My Child Revelation

This post is about something God revealed to me yesterday.

I got some unexpected to myself.  I had been around a lot of distractions that were taking my focus off of God.  To make a long story short, I knew that I needed to take this time and just talk with God.

I started praying for specific youth and then I started praying about myself.

A great conviction came over me.  In the past couple of weeks I had done one-sided prayers.  I had been so distracted and "busy" that I had a hard time actually hearing what God had to say.  During this time I was reminded of how Elijah waited for God.

God is completely all-powerful.  I think sometimes we say this and believe it.  But then we get an unhealthy view of our life.  With prayer, we begin to think of God as one who serves us.  Our prayers become lists of empty words and requests.

So I started to pray differently.

I just stopped talking.  I didn't say anything.  I cleared my mind of all my thoughts.  I just waited.

I waited to hear God.  I no longer was in control of the prayer.  I put my prayer in God's hands.  I just waited for Him to move.

And then something amazing happen.  Two words came into my head.  I didn't hear the physical voice of God saying these two words, but I knew God was speaking to me.  He only said two words and it radically changed my night.

"My child".

I knew that God was my Father and I knew I was His child.  But to be honest I spent more time of thinking God as my Father than the other way around.  I knew God as my Father, but I never spent much time thinking that God viewed me as His child.

On the surface it doesn't sound like a big difference.  God is my Father and I am His child sounds like the same thing.  But last night, something deeper was revealed about this relationship.

I am a child of God.  I am loved.  I am cherished and cared for.

The feeling that I got last night was relief.  I am His!  After hearing this I broke down.  All of the distractions and walls I had been putting up the past couple of weeks soon fell down.  I was a helpless child and I found comfort in that.

Yes God is my Father and I can go to Him for anything.  But I am also His child.  I'm not just a child.  I am His child. 

He knows my heart and loves me anyway.

Scholarship Deadline!

This is a reminder that scholarships for youth camps are due THIS SUNDAY, April 29th.  If you help lowering the cost of camp, please fill out this form and turn it in to Bro. Thom.

MFuge Change -

We will be leaving for New Orleans sooner than expected.  Instead of leaving Monday morning, we will be leaving June 24th Sunday morning at 9am.  This will give us plenty of time to rest, eat, and see the town before camp.  Make sure you mark your calendars for the change!

No Afterschool Program This Week

This Wednesday - April 25th - We will NOT be having the afterschool program.  We will still have our regular youth choir practice at 6pm, and our youth services at 7pm.

May 30th will be the last afterschool program of the school year.

Check out this Christian Artist!

Rachel Chan has an album out called "Go".  She is the daughter of Francis Chan (author of Crazy Love) and she is ONLY 16 YEARS OLD!  I encourage everyone to check out her album.

Here are the lyrics to one of her songs -

*High School Students - This was the song we talked about tonight.  You can find it on youtube or iTunes.   The message of this song is a very difficult one to live out.  Sometimes God calls us to be friends with non-Christians, and sometimes He calls us away, because they are pulling us away from Him.  A friendship built on Christ is literally and everlasting friendship.

Ready and Waiting

Its not that I don't love you
I hope you understand
Because of what your choosing
I can not be your friend
But oh how i love to take your hand
and lead you away from where you stand
But I can't walk beside you
On a road we know is wrong
It breaks my heart to leave you
In a place you don't belong
And God knows I wanna stand by you
But until the day you love whats true

I'll be ready and waiting here for you
As soon as you find nothing satisfies
your thirsty eyes then you'll see
why I had to leave

I know you think your alright
But you can not deny
Your life was so much brighter
When you lived it in the light
I know what its like to live a lie
To feel like your broken deep in side
I know how it hurts to cross that line
So until you've left that world behind

I'll be ready and waiting here for you
As soon as you find nothing satisfies
your thirsty eyes then you'll see
oh I hope you see soon

I know what its like to live a lie
To feel like your broken deep in side
I know how it hurts to cross that line
So until you leave that world behind

I'll be ready and waiting here for you
As soon as you find Jesus satisfies
your thirsty eyes then you'll see
why I had to leave

I'll be ready and waiting here for you
As soon as you find Jesus satisfies
your thirsty eyes then you'll see
why I had to leave

Stop and Think

Please take some time to watch this video.  Very strong presentation of the gospel.  This is Francis Chan, the writer of Crazy Love.  Share this with your friends and family!

MFuge - High School Camp - New Orleans

I AM JONAH - Middle School Camp - Jonathan Creek

Crossings 2012 - I AM JONAH Trailer from Crossings Camps on Vimeo.

Camp Scholarship Form

Camp will be here before we know it!

It will cost $300.00 to attend either camp this year.  We understand that this is a lot of money so we are doing all we can to lower that amount.

At the top of the Website you'll see a form that says "Camp Scholarship Form".  Simply fill it out and turn it into Bro. Thom.

Please have your forms in by Sunday, April 29th.

Money should NOT be a reason for you to not attend camp this year!

D-Now Photos

On the right hand side of the web page click the photo.  If you have more photos give me a flash drive with them on it, or put them on facebook!  We'll be loading videos very soon!

Hotdog Popcicles!

This past week during the afterschool program we stumbled upon something wonderful.  Something great.  Something that the world may not be ready for!

Hotdog Popcicle

Here is the recipe....

Ingredients -
Hot Dogs
Water

Directions -
1. Take a pot of water.  Boil the water.  Put the hotdogs into the boiling.  Cook the hotdogs thoroughly.
2.  Get 6 foam cups.  Fill the cups each with the water used for the hotdog (hotdog water).
3.  Cut up a cooked hotdog and place it in the foam cup filled with hotdog water.
4.  Place spoon in cup, and put cups in freezer.
5.  Wait about 2 hours to freeze.
6.  Give popsicles to the middle school boys.
7.  Bon Apetite!

Ch-Ch-Changes

We're changing things up a little bit on the youth website.  Here are some features that will be coming soon!

1.  Daily Updates - Each day we are going to have announcements, contest posts, pictures, videos, or just a word of encouragement.
2.  Guest Posts - Every once in a while we'll have a guest article from people you know (or may not know).  You'll have posts from Rob Turner, Rachael Hurt, Bro Randy/Byron/Chris, and others.
3.  There will be more photos of stuff we just got done doing!  (Like the D-Now).

Living our lives built on sacrifice

Easter has now passed us by.  For the next couple of weeks you'll probably still find Easter grass, and if you mow the lawn you'll probably mow up some eggs that weren't found.  It's okay to put away all of the Easter decorations.

But it's really important that we don't put away what happened this season.

Jesus Christ died for you and me.  Everything we have ever done and will ever do has been paid for by His death.

This was the discussion we had in the High School "The Point".  We are not saved because Jesus was placed on a cross.  We are not saved because a crown of thorns was put on His head.  We are not saved because of what happened to Jesus' physical body.

We are saved because Jesus absorbed the wrath of God.  The punishment that we deserved.  Jesus took that punishment with Him to the cross.

This has to be what our lives are about.  Knowing this, should change how we live our lives.  We no longer live for ourselves.

Christ has died for your sins not so we can do what we want, but so that we can be freed from sin.

Find ways to remind yourself of what Christ has done for you!  Here is a video that will help!