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February, 2009

  1. Does this make you angry?. . .

    February 4, 2009 by Nate

    This makes me sad and upset. I feel like this is doing more harm than good. I found it in an actual Q&A section of a website:

    Q – What does the Bible say about things like mystics, mediums, psychics, conjurers, witches, tarot readers, palmists, astrologers, clairvoyants, etc.?

    A – REPENT OF IT NOW!
    . . . .

    Q – What happens if I don’t turn from my sin, repent and accept Jesus?

    A – YOU WILL BURN ETERNALLY IN HELL.

    Q – I want to change, but how can I?

    A – You must first realize that YOU are lost. (You are lost if you have not trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior (John 3:18). You must then repent toward God. To repent means “to turn”. Turn with your heart to God. Turn from unbelief in Jesus to belief (placing your trust) in Jesus. You must believe that Jesus died for YOUR sins, and died as YOUR substitute. Your faith (trust) must be in Jesus Christ. You must ask God in prayer, in your own words, from your heart to forgive you and to save you. This must be a genuine and sincere prayer, not just the act of repeating some words provided for you. “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” (Acts 16:30,31).

    TURNTo God (With your heart; with faith and sorrow for your sins and unbelief).

    TRUSTIn Jesus Christ (With your heart; Trusting Him with your eternal soul; Wanting and willing to receive Him as your own personal Savior.)

    TALKTo God (From your heart in prayer; in your own words; express your sorrow for sins, and desire for forgiveness, and for Him to save your soul.)

    Maybe I’m just skeptical, but I doubt a lot of people (if any at all) responded positively to this. It’s a little embarrassing actually.

    Category Church, Social Justice | Tags: | 1 Comment

  2. Modern hymn of the week. . .

    February 4, 2009 by Nate

    “In the Cross Alone I Glory” by Brian Petak

    In the cross alone I glory
    Recognition laying down
    Greatest treasures count as worthless
    Standing next to heaven’s crowns
    Standing next to heaven’s crowns

    In the cross alone I glory
    Ever reaching for the prize
    Pressing on and laying hold of
    That for which my Savior died
    That for which my Savior died

    In the cross alone I glory
    Nothing of my own to give
    Only that which Christ has offered
    For my soul that I may live
    For my soul that I may live

    In the cross alone I glory
    Holding fast the Word of Life
    Toiling not in vain but being
    Poured out as a sacrifice
    Poured out as a sacrifice

    Never will I seek the glory
    That was never meant for me
    Always heavenward reflecting
    All to Jesus to receive
    All to Jesus to receive

    In the cross alone I glory
    Nothing of my own to give
    Only that which Christ has offered
    For my soul that I may live
    For my soul that I may live

    Category Music | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Homesick. . .

    February 3, 2009 by Nate

    I’m about to tell you a secret. I’ve been keeping this to myself for a while.

    I miss being in Morristown on Sunday mornings. I built relationships there. I learned, served, and loved. Leaving hasn’t been easy.

    And it hurts. A lot.

    And circumstances haven’t made the transition easier either. Am I glad to be a part of what God is doing in New Brunswick? Of course I am! It’s always exciting to be a part of something new. Am I excited about the new work taking place there on Sundays? Words can’t even come close to describing how psyched I am!

    But when I think back to the days I was in Morristown, and how smoothly things run at Liquid Kids Morristown, how big the volunteer team is, and how awesome it was working with Bobby (Liquid Kids Director), I grow jealous. I hear Satan whispering to me, “LK New Brunswick isn’t as successful. People here don’t care as much as the people in Morristown do. Maybe you should go back.”

    The internal struggle was heightened when I noticed how small the team in New Brunswick is. How can we serve so many people with so few hands? I thought. How can we create a successful program and an effective environment if no one is willing to help?

    And then it seemed like God was sending me a signal. Bill, our student ministries pastor, got a message from the only assistant for my program. She was sick and wasn’t going to show up.

    And I thought I heard a voice say, “You can’t handle this, Nate. Go back to Morristown. You need the Margin. Besides, this isn’t your job. It’s not your responsibility.”

    Anne Jackson sent me an email with these words: “Stay prayed up about where you think God is calling you to go. Stay where you are and wait it out—or move on. Either way He’s going to teach you and use you throughout this tough process.”

    I prayed. Harder.

    And answers started coming.

    The kids, despite my assumptions to the contrary, were actually learning (see yesterday’s post). My one missing room assistant was replaced by three people willing to fill in the gaps at the very last minute.

    And the one that made my heart melt. . .

    I was chatting with a couple team members about the fact that I’d be back in Morristown for a day. My campus pastor’s daughters overheard me talking about it and ran to their mom. “Mommy!” they shouted. “Can we go to Morristown that day too?”

    I’m starting to think I’m gonna be homesick for New Brunswick that weekend.

    Category Church, Personal | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  4. They’re learning. . .

    February 2, 2009 by Nate

    February’s theme at Liquid Kids is “Fairness.” As we talked about what it means to treat everyone fairly, one little boy in a Jets Brett Favre jersey decided to give his two cents.

    LK Leader: “If someone is mean to you, should you treat him the same as you treat people who are nice to you?”

    Danny: “No.”

    LK Leader: “Really, Danny? Why do you say that?”

    Danny: “If he’s mean to you, maybe something bad happened to him. So you should treat him better than you treat people who are nice to you because he really needs it.”

    Wow.

    Sometimes I get discouraged when I feel like the kids just aren’t getting it. But there are moments when they show us that they actually understand what we’re teaching them.

    Like nine-year-old Callen, who, practically out of nowhere, recited the Bible verse for the month when I fully expected only one kid (not Callen) to remember it.

    And then there are kids like Danny. I didn’t teach him that. His parents may have, but probably not explicitly. He’s observing the world around him, taking note of how things work, watching the people who are setting examples for him, and realizes that there’s more to this life than what he can see.

    I can’t wait to see what he can do.

    Category Church | Tags: | 1 Comment

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