I'm Not The Fun Police

I was talking with people that are closest to me as they read about CSM's distinctives and I asked them about their thoughts. I asked if it sounded like I am harsh or abrasive or lame and they pointed out that I made a living off of being fun for years.

What I took from the conversation was that those that know me best will not be surprised by my strategy but they also know the background that it is laid against.

For going on 6 years I have participated in a ministry called Operation 12. The concept behind op12 is to use action sports(skateboarding, wakeboarding, and snowboarding) to reach a culture of individuals that the church has a hard time engaging. So, for the past 5 years I have had the joy and privilege of travelling from city to city, more or less, playing and then preaching. Honestly, it is the coolest job on the planet. Imagine being a rock star christian that everyone celebrates as we march into a city to conduct a stellar demonstration and outreach. Churches write huge checks to have us conduct an outreach and we are booked a year in advance...

But, the typical church camp results kept making me sick to my stomach. Sure students get excited when a team of athletes show up and rock the place and share their testimony but the week after we leave what is in place to keep students from falling away? I still believe in the evangelistic aspect of the ministry I just wanted to make sure that I personally was doing more than just 'drive by' preaching.

That is where my desire to be a part of the Church came from. I want to make a lasting change. I believe that that will happen over time with a group that I can say week in and out, "follow me."

So, when I talk about the seriousness of the faith don't think that I am some orthodox boring dry person that wishes that I was at a church with pews. I lived in a tent man. I surf and skate and show up late to meetings and stay up late and sleep in and play video games with friends. I wish I was a pro skateboarder and I like to be silly. But, when it comes to youth group there is a seriousness that drives me... Eternity is at stake. There cannot be a more serious calling. I am not saying that to be a christian you have to be lame, I just think that we should take God a little more serious. Can I get an amen?

Youth Ministry Thoughts... the role of the parents

The role of the parents

It is important that the parents buy in to the model as much as the youth workers and the Pastor for youth (the strategy for our youth can be found at the top right of this blog). I am coming up on a year that I have been pastor for youth at Central and not involving the parents more is my biggest regret. If students are the car that we are trying to drive to Christ, parents are the keys to the ignition. You can have a map, a GPS, a cool destination, and an exciting road trip, but without the keys you can go no where.

It is important that parents understand the strategy and encourage their kids to pursue it. Even when your child would rather do something "more fun."

I think that following Jesus is the most intense and crazy and exciting and fun thing you can possibly do. I think that going to youth group to play basketball or play video games is the most boring and lame thing that I have ever heard of. My goal is to redefine what fun is for a student, and the Gospel is crazy fun.

I look back on my teen years and I had a ton of fun... I am not trying to rob anyone of that excitement. We will have overnights, and summer trips, and surfing (east coast encounter), and skateboarding, and basketball, and Guitar Hero, and rec nights. But, when we come together to hear from God I want to yell out, "He does have a message for YOU! God is not in heaven distracted by having to take care of adult issues, so entertain yourselves until you are old enough to come to big people church. He wants to say something to You. And Lord willing we will give Him that opportunity."

But, parents need to see the value in the plan otherwise it is undermined.

If you have a student in youth group think through the strategy. Ask yourself what is the most important thing your child needs? Is it just to be at church or is there more that you desire for them than just attending? Ask me questions. I would love to have some ongoing conversations with parents to help me know that I am meeting or not meeting the needs of their children. Email me at corywilliams@centralwired.com

Personally engage in the process of mentoring your children. There is no magic formula for making your kid love Jesus. Even the best youth pastor, which I am not, cannot make your child love Jesus. It takes a concerted effort from everyone, and I would say mainly their immediate family, to ensure that they know and understand the God of the bible and the price that He paid on a cross to redeem you.

Youth Ministry Thoughts pt 5

2.We also do not prescribe to the entertainment model. 

As you may have noticed, youth groups have done everything in their power over the past couple decades to make things exciting for their youth which is a huge detriment to their faith. I love the words of Matt Chandler who pastors in Dallas Texas where he points out the churches around him, 'build bigger and bigger youth programs trying to one up the other churches. So now you have double-decker basketball courts and mission trips to outer space.' That is the mentality of most youth workers... 'How can we get the coolest program and attract the most students?' Obviously, with the right resources you could attract all the students in the area to the youth group(make it like Disney World) but at the end of the day how many of them are actually Christians?

Here is a good reason not to be a day care that focuses on fun... you create Consumer 'christians'. I use the word christian lightly because I am not sure if people coming through those types of programs actually believe in Jesus. But, if we are constantly trying to shape and mold services to be fun experiences for students then we have set a pattern that is not sustainable and actually leads to bigger problems down the road. 

Students that have spent their whole adolescence having everything tailored to their wants have a hard time at graduation. It is the fall after they had their graduation ceremony from youth group and now they are trying to locate a church to call home... but there is a huge disconnect because it dawns on them that 'big church' doesn't take them on trips or doesn't allow them to have sleep overs or halo parties or whatever they were used to at yg. So, they go church shopping. And, typically land at a young adults service that is focused on appealing to their musical likes and their desire to be relevant. There they sit in yet another church environment that is crafted to fit their wants but they soon graduate from that age group and then have to either find a church that will bend to their wants or they simply leave church all together. Follow the pattern back to its source and you will always find some youth program that has burned this mentality into them. And, that youth worker will be responsible before King Jesus for pushing that on them. I am not interested in having that conversation with Jesus no matter how many youth resources out there can justify that style of ministry.

That is why we focus on their actual spiritual needs and not their perceived needs. We give them the Word and we want to have fun but not at the expense of their eternities. 

The teen years are hugely formative for everyone. I believe strongly that what the church needs is more youth workers that actually read their bibles and survey the landscape of how horribly we are leading students. It should break the heart of senior pastors and youth workers all over the globe that we have done a sub par job of raising up the next generation of worshippers. 

Trying to attract students into our buildings by entertaining them, in my opinion, is a huge waste of time and money and has proved to be a broken system that we should abandon. A theologian of our time says it this way, "if I try to copy the world I look like an idiot... They can do it way better than I can." Instead of copying the world let us dive into the Word of God and beg Him to show Himself to be more exciting than Gears of War 2 or pop culture or shopping or whatever you are into. We should focus more on Him in our ministry and I am sure the other details will fall in place.

Youth Ministry Thoughts pt 4

What we are not about:

It is easy to express what we value but I think it is also good to lay out what we try to avoid.

1. We are not daycare

In modern church culture it is common that 'big church' is for adults and youth group or children's church is where the kids go while grown ups do their mature thing.

Youth group is not the drop off point for kids that don't belong in adult church. In fact, we encourage our students to attend a weekend service and prefer that they would choose that over youth group.

Also, when we have youth group we are not dumbing down the truths of scripture... Students are young adults. They can handle a lot more than we give them credit for.

Youth Ministry Thoughts pt 3

3. Worship
We have a time of worship at every service that serves as our vent of adoration.... But, we want to teach the holistic approach of worship that Paul prescribes in Romans 12:1 "offer yourselves as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship." Worship is taking all that you are and laying it on the alter. We want students to know that worship happens at school, work, home, and while chilling with friends.


"Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)"

Youth Ministry Thoughts pt 2

2. Expository Preaching

Expository and preaching are two words that most students either don't know or don't like, but we are doing everything we can to rescue them from that mistake. In an age where people are gathering teachers that will tickle their ears(2 Tim 4:3), it is crucially important that we give them the truth and we do so unabashedly and passionately. "God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. (1 Corinth 1:21)" Preaching the gospel saves and sanctifies. It is the mode that God has ordained therefore we stand behind it wholeheartedly. So, we are dedicated to teaching the scriptures with diligence.

For clarification expository preaching means that we take the ancient text and draw out meaning for our modern context (students in our present day). We do not use the scriptures as a jumping off point for talking about what we thing would be good (opinions), but instead we let the scriptures say what they want and we obey.

Youth Ministry Thought pt 1

Personal Strategy for ministry: I am a youth pastor so I have the difficult job of engaging our youth to believe that Jesus is supreme and He is worthy of our complete commitment. It is tough and gruelling as most jr high and high school students view youth group as a social gathering more than training ground for living a radically Gospel focused life. 

Here are some distinctives that we are passionate about at CSM:

1. The Word

I would not understand what faith or ministry is without the bedrock of Christianity....the Word. The Word is the driving force of everything we do. We obey it, we worship through it, we strive to understand and live it, and we organize every aspect of our ministry around the Word.

Whatcha Readin'?

During the holidays we have decided to take a break from youth group to give our volunteers a much needed and deserved break... With a couple sermons already written I am taking this time to read some great books. Here they are:

The Christian Ministry by Charles Bridges
This book was written as a response to the question, 'what makes ministers ineffective?' It is very convicting and concise. I am being challenged in a good way and have only made it through the first of five parts so far.

Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching
This is a collection of essays on preaching the Word... What a great encourager for pastors to stay faithful to their primary role of preaching. I will have more to say on this book later.

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen
I never knew much about this important discipline of our faith... putting to death the deeds of the flesh. I recently preached on 'Killing Ninjas' and it was my first time that I ever really put much thought into the need to either destroy your sin or be destroyed by it. I think the American Church is in need of more Christians that are willing to talk about seriously putting to death their sins.

The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul
This book is packed with a wealth of God glorifying information. I heard several sermons that R.C. Sproul delivered on Holiness and it peeked my interest. The book is phenomenal. We need more people painting a gloriously holy and accurate picture of God.

These books have been nourishing my soul. I am indebted to the authors for their diligence of making plain the mysteries of God. I recommend all of these books to you.

Fighting Sensory Adaptation

Your body was created to experience stimuli... Touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste. And every experience will illicit stimulation... But there is an enemy to stimulation and its title is sensory adaptation.

I love pizza. I get a slice from Art of Pizza in Chicago every time I have the chance. But, if for some reason I have it for lunch and then dinner and then an offer is made to have it again, the thought of the pizza diminishes with the amount of times I have it. That is a small example of the effect of sensory adaptation. You become familiar and the stimulus decreases.

Why am I bringing this up? It is Christmas Eve and most of us have experienced many Christmases. It can become routine just like many things in life can... and we have to fight to not grow tired of looking on Christ.

Thank God that Christ is so magnificent that you could exhaust your life exploring His riches and you will never find an end. But, on this Christmas I worry that you look at the same angle of Him and you hear the same words spoken and it is almost boring (if that were even possible). Work tomorrow to see a little more of Jesus than usual. Have your quiet time. I am praying that you not neglect it with all your busy commitments. But, pray that God would show you his face. That is what Moses prayed and he got to see the hind quarters of God.... Or pray that you would ascend mount Sinai and bask in the radiance of God. I hope that Jesus is not routine but that your affections and excitement would overflow! Praise Jesus for his unsearchable riches. We will spend eternity reveling in His majesty and it will never grow old!

Acts 2- Welcome to Life

Peter preaches a message of Jesus to the crowds gathered and the Holy Spirit slays their natural inclinations. It is so bizarre that we can spend our lives in a fog of confusion. Totally engrossed with the natural world... our responsibilities, our jobs, our families, our schooling, and our plans. I am sure those Jews that were sitting under Peter's teaching did not wake up with any anticipation of what was to come that day. Life for them would have seemed pretty normal. But, God does not leave us in our sins. He takes the words of a rambunctious fisherman from Galilee and makes them the Words of Life.

The bible says that the hearers were 'cut to the heart.(vs 37)' The Holy Spirit with surgical application takes the truth of Christ and applies it to very essence of our spiritual being, our hearts. And when the Word of Jesus storms into our hearts we are found wanting. We realize that everything we have pursued in our life was petty compared to the importance of Jesus. We realize that we have spent so much energy on worthless things when we should have pursued King Jesus. It is a traumatizing experience. Like waking up on the surgeon's table with a chest spreader and your heart laid bare. Your insides are hanging out and you have a real problem that is beyond your ability to fix. Sure you could grab some tools and try to patch yourself up but it will not suffice. Many of us do that when the Holy Spirit applies his masterful scalpel to our heart. We want to try to remedy ourselves. And some pastors even will wrongly patch up a person that the Holy Spirit is operating on... but in Acts the hearers ask, "brothers, what shall we do?" Then the surgeon offers the solution.

I don't know how many of you have been in hospitals. I personally have spent a lot of time in them. My nickname was crash. I was always breaking something. Usually myself. So, on a couple occasions I had that conversation. The surgeon sits me down and tells me my options. You could have this procedure and it will hurt and it will take time but you will have a full recovery. Or you could forgo the surgery and I am not sure what will happen.

The same is true with the Holy Spirit but he knows what happens if you forgo his operation... it leads to death. He in essence says, 'you can submit to my operating table and I will make you alive and healthy and perfect or you can walk away and it will lead to your demise.' I choose life. So did the men in Acts. Here is the procedure, "Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off- for all whom the Lord our God will call. (vs. 38-39)" That is the procedure that we submit to. We are cut to the heart and there is a remedy. Complete submission to the work of God in our lives. Every one of us and the promise continues. It was true 2000 years ago and it is true today. Repent and be baptized. 

O' how many of us have wiggled our way off the table. God does not miss. You know that statement to be true. When He determines to cut you to the heart He succeeds and you have felt the Words of Jesus penetrate your soul before. But, after the incision it is so common that people run from the Healer. Today friend if you have not already done so, Repent and be baptized. 

Here is what that means; to repent is to turn from sin. Not just away from something that is bad like a legalistic restriction... it means you turn to something better. You turn to God. 

And baptism is the process of complete surrender. Jesus died a sinners death on a cross and was buried in a tomb. Then He was raised from the dead. He asks you to join Him in that death, burial, and resurrection in baptism. The death of yourself and the birth of a new creation. Romans 6 says that God will raise you up to walk in newness of life. You will be a new person. Fit for citizenship in His Kingdom. Friend... make that happen today. You are not promised forever. The Surgeon is eager to apply His healing hands. You know your sickness will lead to death and you desperately need a saviour. 

If you have made that decision today tell someone! Drop me a email corywilliams@centralwired.com or call 608.362.7663 ext 24. 

"Those who accepted this message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (vs 41)" 

A Walk With God

How do you keep from getting jaded? I'll be honest being elevated to the status of Pastor is one of the most unique and special things that I have been called to. In the words of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones; 

[it] is the highest and the greatest and most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called.... [it] is the most urgent need in the Christian Church today; and as it is the greatest and the most urgent need in the Church, it is obviously the greatest need of the world also.- Preaching and Preachers pg. 9

The Christians Ministry is a heavy calling. And, as I realize more and more the weight of my calling(the most important job in the world according to Lloyd-Jones) I am forced to employ every resource available to me to achieve the end to which I am called. I do not want to be a lazy worker. I do not want to peddle the word of God for a profit, either monetary or popularity. My aim to which I strive every day is a commission that Paul gave his apprentice Timmy, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)" In the King James it says to study... Do your best; study. So that is what I do. I dive into books and commentaries and the bible in hopes that I will know and understand the bible which is a mystery because I am seeing that there are so many paradoxes and so many people shipwreck their faith and their congregation because of a misunderstanding or a misappropriation of the word of truth. So, I study and study and study. It also says, rightly handles or divides the Word of Truth. So there is a right way to handle the word. There is a way in the words of John MacArthur, 'to cut a straight line through the bible.' So to that end, I am trying to handle the word of truth to be presented before the King a worker that needs not be ashamed. Not a run of the mill 9 to 5 I got myself into. And, many would say, 'you are taking this too seriously.' Which I believe is the reason why so many churches are dead. They fail to take seriously the most serious Deity there is.

All of the above was an attempt to help you see this point that I think applies to each of us; In my opinion it is rather easy to become jaded when you put that sort of effort into your faith. Sure I could become jaded because I am a pastor but the danger falls on you as well. The danger is that it is easy to become a pharisee. To have a knowledge of God but no relationship. That is a scary thing. We each can read the bible and not experience God. It can be a duty. We can read Christian authors and never encounter God. So, what is the remedy? I believe the remedy is found in the life of Enoch in chapter 5 of Genesis. He walked with God. He was a man that lived and walked and loved and worked with God by his side. He had a relationship with the Almighty that resulted in God 'taking him away.' Literally the bible says that Enoch, 'was no more because God took him away.' I want a relationship with God like that. One that results in the blessing of seeing God. Going to be with God. Getting to look on His glory. So, I have to ask myself, and you my friend, are you walking with God? When is the last time that you spent with Him? Not praying, not having a quiet time, not reading about Him in the bible. But actually with Him. But Cory! How do I walk with Him if not in my 15 minute quiet time? 

Have a date. Block off a day with God. Spend some time with Him. During this time you can read, pray, meditate, but more than anything realize that the end to which you are striving is Him. Try to engage the Almighty. There is a reason why He calls the church His bride. Intimacy. Are you known by and knowing God? Are you intimate? Let's try to achieve this today. A walk with God. 

Don't Miss Christmas

I am not talking about the deals or the actual date... I am talking about missing the point. When I was living in Florida my first year down there I missed my birthday. It was sad. All my friends worked at the same place and they had a mandatory staff meeting on my birthday. I spent my whole birthday night waiting for my friends and I missed it.

In the Christmas story found in Matthew 2 the chief priests and the teachers of the law missed the arrival of Jesus. As I was reading that chapter this week I noticed that they quoted scripture and pointed out where the messiah would be but they didn't go see him. And as I observe Christmas for my 26th time, we do the same thing. We can spout out the Christmas story without missing a beat. We can quote some of the verses from Luke 2 or Matthew 2 (probably not word for word). But, we are like the chief priests and the teachers of the law that are unaffected by the birth of Jesus.

Then the story lends us some characters that we should emulate. The magi. They make the trek to the little village to see Jesus and God leads their way by lighting up the sky with a star that guides them. So, they find the place where the King of the world lies swaddled and they fall down on their faces and worship. They give Him gifts.... read again... they give Him gifts. Christmas is not about what you are going to get. Again I am 26 and for 25 going to be 26 Christmases I have been primarily consumed with this thought, 'what am I getting for presents?' That is sad that one of the most important days in history has some how been manipulated into an occasion to celebrate me. When really we should be recognizing that the gift that cannot be outdone was given 2000 years ago and we should be giving our gifts and thanks and praise to Him. So the magi do three things that we should do this year. 1)They make the trek to be near to God. 2) They worship. and 3) They give. Are you doing those? 

Do whatever it takes to be near to God. Make the journey to church or to a quiet retreat where you can be with Him. Make it happen. Be with Him on His birthday. 

Worship Him. When everyone else is worshiping food or presents or family take a moment or two on his birthday to celebrate him. Just get alone and say to him, 'if all these things went away (toys, gifts, decorations, family, health, etc) I would still worship you. You are my treasure. You are the Gift.'

Give. Maybe financially you should give a gift to church or to an organization that glorifies God. But maybe your best gift you could give Jesus is you. Completely surrender to him. Give him your time. Give him your attention. Give him your devotion.

I sat there lonely wishing my friends were with me on my birthday. But, imagine how Jesus feels every Christmas as he looks down on you and me. We are too busy with all of our commitments and all of our shopping and all of our cooking. But wait... it is his day. Shouldn't he set the priorities? I am sure he would want us to take a breath and spend time with him on His birthday. Lets not miss it this year. 

One Fail One Success

I was driving to the church today in my neon and I decided that I wanted to share with you two stories.

The first is my failed stewardship... I wrote an article earlier this year on a my apartment that I started renting. http://centralstudentsministry.blogspot.com/2008/04/moving-out-for-his-glory.html In it I highlighted my poverty like status of not having much furniture and I puffed up my chest for the blog world to see that I am a 'great steward' of God's resources... then... I bought a ton of furniture:( It is funny how that works. I mean right after I wrote that I went to a furniture store and collapsed under the pressure of the sales available to me. I even justified it by the fact that I am an ordained minister that will get a tax break because of 'housing allowance.'

So that was my fail.

But recently I have talked about how I wanted to buy an old car. Like a Toyota corolla or something to that effect. Well, a couple weeks ago my friend let me know that he was selling his dodge neon. It is a 2000 dodge neon with high miles (200,000) that he drove back and forth to Chicago for a couple years. It had a couple quirks but he was selling it for 650 bucks to a wholesale dealer that he knew. I asked quickly if it was still available and he said he could make a  phone call. 

The next day I was the proud owner of a neon. It is perfect. It runs and drives and even came with a CD player. I have bought new tie rods, tires, and engine mount but right now I have only spent 1000 dollars total to have a car that gets around 30mpg. So, I am happy. God is good and he even allows us second chances with our resources. So, hopefully I will continue to glorify him by the way I spend my money and the kind of car I drive and every little detail of my life.

Acts 2- Get Over Yourself

"Some, however, made fun of them and said, 'they have had too much wine.'" (vs. 13)

The Holy Spirit descended on the believers at Pentecost and filled the disciples with power and supernatural abilities. They proclaimed the gospel in different tongues and astonished the masses that were in town. It was a distinguished event in history where believers were marked with supernatural power from on high... And it is from this foundation that the early church got their steam. In fact we could talk and talk and talk about the early church and their explosive beginnings found in Acts 2 but the thing that is gripping my heart and mind this morning is that even though this event was so profound and unique it still is ridiculed by onlookers.

Imagine for a moment what it would be like to be one of these disciples!? I mean, this would be an event in your life that would be so profound to you! More profound than your graduation, or the day you got your first car, or even your first love... A tongue of fire descended from heaven and touched your head!? Then you spoke a language that you have never studied or read or even cared to know!? I didn't even finish a semester of Spanish! Now I am speaking some crazy language... God is so stinkin' cool!

Not only did the amazing happen but also the routine. The disciples got made fun of. Not only did they speak in other languages (totally unique), they also got made fun of (totally routine). It makes me extremely aware of how much I hate being made fun of. Think through how much of your life you avoid ridicule. We will naturally do almost anything to avoid being deemed weird or over the top or ridiculous. We avoid it. We flee from it. I can think of so many times when I 'hid' my Christianity so others didn't think I was weird. But, the reality of being a Christ-follower is that you will be a little ridiculous. Others aren't going to grasp you commitment. It will look weird. In fact, real Christianity should be met with a little ridicule. I love the way Paul puts it, 'if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men' (1 Cor 15:19). Meaning that our lives should be so focused on eternity that if there isn't one, we should look really stupid. Does that define your life though? For most of us I think the opposite is true. We actually look like our lives are all about here. And, we want God to bless this life so that we can keep up with the world because we really don't want to be the silly Christians on the block. We just want to fit in. We aren't being ridiculed for our faith because most people don't even know that we are. 

So, this morning I want to challenge you to be a little weird. Pray in public. Tell people the reason why you hope in God. Sing worship in your car so that even with your windows up you can be heard. Walk out of sticky situations that are morally questionable like movies or what not, tell others how much you love Jesus and don't be afraid to take a little ridicule for the King of the World. We too often hide our light under a bowl. Take it out. Get made fun of. The believers in Acts 2 did it. So should we. 

Acts 1- Holy Spirit Power

"...in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit... you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes on you." -Acts 1:5,8

This is huge to me. I want to do more than simply have a knowledge of God. I think that knowing God is biblically mandated and a good idea. In fact, Paul often prays for churches that they would 'grow in the knowledge of God(Colossians 1:10).' So having a right understanding of what God is a great thing but it cannot be devoid of experience. Think about the pharisees and their intense knowledge of the Law... But, they did not have the experience of intimacy with God. They knew about him, but they did not intimately know him. 

I want to see evidence of Power. I want to see a baptism of the Holy Spirit and a result of Power. We can talk about God a ton and even describe him pretty accurately but what I want and what I think we need in our youth group is his presence falling on our group. We need to be completely immersed in his spirit. That is what baptism means... a covering over of water. But in this case it is a covering over of the Holy Spirit. I am not sure if you have felt this before? Can you look in the mirror and tell yourself that you have seen enough of God's Spirit? Are you content with the amount that the Holy Spirit has achieved in your life? One reason we do not see enough is because we are stiff-arming God with the attitude that, 'I can achieve this on my own. I have this covered God, thank you very much.' Let's fall back on the Holy Spirit and say, "I want to see you move so mightily that I could never get the credit. Do something so miraculous that the only way it could have happened is by your Spirit." 

"Our Gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. (1 Thess 1:5)" I don't want to simply play youth group. I want to see the Spirit move in and among us in a way that is not explainable without saying, "God did it!"

Acts 1- Welcome to Acts

In my former book Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do a to teach until the day he was taken up into heaven- Acts 1:1-2

Our faith is founded on the fact that we are following a God-man named Jesus. So, you can imagine what sort of impact it had on his immediate followers when He died, rose again, hung out, then peaced-out... Their heads were spinning. And I'm sure the thoughts, 'what do we do now?' raced through their brains over and over again. 

Well, the show must go on. Jesus knew from the outset what would happen and he chose humble men like you and I to propel his kingdom message to the ends of the earth. The book of Acts is the documented happenings of the early church... It is exciting start to finish. And, in a way it continues to answer that question that the early followers posed, 'what do we do now?' In Acts I believe Luke, inspired by the holy Spirit, draws a blueprint for the lives of followers. When I studied Acts with my family we kept saying over and over again, "I'm not like that, I wish I was like that." Acts sets the bar pretty high for followers. Really high. So, buckle in because I am sure this book will shake you to your core and challenge your commitment and inspire you to live more radically for the Kingdom.

Insufficient yet Necessary?

I was having a conversation with a friend a couple of winters ago... I had learned so much and was eager to share. I pretty much regurgitated so much of what God had been teaching me at the time about the nature of God and the absolute absurdity of casual Christianity. Looking back I probably could have said things in a much gentler way but I was fired up and passionate about supposed Christ followers taking the fame and glory and renown of Jesus more seriously. The last thing we need is for churches to crank out wishy-washy followers that can't last a week of actual following in the footsteps of Jesus. I was tired of nominal faith that can be lived from a sofa. I want something real. I still do. 

But after seeing that my friend was crying and obviously heartbroken by the scriptures I was sharing... I said, "whoops... maybe I should have just given you a sermon or a book, I didn't mean to be the bearer of bad news." But, her response was telling and revealing and it still haunts me; "No, I don't need a sermon... sometimes you need to be told by someone you know and trust." 

A light went on... for some reason God ordained that his ministry be dispersed by frail people. For some reason, unknown to me, God has orchestrated that his word is taught and proclaimed by people.There is something mysterious that happens when someone in proximity to you proclaims the word. God has designed that someone close enough to you teach the word. There has to be some sort of connection. I suppose it is proximity or at least rapport. Most highschool students in the Beloit area are not going to download Louie Gigglio or Francis Chan or John Piper unless they have heard about them... More realistically they might wander into a church service for students and hopefully hear the Word. So, as I turn that statement over and over in my head I am reminded that God chose me. He appointed me. For some reason he chose to make me necessary.

Here is the other side of the coin... insufficient. The words of the apostle Paul haunt me as well, "who is sufficient for these things?" If he felt that way then what hope do I have? I am not half the man that Paul was. I only dream of becoming like him. Here is the beauty of feeling the inadequacy of being a minister of Christ: Humility. There is nothing more humbling than proclaiming the word of God, spiritually leading others, discipling converts, and all the other tasks of the ministry. I may have done well as an athlete or as a businessman or in many other fields but as a minster I am dually unfit. First, I am a mere man with 'a thorn in my flesh.' 'I am a man of unclean lips and I come from a people of unclean lips.' I have flaws. As great as I ever thought I was, the ministry has brought me low. Secondly, I am given an impossible task. I am called to exclaim the glory of Christ to people that think the cross is foolishness(1 Cor 1:18). I am called to speak to a group that is def and blind(Isaiah 6:10, 2 Cor 4:4, 1 John 2:11). 

So, I am insufficient yet necessary. How does that add up? It adds up by God showing me the depths of his grace. I am made sufficient by the righteousness of Christ. I am clothed in glory and honor because of the magnificence of God and not Cory Williams. I am frail and humbled and insufficient but he chose to use me to show his greatness and worth and mercy and power. He is awesome! I am puny! I am a mess and God takes my little mess and is writing a beautiful story. I haven't earned what I have... I was chosen then equipped and not by my strength so I could boast in my greatness. But I was supplied a strength from Him. God is so good. I cannot even begin to tell you how good he is to me!? 

John 21- Precious Jesus

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (vs 25)"

I can see John penning these words with adoration... Thinking through the fact that he made a detailed account, inspired by God, that would bring people into 'the light of the knowledge of the glory of God shining in the face of Christ'(2 Corinthians 4:6). The effect that Jesus had on John's life can hardly be expressed with words. I think he sealed the letter with a smile on his face as he recalled how magnificent the life of his best friend and biggest hero was.

Do you adore Jesus? When the bible awakens us to the fact that we are followers of Christ does it excite you to know that you are becoming like Christ? I have wasted so much of my life following after men hardly worthy of my emulation. I have examined the lives of professional athletes and determined to make myself like them. I have read and studied their every move. But, Do I do that with Jesus? Do I probe? And try to figure out what he was like? If he would have acted this way in a certain situation? I am not trying to copy the trite WWJD... I am saying I really want to know Jesus more. And it is exciting that I am trying to become more like him. And I do want to emulate his every move... 

I've been told before that I skateboard like Tom Penny (my favorite pro skater), I've been told that I wakeboard like Keith Lyman (my favorite pro wakeboarder), but what I really want is to be told I live like Jesus Christ (my favorite person). Are you trying to be like Jesus? I am.

Hit Him With Your Sword

I was just hanging with Alex and we were talking about the importance of memorizing scripture... My dad is big on this and I am beginning to see why. Alex and myself were talking about victories that we both have experienced by quoting scripture in the face of temptation... It is a brilliant strategy... I learned it from Jesus (Matthew 4). But, I want to share with you a quote in its entirety that should encourage you to memorize scripture...

"The Devil is real and he hates you with a vengeance. He prowls around like a roaring lion eating Christians. You know what he feeds off of? FAITH. The Devil has one appetite; Faith. He eats faith so that you can't have it. He claws at your faith. That's the only thing he cares to destroy. He cares not one lick about whether you're healthy or not. In fact if he can get your faith by making you healthy, he will make you healthy. If he can get your faith by making you sick, he will make you sick. 

How do you fight the Devil? There is one offensive weapon and it is the Word of God and when you jew him with it he flees. You should have short ones and long ones. Long swords and short daggers. Those are short verses and long verses. Whole chapters and little tiny phrases. This should all be stored up. So I add to meditate, Memorize! O' memorize the bible! I have never met a weak Christian that memorizes the scriptures." - John Piper at When I Don't Desire God conference

Sanctification

Ray Ortlund Jr wrote a blog about Sanctification... that is the process that Jesus is doing in you to make you holy. So read up and enjoy this little nugget...

http://christisdeeperstill.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-sanctification-works.html

Fuel Cancelled

Fuel is cancelled tonight because of the winter weather. Sorry :(

John 20- The Word of God

What is your feeling towards the bible? Does it excite you? Or is it just a book? Do you ever get alone with your bible and just spend time with God? Are you eager to hear 'the word of the Lord?'

John makes sure to point out that, "Jesus did many miraculous signs, which were not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name"(vs. 30,31). There is a lot to be said about Jesus in fact, 'the world would not have room for the books that would be written' if everything was written down that he did. But there is one book that is pivotal. It is the Word of God. It is the Bible.

I want you to understand how important this is. The bible is the means by which we are saved. When you believe in the Son of God (vs 31) it is believing in a proclamation of the Word of the Son of God. God reveals himself in nature (Romans 1:20) but until someone declares the Word people will still say like the Ethiopian eunuch, 'how can I [understand] unless someone explains it to me?(Acts 8:31)' Or take for example the text in Romans, "...faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)" So, the way we even become believers is by hearing the Word of God. Hearing the bible proclaimed to us. Hearing the message through the word of Christ. The bible is important. It is a shame that Satan has so deceived us to think that the bible is outmoded. We simply think that it is basic to our faith then we have liberty to go wherever we want from there... let our experiences shape our reality. But, the scripture is reality. 

The question that I want to pose to you is, what is your regard for the bible? If it is low and a basic and small and insignificant then I worry for you. But if the bible is high and lofty and exulted and life then I join you in rejoicing that God has given us a book that documents his words. A book that by reading 'we may believe that Jesus is the Son of God' and enter into life.

Abandoned to God- Book Review

Reading biographies is good for the soul... It is easy to survey the current condition of modern christian life and think 'I'm alright.' Like God will judge on a curve and you are on the front half of the class so 'no worries.' But, when you look at the saints that have gone before us it leaves a mark on you. When I read about Oswald Chambers, who is most famous for his devotional book called My Utmost for His Highest, I realized I am a ways away from being at a level this man lived at. He is phenomenal in his pursuit of Jesus. And I have been highly encouraged lately by his ability to just love Jesus. It is an excellent read.

"One of the blessed things about this life is that man carries his kingdom on the inside and that makes the outside lovely." -Oswald Chambers

Gold from Spurgeon

If you are considering ministry or if you have found yourself in ministry already then I need to give you some mandatory reading... I read this about a year ago when I was flirting with the idea of going into full-time ministry at a church. It was formative for me and now as I re read I am floored by how anointed this man was and continues to be through his writing. What I am commending to you is at least the first three chapters of Lectures to My Students by C. H. Spurgeon. It is dynamite and it might save your life and the lives of others if you simply read the first three chapters. If you have already found yourself in ministry then also read chapter 11 "The Minister's Fainting Fits".

Here is a link to read online but it would be a good one to hold in your lap or throw at a wall. (Some books are challenging and this is one of them)
http://books.google.com/books?id=HfP1ox6GidMC&dq=c.+h.+spurgeon+lectures+to+my+students&pg=PP1&ots=5kxABNNYOd&source=bn&sig=vjEERGhr2809_-pq6Z0p4dFnE9U&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result

Thanksgiving

What are you thankful for? I am thankful for my family, for my beautiful girlfriend Ashley, for my little brand-new baby niece Harper. I am thankful for my calling to 'preach the word' and that I get to fulfill that role with a group of young passionate Christ centered teens. I am thankful for the leaders that make CSM happen on a weekly basis. I am thankful for my passion for Jesus name. Most importantly I am thankful for the saving work that Jesus accomplished on the Cross.  

Now don't keep it bottled up in you... tell Jesus about it, or tell others about it. Write a note to a friend or make them a card. Let's practice the meaning of this holiday by expressing our thankfulness.

John 19- Love

"Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "here is your mother" (vs 26-27)

Has Jesus commissioned you to love others? I can't even imagine the weight of my dying Savior's last words spoken... an issue to love. Imagine the effect that would have on you? Seeing Jesus hanging on the cross and he tells you to love his mother. The end of verse 27 says, "from that time on, this disciple took her into his home."

Reality is, when you become a disciple you adopt that mission of love. How have you demonstrated the love and compassion of Christ lately. His concern while hanging on the cross was for others. His desire for us is that we would take up his concern and carry it on to the end of the ages. But, how are we doing at that? How are we doing at loving our neighbor? I can think of a millions of things I have done for myself lately but I have a hard time thinking of only a few things I have done for others.

God give us a passion to live out your love. Help us to see the needs of others even when our needs seem so big. Help us to care more about others than we care about ourselves. It will take a miracle for this to happen in selfish me. So, we need you to make this happen. I can't muster up this kind of love even with all my strength and efforts. God I need you to make this love come to life. Amen

John 19- Knowing But Not Submitting

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS. (vs. 19)

The Jews were furious saying, "do not write 'the king of the Jews' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." (vs. 21)

The danger of decision... It is scary to me that it is so easy to carve a sign stating 'King of the Jews.' I am not saying that it is literally easy to carve a sign (I grew up on a tree farm with wood and knives but I would probably cut myself again if I tried to do this now). Instead, I think it is easy to say that, 'Jesus is king' figuratively speaking. 

Imagine a church service where you are compelled to name Jesus as lord (AKA king). Much is made of him in an hour worship service and it culminates with a pastor pleading for you to 'decide' for Christ. He even has you close your eyes and repeat after him. You think to yourself, 'why not? I've tried everything else.' Easy right? Like posting a notice. Jesus is king. Fact. Declared. Amen. The end.

My cautious warning to all 'professing' believers that have 'decided' for Christ is be careful that you don't end up in the 'Lord Lord' group(Matthew 7). They claimed to know him but he considered them strangers. They witnessed his ministry in action but they didn't have fellowship with Him. It is important that you take your relationship with him further than Pilate did. Pilate simply acknowledged, Jesus disciples lived for him with a passion. There is a difference. You can see it played out. Nominal christianity is a statement of a fact, 'Jesus is king'. Authentic Christianity is a glad submission to his kingship. Are you a patriotic citizen of Jesus' Kingdom or do you simply acknowledge his kingship but do little to support the advancement of the Kingdom? 

Friend, if you are uncertain then plead for a passion. Just simply ask God to do a miraculous work of making you fall in love with his Glory. Ask him to rescue you from the pitfall of false conversion found in Matthew 7 and Acts 5. What could possibly be worse than standing before the King of Kings and finding out that you might have posted a sign about him declaring your christianity but he calls you out on the insignificance of a sign.

Heart Burning

Over the last little bit I have felt spiritually dry... It is not something that any saint ever enjoys... And I am not even sure why it comes? But, it is certainly part of the journey. Any one who has been travelling heavenward for any amount of time knows that valleys are real. That not every day or week is a mountaintop experience where you feel like you are so close to God. Sometimes you find yourself in the 'valley of despair.' You look around and there are big ominous mountains surrounding you and a fog is over your head. It is bleak and dark. And the mountains look so large and treacherous that you think there is no way for you to climb out. 

That is where I have been residing fora couple weeks... In my particular case I know the reason... My time with God has dwindled. It has been crowded out by teachings and writings and bible studies and ministry.

"The great enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ in this present day is the conception of practical work that has not come from the New Testament, but from the systems of the world in which endless energy and activities are insisted upon, but no private life with God." -Oswald Chambers

So, on Sunday I humbled myself before the lord and cried out to my maker, "All I need is you. You are my portion. 'whom have I in heaven but you? And on earth there is nothing I desire besides you.(Psalm 73:25)' God restore my joy in you. Don't let me fake it. I have to tell a bunch of students to be in love with you and if I still feel like this at 6pm I'll just be faking it."

God is good. He answers prayers like that. He fills us with joy and makes our hearts burn. Even when we are spiritually dense. Like the story in Luke 24. There are two disciples walking to Emmaus. Jesus walks with them, but they do not realize it is him, and he 'explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.' Then when he breaks bread with them their eyes are opened to realize it was King Jesus. But he disappears from their sight and they say these incredible words, "were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" Have you ever felt that before? Your heart burning within you because of the affections that Jesus is stirring up in you? That is what I am praying for. My heart to burn. I want to be consumed by a fire for Jesus' name and glory. I am resolved to let everything else wait until I feel that burning. Ministry can wait. Family can wait. Thanksgiving can wait. This is the most important thing. Being glad in God. Being on fire for Him. 

Here is the beauty of a valley... It gives your relationship with Him depth. A person that always lives in a perpetual bliss I cannot relate to. What happens when a friend gets cancer or someone gets in a car wreck or a teenager turns from God? A cookie cutter Christian cannot relate. I don't need a pat Christian response. I need a saint who has been through the furnace of affliction and bears the markings from the fire. I need someone who can say that God is faithful even if the world is falling apart around me. I need that sort of depth. If you are in a valley realize that God is weaning you from the world. He is allowing the darkness for a season so that the only light you crave is Himself. And when the light of His glorious Son breaks over the horizon there will be no comparison to the joy that you will experience. Praise God. Even in the valley praise God.

Go to God... Your Other God

That is supposed to be a parody on the saying, 'go to your right... your other right.' We generally say that when giving directions and the person doesn't know their right from left. So we have to jokingly redirect them. That is why the title of this article is 'go to God... no, your other God.' Not that there are two Gods, but when I say go to God where do you actually go. You probably take a turn in the wrong direction. So this morning let's try to get on the right path.

As a reader of these articles I am concerned for you... one reason is because I worry about steering you astray. It is a dangerous thing to publish ideas on the interweb when it is early in the morning and the proper amounts of caffeine aren't pumping through my system yet. But, the other reason why I am worried about you is because Satan is very tricky....

I am learning lately that for me the problem is not that I waste my time going to smutty places like television or questionable websites. I don't waste my time by having pointless conversations when I should be working. (There are still struggles but when they are obvious like that they can be delt with quickly) I actually have a hard time with spending too much time on good things. Let me try to explain. When you want to encounter God do you pick up a good christian book? Do listen to a sermon online? Do you journal about God? Do you surf to this website or other christian websites?

I do all of those things to some extent... Here is the tragedy, I can spend all my time talking, thinking, and writing about God and not actually spend time with God. The analogy that I came up with is this; I am in a room with my family and friends eating dinner. I love my dad so I begin to talk about him to my friend Jake. "Did you hear that dad started a new project this week? He has been working really hard." Then I proceed to talk about all these things that my dad is doing and that I admire. Here is the tragedy... my dad is at the other end of the table. Even though it might be flattering that we talk about him, he wants us to talk with him. And as Christians we can do this to God. We can talk about him, we can read about him, we can write about him in our journals. But what God really wants is for you to be with him. To talk to him not about him.

So, as a reader of this website my hope is that you don't come here to meet God. Maybe you need a little pointer to find out which direction to go and I hope to do that for you. But, this should not substitute your time with him. Please make an effort to spend time with Him. That is his desire. And while your hanging with Him tell him to make sure that I am spending time with him too! Tell him to break my Internet for a day if I don't schedule a date with him. Tell him to make me sick so I lay in bed and talk to him. Tell him to do whatever it takes to make sure that I am spending time with him. I am being selfish I know but I love my time with Him!

Let me end with a quote from an amazing man that lived long ago and started many orphanages. He didn't have lots of money and he wasn't some amazing leader. He was a man that enjoyed his fellowship with God and he believed that it was by prayer and fellowship with the word of God that great things are accomplished. George Muller said this, “I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.” Are you doing that friend? Are you making sure that your soul is happy in the Lord? Are you spending time with him doing that? I can promise you that no christian book or website or preacher can make you glad in God quite like God himself can. Spend a little time with Him today.

John 19- Mocking Jesus

There is something in us that knows that we should honor Jesus... When the soldiers who were responsible for Jesus had a free minute they twist together a crown of thorns and put it on Jesus head. They also clothed him in a purple robe(the color of royalty) and then began to mockingly shout, "Hail, king of the Jews!" and then they struck him on the face.(John 19: 2-4)

We all know that Jesus deserves some credit. We hear him talked about at church and even the history channel makes a fuss about him because they don't know what to do with this God man? So, we make petty allegiances to him. How many of us have walked an isle at a church? How many of us have slipped a hand up to profess his kingship? How many of us have prayed that Jesus would be lord of our lives as a minister led us? But then we walk away from his lordship. In the emotional moment of a well planned church service or summer camp it is easy to place a crown on Jesus head and to put him in royal garments in your mind's eye. But then it is just as easy to walk out of the church into the church's parking lot, or van ride home if you made a decision at camp, and start to think about your desires. Maybe you start thinking of what you will have for lunch or something like that. Or maybe what you will do with the rest of your day... Because in reality you are still your own king.

Dear friend, I am hoping that God would cure us of a half-hearted commitment to him. It is time to surrender all. If you hold back but make small claims about who Jesus is, then I think that you are playing the role of the mocking soldiers. Dressing Jesus up to be king but mocking him openly.

My suggestion for you is to completely surrender. Take an afternoon and just spend it with Jesus telling him that you want him to be your Lord. Ask him to reveal to you his Kingship. Ask him to show you the desire of the king's heart and the laws of his kingdom. Ask him to show you his plans for your every decision. Then obey. This is what it means to come under his lordship... to know and obey King Jesus' every desire. Then you will be a true citizen of the kingdom.

John 18- Out of This World

Jesus is a crazy dude! As we have camped out in the gospels this year it has been cool to watch him in action. To see what he was all about. To see him with a baby in his hand cooing and giggling and blessing and then to see the other side of him speak a word and watching a detachment of soldiers fall on their faces. He is incredible. You cannot walk away from reading the gospels without having a deep appreciation for Jesus.

At the end of John 18 we see Jesus and Pilate talking with each other and Pilate is trying to find out if Jesus is a king. Jesus tells him plainly, "I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." (John 18:37) But before that Jesus tells us the nature of his kingdom... "My Kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place. (vs. 36)" You can say that again. He is out of this world and he is calling us into his kingdom. My question for you is does your life make sense like it is part of this kingdom? Is your life like any other worldly person... what kingdom marks do you have that show that you are a part of a far out group of followers?

I don't want to live a life that makes sense. I don't follow a Jesus who says that 'my kingdom is not of this world' but then everything I do emulates worldliness. That is not what I am trying to be about. The purchases that I make. The people I interact with and the things I say. The way that I am joyful no matter what the circumstances. The way that I cling to the cross. The ways that I spend my time. It should all point to a Kingdom led by king Jesus.

Does your life look like a citizen of the kingdom of worldliness? Or does it say that you hail to the king Jesus?

Thoughts on Fear

What is the purpose of fear? Why are we told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom or understanding? What is the function of the word fear and our capacity to fear?

Think about how you view fear. I love a good scare. I went to a haunted house this year and it was lame because it simply wasn't scary... I also love roller coasters and the measurement for how good a roller coaster is is based on how terrified I am during the ride... If it doesn't illicit any feelings of 'WHOA' then it isn't doing its job. So, why do we have that capacity and why do we fill it with thrillers and rollers coasters?

Because God made us with the capacity to feel the effect he has on us. Fear points to his Glory. Fear of him shows how magnificent he truly is. When you read something like a detachment of soldiers falling at Jesus feet, or when you read about Daniel getting picked up by an angel and placed on his hands and knees because he fell flat after getting an eyefull of that angel's magnificence... that points to God. Ezekiel sitting by a river for seven days after being terrified from a vision of the Lord points to God's glory. Or Ezekiel being picked up by his hair and carried by an angel that is a little scary, but that also points to God's glory.

Fear helps us understand the greatness of God. Like standing on the top of a mountain and realizing that you could be a CEO, lawyer, professional athlete, world's greatest dad, or whomever, but if you slip it is over. You are small... the mountain is mighty. That is the effect fear should have on us. God is mighty... I am small. And then when he says things like "you are adopted into my kingdom. I call you son." That should blow your mind. Fear is good. I feel sad for people that shy from this teaching in the bible because they want a god they can relate to. A buddy. Be careful that you respect him for being so magnificent. He is mighty we are not. He is big. Read any encounters that the prophets have with God to cure you of not fearing God. (Daniel 10-12, Ezekiel 1-3, Isaiah 6, Rev 5) Any of those accounts will show you that fear is God's gift to us to show us what he is like. And I am willing to venture to say that no roller coaster, or skydiving, or any thrill you can find, can possibly compare to the flood of emotions that will accompany seeing Him face to face.

John 18- I am He

Jesus had went out to the olive grove knowing that Judas would come there to betray him... When the detachment(group) of soldiers arrived led by Judas, Jesus asks, "Who is it you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth" they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. (John 18:1-6 paraphrased and condensed)

Holy smokes... I don't care how much you tell me that Jesus is fuzzy and comfy and nice. There is still this side of him that terrifies me... A band or detachment of soldiers I am sure fit with weapons and wearing their shields and armor. Coming for one man. But when Jesus simply speaks they fall down prostrate. They back up and fall down. Like a scared little dog that wets himself when a stranger comes in. This is the effect Jesus had on them and he still has this effect on me. He is God. He is almighty and I worship him in fearful and reverent adoration. Jesus is not my homeboy... he is my master.

Does Jesus command your respect? Is he magnificent and awesome to you? Or is he a means to an end? Is he the guy that you simply run your plans by and ask him to bless an idea you have or a financial burden you are carrying? Or, is he your master and when you think about him do you glance at the ground because you realize that he is mighty and he is God? Does Jesus have high regard to you? Or do you casually talk about him or think about him like an old school buddy that you spent time with long ago. Or a pen pal that you talk to at your convenience.

They drew back and fell to the ground... that has a profound effect on me. It makes me worship him more. It makes me want to serve him more passionately.

God give us just a glimpse of your Son's glory today. Help us to draw back and fall down. Recognizing his authority and might and radiance. He is the image of the invisible God. He is magnificent. He is perfect. Help us to give him the honor that is due his name. Cleanse us from any pompous attitudes that make Jesus out to be our genie in a bottle... getting us what we want. Jesus you are worthy... the lamb that was slain to take away the sins of man, you are worthy!

Slow and Steady or Can it be Quick?

Well unfortunately I didn't wake up today looking like a David Clark or Billy Graham. Being sanctified is slow and steady I am learning. It takes patience. It takes God's long suffering and forbearance. It takes time. As I teach students I witness God slowly crafting on each of them... It is like watching waves slowly lap at a stone... The results aren't noticeable as you sit there for an afternoon but what about a week? What about months? Or years? God is patient. We need to be faithful and recognize that he is patiently making us more like his son.

But, then I also wonder, how many of us really want to be like Jesus? Maybe our lack of noticeable progress is due to our lack of desire to progress. Maybe it is fun to talk about as long as it is a theory and not a lifestyle. Do you really want to love people that sacrificially? Do you really want to spend money knowing that it has an effect on eternity or eat cereal to God's glory? Do you want to be a homeless people lover like him? Do you want people to constantly say you are a little off including pastors and influential "Christians" in your life? Do you want to be mistreated by the people that should understand your passion the most? That's what Jesus constantly faced. Persecution. Misunderstanding. Loneliness. Being a real saint is lonely business. ...Actually, if we are honest, we would rather live for ourselves and talk about our Christianity... We would rather love ourselves and look after our own spiritual and personal issues. We would rather spend our money on things that we love and enjoy without thinking about it. We would rather eat whatever we want and who cares about God's glory when I am eating? And, I definitely want a nice house or apartment and I want it to look cool and be a safe haven for me. In fact, God wants me to have a nice house!? I have to provide for my family that's biblical! I also want to be accepted by everyone and most importantly good church goers. That's the reality. A christianity up to a point. Let's not go overboard Cory.

If you want to actually look like Jesus, at whatever the cost, read on...

I believe we probably aren't eagerly asking God to make us like Jesus. I believe that if we prayed desperately that God would break off worthless parts of our lives and transform us to be like Jesus that he would be faithful. I believe that if we asked for it right now, so we can glorify his name, God would answer that prayer. Would you be willing to live this one out though? ...right off the bat you can bet your life it will look like Jesus' time in the desert being tempted by Satan... then it would be followed up by years of mistreatment and misunderstanding. Abandonment by people you love and admire and finally resulting in a sacrificial giving of your life. You want that? Count the cost friends.

I personally have found that there is nothing in life more valuable than being a follower of Jesus. I don't care if my very life is at stake. I don't care if my reputation is slandered. I don't care if people call me weird for radical beliefs that play out into real life scenarios. I am going for it. I am sick of talking about it. I want to live it.

A Conversation With God- by Katelyn

A very wise person once told me that the Bible was Gods voice and words given to writers and authors to record for everyone to hear. After being told this, my view and approach to the Bible have been transformed. The Bible is not something to be read out of obligation, and it is not something that is supposed to be on a checklist. It is the words of the God, who is bigger than all that we are, and he wants to share with us what he has to say. God is not a wall that you talk to, that never replies to your requests and concerns. He wants to tell you the answers to some of your questions, and he wants to help you live in a way that brings him glory. The way that he shares these things is through his Word, but we have to be willing to listen. The way that I have found that makes this easier is to pray before you begin to read. I usually ask for the time that I spend reading to be his, and that I will follow his agenda and not mine. I usually ask for wisdom to be able to understand what he says to me, and that he would be revealed to me. From there I will read until something hits my heart. It could be one verse, or it could be three chapters. If things feel irrelevant, or they are confusing, I simply remember that God promised to reveal himself to those who seek him with their whole hearts. I believe that we will never grow in our faith if we do not learn to listen. God has already given us wisdom that has stood the test of time, and he has made it more than accessible for us, so now it is our job to seek him out, and pursue his voice.

-Katelyn

John 17- Unity

"I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:23)

What relationships do you have with other believers that prove to the world that Jesus is real? This is a tragedy of Casual American Christianity, we isolate ourselves and believe that our faith is our own individual journey. We think that it is a personal relationship with Christ and somehow it can exist on its own without having any other people involved besides maybe the pastor on stage who teaches the word. This is the train of thought; if I come to church and learn about God then that is my faith journey. It is a very American, independent, isolated way of thinking... Let me ask you these questions. When you come to church don't you prefer to sit by yourself or maybe a couple people you know? Don't you desire to be un-bothered by the other people and wouldn't it be nice if you had a bat cave exit sometimes so you could slip out with out getting caught in a bunch of conversations? That is how I feel sometimes. I enjoy being by myself and worshiping by myself.

This is not what Jesus had in mind when he was praying to the Father. He wants us to interact with one another. He wants us to do it in such a way that people would look at us and think we really are Christ followers. Unity so that the world can see. What relationships are you trying to make that happen in? Complete unity. That should be our aim as Christians to be unified so we can show the world what Jesus is really like. We need to be a community that actually cares about each other. A community that extends beyond service times.

John 17- Jesus is THAT Magnificent

Those you gave me out of the world... For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them... (John 17:6,8)

Since the beginning of time man has been trying to relate to God... trying to understand our role and trying to understand God. It does not surprise me that man has always given himself a lot of credit. That is a side effect of the Fall. Our big fat egos that love to be noticed and admired. We don't like things to be out of our control and we don't like submitting to anything... we feel like if we try hard enough and exert our will we can achieve what we want. Which is why when Jesus says things like, "you gave me them" or, "I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me" we have a hard time making sense of it. Our pride cries out, "I was not given, I earned this. I made the commitment. I professed my faith. I attended church and that's why I am a Christian!" Notice the use of "I's".

Could it be possible that God is that magnificent that he calls people? That he decides whom he will give to be saved? I am not saying that we do not have a will that is exercised... in fact it says that Jesus gave his disciples God's words and they accepted them. That is not the sort of language that he would use if we had no choice. This also doesn't dismiss our responsibility. What this does for me is magnify God... When someone says that God is sovereign and then they decide that they can change or thwart God's plan by their actions they are saying that they are more powerful then God. Picture God in heaven with his hands tied begging you to come to him to turn from sin to love his Son. Does that make you think more of God or less? Or more realistically to me, picture God in heaven accomplishing his desires even by using the calamity of some to magnify the perfections of his glory and mercy in others(Romans 9:22-23). That is a magnificent God that I barely begin to understand but I stand in awe and worship him.

This is not a popular belief in the modern evangelical circles that I travel. I understand that at first this sounds so abrasive and wrong. Why can God call? Why can God give? So he doesn't call some? How is that fair? I encourage you to read through Romans 9... don't simply read but ask God to make sense of the text. It is a hard pill to swallow but I think the more I see about God in scripture the more I realize that Jesus is that magnificent and I am that puny. I am not a big deal. God is.

John 17- The Difference Between Religion and Loving Christ

This is important. I have been a Christian for 8 years now. I grew up going to church but it wasn't a love relationship with Jesus. It was obligation or duty or simply a label. I was a "christian." My family attended church. It was expected that I attended church. I learned early on what Jesus did on the cross and that I needed him to be my savior because I sin. I learned that there was a gap between me and God and I needed Jesus to bridge the gap. Makes sense, sign me up. So, while I was still young I prayed the sinner's prayer and invited Jesus into my heart. No fireworks, no huge conversion, no crazy story of going from a life of partying and drugs to being completely free. I didn't burn my secular CD's. I didn't have to cut ties with crazy friends. I simply believed and confessed like I was told to and I was a "christian." Unfortunately, this is the sad story of many christians... the reason I say sad is because I don't think that results in a genuine belief. I don't think that simply understanding and doing what you feel compelled to do makes you a "real" and "authentic" Christian.

It was when I was 18 years old that Jesus became precious. All of a sudden the cross became more than a bumper sticker or something to be worn around a neck but it actually became my life. What Jesus did in his death, burial, and resurrection became everything. He became my treasure.

That is what Jesus says in John 17:1 "Father, the time has come. Glorify your son, that your Son may glorify you." Glorify. Is Christ glorified to you? Did the cross become precious? Is it everything? Is God everything to you? When it hits you like a ton of bricks you feel it... It is like gaining sight. It is like you finally understand what the fuss was about... It is like a light goes on and all of a sudden the fog clears and you see Jesus magnified and lifted high. He is the Son of God. He is perfect and he gave you perfection by taking what you deserve and giving you rights to be sons and daughters. You were cursed but he became your curse. Then you fall at his feet and worship him in adoration mingled with fear and respect. It is intense! It consumes you.

Has it hit you yet? Has it became dear to you yet? Or is christianity simply something you participate in. A religious duty. A religious label. A holy habit. It has to be more than that. Jesus is a treasure and until you feel the weight of that I would be hesitant to call yourself a believer. "There are many who will say to me on that day 'Lord Lord...' and I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.' (Matthew 7:21-23)" I have heard of church going full time ministers who have not found the cross precious... I believe the bible is clear of what happens to them. Read Acts 5 and see false believers in action. They went through all the motions but Jesus wasn't glorified to them. I am talking about Ananias and Sapphira... They were professing believers at the start of the Church in Jerusalem and they would have sat under Peter's amazing sermon... they would have said the sinner's prayer... they would have been baptized... they even sold their land to give to the apostles to help with the church.... they are super christians in our eyes. But, Jesus wasn't glorified to them. He wasn't their everything. It was just a show. And the Spirit found them out. Don't let your story parallel theirs.

Is Jesus glorified to you? Is he your everything? If the cross is just a symbol to you then push your chair back from your computer and get on your knees and beg that God would grant you the mercy to see Christ glorified. It may seem silly but it is the most important thing you could possibly do. You might be at work or school or even at home but do not budge until God grants you your wish.

God make us love you by showing us how magnificent you really are! Make us see how incredible the cross is! We are not going anywhere until you show us your glory. Work can wait. Family can wait. School can wait. Seeing your glory is the most important thing right now. Show us your glory. 'Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.'

Eating Cereal To the Glory of God

I almost forgot about this... last week during FUEL I said that there is a way to eat cereal or chicken or anything to the glory of God...

First off, I didn't make this up. I am not pulling this out of my head but actually out of the bible. Paul says to the Corinthians that 'whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.(1 Corinthians 10:31)' What did Paul mean? How do we do these mundane tasks to God's glory?

The example that I meant to use on Wednesday was cereal but someone distracted me by yelling out "chicken!" So, lets look at eating cereal to the glory of God and you can figure out chicken on your own.

The first thing that you would have to do is select a cereal... This might seem ridiculous but I will show you all the details and the amount you actually do this will depend on the person I suppose... Your body is a temple. God does not desire that you make it to a ripe old age of 35 then fall over dead of a heart attack. So, when you are choosing you need to think through if it is actually good for you. Having Cinnamon Toast Crunch® and puring a pound of sugar on top and using chocolate milk is a bad idea...not to mention that would be gross. So chose one that makes you acknowledge that your time on earth is limited and you want to be healthy so you can proclaim the gospel to more people for a longer amount of time.

Note: This doesn't mean that you have to be a health nut to bring God glory and it also doesn't mean that Christians can never eat unhealthy food. I am simply saying that it glorifies God when you think through what you eat. This is not legalism just a concern for the glory of God.

Secondly, you can ask people around you if they would like to share. You can pour a bowl for a brother or sister or even serve your parents... If they don't want cereal you could offer them toast or something. This helps to cultivate a servants heart and will give God much glory that his son or daughter is living out the command to "love your neighbor as yourself."

The third thing you do now that you have selected your cereal and poured your bowl... you thank God for the blessing of having food. You were born into a privileged nation where you have plenty... it is good to realize that at the moment you are about to eat there are millions of people around the globe at that very second who are desperate for a meal. Some, will find something but it probably won't be nearly as good as your tasty bowl of cereal. But, others might not ever have another meal. And, like one of our high schoolers Wilky, some might eat mud just to fill their stomachs so they don't have to feel the pain of starvation. So thank God that you have food.

Then, pray for those that don't... if every meal you eat you think about and pray about others that don't have, chances are you will do something about it. That is God's desire for his church. That Christians would help others in need and through that God gets much glory.

Enjoy your cereal! Eat with a glad and sincere heart praising God. By this point you should be pretty pumped that God loves you as much as he does and that he has provided for you. So enjoy your cereal....

See that wasn't hard... now I challenge you to do everything to the glory God. Then you will be a true disciple.

Fighting Sin

Lately, this has been a subject we as a youth group have talked about a lot... for some reason a verse jumped out of my head and hit me like a pool ball in the end of a sock across my face... It floored me man and it would do you well friends to store this one up in your heart(memorize).

"In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood" (Hebrews 12:4).

Couldn't be more simple stupid. When sin is staring you in the face and you are doing your typical trying to suppress your thoughts of God so you can indulge your flesh, recite this one to yourself: "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." In fact, you aren't even resisting. You are going down like a chump. You're not even trying. Let alone trying hard enough to bleed. You're a wimp. Don't let God catch you being a wimp.

Wrestle sin to the cross. Abstain from everything evil. Fight it man to the point of death, or you will die. Resist. Flee. Fight. Don't let sin win.

Acts

I'm not even sure how long it has been... maybe a few years ago? Maybe even longer, my family decided to step away from the book of Acts for a little while. We had spent 2 years going through it and applying it and we had only reached the beginning of chapter 13... so we took a break.

Tonight, we picked it back up again. Let me just say that as we as an online group are finishing up the Gospel of John I am now eagerly looking forward to writing on Acts. I am floored by how amazing the story of the beginning of the Church is. It is mind blowing and I can't wait.

Acts is also a play by play of what my hero was up to... It is his travel plans and his ministry crusades. Paul was awesome and I can't wait to paint a picture of what he was doing as he travelled and ministered.

John 16- Joy and Sorrow

"I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.... now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy... I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:20,22,33)

Do you see a pattern here? Sorrow joy... sorrow joy... sorrow joy. Grief then joy. Grief then rejoicing. Trouble then overcoming. This is the pattern of the Christian life. This leads me to ask a question... is that really fair bible? How is it that you want me to be sad and happy? How are we supposed to be grieving but happy? And, shouldn't we always be joyful? If we are calling others to follow us then wouldn't joy be a great sales point? So why all this business about grief Jesus?

I do think that it is biblical to feel sad but still rejoice. But, our sadness should arise out of meaningful things. I don't think our hearts should break over petty things. There are things about this world that shouldn't be that big of a deal. We need to severe our love for petty things and the effect that they have on your soul. I am thinking about stuff like a car and having a mysterious dent shouldn't bring our world down. There are a million examples of things that shouldn't bring your world down what is yours? Money... when bills add up does that bring you sorrow? Sports... when your team has a bad week does that make you upset for a few days? When someone leaves the toilette seat up do you crumble with frustration? When someone goes in the 10 item or less lane at Walmart with a full cart do you lose it? When someone drives super slow and you are in a hurry does that make your blood boil? This is not what Jesus has in mind.

I think that our sorrow should come from things that matter. It should break our hearts that others don't know God. The fact that we have sin should grieve us. I think that watching a world that is corrupt and ruled by the prince of the air should make us sad. I think that our lack of faith should make us grieve. So there is a good grief. There is sorrow that is good. Paul describes it as godly sorrow (2 Corinth 7:10) that leads us to repentance. This is good. Sorrow can lead us to the cross. It is a sorrow that leads to repentance and ultimately to grace.

Then there are the verses that tell us to rejoice. Philippians 4:4 says, "rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice!" When the apostles were beaten in Acts 5 they went away rejoicing that they were counted worthy of suffering for the namesake. This is bizarre stuff?! This is gospel stuff.

Let me tell you a story about a group of people that went to visit some Christian friends in prison. While they were at the prison their houses were ransacked. What do you think they felt? Upset? Furious? Bitter? Unbelief that God could allow that to happen? I mean they are good Christians and doing a noble thing by visiting other good persecuted Christians!? Maybe enraged is a good way to describe them? ...Nope they were joyful "because they knew they had a better possession and an abiding one (Hebrews 10:34)."

Does that begin to describe you? Because that is what Jesus is talking about. Sure you might encounter some troubles in this life, sure you will be grieved, but 'I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away.' So, enjoy some of that joy now. Rejoice that you are called and loved. Rejoice that you have a possession that will last for eternity... God. "Whom have I in heaven but you. And earth has nothing I desire besides you. (Psalm 73:24)"

Paul sums it up so perfectly in 2 Corinthians 6:10, "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." This is your struggle friend... being sorrowful yet always rejoice... being poured out yet being filled... facing trouble but overcoming... being grieved yet being filled with peace and joy. "You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy. (vs. 22)"