A Must Read…

For those interested in an excellent read concerning Sarah Palin and the main stream media, check out what Dan Phillips recently posted at his blog: Biblical Christianity. Apparently the answer to the question in my last post (Hey Katie! Do You Think America is Stupid?) is a resounding “yes.” Let’s hope she’s wrong…

Hey Katie! Do You Really Think America is Stupid?

For the record this post is not intended to tell you how you should vote this November. Unlike the people at NBC, CBS, ABC, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, etc., etc., etc., I believe that the majority of Americans have enough sense to make informed decisions concerning who they will vote for in the upcoming election. My frustration is simple, I am sick and tired of being treated like an idiot by the talking heads in the main stream media. Here is what I expect from those who are entrusted with communicating the “news” to millions of people each day. Give us the facts without interjecting your views or slanting the story in such a way as to make those whom you disagree with look like idiots and those whom you agree with look like geniuses. Give me the story and leave the commentating to the commentators who should make their views known as they rage against the machine. Freedom of the press means responsibility to report with integrity it is not the right to print or say whatever you want. 

As the election approaches let me encourage you to do your homework. Don’t vote based on party alone, vote your conscience. The Democrats and Republicans are no longer “your father’s or grandfather’s party” both have veered away from the values they once held. In many cases voting across “party lines” may be entirely appropriate. Also be mindful of the reality that the economic mess we find ourselves in is the result of both the Executive (the President) AND Legislative (Congress) branches of government not just one or the other. To hear McCain and Obama during the debate Friday night one would have thought that neither of them have ever voted for anything that could have added to this crisis! Whatever happened to a willingness to admit we were wrong? 

America, it’s time to hold politicians and the press accountable for their actions and to be mindful of the fact that many of the “elite” in this country simply don’t think we have the grey matter to make informed decisions on anything. 

This endeth the rant!

More Pictures from Atlanta

I’m working on a sermon series so all you get is pictures for now!

Basketball

Cheerleading

Uncharted Waters Team

Soccer (Younger Group)

Soccer (Older Group)

Cute!

Sports Camp Days 4 & 5

It’s early Saturday morning and we will be saying good bye to our friends from the Uncharted Waters team shortly and then packing and leaving ourselves. We have been going non-stop since Thursday morning (that’s why there haven’t been any updates in two days)! This update will be brief but it contains some MAJOR praise items! Thursday was the day we presented the Gospel to the students both in the Bible story and in small groups using the EvangeCube. Alison presented the sports story and did a great job, the campers love interacting with our students up front. Aaron performed the illusion of the day and everyone loved it! Patrick and Madeline led the Bible story time for the two age groups and both gave clear and accurate presentations of the Gospel! We were so proud. Immediately following the Bible story all of our students used their EvangeCubes to show the children how Christ’s death pay the penalty for their sins personally. Several campers indicated that they wanted to accept Christ as their Savior! These campers then met with counselors to the church who answered their questions and prayed with them. What a priviledge to see the students presenting the Gospel (some for the very first time).

Camp on Friday was hectic because the sports camp portion of the day was shortened so the church could put on a program for the parents of the campers. Xavier presented the sports story and Laura did the illusion. It was amazing to see two of our younger and usually quieter students up front and leading well! Josh and Emily taught the Bible story which focused on Jesus feeding the five thousand. After lunch (and a lot of picture taking with the campers) there was a program for parents which was very well attended. We left following the sports part of the program where the cheerleaders performed and leaders were recognized but we found out later that four of the parents from the surrounding neighborhood accepted Christ following the program! Praise God!

I will write more in the coming days about other activites and funny stories but for now I’m going to go and say good bye (for now) to my friends from Atlanta and Uncharted Waters!

Pics from Camp

Sports Camp Day 3

I’ll be posting pictures later this evening but I wanted to post briefly concerning the events of the day! Caleb presented the sports story today and did an excellent job. The sports story and the illusion are done in front of the entire camp (over 80 children and 20+ volunteers) which obviously can be pretty intimidating. Caleb and Madeline (who performed the illusion) handled the pressure well and kept the campers’ attention very well. The Bible story time is broken up into two groups seperating the older and younger campers. Nathaniel taught the older children and blew us all away! God has blessed him with an ability to communicate well to all age groups and it is always exciting to see him using his gifts! Molly led the Bible story for the younger children and did an outstanding job as well. It takes a great deal of faith and courage for our students to put themselves out there in front of so many people.

Our students are doing a great job leading in the sports ministry as well. Alison has been given the task of teaching the younger cheerleaders which can be tough because there are several in her group who speak very little or no English! The UW head coach for cheerleading, Jannah, has bragged repeatedly about the job that Alison and Emily are doing this week! Check back soon for more updates!

Sports Camp Day 2

Day 2 of sports camp is in the books and Scott and I are continually amazed by the students’ willingness to to step out of their comfort zones to serve here. It’s nap time right now and many of the students are taking advantage of this opportunity to rest before afternoon training begins. All of our students are involved in helping in teaching the children sports skills with the help of the Uncharted Waters head coaches. This can be challenging but the real challenge of this ministry comes when our students lead discussion times (coach’s huddle), share the sports story, perform the illusion, and teach the Bible lesson, each day. I am so excited to announce that every one of the students from both churches has volunteered to lead (or already has led) one of these “up front” activities! Yesterday, Emily from Salem Hellers performed the illusion and the Uncharted Waters leaders led the other activities to serve as an example for our students. Today, Ryan shared the sports story, Daniel performed the illusion, and Meg taught the Bible Lesson! They did a great job! Keep praying for our students as they minister the gospel in a neighborhood that is overwhelmingly Catholic.

Atlanta Missions Update!!!

The Grace Baptist/Salem Hellers youth groups made it safely to Atlanta on Saturday after a relaxing stay overnight in Chattanooga TN at my in-laws’ house! Thanks Dave and Vickie (Vickie especially since Dave was out of town) for allowing us to camp out on the way down. Yesterday (Sunday) we were blessed with the opportunity to worship with the church that is hosting us and it was such a blessing. The members of Alianza Cristiana y Misionera de Atlanta are some of the most loving people that you could ever meet. The worship service was mostly in Spanish but they provided a translator for the speaking portions of the service. The pastor spoke on evangelism and did a great job. The service lasted about two and a half hours and I loved every minute of it! It is great to be back together with the friends we made two years ago. We spent a good bit of the rest of the day in training for today’s activities and we closed the evening with a time of worship and prayer.

Today was the first day of sports camp! If any parents are reading this blog let me tell you that you should be proud of your students! They jumped into their camp responsibilities with both feet and have been working hard all day. This is just the first day but I have already witnessed some of the more reserved students up front leading worship. I have seen our students reaching out to children from a totally different culture with the love of Christ and I praise God for what He is doing and will do this week! Keep praying everyone!

When Christians Attack…

I’ve been following an online disagreement between two brothers in Christ for the past few days and am reminded how easy it is for us to “bite and devour one another” (Galatians 5:15) in the body of Christ. In Galatians 5:14, Paul reminds us that fulfilling the law is summed up in one command: “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Are disagreements going to take place between Christians? Of course. Will we find it harder to love some Christians and easier to love others? Absolutely. Christ should be honored in how we disagree and how we express love and care for other believers. Let me stop right here and admit that I struggle, really struggle, when it comes to acting lovingly in the midst of disagreements. I am a proud fool has a tendency to think way more highly of my opinions than my opinions warrant. When you add a disagreement with someone that I have a hard time respecting to my sinful pride then you get a recipe for disaster. So what can I do?

I believe it is essential to spend a significant amount of time each day meditating on the cross. No amount of sin against me can hold a candle to how often I have sinned against God. Through Christ I have been forgiven of much and I in turn should gladly forgive others. But what about disagreements that do not stem from a specific sin committed against someone? I think an important aspect of expressing love for other Christians involves recognizing what C.J. Mahaney calls “evidences of grace” in them. That is, we look for how God is at work in their lives and REJOICE at what God is doing. This makes it harder for us to simply disregard the other person in the midst of the conflict.

Love is not the absence of conflict, love is seeking the good of the other person and the glory of God. I have briefly met both of the men engaged in the online disagreement I mentioned above and my impression of both of them is that they are humble, genuine men, who love God and His word. We all have  blind spots and are in the process of growing spiritually, it just helps for us to be mindful of that as we relate to one another.

Tired, Undeserving, & Thankful

I apologize (yet again) for my sporadic posting. There are two not so very good reasons for my failure to post at least weekly (which has been my goal). Number one: I’m lazy, to sit down and write something meaningful feels like it would take more effort than I’m willing to give. Number two: I don’t think I have anything meaningful to say (which is why my most recent rambling is called “MacDaddy”). A quick look at reality and a couple of lifestyle changes could go a long way to remedy my “problems.”

I am living proof that you always find time for the things that you really want to do. My laziness in blogging is related to my losing sight of why I started the blog in the first place! I started this blog with the hopes of challenging and encouraging anyone who happens upon it with the truth of the Gospel and treasure of knowing Christ. I have nothing of value to offer anyone except what I have been given because of Christ (how’s that for stating the obvious?). In a sense, I feel I have lost my way a bit spiritually and because of that I am tired. Tired physically, tired spiritually, and tired emotionally. Tired and unwilling (because of my pride) to write about it, talk about it, or pray faithfully in the midst of it.

Problem one obviously relates to problem two. My failure to look past my present circumstances to eternal truths (or better yet looking at my present circumstances in light of God’s Word) has had its consequences. The riches of God’s Word are inexhaustible. How dare I not hunger for these truths. God’s Word is reality, my perception is flawed. Should I trust myself with all my screwed up perceptions and priorities or should I trust God’s Word with its certainties and promises? Easy choice right? Then why don’t you consistently chose trusting God rather than yourself either?

I don’t deserve forgiveness. I deserve hell because of my sins. Thank you Jesus for your abounding, sovereign grace.