Better than the one before

We have had a hard start to this 2015. Not only has the weather been miserable (particularly of late), but we have had more than our share of dear saints who have passed on to he with Christ. It is such a hard time when we lose those so dear to us and our community. As I have been processing through this and spending time talking with others about it, I am reminded of a quote from C.S. Lewis' book "The Last Battle". This quote comes from the last paragraph of the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Lewis beautifully reminds us of what awaits those who follow Christ when our life on Earth is done. May this be a beautiful reminder to you all of the goodness of our God.

"And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in

Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before." 

Control

I ran across this incredibly encouraging thought from John Zahl and thought it was too good not to share with you all as well.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest upon me.
(2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)

You want to be in control, but you are not. Because of this, the heart-felt experience of faith will always entail a kind of personal deconstruction, rather than some kind of building up. The more you get to know the God who loves sinners, the more you will see your own need for Him.
Sometimes people ask God to build in them all the things that they think they need in order to face life successfully. He will do no such thing! Why would He turn you into a vessel that has no need for Him? Faith means trusting Him to be all the things you need Him to be, despite your own inadequacies, and, for that matter, in light of the fact that you don't actually know what you need or what success actually looks like. He won't give you strength; He will be your strength. God deconstructs. God intervenes. God prevents.

The Lure of Celebrity

"A large crowd followed and pressed around him." Mark 5:24

Asheville has been abuzz with celebrity news for the past several months. As I write this article today, I'm sitting in a coffee shop down the street from a new movie that's being filmed downtown this summer. The excitement kicked into high gear with the winner of American Idol being from the Erwin area and has continued as the actors for the new movie arrived and started frequenting many of our restaurants and Tourists baseball games. People are sharing stories or posting pictures all over the news and social media of how they know a celebrity or ran into them at various places. It has been interesting to watch as they chase these folks around town hoping to catch a glimpse or possibly even get to talk to one of these famous people.

In Mark 5:24-34, we read of the time when Jesus had just crossed the sea and a large crowd gathered around him. These people had heard of the amazing things Jesus was doing and were determined to chase him down and get a glimpse of Jesus, the celebrity. As the large crowd presses around him, a woman who has been sick for many years fights through the crowd, hoping that, if she touches his clothing, she will be healed. Finally, she fights through and when she touches him, she is immediately

healed. Knowing this, Jesus looks on her with compassion and says words of comfort and healing.
As followers of Christ, we have instant access to the One who is greater than any celebrity we could hope to be seen with. We have the One who spoke creation into existence and holds all things together walking daily with us. Not only this, He intimately knows each and everyone of us. We need not search for significance or worth from any other. What an amazing gift! May we rest in this glorious and wonderful truth.

Grace and Peace, 
Teddy 

Hard Times Come Again No More

Stephen Foster is known as the "Father of American Music." We have been singing his songs (Camptown Races, Oh! Susanna, Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, etc.) since the late 1800's. While most of his songs evoke feelings of summer and Americana, there is perhaps one song that strikes at the heart of each and every one of our longings. In 1854, Foster composed the song "Hard Times Come Again No More." It is a song that has been covered by multiple artists over the years. (Johnny Cash clearly being the best version.) The chorus rings, "Many days you have lingered around my cabin door; Oh hard times come again no more."

Foster hits on something that all of us are hoping for but unfortunately we end up never getting our wish.

We spend our lives running from thing to thing hoping that one of them will magically make all the hard times go away and we will never struggle again. What we have come to find out is that there is no magic bullet. Jesus reminds us in John 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble."

While we will never see an end to our troubles here on Earth, Jesus doesn't finish that verse in John leaving us no hope. His final word on our troubles is "But take heart; I have overcome the world." Knowing this is freedom. Freedom to love without fear of rejection. Freedom to give without expecting anything in return. Freedom to serve without expecting recognition.

What does this look like? It looks like peace in the eye of our storms. Not peace because we are confident in our abilities to weather the storm, but peace because we are in the hand of the one who is holding the world.

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 
1 Corinthians 15:57

Teens and Social Media

Ran across this article a couple of weeks ago by Scott Douglas and thought it was gold. Here's an excerpt.

"Social media-worship is a cheap substitute for our students, who are made to derive their full value, worth, and satisfaction in and through Jesus. Whatever we place on the throne (rightly occupied by King Jesus) will never satisfy us to the extent that only He can. Pointing to and depending on our “number of friends” falls short when we consider the facts that Jesus has called us friend, and that He has given us a new identity in Himself. John 15:15 makes it clear that we have been brought near to Jesus in a real and powerful sense that is so much deeper and greater than being involved in a social media friend network."

Head on over to Rooted for the rest of the piece.

Uncertainty

"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain" - Hebrews 6:19

Uncertainty.  We are surrounded by it.  Whether it is a plane disappearing over the ocean, a hillside collapsing in Washington where at least 21 people have lost their lives, the unrest in the Ukraine, or uncertainty about what will happen at our jobs tomorrow, everyone of us is touched by uncertainty. A couple of weeks ago in our Upward service, we explored this topic. Daily we are bombarded with a myriad of things that cause us to question what is going on.  Yet we hear over and over that as Christians, we are not to worry.  How is this even possible?  Fortunately, God does not leave us in our uncertainty.  Over and over again in scripture, we are reminded that God is in charge and that He has a plan in place for this broken world.  And the beauty of this plan is that it can not ever be thwarted.  Nothing ever comes as a surprise to our Lord who in the midst of this uncertainty is certain.  He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him.  This is a foundation we can rest upon.  When it seems everything around us is a swirling mess of unknown, we can trust that not one little piece is outside of God's plan or control.  The writer of Hebrews reminds us that we who are followers of the living Christ have a sure and steadfast anchor for our souls that cannot be shaken no matter what may come our way.  May we find rest in this truth.

Grace and Peace,

Teddy

Back to School

Ever wonder what this school year is going to be like? Will I like my classmates? Will I get along with my teacher? Will it be better than last year? Will it be harder than last year? Wondering about what is coming up is something everybody does. We all want to know what this year will look like. If we aren’t careful, we can get so concerned about it that we make ourselves sick. Don’t you wish that you knew what was coming so you didn’t have to worry?
In Luke 12, we learn of Jesus talking with his disciples. These were Jesus’ closest friends. They had given up everything in their lives to follow after Jesus. They left their homes and their families and set off to follow him wherever he would take them. As they left on this journey, they had way more questions about what was ahead than answers. Where are we going? What does he mean when he says these things? How can he perform all these miracles? They had seen many wonderful things but they were about to experience the hardest times in their lives. Jesus knew he was going to the cross. He knew that he would pay the penalty for our sins and that his disciples would be scattered all across the world. He knew they would be afraid and they would be anxious. But, he also knew the future. He knew what was ahead for them. Let’s listen in on a conversation Jesus has with his disciples.


“And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”
Jesus speaks some words of comfort to his friends. And he speaks these words to us. We need not be nervous about what this school year offers. Jesus is watching over us and taking care of us everywhere we go. He knows what everyday is going to look like. He knows the good times and the bad times. Through all of this, Jesus is in control and has a plan. And he is always taking care of us.
Father, thank you for preparing a path for us. Thank you for knowing what is ahead of us. Thank you for knowing what this school year looks like. We ask that you help us rest in this truth. Help us not to be worried about this school year but instead help us to trust you.



In Jesus name, Amen 

Kicking off!

As the summer winds down, we are getting ready for school to kick back off.  And with a new school year coming, I wanted to let you know of our plans for the youth.  

- On Sunday mornings when we gather for Sunday school, we will be going through the Gospel Project studying the theme "Bearing God's Image."  We will look at our identity in Christ and how God has created us to live and move in this world.
- On Sunday nights, we will be meeting with our Middle School students in the Family Ministries Center going through the book of Mark.  We will learn how to study the Bible, journal, and understand what is being said in each passage.
- On Tuesday nights, we will be meeting with our High School students at my house having dinner and going through an overview of the Old and New Testaments.  We will learn what each book in the Bible is about as well as how they fit into the meta-narrative of God's story.

There will also be different concerts and other activities that we will do throughout the months ahead.  And don't forget, it's not to early to be preparing for our summer trip in 2014 as we head back to Myrtle Beach for the Student Life conference.  David Platt will be our speaker again and the Passion Band featuring Kristian Stanfill will be our worship leaders while we are there.  The dates for this are June 16-20, 2014.

Thank you for all your prayers and support as we encourage these students to lay aside all that the world tries to ensnare them with and pursue Christ with reckless abandon.

Loved

"Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them." - Psalm 139:16

In Psalm 139 we get a look into how God views us. We see that He knows absolutely everything about us. Both the good and the bad. Not only does He know us, He loves us. All our days are spent wanting someone to know us and love us but we are afraid that if they do truly know us, there is no way that they will love us. Psalm 139 stands as a beacon of truth that our desires to be known and loved are fulfilled in God. He knows each and every one of our days and what we will face and how we will respond (Psalm 139:4). And He has loved us before we were even born. What a great truth and a great reminder. We are known and we are loved.

Satisfied

Recently, I had a friend ask me a question. He said, "Would you be satisfied if your children had the same level of spiritual maturity that you have?" My answer was "No, but they'd he farther along than I was at their age", as if that was the measuring stick for spiritual maturity. Thankfully, it's not. As I walked away from that conversation, I could not shake his question and my answer. I'm not currently pleased with my own level of spiritual maturity and if my children were at the same level, I wouldn't feel like I could just sit back and relax and not help them along their journey.As a pastor, I know that children get most of their spiritual role modeling from their parents. More and more research also shows that when it comes to these things, more is caught than taught. With children, it never works to "Do as I say, not as I do." With this in mind, I would ask you a question. Would you be satisfied if your children had the same level of spiritual maturity that you have?We are in a war not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), but against spiritual forces. Shouldn't we be fighting every day to equip our children with the tools they will need for each day's battle? No doubt, there are many things going on at your house — many different places to be; many different activities to be involved in; voices calling us to do this or that every day. Make sure that what gets pushed back is not what has to do with our relationship with the Lord. That relationship is the one thing we actually need in order to do battle each day.I'm thankful for my friend asking me this question. It has been a constant reminder for me to battle for what is most important in life. Thankfully, God has given us His Word (Bible) and His Body (Church) to guide us toward what is true and right. These are not gifts to be used whenever it's convenient. They are to be used continually."These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." - Deuteronomy 6:6-7 

I lift my eyes

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." - Psalm 121:1-2

No doubt you and I are working through many different struggles in our lives.  Our world and our culture offer many different ways of which to handle these things.  Even our local Christian bookstores are packed with self-help books and ways to change our circumstances.  Suffice it to say, we have a ton of places to look for hope in the circumstances we are currently going through.  But what is right?  Where do we look for help in our times of trouble?  We can understand from the Psalmist of old that our help and our hope comes from the Lord.  We know from Scripture that God is somehow working all these things together for our good.  And we know, that one day, He will fix it all.  In Charles Spurgeon's devotional Morning and Evening, he reminds us of this truth with these words.

“When the world my heart is rending

With its heaviest storm of care,

My glad thoughts to heaven ascending,

Find a refuge from despair.

Faith’s bright vision shall sustain me

Till life’s pilgrimage is past;

Fears may vex and troubles pain me,

I shall reach my home at last.”

Christmas Confusion

"If we do not go to our graves in confusion, we will not go to our graves trusting. Explanations are a substitute for trust." - Larry Crabb

Several weeks ago while going through some difficult situations I came across this quote.  It was like surgery to my soul as I was seeking the Lord for answers to why instead of trusting in Him.  I know that "He works all things together for the good of those who love Him" but so often I'm wanting God to to know why they are happening instead of trusting in His plan.  When studying the story of Job we find out that Job never gets an answer from God as to why He is going through such incredible suffering.  He only trusts that God is who He says He is.  I'm thankful that as we approach Christmas, we can know that God is not unfamiliar with the struggles we go through and wrestle with.  In Christ, God became man and suffered more than we ever will.  This little baby that came would just a few years later take all the punishment for my sins as well as for others who would trust in him and boldly proclaim that "It is finished."  On that silent night when he was born, no one was expecting the King to be born in the stable.  No one was expecting that shepherds would have the first audience with this King.  When I see or sing of the babe in the manger, I can trust that God is moving and that I do not need an explanation.  His ways are higher than ours and He is in control.

Find rest my soul

"For God alone my soul waits in silence; 
from him comes my salvation. 
He alone is my rock and my salvation, 
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken." - Psalm 62:1-2

Which of us can say that our world has not been shaken?  Whether it's a personal illness or one in our families, struggles with relationships at home or at work, or a myriad of other circumstances, we are bombarded with struggles and trials everyday.  I love how David address this in Psalm 62.  He doesn't sugarcoat his suffering or smile and say that everything is "fine".  Instead, he cries out to God and seeks his salvation from these things in Him. He is constantly reminding us that God alone is "my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken."  Too often we search for relief from our struggles in other things.  We fail to realize that only through the Lord will we be able to have rest from these trials. So may we too, say with David, "My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him."

Some visuals of our time

White Flag

Little reminder of our time in Daytona.

Day 2 from Daytona

Good afternoon from Florida! We have had an incredible 2 days worshipping God with 6000 other students.  In yesterday's morning session, Louie spoke out of 1 John.  He spoke on the condition of our hearts and how our problem isn't that we are bad people in need of being good.  Our problem is that we are dead people in need of being made alive.  He then spoke on how incredible God's love for us is from 1 John 3:1 and how Christ isn't stingy with that love.

In our evening session, Louie spoke from Luke 15 on the story of the Prodigal Son.  He reminded us that the father didn't just go out from the house to the younger brother but he also went out to the older brother as well.  He went on to remind us that there is not a good or bad brother in the story.  Neither brother was good.  But because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, we can be made alive and are welcomed back into the family.

The night ended with a concert from the Rend Collective Experiment who are from Ireland.  A great ending to a great day.

Day 1 is finished

Happy Tuesday!  We're here and things are going great!  We arrived in Daytona around 10:30 a.m.  Trip down was uneventful and went as planned.  We have had some fun on the beach and our first evening session was great.  Our speaker spoke on our identity in God's family and how much God loves us.  He shared from Luke 15 and focused on how God runs towards us and loves us despite what we have done and will do.  After spending some time on the beach sharing our impressions of the sermon, we headed to our rooms for some much needed rest.  Here's a pic from our beach time.  Please continue to pray for our students that their hearts would be opened God and the things He will specifically show each of them.

And we're off!

All is well as we've left the Mount and are heading to Daytona. Thanks for your prayers as we are away.

His excellencies

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." - 1 Peter 2:9

What would our country look like if instead of arguing and complaining over the things that happen to us, we used our voices and our influence to "proclaim the excellencies" of Christ?  How would our homes, workplaces, city, state and country look if those of us who call ourselves Christians spent our time declaring the goodness of our Lord and Savior?  What if, just for one week, we used our time to specifically share with those in our lives the great story of God, who, called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light?  May we be known as a people who are awe struck by His goodness and by His love.

How vast beyond all measure

"How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure"

Easter is probably my favorite holiday of the year. I love the spring weather and the newness of life that it brings. It's such a great reminder of the resurrection of our Savior and what all was accomplished on that cross outside of Jerusalem. As I spend time pondering and studying the week before the crucifixion, I am blown away by how much God loves us and is working to make everything right again. He sat so many things in motion thousands of years before to redeem us from the sin that has broken this world. What a great and wonderful God that we serve.

Who do you say I am?

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us." - C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” - Matthew 16:15

Often times throughout our day, we here a lot of different things about who Jesus is. Whether it's on the radio, TV, movies, or in conversations we have with people, it seems like everyone has some sort of opinion of who Jesus is. The thing is though, we don't get to pick and choose who Jesus is. His Word has revealed exactly who He is. And Jesus has posed the same question to us that He did those disciples in Caesarea Philippi. How you answer this question has eternal implications. Who do you say that He is?

Too easily pleased

"It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." - C.S. Lewis

While reading through C.S. Lewis' classic The Weight of Glory I was struck anew by this quote. Daily we chase things that are not worth our time and effort and act as if they are of infinite worth. If only we would realize that in Christ we have more than we could ever fathom. My prayer this month for us is that we would come to know and understand more what we have been given and that we would rest in that.

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 2:4-7

New music

Been listening to this for the last week.

Student Life Daytona

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong."
1 Corinthians 16:13

The Christian life isn’t easy and some would say it shouldn’t be. So, how do your students look at their Christian life? Do they look at it as a chore? Do they look at it as a challenge? Do they see it as a journey and not a destination? We want to help your students live a life without boundaries. A life in which they are bold not just for the sake of being seen, but bold because they serve a God that is bold. A God that that sees what they can become. How do they do that? They do that by Being on Guard, Standing Firm in the Faith. Being Courageous and Being Bold. Being Audacious.

Plan on joining us this July 9th-13th. Cost is $280.

Student Life Heartbeat from Student Life on Vimeo.

New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! As we start off 2012, how about joining us as we read through the Bible together? This year we will be using the Discipleship Journal Bible Reading plan. It will take you around 25-30 minutes each day. You can even use your mobile device or follow along online.