Eating Solid Food

This past Wednesday night we continued our series called “Alive” with high school students. We talked about the fact that just as our bodies grow and require a different diet as we get older, our spiritual health requires a different diet for us to mature as well. I shared with students that if they are dependent on other people to feed them God’s Word, their growth will be limited by the maturity and knowledge of the person they are choosing to feed them.

I asked them to consider making a conscious effort to read God’s Word for a week. To give them the best chance for success, I asked them to do three things:

1 - Pick a time. Picking a regular time to dive into God’s Word each day will help make it a habit.

2 - Pick a starting point. Many people (not just teenagers) get discouraged when they begin to read God’s Word. I offered some less intimidating entry points like 1 John or any of the four gospels.

3 - Write something down. I suggested that the best way to interact with reading God’s Word was to write down something about what they read. If they struggle with that, a good tact is to try to answer three questions at the end of each reading: 1)What does this reading tell me about God? 2)What does this reading tell me about myself? 3)What does this reading tell me about others?

I hope you will encourage your students to dive into God’s Word and give it attention DAILY in their lives. If you can read some of the same passages, it will help foster discussion about matters of faith when you are together.

- Michael

God's Word Is Not Boring!

This past Wednesday night we began a new series called “Alive.” This series focuses on the fact that God’s Word is ALIVE and effects change on lives when it is read. I challenged your students to look at the Bible beyond what many young people stereotype it to be.

For example, many of them related to these examples of what God’s Word is like to some people:

1 - A book your grandmother reads (it’s a book for “old” people)

2 - A foreign language book (difficult to understand)

3 - A history book (about dead people and past events)

4 - A magic 8 ball (you ask it questions and “hope” for the answer you want)


I asked your students to consider jumping into God’s Word by reading a verse a day. For some, a chapter a day might be more appropriate. It’s actually a great time for you to partner with your student to do this as our current Bible reading plan at church only tackles a chapter each day. You could read and discuss the Scripture with your students along with the rest of our church. PLUS - the reading is the text for our Sunday morning message and reflection series. It really is TOO GOOD for you to pass up! :)

Family Plus Update - High School Ministry

This past Wednesday night we completed our three week series on "Comparison." We wrapped up by looking at the parable of the talents. The main idea we wanted to drive home with students is that when we give an account to God for our time here on earth, we will NOT be judged on what we didn't have. Rather - we will have to account for how we used what He DID bless us with during our time here (talents, resources, abilities, etc.).

This Sunday we will be talking about "God Cannot Be Improved." We will discuss that because of His passionate jealousy for our worship, God condemns idolatry. We will talk about the dangers of idolatry because it distorts our view of God and corrupts our behavior. It leads us away from God and toward a false god who is powerless to save and transform us.

If your student has signed up for our high school mission trip to New York, the non-refundable deposit of $150 must be paid by Wednesday, September 17. This allows us to pay our deposits to our third party vendors. If you want to pay the deposit OR the full amount online, you can do so by following this link: http://goo.gl/RuJ4p7

Thanks so much! Let me know if there's anything I can pray about for or your family.

- Michael

A Psalm to God

As we began the 2014-2015 school year, I asked our worship band to complete an assignment together before they began leading corporate worship: write a psalm together.

At their first rehearsal they began by getting in a circle and sharing experiences of joy, pain, good times and bad and processing those thoughts with the group through the lens of Christ’s influence and care in their lives. It was a pretty powerful moment in a way I had not predicted. After their share time, each person in the group was charged with submitting a verse of text that captured their feelings.

After all the submissions were in, the group met and put their psalm to music. This past Wednesday night they shared it with the high school group during our corporate worship time. They lyrics are below; I hope you enjoy reading their hearts. I’ve included a link to a video of part of their psalm as well.

Please let me know if there’s anything I can pray about for you or your family.

- Michael


How can You take something from nothing
And make my world whole again
When it’s broken all into pieces (x2)
Pieces

Though I may walk upon the shifting sands
And I go through the weary times
I know You hold me in Your hands
You hold me close and mend my heart
You’ve always been here straight from the start

I won’t give up, I won’t give up
Cause Lord You are strong
I won’t give up, I won’t give up
You can carry me on
You can carry me on now

Cloudy days or stormy nights
You said You’d always be there for all the fights
My name is written in the palm of Your hand
With a nail scar running through You
Yeah, it’s a running through You

I won’t give up, I won’t give up
Cause Lord You are strong
I won’t give up, I won’t give up
You can carry me on
You can carry me on now

Don’t bottle up the emotions inside
When your heart is in the sands
Eventually you’ll break down
And end up crying in your hands
You still stand strong and help me heal (x4)

I won’t give up, I won’t give up
Cause Lord You are strong
I won’t give up, I won’t give up
You can carry me on
You can carry me on now

God's Law and God's Love

Hello HS Parents!

This past Wednesday in our high school meeting we talked about “The Comparison Trap.” We talked about the results when we look around at other people and compare ourselves to them: we never measure up! Our text was Ecclesiastes 4 where Solomon talks about how chasing after so many things in life is like chasing the wind - you’ll never catch it!

This week we begin a new lesson in our Bible teaching hour on Sunday mornings. We are going to be looking at God as a “Loving Lawgiver” as well as how His laws are given because of the love of His children. Trevin Wax states, “God’s love isn’t set against the Commands of Scripture; the Commands are grounded in God’s love for His redeemed people.”

If you student wants to signup for our October mission trip to New York, now is the time! Cost is $300; dates are October 4-12.

Please let me know if I can pray about anything for you or your family.

- Michael

Someone Ministered To Me

Someone ministered to me tonight at a worship service in Queens. 

When you’re a preacher kind of person it can sometimes be difficult to receive ministry from others. It’s not like you don’t want to ask for it or that you’re even hesitant to seek it. Rather, it’s just that the opportunity doesn’t present itself that often. I guess you have to be deliberately looking for it and chase it down when you spot it, or you need to be obedient if you feel the Lord leading you to reach out to another brother or sister for ministry. It could also happen, however, that the Lord will send someone to give you a gentle nudge. That was my experience tonight.

Our high school mission team had the privilege of attending a worship and prayer service tonight at our host church: First Presbyterian Church, Jamaica, Queens. As the service opened with praise and worship our group stood and participated as best we could. We didn’t know all of the songs, but we gave it our best shot and were happy to be sharing this time with members and guests of the church serving as our home for the week. 

After a few songs, however, the service shifted to a time of prayer. During this time the congregation was encouraged to get in pairs and pray for one another. My eyes looked across the aisle AWAY from my group and met the eyes of a retired age lady, and I knew this was who I would share the time with. I shared with her a couple of things that she could pray for me - specifically for my family (and me, I suppose) as I am really missing Kelley and Carver as we near the end of the summer. I also asked her to pray for our students; I want them to experience giving something back, but not in the name of “good deeds.” No - I want them to be sharing their energy, resources, and time for the sake of and cause of Christ. She reciprocated with some things that I could pray for her. It was a very moving time for me…but that’s not “really” where the ministry happened.

After the prayer time we moved into the teaching time and heard a message from a lay minister. She offered insight as to how one might find inner peace in this life. She declared that the peace we are all looking for is the peace that passes all understanding and comes only from Jesus Christ. It was a thoughtful, insightful, and biblical message. I very much enjoyed the content and her passion for Christ as well as her presentation.

As we moved into the altar call (their term, not mine), they offered a time for receiving prayer if anyone was interested. I watched a lady walk up to the altar; she was anointed and prayed over by the minister serving the congregation. Then she (the one who had just received prayer) stepped to the side to receive people as well. As that happened, I was struck for a moment that I might wish to have one of these women pray for me. I wasn’t particularly stressed, and I didn’t have this burning “something" inside of me just begging for relief. I just felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit and wanted to be prayed for. 

As I was rolling a ton of reasons through my mind about why I really shouldn’t go to the altar, the sweet lady who prayed for me earlier stepped into the aisle, turned around to me, and motioned me to come with her. I immediately stepped out and took her hands as she said to me, “Let’s go pray.". She led me to the altar and made a hand-off (pun intended) to one of the ministers. This sweet lay minister held me and prayed a beautiful prayer over me. I hugged her, thanked her, and made my way back to my seat. It was not earth shattering. It wasn’t hyper emotional. I absolutely did not feel the earth shake under me. But it was monumental to me; both of these ladies had ministered to me selflessly and with great passion.

I found myself thinking later about the exchanges I had with them. We have different backgrounds. We do not live in the same part of the country. We do not have the same (presumably) socio-economic standing. We are not the same color. We are not the same religious denomination. But we do share a belief that Jesus Christ is King. We share an utter dependence on Him and Him alone. We worshipped Him tonight - together, and we did so as one body and one voice. That doesn’t shake the earth, per se, but it shakes my heart and spirit in profound ways. I was thankful that someone ministered to me tonight at a worship service in Queens. 

Europe Update - Scouting Trip So Far

We spent our first couple of days with Ute in Bicester which is about an hour or so drive from Heathrow. Over that couple of days our high schoolers spent time talking with teenagers in the area, attending a youth worship service, and playing some of our NOLA games in an elementary school. It was INCREDIBLY informative...particularly the time we spent at the school. The teachers and volunteers at the school were able to see our students doing some of what they do best, and it also allowed our students to see how the children in England would respond to our games - it was a BIG win for both.

On our last afternoon in Bicester, we took a bus to Oxford. Our students were able to visit/see the Oxford Museum of Natural History, the Bodleian Library, Christ Church Park, The Eagle and Child, The Lamb and Flag, several different colleges at Oxford University, Hertford Bridge, Radcliffe Camera, Martyrs' Memorial, University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, and Carfax Tower. 

This morning we made the trip from Bicester to Islington (a borough of London) to meet up with our host church pastor as well as Alex. We were able to turn our 1.5 hour journey into about 3 or 4 hours due to some issues with the routing of our GPS. We finally made it, though, and were able to meet our host, have lunch, and head out to begin our work for the evening with Teen Challenge.

Tonight, after serving in Hackney with the Teen Challenge group of London, we were able to come back to our host church and debrief what we have experienced so far. We worshiped together and thanked God for what He is doing in this area and for His provision for us. In the morning after breakfast, each student member or our team will complete an assignment assessing how they could see the gifting and resources of The Glade Church being paired with the Bicester community. Afterward, we will begin working with our host church in Islington in the immediate area surrounding the church.