Tag Archives: christianity

Stop Motion Photography of Engine Rebuild

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You are a work in progress. Isn’t comforting to know that God completes what He begins. You won’t be stranded or forgotten. You won’t be given up on or scrapped. God has a plan and is working it out piece by piece. In this video we see in stop motion photography the complete restoration of an engine. Impressive.

As Christians we have a long way to go. No one has arrived. But thankfully God does not stop a project once He has started. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Maybe today you are getting torn down. Maybe you are being cleaned up and reassembled. Wherever you are, aren’t you glad He promises to keep working till the job is done?

Your fellow worker in the field,  Adam

Beauty – A Compass Pointing to Something Bigger

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In this flashmob organized in Sabadell, Spain an unsuspecting courtyard is bombarded with beauty as an orchestra slowly materializes out of thin air with a majestic rendition of Beethoven’s 9th symphony. It is moving and powerful. A crowd develops around the musicians realizing they are beholding something rare and beautiful. Children are dancing, adults are swaying, everyone is captivated by the beauty of the moment. Time stands still.

In the middle of busy schedules why did these people stop to listen? I believe it is rooted in our innate yearning for beauty. John Piper describes this desire that is in every person.

“I do believe that deeply rooted in every human heart is a longing for beauty. Why do we go to the Grand Canyon, the Boundary Waters, art exhibits, gardens? Why do we plant trees and flower beds? Why do we paint our inside walls? Why is it man and not the monkeys who decorated cave walls with pictures? Why is it that in every tribe of humans ever known there has always been some form of art and craftsmanship that goes beyond mere utility? Is it not because we long to behold and be a part of beauty? We crave to be moved by some rare glimpse of greatness. We yearn for a vision of glory.”

We long for something bigger than ourselves. Whether that is in the arts, nature, or daily life, when we catch a glimpse of it we stop in wonder. We realize there is more to this life than what we can see. We seek out beauty because we are created to have a relationship with the Author of beauty. Because of image of God imprinted in us, all humanity has a void in our souls that resonates with true beauty. This resonation of beauty lures us to its source. When we behold beauty it acts like a compass. It points us beyond the momentary glimpse of beauty to the source of all beauty. The compass does not show us our destination, it is just a guide. It keeps us grounded in reality, understanding where we are in this world. The sunset and the orchestra in themselves leave us wanting. They are not the destination. While they are beautiful for a moment, we desire more than these things can offer.

“And we can know that our desires are remnants of this urge for God because everything less than God leaves us unsatisfied. He alone is the All-Satisfying Object of Beauty. Only one vision will be sufficient for our insatiable hearts—the glory of God. For that we have been made. And it is for this we long, whether we know it or not.”    -John Piper: Jesus is Precious because We Yearn for Beauty. (both quotes)

When you and I encounter moments that take our breath away, whether a sunset or a work of Beethoven, let it remind us that, yes, there are amazingly beautiful things in this world, but they are mere shadows of the true beauty that is God Himself. How do we get to know God? Through His Son – Jesus Christ.

Your fellow worker in the field,  Adam

Confession of Faith within The Star Spangled Banner

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Did you know The Star Spangled Banner has more than one verse? It has four in fact. If you read over these verses you will gain even more insight into the fabric of our nation.

Verse 1:

O say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Verse 4:

O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation.
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

While I will in no way will make the argument that our nation is a Christian nation, for those of you like myself who want to see this generation come to know the hope and purpose found only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is helpful to refer back to markers of Christian heritage in our country. Within the national song is a clear confession of faith. Note the reference, unashamedly, to praising the “Power” (note the capitalization indicating a person) that makes and preserves nations. Wow. And what a motto; “In God is our trust”. If only more individuals would have such a motto in their own lives.

As we celebrate our freedom on this fourth of July, would you recognize that Jesus offers a freedom that will last for eternity. Romans 8:2 says, “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Nations will rise and fall, but freedom in Christ is TRUE freedom. John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Find your freedom in Him today.

Your fellow worker in the field, Adam

Are You Having Conversations That Really Matter?

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What kind of conversations are the most common between adults and children? Here is a graphic that shows the types of questions asked at what ages. Interesting. As a father of young children and a full time youth worker, I simultaneously see both ends of the spectrum. I’d say in an over-generalized kind of way, it is pretty much right on.

Do you notice any blaring deficiencies? Where are the questions about God? Where are the conversations about faith? Where are the opportunities to really know why you believe what you you believe?

I am reminded of Deuteronomy 6:4-9. This is the Sh’ma (or Shema). It is the most important prayer in the Jewish faith, past and present. The word “Sh’ma” is the hebrew word for “hear” which is the opening call to action in the text.

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[b]5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.9  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Notice the intentionality to be used when talking to our children about God, faith, and matters of first importance. This text is a vivid reminder that we should be taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself to initiate conversations about God.

We should do this at home. This is where our kids see the “real” us. It is where our guard is down. When we are simply ourselves. Does it show in those moments, though our speech, that God is the most important thing in our lives?

We should do this when we “walk by the way”. Ok, we don’t walk much anymore. But one great time for quality conversations is what I call, “windshield time”. You can really get a teenager to open up when you are driving and both staring out the windshield. Don’t be afraid to ask some probing questions now and then. In the car you have a captive audience…but remember, its equally about listening as it is talking.

We should do this when we “lie down and when we rise”. Let it be the last thing on your lips at night and the first thing on your lips in the morning. What is “it” you say: the Glory of God and the awesomeness of Jesus Christ! Say bedtime prayers together. Small habits like that have big influences on kids. On the morning side, a memory that will forever be burned in my mind is dragging myself out of bed everyday as a rebellious teenager only to see my mom reading her bible at the breakfast table. She never force that on me, but her example spoke volumes. Now as an adult, looking back on those years I thank God for her faithfulness and see its influence in my own life.

So what kind of conversations are we initiating with the children in our lives? Both our biological children and any of those whom we have influence over. Maybe you are a small group leader, a soccer coach, the minivan mom who gives rides to every kid in the neighborhood. How are you using your words to push the next generation closer to an authentic relationship with the God of the universe? I pray you will “hear” the call to do just that!

Your fellow worker in the field, Adam

Saturdays with C.S. Lewis: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?

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C.S. Lewis has a way with words that cut to the heart. He speaks plainly, but powerfully. In a concise bit of logic Lewis reminds us that the claims of Christ leave very limited options for us in our response. Who do you say Jesus is? Does that correspond to who He said he was? While this argument has been retold many times since Lewis set the stage, read his words anew and allow them to challenge you.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. 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 the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon 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. He did not intend to.”

Your fellow worker in the field, Adam


5 Ways to Make Your Kids Hate Church

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I’ve been working with teenagers for a long time. It is easy to spot the ones who want to attend church or small group, and the ones who couldn’t care less about being there. More times than not kids adopt the attitudes and practices of their parents. Children are very observant and can discern even the slightest hint of superficiality. Here are 5 ways to make your kids hate church.

1. MAKE SURE YOUR FAITH IS ONLY SOMETHING YOU LIVE OUT IN PUBLIC

Go to church… at least most of the time. Make sure you agree with what you hear the preacher say, and affirm on the way home what was said especially when it has to do with your kids obeying, but let it stop there. Don’t read your Bible at home. The pastor will say everything you need to hear on Sundays. Don’t engage your children in questions they have concerning Jesus and God. Live like you want to live during the week so that your kids can see that duplicity is ok.

2. PRAY ONLY IN FRONT OF PEOPLE

 The only times you need to pray are when your family is over, holiday meals, when someone is sick, and when you want something. Besides that, don’t bother. Your kids will see you pray when other people are watching, no need to do it with them in private.

3. FOCUS ON YOUR MORALS

Make sure you insist your kids be honest with you. Let them know it is the right thing for them to do, but then feel free to lie in your own life and disregard the need to tell them and others the truth. Get very angry with your children when they say words that are “naughty” and “bad,” but post, read, watch, and say whatever you want on TV, Facebook, and Twitter. Make sure you focus on being a good person. Be ambiguous about what this means.

4. GIVE FINANCIALLY AS LONG AS IT DOESN’T IMPEDE YOUR NEEDS

Make a big deal out of giving at church. Stress to your children the value of tithing, while not giving sacrificially yourself. Allow them to see you spend a ton of money on what you want, while negating your command from Scripture to give sacrificially.

5. MAKE CHURCH COMMUNITY A PRIORITY… AS LONG AS THERE IS NOTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO DO

Hey, you are a church-going family, right? I mean, that’s what you tell your friends and family anyways. Make sure you attend on Sundays. As long as you didn’t stay up too late Saturday night. Or your family isn’t having a big barbeque. Or the big game isn’t on. Or this week you just don’t feel like it. Or… I mean, you’re a church-going family, so what’s the big deal?

This article was originally posted at the theResurgence.com by Thomas Weaver. Check it out for a lot of good writing on many different topics.

Your fellow worker in the field,  Adam

Subtlety is Overrated – John Bunyan Addresses Legalism

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Sometimes we need to hear the truth in an upfront obvious way. We can be thick. We can be dense. We deceive ourselves into believing some things. Where is our standard? What is our guide? How do we discern the Truth?

The Word of God.

Romans 3:19-20 is a smacking reminder we cannot earn our way to heaven. “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

We cannot be good enough in our own power to please God. When we focus on the rules, we don’t become better, we only see how bad we are. We see how desperate we are for a Savior.

Even if you’ve never read John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, the (not-so-subtle) names of the characters tell you quite a bit. Christian, Evangelist, Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, and Mr. Legality are exactly what you would expect; nevertheless, Bunyan’s point cuts to the heart.

In his journey from the City of Destruction to Mt. Zion, Christian takes some bad advice from Mr. Worldly-Wiseman. In this snippet, Bunyan powerfully illustrates the truths of Romans 3:19-20 and Galatians 4:21-27:

“Christian left his path to go to Mr. Legality’s house for help. As Christian neared the hill, he was struck by how high and foreboding the hill appeared. One side of the hill hung precariously over the path that wound its way around it, and Christian feared that the overhanging hill would fall on him.

Filled with fear, Christian stopped his journey and stood still, wondering what he should do. His burden now seemed heavier to him than it was just moments before he had taken this detour off the path that Evangelist had instructed him to follow.

Flashes of lightning came out of the hill, and Christian was afraid that he would be burned. Christian began to sweat and quake with fear. He was sorry that he had taken Mr. Worldly-Wiseman’s counsel.”

After meeting back up with Evangelist, Christian’s error is explained to him:

“The person to whom you were sent for relief, whose name is Legality, is the son of the slave woman who, with all her children, is still in bondage. The mountain that you feared would fall on your head is Mount Sinai. Now if the slave woman and all her children are in bondage, how can you expect them to set you free from your burden?”

Lets learn a lesson from Christian on his journey. Legalism will only crush you, not save you. We must trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ for grace and forgiveness. We must lean fully on Him and live each day in His power.
Go out and trust in Him today!
Your fellow worker in the field.  Adam

The Bible’s Grand Narrative in 3 Minutes – MUST WATCH!

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http://youtu.be/A4WL0w3it0s

Thank you Trevin Wax for your leadership in developing this curriculum. My prayer is that lives will be changed by the power of the Gospel and Jesus will be lifted high!

I am looking forward to teaching through this in the fall!

Check out Trevin’s other writings posted through The Gospel Coalition, linked in the tab Be Informed! and the Gospel Project website linked in the tab Ministry Resources.

Your fellow worker in the field,  Adam

“Shout Out” by Ricardo Sanchez

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One of the great parts about summer camp is being exposed to amazing worship. This past week one of the favorite songs our students latched onto was “Shout Out” by Ricardo Sanchez.

I love songs that focus my heart on Jesus and push me to His throne in passionate worship. The chorus echoes the words of the angels in Isaiah 6, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. In our generation we need to be unashamed to sing loud to our King!

Verse 1
Holy God Most High, hear the song of praise we sing to You
Mighty King and Holy One, we worship You in Spirit and in Truth
We join the melody, the song the angels sing around Your throne
We can’t hold back this joy that comes from my heart to You alone!
You alone!
 
Chorus
Unashamed we shout out, sing loud: Holy is the Lord!
Unashamed we shout out, sing loud: Holy is the Lord!
Yeah!
 
Verse 2
The chains that had us bound, we watch them fall to the ground as we say:
Praise and honor be to the One Who set us free!
 
Chorus 2
Unashamed we shout out, sing loud: Holy is the Lord!
Unashamed we shout out, sing loud: Holy is the Lord!
Unashamed we shout out, sing loud: Holy is the Lord!
Unashamed we shout out, sing loud: Holy is the Lord!
Yeah!
 
Bridge
Let our song rise as we lift our eyes to the King
Holy, holy, holy, forever we say
Let our song rise as we lift our eyes to the King
Holy, holy, holy, forever we say
(Repeat)
 
Chorus 3
Unashamed we shout out, sing loud: Holy is the Lord!
Unashamed we shout out, sing loud: Holy is the Lord!
Unashamed we shout out, sing loud: Holy is the Lord!
Unashamed we shout out, sing loud: Holy is the Lord!
Yeah!

Investing in the Lives of Students

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Investing in the Lives of Students

Below is a blog posted by one of my Middle School Girls LIFE Group teachers. As I read this I swelled with joy because this is an example of small groups functioning at its best. Read the full article HERE. Megan Hamby is deeply invested in the lives of her eighth grade girls class. Even though she recently got married, started a new job, and is beginning a whole new stage of life, she is concerned with more than just herself. She wants to pass wisdom on to young believers following in her footsteps. Why am I so proud of Megan and this particular small group? 

  • This is the pattern of Jesus – to invest personally in a small group.
  • Even when we are busy with our own lives we never are supposed to neglect the call to make disciples.
  • The focus is on what the bible says to us, not just want we want to hear.
  • Relationships really matter for our spiritual health, therefore make good ones.
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Surviving High School: What I Wish Someone had Told Me In the summer of 2011, I began teaching a small group of upcoming eighth grade girls. Over the past year, I have grown close to each of these girls, and in the process, inherited the girls in the sixth and seventh grade, as well. As the life group teacher to the middle school girls, I’ve learned a lot about the struggles they go through each day. This fall, I’ll (unwillingly) send my eighth graders to the high school ministry as they begin their freshman year. As I think about this last summer I have with them, I find myself thinking about what I wish someone had told me before I went off to high school. Even more so, what I wish someone had told me when I was in middle school. This summer, in the last weeks with the eighth graders, we will be discussing some different topics as they prepare to go to high school and diving into Scripture with each topic.

  • Stand firm in your faith.  People will challenge your faith for the rest of your life. Be rooted in what you believe. Maintain a hunger and thirst for God’s Word. Study scripture. Stay involved in church. Participate in Bible studies. Know what you believe- because you will be tested for the rest of your life.
  • Don’t let popularity stop you from sharing Jesus. Often times in high school, I let my desire to be “popular” or “cool” hinder me from sharing Jesus. What I didn’t realize then is that popularity doesn’t matter after high school (it doesn’t matter inhigh school). What matters now is the people I went to school with still don’t know Jesus- and I had every opportunity to tell them about Him.
  • Surround yourself with friends who point you to Christ. I was blessed to meet my best friends when I was in the eighth grade. A group of five girls who loved Jesus more than they loved anyone or anything else, and they held me accountable. Our relationship’s foundation was built around Christ, and we pointed each other to Him when we had a problem. We went through a lot in high school- illnesses, parents dying, fears of families moving- but we shared a friendship that was deeper than most. At 21 years old, they are still my closest friends.Girls, I want you to have these kinds of friendships. I want you to have friends that point you to Jesus in hard times, rejoice with you in good times, and love you despite your faults.
  • Guard your heart. It’s so easy to desire affection and love from boys when you’re in high school. We crave the desire and and longing. Girls, be protective of your heart. Every crush, hug, and kiss gives a piece of your heart away. Even more so, guard your most precious inner beauty. Understand how sacred your purity is- and that it’s only meant for your husband.
  • Cherish your family. Girls, one day- sooner than you imagine- you will be moving away from home. You will be leaving for college, taking a job in a different city, or marrying your best friend and starting a family of your own. At this point in your life, I know it seems like light years away, but it will be here faster than you know. Cherishthis time with your family. Go on family vacations, go shopping with your mom, and have family game nights.
  • Look in the mirror…and smile. God created you. Your curvy figures, crooked teeth, the color of your eyes and hair, the length of your legs…God made you. Even as a twin…you are one of a kind. Psalm 139:14 say, “I will praise You because I have been remarkable and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.” God did not make a mistake when He created you- don’t tell Him that He did.

Girls, I love you, and I have been so blessed to be your life group leader this past year. I look forward to seeing you each Wednesday and Sunday, and every other opportunity I have to spend with you.

To my sweet eighth graders, I have loved watching you grow spiritually. Although I’ve been your teacher, you all have taught and encouraged me through your lives. I can’t wait to see you grow even more, and I am not ready to give you up.