Friday Devotional

Let's Get This Party Started!

Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, "Come along with me." Matthew stood up and followed him. Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew's house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus' followers. "What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riff-raff?" Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: "I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders." (Matthew 9:9-13- The Message)

Probably just another average run of the mill day for Matthew. Not that his job was all that bad. Actually he sort of had a love/hate thing going with the whole tax collector gig. On the one hand, this job pretty much put him on Easy Street since he could skim profit from anyone he liked. Yet that in turn created the problem: skimming from your own kind is not a great way to win friends and influence people. So for the moment, his love for money was a little stronger than his need for relationships.

But that moment was about to change...

He had heard of Jesus, and he actually had it down to talk to him about His so-called 'non-profit' ministry. So when he saw the Lord coming towards him, he had a barrage of inquiries ready to go. The funny thing though, is that Jesus spoke first, and it wasn't at all like Matthew had expected. He anticipated the standard religious speech about how he was a cheat and a liar- blah blah blah. Instead, Christ made a simple request in one short sentence: "Come along with me".
Matthew knew immediately that this was not an invitation to backstage passes with Jesus and the band. No, He meant commitment- the kind that would last the rest of his natural life- then on into eternity. Maybe that's why it was so easy for him, then, to simply get up and leave behind his career, means of income, and sense of security. At that moment in time Matthew realized that no paycheck was worth trading for an opportunity to serve the Living God of the universe.

Later on that night, his notion was confirmed. Matthew's only friends at the time were people just like him: liars, cheaters, prostitutes, drunks, and all the other folks who wouldn't be caught dead in a church. So naturally he invited them all over to his house to meet the Man who had changed his life in one encounter.
But surprise surprise! The 'religious' folks of the day had kept track of Jesus' latest recruit- and now they had caught Him red-handed with all the black-listed folks. So they started a little whisper campaign designed to ruin Christ's reputation. You might have expected Jesus to get a little defensive, but instead He turns the insults back on them to make a point. Basically He lets them know that if they think grace is only for the goodie two shoes of the world, they have never even read the Bible they love claiming to be experts on.
That was probably all Matthew needed to hear. All his life he had been shunned by those claiming to represent God, yet here is God Himself asking him to follow along. From then on his relationship with Christ beat the tar out of his love for a paycheck- or anything else for that matter.

To me, people are usually in the same place as one or more of the players in the story above. Some are like Matthew and his friends- in self-serving materialistic positions that aren't providing the hope and meaning they thought it would, and they need a Savior. Some folks think that you are the last persons on earth that God would care about, much less call into His service.

I've got great news for you...nothing could be further from the truth. God specializes in helping folks who feel the farthest away from Him. Perhaps you are reading this and you know exactly what I'm talking about. Jesus has invited you to the party my friend, all you need to do is show up.

Others of you are like the religious people in the story. When the rich and famous show up at your church or youth group, you fall all over yourself to be seen with them- and you pray fervently for their salvation because of "what they could do for the Kingdom". Yet if a prostitute, homosexual, drug addict, or any other type of "worldly" person darkened the door, you wouldn't know what to do- except maybe to recruit the biggest deacon to throw them out.

Don't think you're like that? Let me ask you a few questions then -

• Have you ever started a rumor about someone?
• Have you ever felt 'better' about yourself when you crossed paths with a 'sinner'?
• What would you think if you saw your pastor at a raging booze party?
• Do you feel that there are some people who don't 'deserve' to hear the gospel?

Jesus made His point clear: self-righteous, legalistic, judgmental people are Bible idiots. I know, I used to be one- but by the grace of God He rescued me from my own ignorance- and my walk with Him has never been the same.

Perhaps today you could take a hard look at where you would have fit in this story, and if any changes need to be made. Better make it quick, though, because the party isn't going to last forever!

P.A.

Thursday Devotional

I Think So

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things" (Philippians 4:8, NIV).

A Native American boy was talking with his grandfather.

"What do you think about the world situation?" he asked.

The grandfather replied,

"I feel like two wolves are fighting in my heart. One is full of anger and hatred. The other is full of love, forgiveness and peace."
"Which one will win?" asked the boy.
To which the grandfather replied, "The one I feed."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt said,

"Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds," and James Allen rightly stated that, "You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you."

Another has said,

"What the mind dwells on the body acts on."

If you don't believe this, think how temptation works--first a thought that seems to come from nowhere . . .we feed it and the thought begins to expand . . . then one's feelings get involved . . . and the more we think about it .. . the more we hunger for it . . . then we begin to rationalize and justify what we want to do . . . and the battle is lost. It's all in the mind.

As they say about computers: GIGO = garbage in garbage out. So it is with the mind. If we keep looking at and thinking about garbage, we will act out accordingly. But, if as the Bible says, we concentrate on thoughts that are noble,right, pure, lovely, and admirable, we too, will act accordingly. It's all in the mind, for what the mind dwells on the body acts on.

P.A. 

Wednesday Devotional

Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?" (Genesis 3:1)

I read a story this week about a young son of a missionary in Zaire. The boy was playing in the yard when suddenly he heard his father yell to him from the porch, "Philip, obey me instantly! Drop to your stomach!" Without hesitation the boy did as his father commanded. His father then commanded, "Now crawl to me as fast as you can!" Again, the boy immediately obeyed.
"Now stand up and run to me!" Philip responded without questioning and ran into his fathers arms.
When Philip turned around and looked back at the tree where he was standing, he saw a huge, poisonous snake hanging from one of the branches.
Perhaps you are a lot like Philip and you don't even know it. Life seems to be going well as you playfully enjoy the circumstances God has placed you in.
But wait; there is always the possibility of a snake sneaking up behind you- ready to strike. In fact, I believe that there are many of you out there that have been led to read this devotion because you do, in fact, have a venomous viper equipped to eat your spiritual lunch.
That's a scary thought- I know. But the good news is that you have a Father who watches over you 24/7, and He is ready to warn you at the first sign of danger.

(O.K. Lane, you sorta lost me in this analogy...could you please be a little more concrete?)

Sure!
The snakes that sneak up on you come in all shapes and sizes, but they are all very dangerous. The little ones could be the internet sites you 'accidentally' visit, the programs you watch, the music you listen to- anything that seems harmless enough, but in reality it is poisoning your walk with Christ.
The bigger snakes are situations like hanging out with the wrong crowd, going to 'those' kinds of parties, letting bitterness take root, dabbling with the occult or dropping out of church. These are the reptiles that can ruin your relationship with God permanently.
Remember- Satan has been hissing the same strategy since the days of Adam and Eve. It basically boils down to one phrase: 'did God really say?'
You can fill in the blank. Did God really say that I shouldn't ___________?

"Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour." (I Peter 5:8)

I think you probably get the picture. So what does it sound like when God sends a warning? Well, it could be the very thing that you are reading right now! He also speaks through godly friends, sermons/lessons, personal prayer and Bible study, and occasionally even strange co-incidences that really aren't.
Listen! Is anyone shouting instructions your way? Think about it-Philip could have been like most kids and said 'hang on a second' or 'in a minute' to his father...but those would have been the last words he ever spoke. Perhaps this is the week you need to read the handwriting on the wall instead of listening to the snake in the grass!

P.A. 

Tuesday devotinonal.

Jesus In The House Once there was an elderly carpenter was ready to retire. One day he told his boss of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. Of course he would miss the steady paycheck, but it was time to slow down and take life a little easier. They had very little to retire on, but they would somehow manage. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was just not behind the effort. He resorted to sloppy workmanship and used low-grade materials. When the carpenter finished his work, the boss came to inspect the house. After the inspection, he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said: "this house is my gift to you." The carpenter was shocked! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Wouldn't you? Or perhaps not. In case no one has ever told you, you are busy building a house right now. You were busy the day before, the week before, and the year before that. Not a real house of course, rather you are constructing the 'home' of your life. Here's the way that Jesus explains it: "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit--but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. "But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards." (Matthew 7:24-27) Back in 'the day' (Jesus' day that is), people had but a few choices when it came to the location of their 'dream' hut. One could be smart and go with a base of rock, or one could be foolish and go with Mr. Sandman Carpentry. The funny thing was that whichever place the house was built didn't really matter that much...that is until a storm came. At that point the true strength of the structure showed up. The one built on the foundation of rock could stand up to whatever nature brought on. The home in the sandbox would go down like a house of cards. The point Jesus is trying to make is that you basically only have two choices as well: build your life on the Rock of Christ, or put it together on the shifting sand of anything else besides Him. I know some of you out there might be thinking: "Well, I've got it covered, I know the Bible inside and out." Sorry, but if that's your theory- you've got sand in your eyes. What Jesus is saying is that you must go way beyond just knowing His words...you must also put them into practice. You know- like treating others the way you'd like to be treated, loving your enemies, turning the other cheek, making disciples of all nations- just to name a few. When you practice His teachings, you build a solid house with quality materials that will hold up to the storms of life. If you only know His words and don't practice them, you are building a house on sand with just a view of the Rock. This week, I would challenge you to check your work. Can you count on one hand how many times you have applied Jesus' teachings in recent history? If so, I would trash my blueprints for life and start over by reading the Gospels. This will take some time- but you will sure be glad you did the next time life throws you a storm!

Devotional for monday

Beware The Bear "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." (Romans 16:20) The arctic polar bear is the largest land carnivore in the world. It can weigh between 700 and 1200 pounds. It needs at least 5 pounds of fat per day just to survive. Where can such an animal find huge amounts of food in a frozen wasteland? Actually, it's easier than you think, because many of the polar bear's neighbors (the seals) have a load of lard to offer. In fact, the polar bear feeds almost entirely on seals. The problem is capturing them, because they tend to be pretty slippery, and they have a habit of jumping in the water rather quickly when they see a polar bear charging. To secure the extra value seal meal, the bear sometimes resorts to a cunning bit of trickery. If the hole in the ice through which the seal gets his food is not too far from the edge of open water, the polar bear will take a deep breath, slip underwater, and swim to the seal's fishing hole. He will then actually imitate a fish by scratching lightly on the underside of the ice. When the seal hears this sound, he dives in for a quick bite, only to find himself being the main course. The apostle Peter calls Satan a "roaring lion", but I think an alternative title could be a "hungry polar bear". Every hour of every day he and his army of demons are seeking "Christian seals" to attack and devour using the same strategy. First, he figures out where we like to 'hang out' and spend our free time. For some, it's the mall, the movie theater, or in front of the television and/or computer. For others, it is with a group of close friends or perhaps with a boyfriend/girlfriend. Whatever the case, he's got us scoped out well. Most of the time these "fishing holes" are harmless, but sometimes he hides under the surface and baits us with some seemingly harmless pleasure. What we don't realize is that he is disguising the devastating consequences of sin with something that looks or sounds appealing. Then, when we've surrendered to the temptation, he catches us in his trap and consumes our dedication to Christ. Here are a few examples of "ice scratching" that might come your way: prayer request discussions that turn into gossip sessions hurt feelings that become roots of bitterness national pride that degenerates into deep seated prejudice internet research that surfs over to pornographic exploration friendly jests that grow into spiteful shots The apostle Paul wrote that "we are not unaware of his (Satan's) schemes" (2 Corinthians 2:11). We know that he is after us, we know that he hides beneath the surface of life and waits for us to dive into sinful waters- so why do we keep doing it? Christians have no excuse for being taken in by the deception of the enemy. The Bible instructs us to "resist the devil, and he will flee..." (James 4:7). In other words, the next time Satan is scratching at the surface of your fishing hole, just remember that you can pray much longer than he can hold his breath.

Consume devotional

Consume

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple." (Psalm 27:4 esv)

Each and every single one of us has a choice laid out before us. Whom or what we will choose to follow. It could be anything; a car, job, material possessions, a boyfriend or a girlfriend, maybe even a title or an honor. We could have the best job, the coolest car, and the hottest boyfriend/girlfriend, but there will still be a void. Many times we consume our lives and our thoughts with getting ahead, making more money, buying bigger and better possessions, but strangely enough, the void grows larger. The emptiness we fill inside can only find satisfaction when we seek the One who can offer a truly fulfilled life. ("But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him..." Philippians 7-9 NIV) Jesus Christ must be our top priority, our number one. He must be the One and only in our lives, our all in all. Jesus is constantly drawing us closer to Himself. He desperately desires an intimate, love relationship with us. However, it takes effort on our part to maintain that relationship. We must put forth all our time, energy and love into seeking Him, therefore nothing or no one else can rival Him. Isaiah 46:9 says,

"...I am GOD, the only God you've had or ever will have--incomparable, irreplaceable. (MSG)

Here I will venture to ask you a deeply personal question: What is your passion and desire? What consumes your thoughts and actions? Is it Christ or something else? Consider this poem I found in Beth Moore's book, Further Still. It can be a sincere prayer each and every one of us can pray to make Him our everything, our uncontested love and joy in life.

Consume Me, O Lord
Consume me, O Lord, flood my soul with Your Son. Leave nothing uncovered, leave nothing undone.
Set me on fire, consume all my dross. Make beauty form my ashes and gain from my loss.
Consume me, O Lord, be the life in my bones. Put your head in my marrow till Jesus alone.
Can set me aflame with Your holy fire, unquenchable passion, exquisite desire.
Thrill all my senses with sacred romance; consume me, O Lord, come bid me to dance.
Down streets paved in gold a pure virgin bride, nothing to run from, nothing to hide
Consume me, O Lord.

Now that most of you are on summer break, this is the perfect opportunity to be swept away in His love and become enraptured in a sacred romance, with the love of your life. I pray that you can find time to spend with Him, reading His Word, and talking with Him. I also pray you can find time to walk around in His creation and admire all the wonderful things He has done for you.
I know it is difficult to find time for Him, with all the great things summer has to offer. The sun, the beach, the mountains, hikes, the pool, vacations, and so on, but I want to challenge you. I would ask that right here and right now you would make a commitment to know Him better. I challenge you to set a reasonable goal in which you will spend time with Him each day, and set a pattern of discipline that you can follow throughout the summer, into next year and the years to come. You will create a habit that will benefit you and your relationship with God forever!
What is more, you will find yourself worrying less about the things this world has to offer, and seeking out the things of God more and more. Jobs, cars, and possessions will loose their luster in comparison to Jesus Christ, who encompasses all that is good. Our perspectives on life will change as we strive to help those who have less than ourselves and reach out to a hurting world with the hope of the gospel message. However, we will never make an impact on this earth until we make Christ our unsurpassing joy, laughter, hope, desire, breath, and life. When He consumes our deepest depths, then and only then, will people see God more valuably than all the power and success the world has to offer. They too will want to choose Him above all else, because they see you living it out daily!

Let this be the cry of our hearts; In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul." (Isaiah 26:8 ESV)

P.A.

Movie night info

Hey there everyone! I hope things are going well for you today.

Here are the details for tonights High school event.

We had to cancel the bon fire because of the Elkhart County burn ban, which means you can't have bon fires, or fires in general outside right now because it is so dry there is a good chance you will burn something down because the fire will spread so fast. So if we tried to have a bon fire the fire department would come and put it out and we would get in trouble.

So instead of fighting the fire dept, we are just going to switch it up a little bit tonight. We are going to watch a movie tonight at Crystal Valley! We will kick the movie off at 8pm and we will be done at 10pm, since we had to change this very last minute we don't have popcorn here. So we will provide drinks tonight and you guys bring the snacks. Also tonight since its just high school we are encouraging students to bring their own couches, chairs, bean bags, whatever you want to chill out in, BRING IT!

Tonight will still be super fun, if we have time afterward we will set up some octaball and we can rock it.

We hope to see ya tonight, Have a super awesome day.

P.A.

Bon fire Cancelled

Hey there everyone we are going to have to cancel the bonfire for tomorrow night because of the elkhart county has a burn ban enforced. So we can't have bon fire and not get a ticket!

So here is what we are doing instead.

Movie NIGHT!!!!

We are going to meet at the church and we are going to be watching a movie from 8pm - 10pm. Bring your own snacks, we will be providing drinks this time. If you want to bring couches, chairs, bean bags, blankets, whatever you want to watch this movie you can. We are going to watching it in the sanctuary, so we will have the big surround sound, projectors, and overall awesome time watching a great movie!

We will be discussing movie options today over lunch, So I will post what we are going to watching on here tomorrow morning so you can make plans.

But once again, we can't have the bon fire because of a burn ban for Elkhart County.

Sorry everyone.

P.A. 

Bon fire

Hey there everyone this will be a pretty short post because today is a super busy day.

Here are the tails!

When: This Wednesday (June 20th)
Where: Sharps house (14075 Claire Lane, Middlebury)
What to bring: Guys - Marshmallows Girls - Chocolate. Also bring chairs to sit in around the fire, and any other games you might want to play. Also if you family has sticks for smores, bring those as well.
What to expect: A chill night of hanging out with friends around a bon fire, we are just going to be listening to music, throwing a frisbee, and and enjoying summer! 
Time: 8pm - 10pm

We hope you can join us, we are going to have a great night of hanging out and just talking around a fire! Hope to see you there.

If you have any questions please email me at cvmcadam@gmail.com 

P.A.

My devotional for this morning.

This was my devotional for this morning, I thought I would share it with you guys!

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone
My hope comes from him
He alone is my rock and my salvation
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken

Three things strike me from this passage:

1. Surrender only to God. It's clear why only is used twice in two verses: the human heart is a divided, desperate thing. We must to rely on something. Physically, our hearts stand alone and pumps for a lifetime, supporting everything else. Spiritually, every heart has a crutch, a help, a support that hold us up in this difficult and terrible world. We need help, and we'll look anywhere for it. We look to our friends, to power and control, to indulgent comforts, cocooning escapes, and spectacular diversions.  None of these can keep us standing strong without being shaken.

2. Everything is at Stake! We are talking about the condition of our very souls, not something trivial or momentary. The core of our being will last through this lifetime and into the next. The deepest part of who we are, the most important part about us, is not something to be handled lightly. We should not trust our peace to the promises of the world. When we do, we will be shaken, insecure, and wanting.

3. Rest and Hope in God. It is God who is our rock, salvation, and fortress. This is his promise. It is our responsibility to rest in him, to hope in him. Work is necessary--school work or raising a family work or occupation work--and this leads us to assume that rest is arbitrary. That it doesn't matter what we are doing as long as it's not work. The Enemy loves this myth, because when we rest in the wrong things we have no rest. We are always hoping, some part of us  is looking forward to the future for with positive expectation. We often look forward to things that do little to fuel our present. (this is what hope ought to do, a future look that fuels our present). We look forward to a time when we're not working or getting a boy friend or eating a meal or going on a vacation or seeing a moving or achieving something big. OF COURSE these aren't bad, but when they become our biggest joys, these worldly hopes disappoint.  We are let down hard, the crash echoes in our hollow hearts. Instead, we hope in the promises of God, for they move us forward into the future destiny he as designed for us.

Battling for Freedom

“For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Hebrews 2:18

Praise God in Temptation?

Several years ago I met with a young man who had overcome a lot of sin and had been walking in victory with Jesus. In this particular meeting, though, he seemed beat up and filled with guilt. I asked him what was going on, and he said he felt defeated. Upon further discussion, he described an intense temptation that he had experienced the last several weeks. I asked him if he had acted on the temptation, and he answered, “No.”
I began to smile at him, and he looked at me, quite confused. I said, “Well, praise God!” That almost made him angry. Here he was confessing his temptation, and I was telling him I was glad he was facing such a hard time. I had either lost my mind, or he and I were not connecting at all.

Temptation Is Not a Sin

And then it came out of my mouth: “Temptation is not sin. Temptation is an invitation to worship. You will either worship the enemy and do what he is tempting you to do, or you will worship Jesus and resist the temptation and obey. Either way you are worshiping.” I went on to explain that his temptation was not sin and that this was an opportunity for greater intimacy with Jesus. He began to smile and it looked like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Since that time I have strived to disciple a lot of men towards greater intimacy with Jesus by helping them have a new perspective on temptation. Here are some things I’ve found to be helpful.

1. Temptation Is Not Sin

Jesus was tempted in all ways, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). If our perfect Lord was tempted, then we should find ourselves identifying with him and knowing then that our temptation is not separating us from Jesus, but uniting us with him.

2. Resist the Devil

In James 4:7, James instructs his readers to “resist the devil.” While this is not something we are to take on by ourselves, we are now free to say no to temptation if we are in Christ. The good news for us is that our passions and desires have been nailed to the cross with Christ Jesus (Galatians 5:24).

3. Draw Near to God

James continues in verse 8 saying that in addition to resisting the devil, we are called to “draw near to God,” which is followed by the promise, “. . . and he will draw near to you.” So, here we have an opportunity to be victorious over temptation and sin, and to cultivate deeper intimacy with God!

4. Know the Word

In Matthew 4 we see Jesus being tempted by Satan. With every temptation we see Jesus resist the devil and draw near to God, through his Word. He responds each time to the temptation by quoting passages from Deuteronomy. One of the greatest ways to cultivate more intimate worship is to know the Word of God. By knowing his Word, we are then able to identify temptation, resist the devil, and draw near to God by following his truth.

5. Look for the Exit Sign

God will always provide you a way out. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul encourages his reader by reminding them that they are not alone in their temptation, but God always provides a way of escape. Therefore, look for the exit sign that God has promised to provide and run through it.

6. Rinse and Repeat

There are times that we know what we are tempted to do is sin, yet we do it anyway. While we were sinners who have been saved by grace, and now are identified as saints, we still sin. John tells his readers in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We mustn’t continue in sin if we fall, but we must agree with God, return to him, and trust in the accomplished work of Jesus.

The Battle Is for Freedom, Not Salvation

Knowing and enjoying God is one of the greatest aims of worship. We do not have to separate ourselves from him in our temptation, or even our sin. Instead, we can draw near to our understanding Lord who is able to sympathize with and redeem us. Ultimately, his grace is sufficient and covers our past, present, and future sins. So, this battle is for our freedom and joy in Christ, and not a battle over our salvation. That alone has been secured in Jesus. Next time you face temptation, think of it as an invitation to worship.

P.A. 

Cici's recap/ Devotional

We had so much fun last night! We had over 25 students show up and eat a TON of pizza. Even Jacob Poole ate over 10 pieces of pizza, Well done Sir!

Our Next Adventure is next Wednesday we are going to be having a Senior High Bon fire at our house (Pastor Adam and Esther's house 14075 Claire Lane) the times are from 8pm - 10pm.

Girls need to bring chocolate, and Boys bring marshmallows!
We will be playing lots of fun games, hanging around a fire, and listening to some great music!

I hope you guys are having a great summer, but here is a little reminder for all the students and parents out there. Just because you are on a break from school, and things are slowed down a little bit don't forget about your relationship with Jesus. Check out this devotional to start your day, or end your day pretty with Jesus.

"Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character." (I Corinthians 15:33)

They influence your speech, dress, and mannerisms. They are your constant mirrors. They are in your address book and in your phone 's speed dial. They have a firm grip on your heartstrings, and oftentimes they are the difference between success and failure in the Christian life. Good ones can nudge you to victory. Bad ones can drag you to defeat. What are they? You guessed it...friends!

The bottom line is that the type of friends who form your inner circle will most likely determine how faithfully you serve Christ, and whether or not you make a spiritual difference on your campus. When Paul wrote today's verse: "Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character " - he was addressing a friendship situation.

The Christians at Corinth had friends who basically denied the resurrection. In other words, their main goal in life was to try and find happiness through partying, because there would be no judgment day. So these believers had friends who were pulling them in the wrong direction. My guess is that those Christians thought that they were strong enough in their faith to resist the bad influences of their friends.
Paul says- I don't think so...

So what about it? Are you being misled? Do you have as your best friends those who have Jesus as their best friend? If not, it's just a matter of time before your character is corrupted with the virus of spiritual compromise.

I can't help but think of Ronnie. We went to school together all through Jr. High and High School. In fact, Ronnie helped lead me to faith in Christ as my Savior. We held each other accountable and witnessed to our unsaved friends. But as high school continued, Ronnie began to make other alliances. More and more of his friends were less and less concerned about Christ. Pretty soon his closest friends were absolutely unconcerned about the Lord, and positively concerned about their own happiness before anything. Bit by bit Ronnie got his eyes off the bull's eye of serving Christ.

There came a time when I had to choose between my friendship with Ronnie, and my allegiance to Christ- and guess what? Rock breaks scissors: Jesus wins. Sound judgmental? Perhaps, but the judgment was more on myself than on Ronnie, because I knew that eventually I would shipwreck my faith if I stayed on course with that friendship. Sound difficult? Absolutely, breaking off a close friendship is like having surgery. Yet if you don't go through with that spiritual operation, you could lose your spiritual life.

By the grace of God, when I graduated my eyes were set on entering the ministry, and today I serve the King of Kings. By the time Ronnie graduated he was just like his closest friends...spiritually weak and disinterested. To this day, 18 years later, Ronnie is totally unconcerned about following Jesus, and completely miserable.

In the words of one pastor: "If you drop a white glove in the mud...the mud doesn't become 'glovey'...the glove becomes muddy." This is especially true in relationships. Christian teens that continue with godless friendships will themselves become godless.

Maybe you need to make some decisions right now about your inner circle of friends. Don't put it off! The whole direction of your spiritual life hangs in the balance...

P.A.

Junior High Pool Party Recap

Hey there everyone, Last night was super fun! We posted some pictures online of people eating! A big Thank you to Michelle and Gene Cruise for letting us come over and hang out with them. They were amazing hosts and made some delicious food.

Our Next big event is coming up this Sunday with our High school Pancake and Sausage breakfast fundraiser. We have a ton of students who are going on our Urban Plunge trips, and we have lots of students who need to raise money for their trips, so please join us at 8:30am - 9:30am, and if you can't come then show up between services at 10:45 - 11:15. We are super pumped to cook for everyone.

Next week on Tuesday night (June12th) we are meeting at CiCi's pizza at 7pm to have our annual summer eat off at Cici's. Join us and pig out on some great pizza. Bring money with you because we are planning on having a ton of students show up. We will be done around 8pm, so parents can come and pick up students and high school students can take off around 8pm.

If you have any questions please email me at cvmcadam@gmail.com

Here is a hilarious video for you to wake up to this morning.

Junior High Pool Party Tonight

Hey there everyone, tonight is the first night of our summer schedule and we are rocking a junior high pool party tonight over at the Cruises, we are meeting at the church at 6:30pm and we will be driving over together. Here are are a couple things you will need to bring for tonight.

1. A towel, they don't have extra towels for us, so please bring your own.
2. Friends! We want you to bring your friends tonight.
3. Your appetite, we are going to be getting pizza's for dinner tonight, so come hungry.
4. Swimsuit, ladies please make sure you were an appropriate swim suit, if you put it on, and think I wonder if this to little for church. IT IS! Be modest, because modest is the hottest. Guys no speedo's, because honestly that's just gross. Sorry to all of our swimmers.

We will be back at the church tonight at 8:30pm, so parents if you can pick up your kids back here at the church then that would be great. We hope to see you all here tonight.

If you have any questions at all please contact us at cvmcadam@gmail.com

P.A.

Why I love Middle School Students

I still think middle schoolers are the coolest people on earth. Here are 12 reasons why.

1) Middle school ministry is about shaping. What an opportunity! Everything I learn about young teens continues to affirm and re-affirm that the middle school years are not merely a holding period until the good stuff of high school ministry arrives, but amazing times that have their own intrinsic worth.

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     Take for instance the amazing discoveries in recent years about neuron development in the brain. In the two years leading up to puberty, millions of additional neurons—the electrical wiring of the brain—are created by the brain. That's millions more neurons than will be present in adulthood.At puberty, a toggle switch is tripped; the process reverses itself, and fewer neurons are created. However, it's the process of winnowing that's particularly fascinating: Those neurons that are used get to stay and play; those that aren't used literally go bye-bye. The lead teenage brain researcher at the National Institutes of Health calls it a hard-wiring process, saying that brains are optimized for how they will process information—for the rest of life—during the young teen years.We get to play a stewarding role in that shaping!

2) Middle schoolers are easy to connect with.
     Years ago, a youth ministry mentor shared this simple observation:
Middle schoolers, in deciding whether they'll allow you into their lives, are only asking, "Do you like me?" On the other hand, high schoolers complicate things by adding, "Do I like you?" College students ramp up the complexity by layering on the additional question, "Do I like what you stand for?"I'm not suggesting middle school ministry is easy, but there's this glorious open door to relationship building and connecting with most middle schoolers that requires less of a waiting period, less ramp-up time. 

3) They're willing to try anything. The young teen years (in a post-puberty parallel to the first few years of life) are all about discovery or sampling. Young teens, in the earliest stages of self-conscious identity formation, want to try everything. They don't start testing conclusions until the middle teen years.This is a wild ride of unpredictability, of course, which can feel very scattered and capricious; but there's a willingness—a desire—to try things that makes middle schoolers prime for creative and participatory youth ministry.

4) Then there's the wonder of abstract thinking. Middle schoolers are far from experienced with abstract thought, but the capacity is there (I like to think of it as God's puberty gift). They're dipping their toes in this intellectual water, checking it out to see if it's safe.This test-driving phase of abstract thinking (remember most of the stuff we talk about at church is abstract!) can be maddening at times, because they're stepping in and out of abstract and concrete thinking all the time.

.5) Which leads us to the process of doubting and faith-development.
As they develop capacities for abstract thinking, middle schoolers are on the leading edge of stumbling onto doubts about their faith. This is a critical aspect of faith development and should never be shamed or shut down.Wrestling with complexities is the necessary detour from child-like, inherited faith to a more robust, owned faith. I call it a detour because taking the main route usually leads to childish, unexamined faith, which isn't sustainable in the later teen and 20-something years.

6) They're unpredictable. Maybe you find this frustrating, but I love it. Middle schoolers regularly and consistently surprise me. They surprise me with their random questions. They surprise me with their hidden talents. They surprise me with their insight. They surprise me with their interpretations (often different than I expect). The unpredictability of middle schoolers keeps middle school ministry fresh and untamed. 

7) Parents are still involved in their lives. Sure, there are plenty of high schoolers with involved parents, but there's a drop-off in parent involvement throughout the teen years as many parents retreat out of fear, exasperation or a misguided understanding of what it means to give teenagers their independence.At times, you might view parental involvement as intrusive or annoying; but it's a fantastic strength of good middle school ministry. We know parents have a significantly larger role in shaping the lives and faith of their teenagers than we do, so this higher level of parental involvement creates an easier path for coming alongside parents, partnering for greater impact. 

8) They have more time than high schoolers. Middle schoolers are busier than ever, but they still have more time and availability than older teenagers. Mix this in with No. 3 above (their willingness to try anything), and you've got a potent pot of "Let's do stuff!" 

9) Most are not yet jaded. Some eighth graders may start to get a little jaded, but holy cow! That's nothing compared to high schoolers who can wear cynicism and an expression of "Been there, done that" as comfortably as Lady Gaga wears a meat suit.In contrast, most middle schoolers possess wonderfully low levels of cynicism that when combined with their youthful naiveté looks a lot like hope. 

10) They're passionate. I love the all-in attitude of most middle schoolers, but it's not only their willingness to try things. They're also passionate about the things they try, the opinions they voice, the beliefs they hold. The funny thing is they're frequently passionate about things they won't be passionate about in two years—or two months.

11) They're forgiving. When you screw up, have an off night in your teaching, plan a lame event, or say something dumb, middle schoolers are quick to forgive (particularly if you ask them). The travel time back to normal (whatever that is!) is extremely short. 

12) They're fun! Middle schoolers keep me feeling young. They're playful and hilarious, goofy and unselfconscious. Middle schoolers remind me regularly of how a joy-filled life should look.

With that being said we are praying for some new junior high leaders, we don't make big asks for youth leaders because we feel that God needs to bring them in. What I am asking you to do is not come up to me and say I want to be in Junior High ministry, I am asking you to pray and lets see if God puts us together! Pray that God starts stirring your heart for junior high students, because as awesome as it is, it can still be very difficult!

To God be the Glory
P.A. 

The beginning of the summer

Hey there everyone, I hope things are going well. I want to tell of 2 really sweet events going down this week with our REFUGE students!

1. Wednesday night June 6th is our Junior high pool party! We are meeting here at the church at 6:30pmwe will be back around 8:30pm and . I will tweet out when we have left the Cruise's house and it will appear in the right hand corner of this blog, you can come and check here to know exactly when we left. We should be back to the church pretty close to 8:30pm. Here is a check list of what to bring this Wednesday night.
     - A towel - they don't have extra towels for us!
     - A proper bathing suit - If you have to ask if its to small, its to small, ladies please use discretion.
     - Friends - We want to have a ton of junior high students hat this party! So bring as many friends as you
                       want!
     - If you are in 6th grade you are invited to this shin-dig, you are now part of this Youth Group.
     - Come hungry because we are going to have Pizza for everyone! BOOM! 

If you have any questions please contact me at cvmcadam@gmail.com,

2. We have our High school Urban Plunge Pancake and Sausage fundraiser this coming Sunday morning from 8:30am - 9:30am, and from 10:45am - 11:15am! We hope you can come and support our students, we have some amazing students getting ready to go on this trip and they are doing everything they can to get the cost down. This pancake and sausage breakfast is donation only and we will have the students there to talk about the trip and they will be doing all the cooking and cleaning for this event. We hope to see you there this Sunday morning.

Again if you have any questions please contact me at cvmcadam@gmail.com.

Have a super first week of summer!

P.A.