Videos for Sunday, Decmeber 13th

Should He forgive?

Forgiveness!

Forgiveness -- Sunday, December 13th

Today we continued our study of the book of Genesis by looking at Jacob and Esau once again. In this portion (Genesis 32 and 33) we find Jacob about to meet up with Esau for the first time since he left many years before. Esau, if you remember had threatened to kill his brother, that is why Jacob had left. Now, Jacob returns with his family and herds to Canaan, where his brother lives. He splits his heards into 3 sections, send out 3 big gifts to Esau trying to convince him to not kill him by buying him off. He then goes on and bows before his brother. Esau comes running at him...and hugs him. He has forgiven his brother. Then the next day, Jacob sneaks off so that if Esau changes his mind he won't have to face him.

What is forgiveness? It means to give up a resentment, to cancel a debt, to pardon or absolve a wrongdoing. This isn't pretending like it didn't happen or accepting blame that isn't yours. To often we have the idea that we have to buy our forgiveness or that someone else ahs to earn our forgiveness before we can forgive them. God wants us to forge each other, because he has forgive us so much, and to forgive just as freely as he did us (Ephesians 4:32). God wants this from us and it can be difficult, but it is good thing to do. Maybe today you need to ask someone for their forgiveness...go and do it. Maybe today you need to forgive someone, do it, even if they have never asked for forgiveness!

I give this morning: B+
Favorite Moment: Calling Haley, "Debbie Downer"

Videos from Wednesday, December 9th

Beaker Sings

Charlie Brown Christmas -- Wednesday, December 9th

Tonight we talked about the real meaning of Christmas. the world teaches us that Christmas is about money, about giving or getting gifts, or about family. And it is true that it is fun to have money and fun to spend it on others as well as recieve things we don't have. It is also fun (usually) to spend time with our families but that isn't what christmas is about. Luke 2:1-20 tells us that Christmas is about Jesus coming to this earth as our savior. It is good news for us becuase it shows God's love for us. It is when God came to us to save us since we couldn't get to Him on our own. If I could define christmas with one word it would be: HOPE!

We lieve in a very hopeless world. There are wars, homelessness, rape, drugs, fights, fear, abuse, etc... Your world might feel hopeless too. Maybe your family is falling apart, or you freinds have been fighting, maybe you are failing school, depressed, lonely, and lost. No matter how bad your life is, no matther how dark your world gets there is hope. God can burst through that darkness in your life and bring light. If you let him in your life, let him take control of the situations, no matther how bad things are, with God there is always hope! Just as he came to this world over 2000 years ago, bringing hope to a very dark world, he can come into yoru heart and bring hope ino your very dark life.

I Give Tonight: A+

Favorite Moment: (Tie) Shin kicking, Cross lighting, or Sticking tongue to metal story

Video from Sunday, December 6th

Video played in honor of Lacey and Emma

Wrestling with God -- Sunday, December 6th

Today we continued the story of Genesis by reading about Jacob in Genesis 32:24-30. In these verses Jacob is about to meet up with Esau (his brother) for the first time since he left trying to avoid being killed by him. The night before he ends up wrestling with a man (either a pre-incarnate Jesus or an angel) but won't give up all night long, even after being severly injured, because he wants the "man's" blessing. Many times we have wrestled with God, praying for an answer to the questions that we seek or trying to grow closer to Him, but what our response is, is very important. We could never wrestle with God and just do our own thing but then we will end up in trouble and lost. We could quit before we get resolution because we become impatient, lazy, or hurt. Or we can be like Jacob and refuse to stop wrestling with God until we get our answer or until we have a closer relationship with God. In Daniel 10:1-14 we find a story where Daniel ends up having to pray 21 days for an answer. This should teach us that sometimes it takes time for God to answer. We need to get away from distractions (tv, internet, cell phones, video games, friends) and actually listen. And finally we need to not give up, ever.

I give this morning: B
Favorite Moment: Josh almost losing to Becky while arm wrestling

Video from Wednesday, December 2nd

O Holy Night (beautifully sang)

Frosty the Snowman -- Wednesday, December 2nd

Tonight we talked about why Christmas exists. It is a celebration of Jesus coming to this earth. He came in order to (as 1st timothy 1:15 says) "save sinners." God desired a relationship with mankind again, but sin had seperated us from Him. His solution was to take our penalty upon Himself, but dying for us. Jesus came, being God, in order to restore that relationship with humanity. He died in order to save us all. And then came back to life showing that he defeated death and that he was really God. You can have a relationship with God if you follow these three simple steps: 1. Beleive that Jesus is God. 2. Ask for forgiveness. 3. Pursue a relationship with Him, by spending time with Him.

I give tonight: C-
Favorite moment: Alex Sullivan's question about Santa Claus and Jesus

What Do You Want? -- Sunday, November 29th

This morning we continued the story of Genesis. We read from Genesis 29:16-30:24. In these verses we find the strange and messed up family of Jacob. He has ran away from home so that his brother won't kill him for stealing his blessing. He goes to his relative's, Laban, house and falls in love with his youngest daughter Rachel. She is very beautiful so he works for her to be his wife for 7 years. But on the wedding night Laban tricks him by having him marry his older, ugly daughter Leah. He then works for another 7 years for Rachel to become his wife. The two sisters fight. Leah wants her husband to love her, but instead just keeps having kids. Rachel wants to have kids but can't for many years. When she does she ends up having two, the second ends up with her dying during childbirth. Leah focused on earthly love and wouldn't settle for a better love, God's. Rachel focused on what she didn't have and thus was discontent. Eventually the thing she watned most that she thought would give her life meaning ended up killing her.

What is it that you want most? You have more going for you than you think. God created you in a unique way and even though you don't see it others do, so if you are discouraged ask others what they think you have going for you. What you want is an important question for you to know the answer to. It will be the thing that drives you, and if it isn't good then you will be headed in a bad direction and need to change it. If your focus is right you can use what you have, you will end up getting what you want. Meaning if your focus is on a relationship with God, and you put what you have into it, you will get it. So put God as yoru focus and you won't be disappointed.

I give this morning: C+
Favorite Moment: Doug's New Glasses

Yoked Up -- Sunday, November 23rd

Today we talked about being yoked unevenly. We read from Genesis 26:34-35 and 27:46-28:9 in which Esau marries some Hittite women who are not liked by the parents. We next jumped to Ezra 9:1-2 in which the Israelites who had just got back from captivity started to marry Canaanites, which had led them to Idolatry. Next we looked at the wisest man that ever lived, Solomon, in 1st Kings 11:1-9. In this section we learn that he married many foreign women who led him into idol worship rather than worshiping God. Finally we read from 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18 in which Paul tells us that we need to avoid being yoked together with unbeleivers, since we don't have anything in common. The phrase has to do with two oxen tethered together with a wooden yoke, the two becoming one. It is a reference to marriage but can be applied to dating, friendships, and business partnerships. So by these verses we see God saying, if you are a Christian don't date/marry a non-christian. Why? You are going two different directions and have two different puproses. You have two sets of morals (waht is right and wrong). Because of this you are most likely goign to lose something in yoru relationship with God. It also is because there is that constant pain waiting for them to come to God. Finally, God tells us no. So you now know what God tells us to not do, the question is: What will you do with that knowledge?

I give this morning: B+
Favorite Moment: Watching teams drag partners around the room