Stuck in the sand?

If a young golfer goes in the sand they often get very nervous and they can really mess up a good round of golf.  The reason they have so much trouble is because they only see the sand.  As they stand there in the "trap" they realize that they are standing in the unfamiliar with unsure footing.  Their golf  ball is sitting right in the middle of this crazy stuff.  Here is the problem:  They only see the sand.  They barely realize that they are supposed to hit the ball and they will sometimes even forget that their goal is the pin.

When we were out golfing on Tuesday, Zachary's ball went in the sand.  He was very excited because he saw it as a big sand box.  My advice of how to get out was quite simple.  I said, "Look only at the ball, hit only the ball and aim toward the pin."  Surprisingly, he could easily hit the ball right out.  In fact, he liked is so much, he actually dropped his ball in a couple other sand traps just for fun.  The secret - don't focus on the sand, focus on the ball and the pin.

That's not a bad lesson for life.  If you are in a "trap", don't let the trap become your focus.  Instead focus on the little ball (the plan of Jesus for your life) and aim toward the pin (the future that Jesus has for you.)  And then give it a good swing.   You may find it so fun that you welcome the next trap to come along.  Well, maybe not.  :-)

Thank you, Jesus

Last night, Arielle Clark arrived home from ministry to the orphans in Zambia.  There were piles of people waiting for her arrival and to welcome her home after 8 weeks of ministry.  What a fantastic time it was to see family and friends reunited.  There is a love that comes from Jesus that is beyond words.  I watched as her friends hugged her and cried tears or joy.

And as watched her grandparents hug and kiss her I realized something special about serving Jesus.  We do not live this life just us or just for our generation for that matter.  Being a follower of Jesus means having an eternal perspective on the the kingdom of God.  It is not selfish and it means having your eye on two, three, even ten generations beyond us.  Her grandparents (both sets) are dear saints and they were looking at the fruit of their labor.  They were seeing with their own eyes that the legacy of following Jesus and serving others is being passed on and will continue to be passed on for many more generations.  The bonus is that it is extending way beyond one individual's sphere of influence.  The love of Christ is being multiplied and will continue to be multiplied - even impacting many nations and many tribes for the sake of God's eternal plan.

So, as you live your life, as you raise your children or even as you love your grandkids, please remember that the impact of Christ in you is way bigger than today's successes or failures.  It's eternal and international.  

Welcome home, Arielle.  You are a very special young lady and may generations and nations continue to be changed by the power of His Spirit through your life.

Freedom

This morning during worship at Praise Fellowship God did something very special. During the song, "I am Free", The Holy Spirit really began to speak freedom in our lives. I think we did that song for about 45 minutes. And the entire time, you could see and feel people receiving the freedom that only comes from Jesus.

Take some time before the Lord and ask Him what you need freed from. We are dealing with unforgiveness during the messages on Sundays. If you need freedom, forgiveness is soooo critical. Get in the Word and let the Lord wash you free!!!!!

Pray for teenagers and their families

I have been working with teenagers for the past two decades and let me say that there is something very special about those few years we call the teen years. They are full of life, full of hope, full of energy, and full of fun. But let's remember that these are probably the most difficult 5 to 10 years of a person's life. Everyone knows that the kids are our future and therefore, everyone is trying to influence them. Some of those influences are good, but some of the strongest ones are not good at all. In fact, they are downright evil, even demonic.

I want to right now tip my hat to all you teenagers who are following the Lord. Great Job!!! You will reap the benefit for generations. I am really serious about that. And also, a huge "atta boy" to all you parents of teenagers. My heart goes out to you. You get to not only experience all the joys (which are great), but you also get to go through what seems like hell during the difficult times. I want to encourage you to keep on loving and training your kids. You can do it. Don't give up. You're in this for the long haul and in due season you will see your reward and your great grandkids will reap the benefits of your labor.

Let's all remember that there is a common enemy, the devil, who desires to steal, kill and destroy our lives and our families. As we recognize this and as we join together as families and churches, we can encourage, instruct, edify and above all PRAY FOR EACH OTHER.

Some Wise People

We are back from a great camping trip in Erie with some of the best teenagers ever.  I may write about that and post some pictures tomorrow.  

But first, here is a quick thought.  I just had a random phone call from Sylvia Evans who was one of my professors at Elim Bible Institute.  She is an absolutely, remarkable lady.   She has been in ministry for years and is from an entire family of ministers for generations.  In the 45 minutes that we spoke it was just one nugget after another that I was hearing.  I picked her brain and she freely offered instruction and encouragement.  I say this often, but I genuinely mean it.  Wisdom from those who have gone before us is more valuable than anything you can think of.  Truly, it is the fool who thinks that their age group has all the answers.  If you haven't received instruction from your elders lately, do it immediately.  It might just change your situation and maybe even your life.

Back and ready!!!

We had a tremendous vacation!!!   I truly have an amazing family - thanks, Honey and the boys - and God has truly blessed America with a beauty unsurpassed.  Sandie and I have always camped and traveled, but this year we did a first.  We did a vacation on the Atlantic ocean.  We spend half of our trip at  Cape Henlopen in Delaware.  (It is near Rohobeth Beach)  It was really great and relaxing.  There is something extremely tranquil about sitting on the beach with the waves crashing and the breeze blowing watching two of the most awesome little boys God ever created.  We then headed back to our more familiar vacation spots - the mountains.  We went back to Shenandoa National Park in Virginia.  We camped and hiked, saw lots of wild life and experienced breathtaking views.

We come back refreshed and "ready to go".  I am all the more thankful for all that God has given us, all that He has done and all who He is.  

Jesus Can

Jesus Can.... ____________

I will intentionally leave this post simple and very open ended. I challenge you to meditate on that statement and simply fill in the blank.

Jesus truly Can ......

More Pics from the parade

My family loves to camp. We have a little pop up camper. You can see by the picture that it is very simple and old. It is a 1964 Apache. It was Sandie's family's when she was growing up and we have been using it for the past 12 years or so. There is something very special about being in a fairly remote place and away from all the normal daily distractions. You are surrounded by your family and God's great creation. In some ways the camping family is forced to do nothing but play with each other.

This year in anticipation of the trip, Jason, our three old, was the most excited about getting in the camper and playing Sorry and Checkers. Zachary, 6, is looking forward to the campfires. Sandie loves the quietness and the fact that we are all together. I like the food. And, of course, I love spending time with my amazing wife and wonderful kids.

Arielle Clark

I want to remind you to continue to be praying for Arielle. She is the 15 year old from PF who is spending much of her summer in Zambia (Africa) ministering to orphans. I know that Jesus will use her mightily and that He will stir things in her heart that are beyond our ability to imagine. Please also be praying for her family - Her parents are Dave and Christine. You can keep updated on her trip at the ministry's blog http://teenmissions.org/category/09001reports/

Freedom

On Sunday I taught about Forgiveness. It's the first in what will probably be a 3 or 4 week series. I am completely overwhelmed by forgiveness right now. I am in awe of how Jesus forgave us and I am so impressed with how awesome it is to forgive others. I believe that the secret to true freedom is in forgiveness. Forgiving is amazing - Give it a try.

Ask God to impress upon you His forgiveness and then ask Him to give you the ability, even desire to forgive. Then do it.

The Cards we passed out

This is what was on the cards that we passed out at the Parade. It just blows my mind that we handed out 9,600 of these in Warren. May Jesus touch people's lives.

Change! Change! Change! Hope! Hope! Hope!

The only one that can truly make a life-giving change is Jesus Christ. As teenagers in Warren County, there are many areas that we want to see changed, but it must begin with Jesus changing our individual lives. It’s an internal heart issue, not anything on the outside. As we repent of our sin and turn our lives over to Him, he offers us eternal life and He makes life on this earth make sense. That’s hope.

If you desire to see change in our schools, our homes, our economy, crime, addictions or anything else, we believe that it begins with an individual turning to Jesus, falling in love with Him, and living by His Word, the Bible. Give it a try - Join the Revolution!!! Jesus is True Hope for genuine change.

www.Time4Revolution.com

Vacation

I believe that God wants to speak a fresh word in your life this summer.  He says, "Relax & take a deep breathe, get refreshed and Get Ready!!".  Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to "make things happen."  God is saying, "relax and get ready."  He has much for us to do and He is up to innumerable things.  But, so often His people are too tired to be involved.  

My encouragement is take the natural element of the summer and get refreshed.  Spend a little more time sitting, a little more time with the family, a little more time enjoying and do it all in the presence of Jesus.

Having said that, Sandie and I and the boys are heading off camping for the next 8 days or so.  I love camping.  I think it's one of the coolest things that we do as a family.

I have some blog articles that will be posted while I am gone, so keep reading.  But don't worry, I am not doing the work.  That's the beauty of modern technology and the blessing of being part of an amazing staff.  (Thanks Brian)

So, heed the call to Relax and Get Ready.  September holds many tremendous things in store, and the Lord needs a Ready People.

The 4th of July Parade in Warren

We sure had a great time at the 4th of July Parade in Warren on Saturday.  The Time4revolution.com guys put together a float again this year.  T4R is a bunch of youth in Warren County who love Jesus and believe He is the answer!!!  We have used the parade as a very simple tool to get out a very simple message - Jesus loves you and He is the one who can make the positive change that everyone is looking for.  

The message on the Float was JESUS CAN..... refresh a town, refresh a nation, refresh YOU!!   It was all tied to a water theme.  Can you believe that we gave out 6000 bottles of water?  The crowd of people walking with the float were working like crazy passing these out.  We also handed out just shy of 10,000 gospel tracts.  You can see the card at www.time4revolution.com

Jesus can indeed fresh you.  He says that when we believe in Him, "streams of living water flow."  In a world where everyone is craving something refreshing, may Jesus the true stream come alive in our lives.

Slide show of the Togiak, AK Trip

Here is a brief slide show from the trip to Togiak, Alaska. May the Lord touch your heart as you watch. And may He give you a vision for the children of Togiak and a passion to see those around you set free by the life changing message of Jesus.

Higher Calling

Higher Calling, the youth ministry of Praise Fellowship, was birthed in 1994 with the belief that young people were designed to worship Jesus. We believe that Loving Him gives our life meaning and value. His Word, the Bible, makes this crazy life make sense. And He is a great God.

If you are feeling out of place in this world or if all that you are living for doesn't seem like it's going to provide lasting, even eternal satisfaction then give Jesus a try. He never disappoints.

We have many activities happening during the summer. E-mail us teens@worshipplace.org to get a list of what's going on. After school resumes, we will resume our Monday night meetings at 7 pm in the Cafe at Praise Fellowship in Russell, PA. Anywhere from 40 - 100 passionate teenagers meet to worship Jesus, learn His Word and have a great time with their friends. Anyone is welcome to join.

Parade

Once again, this year www.Time4Revolution.com will have a float in the Warren County 4th of July Parade.  I'm actually not a big fan of parades, but being in it with the purpose of getting the gospel out is tremendous.  We will have a float with a band on it.  Most of the musicians are teenagers.  And then we will have a lot (maybe 100) young people walking with it.  They will be handing out tracts and bottles of water.  We have 10,000 tracts and 6000 bottles of water to give out.  And we will get rid of all of them.  It is quite an experience.  This is the one day a year when everyone wants to take a gospel tract.  

The parade in Warren is a huge event.  People come from all over to watch.   To give you an idea of how big it is, the population of the city of warren is about 9000.  We will easily give out 10,000 tracts in the one hour parade route.  Pretty amazing.

If you would like to be part of this come down and join us.  Our float will be behind the YMCA.  Be there about 10 am on Saturday morning and bring some money for the t-shirt.  We are asking $7 each, but give whatever you can.  It looks pretty impressive when 100's of people march with the same color shirt on.  The shirts this year are orange.

The Yupik Swim

These are some of the kids that went swimming in the water on the small island that we camped on.  Now this water is freezing.  It's run off from the snowy mountains.  It was even cold to wash our hands in.  You may notice how bundled up we were on the shore.

These kids loved it.  We had to make sure they didn't stay in too long and after they got out we had them immediately get in dry clothes and we put them in front of the fire.  The swimming was such a big highlight for them.  Crazy Kids.