So guys, in the spirit of me writing big long sermons on here... this is my latest sermon that I preached this past sunday and wednesdays at youth groups. This is basically what I typed up, but I didn't follow it to the T... but had all the same basic concepts and everything. Lemme know what you think.
Livin’ By Faith A’int Easy: 1 Peter 4:12-19
These past few weeks, Dewbe has been talking to you guys about faith. The first week Dewbe spoke about putting our faith into action—paying it forward to somebody. Last week, he spoke a little bit about what real faith is. This week, I want to talk to you about how our faith can be hard to live. Lets bow our heads and pray. Pray. So when I was a little kid my older brothers and I used to play games. We frequently acted out Bible stories to impress our parents because they thought we were kinda stupid. My older brothers were pretty mischievous, and so whenever we played together, I had to live in faith that they would not hurt me. So do you guys remember the story when James and John are on a boat with Jesus and Jesus tells them to cast the fish nets on the other side and they will have a great catch? They end up doing it and they catch so much fish that they can barely pull in the nets? Well, my brothers and I acted that story out, except… I was not James or John, but a big fish. They way we would act this out is: my brothers would climb up onto the top bunk of their bed and throw a big blanket over the side pretending it was a fish net and that Jesus had just told them to throw it out. I, being the stellar actor that I am, would pretend to be a fish, and I would “swim” into the blanket, but really I would just climb into it. My brothers would then continue the scene by pulling me up on the bed. I always had a lot of fun doing this, though it was a little bit scary. My older brothers, who are twins I must add, got a little bored of this, and so they schemed against me, like all twins would do, to drop me when they almost had me to the top. They tried a few times, but I would be sitting in the blanket and I would kinda just catch myself. They really wanted to hurt me so they convinced me to lay down and close my eyes. I made them promise that they wouldn’t drop me, and when they did I believed them… I never should’ve. So anyways, I get in the blanket, lay down and close my eyes and they start to lift me up. I get almost to the top, and they “accidentally” let go of the blanket, and I drop about 7 feet flat on my back and I hit my head really hard. I think I lost a few brain cells that day, so if I ever seem kinda slow, that’s probably why. The point is, from that day on, I lived in fear that my brothers would hurt me when we played games because I had lived in faith that they wouldn’t. For some of us, living by our faith in God can seem scary. When we actually live out our faith, it should move us to action, to do something, to “pay it forward” to someone, like Dewbe talked to us about. We start living our lives like Jesus and we start loving people by serving them because Matthew 20:28 says, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” and this can be scary to us because we don’t know what other people will do to us when they see us doing this kind of stuff. We are too afraid to sit with the loser at lunch because people will make fun of us and our “cool” reputation will be lost. We are too afraid to pray for someone because we don’t want to be called a “Jesus Freak.” You see what I’m getting at? When our faith calls us to do something, it isn’t always easy to do.
A guy named Peter wrote 2 books in the New Testament. The first book he wrote—1 Peter, go figure—was written to a group of Christians who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. In chapter 4 starting at verse 12, he writes:
12Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you. 13Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. 14If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15None of you, however, should suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a meddler. 16But if [anyone suffers] as a Christian, he should not be ashamed, but should glorify God with that name. 17For the time has come for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? 18And if the righteous is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? 19So those who suffer according to God's will should, in doing good, entrust themselves to a faithful Creator.
These Christians that Peter is writing to were discouraged and ashamed to live their faith because of the persecutions, floggings, and insults that were coming their way because they believed in Jesus Christ. Now, I know we don’t face death like some of these people did, but I have lived through Jr. High and High School and I know how mean and hurtful people can be with their words and actions. This can be very discouraging to us if we are trying to live out our faith, and we ask God why it is happening.
There are a few things that I want to point out to you tonight. The first is that living out our faith isn’t easy because we are afraid to suffer. Just like the Christians that Peter wrote to, we are afraid to live out our faith because of the things that might happen to us. The Christians that Peter wrote to faced death, torture, insults, and other forms of persecution. We don’t face anything nearly as intense as what they did, guys. We, however, are too afraid of what our friends and others will do to us. Our pride and reputation as being cool or popular is too important to us, to humble ourselves and live our life for God and love people, study our Bibles, and even pray because they aren’t the popular or cool thing to do. We are too afraid to suffer.
The funny thing is, when we live out our faith, we will suffer! I’m not saying this to scare you guys or anything, but Peter points that out in this passage. And this is the second thing that I want to point out: that suffering should be expected. Verses 12 and 13 say, “Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory.” Peter is pointing out that when we experience “fiery ordeals” we should not act as if they were never supposed to happen—we should expect them. You may be thinking… Okay James, I’m getting most of what you are saying, but what are the fiery ordeals that this passage is talking about? Well, you need only look to the next verse where it says that as we “share in the sufferings of the Messiah” we are to rejoice. If you didn’t know, Christ suffered a lot. Before he was nailed to the cross, he was stripped and beaten; mocked and spit upon; insulted and ridiculed. These are the things that we are joining into with Christ when we come to believe in Him. Isn’t that kinda scary? We should expect that we might go through these things to have our faith tested? And we are supposed to rejoice when they happen?!?! That seems kinda crazy if you asked me! This leads me to the last thing I want to point out!
When we suffer for our faith in Christ, we are blessed! This seems crazy too!!! How can we be blessed when people are hurling insults at us, humiliating us, and degrading us to the bottom of the food chain at school? The next verse says, “If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” Be encouraged guys!!! I wish someone would have told me this sooner, or I would have taken my faith seriously sooner and had come upon this verse earlier in my faith! For so long, guys, I wondered if the Spirit of God was in me because I didn’t do anything and I didn’t love other people; I was afraid to live out my faith because I didn’t want to get made fun of or be labeled as a stuck up, judgmental Christian. Guys, don’t be afraid to live your faith out at school in front of your peers! Be bold and know that even if you are insulted, ridiculed, mocked, or looked down upon because of your faith in Jesus Christ, that the Spirit of God is inside of you and people recognize it in you. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power and love…” You guys have the power inside of you to do great things for God through your faith because the Spirit of God is inside of you if you believe in Him and aren’t afraid to live your faith and love people.
I want to tell you guys a story of a girl who was not afraid to live her faith and believe in God, even at the threat of death. Some of you may have heard about this girl before. About 10 years ago, in 1999, two teenage male students walked into Columbine High School’s library with semi-automatic weapons and opened fire on students, killing 12 and injuring many others, before they shot and killed themselves. Before they had killed themselves, they found one girl, Cassie Bernall underneath a table. One of the gunmen pointed a gun at her head and asked her a question. He asked Cassie, “Do you believe in God?” Her answer was, “Yes.” Before she could say anything else, the gunman immediately shot her and killed her. You see, it took Cassie a lot of faith to answer yes to that question in the face of death. Out of fear for her life, she could have answered “No,” and possibly lived. Instead, with the power she had through the Spirit of God, she answered “Yes,” because she understood that she was blessed in that moment, and that she was going to go to heaven to be with God himself if she was killed.
You guys, I’m not trying to scare you guys with all of this. I want you guys to realize what God has given you in the Holy Spirit. I want you guys to realize that you do not have to be afraid of being insulted or mocked or ridiculed because you choose to love people and serve them. Livin’ out our faith aint easy guys. I’ll be honest with you right there. It aint easy. That doesn’t mean we have to live in fear. You see, we are God’s children. We belong to Him. He wants us to live out our faith in power. We are blessed when get insulted, mocked, or ridiculed because we are living our faith in power. Don’t be afraid guys.
So what does this mean for you guys???
Maybe you love God, yet faith seems easy for you to live. You read your Bible every morning and pray, yet at school you do nothing to show the love that God has for people. Or maybe you just hang out with your other Christian friends, and so living your faith in these ways seems easy. I want you to encourage you guys to step out in your faith and love someone that doesn’t know God. But realize this, you may get discouraged by your peers around you who don’t know God and don’t understand what you’re doing. Don’t be afraid of that happening. Know that it might happen. But be encouraged when it does happen that you are blessed and God’s Spirit lives inside of you. Maybe you’ve stepped out and “paid it forward” to someone and you didn’t suffer anything for it. That’s cool, but don’t stop there. Keep stepping out, and don’t be surprised when the mockery and insults come. Know that you are blessed because the Spirit of God is inside of you. Maybe you have tried to live out your faith, and you did get mocked or insulted because of it. Don’t let that stop you from continuing to live your faith out. Know that it was supposed to happen. Know that you are blessed. Know that the Spirit of God lives inside of you and gives you the power to continue to love God by loving other people. You guys, the last verse in this passage says, “So those who suffer according to God's will should entrust themselves to a faithful Creator and continue to do good.” Entrust yourselves to God and know that He has everything in control, and continue to love people in the face of hardship. Let’s pray!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Seeing Things Clearly
So something that I've been thinking about recently is worship. For my internship, I had to evaluate the youth ministry and figure out which areas needed to be rennovated and changed. Something I thought could be improved upon was worship during youth nights. It has been kinda shoved to the side and had not been given a chance to develop in the past three to four years. Watching from the sidelines a few times, I've noticed that almost nobody worships. Haing lead about four years ago, almost nobody worshipped. Nothing has seemed to change. The worship time has become a few people worshiping in song, and 30 people watching. It has become a watching type of thing, instead of a doing type of thing. So my job and goal over the next few weeks before I leave is to try and develop an environment and culture of worship.
This goal has led me to desire to do some sort of sermon series on worship at youth group. So one of the passages that sticks in my head all the time is Romans 12:1-2 because it talks about worship. Among all the passages in the Old Testament that talk about worship as sacrificing animals and stuff, this passages sticks out to me more than the rest. So I did some thinking about it.
"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
-Romans 12:1-2 [HCSB]
I've heard this passage many times before, but never took the time to consider its meaning for me. It says that our spiritual act of worship is offering our bodies as living, breathing, sacrifices to God, which is holy and pleasing to Him. It also says to not be conformed to the age (or the world) and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can know the will of God. But what does it all mean, and what does it mean for you and I?
What does it mean?
It means that worship is sacrificing ourselves. We all, by nature, desire things of the flesh. We desire our addictions, sex, money, power, and many other things... the things of this age... the things of the world. When we desire these things, we do not desire the things of the Spirit or things that are of God. Thus, it is important that we offer up our fleshly desires to make room for God to transform us by replacing our fleshly desires with desires that are of the Spirit, and this is the renewing of our mind. This renewal needs to be constant. This renewal transforms our minds and hearts to that of Gods. This act is holy and pleasing to God.
What does it mean for you and I?
There are soo many things in this world that can consume us if we do not constantly sacrifice those things of the flesh to God. In our flesh, we desire the things of the world and not the things of God. The cool thing is, by the power of God, we can offer those desires to God and our minds will be renewed or refocused and transformed so that we can continue to see God's will for us. God's will is made clearer when we do this. We are made holy and pleasing to God when we do this because we are constantly becoming more like our Creator. This is an act of worship, which is to be continually done so that we can continue to see God's will for us.
When we sacrifice ourselves, our spiritual blinders start to come off so that we can see God's will. It continues to get evermore clear as we continue to sacrifice these desires, and let God renew our minds and transform us to be more like Him. It is like a man with very poor vision who needs prescription glasses or contacts to see well. When he gets a prescription, he puts his glasses on and can see clearly. But, eventually, if the prescription is not renewed, it is to weak and he has to get a new prescription so that he can see more clearly. This must be continually done for the rest of life. In the same way, when we fall into our fleshly desires it causes God's will for us to be blurred because we are not focused on God. If we do not continually sacrifice our fleshly desires and renew or refocus our mind and life on God, His will for us will continually be blurred, and not refined. When we do continually renew our mind by sacrificng our flesh, God's will for us continues to be more clear day by day.
I will be the first to say that I am not continually renewing my mind and sacrificing my flesh to make room for God. I now desire that. I want to get rid of all the junk I've wanted to for a while so that I can continue to focus on God and His will for me. I don't want to run away from these things anymore. I want to see clearly the will of God.
I think that in context of trying to create an environment and culture of worship, this plays out in a specific way. When we are in our flesh, we will not desire to worship God, because the world does not tell us to worship God, but other things. To create that environment and culture of worship, we must be transformed by renewing our minds and sacrificing our flesh so that we desire things of God. When we desire things of God because we have sacrificed our fleshly desires as worship, that is when that environment and culture of worship will be developed.
Worship requires an element of sacrifice. Worship through song in my mind is simply singing praises back to God about how great He is. It may not seem like a sacrifice, but it still requires us to sacrifice our fleshly desire to be our own God. We sacrifice this want and we are letting Him become our God. Worship is not something we watch other people do and is not solely done through music and singing. It can be done in our day to day lives, not just on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights.
Worship must be done continuously.
Worship requires sacrifice.
Worship causes us to see God's will more clearly.
Worship causes us to desire Him.
So, will we constantly sacrifice our fleshly desires and humbly be transformed so that we can know God's will and be used by Him for His Kingdom? Or will we sit back and watch as others seek the things of God and become tools for His Kingdom?
Lord God,
I pray that as I embark on my journey to create an environment and culture of worship, that you would be with me. I pray that you would do a mighty work in the lives of the students and call them to sacrifice themselves in worship. I pray that their lives would change from desiring their flesh, to desiring you and your will for their lives. I pray that worship would not continue to be a spectator's sport in the youth, but something that they would desire to DO and not just watch. I pray that you would reveal yourself to the students in powerful ways as we seek to worship you and become more like you. I love you so much God and thank you for all that you have blessed me with. I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen
This goal has led me to desire to do some sort of sermon series on worship at youth group. So one of the passages that sticks in my head all the time is Romans 12:1-2 because it talks about worship. Among all the passages in the Old Testament that talk about worship as sacrificing animals and stuff, this passages sticks out to me more than the rest. So I did some thinking about it.
"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
-Romans 12:1-2 [HCSB]
I've heard this passage many times before, but never took the time to consider its meaning for me. It says that our spiritual act of worship is offering our bodies as living, breathing, sacrifices to God, which is holy and pleasing to Him. It also says to not be conformed to the age (or the world) and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can know the will of God. But what does it all mean, and what does it mean for you and I?
What does it mean?
It means that worship is sacrificing ourselves. We all, by nature, desire things of the flesh. We desire our addictions, sex, money, power, and many other things... the things of this age... the things of the world. When we desire these things, we do not desire the things of the Spirit or things that are of God. Thus, it is important that we offer up our fleshly desires to make room for God to transform us by replacing our fleshly desires with desires that are of the Spirit, and this is the renewing of our mind. This renewal needs to be constant. This renewal transforms our minds and hearts to that of Gods. This act is holy and pleasing to God.
What does it mean for you and I?
There are soo many things in this world that can consume us if we do not constantly sacrifice those things of the flesh to God. In our flesh, we desire the things of the world and not the things of God. The cool thing is, by the power of God, we can offer those desires to God and our minds will be renewed or refocused and transformed so that we can continue to see God's will for us. God's will is made clearer when we do this. We are made holy and pleasing to God when we do this because we are constantly becoming more like our Creator. This is an act of worship, which is to be continually done so that we can continue to see God's will for us.
When we sacrifice ourselves, our spiritual blinders start to come off so that we can see God's will. It continues to get evermore clear as we continue to sacrifice these desires, and let God renew our minds and transform us to be more like Him. It is like a man with very poor vision who needs prescription glasses or contacts to see well. When he gets a prescription, he puts his glasses on and can see clearly. But, eventually, if the prescription is not renewed, it is to weak and he has to get a new prescription so that he can see more clearly. This must be continually done for the rest of life. In the same way, when we fall into our fleshly desires it causes God's will for us to be blurred because we are not focused on God. If we do not continually sacrifice our fleshly desires and renew or refocus our mind and life on God, His will for us will continually be blurred, and not refined. When we do continually renew our mind by sacrificng our flesh, God's will for us continues to be more clear day by day.
I will be the first to say that I am not continually renewing my mind and sacrificing my flesh to make room for God. I now desire that. I want to get rid of all the junk I've wanted to for a while so that I can continue to focus on God and His will for me. I don't want to run away from these things anymore. I want to see clearly the will of God.
I think that in context of trying to create an environment and culture of worship, this plays out in a specific way. When we are in our flesh, we will not desire to worship God, because the world does not tell us to worship God, but other things. To create that environment and culture of worship, we must be transformed by renewing our minds and sacrificing our flesh so that we desire things of God. When we desire things of God because we have sacrificed our fleshly desires as worship, that is when that environment and culture of worship will be developed.
Worship requires an element of sacrifice. Worship through song in my mind is simply singing praises back to God about how great He is. It may not seem like a sacrifice, but it still requires us to sacrifice our fleshly desire to be our own God. We sacrifice this want and we are letting Him become our God. Worship is not something we watch other people do and is not solely done through music and singing. It can be done in our day to day lives, not just on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights.
Worship must be done continuously.
Worship requires sacrifice.
Worship causes us to see God's will more clearly.
Worship causes us to desire Him.
So, will we constantly sacrifice our fleshly desires and humbly be transformed so that we can know God's will and be used by Him for His Kingdom? Or will we sit back and watch as others seek the things of God and become tools for His Kingdom?
Lord God,
I pray that as I embark on my journey to create an environment and culture of worship, that you would be with me. I pray that you would do a mighty work in the lives of the students and call them to sacrifice themselves in worship. I pray that their lives would change from desiring their flesh, to desiring you and your will for their lives. I pray that worship would not continue to be a spectator's sport in the youth, but something that they would desire to DO and not just watch. I pray that you would reveal yourself to the students in powerful ways as we seek to worship you and become more like you. I love you so much God and thank you for all that you have blessed me with. I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen
Thursday, July 2, 2009
A Drive Through the Desert and a Nonchalant Encouragement from a Mentor
So this past Monday, a buddy of mine named Cody and I, flew out to Las Vegas, NV to pick up a free car! It was a huge blessing and answer to prayer that I got a free car. My youth pastor friend's wife's grandpa died a few weeks ago and he had like 4 cars. His family was going to give it away in Las Vegas, so when Dewbe found out, he called his father-in-law to inform him that I needed a car and would probably want it. So they gave me the go, all I had to do was get to Vegas to pick it up and I could have it.
So I flew with my buddy to Vegas. His sister picked us up at the airport and took us to lunch, and then we went to pick the car up. After picking it up, Cody and I took off on our long adventure. What should have been an 8.5 hour trip turned into a 13.5 hour trip.
Let me explain.
About 30 miles into out trip we stopped for some gas because we had to go through some mountains and we didn't want to get stuck. When we were about to leave, I thought to myself, I'm thirsty, I should get some water while looking at the thermometer in the car reading 111. I then thought to myself, nahhh I'll be fine. I'll just get something on the other side.
Little did I know that 10 miles later my car would overheat.
Cody and I then sat in the sun in the middle of the desert with no water or food for about 3.5 to 4 hours. It was soo hot! SOOO HOTTT! It was a good time that we had though. Suffering together... talking about life. I love Cody. He has been so welcoming to me here in my hometown, after not really knowing me before I came home for my internship.
Finally, his sister brought us some water to put in the coolant system, and we went on our way. 8 hours later or so, at about 5am, we arrived at our destination.
Now, I want to talk about something that happened today. I was riding in the car with Brandon and Dewbe, and Dewbe said something to me that is shaking my view of myself right now. I struggle sometimes with believing lies that I am not fit for youth ministry. Today, Dewbe said something so nonchalantly, but it is shaking that lie and putting it to death.
"You are doing a really good job James."
"A good job at what?"
"At your internship stuff. You know, I was even talking to Mary the other day and I was saying that you are probably better than 90% of the youth ministry guys I know..."
"Thanks Dewbe."
And a minute later the subject changed. I don't remember what to, but the words that Dewbe spoke to me keep ringing in my head. It was really hard for me to believe, but I think he genuinely believed his statement about me.
It was so encouraging and I do not think he realizes how much the such nonchalant little piece of encouragement meant to me. It is so encouraging to me when other people can see me living out the calling that God has placed in my life, when I can't see it or believe it sometimes. It shakes me when people I look up to say simple things like that.
The thing is, I do not know if I can live my calling out to its full potential, until I fully believe in it. Until I see myself as a youth pastor leading kids towards God, I can't do it the way God needs me to or wants me to. I think God is in the process of growing me to be big enough for the dream he has given me.
So that's what has gone on in my life this past week. I love all of you who read blogs.
Dear Lord,
Thank You soo much for speaking me today through someone's nonchalant statement. Thank You for encouraging me on my journey towards my life of service to you. Keep bringing me closer to you. Give me enough faith to get out of the boat. Sanctify me. Call me to you. Wake me up. Shake me. Let me hear your voice. I love You so much.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
So I flew with my buddy to Vegas. His sister picked us up at the airport and took us to lunch, and then we went to pick the car up. After picking it up, Cody and I took off on our long adventure. What should have been an 8.5 hour trip turned into a 13.5 hour trip.
Let me explain.
About 30 miles into out trip we stopped for some gas because we had to go through some mountains and we didn't want to get stuck. When we were about to leave, I thought to myself, I'm thirsty, I should get some water while looking at the thermometer in the car reading 111. I then thought to myself, nahhh I'll be fine. I'll just get something on the other side.
Little did I know that 10 miles later my car would overheat.
Cody and I then sat in the sun in the middle of the desert with no water or food for about 3.5 to 4 hours. It was soo hot! SOOO HOTTT! It was a good time that we had though. Suffering together... talking about life. I love Cody. He has been so welcoming to me here in my hometown, after not really knowing me before I came home for my internship.
Finally, his sister brought us some water to put in the coolant system, and we went on our way. 8 hours later or so, at about 5am, we arrived at our destination.
Now, I want to talk about something that happened today. I was riding in the car with Brandon and Dewbe, and Dewbe said something to me that is shaking my view of myself right now. I struggle sometimes with believing lies that I am not fit for youth ministry. Today, Dewbe said something so nonchalantly, but it is shaking that lie and putting it to death.
"You are doing a really good job James."
"A good job at what?"
"At your internship stuff. You know, I was even talking to Mary the other day and I was saying that you are probably better than 90% of the youth ministry guys I know..."
"Thanks Dewbe."
And a minute later the subject changed. I don't remember what to, but the words that Dewbe spoke to me keep ringing in my head. It was really hard for me to believe, but I think he genuinely believed his statement about me.
It was so encouraging and I do not think he realizes how much the such nonchalant little piece of encouragement meant to me. It is so encouraging to me when other people can see me living out the calling that God has placed in my life, when I can't see it or believe it sometimes. It shakes me when people I look up to say simple things like that.
The thing is, I do not know if I can live my calling out to its full potential, until I fully believe in it. Until I see myself as a youth pastor leading kids towards God, I can't do it the way God needs me to or wants me to. I think God is in the process of growing me to be big enough for the dream he has given me.
So that's what has gone on in my life this past week. I love all of you who read blogs.
Dear Lord,
Thank You soo much for speaking me today through someone's nonchalant statement. Thank You for encouraging me on my journey towards my life of service to you. Keep bringing me closer to you. Give me enough faith to get out of the boat. Sanctify me. Call me to you. Wake me up. Shake me. Let me hear your voice. I love You so much.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
My Oblivious Influence
I have always believed that I have had a great influence on kid's lives, but I have been oblivious as to how great that influence is until this week. It has been a humbling and eye opening realization.
This week is my church's yearly Summer Vacation Bible School called Buddy Bears! I grew up since I was about 4 or 5 going to Buddy Bears, and then I've been helping out at Buddy Bears ever since I was too old to go. It has been this week at Buddy Bears that has been one of the most influential times in my life.
My first epiphany of the magnitude of influence I have over kids came on Tuesday when I talked to a kid in my group's mother when I confessed my adoration for her son. The previous day I had flexed my muscle for him and told him that if he started lifting heavy things his muscles would slowly grow to the size of mine, and maybe even bigger. The mother told me that day that she heard some clanking in another room the night before and went in there and the little boy was lifting the fire place tools. When she asked him what he was doing he said, "James said..." (wow) "that if I lift heavy things my muscles will get bigger!" I know, I know... really cute huh??? But I now realize that kids listen to every word that I say and they believe it. The ten words that I said to him in that one moment dictated his life for that night, and he has told me about lifting more things the past two days.
More epiphanies have come as the week has progressed. From the little boy named Deven coming up to my every day before lunch and asking if I would sit with him, to the hand-full of students who beg me to sit next to them every time we go somewhere and then get jealous of eachother if I sit somewhere else, to Austin copying my British accent and telling me I am the coolest guy he has ever met, many things have awoken me from my obliviousness.
I am humbled to know that I have such an influence on kids, and that God has chosen me to have that influence, so that I can influence them towards Him. I am reminded of Mark 9:41 where it says, "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck." This verse reminds me that much responsibility has been givn to me, and thus, much is expected of me. I must be aware at all times who I am influencing and what I am influencing them towards. My goal is not to lead students away from Christ, but towards Him. It is soo cool that I get to invest in these kids and point them towards God.
My encouragement to the blogging world is that we do have influence over kids, whether we realize it or not.
Be aware of the influence you have over other people so that you can take seriously the call to glorify God with every breath of every day, so that no one will be mistaken about who you are influencing them towards.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You for giving me the opportunity to be here this summer and this week at Buddy Bears. Thank You for making me aware of the influence I have over kids. Lord, my goal is to influence kids towards You and the love that You have for them. Help me to glorify you with every breath that I take so that I might influence kids towards You in the best way possible. I want to take seriously the call You have placed on my life and the heart You have given me. I love You sooo much. I thank You and praise You!
In the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son: Amen.
This week is my church's yearly Summer Vacation Bible School called Buddy Bears! I grew up since I was about 4 or 5 going to Buddy Bears, and then I've been helping out at Buddy Bears ever since I was too old to go. It has been this week at Buddy Bears that has been one of the most influential times in my life.
My first epiphany of the magnitude of influence I have over kids came on Tuesday when I talked to a kid in my group's mother when I confessed my adoration for her son. The previous day I had flexed my muscle for him and told him that if he started lifting heavy things his muscles would slowly grow to the size of mine, and maybe even bigger. The mother told me that day that she heard some clanking in another room the night before and went in there and the little boy was lifting the fire place tools. When she asked him what he was doing he said, "James said..." (wow) "that if I lift heavy things my muscles will get bigger!" I know, I know... really cute huh??? But I now realize that kids listen to every word that I say and they believe it. The ten words that I said to him in that one moment dictated his life for that night, and he has told me about lifting more things the past two days.
More epiphanies have come as the week has progressed. From the little boy named Deven coming up to my every day before lunch and asking if I would sit with him, to the hand-full of students who beg me to sit next to them every time we go somewhere and then get jealous of eachother if I sit somewhere else, to Austin copying my British accent and telling me I am the coolest guy he has ever met, many things have awoken me from my obliviousness.
I am humbled to know that I have such an influence on kids, and that God has chosen me to have that influence, so that I can influence them towards Him. I am reminded of Mark 9:41 where it says, "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck." This verse reminds me that much responsibility has been givn to me, and thus, much is expected of me. I must be aware at all times who I am influencing and what I am influencing them towards. My goal is not to lead students away from Christ, but towards Him. It is soo cool that I get to invest in these kids and point them towards God.
My encouragement to the blogging world is that we do have influence over kids, whether we realize it or not.
Be aware of the influence you have over other people so that you can take seriously the call to glorify God with every breath of every day, so that no one will be mistaken about who you are influencing them towards.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You for giving me the opportunity to be here this summer and this week at Buddy Bears. Thank You for making me aware of the influence I have over kids. Lord, my goal is to influence kids towards You and the love that You have for them. Help me to glorify you with every breath that I take so that I might influence kids towards You in the best way possible. I want to take seriously the call You have placed on my life and the heart You have given me. I love You sooo much. I thank You and praise You!
In the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son: Amen.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wow I haven't blogged in like a month!!!!
I guess I've just been really distracted with a lot of really important things. It is my duty to update you on the world of James, the life that sits in the wildhorse canyon... :)
So lets start with the first few days of summer. I got home and rested for the weekend, then started our move to a different house. A much smaller house. I had some friends come help my family out... Ryan, Bryan and Matt all helped us out, but at different times. They were such a blessing. This is what I did for my first 2-3 days of my summer vacation and week rest before starting my internship. I only did it the first 2-3 days because I got sick. I came down with some sort of infection, and the doctor told me I had to be in lock-down and I couldn't be around people, because I was more susceptible to getting the flu since my immune system was being affected by the infection. So many days were Jeff and Dan here that I really wanted to hang out, but I couldn't... I was very dissapointed and kinda lonely.
Eventually I got over my sickness and the next Tuesday morning I met my youth pastor, Dewbe, for some starbucks before our staff meeting. We met so he could get an update and figure out where I was spiritually, and to tell you the truth, I wasn't where I wanted to be. For the longest time I had been down on myself for not doing my own personal devotions every day. I recognized the need to constantly be filled with God's Spirit, yet I did nothing to do that. I didn't pray every day. I didn't read my Bible. I felt like I wasn't taking my calling seriously. I knew I needed to be in a different place. Dewbe told me something that really stood out. First he told me that the shame and disgust that I felt was not coming from God... and I knew that... but he then told me that it was good that I desired to be in that place because the kids that I minister to will only be as spiritual as I am... or something to the effect. I desire nothing more than to love God and develop my personal relationship with Him, and that love for God will overflow into love for other people, and the love for other people I have will affect other people to the point where they develop a love for God. It seems like an infectious idea to me.
So he challenged me to start doing daily devotions, to pray, to read my Bible, and to listen for God's voice. I tell you, life is much different now. I love it.
I then started my internship. It has been a blast so far. Soon after I started we took our seniors on a trip to lake shasta. It was meant to be a fun trip, but we had a spiritual focus on it. We did this because statistics show that like 80% of Christian highschool graduates after leaving for college abandon their faith. The number is shockingly high and breaks my heart. So our focus was on trying to give them tools to make their faith their own so that when they do leave for college in a few months, they will hopefully be built up and won't abandon their faith. We all had a blast during the weekend though through tubing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, swimming and worshipping. It was an awesome weekend that I won't forget.
I also have had the chance to preach a few times so far. For the first month we followed a curriculum until we got into the student's summer. Now it's up to us and the Holy Spirit for our sermons, which I like a lot more.
We have had two awesome youth nights so far for the student's summers. The first one was a water games night. It ended up just being a big waterballoon fight. It was really fun! Then this past wednesday we had a food fight night. Dewbe, my youthpastor, was gone this week because he's up in Redding taking some masters classes through Tozer Seminary at Simpson, so I pretty much played Youthpastor that night. I got youthgroup going, led worship, preached, and ran some games. My buddy Jon ran a egg in a pipe game where there is two people on the ends of a clear plastic pipe with a couple eggs in it... they blow and someone ends up eventually with egg in their face. We then did bobbing for apples in cereal and milk... that was really funny and I'm surprised the kids had as much fun as they did. I then ran Blend-or-Dare which was really nasty and kinda anti-climactic, but was still fun. We then had our big food-fight game called presidents. Basically, two teams, each with a president. You have to protect your president, as well as get the other president dirty, whichever president is the cleanest at the end of the game wins. The boys totally whomped on the girls. It was a little unfair, I have to admit. For that game, Jon and I had prepared about 20 pounds of flower by adding water to make a bunch of goop. That stuff was really fun to throw at people. Then began the long process of cleaning it all up. haha... it didn't take as long as I thought it would.
And a quick change of topic. Lately I have been thinking about how complacency ruins us. When we think we don't need anything else, we stop living... we basically die. A. W. Tozer once wrote that complacency was the deadly enemy to all spiritual growth, and I completely agree because not only does it stop growth, it takes us backwards. This is what I spoke on this last week at youth group. I used an example of how my complacency with a female friend I had ruined my chances of dating her and then ruined our relationship because we don't even speak anymore. I then talked about Revelation 3:14-19... the verse that talks about the church in Laodicea being like lukewarm water and Jesus wanting to vomit them out of His mouth.
Little did I know, but in that verse Jesus actually is comparing the church to Laodicea's water supply. Because the church was complacent in trying to be self-sufficient their poor water supply was not useful unless heated for bathing or cooled for drinking. Thus he was saying that their complacency had made them un-useful. Their un-useful-ness had caused them to fall into sin and they didn't look any different from the surrounding world. They focused on things of the world and they thought they were rich by the world's standards... so Jesus urged them to buy His gold refined in the fire so that they could become rich. They looked like the rest of the world by sinning and not repenting, so Jesus urges them to buy white clothes from Him so that their shameful nakedness wouldn't be exposed... because everyone in Laodicea wore black clothes... thus, you could tell the difference from God's people and those of the world. They were spiritually blind to the fact that they needed God, so Jesus urged them to buy ointment from Him to spread on their eyes so that they could see. And Jesus made this offensive comment and rebuke to the Church in Laodicea out of love. He loved them so much that he did not want them to be complacent like the rest of the world, so he called them to obedience and repentance. I think it is so cool how every detail was put in the Bible for a purpose.
I then concluded with how frequently in scripture we are urged to press on towards the prize, to add to our faith, to run the race! I then gave the example that when I started running a mile to get in shape and I became complacent with how fast I ran it, I stopped running. A couple weeks later I decided to run another mile and I couldn't... because I didn't press on. I became complacent and stopped running, and then went backwards in my ability.
I share all of my sermon with you, not to just tell you what I spoke about. I share it with you to encourage you. Whether you might be complacent or you always seek more with God... I want this to encourage you. If you find yourself in the middle of complacency, I urge you to seek more from God. Develop your relationship with Him so that he may call you and use you for his purposes. If you continually press on towards the goal to win the prize, as Paul would say, I encourage you to never become complacent, because when you do, you stop running... and when you stop running, you slow down to a jog, and then to a walk, and then to a hobble, and then to a crawl... and eventually you die and fall away. When you think there is nothing else you need, you stop living... and when people aren't living... they are inherently dead.
"Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress."
-A. W. Tozer
Lord,
I pray for the rest of my life that I would never become complacent in anything. That I would always seek more of You in my life. I pray for the people who read my blog that they would not become complacent in anything and that they would continually desire to grow in their loving relationship with You and that You would use them for your purposes. Lord, I speak against complacency and want to encourage all towards growth in you. Lord bless the rest of our summer and keep my friends across seas in your will this summer. Protect them and bless them as they seek to advance your Kingdom. I pray that they would be obedient to the things that You call them to do as they interact with the people of the countries they are in. Lord I pray that You would continue to speak to all of us and then we would wait upon You and listen for Your voice. Guide us as we grow in You.
In the name of Jesus Christ I pray,
Amen.
So lets start with the first few days of summer. I got home and rested for the weekend, then started our move to a different house. A much smaller house. I had some friends come help my family out... Ryan, Bryan and Matt all helped us out, but at different times. They were such a blessing. This is what I did for my first 2-3 days of my summer vacation and week rest before starting my internship. I only did it the first 2-3 days because I got sick. I came down with some sort of infection, and the doctor told me I had to be in lock-down and I couldn't be around people, because I was more susceptible to getting the flu since my immune system was being affected by the infection. So many days were Jeff and Dan here that I really wanted to hang out, but I couldn't... I was very dissapointed and kinda lonely.
Eventually I got over my sickness and the next Tuesday morning I met my youth pastor, Dewbe, for some starbucks before our staff meeting. We met so he could get an update and figure out where I was spiritually, and to tell you the truth, I wasn't where I wanted to be. For the longest time I had been down on myself for not doing my own personal devotions every day. I recognized the need to constantly be filled with God's Spirit, yet I did nothing to do that. I didn't pray every day. I didn't read my Bible. I felt like I wasn't taking my calling seriously. I knew I needed to be in a different place. Dewbe told me something that really stood out. First he told me that the shame and disgust that I felt was not coming from God... and I knew that... but he then told me that it was good that I desired to be in that place because the kids that I minister to will only be as spiritual as I am... or something to the effect. I desire nothing more than to love God and develop my personal relationship with Him, and that love for God will overflow into love for other people, and the love for other people I have will affect other people to the point where they develop a love for God. It seems like an infectious idea to me.
So he challenged me to start doing daily devotions, to pray, to read my Bible, and to listen for God's voice. I tell you, life is much different now. I love it.
I then started my internship. It has been a blast so far. Soon after I started we took our seniors on a trip to lake shasta. It was meant to be a fun trip, but we had a spiritual focus on it. We did this because statistics show that like 80% of Christian highschool graduates after leaving for college abandon their faith. The number is shockingly high and breaks my heart. So our focus was on trying to give them tools to make their faith their own so that when they do leave for college in a few months, they will hopefully be built up and won't abandon their faith. We all had a blast during the weekend though through tubing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, swimming and worshipping. It was an awesome weekend that I won't forget.
I also have had the chance to preach a few times so far. For the first month we followed a curriculum until we got into the student's summer. Now it's up to us and the Holy Spirit for our sermons, which I like a lot more.
We have had two awesome youth nights so far for the student's summers. The first one was a water games night. It ended up just being a big waterballoon fight. It was really fun! Then this past wednesday we had a food fight night. Dewbe, my youthpastor, was gone this week because he's up in Redding taking some masters classes through Tozer Seminary at Simpson, so I pretty much played Youthpastor that night. I got youthgroup going, led worship, preached, and ran some games. My buddy Jon ran a egg in a pipe game where there is two people on the ends of a clear plastic pipe with a couple eggs in it... they blow and someone ends up eventually with egg in their face. We then did bobbing for apples in cereal and milk... that was really funny and I'm surprised the kids had as much fun as they did. I then ran Blend-or-Dare which was really nasty and kinda anti-climactic, but was still fun. We then had our big food-fight game called presidents. Basically, two teams, each with a president. You have to protect your president, as well as get the other president dirty, whichever president is the cleanest at the end of the game wins. The boys totally whomped on the girls. It was a little unfair, I have to admit. For that game, Jon and I had prepared about 20 pounds of flower by adding water to make a bunch of goop. That stuff was really fun to throw at people. Then began the long process of cleaning it all up. haha... it didn't take as long as I thought it would.
And a quick change of topic. Lately I have been thinking about how complacency ruins us. When we think we don't need anything else, we stop living... we basically die. A. W. Tozer once wrote that complacency was the deadly enemy to all spiritual growth, and I completely agree because not only does it stop growth, it takes us backwards. This is what I spoke on this last week at youth group. I used an example of how my complacency with a female friend I had ruined my chances of dating her and then ruined our relationship because we don't even speak anymore. I then talked about Revelation 3:14-19... the verse that talks about the church in Laodicea being like lukewarm water and Jesus wanting to vomit them out of His mouth.
Little did I know, but in that verse Jesus actually is comparing the church to Laodicea's water supply. Because the church was complacent in trying to be self-sufficient their poor water supply was not useful unless heated for bathing or cooled for drinking. Thus he was saying that their complacency had made them un-useful. Their un-useful-ness had caused them to fall into sin and they didn't look any different from the surrounding world. They focused on things of the world and they thought they were rich by the world's standards... so Jesus urged them to buy His gold refined in the fire so that they could become rich. They looked like the rest of the world by sinning and not repenting, so Jesus urges them to buy white clothes from Him so that their shameful nakedness wouldn't be exposed... because everyone in Laodicea wore black clothes... thus, you could tell the difference from God's people and those of the world. They were spiritually blind to the fact that they needed God, so Jesus urged them to buy ointment from Him to spread on their eyes so that they could see. And Jesus made this offensive comment and rebuke to the Church in Laodicea out of love. He loved them so much that he did not want them to be complacent like the rest of the world, so he called them to obedience and repentance. I think it is so cool how every detail was put in the Bible for a purpose.
I then concluded with how frequently in scripture we are urged to press on towards the prize, to add to our faith, to run the race! I then gave the example that when I started running a mile to get in shape and I became complacent with how fast I ran it, I stopped running. A couple weeks later I decided to run another mile and I couldn't... because I didn't press on. I became complacent and stopped running, and then went backwards in my ability.
I share all of my sermon with you, not to just tell you what I spoke about. I share it with you to encourage you. Whether you might be complacent or you always seek more with God... I want this to encourage you. If you find yourself in the middle of complacency, I urge you to seek more from God. Develop your relationship with Him so that he may call you and use you for his purposes. If you continually press on towards the goal to win the prize, as Paul would say, I encourage you to never become complacent, because when you do, you stop running... and when you stop running, you slow down to a jog, and then to a walk, and then to a hobble, and then to a crawl... and eventually you die and fall away. When you think there is nothing else you need, you stop living... and when people aren't living... they are inherently dead.
"Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress."
-A. W. Tozer
Lord,
I pray for the rest of my life that I would never become complacent in anything. That I would always seek more of You in my life. I pray for the people who read my blog that they would not become complacent in anything and that they would continually desire to grow in their loving relationship with You and that You would use them for your purposes. Lord, I speak against complacency and want to encourage all towards growth in you. Lord bless the rest of our summer and keep my friends across seas in your will this summer. Protect them and bless them as they seek to advance your Kingdom. I pray that they would be obedient to the things that You call them to do as they interact with the people of the countries they are in. Lord I pray that You would continue to speak to all of us and then we would wait upon You and listen for Your voice. Guide us as we grow in You.
In the name of Jesus Christ I pray,
Amen.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Broken Hearted
Broken Hearted
Lyrics and Music written by James Spencer April 26, 2009
Verse:
You break my heart into a thousand tiny pieces
over a thousand dying people
over the poor and oppressed, the starving and the thirsty,
the naked and the poor, the widow and the orphan…
Chorus:
And how can I let them live like that,
and not do anything, to help them myself? (x2)
Bridge:
I want a heart like yours, of love and compassion,
to do the things you did, to serve You and Your Kingdom. (x2)
So give me your heart, give me your heart, give me your heart, yeah.
Lyrics and Music written by James Spencer April 26, 2009
Verse:
You break my heart into a thousand tiny pieces
over a thousand dying people
over the poor and oppressed, the starving and the thirsty,
the naked and the poor, the widow and the orphan…
Chorus:
And how can I let them live like that,
and not do anything, to help them myself? (x2)
Bridge:
I want a heart like yours, of love and compassion,
to do the things you did, to serve You and Your Kingdom. (x2)
So give me your heart, give me your heart, give me your heart, yeah.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
A God Thing
So Good Friday was encouraging. God continues to amaze me with the things he has up his sleeves.
During Spring Break I attended the Jr. High Youth Group. I helped lead worship at it with a few friends and it was all peaches and creme until we finished the second to last song and I suddenly heard someone yell "SHUT UP!!!" It shocked me to hear a sixth or seventh grader shout something like that in the middle of worship, whether they are focusing on God like they are supposed to or not. This discouraged me very greatly because I am supposed to be interning there this summer, and seemingly nothing had changed since I had left and gone to college. I immediately got discouraged and afraid about what my internship was going to be like during the summer.
Later, at the end of the week on Sunday, I was at church. Brandon had just finished sharing about how he felt God was going to use the church for great things. We then started to sing "God of this City," by Chris Tomlin. That song is soo powerful. I immediately felt connected to God's heart and so I stood up and lifted my hands while I sang my heart out and proclaimed "Greater things are yet to come! Greater things are yet to come! Greater things are still to be done in this city!"
God spoke to me in those moments and encouraged me about the summer. He told me not to worry about the summer because he was going to do something great in and through me. It was so encouraging and so comforting. I sit and think about what God could do this summer, and I get really excited.
That was amazing.
Then I go home this weekend for Easter. My parents came up to Redding on Thursday to pick Bryan, Dan, and I up. Before we even left Redding my parents told me that we were moving right at the beginning of May (like right after I get out of school). Instead of living in our 4 bedroom, 2 bath, atleast 1,600 sq. ft. house, we will be living in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 600 sq. ft. shack behind our good friends' house. This is not exciting to me at all, and I also have to live in our camper trailer the whole summer. But I keep getting reminded of what God wants to do this summer. I am also encouraged by the fact that my parents are talking about how they are getting ready and are waiting for what God wants them to do. I really have no idea what they are going to do, but I am so joyful that they are trying to find God's heart for them.
Back to the story, I go to the Good Friday service at my church. I get to talking really quickly with my Youth Pastor Dewbe, whom I will be interning with during the summer, and he tells me that he and Dave (the head pastor) want me to be at the church full time and that he is working on getting people in the church to sponsor me so that hopefully I can get paid $1,000 per month. That is way more than I imagined I would get paid. God is definitely taking care of me and setting things up for the summer, and I feel so blessed.
Lord,
THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU ARE DOING!!! I pray that You continue to work on my heart for this summer and for the hearts of people in Brentwood. I pray for opportunities and divinely constructed events for me and others in the church to share your love with people. Lord thank you for taking care of me and setting things up for the summer. I can't help but get excited when I think about what you could possibly have up your sleeve for this summer. I love you very much!
Amen.
Your Willing Servant, James.
During Spring Break I attended the Jr. High Youth Group. I helped lead worship at it with a few friends and it was all peaches and creme until we finished the second to last song and I suddenly heard someone yell "SHUT UP!!!" It shocked me to hear a sixth or seventh grader shout something like that in the middle of worship, whether they are focusing on God like they are supposed to or not. This discouraged me very greatly because I am supposed to be interning there this summer, and seemingly nothing had changed since I had left and gone to college. I immediately got discouraged and afraid about what my internship was going to be like during the summer.
Later, at the end of the week on Sunday, I was at church. Brandon had just finished sharing about how he felt God was going to use the church for great things. We then started to sing "God of this City," by Chris Tomlin. That song is soo powerful. I immediately felt connected to God's heart and so I stood up and lifted my hands while I sang my heart out and proclaimed "Greater things are yet to come! Greater things are yet to come! Greater things are still to be done in this city!"
God spoke to me in those moments and encouraged me about the summer. He told me not to worry about the summer because he was going to do something great in and through me. It was so encouraging and so comforting. I sit and think about what God could do this summer, and I get really excited.
That was amazing.
Then I go home this weekend for Easter. My parents came up to Redding on Thursday to pick Bryan, Dan, and I up. Before we even left Redding my parents told me that we were moving right at the beginning of May (like right after I get out of school). Instead of living in our 4 bedroom, 2 bath, atleast 1,600 sq. ft. house, we will be living in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 600 sq. ft. shack behind our good friends' house. This is not exciting to me at all, and I also have to live in our camper trailer the whole summer. But I keep getting reminded of what God wants to do this summer. I am also encouraged by the fact that my parents are talking about how they are getting ready and are waiting for what God wants them to do. I really have no idea what they are going to do, but I am so joyful that they are trying to find God's heart for them.
Back to the story, I go to the Good Friday service at my church. I get to talking really quickly with my Youth Pastor Dewbe, whom I will be interning with during the summer, and he tells me that he and Dave (the head pastor) want me to be at the church full time and that he is working on getting people in the church to sponsor me so that hopefully I can get paid $1,000 per month. That is way more than I imagined I would get paid. God is definitely taking care of me and setting things up for the summer, and I feel so blessed.
Lord,
THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU ARE DOING!!! I pray that You continue to work on my heart for this summer and for the hearts of people in Brentwood. I pray for opportunities and divinely constructed events for me and others in the church to share your love with people. Lord thank you for taking care of me and setting things up for the summer. I can't help but get excited when I think about what you could possibly have up your sleeve for this summer. I love you very much!
Amen.
Your Willing Servant, James.
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