Where do I start???

There is so much to do!!!!  If I didn’t love my ministry, I would want to give up when challenges arise.  We have a lot still to plan, prepare, and pull off before school starts and to see school start with a bang.  Here are the things I am working on . . . if you can help in any of these areas, please feel free to leave a comment, or encouragement . . .

Mission Trip

• Pray that we have all the paperwork and are prepared for God to use us
• Get shirts to everyone
• Get Bags to those that ordered them
• Pick up Vans
• Pack – my least favorite

Weekend Worship

• Work with John on the talk for this week and next (1 John 3 and 4).
• Figure out how they are going to do worship this week without a band – most of the band members are going to Mexico.
• Make sure notes are made and presentation slides are ready also.
• Create a new Bulletin Shell! (someone is working on this, i hope)

Staffing

• Still looking for a part time Worship Coordinator if your are interested send me you resume and look at the job description here!

Back 2 School Bash

• Find a car to bash
• start promoting the event

Back 2 School Retreat

• Find Host Home
• Make sure Small group Leaders can be there
• Order Curriculum
• Start Registration
• Create T-Shirt Design
• Secure the Band and Speaker (seems last minute but it really isn’t)

Small Groups

• Recruit Coaches, Small Group Leader, Host Homes, and Student Leaders
• Organize the Small Group Calendar
• Train Leaders and cast vision for changes
• solidify curriculum for each age group or groups!

Other

• Paint Student Center
• Order Furniture
• Get Banners Printed
• Hang out with Students
• Start an Internship Program with HS students
• Things that get assigned to me by other staff.

Family

• My family leaves for MO Thursday
• Vacation in August
• Need to fix the alignment on our Jeep Grand Cherokee (not fun and cost money)
• 6 year anniversary coming quickly
• Josiah start soccer in September

So much to do and so little time to do it!

Secret Sin Video

Well the file is toooooo big to post to this blog, but if you missed last Sunday, July 6, 2008, you can still watch the talk which includes the last song by clinking RIGHT HERE! Or you can watch it from our Student Web Site by clicking RIGHT HERE!

Thanks for all the comments and notes of encouragement! Personally, it would have been much easier to talk about something else than “Secret Sins.”  But that is not the direction the Lord took me.

Yes, the words were strong!  Very Strong, but the reality is, good people, even Godly people are falling victim to these sinful habits everyday.  The church can’t afford to be scared to talk about these things.  Yes, Jesus died for SIN, all sin, including every word that was said Sunday.  My heart was not to offend anyone but to see people get set free from the power of Secret Sin.

These are the things that we don’t like to talk about.  However, people are now talking about some of these things.  I have heard very positive comments, thank you’s and even had a question about masturbation asking, “What does the Bible say about it?”  Great question!  I always point people to Ephesians 5:3 which says,

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”

What is a hint?  I don’t think we can justify it after looking at this verse, do you?

Luke 7:1-17

“When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!’” v.9

In this passage today we see Jesus perform two different miracles, both showing His authority over sickness. But today, verse nine caught my attention.  Jesus says, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” It causes me to think about my faith.  Sometimes I think it is easier to have superficial faith instead of supernatural faith.  I am still thinking through this but here are my random thoughts:

Superficial Faith

• has no depth . . . meaning it’s shallow faith that comes and goes
• has no life changing commitments
• isn’t very consistent

Supernatural Faith

• has depth . . . meaning it’s a deep faith that stays strong daily!!!
• has caused some one to experience life change
• is consistent and evident in a deep (consistent)  prayer life

There is probably much more to this list, but the challenge is to think about my own faith, would I be more likely to fall in the Superficial or Supernatural?  How about you?  Can you add anything to the list?