Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick note this week guys:

I just want to let you all know how thankful I really am to be a part of things at TCC.  It has been amazing thus far to see so many youth take such great strides in their faith!  I am so thankful for all the hard work the youth team does each week, as well as all the efforts of the student leader team.  Thank you all for your great participation in all the events we have done over the past two years!  I am also thankful for such a great Senior Pastor in Pastor Bruce, his wisdom and guidance are immesurable.  If you are reading this and are a youth – take the time to get to know him!  To all the friends that support me and my family as well as my ministry here, you are appreciated greatly.  Last, but for sure first, I am thankful for my wife who sacrifices so much of her time and energies to live with a guy like me and one that seems to spend all his time hanging out with teens!  I am blessed.  I look forward to this next season as we begin to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Christ.  Talk to you soon.

Blessings.

*ADDED NEW QUESTIONS* – (see *&*) – C.S. Lewis

Hi all,

Sorry for the lack of posts lately!  I hope to put a few up in the coming days so don’t dissapear on me!

I have been reading a great book put together by a guy named Richard Foster called Devotional Classics.  In it is a passage by C.S. Lewis from his book “Mere Christianity”:

“The Christian way is different: harder, and easier.  Christ says, “Give me All.  I don’t want so much of your time and so much of of your money and so much of your work: I want You.  I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it.  No half-measures are any good.  I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down.  Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked-the whole outfit.  I will give you a new self instead.  In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.”

There is a lot packed into this one paragraph.  Lewis writes about how Christ wants all of us, not pieces, not portions.  All.  Christ wants everything we are/were and to replace it with Himself.  Think about the implications of that.  It is both terrifying and glorious in one.  After hearing Justin Kendrick talk about this very point this weekend, I thought this topic appropriate.  This is hard for us to grasp.  The total surrender of ourselves.  What does it even mean?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this so please everyone that reads this is welcome to leave a comment below!  What does this passage say to you?  What are the scary parts, the great parts.  Is it possible to even do this?  Start some dialogue!

*&* – To add to this post:  The comments on this post are great so I want to keep them going so I’m adding this question to the fray –

Jonathan Edwards writes:

“For every true disciple of Christ loves him above father, and mother, sister and brother, spouse and children, houses and land-yes, even above his own life.  From this it follows that wherever true religion is, there is a will that moves that person to spiritual excercises.  [It]….must be remembered : the exercising of the will is nothing other than the affections of the soul. 

I am bold in saying this, but I believe that no one is ever changed, either by doctrine, by hearing the Word, or by the preaching and teaching of another, unless the affections are moved by these things.”

I feel that Edwards is saying something quite profound for us to recognize.  What does this passage say about the change C.S. Lewis speaks of in the earlier quote.  What does Edwards believe must happen in our lives as a result of real Christ-centered change?  Go ahead and continue to post on this!

Blessings.

Our first thoughts each day

As I have been studying for class I have come across a man named John Braillie.  He lived from 1886-1960.  He wrote a book of prayers to be read/used in the morning and evening.  I often approach prayer in a hurried way sometimes, i try to squeeze it in.  I find those prayer times often very self centered, unorganized, and honestly quite chaotic.  One of my professors at Gordon College used to say “we give God the best of everything (our music, art, sermons, etc.) but not our prayers”.  I find that there is so much to be found in writing well or in someone who has written well a prayer to God.  It is our best thoughts organized to present to the God who createad us, who deserves our best.  I want to share with you this prayer today (to be used for praying in the morning) and maybe in praying it you will be able to give to God in a pleasing way!

“Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of You, let my first impulse be to worship You, let my first speech be Your name, let my first action be to kneel before You in prayer.

For Your perfect wisdom and perfect goodness:

For the love with which You love mankind:

For the love with which You love me:

For the great and mysterious opportunity of my life:

For the indewlling of Your Spirit in my heart:

For the sevenfold gifts of Your Spirit:

I praise and worship You, O Lord.

Yet let me not, when this morning prayer is said, think my worship ended and spend the day in forgetfulness of You.  Rather from these moments of quietness let light go forth, and joy, and power, that will remain with me through all the hours of the day;

Keeping me chaste in thought:

Keeping me temperate and truthful in speech:

Keeping me faithful and diligent in my work:

Keeping me humble in my estimation of myself:

Keeping me honorable and generous in my dealings with others:

Keeping me loyal to every hallowed memory of the past:

Keeping me mindful of my eternal destiny as a child of Yours.

Through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.”  John Braillie

Comfortable day

one of my favorite songs – it is one of the best “message” songs I have ever used on a sunday night.  I spoke at a church this summer and used the words from this song as the illustration.  It is sung by Holy Fire/Out of Hiding (who will be in service and in youth group on the 16th of November).  Maybe this catches you off guard today and gets you to thinking about your faith.

Blessings.