TOGETHER

It is so good to see everyone here this morning my name is Charlie and I am the student ministry pastor. Thank you for making two rivers Bible church part of your Sunday morning worship experience. Well I would just like to start out with. AWE it's over Thanksgiving is officially behind us now have any of you ate way too much this weekend I know that I did. Christian I had a nice quiet relaxing Thanksgiving with plenty to eat that you know there were some people didn't have a whole lot this Thanksgiving and didn't have a lot to eat either. Dan immediately following Thanksgiving, it's Black Friday with and everybody started their Christmas shopping at many of you guys thought the crowds Friday morning to get all the good deals on sales not me I stayed at home but I was thinking about that Black Friday fail on an off pay week for some some people just did not have the money to go shopping started Christmas shopping others began maxing out their credit limits and I believe that we all can honestly say that we're not in the most stable economic times right now my dad always had a little funny way of looking up at things in the youth always asked me how my economic environment was basically what he was asking was you got work and are you paying your bills it's and I would tell them yes and he would say you're living in pretty good economic times but isn't that true all of us to certain extent if we've got a steady income and were paying our bills we tend not to look at the bigger picture of the economic environment around us and are in our community today. What is the hope for city? I believe there are four myth that may give us a sense of false hope for community the first one is that the oil boom will get us out of this tough time. Well I believe that yes the oil boom will definitely lend a hand and help us out a little bit up it's definitely given some hope to a few bank accounts in our area and even helping out with some taxes but I think we tend to put little false hope into those leases. I was talking to a lady just last week she was tell me that all the land around her as well Wells on they don't have any money yet and no one's go well on their land but when they do spend a lot of great things money to pay for our daughter's wedding, by the church her church a new van she said some of the things these are really noble things to do that as I listen to her I could hear her putting hope into something she doesn't have yet. The second when is kind of a twofold false hope or myth that the larger stores like the new ATB in the coming at Walmart are reflections of growth and positive economic times I believe this is a myth I know that I've seen in the past where big corporations will already a lot some money for projects in the spend that money when it doesn't make sense when they use it as a big tax right off the second part of this mess is if we created good jobs for young adults them give our city some hope because our workforce won't be leaving to go to college never to return and that's a myth were always going to have people leave our community regardless of the jobs that are here I know for me when I was old enough to move out of the house I not only left mom and dads neighborhood I left the city they were living in and I moved two completely different state is I wanted to make it on my own out from underneath the reach of mom and dad were there opportunities in the city that we lived in absolutely we lived in Houston. Another myth need better education for children this is the hope of our city I believe this is a myth as well do we need to have the best education system out there yes absolutely that's looking to something that we may not necessarily have at this time to cash into a better education for children benefits everybody but it is not hope of our city. Just coming off an election year a lot of people believe that governments is the hope for our city this is a myth with government you get government programs do they benefit a few yes but they tax the rest of government puts their efforts in one thing that they create something else somewhere else that needs to be attended to is a nonstop cycle But I like to ask you a question what do you see when you look at the people of Gonzales? Do you see a community that needs hope do you see a community that is thriving do you see a community that may not look like you? Always share the stats with you know you've heard of before because Jesse has talked to us about these before 80% of Gonzales is unchurched think about that eight out of every 10 people in Gonzales are unchurched or under church this was something I thought about Wednesday when I went to HEB as I walked down the crowded aisles is thinking eight out of every 10 people I pass are unchurched and may not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. 85% of our counting is unchurched think about all the people down the Nixon nine knee to 95% of Nixon is unchurched but a lot of people did are not growing in faith with Jesus Christ that's a lot of people that do not have a relationship with him or even know him. Why the mission of Christ together matters it's a good question to ask ourselves. As we first talked about the different myths that bring false hope to our community what does? If you have your Bibles with you this morning I like for you to turn to Ephesians chapter 4 verses three and six as you make your way to Ephesians chapter 4 will be looking at verses three through six and it reads like this eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace there is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to the one hope that you belong to your call one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. I was think about that for just a moment and want us to think about the economic times we are living in not only that but just think of our community and all was still in your first blank Jesus is the hope of our city. Jesus is more than just a good teacher or a way to heaven but in him we find the answer to life's greatest questions the fulfillment of humanity's deepest needs and the solutions to the world's greatest problems. The story of the church is a story of a people who have been transformed by Jesus and to then transforms the world. Both the power of our witness and the effectiveness of our ministries are driven by the depths to which we have been transformed by God. We talked about the amount of unchurched in our city and our in our County. The cylinder that second set of blanks. Every person in Gonzales County matters to God. We believe that here at two rivers Bible church never noticed a sign on the wall right here(read sign) or if you ever notice that last paragraph on the back page of our connection guide Jaggers with you just check it out last paragraph on the back page our vision is that every man woman and child in Gonzales County with have the opportunity to experience the life changing reality of Jesus Christ because they heard the gospel from the lips of someone at two rivers Bible church does every person matter to God. Check this out John 316 for God so loved the world or you could say for God so loved Gonzales that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Every person does matter to God to amazing 85% of our County and go to church to take us out what God says in first Timothy chapter 2 verses three of four sibs this is good in his pleasing in the sight of God our Savior who deserves all people to be saved and to come to know the knowledge of the truth. If they're not going to church how they going to know who Christ is and how will they ever discover the truth began to go. But there on the wall 90 to 95% of Nixon unchurched unbelievable numbers what you see when you see the people of Gonzales County? A read your parable from Luke chapter 15 versus three through 10 so he told them this parable what man of you having 100 sheep if he has lost one of them does not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he is found it he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing and when he comes home he calls together his friends and his neighbors saying to them rejoice with me I have found my sheep that was lost just so I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who rejoices then over the 99 righteous persons who need not repent. Imagine this imagine if Gonzales went from 80% when he percent unchurched imagine if our County went from 85% to 20% unchurched imagine if Nixon went from 95% unchurched 20% unchurched can you imagine the rejoicing that would be taking place in heaven for those sinners who have repented have been rejoice over one sinner or one unchurched every single person matters to God regardless of race of educational level of social economics status or any other distinguishing factor and every one has in routable worth and value to him he created us loves us and even paid for us because every person every man woman and child matters God. This was God calls his people to pursue it his mission to gather. I began by reading the English standard version of Ephesians 4 verses three through six. I would like to read the message to you if you only have one Bible version you look at I really suggest that you get to or three see you can see the different ways that things are said sometimes another version said something just so much clearer I really like the way the message puts it together here but a backup and read verses one through six from the message it reads like this in light of all of this here is what I want you to do while I am locked up here a prisoner for the master I want you to get out there and walk better yet run On the Rd., God called you to travel I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands I don't let anyone strolling off down the path they goes nowhere and Mark that you do this with humility and discipline not in fit and start but steadily pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love of alert at notice differences a quick at mending fences you were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction so stay together both outwardly and inwardly you have one master, one faith, one baptismal, one God and father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and say and do is permitted with one. When God looks down from heaven he doesn't see many different churches throughout a city but one church gathering in many places additionally we understand that the great commission to be more than an inspirational calling it is an actual objectives in every time and location the church has a responsibility to saturate their area with the gospel while no one church no matter how large can ever hope to accomplish this on their own the church can still in that last link it is not our church it's thee church. Yet Bible still open widgets job over here with me to Matthew chapter 28 versus 19 verses 18 through 20 and Jesus came and said to them all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold I am with you always to the end of the age that's what we've been called to do we been commanded to go saturate our area with the gospel of Jesus Christ can we do it on our own know we cannot it takes partnership with other churches. Here in Gonzales we have very strong ministerial alliance because of the relationship of these pastors the youth groups in this community for almost the last two years set aside our denominational differences we come together once a quarter to worship one God as one youth because we know that together we make one we also during football season have our fifth quarter events that we do where the different youth groups in this community provide a safe environment for students to come after the game to unwind and have fun like I said once a quarter we come together as one youth group to worship an incredible an awesome God but it just doesn't in with us the ministerial alliance they're doing great things for our community working together. I got tell you last Sunday night I set right over there at the ministerial alliance community Thanksgiving service and God brought to my attention that the road to the right in front of me set five pastors to the row right beside me said more pastors each one from a different church from a different denomination from a different background and his we began to seeing that first song I just couldn't help but to stop and praise my God because I realized sitting behind those men with their congregations and we were coming together as one to worship one to give thanks to one over the past year some of the things that the ministerial alliance is done they fed the hungry and clothe them they have held let services together they have served and honored the first responders by providing a meal to the firefighters the policeman and EMS workers they have held their annual Thanksgiving community service just to name a few and there's more to come how can we reach every man woman and child in Gonzales County with the life changing reality of Jesus Christ the because we work together in partnership with other churches to saturate the gospel in our area where is your area is it your workplace your neighborhood? Why the mission of Christ together matters because he first loved us and sent his only son to die on the cross to shed his blood for us so that we may have eternal life one is awesome and routable God we serve he is worthy of all praise. Let us pray

SINgle or SINGle

One afternoon my wife and I were sitting in traffic in Houston Texas, and the license plate on the car in front of us was a vanity plate that said “single.” As we sat there I was looking at that license plate and two words just jumped out at me. The first word that jumped out at me was the word was SIN and the second word was SING. I looked at my wife and I asked her.”Do you think their singleness is just a life of sin or do you think they sing praises to God through their singleness?”She looked at me kind of funny and said what are you talking about? I said the license plate on the car in front of us says “single” and two words just really jumped out at me “sin” and “sing” and I just wonder since they’re advertising that they are single is sin more prevalent in their singleness or do they sing praises to God. This is something that I've thought about, prayed about for a long time and even asked myself, when I was single was it a sin-gle life or a sing-le life? Is this something that you've ever thought about or even asked yourself when you were single or if you are single right now have you ever asked yourself the question of what kind of life are your living? Students/teenagers in your singleness right now have you asked yourself that question? You should because the Bible tells us in first Corinthians 10:31 “So, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Yes I think this even means in your singleness do all to the glory of God whether you’re single or a single again this is something that I believe is worth examining. Is my singleness singing praises to God? If you look at first Corinthians 10: 23 it reads.” All things are lawful” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Verse 24 continues with; “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” This brings up a good question how can my being single build up? If I'm single and searching for a mate how can I live out verse 24 (that no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.) ₁According to Warren Wiersbe he explains that Paul had one great goal in life; to glorify the Lord by winning the lost and building up the saints. To reach this goal, he was willing to pay any price. He was willing even to give up his personal rights! He sacrificed immediate gains for eternal rewards, immediate pleasures for eternal joys. I'm not suggesting that you give up the pursuit of a spouse or even give up dating. What I am suggesting, be it a high school student, college student, single adult or a single again, is ask this question. Which word represents my singleness the best SIN or SING? It is clear when you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation that God has one central purpose for mankind……His glory. Absolutely nothing else matters more to God than the glory of His name. ₂The simple truth that none of us can escape is God is Creator and we are the creation, God does not exist for us; we exist for Him. If God is created us to glorify His great name, and we are His creation why do we continually try to remove Him from His high position of Creator and God and place ourselves in this position? If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ I ask that you examine it and see are you a follower or do you try to get Him to follow you. If you're reading this blog today and you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ I ask that you contact a church in your area or e-mail me at fluid 2819@yahoo.com and let someone help you discover the greatest and most fulfilling relationship you will ever have. Thanks to: ₁The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren W. Wierbe ₂Concept and thoughts provoked by Experiencing Christ Within by Dwight Edwards

Four Things That Puzzles Me About People

Just a couple weeks ago I was in one of the local hair salons getting a haircut. There were three stylist, and four customers in the shop at the time. Each stylist had a customer in their chair; I was sitting in the middle chair along the bank of stations. There was one customer seated and waiting along with her approximately 8-year-old son. The lady in the chair to the left of me was talking about having some of the local high school girls in her car one evening. She had more teenagers in her car than she had seatbelts for. They were encouraging her to drive faster as they came upon some railroad tracks so they could go over the tracks fast and get the thrill of feeling airborne. She refused to do so, and then she described how one of the young ladies was urging her on in a very vulgar way calling her a P_ _ _ y . After saying the word P_ _ _ _y four or five times the stylist that was cutting my hair called her by name and said, “ watch your mouth there's a minister in the room.” The thing that puzzles me about that was that none of the ladies bothered to point out to her that there was an eight-year-old boy in the room. Why do people not watch their language around young tender ears? Just a few days after the hair salon incident my wife and I are enjoying lunch at an Olive Garden in Austin when a couple with a child came in and were seated at the booth behind us. The first thing the waiter did was offer the couple a sample of the house wine. In which they both said, “Yes.” After the free sample the couple both ordered a glass of wine and the waiter continued to refill their wine glasses throughout the dinner service. The thing that puzzles me about this is why parents would continually drink with their children along with them knowing that they were going to get in the car and drive. Another thing that puzzles me about this is why would a waiter or restaurant assume the responsibility for parents drinking with the child just to have a sale of alcohol? The third thing that puzzles me about people is why some people will trust someone that is holding the door open for them and just walk through the open door and others put their hand out to keep the door from closing on them but it is very clear that the person holding the door is not letting go of it. Is this a trust issue of the people that are putting their hands out to keep the door from hitting them do they suffer with trust issues? What about the people that keep their hands in their natural position and continues to just walk through the door trusting the person is not going to let the door go on them? Side note on this I have noticed that when I hold the door open for someone at church I never have anyone put their hand out to keep the door open, puzzling. The fourth and final thing that puzzles me is that when students (that go to Church) get in trouble, outside of the church, one of the first things they are grounded from is church. Why? Yes I know that we have fun in youth group but youth group is more than just fun activities youth group is a time and a place where we try to instill Godly character and responsibility into the students so that puzzles me why a student would ever be grounded from church. Why not take their phone or iPOD away, or television or other electronics, or make them come straight home from school and be in their room? Why would you want to keep them from coming to youth group and hearing how they need to respect authority, make wiser choices, etc.? A place where Christ can get a hold on their heart and change the way they think about the rules at home. If we keep even the small group time a priority in our lives perhaps the students would see the God is important and they need to pay attention to what is being said as it is scripture and very beneficial to their life. What are things that puzzle you about people? And what do you think about the four things that puzzle me about people? Please feel free to respond to this posting.

Why Christians should be like NASCAR drivers

Good morning! If you are a first time guest of ours today I’d like to welcome you. My name is Charlie and I am the Student Ministries Pastor. Back in February I had the opportunity to enjoy watching my favorite sport. You see I'm a NASCAR fan. The bad thing about NASCAR is the races are typically held on Sunday afternoon so I really don't get the chance to watch that many races. The Daytona 500 is the race of races for the year. The Daytona 500 is the championship race, what is unique about this is it's also the first race of the year. If you're not a NASCAR fan let me tell you just a little bit about the Daytona 500. It originally was raced right on the beach there in Daytona instead of the track it is now run on. In 2006 the race attracted over 20 million viewers worldwide. From 1971 - 2011 it was generally associated with Presidents' Day week end. This year's Daytona was the 54th running of the great race. Because of the weather conditions during the scheduled 2012 race the Daytona 500 was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday night. It was the first time in 54 years of the Daytona 500 that the race was not only postponed but ran as a night race. Due to the race starting at 7 PM on Monday and a 2 hour red flag the race finally ended Tuesday, February 28 at 1 AM. Richard Petty has won the race 7 times (more than any other competitor), Cale Yarborough has had 4 victories, and Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett, and Jeff Gordon all share 3 victories each at Daytona 500. When I lived in Columbus, TX I always enjoyed going out to I-10 on Monday night or early Tuesday morning to see all of the tractor-trailers that had stopped at the rest area that were transporting the NASCAR race cars to the next race in Arizona. As I remembered this while watching the Daytona 500 I began to think that Christians should be like NASCAR drivers. The Daytona 500 this year was plagued with delay after delay for the first time in its history it began on a Monday night and through rain delays and a 2 hour red flag delay due to a fiery crash where over 200 gallons of jet fuel had spilled onto the race track and was burning. I noticed these drivers, with chaos all around them, were focused on the prize at hand. Knowing they would run another race the next weekend in Arizona they were not packing up their cars and moving to the next race. Even during that delay that caused the race to go into Tuesday morning these drivers were on the track encouraging each other laughing and having a good time. As I began to look at the race in other areas I noticed that NASCAR has one of the largest fan bases in the USA. Then I began to think about what kind of shape these drivers have to be in to run this race, the endurance they have to have. Typically it's a three-hour race consisting of 500 miles. How many of us in this room today think that we can do 500 miles in three hours? I will tell you I'm not cut out for it. Like me, there are many types of NASCAR fans. There are the ones that can tell you all of the stats of all of the drivers, that's not me. Some can tell you what race is held in what city and when, that's not me. I am the kind of fan that watches for one reason, I watch for the wrecks, to see 10 cars spin out on the straightaway with all the smoke, flying sparks, metal crushing, watching for someone to drive through the middle of it without being touched! To me it is fascinating! Yes, I even like it when the cars come off of the track to the infield, hit the grass and speed up like a rocket, and sometimes they even go airborne! To me that brings NASCAR alive! So I began to think about all the similarities between NASCAR drivers and Christians and the more I thought about them the more I thought Christians should be like NASCAR drivers. They have one of the largest fan bases in this country. They stay focused on the task at hand they keep the prize before them not allowing any delays or distractions to keep them from finishing the race. Some drivers will even have to go behind the wall to remove sheet metal from their car so that they can go out and finish the race because there is value in finishing the race. NASCAR drivers are disciplined they're not only disciplined in their physical being in order to drive 500 miles in three hours but they are disciplined in the way that they run the race. NASCAR drivers are constantly in contact with two people one is their spotter that has a vantage point where they can see the whole track. The spotter is able to tell the driver where hazards are on the track. The other person is the crew chief. They’re constantly talking about how the car is running, how it's handling, what kind of adjustments need to be made, always looking to see how they can finish better in the race. So what do you think? Should Christians be more like NASCAR drivers? This morning, if you have your Bibles with you, I would like for you to turn to Hebrews chapter 12 where we're going to look at verses 1 - 4. So if you will turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12 we’ll begin with verse 1. “Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is been set before us looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God consider him who endures for sinners such hostility against Himself so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted in your struggles against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” Why Christians should be like NASCAR drivers Avoiding Hazards That Can Spin Your Relationship with God out of Control This morning I would like for you to look with me at 4 hazardous areas that we as Christians need to steer away from as we run the race God has set before us. The main reason that I am a NASCAR fan and one of the things that brings the race alive for me is when cars are spinning out. I love seeing the smoke from the tires, the sparks from the sheet metal as the cars spin all over the track, cars going in different directions, smacking into the wall, shooting across the infield, like a rocket, and some cars even going airborne. There are many hazards to avoid as you drive through the middle of all the chaos and then to be able to do that and come out on the other side without a scratch on your car is something that seldom happens. Our first hazard is DISTRACTIONS We have the lust of the flesh, or the lust of the eye, or pride of life. These hazards can get our relationship with God spinning out of control. I’d like for us to contemplate a few common activities that most of us participate in that sets us up for spin outs in these areas. What you watch on TV or at the movies is something to really evaluate. Think about your favorite TV show. Is it one that makes fun of the Savior, or mocks Him and what Christianity is about? If it does then this is a hazard that needs to be avoided because once you find yourself laughing at jokes about your Savior, about Almighty God you have just found a hazard that will be causing your relationship with God to spin out of control. What about the music you listen to? Is it music that is encouraging and uplifting or is it music with words that tears down marriage relationships or goes against Biblical standards? If you have even a moment of hesitation this is a hazard that could cause your relationship with God to spin out of control. Teenagers, does your music glorify sex, drinking, or drugs? If it does then you just hit a hazard that will begin spinning your relationship with God out of control. Here's a big one for married men and women; how much time do you spend alone with the opposite sex, someone that is not your spouse? I'm telling you this is a hazard just like the one I described that happens in the race where there is smoke, sparks, sheet metal and all kinds of hazards that you cannot maneuver your way through because this is one that not only affects you but this is a hazard that can cause your spouse or your children to have their relationship with God spin out of control. The other night after doing a little study on this message I was sitting there watching TV and I saw a commercial that I'd seen 1000 times. I’m sure you have seen one similar to it. It’s the first time I've seen this particular commercial but the message was the same as others. It was a beer commercial and the tagline was; drink responsibly and get a designated driver. In my opinion this is not drinking responsibly. It is driving responsibly but it's not drinking responsibly. If you drink so much that you have to have someone drive you home or that you don’t make a wise choice where to be then you are in a hazard and your relationship with God has begun spinning out of control. Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying that you should or shouldn't drink. What I am saying is if you do it, do it responsibly and keep your faculties about yourself. Because once you start losing your faculties you just opened yourself up for so many hazards to come your way. (Read article) Some other distractions that you need to avoid are wandering eyes, laziness, gluttony, greed, telling little white lies or stretching the truth just a little bit are hazards too and they will cause your relationship with God to spin out of control. All of these hazards are what I believe verse 1 is referring to when it says, “let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us.” If we aren’t careful the lust of our flesh, our eye, or the pride of life-“we got this Lord, you don’t have to worry”-will create drag in our lives and keep us from leaning on Christ’s strength for the endurance to complete the race set before us. Our second hazard is DEVOTION You are probably trying to figure out how devotion can be hazardous. Well it all depends on what you are devoted to. We need to let go of our hazardous activities and take them to the Savior to deal with. There's a verse in John chapter 4 that used to drive me crazy. I know that God has put every word in this book for a reason. I know that He has purposefully placed every word in this book. So I read every commentary I could find trying to find out the full meaning of the verse. I could never find one that addresses John chapter 4 verse 28. I would like you to turn there with me. John chapter 4 verse 28 says, “So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people”… this is the part that puzzled me. Why did she leave her water pot? After much prayer and a lot of time with God I believe He revealed the answer He had for me. That water pot was heavy and cumbersome. That reminds me of our sins, the hazards that we collide with. The ones we don't give up to God that we keep a hold on. Like the water pot they are heavy and cumbersome and they slow us down. The Samaritan woman left her water pot at the feet of Jesus; which is the second thing that God showed me and I think we need to realize is we need to leave our sins at the feet of Jesus so that we can go quickly. We need to stay in the race and the only way is to continue to keep our eyes focused on the prize. Just like those NASCAR drivers leave the things that slow them down in the pits so they can keep their eyes focused on the prize and finishing the race. Looking back to the 500, typically on Tuesday morning is when the cars are already in Texas headed towards their next race in Arizona. But this time the drivers had their eyes focused on the prize and you know some of those drivers took their cars behind the wall and stripped off damaged sheet metal so that they could go out and finish the race. There is great value in finishing the race even if you don't finish first. You don't want to give up halfway through even when you feel you can't make it anymore. If you feel like giving up on God then those hazards have already put you into the wall and your relationship with Him has crashed. You need to determine what you will choose to give your whole heart to. You can’t drive down the middle of the road. You have to decide which side you will be driving on. Get on the wrong side and you will be driving head on into hazardous paths. To what or whom are your eyes focused on? Verse 2 of our passage tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus. He is our source and is the one who will help us finish the race we are in. Our third hazard is LACK OF DISCIPLINE AND DETERMINATION When the NASCAR driver pulls out on the track he's disciplined, he's in shape. If you are not growing in your relationship with Christ then you’ve spun out and hit a brick wall. It’s not enough to just sign up for the race; you have to participate, to prepare. Without the discipline to answer the call of God and without the determination to follow through with what He has given you then you will get to the end but what have you done while in the race? How have you run? You don’t want to get to the end and not have the reward of hearing your Savior say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” You don’t want to get there and not have any jewels on your crowns to lay at Jesus’ feet. Lack of discipline and determination to run the race well will not cost you your citizenship in heaven but it will cost you your reward. There is a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. Keep your eyes straight ahead. What Christ has for your future is more important than what is behind you. We need to focus on our future not our past. We should look at our future then our present, and our past last. The things in our past should compel us to focus on the prize of Christ. Verses 3 &4 remind us why we need to be determined and devoted. (Read verses) Christ shed His blood for us. Have you struggled in your race to be faithful to the point of shedding your blood? Be devoted-none of us have given our all yet. Stay determined –no matter what. Christ faced more in the 3 years of His ministry than we can imagine even facing in out lifetime. HE did it so that we won’t grow weary or lose heart (give up). Stay determined –stay in the race and run it well Our final hazard is SATISFACTION One of the most dangerous hazards in the Christian’s life is being satisfied with where they are in their walk. We compare ourselves with other Christians and think we are farther along in our spirituality than they are. You think that since you are so “mature” that you can forego your quiet time for a few days. After all you get plenty of time in God’s Word on Sunday morning. God understands that you need to sleep in every other Sunday, or that you’ve had a really hard week and can skip Bible Study this week so you can catch up. You don’t need to stretch your muscles too hard you know. Think too highly of yourself and you have just begun another spin out, one that will land you in a pile of mangled metal. Just know that the sign of a mature Christian is that they can honestly evaluate themselves and strive to do better. They understand that to keep from spinning out they need a support team. The NASCAR drivers have one of the largest fan bases in the country. We can see that we as Christians have a fan base as well. NASCAR’s fan base has, only sat in the stands. Our fan base, they've run the good race and won it. Where or to whom do you get your advice from? Is it someone that doesn't go to church or doesn't have a relationship with God? If so you're already spinning out of control. Being in a community that's not authentic you will get advice that is very worldly and self-serving. If you want your relationship with God to spin out of control and crash then at all cost avoid authentic community. Not investing in a community of believers, being in a group where you build trust and develop good relationships with other Christians sets you on a dangerous track. When you are in an authentic community you have fellow Christians who can lovingly encourage you to stay on the right track and help you avoid the crashes. The best way to avoid distractions, be devoted to your relationship with Christ, be more disciplined and stay in the race and run it with determination to gain the prize, and never being satisfied with where you are in Christ is to be part of an authentic community of believers. The Christian who is focused on the prize at hand will not let anything stop him from finishing that race not even when everything around them collapses. Let’s look back at our passage. We see God gives us a word of encouragement in telling us we have a cloud of witnesses that are in heaven right now encouraging us on, watching us run this race. We need to spend time in His Word and learn about the race people like Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Joshua, any and all that are mentioned in Hebrews 11 so that we can understand why they cheer so passionately for us to complete the same race they have already run. If we look back at Nehemiah, who we’ve been studying about the past several weeks we see that he kept his eyes on the goal. He was devoted to his calling. He did not give into the distracting invitations and stayed focused on getting the wall built. What we will learn from these Old Testament characters is that staying focused on the prize is wholly a matter of values and priorities, living for that which matters most. Not ever being satisfied with our relationship shows we are focused on the prize because as we run this race there are changes at every turn and things that try to cause us to spin out. That each time we resist we sharpen our focus. The more focused we are on the prize the more we see things that try to entangle and ensnare us. We are able to quickly move past them. Do you quench for a thirsting that can only be satisfied by Christ/ IN CLOSING…An authentic community will cheer you on and encourage you to keep going while everything around you collapses. They will go wild as you run to claim the prize. Are you in an authentic community? It is more than just being here on Sunday mornings for church. Being a part of authentic community is being involved in the ministries that take place within this body, being plugged in serving somewhere. You don’t have to be a member of the church to serve in the ministries here. You need to be investing in a small group so that they can in turn invest in you. We have a fan base of an authentic community of believers that have gone on before us and others that are in this room today. We have the best tool ever to complete the race and it's called the Holy Bible we have a support team that is second to none. The NASCAR driver has a crew chief and spotter he depends on to get him through his race as safe as possible and an owner to provide for his needs in the race. Our crew chief is Jesus Christ and our spotter is the Holy Spirit. Our owner and manager is God, Yahweh. Christians should be like NASCAR drivers we should not take our eyes off the prize ladies and gentlemen. If you don't know what the prize is I’ll tell you right now, it's Jesus Christ our Savior and He is seated at the right hand of God. There is no one else, there is nothing else that has the position, the authority, and the ability other Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to keep us from spinning out and crashing our relationship with God.

COMFORT

Little boy-yet a full grown man Looking at his dad At whose side he stands Hero is the name he’s called Touching hands that have worked so hard His passing to his home is no longer stalled What a void, a deep and cavernous loss As the family feels the sting of death The man himself sees the victory of the cross Rest assured dear loved ones your Father really knows best For He’s called your husband, dad, uncle, grandpa and friend To a beautiful place of peace and rest In Him place your life and trust The same as your loved one did His life showed a relationship with Jesus was a must Knowing that the God of love forgave him of his past He walked daily with His Lord His life was strong, sturdy, and steadfast Even at a time of sorrow or pain There is hope in the One who for you died From Him strength and grace you will gain This is what my Dad's life taught He lived to repay the One who gave it all ‘Cause his eternal life at a great price was bought Written by Christian Matlock, My Wife

Are You a Proverbs 31 Man?

As Mother's Day was approaching I began to think about the Proverbs 31 woman. I remember as a single Christian man it was my hope and prayer that God would bring me a Proverbs 31 woman to marry. I believe that most single Christian men would say that their hope and prayer would be the same as mine. After meeting the woman that would be my wife I remember having a conversation with her about the Proverbs 31 woman. She said that this was a very hard and sometimes impossible standard for single Christian women to be gauged by. This made me curious so I began to ask different women their thoughts on living up to or being compared to the Proverbs 31 woman. I discovered most of the answers were aligned with the comments of my wife. As I read Proverbs 31 a question began to develop, “Am I a Proverbs 31 man?” I know what you're thinking, “How did you come up with that question?” Especially since this is a Proverbs that has always been connected, and directed to women. This Proverbs has been preached and will continue to be preached on Mother's Day for years. So how would I come up with a question like this? I believe the answer to this is obvious once you begin to really look at the passages. Proverbs 31, beginning with verse 1: “The words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught him.” In this verse we see words of wisdom and/or instruction from a mother to her son. In verse 2 we see the providence of who he is; "my son", "of my womb", "of my vows". Verse 3 reads "do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy Kings." In the day that this advice was passed on it was common practice for kings to have multiple wives and concubines. What the mother was advising her son to avoid was participating in adulterous activities that would take away his strength or the ability to rule wisely as a King. Verses 4 & 5 say, "it is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted." This mother is not saying to her son that drinking is bad. What she is suggesting is that as a King it is better to rule with a clear mind. Verses 8 and 9 read like this, "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Here she is telling him to speak for the people that don't have a voice, stand up for the ones that don't have the means. We can see in these first few verses, of Proverbs 31, that these are instructions for a young man on how to live his life free from adulterous activities and this includes such things as pornography and other acts of loose living. “Being sober of mind” is not only talking about having a clear mind to reason and make decisions with but to “rule with a sober mind” will also keep you from all sorts of debauchery from poor judgement. As we move on through Proverbs 31 and get to the end of the chapter in verses 28, 29, & 30 where there are instructions for a man/husband explaining that he should praise his wife exalting her above other women. Let her know that she has done well; and in his eyes is above and beyond all other women. We see, in verse 30, that her true beauty comes from her love of the Lord and how she serves Him. After examining these verses; the instruction for the young man from his mother, and the explanation for the husband who should be praising his wife for her life and dedication to her family, I began to ask myself am I a Proverbs 31 man? Is it unfair for us as guys to set such high expectations on single Christian women and our wives to live up to what this woman has lived throughout her life. Obviously by reading the Scriptures we see that she is not a single woman but is in her later years of life as her husband is an elder of the community. So in reality the single Christian man should pray for a woman/wife who desires to walk the journey to become a Proverbs 31 woman. The husband should pray that he can be the man his wife needs to feel free to walk this road to be the wife/woman she knows in her heart she desires to be. I hope and pray that this question will be one that men will ponder and ask themselves, “Am I a Proverbs 31 man? Do you live up to the qualifications that a man should live up to who has a wife with a desire to live a life of this standard?

A Man I Respect

Today I loaded up my lawnmower. My wife and I drove about an hour to my mom and dad's house. Their grass was in need of being mowed and my dad has not been able to mow it for quite awhile. I mowed the front yard, both side yards, and was in the process of mowing the back yard when I saw mom and dad come out of the house across the deck and begin the slow and long process of coming down the porch steps.
My dad has always mowed his yard and been very proud of his nicely manicured lawn. He would spend almost every hour of every day outside either sitting in his swing, just piddling around the yard, or perhaps in his pavilion polishing the granite countertops or hanging something new that he had found on the wall.
Today dad came out because he wanted to go out and just look at his pavilion. This was only the second time he had made it into his backyard and his pavilion since Thanksgiving some four months ago.
As I mowed the yard I watched my dad slowly make his way just to the edge of the pavilion stand there for just a couple of minutes looking and then he turned and he made his way back to the house. As I watched him go step by step across the brick sidewalk that he and I lay just a few years ago I began to cry. Dad is just a mere shell of the man he once was. It was hard seeing that he needed to hold onto mom as he walked back to the house. Today he struggled with putting thoughts together and forming the words to speak.
My dad, Ed Matlock, is one of the godliest men I know. I can’t say that my dad was the kind of father that I saw reading the Bible nightly or even on his knees praying daily, but what I saw was a man that loves God, serves Him, and praises Him. My dad taught me many lessons of faith growing up. One of the first ones was serving. My dad was a active deacon for 54 years, and he believed that if the doors needed to be unlocked and things set up then we would be the family to do that. If the doors needed to be unlocked well then they needed to be locked as well and so we would stay and clean and lock the doors after everyone had left.
Hebrews 10:25 says for us not to forsake the assembling of one another. This is another lesson that my dad taught me was to meet with my fellow Christians whenever there was a meeting going on whether it was a Sunday morning or night then you needed to be there. If there was one on Wednesday we should be at that one as well, and if someone was doing something in the church they needed support of their brothers and sisters and we should be there to support them as well.
Another area of faith that my dad taught me was giving. He felt if you had something you weren’t using anymore you needed to find someone to give it to who could use it or if you felt you needed a newer version someone could still use the older one and you needed to give it away. He taught me that as blessed as I am God wants me to give something to someone whether I needed it or not. Not only did he do this with material things I watched him do this with his time as well. He gave of his time when others needed assistance, or just someone to sit with them.
Another area of faith that my dad taught me was in giving the first 10% to the church. This was an area that I watched my dad lead our family in many times. It didn't matter if we were broke dad always honored God with his giving whether we were sitting on top of the world or broke he continued to give his 10% to God and praising Him every step of the way.
I give my parents a lot of the credit for me going into the ministry because of the examples that they were for me growing up. Their teaching me to trust in God, to serve Him, to love others, to give my time, talents, money, and even giving away the material possessions that I may have to someone else in need.
Probably the most important thing that my dad taught me was how to be a godly husband. My dad honors my mother and loves her unconditionally and for this I am so thankful. My dad is not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination, but he is a man of integrity, of love, generosity, and so much more.
As I watch my dad deteriorate, his eyesight failing, his mind slowing, and his body failing; I find it hard to watch someone you love and respect the way I do my dad. The peace and the joy that I find in all this is in his future. I know when God calls him home he will be sitting at our Savior’s feet.
Dad, I love you.

A Wife's Call to Her Husband's Ministry

I am at the age most people begin looking at retirement. Imagine the surprise I felt when my husband came to me and said he knew God was calling him into full-time ministry! We had been through a very rough church split and were driving almost an hour to attend a church we believed God called us to be a part of. Changing careers was not on my agenda. I have somewhat of a career working in the public school system and was extremely happy with where I was working. I promised my husband I would pray through it with him and seek God’s direction. He began doing seminary classes and preparing for a new life’s calling. Between my jobs at private and public schools and volunteer church work I have 20+ years experience of working in youth ministry Honestly, I was really surprised at how God worked in our lives and placed us where we are. When my husband was called to be the Student Ministries Pastor at the church we’d been attending it meant moving. A precious individual in our church offered for us to stay with him while we looked for a place to live in Gonzales. The plan was for me to stay in our home except for Sunday and Wednesday nights since they are the specific times of ministry. I clearly remember (a few weeks into this new life) one evening, as I was walking, I felt this deep longing in my heart to be where my husband was and to be with the people God had called us to minister to. Yes you understood correctly, I said us. I almost felt jealous that he was there full-time. Although I wasn’t the paid staff member I knew it was just as much my calling to be involved in the ministry we are a part of. So the next day I loaded up my car and went to our temporary home full-time. It took a few months but God provided a nice house in a great area for us to live in. As tiring as it gets at times driving back and forth to my job, rushing to get home in time for whatever ministry we are a part of that evening, it is exhilarating and so satisfying knowing we are right where God wants us to be, doing what He has called us to do. I know most people would think that we are a little on the “old side” to be working with youth, even the kids tease us sometimes, but I believe at the time He placed us here they needed our laid back personalities to ease them through the changes they were going through. It has been an incredible journey seeing all the wonderful changes God is making not only in our students, but us as well. I fully trust and believe Him when He assures me, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” And trust me it is only by HIS strength that I can keep up the non-stop schedule. To see my husband’s heart break over a situation that a student is going through or the joy that bubbles out of his heart and explodes into the room when he sees a student “get it” or sees them grow in an area we’d been praying for them to change in is just amazing. But then, why wouldn’t it be when we serve such an incredible and amazing God. I can’t tell you that students know and comprehend how much God loves them but I do know if they can understand and comprehend that the love my husband and I pour and pray over them is just a thimble full compared to what God has for them then we are heading in the right direction with them to understanding His love. I love our community and the direction the youth pastors/leaders are heading and know that being on God’s side we are going to make great strides in reaching the youth of our community for Him. I love being a minister’s wife and the privileges that come with it. Seeing God at work up close and personal in so many areas as well as being a part of a team that loves God with all their heart, soul, and mind, and want to encourage those of all ages that when we embrace that we are embracing the most incredible life one could have and be on a journey that never stops being exciting. Look out Gonzales, because God is on the move!!!

Every Waking Thought

Being a follower of Jesus Christ and being in full-time ministry consume my every waking thought. This is what it would be like for you to spend the day in my flip-flops. Every waking thought is not only thinking on Kingdom things and the incredible Savior that I have but ministry (children's, youth, young adult) as well. Then you hear something or God reveals something to you and from that point on every waking thought is about that. Recently at our annual vision meeting, our Pastor shared some statistics with us that really stuck in my thoughts. He stated that 80% of our city is un-churched, 85% of our county is unchurched, and one of the cities within our county conservatively is 90 to 95% unchurched. These are shocking numbers; this means that 8 out 10 people are unchurched.

This is where my “every waking thought” is consumed with the W's, what can we do about it, when can we do something about it, and where do we come into play. Along with how we do it, how soon can we get started, and then there are several other questions that come along the way.

Up to 95% of one community is unchurched. These are huge numbers! How do you begin looking at solutions when from the first look it seems too overwhelming? Just this week I was watching a 2007 documentary on” The Pixar Story” where I learned an insight into ministry. In the developing of a computer animated cartoon they discovered that every scene is made up of little triangles and that one scene could have over 1 million little triangles. The numbers were over whelming but it made them think differently about solutions. 95% of the community that is unchurched causes you to begin thinking differently about the way you can reach into their lives and introduce them to Jesus Christ.

Right away, being a youth pastor, I began thinking how to impact the youth. I thought about having a presence at baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, football games and etc. would be ways that I could look at reaching into this community. We do not have a church there this is a city that is 20+ miles away and we have 80% unchurched in our own community.

We are doing things in our own community to reach the unchurched, with an initiative that I began when I first took my position as Student Ministries Pastor. We now have five churches setting aside all of our denominational and associational boundaries to come together as one youth to worship one God once a quarter, and with the intention of equipping the students to reach their campus for Christ.

One thing that I would like to do with you, my online community, is to open up conversation and create some innovative “outside the box” thinking of creative ways to impact a rural community that is 95% unchurched. I would like to create a forum where this could take place, be it on this blog or through e-mails. My e-mail address is fluid2819@yahoo.com . Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and hopefully respond. I am looking forward to hearing and discussing some creative and innovative ways of impacting a community for Christ. If you are anything like me I know that you're “every waking thought” is consumed with your relationship with Christ and your own ministry.

Christian Cuss Words Are They Acceptable?

After being in the youth group for just a short time I was appalled by the language some of the youth were using. I began to listen to the adults in our church and even some of them used inappropriate language from time to time. I began to pray and ask God, “Why do these words that are used by the youth and some adults bother me?” Not long after I began praying this God showed me Ephesians 5: 10 I like the way The Message puts it “Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.” The NIV says, “And find out what pleases the Lord.” I know another version said, “Seek what acceptable to the Lord”. I believe that Ephesians 5: 10 also deals with our vocabulary not just our actions.

I began talking with my students about the use of Christian cuss words. The first thing they wanted was a list of words that they should not say. I was not going to fall into that trap of legalism.

So what is a cuss word? A cuss word is profanity. It is an adjective and the dictionary describes it as the following: 1. Characterized by irreverence or contempt for God or sacred principles for things irreligious. 2. Not devoted to holy religious purposes; or the last thing you said was, common or vulgar.

The next thing we looked at was euphemisms. A euphemism by definition is; the substitution of a mild, indirect, vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt. For example; “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die”.

As the youth group met we learned that when you replace a profanity/cuss word with something that is less offensive you just turned that less offensive word into a profanity/cuss word. For example one of the favorite words used by Christians today and even some non-Christians is the word “frickin'” in place of the “F bomb.” I shared with my youth group my Christian cuss word is crap. When I asked them if they knew the word I was replacing it with they all nodded and smiled.

One of things that I discovered through the discussion of “Christian cuss words are they acceptable?” was that they do not like it when their parents or adults use euphemisms because they know the words that they are replacing them for, and they thought they should just go ahead and say the word if they are going to use that style of language.

Since this lesson a year ago this month the use of Christian cuss words have dramatically decreased and it is very rare that I hear any of those terms from my students. When someone new comes in and uses words like that I have heard them tell the new students that they are using a euphemism for a cuss word and we don't use them in our group.

I am not trying to tell you or anyone else how to speak. I am trying to provoke some thought and conversation about the language that we use. Ephesians 5:10; “Figure out what will please Christ and then do it.”

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

Second month into ministry, I find myself standing on the stage one Sunday morning in October giving announcements and it happened. I opened my mouth and it just came out and when those things happen there's no taking them back. So let me back up just a little bit to give you some background. October in our town brings two big events. The first one is “Come and Take it!” The whole town comes out for a long weekend of festivities; carnival rides, vendors, concerts, and all kinds of fun things. The second thing is more exclusive to our church. We’re a young church, at this point we're only three years old and from the beginning we have done what we affectionately call “Halloweiner.” This is an event where we go into a neighborhood and we give out hot dogs on Halloween. In our town we have one street that everybody trick-or-treats on and we set up at the end of the street in one of our church member’s front yard. We have our tables set up and our volunteers cooking hot dogs on grills, others putting the hot dogs in buns, more are serving the hot dogs and lemonade, to all the trick-or-treaters and their parents. We typically hand out 1000 free hot dogs in a two hour time span. We also have volunteers who man the carnival type games and hand out candy. Okay, let's go back to that Sunday morning when I was giving announcements. The Worship Pastor and I usually try to have some fun giving the announcements and he asked me that morning what I was going to dress up like for the Halloweiner. That's when I opened my mouth in front of the whole church with the youth right there. I said, “I don't know I'm dressing up as. I think I’ll let the youth create my costume for me. Well over the next couple of weeks the youth did a really good job hiding from me what they were going to do. On October 31st my phone rings and when I answer it one of the youth said they were ready for me and I was to meet them at the church. I drive to the church, very nervous. As I’m walking down the long hallway to the youth room not knowing what I was getting myself into, I get even more nervous. As I get closer the youth room I can see cardboard, paintbrushes, and I see some blue paint. I think to myself, homeless painter who likes the color blue but that was far from the truth. They had me stand on a piece of cardboard while they took paintbrushes and the blue paint and painted me from head to toe. Blue, that's right, in just a few minutes I was painted into an “avatar.” I had so much fun! It took weeks to get all the blue paint out of all nooks and crannies of my feet. Even though I had a ton of fun, honestly, this year I did not let them do my costume.

That is just one example of a funny ha-ha experience. There are other times that all you can do is laugh. Not long after that, just shortly before Thanksgiving, that year that I found a youth conference that I wanted to take our students to in January. It would be an overnight stay in Houston so I scrounged through what was left of the budget that I inherited and I found enough money to pay for a hotel. All I needed was the students to pay for the price of their ticket. I get everything done, flyers made up, sign-up sheets, etc. I'm getting ready to give information to the students and parents for the very first time on my very first event. I have everything worked out. I hand out the first flyers to announce this incredible conference and an overnight stay in Houston. Then two of the moms look at me and they tell me “they didn't know anything about this event”. They proceed to tell me I have to do a better job getting information to them earlier. I just simply smiled and said ladies you're right I'm so sorry. The funny thing about that is that the students of these two women haven't been in my youth group since that event. Another time that is just laughable is the first time I took our junior high youth group out of town for the day. Remember, this is sixth and seventh graders. I posted it on Facebook, sent e-mails, and I text messaged every junior high parent and said we will leave the church at 11:30 to go to Austin for the day. I got a returning text message asking me a.m. or p.m.? Then from another parent I got a phone call asking me a.m. or p.m.? I told them a.m. Okay, I know youth pastors are known for being a little nuts but I will not be leaving the church at 11:30 p.m. to go to the big city of Austin, Texas with your junior high students. This is where I learned that you have to make sure that every “T” is crossed and every “I” is dotted. You can't just make this stuff up sometimes you just have to laugh.

Rattling the Rules in Rural America

Rattling the rules does not always make sense even when the “why” is very clear. Growing up in a small town in rural America I remember the anxiety and fear of that long awaited rite-of-passage from junior high to high school. The anxiety and fear in this incredible new journey into high school came from the initiation that took place in our local high school. The school administrators and teachers and any other adult on a campus just seemed to turn and look the other way when the freshman class was harassed and even hazed by the upperclassman. Any junior or senior could walk up to a freshman student and tell them to “drop them or lose them.” If you did not comply your pants could end up flying from the campus flagpole or tossed out onto the middle of the gymnasium floor during the girls PE class. I was not very popular in junior high and thinking about going to the high school campus made me feel I was quite alone and fearful. This transition time was made easier for me by having friends already in high school. One of my neighbors and best friends was already a junior so I came to high school with an ally.
I feel I rattled the rules when I took a position as a youth pastor in rural America with one of the first changes I incorporated. I shifted the promotion ages a bit. I wanted to create a junior high youth group that began with 6th grade and a high school group beginning with 8th grade. The way our schools are set up in my town is fourth through sixth graders are on a campus, junior high is seventh through eighth grade, and high school is the normal ninth through twelfth. Our church Bible study classrooms were set up with fourth through sixth grades being a part of children's ministry, and junior high Bible class was seventh through eighth graders who didn't really belong to children's ministry or youth ministry. Youth ministry was only considered ninth through twelfth grades.
In making the shift of classroom age divisions I created a new youth group for junior high (6-7) and a part of youth ministry and moved the eighth grade in with the high school. My logic behind this was to mix the grades so that a student at a lower level campus would already have built friendships with an upper level campus student so as to help relieve some of the anxiety for the younger student knowing they had an older student that would look out for them when they moved up, especially the eighth graders going into high school.
This was a move that parents and students alike did not agree with or understand until they saw it in action through their own students and in their personal experiences.

New on the Job

The day is finally here, my first day on the job as a Student Ministries Pastor! So much excitement about the journey ahead, but I know it's not going to be a smooth road. Over the past three months I've been sharing the responsibilities with the summer intern. A few months earlier the current youth pastor had left the position. I don't want to go into a lot of details about that, but I will say that once I started the position I felt that the youth group had just gone through a very painful separation and divorce. The young man, who I replaced, was the first youth pastor our students had at TRBC. He was a great guy, built a lot of solid relationships with the students but it was still a rough separation. My wife and I had been facilitating DivorceCare for the last five years and seeing the pain that comes from separation and divorce was really similar to what we were experiencing with the students in this youth group. This was the first hurdle that we had to overcome in our brand-new ministry.

Coming into this I already had some thoughts and ideas and game plans that I believe God had laid on my heart for this youth group and for me. One of the things was a desire to get to know the other youth pastors in our community and to work together in serving the community of Gonzales as one youth group and yet staying very independent in our own youth groups, more about that later.

Within my first week I'll never forget leaving Whataburger after lunch one day and as I drove by the football stadium I just really remember how God laid on my heart teenage parents. I remember saying, “this is my first week on the job I have a lot of things that I need to get used to are you sure you want me to start this new ministry so early?” This is just one of those things that you try to set aside and He keeps bringing it back, you set it aside then He brings it back. During a conversation one afternoon, with one of the ladies in our church, I was sharing with her what God had laid on my heart several months earlier. She told me that teen parents were also heavy on her heart because she had been a teen parent. In sharing this with my senior pastor he told me that this is an area that is near and dear to the heart of our core. At the time of this conversation our church was approximately 3 years old. He shared with me the conversations that went on in the very beginning with the core families. I started researching teen parenthood in our city and our state and in the nation. The things I discovered in my research were not only shocking but really disappointing. Our local high school, of only 600 students, was just barely through half of the school year and one of the counselors at the high school told me that this year alone new pregnancies, not counting existing teen parents but new moms and dads was already at 17. Learning that our state, TX, is third in the nation for first-time pregnancies and we rank number one in the nation for second time pregnancies for teens. Quickly I found many women in our congregation that had the same burden as I did and we began putting together a program for teen moms and dads. We didn’t want to leave the dad out as many of the fine programs out there are strictly focused towards the moms. Understanding that dads usually don't stick around which leaves the teen mom by herself without support from him, we wanted to try to keep him involved. Like many programs that are begun in the church this one had its troubles. The people on the planning team had trouble with commitment to meetings and following through with assignments, due to their own busy schedules with families and jobs. These were all things that contributed to putting this program on hold for a while. I still believe that this is something that God wants us to do here in our community but I also believe that it wasn't meant to be the way we were going about. This is still an area that comes to my heart on a consistent basis. I am waiting on God to show when the time is right to pull the plans out and begin getting things back in motion for this important opportunity to reach young people who have made a choice and will need guidance in living with the outcome of those choices.