Be Intentional With 2011

Making your list and checking it twice.... are you going to be naughty or nice in 2011?

California Pastor, Justin Buzzard offers some good advice in his blog How to Prepare for 2011, basically instructing us to think hard about 2010, ask yourself some questions and then pray and plan (make a list!) for 2011. With practical observation, experiential learning and God's Spiritual guidance, you can be intentional about what you do with 2011. What is that? -- 525,600 minutes in 2011 that you are going to spend one way or another, why not think about it and spend them wisely rather than impulsively?
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Buzzard says he and his wife reviewed the previous year and prayed and planned for the next year, "We’re finding that this new tradition gives a great sense of cohesiveness, history, and focus to our life together. In the future I imagine it will be helpful to look back at these “what happened” lists and remind ourselves of how God was at work in our lives in the past." I love that because often we forget to look back and see God's hand in our lives.
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Especially for the youth -- teenagers and young adults -- if you can grasp this theory now, you can direct the rest of your life. Live with intention! Don't just float through life going wherever the waves toss you. Take the time to look for God's leading for your present and future, and His hand in your past. Buzzard credits this idea to David Allen, a master teacher of productivity.
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Here's a list of the questions Buzzard lists and he advises you to consider your answers in several areas: Physical, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, Financial, Family, Community Service, Fun/Creativity/Recreation.
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Completing and Remembering 2010
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Review the list of all completed projects
What was your biggest triumph in '10? The smartest decision?
What one word best sums up and describes your '10 experience?
What was the greatest lesson you learned in '10?
What was the most loving service you performed?
What is your biggest piece of unfinished business?
What are you most happy about completing in '10?
Who were the three people who had the most influence on you?
What was the biggest risk you took? The biggest surprise?
What important relationship improved the most in '10?
What compliment would you liked to have received in '10? Given?
What else do you need to do or say to be complete with 2010?
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Creating the New Year
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What would you like to be your biggest triumph in 2011?
What advice would you like to give yourself?
What is the major effort you are planning to improve your financial results in 2011?
What would you be most happy about completing in 2011?
What would you most like to change about yourself in 2011?
What do you think your biggest risk will be in 2011?
What about your work are you most committed to changing and improving in 2011?
What is one undeveloped talent you are willing to explore in 2011?
What brings you the most joy and how are you going to do or have more of that in 2011?
Who or what, other than yourself, are you most committed to loving and serving in 2011?
What one word would you like to have as your theme in 2011?

Bonfire & Bible Study

It's the time of year when our youth group takes their Sunday Night Bible Studies on the road. Usually, they end up at Busbee's around a bonfire.

Last night was their second bonfire this season.

For the first hour, there were only two girls present.

They were outnumbered.

Overlooked.

Bored.

So B dug out the tractor and took Marj on an innocent little redneck hayride.

While the guys were enjoying a manly round of the Hokey Pokey.


The girls roared through their game, hair flying, screams bellowing.
Hokey Pokey interrupted.
Guys: "Oh no. We are not gonna stand idly by while they ruin our fun."

The Hokey Pokey Hayride became a game of redneck dodge ball.

Marj yelled "Retreat!" and B had the pedal down the whole way back to the shed.


And I'm sure once all that energy was expended, Billy could settle them down around the fire for Bible Study time.

Look Up '09: What Do You Need to be Happy?

The one thing Jesus needed to be happy was a close relationship with God. Jesus found the sole source of life in his father. The delight of his life was to delight his father.
It was genuinely what made him happy.
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(everything I'm saying in this post comes from talks given by Greg Boone, Executive Director, Look Up Lodge,)

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What is the goal of the disciples of Jesus Christ? To be like Jesus. But we don't grasp the reality of that. While we can't fully attain this until Heaven, the goal is to get as close as possible. It is not religious activities, it is not something external. The people Jesus most rebuked were the devout people. He called them "white washed tombs" and "vipers."
Jesus doesn't speak this negatively about anyone else.

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"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
- Romans 12:2

The word "transformed" is translated from "metamorphia." It is not overly dramatic for God to use the word metamorphosis. Metamorphosis refers to an inside change that results in an outside change. The outside change does not precede the inside change.
What we genuinely need from Jesus is the capacity to love people. Loving people is the test of where you are in the metamorphosis process. Loving people is not the end goal, it is just a test of where you are in the process of transformation. The end goal is the close relationship with God as Jesus had, where God genuinely is our ultimate desire in life.

God wants to give us this capacity to love people unselfishly. Almost every relationship we have in life is based on selfishness. What God wants to do is to change that. How in the world can we do that? There's only one way and it's the same way Jesus did it.

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By finding our sole source of life and happiness in God alone.

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
- John 17:3

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If you want to get to know what's really important to someone, you spend time together, talk, be together. What they talk about is what they care about. And it's like that with God - the things He talks about most in the Bible are the things He cares about most. How do you get to know Him? Spend time with Him, learn who He is and what He cares about.
You probably aren't living the Christian life right if you think it's
1) complicated, or 2) easy.

What is the test of where you are in the metamorphosis process -- this process of getting closer to God, the process of finding Him as your main source of happiness?
It's the quality of your relationship with other human beings.
How you treat people. How you love people.

It's a lot easier to perform religious acts .
It's a lot harder to genuinely love people totally unselfishly.

"..that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ.."
Not "that they might be a good missionary" or "that they might be a good parent" or "that they might have a good church."
Just: "That they may know you, the only true God & Jesus Christ."

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"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

- Jeremiah 2:13

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Two sins? Really, just two sins? Amazing how important this is. Everything has its roots back in this.

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When we focus on God, sin begins to get squeezed out of our lives.
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If you're going to become this thing that God wants you to be, you are going to struggle in the metamorphosis process. Caterpillar to pupa to butterfly requires a serious struggle. Without the struggle, it just doesn't happen. This puts a different spin on pain and suffering, on teenage rebellion, marriage difficulties, and cancer and sickness, doesn't it?
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When you understand who God is and why He does what He does, you'll stop asking "Why?"
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The Answer: Trying to make you more like Jesus.
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Ski Trip Bible Study

We began & ended each day on the ski trip with a time of Praise & Worship and a group Bible Study. It was fun to get the whole gang together and recap or plan our day and it was inspiring to hear their thoughts about following God and how it impacts their day 2 day living.

Tom led the songs with Will Rutland and Raymond Middleswarth on guitars. Acoustic guitar, majestic mountains, cozy log cabin..... you can't beat that.

Pastor Billy was teaching from The Tough Sayings of Jesus, by Michael Kelley, a young writer and editor for Lifeway. The study was "in your face" tough, a daring look at Jesus' sayings that addresses the tough questions we often leave unasked. We wanted the kids the know that faith doesn't mean not asking questions. The study also included the historical and cultural aspects that surrounded the people Jesus interacted with. It was interesting to see the parallels to our lives today.

The Bible study time and the spiritual atmosphere laced throughout the whole trip is really the whole point of the trip. It's spiritually refreshing to get away from the normal pace of life, away from our peers, away from the tv and electronic games. I think we all came back refreshed, pumped, challenged. It is such a blessing to watch the youth grow and to hear them speak up and share their lives.

Here's a video of some of our singing. I think the praise time was a little weak because we didn't have the written lyrics. Be sure to check out Grayson at the very end of the video. He was really getting into it.