Today we read from Genesis 45:1-11 and 50:15-21. Both passages have to do with Joseph being reunited with the brothers who sold him into slavery and having to make a choice of whether to handle them with love and forgivness or revenge. In both cases he chose not to revenge because he knew that God was working and used their evil to bring about good, the saving of all from the famine.
Bad things happen to each one of us. Sometimes this is because of our own actions, sometimes by other people's actions, sometimes by God's will. But who caused it isn't as important as how we react to that bad thing. We don't always understand why they happen but they hurt us non the less. Soemtiems we react with anger, fear, depression, or even revenge. But the proper reaction is none of these but instead a trust that God will take care of you no matter what else goes on. That even though it hurts right now, God is right there besied you taking care of you. We need to trust that one day God will use that expereince to help others. Romans 8:28-38 tells us just this, he works together everything for the good of those who follow after him. No matter what he can take the worst circumstances and turn them for God.
I give this morning: B+
Favorite Moment: Rock Scissors Paper Tourneyment
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Committed To Worship -- Wednesday, January 20th
Tonight we continued our series: Committed. To be committed to something means to pledge yourself in a binding way to someone or something. Tonight we talked about being committed to worship. Worship isn't singing instead it is a lifestyle. The word worship comes from worth ship. Meaning showing something it is worthy. How do you know how much something is worth to someone? By the time and money spent on it, how passionate they are about it, what they are willing to give up to get it, and what they are willing to do to get it. How much is God worth to you? You can look at the time and money you have spent toward him. You could look to see how passionate you are about him. You could look at what you are willing to give up to get closer to him. You could look at what you are willing to start doing to get closer to him.
Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." So in order to show God worship we need to give him ourselves to show how valuable he is to us. We can show worhsip through our creativity, through our obedience to his commands, through our words, through our actions, through our attitudes,and throug dedicating our days to him every day.
Come next week with a rock if you are committed to worship God.
I give tonight: C-
Favorite Moment: What Would You Do For a Klondike Bar?
Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." So in order to show God worship we need to give him ourselves to show how valuable he is to us. We can show worhsip through our creativity, through our obedience to his commands, through our words, through our actions, through our attitudes,and throug dedicating our days to him every day.
Come next week with a rock if you are committed to worship God.
I give tonight: C-
Favorite Moment: What Would You Do For a Klondike Bar?
Monday, January 18, 2010
Bad Things Happen -- Sunday, January 17th
We read from Genesis 41 today as we continued the story of Joseph. A quick review: Joseph was born to a large but rich family, he was the favored son, he did the right thing and told on his brothers for being lazy, he did the wrong thing and bragged about his dreams, his brothers hated him and tried to kill him, his brothers instead sold him into slavery, he was sold to an executioner as his slave, he did the right things and the house prospered, his master's wife offered to sleep with him but he continually rejected it, the wife claimed he tried to rape her so he is thrown into jail, he interpreted dreams of those in jail and asked them to remember him, two years pass while in jail, he is released to interpret the Pharaoh's dream, he intrepts it and is appointed as the 2nd in command of all of Egypt...whew...
Why was Joseph hated by his brothers? Partially for being the favored son, but partially for doing the right thing.
Why was Joseph sold into slavery? For doing what his dad asked.
Why was Joseph put in jail? For not committing adultery.
Why was Joseph put as the 2nd in command? Because God had grace on him.
So hold onto these truths. #1 Life is hard. #2 Doing the right thing doesn't guarentee immediate success in life. #3 Doing the wrong thign doesn't guarentee immediate punishment. #4 Doing the right thing will eventually be rewarded (even if not in this life). #5 Doing the wrong thing will eventually be punished (even if not in this life). In the mean time keep doing the right thing, no matter what the consequences are or what is going on in your life.
I give this morning: B-
Favorite Moment: Lima, Peru Challenge
Why was Joseph hated by his brothers? Partially for being the favored son, but partially for doing the right thing.
Why was Joseph sold into slavery? For doing what his dad asked.
Why was Joseph put in jail? For not committing adultery.
Why was Joseph put as the 2nd in command? Because God had grace on him.
So hold onto these truths. #1 Life is hard. #2 Doing the right thing doesn't guarentee immediate success in life. #3 Doing the wrong thign doesn't guarentee immediate punishment. #4 Doing the right thing will eventually be rewarded (even if not in this life). #5 Doing the wrong thing will eventually be punished (even if not in this life). In the mean time keep doing the right thing, no matter what the consequences are or what is going on in your life.
I give this morning: B-
Favorite Moment: Lima, Peru Challenge
Committed To God -- Wednesday, January 13th
Tonight we continued our series called: Committed. To commit is to pledge yourself in a binding way to someone or something. Last week we talked about how God is committed to us and that committment is eternal. Now we start to decide what we will do with that, will we be committed or not?
Joshua has lead his people into the promised land, helping them win battles and settle there. After years of service he addresses the people in a farewell speech in Joshua 24. He asks them whom they will service, God, the gods of their forefathers, or the gods of canaan. The question is the same for you and I, whom will we serve, whom will you be committed to. Will you commit to serving yourself and doing what you want, no matter what it is, as long as it brings pleasure to you? Will you commit to serving someone else and what they want you to do? Or will you commit to the one true God? This means doing what he wants you to do, not doing what he doesn't want you to do, and going where he tells you to go.
The bible tells us that the people responded to Joshua by saying they would put their trust in God and commit to him. He responded by telling them that in order to do so they needed to do two things: get rid of their other idols, and yield their hearts to God. Commitment to God is a big deal, because it means you are committing to start doing the things he wants you to do and stop doing th things he doesn't want you to do. You must both get rid of your idols (things you are pursuing other than God and his will) and yield your heart to God (allowing him to change youf romt he inside out). As a statment of commitment we asked that you bring a rock to the next service as a way to remind you and others of the commitment that you made to God.
I give tonight: A+
Favorite Moment: Calling all those in the room rock heads
Joshua has lead his people into the promised land, helping them win battles and settle there. After years of service he addresses the people in a farewell speech in Joshua 24. He asks them whom they will service, God, the gods of their forefathers, or the gods of canaan. The question is the same for you and I, whom will we serve, whom will you be committed to. Will you commit to serving yourself and doing what you want, no matter what it is, as long as it brings pleasure to you? Will you commit to serving someone else and what they want you to do? Or will you commit to the one true God? This means doing what he wants you to do, not doing what he doesn't want you to do, and going where he tells you to go.
The bible tells us that the people responded to Joshua by saying they would put their trust in God and commit to him. He responded by telling them that in order to do so they needed to do two things: get rid of their other idols, and yield their hearts to God. Commitment to God is a big deal, because it means you are committing to start doing the things he wants you to do and stop doing th things he doesn't want you to do. You must both get rid of your idols (things you are pursuing other than God and his will) and yield your heart to God (allowing him to change youf romt he inside out). As a statment of commitment we asked that you bring a rock to the next service as a way to remind you and others of the commitment that you made to God.
I give tonight: A+
Favorite Moment: Calling all those in the room rock heads
Monday, January 11, 2010
Flee -- Sunday, January 10th
Today we continued our story of Joseph in chapter 39 of Genesis. In the chapter he is sold into slavery to the captain of the guard: Potiphar. Potiphar's wife tries to sleep with him but he ends up running away from her, so quickly he leaves her holding his cloak. She claims he tried to rape her and he is sent to prison...for doing the right thing.
What is temptation? Simply put, it is something that tries to get a person to do wrong. The devil uses many traps and tempatations to get a person to do wrong. But 1st Corinthians 10:13 tells us that when we are tempted God gives us a way out. Hebrews 2:18 and 4:15-16 tells us that Jesus was tempted but never sinned and he is the one who helps out those being tempted and we shoudl approach him in our time of need. 2nd Timothy 2:22 tells us that we are supposed to flee temptation but also pursue: righteousness, faith, love, and peace. So not just run away from temptation but run to something good.
I give this morning: B
Favorite moment: "If you struggle with lust, stay away from strip clubs"
What is temptation? Simply put, it is something that tries to get a person to do wrong. The devil uses many traps and tempatations to get a person to do wrong. But 1st Corinthians 10:13 tells us that when we are tempted God gives us a way out. Hebrews 2:18 and 4:15-16 tells us that Jesus was tempted but never sinned and he is the one who helps out those being tempted and we shoudl approach him in our time of need. 2nd Timothy 2:22 tells us that we are supposed to flee temptation but also pursue: righteousness, faith, love, and peace. So not just run away from temptation but run to something good.
I give this morning: B
Favorite moment: "If you struggle with lust, stay away from strip clubs"
Saturday, January 9, 2010
God Is Committed -- Wednesday, January 6th
Tonight we started our new series: Committed. We started with the story of Hosea. He was called to go and marry an adulterous woman, so he married Gomer. They had a son and daughter together, then she had another son, but it wasn't Hosea's. She left him for another man, became a prostitute and became enslaved because of debt. Hosea heard God tell him to go and buy her out of slavery and take her back as his wife. Now why did God do this? Because he was giving a picture of him and the nation of Israel. He had called them as his people and committed to watch over them as long as they followed him, but they turned to other gods, enslaving themselves. But each time he bought them back out of slavery. After one of thse times when they went into actual slavery a man wrote in Lamentations 3:22-23, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." He knew that God has committed to them even though they had sinned and God had punished, that He was still faithful to them.
God is committed to us as well, even at the first sin, when Adam and Eve did wrong, he said he wuold one day bring back his relationship with man, stating in various ways that he was faithful and committed to us. But it isn't his words that make us believe that he is committed to us, but his actions. Jesus' death which brough back the ability to have a relationship with him.
God is still committed to us, and to you specifically. He is committed to love you , no matter what you have done. He is committed to care for you, when you are hurting. He is committed to listen to you, when you speak to him. He is committed to have a relationship with you, no matter how many times you run from him. He is committed to forgive you, when you ask for it. Now it is your turn to decide what to do with his commitment.
I give tonight: A
Favorite Moment: Prayer working for Kendal
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Widows -- Sunday, January 3rd
This morning we continued the story of Genesis in Chapter 38:6-26. This is not a pretty story, and you can read it on your own. What it taught us was the idea that we need to take care of widows and others that are in need.
What exactly does the bible teach us on this topic? Deuteronomy tells us that God commanded Israel to allow aliens (foreingers), widows, and orphans to glean fro free an be protected while doing it. In Kings God has mercy on widows by providing for them iraculously no less than 3 times. Pslam 68:5 says, God is "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,". Proverbs 15:25 tell us that God protects teh boundaries of a widow. Jeremiah 49:11 says that God can be trusted by widows and orphans and will protect their lives. All these go to show us that God actually cares for those in need, specifically widows.
So what should our response as christians be? In Acts the apostles make it so there are specific works to help distribute the food to the widows. 1st Timothy 5:3 tells us to thelp widows who are in real need, listing that only elderly widwows who were faithful to their husbands and did good deeds should be helped. James 1:27 sums it up this way, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." So God is looking for us to be holy but also look after those in need, we can't forget this. So what are you going to do in order to help widows, orphans, and others in need that are often overlooked? Maybe you could spend some time talking with them, mow a lawn, shovel snow, bring a meal. Regardless, do something!
I give this morning: A
Favorite moment: Johnny's friends not coming
What exactly does the bible teach us on this topic? Deuteronomy tells us that God commanded Israel to allow aliens (foreingers), widows, and orphans to glean fro free an be protected while doing it. In Kings God has mercy on widows by providing for them iraculously no less than 3 times. Pslam 68:5 says, God is "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,". Proverbs 15:25 tell us that God protects teh boundaries of a widow. Jeremiah 49:11 says that God can be trusted by widows and orphans and will protect their lives. All these go to show us that God actually cares for those in need, specifically widows.
So what should our response as christians be? In Acts the apostles make it so there are specific works to help distribute the food to the widows. 1st Timothy 5:3 tells us to thelp widows who are in real need, listing that only elderly widwows who were faithful to their husbands and did good deeds should be helped. James 1:27 sums it up this way, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." So God is looking for us to be holy but also look after those in need, we can't forget this. So what are you going to do in order to help widows, orphans, and others in need that are often overlooked? Maybe you could spend some time talking with them, mow a lawn, shovel snow, bring a meal. Regardless, do something!
I give this morning: A
Favorite moment: Johnny's friends not coming
New Yearish Overnighter
We had our overnighter event on December 30th -31st. Check out the pictures at: http://thetabyouth.spaces.live.com/
Anger -- Sunday, December 27th
This morning we started the story of the boy Joseph. We acted out what the story from Genesis 37:1-36, which finds Joseph being the favorite son, getting a coat of many colors. He also starts to have dreams in which his family is bowing to him. He also rats out his brothers when they are being lazy. So when he goes to see how they are doing one day, they throw him in a well to let him die. But instead they end up selling him to some slave traders headed to Egypt.
This teaches us how to treatour siblings and something about anger as well. We should treat our siblings (whether natural born or spiritual) with love not hate. We shoudl talk wel of them to their face as well as when they aren't around. We shouldn't show off. And finally we shoudl look after each other not hurt each other.
When you weed, you have to be careful to get the weed's roots or else they will continue to come back. Anger is much the same, we have to get rid of anger out of our lives but if we don't then it just grows in it until it suddenly erupts above the ground. This anger ends up hurting others. But when we get rid of the actions but don't deal with the root, it will just come back again and again. Do you have some unresolved anger in your life? Now is the time to get rid of it and let God heal it from in you.
I give this morning: B
Favorite Moment: "HIPPIE!"
This teaches us how to treatour siblings and something about anger as well. We should treat our siblings (whether natural born or spiritual) with love not hate. We shoudl talk wel of them to their face as well as when they aren't around. We shouldn't show off. And finally we shoudl look after each other not hurt each other.
When you weed, you have to be careful to get the weed's roots or else they will continue to come back. Anger is much the same, we have to get rid of anger out of our lives but if we don't then it just grows in it until it suddenly erupts above the ground. This anger ends up hurting others. But when we get rid of the actions but don't deal with the root, it will just come back again and again. Do you have some unresolved anger in your life? Now is the time to get rid of it and let God heal it from in you.
I give this morning: B
Favorite Moment: "HIPPIE!"
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