What I have learned in Life so Far

I've learned....

That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

That having your son fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

That being kind is more important than being right.

That you should never say "no" to a gift from a child or God.

That money doesn't buy class. That has to be earned.

That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs to act goofy ever so often.

That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

That simple game of “catch” with my father during summer nights years ago did wonders for me as an adult.

That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

That it's those small daily happenings that make life so incredible.

That under everyone's hard outside is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. Why should I think I can?

That sometime ignoring the facts does not change the facts.

That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you. Let God will deal with them later.

That love, not time, heals all wounds.

That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

That opportunities are never lost, someone will take the ones you miss.

That when you keep bitterness locked up inside, happiness will dock elsewhere. So let it go.

That I wish I could have told my Mom & Dad that I love them one more time before they passed away.

That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

The devil's greatest trick is making humanity think that he really doesn't exist.

Faith is like a river, the more you stay in the middle the safer you are.

Sin is like a vacuum cleaner, the closer you get the stronger it pulls.

Live in the moment , and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering .

Life is never boring unless you decide to quit changing.

What would happen if just for ONE DAY. we focused our actions on helping people rather than on oursleves. Would the world explode. Probably not, but our hearts probably would.

When you truly love students, they return more than you give.

When the calling of God is scary, we lead by reminding the people of God that Jesus did not come to make us safe. He came to make us brave through FAITH. He ask us to just step across the street because we don't realize what isn't a part of our daily lives, we ignore it, sometimes we don't want to see it."

That when you're in love with Jesus , it shows.

till next time,
peace
tc
Romans 5:1

I woke up early this morning just starving to ride on my Motorcycle in the "cooler" morning air. I ended up in Vicksburg and rode thru the National Battlefield Park. An incredible day all by myself to ride up and down the slops while diving into the cooler valleys and sunshine hilltops. Near the end of the battlefield drive is the cemetary. I always have to stop and pay my respects to the soliders that died there for something that they believed in. It made me look at where I am and caused me to ask myself the question "What I have I died for today?" NOT MUCH was my answer. I thought about that question a lot today and hope to keep thinking about it for a long time.
To suffer is to gain and to die is gain.

till next time.
peace
TC

Dating / Hanging Out

Guys - This One is for YOU !!

Something scares you. It’s not terrorism, economic recession, global warming, or gasoline prices that could hit 10 bucks per gallon by the time you’re done reading this. These things might worry you, but something else makes your palms sweat and your pulse hit triple digits: asking someone out on a date.

That’s because asking someone out involves potential pain. If the object of your affection becomes aware of your intentions, he or she might not reciprocate, and that’s going to hurt. I don’t care if you’re the most self-confident, well-adjusted person around; rejection hurts.OUCH !!! It makes anyremaining friendship awkward at best, humiliating at worst. Revealing romantic feelings is a risky business, RIGHT?

Many people find a way around the risk. Or at least they think they do. Instead of asking someone out on a date and being bold in their intentions, they turn to the soggy alternative to dating: “let's just hang out.”

So here's the deal: You like someone but you’re afraid to let him or her know. So instead of asking the person on a date, you go on approximations of dates that allow for softer denial of all romantic intentions. You study together. You exercise together. You find some really lame excuses to call, text, and e-mail. Worst of all, you engage in the most stupid of conversations and great abys of non-dates—going to coffee. This just has the trappings of a date dude — a cozy place with a cold glass of tea, a good atmosphere with music — while allowing everyone involved in our immediate space is actually on a date. Fear of YOU suffering rejection alone has resulted in the "Starbucks" mental;ity. It's just coffee. SURE IT IS.

People suffer through this in the hope that the object of their affection will eventually buckle and reveal his or her true feelings. They wait and watch. They keep making up excuses to hang out while waiting for God to give them a SIGN. If you’ve been down this road before, you know that it’s seldom successful. You remain stuck in the “friend zone,” which is "relationship purgatory of sorts" if you have a crush on someone.

Are We Dating or Not?
Look, I may not be the youngets guy on the block but I will put it on th eline that I know what Christian females are looking for. The biggest complaint I know of from Christian women was that Christian men weren’t assertive enough. They described men who drove them crazy by calling and hanging around while never asking them out on a real date. They said that it was exhausting trying to figure out which guys liked them versus which guys liked them. So let me unravel a few differences between dating and hanging out, in hopes of making yolur life easier and satisfing for the ladies in your future. Now you can take it or leave it. It's all up to you.

•Asking someone if they’ll be at church next week is hanging out. Asking someone if they would like to go out with you is dating.

•Making up a reason to call, e-mail, or text someone is hanging out. Calling just because you want to talk, and telling the person so, is dating.

•Going to coffee is hanging out. Going to dinner is dating.

•Doing something with the object of your affection and seven other friends is hanging out. If the two of you do something alone, it’s dating.

•Hiding your feelings is hanging out. Telling someone you’re interested in pursuing a more serious relationship is dating.

The Purpose of Hanging
Go ahead and hang out with someone if you’re just getting to know him or her. By all means, don’t ask a person out just because you think he or she is cute but know nothing else about them. You might have nothing in common with the person. The music she loves might make you throw up. He might be a deranged serial killer. OK, he’s probably not a serial killer, but you get my point. It’s important to hang out before asking out. The problem is that many people never make this "leap of Faith". They hang out continually like a grandfathers clock slowly ticking, perpetually swinging back and forth, creating confusion and tension that could easily be dissipated by asking someone "Karen, We have been hanging out for awhile and I would love to make it official. Would you have dinner and a movie with me this Saturday night?" DUDE, that's a DATE !!!!!

Then I get the question, “How do you know when it’s time for a friendship to go further?” or “When should two people stop hanging out and start dating?” Figuring that out is the easy part. If you find the person attractive, you can’t stop thinking about him or her, and you’re unsatisfied with the close intimacy that friendship provides, then it’s time to ask out instead of hang out. The problem usually isn’t that people don’t know whether or not they want to date, it’s that they’re afraid the other person doesn’t feel the same way.

GET OVER BEING REJECTED.
This kind of fearful hem hawing isn’t how Christians should do things. This isn’t who God created us to be. I’m not saying that in defiance of some antiquated courtship rituals. I mean we shouldn’t be so stinking scared. We shouldn’t be afraid to date. Overcoming this fear involves two steps:

1.Get a life. Something needs to be more important to you than finding a boyfriend or girlfriend. You need a passion, something that excites you and gives your life meaning and purposful, LIKE JESUS. More on that in anoter blog. It should be something thrilling and at least a little daring at the same time. Not only will this give your life focus and keep you busy, it can build self-esteem. As you begin to move forward toward your goals, you’ll feel better about yourself. Have you ever noticed that a lot of people find love when they’re not looking very hard for it? It’s usually because they’re in the middle of a meaningful journey. And that just happens to make them more attractive. This part should be easy for Christians. We have something, or rather Someone, who’s eager to give our life a sense of mission, meaning, and value aka: Jesus.

2.Be authentic. At some point, someone decided it wasn’t cool to let someone know that you’re interested in him or her. I guess people think it makes you seem desperate. That can be the case sometimes, but it’s not true if you’ve taken care of Step 1 above. Being honest and bold about your feelings doesn’t come off as cheesy if you have self-confidence. It shows courage and self-esteem. It shows that getting rejected won’t devastate you because you know and like who you are. The alternative to this is “hanging out” with someone and hoping to catch a lucky break. That takes a lot more time and trouble to get what usually turns out to be the same result.

Take a look at 1st John 4:18 says that “perfect love drives out fear.” While it’s normal to be nervous when you ask someone out, God’s perfect love should cast out all fear that you’re unlovable, unworthy, and destined to be alone. You’re exploring the possibility of a relationship with one person. If it doesn’t work out, God’s love will take care of you far more than the love of any human on earth.

So guys, there you have it. Take it our leave it. That choice is yours. But to the guy who called asking for wise counsel, I continualy tell them seek God first in ALL THINGS. Then if you get no answer and you call me at 2am, I will smile and say
www.timcoats.blogspot.com and roll over and go zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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

What do we do when you don't know what to do?

There aren't nice, neat, simple, pre-packaged answers for why certain things happen to certain people. Sometimes a close friend or someone like a minister or pastor can shed some light on a sitation. But when there is nothing more to say, where do we turn? Maybe it's when there is nothing more to say that God's silence is broken and God finally speaks.

Jesus lived with the utmost awareness that God is doing something, right here, right now, and anybody can be a part of it, if they will only say yes and believe. Jesus encouraged his followers and anyone who would slow down long enough to listen, to search, to question, to wrestle with all the implications of what he was saying and doing. Christ inspired, challenged, provoked, comforted, and invited people to be open to God's work in this world. Wherever Christ went, whatever Christ did, Christ started a simple dialogue about what matters most, because for HIM, God is always inviting us to open our eyes and join in.

I recently learned a former student has shifted from christianity to being an agnostic. It's kinda like a knife in your back. But, in wrestling with this situation, I have gained a peace and a new determined spirit through some simple prayers of asking "God why? ". A simple answer is all I got. The answer, " Pray".
So I continue to pray for this individual and for this situation to be handled by the Lord himself. Never give up. Never Give Up continues to echo in my brain. To continue to look for the answers to the hard questions and when we get worn out and exhausted, God is still there.

So my challenge is this: Join in the dialogue, Join in the discussion... search, question, and engage on what matters most and if you need help,I am always a phone call or a text away.

Till next time
peace I leave with you,
tc
Romans 5:1

I saw someone late yesterday afternoon whom I have known for a long time. Naturally He asked how I had been and the usual yada yada yada conversation. He then asked me what was so different about where I was attending church now. I briefly figured out that I was about to compare and I stopped. So I told him, "Here's what my current church is all about and you figure out and compare what the church you have in mind is all about and what they are doing to reach people for Christ and do the math."

Life Church IS A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS and absolutely LOVES in home small groups. It has no "Sunday School" that is what small groups are for. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

Life Church IS CALLED TO BE OUTWARDLY FOCUSED.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…Matt 28:19

Life Churches MESSAGE NEVER CHANGES BUT OUR METHODS MUST CHANGE.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Heb 13:8

Life Church believes that TO REACH PEOPLE NO ONE IS REACHING, YOU HAVE TO DO THINGS NO ONE IS DOING. Little Life - Life Kids - Ignite (Student Ministry) have nearly doubled in recent months. Connect- Brand new never before New College/Career just cranked up and has over 20 students and young adults in it's first week. Young Adults, Married and Singles small groups just gearing up. Totally new worship Band that is incredible. Newly renovated high tech Sanctuary. Just last week alone had 4 micro-mission serve projects to serve the community. Sponsors multiple churches in Mexico all by it's self. Has yearly Single Mom's Banquet with over 100 single moms in attendance. Has widow projects bi-monthly. PLUS SO MUCH MORE. Got any questions?

After that He scratched his head and said, WoW, See you.


Just sayin'
tc

Sweet Sweet Voice

Sometimes in ministry, but always in student ministry, things just pop up. Even the most smallest of things like a simple ripple in a lake can cause a MAJOR tidelwave before it's conclusion. Once, you are in student ministry, you never seem to leave it. You do have periods
where things seem to be tranquil and then "stuff" just seems to happen. Like the hospitalization of a close uncle to a former student where the ill Uncle does not have a relationship with Christ, and the once quiet cell phone comes to life with a birage of text messages. "What do I do, What can I say, I've never had anyone close die before, This is sad", seem to flow like a river. That plus many other issues in students lives just seem to swell lately into a whirlwind of issues. So I start to wonder, why am I being contacted instead of their own youth pastor at the church they attend now. Am I the only name they have in their cell phone? I have wanted for YEARS, to ask that question. So this time I did that very thing, I asked them, why? The answer I got was not what I expected. So I guess you want to know what that answer was, right? Well their answer was, "You know everything". I stopped them and immediately corrected that answer. So then they gave me a humbling answer. The next reply was "Well, I see your point, but everytime I have ever contacted you TC, you were always there when I needed you and you have always, always given me the right answer, so that's why I keep calling you. My student pastor is good and all but sometimes He just doesn't understand me and you do and I know you care. I wish I could come to where you are now but my mom tells me we have to go to our church".

So I was kinda speechless for a bit and extremely humbled in the process.

Then comes the really unexpected situations that takes your breathe away and stops your heart and you are swept away into the dark night, (which is a completely other blog one day). So even with the best of our intentions and as hard as we try, sometimes Jesus is still the only absolute thing that there is. I say that because I prayed for a long time for one certain student last night and just when I least expected it, a clear message came thru. "Rest in me" WOW. I have received that before and I was quickly reminded of Jesus ' words of making our burdens light.

So with all that being said I am still trying to shift gears into a college/career only ministry. But, it ain't werkin' to good. How do some people just walk away and not be being available for God's students, come on now. All I know is that I am glad God is continuing to use me and not just throw me over in the ditch. God is good and I am still playing catch up.

till next time
peace
tc
Romans 5:1

Time to Jump FEET FIRST

Well, I purposely laid off the blog for a few months for several reasons, (which is another blog one day), but yet through the reasons behind my shifting gears, shifting churches and changing fields of ministry, God is fastly creating a whole new world of ministry for me. Presently, I have shifted from student ( 6-12 grade and college) to focus on creating a brand new ground level college/career ministry (20 Somethings they call it) at a smaller but highly alive non-denominational church. This particular church has seen radical change over the years but through these changes is emerging a new servant based, open to all, whoever you are type church. In fact, I wouldn't call it a church. It's more like the body of Christ that Jesus talks about. We all have different gifts that equips us to do some things better than other things, but when they all come together, it truly is an amazing and inspiring thing.

Just last week was VBS and I always volunteer to help and to see who is coming down the pipeline one day, but it's really a kick in the pants. Well, I wasn't given any certain daily thing to do, except share the gospel , which is the BIGGEST thing to do in my opinion. So, I dusted off a 2,000 year old man made costume and asked God for words to speak to children, which is one ministry I have NEVER had a desire to dive into. So I go in FET FIRST with No rehearsing, no outline, no bible, just me and the Lord. I still have no clue what I said basically, but 9 children, God's children, raised their tiny hands to show us that they want to KNOW JESUS more. My heart wanted to scream THANK YOU LORD. Later, that night I heard that another volunteer was talking to them and a total of 23 accepted Christ. Out of 77 kids , 23 accepted Christ, AWESOME.

But there is sooooo much more:

The student ministry has nearly doubled recently. What an incredible job the staff and volunteers are doing while caring and just lovin on God's students Long range planning is being discussed, worship services on Saturday are happening and being permanently scheduled. The worship team is getting it cranked back up. New people are coming on board and even a new ultra modern children-student facility is in the early planning stages. Mind Blowing.

While some traditional churches are slowly crumbling, newer emerging churches seem to be flourishing. Take for example Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge. Talk about a church on Spiritual Steroids, UnBeLiVeAbLe !! Church of the Highlands in Alabama and so many more.
God is at work and you can say what you want to but HE IS ON THE MOVE. All I can say is look around. God is so fully alive if we will only get of the super highway of life and stop and rest for a moment and look around.

As for me, a new ground level college/career ministry has been laid in my lap. My only instructions were, "DO IT". How directly effectve those small two words can be. So with that being said, "CONNECT" was born and last Sunday 9 college/career young adults attended our first fellowship gathering while some of the church staff came by to eat FREE FOOD and support our collective group of die hard believers. As others return from over seas missons and national collegiate weeks, I see the "son" slowly rising to meet us where we are in this new arm of this growing family of believers we call Life Church West Monroe.

But, best of all I have realised a few things. God is at work. God is at work in my life. God is using me simply because I said YES. God has a plan through every single minute of confusion that we experience when change happens. God is opening up new doors of opportunity to share who his son is and why he came. God uses us best when we have no one place to turn around and just say YES.

So where will all this change lead me, only the LORD GOD knows. But that's ok. I said YES and TC is not an INDIAN GIVER.

till next time
peace I leave with you

tc
Romans 5:1
tim@lifechurchconnect.com
www.lifechurchconnect.com
www.lifechurchwestmonroe.com

TC's thoughts

Well it's been awhile since I have made a post. Sometimes we just get busy and thus has been the case. Lots has transpired since my last blog. About 2 years ago , I cleary got a message from the Lord that simply said " SIMPLIFY", so 2 years later I sold "BIG HOUSE" to another who can enjoy it as I once did. Selling big house also means that Chase no longer owns my soul, yay God. For me downsizing wasn't that hard. I have 60% less room than I once did, which is still ok. No pool to clean, no more chlorine smell burning a hole in my sinus cavities. I only have one yard to cut. One home insurance to pay, one water bill, one gas bill. Less house = less upkeep. Less cleaning means more time too do something else like ministry, which leads me to yet another LIFE CHANGE.

At least for the short term, I find myself on the outside. Outside of being "IN" a church or student type ministry. It feels strange to actually have time to do "mortal things" like cut grass, ride my motorcycle, clean the storage garage, grille and every now and then, I just sit outside and swing and BY MYSELF I may add. Waaaaaaaay different from what I am used to. My cell phone has gone 80% silent due to the huge drop-off from the constant birage of student text messages I got for many years and at all hours of the day and night. Sometimes, people just need a change. Being at the same church for 30+ years has it's advantages but it also has it's drawbacks. Sometimes our way of doings things is not somebody else's way of trying to accomplish the same thing. I could write for days about that subject alone, but will leave that for my book I will write some day. Nothing juicy, just thoughts from the heart.

So for now, I have gone the opposite direction from MY LONG TIME baptist based church denomination, to a non-denomination type environment and it feels pretty good. In fact it's actually refreshing in it's own way. No Sunday School lesson to prepare. No message to write and teardown and rewrite over 4 times. Speaking of Sunday School, why do we even call it that. I didn't like school 40 years ago and don't like it now. So those two words are being removed from the right side of my brian to nenevr be uttered or written again.

I know God has other plans for me. The BIGGEST down to this lifestyle change is not seeing those truly amazing students that I have grown so fond of. We have shared life's ups & downs so much it's scarey. Through death and divorce, and through birth to baptism, we have had quite a journey. I think for the most part a very solid foundation has been left for them to rest on. Still, not getting that weekly "run and jump hug" will be seriously missed. Some may never see or will ever understand what having a strong relationship with students is all about. We each have our priorities and mine is being real and open and transparent and following the pattern of Jesus. Before Jesus ever made sense to his disciples had formed a close bond with them and slowly but surely they were getting the picture.

So as for me, it's a time to refresh and soak it up. But I know God has something up his sleeve.
Hmmm does that mean God wears shirts. Well, That's another topic all together.
till next time
peace
tc
Romans 5:1

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