. We take a stand for our faith when we choose to cover ...
May 05, 2010
What Does Your Music Say About You?Sarah Smith
Listening to music is one of my favorite things to do when I'm alone. I love it, whether it's the radio or my favorite CD. When I am in my car with no one else, I like to crank the volume up really loud and sing to my favorite songs. One thing about music is that it comes in all varieties. There are different genres with different beats played by different musicians using all kinds of instruments to create what we hear through the speakers. Since music is so diverse, not all songs have uplifting or positive messages.
It's important to ...
April 19, 2010
You Up for a Challenge?Kristy Tyler
Ten verses...when I was a junior in high school, I was challenged by a soccer teammate to quote ten verses from the Bible. I had been trying to tell this girl more and more about Jesus, and that day she told me that if I could quote ten verses she would listen to me. Otherwise, she would walk away.
Right now, I want you to think about it...answer that question. Can you recite ten verses from the Bible including where they are from? Here is the reality...most of you probably cannot. However, you could quote ten songs. You can sing along ...
April 01, 2010
Fight the Good FightSarah Smith
Sometimes life gives us lemons. Things fall apart. Parents break up. Loved ones die. Disasters happen. The world is never all we hoped it would be, but in times of distress...when we're beaten, bruised and at our weakest...those are the moments we need to hold on tight and never surrender.
Paul makes a great statement in 1st Timothy 6:12. He says, "Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
We have greater things to look ...
March 17, 2010
Taming the Emotion MonsterMerritt Johnston
Vincent Van Gogh once said, "Let's not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives and we obey them without realizing it." You see, Van Gogh was a gifted artist, yet he was a tormented soul governed all too easily by his emotions.
But struggling artists aren't the only ones who allow their lives to be captained by their emotions. Having served in vocational ministry for over a decade, it's frightening to see how often we "ministers" allow our emotions to overtake the guiding of the Spirit. Think about it...It's ...
March 08, 2010
Morality Plunge for Mall GirlsIf you never thought materialism was a big deal, then you'll definitely want to check out this article outlining the sad, moral plunge of the "mall girls" in Warsaw.
A few of the high points (or low points in this case) include:
"The revelation that Catholic girls, some from middle-class families, are prostituting themselves for a Chanel scarf or an expensive sushi dinner is causing many here to question whether materialism is polluting the nation's soul."
Katarzyna Roslaniec (a young filmmaker who made a film about the real-life "mall ...
March 01, 2010
Getting Off the Emotional RollercoasterJessie Anderberg
So the older I get, the more I've realized that I allow my emotions to control EVERYTHING! If I feel sad, my actions are sad. If I feel happy, my actions are happy. Sometimes I am completely irrational and just plain out of control because of my emotions.
Now, God gave us emotions for a reason. I'm not saying they are bad. In fact, they are a blessing. Emotions allow me to rejoice, to experience the "feeling" of love (which is only part of love by the way), to feel sad when I need to feel sad, to feel sad when my brother or sister in Christ ...
March 01, 2010
A Missionary in SchoolSarah Smith
Most people see school as a place to kill time until the afternoon when they're free to have fun with friends or watch TV. Some see it as just a place where teachers try to cram all of this information into your head that you think you'll never use again. But maybe school can be more than that. Maybe school is a mission field that can be used to reach out to others and show them the never-ending love of God.
Other than sleep, school takes up the majority of a student's day. Most students are at school for at least seven or eight hours....
February 28, 2010
Forgiveness: The Fruit of the DivineMerritt Johnston
Forgiveness is truly a divine ability, and one that we cannot hope to fully execute in our human nature. Perhaps we are most like our Maker in the moments when we choose to forgive those who have wronged us..hurt us...betrayed us. And in the moments when we allow forgiveness to govern our actions, I believe the heart of God honors our prayers.
The following prayer was found on a scrap of paper during the liberation of Ravensbruck Concentration Camp in Germany during World War II.
"Lord, remember not only the men of good will, but also ...
February 27, 2010
Mother Teresa's PrayerMerritt Johnston
When we reflect on our spiritual heritage, there are several spiritual "giants" who have lived such sacrificial lives that even non-believers admire their legacy. One of those "giants" is the small-statured Mother Teresa who spent her life caring for the forgotten in the streets of Calcutta. Her work was difficult, yet she endured without complaint. I think her prayer below reveals how she did it...
"Dear Jesus, Help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go, flood our souls with your Spirit and life. Penetrate and possess our whole ...
February 26, 2010
The Prayer of JabezMerritt Johnston
Nestled into an Old Testament book that rarely gets much attention is a short prayer from a guy named Jabez. We don't know much about him, but we do know that God liked his prayer. Check it out below:
Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked. (1 Chronicles 4:10, ESV)
So what does he ask for?
He asks God to bless him. Seems kind of ...
February 25, 2010
Spirituality of MillenialsMany assumptions are being made by today's church leaders regarding the millenial generation, and most are not positive. This generation has been blanketly labeled by many as apathetic, lazy, and worse. Some say that this generation lacks a moral compass or any passion for spiritual things.
However, a recent survey says something very different.
A few results of the survey are listed below:
40% (of millenials) say religion is very important in their lives, similar to 39% of Boomers at the same ages.
41% report praying daily, like ...
February 25, 2010
Acknowledging His CharacterMerritt Johnston
One of the best ways that we can grow our prayer life is to observe and study the prayers lifted up by the saints in Scripture. One such prayer is found in 1 Samuel 2 and is voiced by Hannah, the mother of Samuel. In 1 Samuel 1, we see that she prayed and wept before the Lord, asking Him to give her a son. And when God responded with the birth of Samuel, she promised to give him back to the Lord. This was no empty promise, for Hannah honored her word and brought her son to live with the priest Eli in the house of the Lord.
She then prays an ...
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