:[running hard after God]:

To date I have participated in six 5 k races. The 2004 and 2005 bridge run over in Savannah hosted by Enmark, the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Tybee Run hosted by Memorial health and the 2005 City Market Run. I love running (or jogging, which better describes what I am doing). I can not do justice how I feel as I move with this mass of people toward our goal. Everyone has the same goal in mind. Everyone wants to win (or rather finish). Adrenaline rush is right.
Psalms 63.8 says "my soul follows hard after thee" [KJV]. Following hard? Not just following. Not meandering. Not strolling along. But following hard. Running hard after God. That is an awesome thought.
But why run? Is he running away form us? Does he not want to be caught? Why is he even moving? Shouldn't he be in one place at all times?
God himself does not change. But he continuely does new things. And for our relationship with him to grow and deepen, I believe he continuely moves. When Cora started crawling we owuld put something in front of her to entice her to crawl froward. Then she began wlaking and I would get in front of her saying, "Come on, Cora" with my hands outstreched. And sometimes when she was close enough I would take one more step back. It made her push herself. No she runs everywhere (a falls a lot).
God is in front of us, saying, "Come on!" And everytime we get close enough (read as, everytime we think we know Him) He "changes." He reveals somethign new. he takes one more step back so we can continuely run after Him. It makes the relationship vibrant. It certainly isn't dull and boring.
So, then, do you want to run hard after God? Well, do you even want to run? I mean, the activation energy needed to get us off the couch, put on some sneakers and get out the door is great. So is the activation energy needed to start a deep relationship with God. But it's worth it. Run after HIm. Run hard after God.

:[Winterfest 2006]:

Get your forms now! The information buzz is as follows...

Before You Go:

• Read, Sign, and Turn in a "Trips Rules & Guidelines Form"
• Read, Sign, and Turn in a "Liability Realease Form"

What To Bring:

• Bible
• Money: Enough for 3 meals for three days... suggested amount: $60
• If you want spending money, bring it
• Toothbrush (someone will lone you the toothpaste, but bring the toothbrush)
• Good Attitude

Schedule:

• Meet at the church parking lot at 11:59 PM on Thursday, March 9th
• Hit Knoxville, Tn around noon on Friday, March 10th.
• Friday Night Service
• Saturday mall shopping day
• Saturday Night Service
• Sunday morning: wake up, pack up.... then Sunday Morning Concert
• Head for home
• Back in Hinesville around 9 PM Sunday, March 12th

Hotel Information:

• La Quinta Inn
• 258 North Peters Road, Knoxville, TN
• 865.690.9777
• this is our hotel

:[addictive]:

Just two games I am addicted to now... Chicktionary is a word game and you knowhow i like those. Find as many words as you can. The "Uh, oh" the chicken gives you when you do something wrong is funny. The other game? I don't even know how to pronounce Nisqually but you move the square blocks around to make 'em disappear.

:[movie love]:

Yes, it's the month... and right now it's the day before... the big red heart day... but instead of talking about sex we are going to talk about "Movie Love" and how the media distorts relationships, love, and consequences. So as we explore the distortion of the L word hopefully we make a conscious effort to not be influenced by this world's media.

Games People Play

1. No lie... You gotta try SVEERZ. It's like simon says with music and when it's over the annoucner says your name.
2. A cute game with bugs.
3. Play Who Wants To Be A Millionare. I haven't gotten to question #10 yet.
4. There's no Alex Trebek, but Jeoperdy is fun. I get the first round but I can't guess the bonus round for the life of me.
5. Want a frustrating game? Hexxagon is for you. I got really mad losing to the computer.

:[face 2 face]: pt. 3

There's an old movie titled "Not Without My Daughter." It stars Sally Field, who marries a Middle Eastern man and moves overseas. After some time, she realizes that she does not wan tto lead the life that is being pushed on her. Sally Field decides to escape from her husband. He finds out and things get ugly. At one point, some peopel try to help summgle her out of the country, but she says she is not leaving without her daughter. The movie has a slow build up, but in the end, after a very long journey to saftey, she hears the flapping of the American flag at the embassy and she begins crying. She is free. And she has her daughterin her arms. Nothing was going to stop her from taking her child to safety and freedom.

God did it first. He wanted to nake a way for us to get back into an intimate relationship with Him. He did whatever it took to get us back. No matter what, He wanted a face to face relationship with us. He gave His only Son. Turned His back on Him at the cross. And brought Him back to life on the third day.

Now what about us on the other side of the relationship? Are we willing to say "No matter what" we will serve Him, love Him, live for Him? Do we have a "no matter what" attitude? Are we filled with determination that nothing can stand in our way?

When I think about the "no matter what" attitude... two things come to mind: first, what Job said "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him." Secondly, the account of a trio of teenagers that stoo up to a king.

In Daniel chapter 3, we see three young adults who took a stand. They decided to live right. When the king decreed that everyone would worship a statue of himself, they determined in their hearts that they would not do such a thing no matter what the consequences. The consequence was being thrown into a furnance so hot it turned one of the kingsmen to ashes.

The trio still heldfast to the notion that it is better to do right no matter what.

Their "no matter what" attitude is epitomized in Daniel 3.18. After the king gives them one more chance to bow before his statue, the young'uns say that God will save them "but if He doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."

That's determination. That's guts. That's a "no matter what" attitude. We need to get this attitude in us if we want a face to face relationship with God. The attitude that says, no matter what happens, I will live for God!

:[places to go]:

• Wanna a cheap flight simulation? Move your mouse on the screen and pretend you are Clark Kent... Smallville anyone?
• Watch last year's Winterfest services.
• I don't know why, but I love Twistingo. It's Bingo with a twist? Whatever, it is a good diversion.

:[face 2 face]: pt. 2

the song says... "this is the air I breathe... your holy presence, living in me... i'm desperate for you..." and I think: Are we desperate for Him?

By desperate I mean extremely urgent, extremely intense want, need, desire.

If we stand in line for an hour and nothing moves, we get so frustrated we'd do anything to make somethign happen. If we are stuck in a small room where the air is so bad, so regunant that we can hardly breath, we use all our strength and all our know-how to get out of that room. Whatever it takes.

Desperation makes us do a lot of things. Usually desperation has a negative conotation. But when are we going to be desperate for God? Get to the point that we will do anythig, say anything, go anywhere, forget about everybody and concentrate on GOD... to touch Him, hear Him, see Him.

To be like the woman who had een bleeding for 12 years... to push people out of the way no matter what laws she was breaking... she wanted to get to Jesus and nothign was goign to stop her. She was desperate.

But how do we get like that? So driven, so insanely focused on God that nothign else matters? Does somethign bad have to happen inour lives? Or is it possible that in our pursuit of meeting face 2 face with Him , that we find out so much about who He is that this insaitbale craving for God begins to build up and can not be quieted until we are nose to nose with our maker. To smell the breath of God. To feel His eyelashes against our eyelids.

Until then... let's speak things that are not a though they were... "i'm desperate for you... i'm desperate for you..."

:[face 2 face]:

There are certain things that need to be done face to face such as breaking up with a girlfriend, settling an argument, interviewing an prospective employee, and getting to know someone. By the same token, to have a thriving, deep relationship with God, we need to have a face to face encounter with Him.
What scares us from having a face to face with God? Probably that when we get so close to Him, we can not fake anything. Nothing is hidden. We are vulnerable. He can see our flaws. Our true selves. By keeping God at arms length, we hurt ourselves.
Is it time to bring God close? To be eye ball to eye ball with Him. To be face to face with God. To let Him see our imperfections and our deep wounds.
When we drop the facade, when we allow God to get close, we will enjoy the benefits that come with a face to face relationship with God. He will help us through our hurts, heal us from our past and guide us into a victorious future. Get close to God. Get in His face. And then we will start mirroring Him.

:[peruse]:

Two books that i think are pretty good, pretty good... they deal with companies, marketing, advertising, relationships and all that worldly stuff. easily applicable to the church life, espicailly youth ministry.

• Never Wrestle With A Pig: Making it in the coporate world is very similar to making it in the "churchy" world... morals, ethics, ideas, advise... The title? Don't wreslte with a pig becuase the pig always wins and you end up dirty. Hmmmm? Think about it.
• Purple Cow: Just started reading this one, but man, good stuff. The jist so far? The world is filled with ordinary products, you have to be remarkable to be noticed. You must be a Purple Cow in a field of brown hefers.

:[onelife]:

In the parable of the talents, a manager hands three of his employees varying amounts of money. He gives Ray-Ray five hundred dollars, Ted two hundred dollars, and Bubba one hundred dollars. Each employee does something different with the money and when the manager returns he wants to know what happened with his money. Ray-Ray and Ted both doubled their money through wise investments. Bubba however did nothing with his money. He stuck it in the bottom of the sock drawer. The manager was so disappointed in Bubba he took his hundred and gave it to Ray-Ray.
We have one life to live. God gave us this life and we must make the most out of it. This life comes with a body we must take care of and talents and skills we must use for good. Don't be passive, seeing life pass you by. Be aggressive, take charge, do what you know is right!
Are you like Bubba and sticking your life in the bottom of the sock drawer doing absolutely nothing with it? Or are you investing your life wisely like Ray-Ray and Ted? Evaluate yourself before the manager comes back to check up on us.

Winterfest 2006

We are headed to Knoxville, TN on March 10 thru 12th, 2006.
Payment schedule is pretty simple... $27 every first Wednesday of the month between Ocotber and Feburary. Total Cost: $135.

Those that have helped with findraisers, make sure to get a post card from Ms. Michal to know your new balance.

My Praize 2005

phobia pt. 1

I went online to see the different types of phobias out there. Well i got about fifteen pages of phobias all from A-X (there are no phobias starting with Y or Z according to this list.) Some of them seem silly, like the fear of trees? Dendrophobia. Or what about the fear of puppets? Pupaphobia. (Actually one of our LOYC teens hates Kermit the Frog with a passion.) Take the test and see who well you know your phobias...

take the test....
1. testophobia
a. squids b. playing sports c. taking tests

2. xanthophobia
a. pills b. the color yellow c. taking showers

3. verbophobia
a. taking action b. eating green veggies c. words

4. venustraphobia
a. the planet venus b. trash c. beautiful women

5. lachanophobia
a. vegetables b. milk c. being late

6. nelophobia
a. all music by Nelly b. glass c. using a computer

7. opthalmophobia
a. big mammals b. the hippo c. being starred at

8. philemaphobia
a. kissing b. reading c. asking permission

9. vestiphobia
a. clothing b. spiders c. chalk

10. panophobia
a. bread b. everything c. taking pictures

answers:
1. c; 2. b; 3. c; 4. c; 5. a; 6. b; 7. c; 8. a; 9. a; 10. b

2 Corinthians 4.18
18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Fear deals with ignorance, false pretensions. When you focus on what you can see instead of what you know to be true.

Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Fear comes when we stop looking to God and start looking at the situation around us.
Fear is the opposite of Faith.

Just like being afraid of beautiful women or being afraid of glass may seem ridiculous, being fearful of our situations is not right. If we trust GOD and His word.

Truth University: Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.

you talking to me? (pt. 3)

As a quick recap, when we first started talking about prayer, we agreed that God wants open communication with us and we need and open communication with Him. Why? Because talking with God benefits us and not talking to God hurts us.

So moving on from that thought, we must talk to god no matter what!

Life gets hard at times. It also gets very good at times. And we sometimes, depending on our mood or our circumstances, will put off talking to God. But because of the first two points, we must never stop talking to God. Never!

(When Others Stop) Joshua was with Moses like an assistant. Whenever Moses went to pray, Joshua would follow as well. However, when Moses would finish praying, Joshua would stay behind. (Exodus 33.11). Just because others stop, doesn’t mean you have to. Moses was the spiritual leader, but Joshua needed more from God. I may sometimes offend you, the Pastor may sometimes rub you the wrong way. No matter what others do, do not let them stop you from talking with God.

(When Others Want To Stop You) Hannah was a woman who wanted a baby. She was made fun of by her family. When she went to church to pray, she was so passionate, so into talking with God, that the priest, the Pastor of the church, thought she was drunk. He told her to stop. Hannah explained what she was doing and the Pastor prayed for her and she got her baby. (1 Samuel 1.10-17). Hannah prayed when she was totally hurt and she also prayed when she was extremely happy (1 Samuel 2.1-10). When others want to stop you from talking to God, you must not give up!

(When You Want To Stop Yourself) There was a man in the Bible who went to Jesus and said, “If you want to heal my boy I know you can.” And Jesus replied, “If? All you need to do is believe.” And the man said something very powerful. The man quickly replied, “I believe. Help me with my doubt.” There are times when we want to stop ourselves from talking to God. We don’t “feel” like it. We begin doubting the benefits. We start to question if it is worth it. That is when we say, “God, I believe, but you must help me with my doubts.” And you push through.

Six Flags 2005

Six Flags 2005

you talking to me? (pt 2)

why should we talk with GOD? is it a waste of time? is it just an exercise in stress relief? is it no different than yoga, meditation and the new age stuff?

talking with GOD is different from all the above, because He is real and talking with Him benefits us. God gives us direction, counsel, ideas, peace, encouragement, strength, courage, power, and so much more.

and just like talking with Him benefits us, not talking to Him hurts us. we are at a disadvantage when we don’t communicate with GOD. we come out short, left wanting and lacking.

2 Chronicles 16.12
12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa came down with a severe case of foot infection. He didn't ask GOD for help, but went instead to the doctors. 13Then Asa died; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.

Asa was king, he tried to do everything right. There were a couple of things he did not do right. But all in all, he did good. But for some reason, near the end of his life he got a disease and the Bible says “He didn’t ask God for help.” And the next line says, “Then Asa died.”

Or what about Joshua? In Joshua 7.6-10... Joshua send the men to fight a war and they lose. And Joshua goes to God and asked him why did they lose. And God said, “Because you didn’t ask me first.” So then after talking with God, they go again, and they win.

And then there is the parable of the pesky widow. She bothers the judge, is persistent and consistent. Daily, nightly going to him. And this judge finally decides to grant her wish. And Jesus says, how much more our heavenly Father will give us what we need.

Talking with God benefits us.

How much are we missing from not talking to GOD? Asa died, Joshua lost a war, probably lost men’s lives. What are we losing? What are we missing?

you talking to me?

how do we communicate?
we have the internet to send email
pen and paper to write letters
sign language
the telephone
smoke signals
and in the movies, some aliens can communicate via telepathy

there are plenty of ways to communicate with each other, but how do we communicate with GOD?
the way to talk to GOD is through prayer, and since he is everywhere at all times, you can tlak with GOD whenever, wherever

which sparks another question, why don’t we communicate with GOD more often?
are we too busy with our lives? too busy communicating with others?

in psalms 139 david describes the omnipresence of GOD:
You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight.
I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too-- your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful-- I can't take it all in!
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you're there!
If I go underground, you're there!
If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon, You'd find me in a minute-- you're already there waiting!

GOD is everywhere, and he wants to have a relationship with us. he wants to have open communication. give and take. back and forth. daily.