Party!

It is the end of the year party. We will be resuming regular Wednesday night youth group meetings in the fall and will be planning the summer activities at a meeting on May 2nd. Once we iron out what we would like to do for the summer, we will have a meeting with all of you to get your input. It has been a great year and I hope that you all have learned a lot! I have.

The Messenger

How do you know when your favorite singing group is going to be at the Van Andel? Advertising. It's on TV, the Van Andel advertises and sells tickets, articles in the newspaper and probably even a billboard. These are all "messengers"...letting you know what is coming. That is what/who John the Baptist was; at least one of his roles. He also told them to "make straight in the dessert a highway"...yeah, that's as clear as mud. When you make something straight, you take out all the crooked parts and make it perfect. He was calling the people to repent...to make their lives "straight". The conversation that John the Baptist had with the teachers and leaders of the Jewish faith that came out to question him is also covered in Matthew. Look it up and see if you can glean any more information. Have a great week!

"In the beginning" Genesis 1:1 AND John 1:1

"In the beginning"...Did it grab your attention? That was John's intention when he started out his gospel with those same words that are found in the book of Genesis. He's also telling us so much more. Jesus, the Word, was there, too, in the beginning. He wasn't "created" by God, He IS God. Nothing was created without Him. We tend to think of Christ only coming into being in the manger as a little baby. No, Christ always was and always will be. It makes you realize that Christ OBEYED His Father by coming down to Earth as a baby because He was always there. Gives you something to think about, doesn't it? Have a great week!

Uncreated God

We talked about following an uncreated God, and how awesome a thing that is when considering his love for us and helping other people follow his example.

We thought about God and how he never had a beginning, but how everything else in existence does. We had a hard time thinking about the concept that God has always been there, and when we are in Christ we are the same as he is, we have a beginning but we will always live forever. We talked about how we where not made for time, but made for eternity. We just have to choose which eternity and help others in there decision. I thought it made sense, and we had a good time wrapping each other in TP!!! Love, Shanna

God's Kingdom

Hello all!!! Well, the last two weeks of sermons have been quite profound! Two weeks ago we talked extensively about how part of building God's Kingdom (rather than our own) involves learning to be content in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. We also talked about working on the way we pray!! This, I think, is huge!!! Our prayers should reflect our desire for God's Kingdom as opposed to our desire for ours!

This week, we focused on the amazing gift that Christ gave us in his death. The fact that Christ 'gave' up His spirit of His own free will was something we discussed at length. For me, it changes the way I see His death! I mentioned that I have read these verses for who knows how many Easter Seasons... but I have never seen it in quite this light before. The Romans did not kill Him... He died for US!!!!! That is truly an amazing truth and it should inform every aspect of our lives!! That is how we go about building God's Kingdom instead of our own! Remember to think about those practical ways that we can give our lives over to God that we talked about!!

Building God's Kingdom

Thanks again for all your hard work. It really is appreciated! We spent the first 30 minutes picking up stick piles from where the walnut trees were taken down. But what has this got to do with our lesson for tonight? A lot.
We looked at what things we have placed in our kingdoms from cell phones and friends to cars and shopping. We spend a lot of time and effort in an attempt to create a kingdom here on Earth. Our Kingdom. But what is in God's Kingdom? Why is it so vastly different from ours? And more importantly, how do we get from the effort and desire for our kingdom to striving toward God's Kingdom?
God does not give us our gifts and desires without a purpose. Each one of us has a special set of gifts that can be used to build God's Kingdom. Tonight we used our gifts of fellowship and desire for hanging out with our friends to better our church...part of God's Kingdom. Even though it was hard work, we didn't spend a lot of time doing it and we had a good time just working together. We also got some great satisfaction in accomplishing a big task. How many other ways can you find to serve God in ways that allow you to use your talents and gifts? What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? How can this be used to build God's Kingdom? Think on these things this week and we will talk a little more about this next Wednesday. Thanks again for a great job!

Supernanny to the rescue!

This Wednesday we talked about how Supernanny stepped into the lives of families and "solved their behavior problems". We talked about how when we respond with "in a minute" to a parent's request, it is an act of rebellion. This is sin. No way to sugar-coat it. It is sin.

Further, in 1 Corinthians 10, we read that whether we are eating or drinking or whatever we are doing, we are to do it in a manner that brings glory to God. When we do our chores in a sloppy manner, this does not bring God glory. When dad asks you to clean your room and you shove your clothes on the floor of the closet, this is rebellion...sin.

Lastly, we talked about how we are to do these things cheerfully. Phillipians 2:14 reads that we are to do everything without complaining or arguing. Rolling the eyes, the exasperated grunt, clenching fists...these are all disobedience, acts of rebellion...sin.

It is not easy to be obedient. If it were, God would not have had to tell us so many times to be obedient in the Bible. He also would not have told us to be obedient, if it were impossible to accomplish. Sometimes just being aware of how we behave and calling ourselves out on the bad behavior can help us change. Pray for guidance and a willing heart this week as I will be praying the same for you (and me, too!) God will help you. Have a fantastic week!