Disney - Day 1

Yesterday was a great day at Epcot. Matthew really enjoyed the first day of his Disney experience, which means we enjoyed it, too.
At the end of the day, we were discussing our favorite ride of the day. Each of us had our own. For Matthew, it was Spaceship Earth (because he got to ride inside the big ball). For Michelle, it was Soarin. For me, it was Mission: Space. We all agree that Illuminations was a highlight of the day.
Today, we head to Animal Kingdom. Adventures await!

shine!
Jason

Arise

As I mentioned in a recent post, it was announced in a Parent/Student Meeting a few weeks ago that all students and parents are challenged to serve this year. The parents as a group and the students as a group are each challenged to serve for 2009 hours.

I know that some parents and students are already working to build up their hours. I have been excited to hear how some of our families are already looking for new and exciting ways to serve.

Our theme for this year is built around this challenge to serve. God calls us to be salt and light to the world. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Our faith is not just something we think. It shapes the way we live. We need to let our actions reflect our words.

Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”

This year, the families in our ministry will strive to live their lives in such a way that they shine for God while serving others. Let the glory of the Lord rise upon us.

shine!
Jason

Bad call

This past Sunday, I was watching the end of the football game between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers. As the Broncos were driving down to score a game-tying touchdown, this weird play happened. (If you follow the NFL at all, I am sure you have heard about this already.)

As the Broncos quarterback went to throw the football, it slipped from his hand as he was pulling his hand back. The referee, Ed Hochuli, blew his whistle and signaled incomplete pass. The problem is that it was never a pass; it was a fumble.

The play was reviewed and instant replay determined that it was a fumble. But according to the rule, once the whistle is blown, the play is dead. Therefore, the Broncos kept the ball at the place of the "incomplete pass." They went on to score a touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion. This gave them a one-point victory.

Following the game, the San Diego coach went on to chide Hochuli for his mistake. I am not excusing the referee's mistake, but coach Norv Turner's attitude was poor. Sure, Hochuli's mistake likely cost his team the game. But has Turner ever made a mistake? Called the wrong play? Put in the wrong players?

I cannot dispute the bad call. I understand Norv's frustration. But to act the way he did was a bit extreme. Maybe the fans need to remember his attitude the next time Turner makes a call that costs his team the game.

It's amazing how often we want to point out someone else's mistake, while we fail to admit - and sometimes even realize - our own shortcomings. Jesus said:

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye." (Matthew 7:1-5)

We are so good at finding that speck in someone else's eye. But the reality is that we often point out the faults of others so we can ignore our own. If we really want to make things better at work, at school, at home, and even at church, maybe we should start looking at our own logs before pointing our finger at the other person's speck.

shine!
Jason

Cincinnati Connections

This past Wednesday, several of our students shared their Mission: Cincinnati experience with the rest of the Rochester Church. It was an exciting and encouraging time.

Thank you to the adults and students who were a part of our trip this year.

Several of the students shared stories about particular children at the center who had an impact on them. We heard about one girl who chased our van down the street as we left on the last day because she didn’t want to see us go. We heard about a boy who asked us to pray that he could be back with his family, instead of in foster care. These are just a few of the children who touched our hearts while we served in Cincinnati.

Wayne Beason shared his experiences while trying to lead a teen class with some of the teens in the community. His story of frustration leading into breakthrough was definitely a message of determination and perseverance. It was amazing to hear what God was able to accomplish through his teaching team.

We also heard about our experience at the school where we assembled 450 bags of school supplies and prayed with the community resource coordinator and the principal. Prayer in school is alive and well.

Another student talked about Pat Pugh. Pat is the minister in Cincinnati who works in the Millvale community on a daily basis. Pat is a true servant of God. This month, Pat and his church are moving into a new church building. We were blessed to be able to visit the new location and pray over it during our trip.

I have heard a lot of positive comments since Wednesday night. Our students are making an impact in Cincinnati and Rochester Hills. Their example of serving in the Kingdom of God has encouraged and motivated others.

An elder approached me following the presentation about doing “Cincinnati-type” efforts closer to home throughout the year. Two college students came up to me wanting to get involved in missions. I saw parents smiling as their teenage children talked about how God is working in their lives. That’s what it’s all about.

shine!
Jason

Chris Tomlin and John Deere

God speaks to people in strange ways and in unique places. For Balaam, it was through a donkey. Moses, a burning bush. He came to Gideon under an oak tree.

For me, God spoke through a pair of headphones while I was pushing my John Deere lawnmower around the backyard last night.

Ok, maybe it wasn't God's audible voice, but I am convinced it was Him nonetheless.

As I was getting ready to go out to mow, I grabbed my iPhone from the charger, put in my headphones, and started out the back door. I looked at my music and selected one of my favorite albums, Chris Tomlin's See the Morning.

The past week has been a rough one in some ways. At times it has been exhausting. There have been moments of discouragement. I am not saying that life is bad right now, just that this week has seen it's share of down moments.

But as I listened to song after song, my spirits were lifted. Each song seemed to speak to my heart and as I sang along (what a sight this must have been for my neighbors) I could sense the presence of God.

Worship does that. God created us to be touched by music. I believe that He always intended for song to be an expressway to our soul. It was a gift to us. A gift to help us more fully express our love.

Sometimes we misuse our gift. We can allow the wrong things to jump on the expressway and enter into our soul.

I won't go into the details of how I believe music shapes us. I just blogged about that a few weeks back. But I was reminded yesterday evening that what we listen to drastically impacts us.

Like I have said before, I am not a legalist who thinks you should never listen to anything but Christian music. But we must exercise wisdom and caution as we make music selections. I don't think every song we listen to has to be a "happy, clappy" song. There are times for lament. Sorrow is a natural emotion. But what is the underlying message of the songs you are listening to?

David, the greatest songwriter in the history of God's people, wrote a variety of songs. The same man that wrote,

I will exalt you, my God and King,
      and praise your name forever and ever.
I will praise you every day;
      yes, I will praise you forever.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
      No one can measure his greatness. (Psalm 145:1-3)

also wrote,

O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
      How long will you look the other way?
How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
      with sorrow in my heart every day?
      How long will my enemy have the upper hand? (Psalm 13:1-2)

The music you listen to doesn't have to be shallow or ignorant of the struggles of life. But at the same time, the lyrics we listen to should be consistent with our faith in God.

God reminded me last night that music matters. While the style isn't usually that important, the message absolutely is. Imagine if instead of listening to Let God Arise and Everlasting God, I had listened to the current top song on the American Top 40, Forever by Chris Brown:

It’s you
And me
Movin’ at the speed of light until eternity

Tonight
Is the night
To join me in the middle of ecstasy
Feel the melody
And the rhythm of the music around you (Around you)

Ima take you there (Ima take u there)
So don’t be scared
I’m right here baby
We can go anywhere (Go anywhere)

But first
It’s your chance take my hand
Come with me

It’s like I waited my whole life
For this one night
It’s gon be me you and the dance floor

‘Cuz we only got one night
Double your pleasure
Double your fun

And dance forever ever ever
Forever ever ever
Forever ever ever

Forever ever ever
Forever ever ever
Forever ever ever
Forever on the dance floor

Feel like we’re on another level
Feels like our love’s intertwined
We can be two rebels
Breakin’ the rules
Me and you
You and I

All you gotta do is watch me (Watch me)
Look what I can do with my feet (My feet)
Baby, feel the beat in time
If only you could take the front seat (Front seat)
Just need u to trust me (Trust me)
Girl (girl) (girl)

It's like I...
It’s like I waited my whole life
For this one night (one night)
It’s gon be me you and the dance floor

‘Cuz we only got one night
Double your pleasure
Double your fun

And dance forever ever ever
Forever ever ever
Forever ever ever

Forever ever ever
Forever ever ever
Forever ever ever
Forever on the dance floor

It’s a long way down
You’re so high off the ground
Sendin’ for an angel to break me apart

Girl where did you come from?
Got me so undone
Gaze in your eyes
Got me singing

What a beautiful lady
No if ands or maybes
I'm releasing my heart
It's feelin’ amazing
Theres no one else that matters
You Love me
But I won’t let you fall girl (Let you fall girl)
Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhh Ohhhhhh Yeahhh
I won’t let you fall ( Let you fall Let you Fall)
O0ooooh Ohhhhh Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeahh

It's like
It’s like I waited my whole life
For this one night
It’s gon be me you and the dance floor

‘Cuz we only got one night
Double your pleasure
Double your fun

Just wondering which one would help me as I try to "do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God." (Micah 6:8)

shine!
Jason

Are you ready for some football?

Finally! The regular season is here.

After a summer of baseball, a decent sport, it's time for America's game. Instead of five minutes of chewing, spitting, and standing, followed by 20 seconds of excitement, it's time for an action-filled sport.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy baseball. I went to two games this summer - one in Cincinnati and one in Detroit. But football is different.

Every game really counts. One loss can mean you are in or out of the playoffs. When you only play sixteen times in a season, it makes every Sunday special.

While I am sitting here watching the last game of the first weekend of football, there has already been intrigue. Most of all, the loss of Tom Brady for the season. With one tackle, the landscape of the NFL has changed.

I am ready for some football! In this season of cooling temperatures, colorful leaves, and touchdowns, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

shine!
Jason

A challenge to serve

It’s Students versus Parents for the 2008-2009 Academic Year! From now through July 31, 2009, students and parents are challenged to see how many hours they can serve. Each group (parents and student) is challenged to reach a goal of 2009 hours as a group.

So what counts? Most time spent serving counts. However, if the service involves getting paid, that doesn’t count. Family chores and responsibilities at home do not count either. Outside of that, just about everything is fair game. (If someone participates in a mission trip, they can count up to twenty hours for that trip.)

You may think, wow, 2009 hours is a lot of time. It might be, but think about this. We have over 80 students in our youth group. If each student performs 25 hours of service, that equals 2000 hours. (So a few students need to go the extra mile – or rather, hour.) That is about half an hour a week. Who can’t give half an hour a week?

What makes this goal even more attainable is that any student wishing to go on Mission: Cincinnati will need at least 40 service hours. If the team is the same size as this past summer, thirty-five, then that would be 1400 of the 2009 hours.

Here’s an equally important question. What about the parents? We have over 100 parents in our ministry. They only need about 20 hours each. An even easier task.

Who will come out on top? Only time will tell.

Over the next couple of weeks, there will be more details. I am looking forward to seeing what God can do with 4018 hours of our time over the next 11 months.

So why do this?

My experience over the last decade of serving in youth ministry has taught me that most people experience their most significant spiritual growth when they serve. I really believe that if we can get serious about serving, God will not only impact those around us, He will change us. And in the process we will be shaped more and more into the image of the living God.

shine!
Jason