YEC '08

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YEC '08

YEC '08 was WAY COOL!!!
This was the first time I had ever gone to YEC and I can tell you now that it is not the last. We had a great time and I can't say enough how awesome it is to see a group of youth that size there to praise God. Most adults, I am sure, will not ever get to experience anything like it.
The first thing I want to say to the adults is ... The 80's are back. These kids are dressing like we did and rocking it out. Crazy? Yes, to say the least. So get out your clippers and cut yourself a mohawk, grow it while you can and if you still have your youthful locks, hold your head upside down; spray it, wax it, or hot glue it; take a nap on it; and rock it out because its not just the girls that want to have fun. Yeah, they played Cindy Loper's song.
Anyhow, the conference was about being CONSUMED. And I am proud to say that it was not just a topic relevant to the kids. The speaker noted that we can become consumed by our desires, and to alot of teens, they can be consumed with wanted that perfect grade or to win that all important game; but as an adult I have to ask myself what consumes me. Sure helping out at the church and doing this that and the other takes up alot of time, but can I say it consumes me, or am I just burning up a bunch of time. Am I on fire for Christ.
Sometimes I feel that I was and now I am trying to relight a piece of wet wood, and I am sure many of us feel that way time to time, but I don't want to allow myself to get comfortable relighting that same old piece of wet wood. If we are consumed and on fire for Christ, how can we be comfortable and complacent.
Leia just told me we had 9 kids step up and go down to pray. Some prayed to receive God's free gift of eternal life. Others prayed to renew their commitment to Christ because a growing Christian wouldn't just sit there and not move to grow and some felt as though they had. 9 of 16 kids.
And we were challenged to take that fire for Christ and see how we could effect our world, starting with our neighborhoods. The kids were encouraged to go home and share with lost family members and friends. The teens were asked what they were doing to impact their schools.
Consumed.
How are we as adults consumed.
We're burnt up and burnt out with the stresses of work and raising families. We allow everything and anything to get in the way of what we know God would have us do. We are consumed with the biggest and best of everything. I can speak only for myself when I say I can, and often do, allow crazy things at church to tick me off. I call it church politics, and dismiss it as something that doesn't matter. But it does. It is something I allow to separate me from the body of Christ. I allow my dislike of a meeting, my dislike of conflict, my hatred of not getting my way, to douse cold water on the what should be burning log of my life serving God. I allow stupid inhibitions to control me and keep me from spreading God's word, laziness to keep me from studying God's word, and selfishness to keep me from representing God's word; all for the sum of me not living God's word and not allowing God's word to consume me.
These past couple days was going to be for me, a time to watch some youth run around for a while.
These past couple days turned out to be a time for me to reflect and see where I am measuring up to the plan God has for me. I hope and pray that as the children share what they may have learned, that it will also be a time of reflection for them as well as their parents.
We've said the youth is the church of tomorrow; this conference taught us that the youth is not. The youth is the church of today.

CHRISTMAS '08

Christmas at our house has become way different than it was when I was a kid. The celibration is not about gifts any more, its about the birth of Christ. The food is not realy about seeing how much pie we can eat, but more of lets get together and fix a really great meal. And I don't focus on what I am getting, but what can I get for my niece and nephew. Last year I got them loud musical instraments. Joe and Shawna were not pleased. This year I went for silent killers, play-doe, makeup, coloring mess makers, and yes a spider for Nick to chase Abbi around the house with.
This year I've tried to encourage the kids at church, after opening their gifts from "Santa" to stop and say a little prayer thanking God for the gift he gave us. I'd encourage anyone reading this to also stop and thank God for the gift of eternal salvation. Sometimes we think we're so less than perfect that we don't deserve this free gift and they are right, we don't. But God wants to give it to us anyway. It is like this. We all know someone who has a kid we think is really bad behaved. Always into something, right. Well, what did that kid's mom and dad give him for Christmas. They went out and got the best they could and held nothing back. Well, that is how God looks at us. He wants the best for us no matter how bad we are. There is a gift out there that can't be topped for anyone that has not yet accepted it. Just give it some thought.

Oh, this Sunday I will be telling all of how I make Sweet Potato Crunch to anyone in Sunday school. Hope to see you there.

The Challenge - Results

Well, lets keep it positive.
No we didn't reach our goal of 50, we had around 20, which is really great.
Am I going to tell the class what I do to my Sweet Potato Crunch?
I haven't made my mind up yet. Part of me wants to because I think everyone tried; then the other part says no, because we didn't reach our goal.
I would have been willing to shave my head for 50 or have given myself a rock'n Mohawk for 30, but you can't un-tell a secret. So we'll have to see how I feel about it Sunday morning.
I will tell you this, double the crunch. Its the best part!

The Challenge

As some may already know, I am currently teaching my Sunday school class, First Steps, to Mrs. Beth's class, Spairs and Pairs. This past weekend was only week two of the seven week course and I issued the class a challenge. This challenge was different than most challenges I give my class. Ususally I tell the class that if we have 100% perfect attendance, I will cook breakfast for the class the last day. This class is special. It is full of people eager to be baptised and to join our church; people eager to learn about and share Christ.
So...
I have made the challenge for our Sunday school class to have 50+ people next Sunday 12-21-08. Fifty people! WOW!
A couple months ago our church had high attendance Sunday and we had 138 people in Sunday school - the entire church had 138.
It is going to take some work and more importantly alot of prayer to get 50 people.
But if we do there were two choices of prizes.
One was my reciepe for Sweet Potato Crunch. I know your saying big hairy deal, but I make some GOOD! sweet potatos and have had to make them every Thanksgiving and Christmas for the past 10 to 15 years. Once you've eaten my sweet potato crunch, you won't want to eat anyone elses.
Second choice was me shaving my head.
Either choice the class would have made would effect me just as bad as the other. I'd almost rather shave my head than to tell anyone how I make sweet potatos.
Well, the class voted to get my reciepe, and now all they have to do is to get 50+ people in class.
Let's see how it turns out.

Breakfast with Santa

From Blogging with BA

This weekend was packed full of fun.
Saturday morning I was privleged to help with our Children and Youth fundraisers. The first being "Breakfast with Santa." A number of kids got to come sit on Santa's lap (AKA my Dad) and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Their parents got to take pictures of their kids with their own camera so that they could then download them and email them to all their friends and families.

Dad worked with a local photographer, Lori Gragg, where people got some really great pictures of their kids with Father Christmas.

The picutres taken at the church didn't look anything like this one. I'll see if I can't download some of them later.

After the kids got their picture with Santa they went to the Social Hall and were served Sausage and Pancakes.

I think the kids and the parents alike had a great time.

I want to say something before I post this blog.
We go to a church in Fitzgerald Georgia that may not be perfect, and a person can't say we're a small church nor can they see we're a big church, but we are a church that sees the need to do things for and with the children and youth. More importantly, we are a church that will get up and do things for and with children and youth. There are people in our church that show up EVERY time they're needed to help. There are people in our church that volenteer EVERY time they hear there might be a need of help. There are people that donate funds EVERY time funds are needed. I can say "THANK GOD!" our church is a church with a vision, a desire, and the willingness to step up. I mean we know it is not of us. We as men and women couldn't or wouldn't do it of our own and we know it is of God. But; I know people can and sometimes do turn a deaf ear to what it is God is asking them to do. It is just that God is so wonderful and has done so much for the children and youth of our church that it blows my mind.
It would be impossible to mention everyone that has helped, so I would personally like to take the time to publicly say thank you to each of them. Thank you for helping but THANK YOU for showing me how much a person has to give and how special that gift can be. When I sit back and look at our church, I can't help but be proud of what God is doing; even when I may not be totally happy with everyone in it, God's blessings totally outshine any mistakes we as members may ever make.

Thanksgiving

I thought it might be nice to share a few things I am thankfull for this year, and to do that I wanted to share what it is I did on Thanksgiving.

I worked at both my jobs Wednesday before, so I was tired come Thursday morning. I intended to get up and make sweet potato crunch for my mom to take down to my brother's house. They had all planned to go down there and eat with him and his family, I was scheduled to work that night and didn't want to make a rushed trip back to Fitzgerald and planned not to go.
Well, dad had to play Santa for my brother-n-laws cousin down in Valdosta and so they were leaving earlier than I thought they would and I didn't get the chance to make the sweet potato crunch everyone has come to expect every holiday. (What can I say it is good!)
I laid around and finally, for my Thanksgiving meal, I opened a can of raviolli. Most people that ask how was you Thankgiving follow that question with an indepth description of everything they had to eat and how good it was. When I say I opened a can of raviolli, they almost gasp as if it is unAmerican to not have turkey and all the trimmings, but really what difference does it make.
Now not on Thanksgiving day, but later in the weekend, I sat down and thought about this odd reaction I was getting. I understand some people really feel turkey day, I mean Thanksgiving, is a day to spend with family and to reflect of how the past year was so great and to eat till you can't breath. Great! if that is your thing, go with it.
I can say that I am thankfull that I had anything at all to eat. There are so many people without and the road our country is on, next Thanksgiving there may be even more people without.
I can say I am thankful to have a family as cool as the one I've got. Sure they get on my nerves and it has never killed me to see them do something without me. I've always enjoyed my quiet space and don't see the point in ruining others good time when I'd rather be home alone. But there are times I do things with them and I can say I enjoy it when I do.
I can say I am thankful for the friends I have from school. I've lost touch with many of them, some just because we grew apart and others because of stupid descisions I've made. But it seems slowly one by one, I am getting contacted by them and updated on their lives is counted a blessing.
I am thankful for the church family I have. I know they are growing spiritually and learning about themselves as I am about myself. Even the church politics that always knocks me for a loop can't stop me from loving those people. I've tried to not like some of them because of it, but I don't have the strength.
I am most thankful for the fact the God has chosen me to be who I am. I know I am not perfect, nor will I ever be, but I know God has a plan for my life and I have to open myself up to growing into that plan. It is not secret that a couple years after I became a Christian that I turned my back on the whole thing. It is no secret that I tried to convince myself that what I knew was true, God died for my sins, was little more that group brainwashing; till I woke up and realised once you know the truth you can't unknow it and came back to the church. And I can be thankful that regardless of who I am, God is there picking me up over and over and over again, even when sometimes it would be better to leave me broken.
You know everyone wants to live a life without regret, but how can you do that. If we look back and see ourselves for who we were and who we are, how many of us can say we've been the best we could have been? How many can say they've treated everyone with respect, dignaty, and love. If I could say I've treated everyone with a loving heart, I'd be happy. But I have not and do not. I allow myself to engage in conflict with members of our church over petty things - my blog, VBS, getting a bus - and fail to remember that Jesus brought people to Himself with love. And He is the example set before us to teach us how to live.

I think Thanksgiving, for me, is best summed up as a time Thankful for the reminder to be self-reflective. The food isn't important, and doesn't matter.
Who I am to myself and to others is.