Conversion vs Christianization

I got to thinking today about the church. There are a lot of people who get up every (or almost every) Sunday morning to go to church. Most, if not all, those people would call themselves Christians and by all accounts may look like Christians. They are probably good, moral people who like the community that comes with being a part of a church. The real question is has that person been converted or merely Christianized? I am convinced that our churches and our culture today are full of people who at one time or another have been Christianized and never really been converted into new beings.

The gospel not being preached in many of our churches has led to people being Christianized and not really converted. Sermons about finance, friends, and morals apart from how those relate to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ do not produce new people but "better" dead people. A new person looks nothing like the person he or she was before.

Take a moment to think about your life before you were saved. Are you a completely different person than you were before? If not, I encourage you to think hard about whether or not you have been Christianized or if you have really been saved.

My goal for Fuel Student Ministry at CFB

"The goal of student ministry is to develop disciples who see the world as missionaries and live as missionaries. The goal is not to have a great event and have a lot of buzz. This means we do less student ministry that is based on the lowest common denominator. It means you score success in long-term disciples. It means to help students to grow and to develop their own plan for gospel impact now. If you help individual students to develop a plan for gospel advance in the context of your local church you will in fact help them to hear from God and be confident in their planning and thus to be better prepared about college, career, etc. This means your role may be less to be the Pied Piper to students and more a developer of leaders who can help students develop uniquely. Or, it could mean that your focus is not primarily to plan events or even to be a great speaker, but to help student see themselves as artists who were created by God to be remarkable in some way for the glory of God and the sake of the gospel." -Alvin Reid

This is my goal for the student ministry here at CFB. I want to see our student ministry grow. That does not mean that we need more people here. I want to see students grow in the knowledge of who God is and what He has done in their lives. If more people come and grow in that way, I will be happy. If less people come but they grow in that way, I will be happy. I want students who make an impact for the kingdom of God. I want to see students love God with all they have and realize that Jesus is better than anything this world has to offer. I am still praying that by October of 2012 we have 100 students at our weekly gatherings, not for numbers sake but so that they can all be learning about the life changing power of the Gospel.

My goal is not to be an event planner but a mouthpiece for God who speaks truth into the lives of the students that God has given me charge over.

Humbling

This video is extremely humbling. When I see what this amazing woman is doing to reach people with the gospel it makes me stop and think about my own life and how I am using it. We have so many excuses for not sharing the gospel but they all fall away when we see the lengths that she goes through to get the message of Jesus Christ out to the world.

I pray that you will take the time to watch this video and allow it to change the way you live for Jesus.

Sarah Coiner's Story from Andrew Fish on Vimeo.

Halloween Outreach

I mentioned during the Pastor's Minute yesterday that we are going to do something a little bit different for Halloween this year. Instead of having something here on our campus, we are going to invade neighborhoods in Cheraw with the gospel. One of my seminary professors said one time, Halloween is the only night of the year in our culture where lost people actually go door-to-door to Christian homes. I think this could be a great opportunity to reach our neighbors and engage in intentional spiritual conversations.

I was a part of something like this last year in my neighborhood in Durham. We had a table set up in the driveway and gave away free hot chocolate and water to the adults who were walking with their children. Members of our church manned the table and engaged people in conversation and gave each one of them a gospel booklet.

We had houses like this all over Durham and it was great to get to talk to people and engage them with the gospel. I really think we can make this a success here in Cheraw.

We will have an informational meeting tonight at 7:00 in the Street. I hope that you will be a part of this outreach and live as missionaries right here in our own town.

A Dry and Weary Land

I am currently reading through the Bible using the ESV Study Bible one year reading plan. In this plan, each night I read from several sections of the Bible but there is always a Psalm to read. I have always enjoyed reading the Psalms and this time is no different. Last night I read Psalm 63 and part of it really got me thinking about the gospel. Yes, the Gospel of Jesus. It is not just in the New Testament. Read what David said in the beginning of this Psalm.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

Is that not a great picture of the gospel? If we really believe that our lives have been changed because of what God did through Jesus did on the cross, wouldn't that be the way we respond to God? I long for this to be my daily response to God. It is clear that David had an incredible relationship with Him because he knows that God's love is better than life!

Is this the way you respond to God? Do you long for Him like water? Do you consider His love better than life itself? If not, I pray that you will consider what God has done for you and would begin to relate to God in that way.

Radical Student Ministry

I want to be a radical Student Pastor. I do not want to be a program director or a sanctified babysitter. I want to be a shepherd to the students that God has entrusted to my care. I pray big prayers for my ministry because I want to see lives changed for the glory of God. Imagine what could happen if the 25 or 30 students that are here for the majority of our times together decided to stand up and live lives that glorify God no matter the cost.

I have a request. I have begun praying that God would bless the Student Ministry here at First Baptist and that in one year...October 1, 2012, there would be 100 students who are involved in the activities here on campus. Would you join me in praying this prayer? I honestly believe that this can happen. Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12-14) and it did. The same God that answered that prayer can answer this one as well.

I am not interested in numbers just to have people here. I want to see 100 students here praising God for snatching them out of the pit of Hell. I cannot do this alone. It will take the church stepping up and becoming involved in the ministry to students. It will take volunteers giving up their time to help out with our events.

Dr. Alvin Reid says in his book Raising The Bar, "Imagine what wold happen if thousands of young people in America served Jesus with the passion of a Bin Laden? Imagine if high school youth spent as much time planning to reach their peers with the gospel as McVeigh spent planning his bomb attack?"

I ask you the same question. Imagine what could happen if 100 students (or more) in Cheraw decided to serve God with the passion of Bin Laden or McVeigh. This is a radical passion and I would argue looks more like the passion the Apostles served God with than anything we see in America today.

Please join me in prayer that God would do a radical work in the Fuel Student Ministry here at Cheraw First Baptist for his glory and his alone.

Pray for the Nations

I am teaching through the book of Ephesians right now. Paul is constantly reminding his readers that there is neither Jew nor Gentile in Christ. He is urging them to be unified with one another. As I have been studying this text and teaching on it, God has been reminding me that this is still true today. When we come to faith in Christ, we are all brothers and sisters no matter what our background is.

I have started giving out a new nation for our students to be praying for on a weekly basis. This week we are praying for Afghanistan. 93% of the people groups of Afghanistan are unreached. God has a heart for the nations and the unreached and we as Christians should too. Only .05% of the population of Afghanistan are believers and the ones who are believers face unbelievable persecution.

We may not be able to go to that country but we can all join in prayer that God would move in a mighty way there and draw countless people to himself. Will you join me in praying for this Afghanistan this week?

A "Dangerous" Christian

Jim Elliot is one of the most well known martyrs of our time. One of my professors from SEBTS recently had a blog post of many of Elliot's most famous quotes. A couple really stuck out to me.

“We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon with. But we are “harmless,” and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high places. We are “sideliners” — coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. The world cannot hate us, we are too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous!”


Did you catch that? Far too many of us are content to stand on the sidelines of this war. We are mostly unharmed because we are harmless. We don't do anything that would make our enemy harm us because we are pacifists, not wanting to engage.

This makes me think about a few years ago when I was the leader of our group of kids at children's camp. We were playing paintball and had made a plan that on go, we were all going to go to different bunkers. When the horn sounded I ran for my bunker only to realize none of the children had run for theirs! They were afraid to engage and therefore harmless to the other team. Far too many Christians are this same way. We want to sit back in our Christianity and let others be in the line of fire.

I pray that we would become "dangerous" Christians. That we would be in the line of fire. This means that our lives will not be easy. This means that we may have some casualties. But we have been on the sidelines long enough when we have been given clear orders to engage the enemy and win souls to Christ. I close with one more quote from Jim Elliot that I offer as a prayer for myself and all who read this:

“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another after facing Christ in me.”  Amen.

This Changes Everything

I have a new favorite song! I love this song for a lot of reasons, most of which being that it really makes me take a look at my life and how I am living. I downloaded this song about a week ago and have listened to it several times a day since then. Matt Papa is a Christian artist who I got to know a little in Seminary. He is a great guy and really seeks to exalt God in his music. This is just a small part of the song "This Changes Everything".


Oh lord have I become a man
Too scared to be a child again?
Too comfortable with amazing grace;
Familiar with the empty grave?
Did I miss something, or have I begun to lie;
Do I really live, like "Jesus is alive"?

If this is true, this changes everything
If this is real, I've got to tell the world
If He is God, then I've got choice to make
If I believe, then I must follow Him!

How great are those lyrics? I am not a big crier but those lyrics almost bring me to tears. Have we heard the "story" of Jesus so much that it no longer has any bearing on the way we live our lives? If it is true that there was a man who lived, died, and then came back to life, that has to change everything!

We cannot read the Scripture like it is a children's story. We have to realize that it is a true story that really happened. It has to change everything in our lives! What are you going to do? Are you going to keep living your life for yourself or are you going to really live like Jesus is alive and begin to tell people this amazing news?

I encourage you to go to the Itunes store and buy this song. It is only $.99. If you can afford the entire album there are a lot of other good songs on it.

Pray for our President

I recently received an email that got me thinking. I have reposted the email in its entirety below:

"We were in slow-moving traffic the other day and we were stopped behind a car that had an unusual Obama bumper sticker on it. It read: "Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8".

When we got home my wife got out the Bible and opened it up to the scripture. She started laughing & laughing. Then she read it to me. I couldn't believe what it said. I had a good laugh, too.

Psalm 109:8 ~ "Let his days be few and brief; and let others step forward to replace him."

At last -- I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up -- it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray."

I am by no means a lover of President Obama but being a Christian I know that I am commanded by Scripture to pray for him. I can guarantee you that this prayer is not what God had in mind. If you continue and read the remainder of Psalm 109 it says, "May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. God would not be pleased with any Christian praying for the president to be killed. 

This email may have been sent around in fun or just for a laugh but we must think clearly through the emails that we send on a daily basis. If Christians are not willing to pray for the man that God has put in charge of this country then our country is in trouble. We do not have to agree with everything that President Obama does but we do have to submit to his authority as long is it does not contradict the Word of God. 

I ask that you would take a second and pray for our country and our president that God would give him wisdom and direction. 

Daily Devotional

I have been told that there are several students here at CFB who are looking for a deeper relationship with God. That is some of the best news that a Student Pastor can hear! I want to be here for you in any way that I can. I have a couple of things that I would like to encourage you with during this time of searching.

First, don't get discouraged if you miss a few days. God is interested in the heart more than the action. God knows if you truly desire a deeper relationship with him. If you find that you miss a day or two alone with him, he will understand. God is always waiting with open arms when we come back to him!

Second, devotional guides are good, but they should not be a substitute for reading the Bible. God gave us the Bible as a personal love letter. He desires that we spend time alone with just our Bible and prayer. Devotional guides are great tools to get our thoughts focused in the right place.

Here is a website with some great devotional readings. I hope that they help you on your journey to a deeper knowledge of who God is and what he desires from you!

That's My King!

I used to listen to this when I was in college. S.M. Lockridge was a great preacher. You can see the love he had for his King. I hope that I have this same passion and I hope that all of you do too. I have posted the transcript and then the video that goes along with it at the end. I hope you enjoy!

That’s my King! (S M Lockridge)
The Bible says my King is a seven-way King:
He’s the King of the Jews – that’s a racial King.
He’s the King of Israel – that’s a national King.
He’s the King of Righteousness.
He’s the King of the Ages.
He’s the King of Heaven.
He’s the King of Glory.
He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords.
That’s my King.

Well, I wonder do you know Him.

David said, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork.”
My King is a sovereign King – no means of measure can define His limitless love.
No farseeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply.
No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings.
He’s enduringly strong.
He’s entirely sincere.
He’s eternally steadfast.
He’s immortally graceful.
He’s imperially powerful.
He’s impartially merciful.

Do you know Him?

He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world.
He’s God’s Son.
He’s the sinner’s Savior.
He’s the centerpiece of civilization.
He stands in the solitude of himself.
He’s august and He’s unique.
He’s unparalleled, He’s unprecedented.
He is the loftiest idea in literature.
He’s the highest personality in philosophy.
He is the supreme problem in higher criticism.
He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology.
He is the core and the necessity for spiritual religion.
He’s the miracle of the age, He’s… yes He is.
He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him.
He’s the only one qualified to be an all-sufficient Savior.

I wonder if you know him today?

He supplies strength for the weak.
He’s available for the tempted and the tried.
He sympathizes and He saves.
He strengthens and sustains.
He guards and He guides.
He heals the sick.
He cleansed the lepers.
He forgives sinners.
He discharges debtors.
He delivers the captive.
He defends the feeble.
He blesses the young.
He serves the unfortunate.
He regards the aged.
He rewards the diligent.
And He beautifies the meek.

I wonder if you know Him? Well, my King—

He is the key, He’s the key to knowledge.
He’s the wellspring of wisdom.
He’s the doorway of deliverance.
He’s the pathway of peace.
He’s the roadway of righteousness.
He’s the highway of holiness.
He’s the gateway of glory.

Do you know Him?

Well, His office is manifold.
His promise is sure.
His life is matchless.
His goodness is limitless.
His mercy is everlasting.
His love never changes.
His Word is enough.
His grace is sufficient.
His reign is righteous and
His yoke is easy and
His burden is light.

I wish I could describe Him to you.
But He’s indes… Wooah, yeaaah! yeaahh,
He’s indescribable – yes He is ! He’s God.
He’s, He’s indescribable, yes, He’s indescribable.
He’s incomprehensible.
He’s invincible.
He’s irresistible.

Well, you can’t get Him out of your mind,
You get Him off of your hand,
You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him.

Well, the Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him.
Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him.
The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree.
Herod couldn’t kill Him.
Death couldn’t handle Him and
the grave couldn’t hold Him. Yeah !
THAT’S MY KING !
THAT’S MY KING ! YEAH !

And Thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever
and ever and ever.
How long is that ?
And ever and ever.
And when you get through all the forevers, then
Amen!

That's My King!

Learning to Pray (Part 2)

As I said in my previous post, I will be taking information from D.A. Carson's A Call to Spiritual Reformation and sharing it with you in hopes that we can all become better men and women of prayer. Carson argues, "The one thing we most urgently need in Western Christendom is a deeper Knowledge of God, We need to know God better." What better way to get to know God than to spend time talking with Him in prayer?

In his first chapter, Carson gives seven lessons for someone who wants to really learn how to pray. I will address the first two in this post and then the last five at a later time.

 1. Much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray.
That means we must self-consciously set aside time to do nothing but pray. In our world, this is not something that is done very often. We are so busy that we pray as we remember to. We must set aside time during the day that is designated just for prayer. What we do throughout the day reflects our priorities. Prayer must become a priority if we are going to get to know God on a deep and intimate basis. Wise planning will ensure that we spend time in prayer often even if just for short periods of time.

2. Adopt practical ways to impede mental drift.
This is one of my biggest hindrances to my prayer life. When I pray my mind begins to wander to things that I have to do, places I have to be, the TV show I watched last night...you get the point. This is a discipline that I need to learn. Try vocalizing your prayers. This does not mean saying them just to be heard but saying your prayers out loud will get you out of your own mind and allow you to focus on the words that you are saying. Another helpful thing is to pray Scripture back to God. Read the Psalms and pray for the things David and the other Psalmists prayed for. This will help keep you on track with your praying. Journaling is how some people impede mental drift. If you are writing out your prayers, it leaves less time for daydreaming.

You can greatly improve your prayer life if you will combine just these first two principles. If you will set aside time to pray and adopt practical ways to impede mental drift, your prayers will become more meaningful and in turn allow you to grow closer to God.

Learning to Pray (Part 1)

Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, once said, "Prayer does not change God, but changes him who prays." I have been thinking much of prayer for the past couple of weeks. I have been looking at the prayers of Paul and comparing them to my own. I have found that what I often pray about and what Paul prayed about are, for the most part, far away from one another.


I long to have the type of prayer life that Paul had. I want to be known as one who is always in prayer for the things of God. When I think about the majority of my prayers, there is no way that God could use those to change me. I am all too often praying for physical needs of people. There is a time and a place for that type of prayer but if that is what dominates your prayer life then something needs to change. Paul made it a point to pray for the spiritual more than the earthly needs of the people he loved. This earth is going to pass away but the spirit will remain for eternity. Which is in need of more prayer?


Prayer is the great instrument that God has given men to make us more like Him. It is when we pray that we feel the closeness of God. Of course God is omnipresent and is always with us but we feel closer to Him when we are in communion with Him. So when we talk about getting closer to God, what we really mean is that we realize more and more the closeness of God. Again, prayer changes us, not God.


One of the best books that I have ever read on prayer is called A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers. Over the next couple of weeks I will be taking some of the information about how to pray from this book and sharing it with you. I pray that God would use this information to transform the way that you pray so that God can use your prayer times to make you more like himself! 

Why Study the Bible Together?

Kevin Blalock and I are teaching a class together for University of Life on Sunday nights at Ridgecrest Baptist Church. The class will focus on the book of Ephesians and is designed for students and their parents. It is our desire to see students and their parents come together to learn the Word of God. I have actually met some resistance from both students and their parents when approaching them about attending this class. The excuse is usually the same, "my kid doesn't want me in there" or "my mom or dad wouldn't come to that".

I think it is crucial in this day and age to have parents and students in classes together inside the church. As youth leaders we only have a limited amount of time with the students on a weekly basis. We want to equip parents to be talking with their children about spiritual things at home. What better way to stimulate spiritual conversations than talking about a class that you are taking together at church? What better way to begin memorizing (yes, I said it!) Scripture together than by working on a passage that you are studying together at church?

Most of the people I hear making the excuse that they are not wanted in the class are simply assuming that is the case. More and more research is showing that teens really want a closer relationship with their parents than any generation before them. They may resist at first but if you really want to see your teenagers fall in love with Jesus, you need to live out your faith in front of them. Being in a class together with them and letting them see you pour over the Scripture is one way to show them that your faith is authentic.

Some of my most favorite memories of my mom are from coming downstairs in the morning to eat breakfast and seeing her reading her Bible and writing in her prayer journal. When she passed away one of these was given to me and from time to time I read over it. It warms my heart to know that she was praying for me and my family. Knowing that she had an authentic faith makes me strive to have one also.

Whether you usually attend Ridgecrest or not, this class begins on Sunday night at 5:00. It is my prayer that you will seriously consider being there with your teens and actively participate in their faith formation!

The Gospel Is For Christians

The Gospel Is For Christians

The Gospel Demands...Radical Sacrifice

I have been thinking through and meditating on Romans 12:1-2 this past week. I have always loved these verses because they paint a clear picture of what a Christian is supposed to look like. Verse 1 tells us that we are supposed to be a "living sacrifice". Verse 2 goes on to tell us to, "not be conformed to this world".


These are great ideas but I fear that many in the church today have missed what Paul is getting at. If you look at those in the church and those in the world, there is very little difference in the way we look. We have, all to often, become conformed to this world, with a little Jesus on the side. "American Christianity" looks completely different than Christianity in the past. We need to be reminded of what Jesus said the cost of following Him was going to be.


Luke 14:25-28 says, "Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 


This was Jesus' pitch to the people who were following him. Hate your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and yourself in order to be a follower of Him. As if that wasn't enough he went on to say if you will not take up the most brutal form of torture, willingly, you cannot be his follower. 


This sounds distinctly different than "walk an aisle and pray a prayer" that we, for the most part, have reduced salvation to today. I am in no way saying that you have to earn your salvation. Jesus is not saying here that we must physically hate those who are in our families, but the love that we have for Christ should be so strong that any other type of love pales in comparison. There is a superior love that Jesus is calling these people to and that is a love for the Divine. The foundation of our satisfaction must be in Christ.


Our satisfaction should not be found in the size of our bank accounts, the size of our 401K, the grades that we make, the friends that we have, our satisfaction should come from Jesus and Jesus alone. Things will not satisfy; Jesus will. 

Fun with the Language

Do any of these get on your nerves like they do mine? I can't stand it when someone gets "are" and "our" mixed up when writing. It is almost as bad as people who don't know when to use "there" or "their". The English language is not that hard...

Mentoring

I took a class this past semester with an amazing man of God, Alvin Reid. Dr. Reid would always say, "there is no way you can care about the many if you don't care about the one." I am seeing more and more that the church is in a great need of older, mature, Christians to mentor younger Christians. 


Titus 2:1-8 says, "But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us." 


This passage is a clear picture of a mentoring relationship that is taking place. Paul is urging Titus to teach the young men everything that he has been taught. He is urging Titus to have older women teach younger women. Titus himself was mentored by Paul. I tell you all this to ask you one question: Is there anyone in your life that you are trying to help "grow-up" into a mature believer in Christ?


I would love to see the student ministry here at Ridgecrest taken over by the mature believers in the church. I long for the day when there are volunteers who have a heart for young people who are willing to take a few out to lunch, take a few out to the golf course, take a few out shopping and just use their lives and their words to show how important Jesus Christ is in their own lives on a daily basis. 


If you are willing to do this, let me know either on here or in person. I can find some students who are longing for a meaningful relationship with an adult and get you together with them. If you want more information on this before you commit to it, I can provide that for you as well. 


I close with a simple prayer: Lord, I beg for Ridgecrest to have a Titus 2 type student ministry. I pray that you would tug at the hearts of our volunteers to be there for the students more than just during church times and on trips. I pray that they would be burdened for the students day in and day out and be willing to do something to help them grow in their walk with you! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Family-Based Youth Ministry

Shay and I have been reading through a book together called Family-Based Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries. The premise of the book is that parents have such a large impact on the life of their kids that they should be more involved in their kids lives both during church and at home. I love my job and I love working with students but I know that I can only have so much of an impact on the lives of students because I only see them for a small portion of the week.

Parents have to take responsibility for their own children's spiritual growth. I know that I am not a parent yet so I can not give advice based on my own personal life but this book has great ideas that parents can implement to aid in their child's spiritual growth.

DeVries says, "We can find the primary cause of the current crisis in youth ministry in the ways that our culture and our churches have systematically isolated young people from the very relationships that are most likely to lead them to maturity. Granting our children the 'privilege of being left alone' has served, in part, to create a wholesale epidemic of adult neglect of the next generation."

Students need their parents to be there for them. They do not need to be "left alone". The biggest need of our young people today is to be taught how to be an adult by an adult. Peer to peer relationships are important while in middle and high school but the only way that a child will learn to be a productive adult is to be shown how to be one by one.

DeVries cites the results of a study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse and says that teens are significantly less likely to be addicted to drugs and alcohol if their parents:

1. Are engaged in their teens' lives, including helping with homework or attending extracurricular activities.
2. Have at least five sit-down meals together weekly.
3. Attend religious services together with their teens.
4. Set curfews.
5. Teach their children that drugs and alcohol are dangerous and morally wrong.

These are not things that are hard to do. Parents have to make their kids a priority over their work and own personal lives if they want them to fall deeply in love with Jesus Christ. This should be the goal of every parent who claims to be a Christian.

Again, I know that I am not a parent myself but it is clear that children who have meaningful relationships with their parents are at a much lower risk of engaging in risky behavior.

Yearning For More?

Yearn-- longing: prolonged unfulfilled desire or need


It is my conviction that we need more yearning after God in America today. One of my favorite songs is called Yearn and was written by Shane Bernard and Shane Everett. 


Lord I want to yearn for You
I want to burn with passion
over You and only You
Lord I want to yearn


In our culture today, people burn with passion over a number of things. If we were to get really honest with ourselves I seriously doubt that many of us would be able to say that we burn with passion for our Lord. I have recently graduated from Seminary and am seeking God's direction for my life. I am evaluating myself and my relationship with God in light of that and really want to know where God would have me serve. It is tempting to let my desire to do the work of God overshadow my love for Him. I pray that as I seek what God has in store for my life that I would never forget the work that He did for me in the cross. 


It is easy throughout the years to "get over" our salvation. Many of us have had a relationship with Christ for so long that we have forgotten or lost that yearning for Christ that we once had. It is my desire to see students and parents alike burn with passion for Christ once again. Evaluate your life...look at the things that you desire...are you really yearning for Christ? Do you have an unfulfilled desire to know Him more and more? 


The purpose of this blog is to encourage people to desire a deep and meaningful relationship with Christ. The church is full of people who have great intentions of getting to know Christ more but often feel they do not have the time to do so. One great way to learn more about Christ is to ponder great passages of Scripture. You can do so along with others by going to Shay's blog. I pray that the church would be full of people who have a passion for God that is never fulfilled! I pray that we are always Yearning For More...