This week, news headlines tell of lawmakers proposing to remove the words "so help you God" from the oath that witnesses are required to take before providing testimony at the House Committee. We all act shocked. But are we really? This isn't the first time and it won't be the last that someone has tried to remove the name of God from public utterances or displays. Maybe you're outraged by this. You feel helpless as the name of God slowly disappears from society.
It is possible that we may live to see a world that is void of references to God. But if I'm sworn in under oath and I don't have to say the words "so help me God" does that mean that the words of my mouth are no longer a testimony before my God?
If my money or my license plate no longer says "In God We Trust" does that mean that I will no longer trust in God?
If the Ten Commandments aren't hanging in my courthouse does that mean I don't have to follow them anymore?
If I cannot pray out loud in school does that mean I can no longer pray in silence?
NO!
"They" may remove references to God from our money, from our courthouses, from our schools, and from our government. But, they can not remove Him from ME or YOU. And therefore, they cannot remove Him from this nation. He will continue to influence the world around us IF we continue to be His hands and feet. He will continue to be made known, IF we continue to make Him known. So whatever may come, do not feel helpless, my friend. You are not. You have a mission. A mission to make Him known. The opposition is strong. The battle is raging. But rest assured, you are on the winning team.
"But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world's viewpoint and the world listens to them. " 1 John 4:4-5 (NLT)
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Saturday, July 2, 2016
High Schoolers Moving to the Sanctuary
Our High Schoolers will be moving to the sanctuary for Sunday morning services beginning tomorrow morning and I know there are a lot of mixed feelings out there. So, I want you to hear my heart on this.
Let me start out by saying that I began leading the youth ministry at Grace in February of 2002. Sam and Sarah joined me in ministry shortly after that. In those 14 years of ministry, 100's of kids have passed through those doors. I can honestly say that we gave 100% to our calling as Youth Leaders.
I loved those kids like they were my own. I laughed with them, cried with them... they were my babies. My time with those kids make up some of the best memories of my life.
BUT... there's the problem- they're memories. Out of all those kids that have come through our youth group over the years, do you know how many still attend Grace?
Eight!!! EIGHT. That's heartbreaking. Truly.
WHY? Where did I go wrong? Where did we go wrong? We put our hearts and souls into ministering to these young people and they just walk away? What happened?
So, I've done a little investigating. After talking to several of my former youth members I found that that they all had one thing in common- they LOVED youth group. And that's great.... right? Sorta.
Here's the problem- Youth Group was their church. Not Grace. When they graduated from Youth Group it was like their church closed. And many of them just quit. What's even worse is that many, if not most, didn't just quit coming to Grace, they quit church altogether. Parents, I think we can agree- that's not good!
So in discussing this with Pastor Dennis and our new Youth Leaders, Jeff and Jessica, WE came to the conclusion that our youth need to be in the sanctuary more. They need to become a real part of Grace Community Church.
BTW: Out of the eight that still attend Grace how many do you think serve in ministry? That's right- EIGHT. Coincidence? I think not.
We believe that our High Schoolers are mature enough to serve in ministry on Sunday mornings. We believe that our High Schoolers are experiencing things in life that make the "big church" messages incredibly applicable to them. And most importantly, we believe that their future relationship with God is worth making this possibly unpopular decision.
Is it the right decision? We don't know. Is it permanent? We don't know that either.
What we do know is that we love these young people and we have prayerfully made this decision.
We now pray that you parents will support it. Support us. How? By taking your High Schoolers to church on Sunday mornings. By sitting together and worshipping God together. By making them a part of your church, of our church.
If you still have your doubts, I invite you to do a couple of things:
- Talk to me or Jeff or Jessica about it.
- If you know any of our former youth members who stopped attending Grace after graduation, talk to them about it.
Finally, ask yourself this question:
Do I want my child to attend church in those critical, vulnerable, young adult years after High School?
As a mom with an 8th grade youth member, my answer is YES! I believe yours is too.
All for Him,
Teresa
Let me start out by saying that I began leading the youth ministry at Grace in February of 2002. Sam and Sarah joined me in ministry shortly after that. In those 14 years of ministry, 100's of kids have passed through those doors. I can honestly say that we gave 100% to our calling as Youth Leaders.
I loved those kids like they were my own. I laughed with them, cried with them... they were my babies. My time with those kids make up some of the best memories of my life.
BUT... there's the problem- they're memories. Out of all those kids that have come through our youth group over the years, do you know how many still attend Grace?
Eight!!! EIGHT. That's heartbreaking. Truly.
WHY? Where did I go wrong? Where did we go wrong? We put our hearts and souls into ministering to these young people and they just walk away? What happened?
So, I've done a little investigating. After talking to several of my former youth members I found that that they all had one thing in common- they LOVED youth group. And that's great.... right? Sorta.
Here's the problem- Youth Group was their church. Not Grace. When they graduated from Youth Group it was like their church closed. And many of them just quit. What's even worse is that many, if not most, didn't just quit coming to Grace, they quit church altogether. Parents, I think we can agree- that's not good!
So in discussing this with Pastor Dennis and our new Youth Leaders, Jeff and Jessica, WE came to the conclusion that our youth need to be in the sanctuary more. They need to become a real part of Grace Community Church.
BTW: Out of the eight that still attend Grace how many do you think serve in ministry? That's right- EIGHT. Coincidence? I think not.
We believe that our High Schoolers are mature enough to serve in ministry on Sunday mornings. We believe that our High Schoolers are experiencing things in life that make the "big church" messages incredibly applicable to them. And most importantly, we believe that their future relationship with God is worth making this possibly unpopular decision.
Is it the right decision? We don't know. Is it permanent? We don't know that either.
What we do know is that we love these young people and we have prayerfully made this decision.
We now pray that you parents will support it. Support us. How? By taking your High Schoolers to church on Sunday mornings. By sitting together and worshipping God together. By making them a part of your church, of our church.
If you still have your doubts, I invite you to do a couple of things:
- Talk to me or Jeff or Jessica about it.
- If you know any of our former youth members who stopped attending Grace after graduation, talk to them about it.
Finally, ask yourself this question:
Do I want my child to attend church in those critical, vulnerable, young adult years after High School?
As a mom with an 8th grade youth member, my answer is YES! I believe yours is too.
All for Him,
Teresa
Friday, October 11, 2013
Victory in Pain
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But, I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31-32
My friends, Satan is active. If you are going through hard times, let this verse be an encouragement to you.
Some of you are going through unimaginably hard things in your lives. You are grieving seemingly unbearable losses. You've lost children, parents, friends. You're suffering through the effects of broken relationships and divorce. You've lost jobs, finances, homes. Life threatening diseases threaten the lives of you or someone you love. Indeed Satan is hard at work.
But, just like Jesus prayed for Simon, I pray for you today that "your faith may not fail". And that "WHEN you have
turned back" you will "strengthen your brothers". That you will use what you've been through to help others that are going through the same things. Not because you're "over it" or have "conquered it" but because you've been where they are at and you are just a little farther along on the journey.
Believe me, you can find purpose in your pain. You can glorify God in your pain. Hold steady to the course. The victory is yours.
My friends, Satan is active. If you are going through hard times, let this verse be an encouragement to you.
Some of you are going through unimaginably hard things in your lives. You are grieving seemingly unbearable losses. You've lost children, parents, friends. You're suffering through the effects of broken relationships and divorce. You've lost jobs, finances, homes. Life threatening diseases threaten the lives of you or someone you love. Indeed Satan is hard at work.
But, just like Jesus prayed for Simon, I pray for you today that "your faith may not fail". And that "WHEN you have
Believe me, you can find purpose in your pain. You can glorify God in your pain. Hold steady to the course. The victory is yours.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
The Facebook Prayer Challenge
On June 24th, I was sitting at my father-in-law's bedside at the nursing home. It was 10:13 pm, I had been there for hours waiting for answers. His temperature was 103. He was lethargic. His breathing was labored. He wasn't himself. The x-rays and lab work results should have been back hours ago. He was sleeping. The nurses were distant and disconnected. They didn't share my concerns. I felt worried and alone.
My computer beeped that I had a message. It was my friend Barbie. She said that she felt very strongly that I needed her prayers that night and she wanted me to know that she was praying for me.
I hadn't told her where I was or what was going on. She had no idea. For all she knew, I was in bed asleep and wouldn't even get her message.
But in fact, I wasn't. And I did get her message. And oh how I needed it. This was my response to her: "Oh Barbie, bless you! You made me cry! I need your prayer right this minute! I am with Harold. He is not doing well. Temp of 103. Thank you so much! You are the voice of God, saying He is with me!"
As I was praying for my father-in-law, my friend was praying for
ME.
I am so thankful to know that my friends lift MY name up to the Lord. That they take ME to Him in prayer. What a blessing. What an honor.
Today as I was praying for someone in particular, I felt led to share my prayer with them, just like Barbie did with me. I felt like God wanted me to let them know that they were on my mind and that I was lifting them up to the One Who holds all the answers.
So, I decided to send them a message on facebook. That's when I realized that a lot of the people that I had just been praying for were my facebook friends. Maybe I should let each of them know that I'm praying for them.... then I began to think of other facebook friends that needed prayer and.... well you see where this is going.
So, to make a long story a little shorter.... Don't be surprised if you, my friend, receive a message from me this week saying that I'm praying for YOU.
You see, I have 613 facebook "friends". Some I know well. Others... not so much.But, either way, we are connected somehow. So, this week, I am going to make a point to pause during my prayer time and allow God to direct my thoughts to my friends who need prayer. And then I'm going to send them a little note to let them know- not really that I'M thinking of them, but that GOD IS.
I'm pretty excited to see what God's going to do with this! Will you join me? We'll call it the "Facebook Prayer Challenge". We'll start today and end on Saturday or.... maybe we'll just keep going. Who knows?
Leave me a comment below if you take the Challenge and please feel free to share how God uses this in your life.
I hadn't told her where I was or what was going on. She had no idea. For all she knew, I was in bed asleep and wouldn't even get her message.
But in fact, I wasn't. And I did get her message. And oh how I needed it. This was my response to her: "Oh Barbie, bless you! You made me cry! I need your prayer right this minute! I am with Harold. He is not doing well. Temp of 103. Thank you so much! You are the voice of God, saying He is with me!"
As I was praying for my father-in-law, my friend was praying for
ME.
I am so thankful to know that my friends lift MY name up to the Lord. That they take ME to Him in prayer. What a blessing. What an honor.
Today as I was praying for someone in particular, I felt led to share my prayer with them, just like Barbie did with me. I felt like God wanted me to let them know that they were on my mind and that I was lifting them up to the One Who holds all the answers.
So, I decided to send them a message on facebook. That's when I realized that a lot of the people that I had just been praying for were my facebook friends. Maybe I should let each of them know that I'm praying for them.... then I began to think of other facebook friends that needed prayer and.... well you see where this is going.
So, to make a long story a little shorter.... Don't be surprised if you, my friend, receive a message from me this week saying that I'm praying for YOU.
You see, I have 613 facebook "friends". Some I know well. Others... not so much.But, either way, we are connected somehow. So, this week, I am going to make a point to pause during my prayer time and allow God to direct my thoughts to my friends who need prayer. And then I'm going to send them a little note to let them know- not really that I'M thinking of them, but that GOD IS. I'm pretty excited to see what God's going to do with this! Will you join me? We'll call it the "Facebook Prayer Challenge". We'll start today and end on Saturday or.... maybe we'll just keep going. Who knows?
Leave me a comment below if you take the Challenge and please feel free to share how God uses this in your life.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Day 7- PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS- Alphabet Prayers
I had intended to go through the alphabet and pray for someone whose name started with each letter. But, once I started I realized that a lot of my loved ones have the same 1st initial. I also realized I don't know anyone whose name starts with Q or Z. So I decided to adjust a little bit on some of them. For example on 'X' I put "AleXandra".
I didn't go in order. I just filled them in as I thought of them and prayed as I went. When I began, I was going through my usual prayer list and putting them in the right spot. In the end, I was trying to think of people for my remaining letters and I ended up coming up with people that I would not normally think to pray for. I like that.
I plan to use this new prayer method again next week without repeating any of the names from this week. That should be challenging.... and interesting. Wonder who I'll pray for? It might be YOU!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Day 6- PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS
Prayer Driving
I'm sure you've heard of prayer walks- where you walk through a neighborhood and pray for each family in each home along the way.
Well, I did this a little differently. Mine was a prayer drive. I prayed:
- At red lights- for the person in the car beside me and/or across from me.
- At stop signs- for the homes, people, or businesses around me. Or if none, I prayed for the people in the cars passing by.
- At each stop- if a home- I prayed for the people who live there. If a business- I prayed for the business, the owners, and the employees.
- While driving- I prayed for people or businesses that caught my eye.
- In School Zones- I prayed for the teachers, faculty, students and our overall education system.
I used this prayer method on my way to work this morning. The funny thing is that when I got back in the car this afternoon and started driving, without realizing it, I found myself praying again.
"Lord, please protect that guy on the bicycle"....
"Lord, please be with the employees at CVS and keep their feet from hurting today." ??? What?
"Lord, help that young man in the red truck to avoid temptation tonight." huh? Where did THAT come from?
I don't know. But, suddenly I'm becoming very aware of the people around me and what their needs could be. That can't be a bad thing. Right?
You try it. See what happens and leave me a comment. I'd be interested to hear about your experience. Was it like mine?
(Note/Disclaimer- DO NOT PRAY WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED WHILE DRIVING. Just sayin'.)
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Day 5- PRAYing 7 New WAYS in 7 DAYS
Photo Prayers
If you've ever spent very much time with me- I probably have a picture of you! No, I'm not a photographer but I take tons of pictures. Seriously. My children will never have to wonder what their childhood was like. I can show them a picture of just about everything they've ever done!
Today, Brianna and I were reminiscing over photos in an album from 2009. She didn't remember much of it, but I sure did. There were pictures from vacation, Valentines Day, Birthdays, Easter, Summer camping trips.... so many good times! All with family and friends.
What a blessing to have such great memories with the people we love! That thought turned into a quick prayer thanking God for surrounding us with such love. Then I saw a picture of my dad and remembered that his shoulder has been hurting and said a quick prayer for him. Then I saw a picture of Roger's dad and said a quick prayer for him... and then... well... you see where this is going... our reminiscing time turned into prayer time. Brianna and I took turns praying for the people we saw in the pictures.
We started out saying a one sentence prayer for each person in each picture (not including ourselves). But, we found ourselves praying for Roger and Rio A LOT! After about 20 pictures we decided to only pray for new people. lol (It was a completely full 500 picture album- and I've gotta work tomorrow!)Now granted, most of the photos were people very close to me that I usually pray for anyway. But, there were some random people in there that got a prayer sent up for them tonight. Maybe they needed it. I hope so.
All in all, we enjoyed our reminiscing/prayer time. It was a fun way to mix things up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)