Thursday, June 26, 2008

Here fishy, fishy, fishy

So we just wrapped up VBS tonight. THings went rather well throughout the week. Had a number of kids accept Christ, all of which we will follow up on with their parents. That was pretty awesome.

The offering from this year's VBS is going to China with our mission team to help one orphan child receive the surgery needed (cleft pallet, club foot or even heart surgery) so they may have a somewhat normal life. At the beginning of the week I challenged the kids to bring the money, I teamed up with the guys and Kevin (senior pastor) teamed up with the girls. Whichever team brought the least amount of money would have to eat a goldfish. needless to say that was the guys.

Everything seems to be pretty normal, haven't got sick yet. Wait! Hold on! Quick go get a fish bowl I am about to puke this things back up. Not really. I guess I was served a little bit of sushi tonight. Not too bad.

Upcoming events

Here is a reminder of what is coming up in the next few weeks.

We will not be having 1st Friday in July becasue it is the 4th and we want to encourage family time together.
July 2- WNT at Chesterfield Aquatic Center- Cost $5

Sunday July 6- A.C.T.S. at Taco Bell on Kearney

July 9- WNT at Fellows Lake

July 12-19- Mission Denver- stay connected with what's going on in denver by checking this blog on a daily basis.

VBS has been phenomenal this week, and I want to thank everyone who has helped throughout the week. Teachers, snack leaders, and all the other crazies who have given a great amount of effort to reach kids with the truth of Christ.

Random Ramblings

Daniel told me I have been dragging my feet on this whole blog thing, and you know what "He's right." I am still getting used to trying to share my thoughts and passions on this blog. I am not much of a journaler, but I want to use this to challenge, open discussion, and create a community that is open to talking about Christ, life and how the two go hand in hand.

One thing that I have learned in all this is my mind often times isn't focused on spiritual things. I admit that I am caught up in the busyness of life and have giving in to being overwhelmed through life's circumstances that I forget to think of the spiritual aspect of everything I do or face on a daily basis.

The other day I was taking Nika (my black lab) out to the kennel before I went to work and as I turned around to come back to the house a bug just hit me square in the forhead. At first I thought, "What in the world is your problem." Then I laughed about it, becasue I realized that I have focused more on the negative at times in life.

This bug as small and as hard as it was, opened my eyes to the truth of my life. To often I walk around in the haze or daze that I call life and I miss out on the things and people God wants us to see on a daily basis. I think many of our lives are like this. We miss out on opportunities to serve, love and help those in need becasue we are so focused on the here and now, the chaos of life.

My challenge today would be to watch for the opportunities God is providing in our daily life. Be open to the spiritual leadings of God.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Identity

How do others treat you or identify you? Where do you receive your significance from? What kind of things do you think push you to be who you are? Many of us let others identify us. We take their opinions and viewpoints and let them be what drives us to be who we are. God never intended that for us. Your identity is wrapped up in what God has for you in your life. Our significance comes from who Christ has created us to be. That is what life is all about. Our significance in life comes from doing what Christ wants us to do and not what others think we are.

Super Summer is going great, and everyone has been challenged to looked at their true identity in Christ, and turn over the labels that have been placed upon us by others. Ephesians 4: 22 says, "you were taught, with regard to your old self, which is being cprrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds." The challenge stands for all of us to evaluate the true identity of who we are in Christ. This challenge takes place on a daily basis just like Jason Bourne faced. There is a battle taking place in each one of our lives to discover the true identity of ourselves. This battle is something that Satan continues to push because if he can get us thinking about everything else, everyone elses thinks about us, he can strike in our weakness and deal us a crushing blow.

I want to encourage each of you with the truth of God's word and let you know your identity has aleready been defined not by others but in Christ, the author of salvation and the perfecter of our faith.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Here it goes

Well I am going to give this a shot. Not much of a writer or even a journaler, but I am willing to try anything. For all you Springhill students this is going to replace our weekly email and you can come and check this out on a daily basis.

I will write thoughts and opinions on things, talk about what God is teaching me in daily quite times or even through the different series we will be going through. I encourage you to add your comments on things you want to discuss. This is going to be something completely new for me and maybe even for some of you.

I hope ya'll know how proud of you I am and Sarah and I truly enjoy watching God work in your lives and families. The other day I got a compliment because of the hard work and effort each person put in to working at the Ozark Empire Fair. One of the ladies said that our group was one of the best she had ever worked with because ya'll worked hard and didn't complain. Thank you for your representation of Springhill, but most of all your representation of Christ. Ya'll rock!