In the Zone

In light of missing church Wednesday due to weather, I thought I'd post our camp information sheet that was due to be handed out yesterday.  This sheet has all the information on camp so students and parents can make an informed decision. Camp Information Sheet Location:   Jonathan’s Creek Camp, 3043 Beal Road, Hardin, KY 42048 Dates :   June 19-24, 2011 Requirements: Deposit:        Students must sign up and pay a $50 non-refundable deposit by Feb. 6, 2011.   If students cannot pay all or part of the deposit, other arrangements can be made.   (If money is an issue, we will NOT allow that to keep a student from attending camp.   Talk to me and we will work something out.   DO NOT LET MONEY key your student from attending.) Attendance:   We have a 75% attendance policy to attend camp.   If you want to go to camp, you must attend at least 75% of our youth gatherings from Feb. 6 until June 19.  ...

We live in an unbelieving world. Just watch any show on the History Channel or an episode of Ghost Hunters on SyFy.  You'll see people who don't believe in God or question the teachings of the Bible. But I don't need to tell you that.  You encounter it everyday at school and work and hanging out with your friends.  People just don't want to believe the Bible.  They don't want to believe in a God who has an absolute standard.  They don't want to believe in a God who says there is only one way to heaven - and being good enough is not the way. Sometimes it feels insurmountable.  Sometimes it seems you're in the minority. That's a little how Enoch felt. We read in Genesis 5, that Enoch worshipped and followed God amidst a wicked generation.  So wicked, in fact, that God would eventually wipe out all of humanity (with the exception of Noah and his family) with a flood to purge the earth.  That made Enoch stand out.  He alone ...

I'm an avid Cincinnati Reds fan.  I don't hide that fact.  After moving to Pikeville, one of the things I started to miss was my daily dose of Reds news and notes from local sports talk radio.  I missed listening to the Reds on Radio broadcast in my car on the way home from church on Wednesday evenings.  No one can call a game like Marty Brennaman.  I grew up listening to Marty and Joe (Nuxhall) call Reds games on the radio.  I love to listening to Marty just talk baseball while calling balls and strikes. At the start of each game, usually after the first pitch, Marty does a public service announcement.  He'll remind listeners in their cars to make sure their safety belts are buckled.  "What's holding you back," he'll say.  (It's the tagline for the seat belt campaign.)  I love it because it has a double-meaning.  Literally, what's holding you back from getting killed in a car accident?  (Hopefully a seat belt.)  But...

It's an interesting question.  If I asked your friends about you - and I'm not talking about your Facebook friends, but the people who truly know you - what would they say about you? Oh I'm sure they could share some funny stories about you.  They could tell me about your favorite movie.  They could probably give me the playlist of your iPod. (Well, some of it anyway.)  But what could they tell me about your faith? And no, "He/She goes to church" is not enough.  Could they tell me your basic theology?  Could they tell me where you go to church?  Your favorite Bible verse?  What God has done in your life that's changed you most? Those are questions that really matter.  If someone really knows you, they should know about your faith, not just your favorite band. In Hebrews 11:4, it says the faith of Abel speaks out, even though he is dead.  No one doubted Abel or his faith.  They all knew where he stood.  Does your fai...

Well, I guess it's time to try something new.  So, I've entered the BLOG world. The hope of this blog is to help advance our ministry, share some thoughts from God's word and share about youth ministry in general.  One thing we're going to do is reflect on my Wednesday and Sunday youth lessons during the week, giving students and adults a way to connect with our lessons beyond our meetings. You may also see me venture into some thoughts about youth ministry and other things that God brings to my mind. This is a grand experiment for me.  It's a new adventure.  Let's see where it goes...