So it's Monday. Life just seems to be wierd on Monday for most people on the planet, myself included. Like today, I am not focused, non-caring, and just not wanting to do much of anything today. I just feel like, I need to be left along and grumble to myself until I am sick of me.
So here's the deal or what I think is the reason behind by "lack of go get em' ".

A fellow student minister, "of whom I admire", had a recent pic taken with about 20 students who were being baptised in his church & all on the same day. I went WooooooooooooW. I saw in his eyes a look I had not seen before. I saw in his eyes a look that said "God is Awesome" and I saw in his eyes, YEA, God used me in a BIG WAY and I am sooooo GLAD HE DID........

I was excited for him and know that the Angels are celebrating to this day and Satan is ticked about it. But looking at that pic made me wonder WHY. Why a massive movement of God doesn't happen like that in our area, or in our church or even in our own student ministry. What are we doing that is not allowing God's Holy Spirit to move like that. Every church has it's own set of issues, ours included. Every Student Ministry has it's own quirks and ours falls in that mix as well.....
So what can I do to fix it. What can I say that would make a difference in Student's Lives. What can I do PERIOD? What can I do or what can I say to tell PEOPLE about the importance of student ministry, of giving of our time to just hang out with some pretty awesome students.
Where's the calvary when you need it. But then, Paul did it. Peter did it. Jesus did it, so why can't I?

Stay tuned for further developments.......uh, oh yea, Monday's are still wierd,.

till next time

tc
peace
4/6/09

TC's Thoughts

1-23-09
A few days ago, I saw & heard Rick Warren pray in front of billions of people at the inaguaration. I felt I heard language reaching out to many different people groups. I heard him receite the Shem and the Lord's prayer along with other words that seemed to reach out to people of many varying lifestyles as well. Then I heard what I had hoped he would say, Jesus. Many people talk about God and the words just seem to fill their soul for a second, but mention the name of JESUS and it seems as if you have turned the light switch from dim to bright. From being passive to down right "IN YOUR FACE". Then Rick expressed the inclusiveness of Jesus and the fact that there is only one way to Jesus. Nor does it exclude the fact that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Rick didn't mentioned it but it is true that the Bible calls idol worship, pride, greed and adultery as well ......sin, but that appears to be the problem most have with him and others like him and with me.

It's not Rick Warren some people have problems with, it's God's word. Just look at 2 Timothy, the Bible says clearly that there will come a time when people don't want to hear the truth. They just want to hear things that would tickle their ears. I have seen in the past few years, where people just do not want to offend others. Look, the teachings of Jesus were TOUGH. "Let the dead bury their own dead". "Give up EVERYTHING and follow me". We seem to all have a long way to go. But, sin is what it is SIN, but the awesome thing about Jesus Christ is that although we ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, there is forgivness of sin because of the selfless gift Jesus gave us on that cross.Rick was bold in his words, but can easily back them up with biblical references each and every time, which is where his strength come from, God's word. So do we accept some of the bible and reject the other.
Do we accept God is Great & God is good and merciful and kind and forgiving but reject the WRATH that is YET TO COME and reject Jesus is the only way (John 14:6)?

till next time,
peace I leave with you
tc
romans 5:1

God is still teaching me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I sometimes think that God likes to use repetition to teach me. He knows that I may not pay attention if He just shows me something once, but He knows it'll get through my thick skull if He shows me again and again and again. See, here's the deal: I believe with absolute certainty that God forgives sin. I've experienced that. But I have this problem with forgiving myself of that failure to walk in His ways. Even though He has thrown that sin away, I keep dwelling on it, thinking I've somehow failed or disappointed Him, that I'm not worth it, that I can't even follow God in the small things or stand against temptation.

But Hebrews reminds me that Jesus has made all things possible. Hebrews 5:9 says that He became the source of eternal salvation for us. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that that we can withstand temptation to sin because we have Christ in our lives. Hebrews 2:18 teaches us that He stands beside us in our suffering and trials, because He endured them, too. Hebrews 7:25 tells us that He is ready to save—once and for all—and intercedes for us with the Father. He forgives sin, and when He does, it's gone and blown away for ever. Jesus isn't about guilt or shame. It's just the opposite, AT LEAST FOR NOW.

BUT, when He returms again and HE WILL, he is not going to be Mr. Nice Guy. He will come and claim what is rightfully HIS. He gives us sooooooo many chances and sooooooo many choices that WE determine our own destinty which may end at any moment. Our days and minutes are numbered and the clock is ticking. So I find joy and strength in the fact that I have a Savior who understands me and knows where I'm coming from. Jesus has stood in my place, taken on my sin, and covered me with His righteousness. He died so that I might be right with God. He has made a way!
And He's made a way for you, too. If I can help, you know where to find me.
tc
romans 5:1

From the Rocky Mountains

As I write today, I am sitting in my incredible room at Glorietta New Mexico looking out the picture perfect window at God's Creation. Anyone who can not comprehend the magnitude of God's power needs to do what I did, go to the mountains.

Last night David Platt, our conference speaker, was digging deep in Exodus 33. A truly amazing set of passages that speaks of Moses and God. How incredible that must have been. Only Moses had access to God. No one else could enter the tent but him. But with Christ sacrifice, that was totally wiped clean. Each and everyone on the planet has direct access to God because of what Christ did for you and for me. The amazing thing about these passages was that each and every time God direct Moses to lead his people, God said He will not be with them. Moses went directly back to God and said, If you not going with us, we are just not going. Moses knew that without God protection and without his leading them in the correct ways, they we all doomed.

In the end Moses asked God to "Show me your Glory?
God showed him. So what's your excuse?

Hell Is Real
Last night at our wednesday night student service "Common Ground", I gave what I call is one of those IN YOUR FACE messages, that we RARELY do anymore. It was a gut check for many students and for myself as well. The Topic. HELL. So many students and adults alike, never seem to talk about their eternal destination. So last night was competely different from many perspectives.
I read a bit of John Piper Blog a few days ago and I was puzzled about how some theologians are drifting away from the interpretation that hell is a literal place. The main objection to hell seems to be on moral issues; basically that a loving God could not justifiably punish people for all eternity (a very long time) for things done in one's lifetime (a relatively short time). That it would be unjust, not to mention downright wicked for him to do that. Those who choose not to believe in an eternal hell tend to slowly slide more toward the idea of annihilation, that at some point, everyone not in heaven will simply cease to exist. No eternal life, but no eternal death for them either.
The people arguing back and forth are certainly smarter than I ever wil be. I thought about my mesasge last night as I was lead to say things that honestly, I’m not comfortable with either. Like the words, " eternal punishment". Who is? But just because I’m not comfortable with it doesn’t mean it’s not reality check time. I think the thing that clinches and helps me understand the hell thing a little bit is actually not the meanness of God - but it’s Gods' goodness. Thinking of all the stupid things I did when I was much younger caused me to reflect on the things that I did that changed the outcome of who I was to become and it also changed the direction of someone else with my own actions. Isn’t it interesting that the “badness” of the act (sin) changes with the “goodness” of the one the act is committed against? This is why I believe in a literal hell. Hell is so bad not only because of the bad things we do - it’s so bad because God is so good.
God isn’t an awkward 6th grade girl. He’s God. He’s the Creator and Perfect Sustainer of the entire Universe. God isn’t defined by good; good is defined by God. That’s how holy, righteous, and good He is. When we wrong Him, IT'S A BIG DEAL. It’s so big because He is so good. If God were just a vindictive deity floating out there in hyperspace somewhere or someone waiting to zap us from heaven, then maybe sin would be a little bit justifiable. Some think that God is a jerk and has a chip on his shoulder or has the BIG HEAD. Who cares if they wrong Him?
For you people out there who either deny God or could care less about Jesus, I will end with this. God who wrapped Himself in flesh and walked, talked, and died for us and among us.
For me, that's good and because that's good, hell is so, so real. When Jesus comes back again and claims what is rightfully his, I wish you guys the best. I won't be here and unfortunately you will.

till next time
tc
romans 5:1

Freedom !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Somebody ask me a few days ago how long I have been riding motorcycles and then they asked me why I ride. Well, with those two questions, I can talk about for days. But, I have been riding since before I was ripe on the vine. At the young age of 11 years old, I had my first motorcycle. A mind blowing Honda 50 and it was BLUE TOO. Back in "the day", things were not as they are today. Anyway, I shifted gears and what I call FREEDOM OF THE ROAD.

Freedom is often cited as an attraction, but compared to driving a car, riding a motorcycle offers freedom from the cage of our four-wheeled cars and trucks. When a car goes into a turn, it leans to the outside of a corner, trying to maintain its proper direction of travel. A motorcycle leans into a corner. This may not sound like much, but until you've experienced both you can't understand the superior grace and simplicity of a bike. Just taking a corner becomes a symphony of precision movements instead of being throw to the outside, you meet the road and are driven through the corner. You seem to be working in harmony with the road instead of fighting it.

Once you get free of your steel cage you begin to experience a broader existence of all this world has going on. My nose was quickly introduced to skunk roadkill last week and the smell of being behind a diesel exhaust was not pleasurable, but bread baking and plants blooming made the dielse go away ratherly quickly. You feel the thousand tiny raindrops some afternoons and your skin will feel the gently warming temperature as you crest a hill and drop to floor below.
Being on a bike means you are no longer locked behind the wheel that is disconnected from nature. It's a freedom that is hard to describe.

Being on a motorcycle, is very similar to being a follower of Christ. By following the path Christ laid out for us while negoitating each hill and curve with precision. Just like leaning into a curve on your motorcycle when the road takes a new twist and turn is very similar to leaning on Christ when our life takes a turn. Being on the open road and experiencing the moment is very similar to the freedom we have in Christ that even though we struggle with life, WE WIN in the long run.

till next time,
tc
romans 5:1

Worship is our response to God. It is like cheering at a game. When someone does something amazing or hits a homerun, you don’t have to stop and say, Ok let's stand up everyone, let’s cheer, let’s celebrate, let’s clap our hands. It should be a natural response, but when we train ourselves to see God in everything around us, our natural response should be awe and worship.

When you wake up, do see God in your breath?
When you eat breakfast, do you see God as your provider?
When you see the grass, birds, trees, do you see His artistic abilities?
When someone hurts you, do you see God as one who never leaves you?
When you win a competition or game, do you stop to thank God for your abilities?
When a wind storm happens, are you amazed by the power of God?
When someone you love dies, do you see how God works in the lives of people?
When you get stopped at a red light or while driving your car, do you take the time to sing to God?

When you’re taking a shower, sing to God.
When you’re laying in bed, take the time to tell God how awesome He is.
When you see a mountain, be speechless by the greatness of it.
When you see a flower, stop and look at all the detail God has put into it.
Look for God and worshiping God everyday in everyway!

He is worthy of all our praise. He is worthy of our worship.

till next time

tc
6/10/08
romans5:1

Broken World

Last Night at Common Ground, my message to the students was from the Old Testament.
Habbabuk was one of the "12"minor prophets. So little is actually known about him as compared to the other 11. But his "wrestling with God" is an amazing story. Just before the service started, I had the opportunity of talking to a student who is really struggling right now. Many worldly issues seem to be bombarding students MINDS these days and as I get older, I see and hear it more and more everyday. In this student, I see an amazing child of God. I see it in their eyes, in their smile. I can see a light glowing in their eye when they just don't feel it in their soul.
Being in student ministry as long as I have and having the responsibility to cover 6th grade through college can be very challenging to say the least. "Overwhelming" is the best word that I can think of but it doesn't even come close to what I am looking for. But thru the never ending phone calls, text messages, emails, myspace messages, facebook messages, IM's, notes, verbal conversations, school visits and whatever means I can find to stay in communication and build relationships with each student, TWO THINGS come to mind. We live in a very broken world where Satan has won WAY TOO MANY BATTLES, BUT in the end WE WIN in our struggles because of Jesus. Broken families, Broken relationships, Broken Friendships and Broken LIVES seem to infect each student these days.
I read something a few days ago that I shared with the students last night. It was a short story about a girl named Kate. Kate grew up in church, she accepted Christ at the age of 11. Kate never missed coming to church. Each time the doors were open, she was there. She never missed going to camps and retreats. Kate and the church were inseparable. Now Kate is now in her 3rd year of college. Her grades are slipping away. She hasn't been to church in over a year. She has few friends. She hasn't picked up her bible in over 2 years. She is living wih her boy friend. Katie is looking into scientogolgy. This story totally blew me away.
With me saying all this, I guess that's why I am passionate about my ministry. I know for a fact, from my own personal experiences, that MY GENERATION did a lousy job of instilling TRUTH in students and at the first sign of a struggle, they abandon their belief in Jesus and look elsewhere seeking something new that "feels good" or something that the ears like to hear.
What I am getting at is pastors, preachers and or ministers who have watered down the Gospel so much that a ONCE raging river is now a trickling stream just about to dry up. That is something that I will just not do. The Gospel should be an "IN YOUR FACE" intersection of good verses evil, aka: accept or reject.
I just pray that my passion for ministry never fails or faulters. There is just too many students that have yet to told about Christ.

till next time
peace I leave with you

tc
romans 5:1

The WOW Factor

I have attended MORE concerts lately than any other time in my life. One thing I quickly notice is a desire, of who ever the performer is, to give their audience a WOW factor. Dazel them with Big Screens, a fancy stage, an incredible light show and an over-powering sound system. All geared to WOW the ticket holder. I see thousands of fans screaming at the top of their lungs and using every bit of energy they have to just get louder. I also see people who probably had to take out a second mortgage JUST TO BUY THE TICKETS. But they were determined to be there, regardless of the cost.
Then this thought crossed my mind..............

What would happen if we tapped into that same energy and apply it to our DAILY WALK WITH CHRIST?

Do you think YOU could make a difference ?

Do you think YOU could IMPACT the world?

Absolutely.

Let us remember what Jesus told us to do. That was to " pick up our cross daily".

So my closing thought is this.

What is your purpose in life?

Why are YOU here?

What are you doing?

What do you spend MOST of your time on ?

Hmmmm...Something to think about.

Till next time.
tc
romans 5:1

Dating the wrong way.

Corinthians 6:14 (the message version) Don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That's not partnership; that's war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go walking with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wooooooo

A very hard verse to read and apply to your life, huh?. We love the verses of encouragement and comfort but don't like to read the verse that deals with direction and correction. Many of my minister to students "talks" deals with student's that are dating a non Christian guy or girl all the time. Usually the excuse is that they want to win them over to God and they keep a smal glimer hope alive by trusting what the world is doing rather than following the teachings of Christ !!!! The Bible is very clear that God is not calling you to do that. Actually, God is asking for YOU NOT to partner with those who reject God. AKA : those who do not have a relationship with God. This means Christians that are not living for God as well, they say they are but their lifestyle says the opposite. Are these individuals bad people? I don't believe so, at least not all of them. God is asking you to do this so you can walk in partnership with someone who has the same values and focus on Christ as you do. You can try to talk your way around this point but the bottom line is this! YOU ARE NOT TO DATE THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD! This is an area we have to decide if we are willing to be obedient. I can promise, choosing to live in disobedience will lead to great hurt in your life. Do what you know is right and and do it today!
in christ
tc
romans 5:1

Happiness

Happiness in being a follower of Christ, is to allow the cross of Jesus to dominate your life, not your mistakes!

Last Wenesday night at common Ground, God sent me a message that I knew was LONG OVERDUE.

It was about Satan and his lies and the thoughts that he plants in us, just to make us beleve WE ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH !!!!

How many times do we beat ourselves up over something we did wrong in our past or even earlier today or this week?

If you have asked for forgiveness and truly meant it, I mean you have from your gut been truly sorry when you ask God to forgive you when you messed up, He forgave you.

The Bible says He removes our sins as far as the East is from the West and He doesn't remember them anymore!

So when you keep beating yourself up and you run back to Him and repeat the whole process of asking for Him to forgive you over and over He just keeps saying, I have no idea what you are talking about I already forgave you all of that.

When others try to throw it in your face they are walking hand and hand with Satan to drag you down, that is not of God!

God is all about forgiveness and moving on get over it, push past it and move toward better things so God can use you to your fullest without all of that baggage.

God has forgiven it and is not still punishing you for it so quit allowing yourself or others to continue.

When we hang on to past sins and allow them to defeat us where we are today it makes light of what Jesus did on the cross and keeps us from operating at our fullest potential.

He paid for you sins before you even committed them. God wants to use you at the fullest ability He created you for and Satan wants nothing more than to defeat you with your past.

SO TODAY, take hold of God's hand and allow Him to pull you up out of that pit and love on you and show you the best He has for you is yet to come!
Don't let your past stand in the way of your future that God has designed!

In Christ,
tc
romans 5:1

I don't think they GOT IT !!!!!

About a month ago, I was driving home from our Wednesday night service. As I drove, I had a conversation with a student who I was giving a ride home to turned to how the night had gone. Typically, I talk in terms of whether the students were attentive, how certain aspects of the message or lesson went (or didn’t go), if there was any serious conversation had and the overall feeling. Tonight, though, “I don’t think they got it, came out of my mouth” The message was on Containing Complaining, which is definitely NOT a big issue with students. “Why don’t you think it went well?” She asked me. … "I just don’t think they got it… They didn’t seem to be listening… They didn’t seem interested… they mentioned that they were coming for reasons other than the message. I wish my students would feel the same way about this message as I did. There is just too much complainig these days. No one seems to be happy with anything anymore. It could have been some life-changing stuff in the s message and I’m not sure they feel that way about this stuff.”

That short conversation has lasted with me for a few weeks now. Then I thought, we don’t often share the life-changing impact with those who bring it about… a teacher… the minister at church… a friend at small group… or even someone closer… a family member… or even our boy/girl friend. But maybe, just maybe the impact is nonetheless real. As someone who speaks regularly in our student ministry’s services, at local school groups,at our local College BCM , and occasionally elsewhere, I know that there are times when I feel like I totally bombed and messed up a great message that really needed to be heard. In some of those times, God puts just the right person in my path to remind me of the impact that I had gave out but didn’t realize. They often do it by complimenting the message or remarking that it was “just what they needed to hear.”. So… what’s my point?

About a week ago, I received an amazing message over facebook. It was from a student who was kinda confessing to me that she knew she had been a negative person at times and sometimes just complained. That she had realized that and wants to change that. She felt convicted after having a "quiet time" and the thought struck her. Maybe it was the message that I had deliverd a few Wednesdays ago. Maybe a word or two sunk in. Maybe the message God gave me was the right message for one special person, who by the prompting of the Holy Spirit was waking up & be a more POSITIVE Disciple for Christ. WOW. The message she sent is still with me, encouraging me and giving me hope. Ya' See, being in the ministry has it's drawbacks. There are times when I feel ineffective, so useless. Like I am just going through the motions and spending hours and hours a week and never seeing anything good happen. BUT, Just when I least expect it, a message appears and completely changes my thinking. So, here's my current thinking that I knew all along that I seem to have had a short term memory lose about it .

Simply put: Never discredit any Godly effort. You never know who is listening, taking mental notes and then applying what they heard and learned even if they don’t act like it in the moment. God’s Spirit can do some incredible things with our efforts if we will just trust him. Even Jesus had to remind his followers that it’s not about our efforts, but more about God’s, “Jesus looked at them (the disciples) and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” (Matthew 19:26).

Keep that in mind the next time you feel like a failure....Students, what you say DOES make a difference to your friends. Never Never Never give up just being a Godly friend.
God can and will use what you do to bring GLORY to HIM.

till next time,
tc.
Romans 5:1

Why I do the Things that I do.

I often have an experience that leaves me scratching my head and wondering if I'm a lunatic for devoting my entire adult life to the cause of student ministry.
When this happens, the Holy Spirit almost always gently hits me over the head with a baseball bat and reminds me why student ministry is worth the effort. The effort that I often times simply fail to put in. This past Wednesday night, I delivered one of those "IN YOUR FACE" type messages in our Wednesday Night "Common Ground Service. I did it for two reasons, #1- The Holy Spirit got in my face and #2- I passed it on to show students that I have struggles just like they have struggles and because I want to be obedient, which means doing some things that I really don't like to do or say. Hopefully. the Spirit will move and grow because of this message.
Then I started thinking about our student ministry from the BIG PICTURE viewpoint. This is what I came up with and I felt like I just wanted to share.
Our student ministry give students a place to belong. Our student ministry builds community. It creates a safe place for questions to be asked and struggles to be shared. Our student ministry builds and strengthens friendships. It allows students to be known. It help students build relationships with adults who really care. It creates awesome memories.
It allows students to laugh when they want to laugh and cry when they need to cry. I truly feel that our student ministry can be the backbone of an environment in which the most life-change happens. Student Ministry is a lot of work, but it is so worth the effort.

tc
9-13-07

At some point or another, we feel just that: typical.

The 168 hours of the week turn into a run-of-the-mill-treadmill scene where daily events turn into nothing more than the daily grind.
A guy named Solomon saw this coming oh about 3000 years ago.

Here's his version of Typical:

"Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "completely meaningless!" Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. (Ecclesiastes 1:3, 8)

Have u ever wanted to rewind part of your life. Here's your chance ------

Here it is backwards:
(8, 3:1 setsaiselccE). tnetnoc ton era ew, raeh ew hcum woh rettam oN .deifsitas reven era ew ,ees ew hcum woh rettam oN .noitpircsed dnoyeb emosiraew si gnihtyrevE . "!sselgninaem yletelpmoc" ,rehcaeT eht syas ",sselgninaem si gnihtyrevE"

Kewl HUH. That took some doing.

Forwards or backwards, the truth about life is that it can often be exercises in meaninglessness and adventures in futility. So can we 'break the spell of the typical'?

I don't think we can - not by ourselves anyway.

Here is the point Solomon was making: we're trapped under the sun and in a state of same old - same old until we do something about it and that something involves Someone.

There is a God of the universe who gives us the privilege of actually connecting with Him and His purposes on earth. It doesn't involve anything real special to do that either, just a desire to break the spell and turn it around.

This is the point Jesus was making to his disciples when they asked Him how to get out of the typical. They saw something incredibly different about Him - especially that His life was anything but typical. They noticed that He spoke with His Father all the time, especially before

He went out and did untypical things. So they made a simple request:
"Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1).
So Jesus did:
Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:9-13)

When you pray, you connect with your heavenly Daddy - which should remind you that you ARE 'someone', and your Father is in complete charge of things. When you pray, it reminds you that God has a purpose and plan for you that is anything but typical. When you pray, it reminds you that you have needs like food and forgiveness - and especially you need protection from the evil one who doesn't want you to accomplish God's will on earth.

Most of all, when you pray, God opens your spiritual eyes and breaks the spell that kept you seeing daily events as random and repetitive repetitions. He died so you could live, and He lives so you can die to yourself and accomplish the unbelievable untypical mission he has for you.

So come on, can you dream for that day?

Remember, when you pray, there's NOTHING that can't be done.

Think on that a while.
till next time
tc
Romans 5:1

God's Splendor

I think the word splendor is something we sometime just take for granted. For the last 3 days, I have been awakened by a stirring within me. All I want to do is wake up before the sonrise, watch the beginning of a new day while reading from God's word and just sit. This morning in the worship service, the common ground band played an old favorite song of mine, "Sit with Me A While". It made me reflect on the buzyness I have in my life. I never have time to just sit. I teach and speak to students about not getting caught in the Mary/Martha syndrome, but I find myself there more often than I like. But there is so much work to be done, so much to do.
Another revelation : This week, I have accepted the fact that I can not reach every student, but I can reach students one at a time. I've know it for years, but in talking with other collegiate leaders, they gave me some depth and insight in that area.

Rewind: In going back to the busyness of life: it's nice to just sit and reflect. Sit and think. Sit and meditate or just SIT. Life's going by so fast. But all the effort is so worth it. Tonight, I witnessed someone return to Christ. Someone I have been praying for, for years. It was through the beauty of being "broken". It was a true thing of beauty. True weeping is such a God thing. But through the flowing and flooding of tears, joy is released and inner peace is restored. We talked afterwards. The strange thing is, I knew it would happen. I wasn't sure how or when but I knew it would. God's grace and mercy is so sufficient. I sometimes feel so inadequant to do what I do, I guess that's just another God thing.

peace i give u, peace i leave with you.
tc
Romans 5:1

Reach

I have a fellow Student Minster who is like a mentor to many folks. His name is Al. Al, who lives in Alabama, has been in student/children’s minister for quite a long time, like 32 years. He sent this to me. I presume it was sent to him by one of his students. So I am sharing the thoughts and adding some of my own and inner-twinning them into then some deeper thoughts with you. After you think about it, it’s an eye opener. I have some closing thoughts just below the article. Let me hear from you.
tc

===============================================================
Are We Really Spoiled?

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth; before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them.”
Ecclesiastes 12:1

Our youth minister was talking to us about how we as teens could help change the world. He even showed us a picture and videos of third world countries of little children starving with no hope of food. I looked around the room and I saw sad faces. I saw faces of concerned teens who wanted to do something to make a difference. We even got in small groups and discussed what we could do to help others. One of our junior high girls began to shed a few tears as she held a picture of a helpless child. As a senior I wanted to see how this all panned out. Unfortunately, it was just as I thought, by the next Wednesday night youth group meeting we were all back to normal and only thinking about ourselves. We were talking about I-pods and the latest video games. Oh, well, life goes on. I’m sure the government will do something to help with our tax dollars; at least that’s what the adults say.

How do you feel about the children of third world countries?

What will you do to help just one of the third world children?

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Matthew 6:25-34
Matthew 19:16-26

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TC’s thoughts.
Now that you have read the short article, what are we doing to just help others?
Let me rephrase it. Not we. What are YOU doing to help others.
Woooooo, wait a minute. Remember the young guys & girls we just had for vacation bible school? What are we doing for them?

We don’t have to go to Africa to help people. Many are un-churched and some live at near poverty levels and they live right across the street. Well, I haven’t forgotten them. I think about and pray for them often. Maybe one day soon I can see them accepting Christ as savior. But, they will never GET IT unless we can show them compassion and get to know them.
It all starts by building relationships with others OUTSIDE our close knit group of friends.
Yes I am talking about our own little "clicks". Hey, having close friends are always needed, BUT
going outside of our comfort zone can be kinda freaky. But it's what we are made to do. REACH OUT to others.

Look at the example of Christ. He went to the extreme to set the example for us.
Can’t we even go across the street for him?

A note from a student.

Hey tc, how’s life in the fast paced world of student ministry? i thought about you the other day after talking with a, what used to be, a close friend of mine, in which the subject of our lives came up. we began to discuss what was going on in each other's lives and it was made clear that we both were okay with what was going in our lives right now. well let me re-phrase that we weren't okay with what was going on, we just didn't care enough to really fix anything. i mean this hit me hard and fast tonight. complacency is the biggest problem i believe christians face. it is what causes our relationship with Christ to begin to weaken. are we ever suppose to be okay with where we are in our lives, really is this what God wants from us as christians? i'm going to be honest. if God based the blessings we received on our efforts to know him better, i should be receiving nothing right now in my life, praise the Lord this isn't how God works i know it's not b/c i continue to received blessing after blessing. a few summers agowas a great summer for me and several people around me. Our lives had changed and we genuinely loved each other. then things began to change in all our lives in a BIG way. we all got "busy" (college), things came up, and basically we all grew apart and things really haven't been the same with all of us since. Now i know i shouldn't base my relationship with Christ on who is in my life at the time, but all i'm saying is that having that group of people, that community seems to make things so much easier. i believe God intended it this way. So am i being too over the top here with my thoughs? maybe some would say yes, and i'm okay with that all i know this is how i feel right now. what is it exactly that God expects out of each one of us? I know he wants us to love and forgive and all that stuff, but individually what does God want from each of us? We all have different things we excel at, and why is it sometimes we just don't care enough to find out what it is? we can lie or justify that it's not that we don't care, but i believe if we all got honest with ourselves we would admit that lack of desire is the basis of our justifications. that summer i have never felt more alive, more driven, it was a great feeling that i have not experienced so strongly since. God is really showing me things right now in very unique ways, i'm not some crazy, over zealous/beat you up because you don't believe in God christian but God does huge things everyday that we all miss out on! maybe it's b/c we are only consumed with ourselves and what's going on in only our lives that we miss things. i don't know i'm just throwing out options. i stongly urge everyone to look for where God is moving, he is def. moving i know it, alot of the times we don't even stop to see what he is doing in people's lives. it is so easy to focus on the bad b/c that is what is thrown in our faces constantly. there are alot of hurting people in our lives that we all know and sometimes that person is us whether we want to admit it or not, but i know he is doing great things in people and always will be! it brings me such joy to see him work in people, i love! i'm so thankful for the conversation i had with my friend that i didn't even expect all this out of! so I am going to watch and pay attention to others in my life, don't let huge things pass me by, love the Lord with all I am. he's going to take care of us! please disregard any mis-spelled words, maybe i should have mentioned this at the begining! oh well, and man this note is crazy long, oh well. u have always been a very special person in my life. u may not even remember me, that’s ok to. But one day a few years ago, u sat down with me one wednesday night and spoke some words that I know were not prearranged. words of truth and conviction. words that had to be from god. words I needed to hear at that time in my life. thanks for taking the time. it meant a lot then and means more now more than ever.
i know how busy u are. i stop by from time to time and check out the hope web site and see pictures of lots of new and younger students and there u are, still serving. wow. i don’t know how you do it, but so glad u do.

Hang in there,


************

Bring the Rain

Bring the Rain
I love that new Mercyme song "Bring the rain". It got be thinking and the following is what comes from being alone with God.


I watched “Facing the Giants” again a few days ago. The lead in the movie is a high school football coach whose job is on the line after yet another losing season. He has all kind of issues at both school and home, and he finds himself losing faith and questioning what God is doing, and why his prayers for success both on and off the field are seemingly going unanswered.
I love this one scene, when a man comes to visit the coach in his office. He shares with the coach a parable of two farmers who both prayed for rain, yet only one went out and prepared his field to receive the rain. Which farmer asked the man, do you suppose showed more faith? It was the one who took action in preparing to receive what he asked for.
That particular scene made me think about how often I pray for something but do not prepare myself or my heart to receive it. Part of that preparation often involves me waiting on God's timing, which is something that I struggle with. My prayers may sometimes be timid, as if I'm afraid to ask God for something really big because I'm afraid He won't come through. I don't think it's that I doubt that He CAN come through, but rather, that He desires to come through for me. I suppose experiencing heartbreak over the past couple of years has contributed to this being sometimes timid at times…… Hmmmmmmm
So I started questioning myself just like I would question a student.
Tim, how can you expect your faith to strengthen if you do not allow God the opportunity to work in a mighty way?
What you TIM COATS need to do is pray more boldly, and to act more boldly, in circumstances where God calls YOU to act.
YOU need to not only pray, but prepare for the rain as well.

With that being said, here’s my closing thoughts to you, the internet reader out there in hyper-space somewhere.

1. How are you preparing for the rain in your life?

2. How are you helping others prepare for the rain in their lives?

3. Do you ever become timid in your prayer life?

4. How do you think God really feels about being timid?

5. What are you actually afraid of, SUCCESS or scared of failing?

Wooooooo God fail, that will never happen. So what do you have to loose?


Till next time,

tc
Romans 5:1

Distracted

Last night, I intended to spend much of the evening reading and studying my Bible.
Instead, I spent much of it surfing the Internet, adding files and programs to my new laptop. There's not anything wrong with that, but my time could definitely have been spent better.

I was beating myself up a bit this morning about not following through on what I intended to do last night, when these verses came to mind:The unfailing love of the LORD never ends!
By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin a fresh each day. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

How encouraging to be reminded that today is a fresh start. Just because I didn't do what I intended to do yesterday, that does not mean that today will be the same case.

I don't know about you, but I often need that reminder, not only for times when I don't accomplish what I intend, but especially when I sin. I doubt that any of us wake up each morning intending to fail or to sin. I usually pray during my commute to my day job, and a routine prayer is that I'd guard my words at work.

I have every intention of speaking only words of joy and encouragement to my co-workers throughout the day. And yet it's probably safe to say that I have yet to make it through a single day without saying something sarcastic or complaining or engaging in gossip or saying something I just shouldn't say. BUT, if I focus on how I goofed up at work, it would be very easy to convince myself that I'll never change, and why should I bother trying to watch what I say.
That is exactually about what my message is tonight. Messing up & staying messed up.

But as Jeremiah said in Lamentations, the Lord's mercies are new every day. Indeed, every moment that we seek forgiveness, we are given a fresh start!Do not be discouraged by what you did or didn't do yesterday.

So today let's all rejoice and take heart in knowing that today is a fresh start for you and for me.


till next time,
peace out
tc
romans 5:1

GOOD GRIEF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes things just happen that bring you back to where your need to be, like last night.
I had to go & attend this vbs (vacation bible school) meeting. It was something that actually on Wednesday, I really didn't have time for BUT, something I knew I needed to attend. Josh had been wanting to go check out another student service in the area, so that was his opportunity to do so. So with no actual worship time, as we had announced, I figured students would be elsewhere for the evening, was I ever mistaken. I had not prepared a message or even a devotional, thinking very few would even show up. Again, my mistake. But God knew it would happen before I did.

When my vbs meeting had adjourned, I walked my way back to a more familiar setting (the student area), & found lots of students. They kept asking me, we ARE still having a service aren't we ? So with a bit of hesitation on my part I said, "sure". My mind immediately went into hyper drive and my internal hard drive went into super-sonic blast speed. What will I say, what will it be, I'm just not ready for this. I need to be better prepared. So I quietly slipped away for a few minutes and asked for help from above. I found myself after a short quiet time in the book of 1 Timothy. I read Paul's Charge to Timothy, chapter 6 vs 11 & so on. WOW, divine revelation. As I began reading, a million thoughts began to flow in my brain like a giant faucet had been turned on and they kept coming and coming. I spoke on how Paul knew Timothy was his hand picked one and someone who would accomplish some amazing things for Christ and was always encouraging Timothy and speaking words of dedication, obedience and the goodness of Christ. Hardly anyone moved for nearly 15 minutes, eyes were focused and it seemed to have struck a nerve with a few students who needed to hear those very words Paul had spoken thousands of years ago. Wow.

After the service, I had the honor and privilege to speak to a certain very sweet young lady who was touched deeply by the words I had read and by words I had spoken. Most of what I said I actually don't even remember, but obviously God is still in the business of mending broken hearts and drawing students into his ever loving arms of safety. We talked for well over an hour. Through my time of mainly listening, tears flowed that could have filled up a good size bucket. But these tears of sorrow and frustration slowly turned to tears of joy and her smile returned.

Student Ministry has a way of just totally wearing you out, both mentally and physically. But through the sacrificial hours that are poured into studnet's lives each week, a feeling of my actions or maybe some words spoken that glorifies the FATHER rises to the top. I have seen so many times how I am so unequipped to even begin to do what I do, but by being obedient, God always supplies just what I need and at just the right time. He knew what would happen last night, who needed to hear what and when it would all come together to GLORIFY HIM. After all, HE is our FATHER and what FATHER doesn't always wants to best for his kids.

till next time,
tc
romans 5:1