Letters to US Soldiers

"Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1Thessalonians 5:11

On July 1, be sure to come to Sunday morning class to help write letters of gratitude to our soldiers. We'll provide the paper, pens and envelopes, you just provide the good will and thanks!To find out more or to write letters in your spare time, check out http://www.amillionthanks.org/.

Let There Be Summer!

As you can tell from the pictures above, we had a great time at the Burgess's house. Lots of fun playing in the pool, eating good food and getting to know each other better. Let's make it our goals this summer to get to know each other better, to grow as a youth group, and to draw closer to God. Thanks for everyone who was willing to share during our devotional / discussion. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." Let's use this verse as our inspiration and example, and let's honestly share our lives together this summer.

Don't forget, next Saturday is the Jars of Clay concert at Chapman University! $15 per ticket - get your money to me ASAP. God bless.

Summer is here!

Summer is finally upon us. This week is the last week of school for most of us (including me) and to kick things off we're going to be having a pool party/BBQ/devo at Jon and Joey Burgess's house this Saturday starting at 3:00. Come on by and let's relax and blow off some steam after a stressful week. If you need directions, call or e-mail me. If you can help bring food or other supplies, get in touch with Debbie Kay. Also, don't forget about the upcoming Jars of Clay concert on June 23rd. If you want to go (and who wouldn't), I'll need $15 per ticket this Sunday at church.

Last Sunday in class we looked at one of my favorite Jesus stories, the healing of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5. Although I've preached about this story (based on a lesson I heard Jefferson Walling give ages ago) many times, it is always striking to me. One of the most striking moments comes at the end of the story, where Jesus does not allow the formerly demon-possessed man to come with him and his disciples, but instead challenges him to go tell his friends and family "what the Lord has done" for him. It's a touching and heart-wrenching moment. My challenge to our class (and to myself) is to think of evangelism as just that: telling those close to you what God has done for you and how he's had mercy on you. While our personal stories might not be as striking as the demon-possessed man's, we still each have our own stories of God's love to share.

The four things that God has done for all of us are Father, Family, Forgiveness, and a Future. God's given all of us a perfect loving father who will never leave us; He's given us an eternal family that fills every corner of the globe in the church; the ability to live life guilt-free and cleansed to love other unconditionally, and he's given us a future in our eternal promise of heaven. And while that's something every Christian can remember, I challenged all of the members of our class to think of an answer to that question if someone was to ask it of you: what has God done for you? Feel free to comment below with any responses.....