Merry Day-After Christmas Everyone!
Before I get too far along into this post, I want to look ahead to 2013. The Youth Group is on Winter Break, and our next meeting will be January 13, 2013. Please note that it is the second Sunday in January, so we will be cleaning that meeting. Please dress appropriately. Last time the cleaning took about 45 minutes. Many hands make light work, so let's all show up, clean the church, and start 2013 off right!
We are quickly approaching the end of 2012, and I want to take a few minutes to thank a few people for their help and support. A lot of people are owed thanks, and I apologize in advance for anyone that I miss.
First, I want to thank my lovely, wonderful, and beautiful wife, Jessica, for letting me devote my Sunday evenings to the Youth Group. Darling, I love you. Your love and support is what keeps me going throughout the year. Thank you for always being there for me, and thank you for letting me know when I start to go over-board on activities. I don't know what I would do without you.
To Ron, thank you for your continued support and trust in teaching the Youth Group. It's a continued privilege to volunteer with you. You are a great mentor and teacher. This is the start of year three for the two of us teaming up. Here's to many more years. (Get well soon, too.)
To Walt and Val, thank you for being there every week. Your dedication and consistency does not go unnoticed. I know I can always count on you two to be there. Thank you.
To Rosemary, thank you for taking the plunge and joining the ranks of the Youth Group Leaders. I look forward to 2013 to have you on board. (Also, you were very brave for volunteering to do the sleep over as your second Youth Group meeting/activity.)
To Pastor Jim, thank you for supporting the Youth Group throughout the year. It's wonderful to have the Pastor of the church take interest in the Youth Group. I am personally grateful to have your guidance and input.
To Suzanne, thanks for promoting the Youth Group in the Weekly Announcements, and thank you for your weekly reminders to give you the information to put into the weekly announcements.
To the parents of the Youth Group members and the congregation, thank you for sending your kids to Youth Group.
Lastly, to the Youth Group, thank you for coming out and attending the weekly meetings. All of you make the Youth Group a pleasure. Thank you for continuing to bother your parents to come to our weekly meetings and events.
Thank you to everyone for making 2012 a great year. I will be updating the blog periodically today and tomorrow in anticipation of 2013.
Best wishes,
Michael
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
From the Mind of Michael: Church Attire
From the Mind of Michael is a small series of thoughts and observations from Michael, one of the Youth Group Leaders. The views and opinions expressed here are solely that of Michael McCracken, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Loving Grace Alliance Church, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, or any one else for that matter.
Growing up, my mother always had her family dressed in Sunday best for church. For me, that entailed a button down shirt, dress slacks, dark socks, dress shoes, and a clean jacket. As I entered High School, the dress code was relaxed to "something that fit correctly and had no holes in it." (Granted, I grew up in the 90's so, everything fashionable was three sizes too large and had holes in it...) In college, I lived on campus, so I dressed myself. The dress code was relaxed again to "something clean."
Now I am a parent, and I am supposed to set the example for my son. I hadn't realized it, but I had been picking out button down shirts and slacks for my son for church. My wife always laughs at me, because I will try to match my son. Some days I am more successful at it than other days.
I do wonder, why do we put an emphasis on the clothes we wear to church? The clothing we wear has no impact on whether we get saved or not. The clothing we wear doesn't make God love us more or less. The clothing we wear is not prescribed to us by the Bible or Jesus. So, that begs the question, if it doesn't impact if I get saved, or the amount that God loves me, or commanded by Jesus or the Bible, then why do we put such emphasis on it?
I can accept that we have a built in desire to cover ourselves. Adam and Eve covered themselves with leaves when they realized they were naked. A few verses later, God covered them in animal skins. I remember that King David wore sack-cloth when he was trying to be repentant. I remember Jesus telling the disciples to carry only the clothes on their back when they began their missions trips.
Still, that doesn't answer my question. Perhaps the desire Sunday best is to a way to outwardly show you are giving God your best. I don't know for sure, but I would venture a guess that's where the desire comes from. I wonder if wearing Sunday best became more of a tradition than a form of showing honor. There are times when I come to church dressed in sock-less shoes, but I still wear the socks. I can't say that those church services were more or less spiritual than the button down shirt, slacks, and dress socks services.
Anyway, just a random thought.
-Michael
Growing up, my mother always had her family dressed in Sunday best for church. For me, that entailed a button down shirt, dress slacks, dark socks, dress shoes, and a clean jacket. As I entered High School, the dress code was relaxed to "something that fit correctly and had no holes in it." (Granted, I grew up in the 90's so, everything fashionable was three sizes too large and had holes in it...) In college, I lived on campus, so I dressed myself. The dress code was relaxed again to "something clean."
Now I am a parent, and I am supposed to set the example for my son. I hadn't realized it, but I had been picking out button down shirts and slacks for my son for church. My wife always laughs at me, because I will try to match my son. Some days I am more successful at it than other days.
I do wonder, why do we put an emphasis on the clothes we wear to church? The clothing we wear has no impact on whether we get saved or not. The clothing we wear doesn't make God love us more or less. The clothing we wear is not prescribed to us by the Bible or Jesus. So, that begs the question, if it doesn't impact if I get saved, or the amount that God loves me, or commanded by Jesus or the Bible, then why do we put such emphasis on it?
I can accept that we have a built in desire to cover ourselves. Adam and Eve covered themselves with leaves when they realized they were naked. A few verses later, God covered them in animal skins. I remember that King David wore sack-cloth when he was trying to be repentant. I remember Jesus telling the disciples to carry only the clothes on their back when they began their missions trips.
Still, that doesn't answer my question. Perhaps the desire Sunday best is to a way to outwardly show you are giving God your best. I don't know for sure, but I would venture a guess that's where the desire comes from. I wonder if wearing Sunday best became more of a tradition than a form of showing honor. There are times when I come to church dressed in sock-less shoes, but I still wear the socks. I can't say that those church services were more or less spiritual than the button down shirt, slacks, and dress socks services.
Anyway, just a random thought.
-Michael
Monday, November 19, 2012
Weekly Announcements for 11/19/2012
Hi Everyone!
Church Cleaning
Youth Group will be helping once a month to help clean the church. I am working through the final details with the Cleaning Committee, but we will be doing the general cleaning instead of a lesson once a month. The cleaning will involve sweeping, vacuuming, emptying trash and recycling, cleaning bathrooms, and any spot mopping that may need to be done.
All of us need to help our church community. Many hands make light work. We can easily tackle this assignment if we get a good turn out to help.
YOUTH GROUP CHRISTMAS PARTY!!! (Date Change)
We took a vote, and we have moved the date for Christmas party to December Friday, December 14th. This date is the same date as the church sleep over. In regards to the Christmas party, please bring a $5.00 gift to participate in the White Elephant gift exchange. More information is on the "Parties and Events" page.
Please come see me if $5 is a concern. I want everyone to be able to participate in the Youth Group activities. I never want to see someone not participate in an activity over something as trivial as money.
Church Sleep-Over
The Church Sleep Over will be happening on Friday, Dec 14th. We are still working on the times, but the date has been set. Please bring $5.00 per attendee to help off-set the cost of drinks and snacks.
I am happy to announce that the church sleep over will be open to both boys and girls. We have two women willing to watch the girls during the sleep over. Valerie and Rosemary will be the women chaperons.
Also, after much deliberation, the sleep-over will be inside. Outside sleeping will NOT be an option for this event. If the weather is pleasant enough, I will start a fire in the fire ring, but that's the extent of the planned outside activities. The women will be sleeping up in Pastor Jim's office, and the men will be sleeping in the basement.
There is a lot more information is on the "Parties and Events" page.
That's it for now.
-Michael
Lots of ground to cover today, so let's get right into this. (I'll have a lesson recap posted later this week. I have a lot going on from a personal stand point.)
Church Cleaning
Youth Group will be helping once a month to help clean the church. I am working through the final details with the Cleaning Committee, but we will be doing the general cleaning instead of a lesson once a month. The cleaning will involve sweeping, vacuuming, emptying trash and recycling, cleaning bathrooms, and any spot mopping that may need to be done.
All of us need to help our church community. Many hands make light work. We can easily tackle this assignment if we get a good turn out to help.
YOUTH GROUP CHRISTMAS PARTY!!! (Date Change)
We took a vote, and we have moved the date for Christmas party to December Friday, December 14th. This date is the same date as the church sleep over. In regards to the Christmas party, please bring a $5.00 gift to participate in the White Elephant gift exchange. More information is on the "Parties and Events" page.
Please come see me if $5 is a concern. I want everyone to be able to participate in the Youth Group activities. I never want to see someone not participate in an activity over something as trivial as money.
Church Sleep-Over
The Church Sleep Over will be happening on Friday, Dec 14th. We are still working on the times, but the date has been set. Please bring $5.00 per attendee to help off-set the cost of drinks and snacks.
I am happy to announce that the church sleep over will be open to both boys and girls. We have two women willing to watch the girls during the sleep over. Valerie and Rosemary will be the women chaperons.
Also, after much deliberation, the sleep-over will be inside. Outside sleeping will NOT be an option for this event. If the weather is pleasant enough, I will start a fire in the fire ring, but that's the extent of the planned outside activities. The women will be sleeping up in Pastor Jim's office, and the men will be sleeping in the basement.
There is a lot more information is on the "Parties and Events" page.
That's it for now.
-Michael
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Weekly Announcements: 11/14/2012
Hi Everyone!
Let's jump right into the weekly announcements.
I am disappointed in myself. October came and went, and the Youth Group did not organize a community service event. Somehow, I lost all track of time, and now were are almost upon Thanksgiving... Time moves waaaaay too fast this time of year. With the feeling of lost time in mind, I have volunteered the Youth Group to help clean the church one Sunday a month. Details will follow shortly.
YOUTH GROUP CHRISTMAS PARTY!!!
Youth Group Christmas party is less than one month away! The Youth Group Christmas party will be held on Sunday evening, December 9th, from 5:00-7:00 pm. Everyone, please bring a $5.00 gift to participate in the White Elephant gift exchange. More information is on the "Parties and Events" page.
Please come see me if $5 is a concern. I want everyone to be able to participate in the Youth Group activities. I never want to see someone not participate in an activity over something as trivial as money.
Church Sleep-Over
As an update, we have a potential candidate to be female Youth Group leader. Everything is still in the early stage of this process, and I'm not giving out names just yet. However, if all goes well, then the Church Sleep Over event will be open to both boys and girls.
I still want to have the boys/men sleep outside near the fire ring. The girls will not be subjected to that experience. The girls will be sleeping inside of the church. However, if the weather is expected to be poor, then the boys/men will be sleeping inside of the church.
I am tentatively scheduling the Church Sleep Over for Friday, Dec 14th. The plan should be finalized by Youth Group this Sunday, so stay tuned for more details.
That's it for now.
-Michael
Let's jump right into the weekly announcements.
I am disappointed in myself. October came and went, and the Youth Group did not organize a community service event. Somehow, I lost all track of time, and now were are almost upon Thanksgiving... Time moves waaaaay too fast this time of year. With the feeling of lost time in mind, I have volunteered the Youth Group to help clean the church one Sunday a month. Details will follow shortly.
YOUTH GROUP CHRISTMAS PARTY!!!
Youth Group Christmas party is less than one month away! The Youth Group Christmas party will be held on Sunday evening, December 9th, from 5:00-7:00 pm. Everyone, please bring a $5.00 gift to participate in the White Elephant gift exchange. More information is on the "Parties and Events" page.
Please come see me if $5 is a concern. I want everyone to be able to participate in the Youth Group activities. I never want to see someone not participate in an activity over something as trivial as money.
Church Sleep-Over
As an update, we have a potential candidate to be female Youth Group leader. Everything is still in the early stage of this process, and I'm not giving out names just yet. However, if all goes well, then the Church Sleep Over event will be open to both boys and girls.
I still want to have the boys/men sleep outside near the fire ring. The girls will not be subjected to that experience. The girls will be sleeping inside of the church. However, if the weather is expected to be poor, then the boys/men will be sleeping inside of the church.
I am tentatively scheduling the Church Sleep Over for Friday, Dec 14th. The plan should be finalized by Youth Group this Sunday, so stay tuned for more details.
That's it for now.
-Michael
Monday, November 12, 2012
From the Mind of Michael: Candy Canes
(From the Mind of Michael is a small series of thoughts and observations from Michael, one of the Youth Group Leaders. The views and opinions expressed here are solely that of Michael McCracken, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Loving Grace Alliance Church, the Christian and Missionary Alliance... or any one at all.)
Due to my attraction for candy canes, cheap prices, and my son's unusual sleep schedule, I found myself in Wal-Mart this morning at 7:00 am. Yes, candy canes. The simple candy that I crave for about two months a year, is now available at my local Wal-Mart. I noticed candy canes were available in Joann Fabric last evening, so I figured that if candy canes were already popping up in fabric stores, then Wal-Mart should be stocking them by now, too.
I cannot explain why I like candy canes so much. I can tell you that I like the original peppermint. I've tried the different brands and different flavors, and some of them were tasty, But when I go to the store, I prefer the standard, red and white, peppermint candy canes.
It's kind of strange, really. I don't really like peppermint gum, or peppermint and chocolate flavored after dinner-mints, or those little round peppermint candies. (I do like peppermint hot cocoa, but I think that falls under the "I like Hot Cocoa" category.) There's just something about peppermint candy canes that I really like.
I did some thinking on this before, and I think it goes back to my childhood. I remember going to the store with my parents to get candy canes for Christmas and my birthday. Christmas and my birthday were always happy times, and I remember only be able to get candy canes around that time of year. I also remember going to place called Chestnut Ridge Park outside of Buffalo, NY for their Christmas hay-ride and Santa Claus sing-a-long attraction. Hot cocoa, red and green sugar cookies, and candy canes were prominent there. (Oddly enough, I really like all three of those things.)
Anyway, my inclination was correct. Christmas candy is already lining the Seasonal aisle of Wal-Mart. Red, Green, and white packaging was abundant. And, on the shelves, were rows of candy canes. Brach's seemed to be ahead of the game this year. Lots of their stuff was front and center. The normal brand of Bob's was nowhere to be found. Still, no matter, I found the candy canes.
A box of the 65-count mini candy canes now sits in my truck. However, only 64 candy canes and 1 (now) empty wrapper are present. I do like to share my candy canes as much as I like to eat them. So, I will be bringing them to church on Sunday, (or the ones that make it to Sunday). Feel free to ask me for one.
That's all for now.
-Michael
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Weekly Update: 11/06/2012
Hi Everyone,
We had a great turn out Sunday evening for the first Youth Group bonfire. A huge thank you to Frank and Jake Delaney, as they spent a lot of time and effort into building the fire pit with me on Saturday and Sunday. We did a Bible discussion, roasted marshmallows, and played a few games outside. We were outside for the entire meeting time, and Everyone had a good time. I hope to have a few more bonfires between now and the end of the year, so keep your ears open for any bonfire announcements.
Can you believe that the Youth Group Christmas party is one month and three days away? That's right. The Youth Group Christmas party will be held on Sunday evening, December 9th, from 5:00-7:00 pm. Everyone, please bring a $5.00 gift to participate in the White Elephant gift exchange. More information is on the "Parties and Events" page.
Attention Youth Group Girls!!! We will need a female Youth Leader in the very near future. (Read the next paragraph, and you'll see why.) Youth Group is still looking for a second woman Youth Group Leader. We've been looking now for two or three months, and we aren't any closer to finding a second Youth Group Woman Leader. Please contact any of the Youth Group Leaders with your suggestion.
I am tentatively scheduling a Youth Group activity sometime between Dec 14th and Dec 21. I am hoping to have a sleep over at the church during that time. If the weather allows, we will be camping outside. As of right now, this will be an all-boys event, unless we find a woman who would be willing to sleep over at the church and watch the girls. For safety and security reasons, if there are only male Youth Group Leader(s) available for the sleep over, then only the boys will be sleeping over.
That's it for now. My, how time flies...
-Michael
We had a great turn out Sunday evening for the first Youth Group bonfire. A huge thank you to Frank and Jake Delaney, as they spent a lot of time and effort into building the fire pit with me on Saturday and Sunday. We did a Bible discussion, roasted marshmallows, and played a few games outside. We were outside for the entire meeting time, and Everyone had a good time. I hope to have a few more bonfires between now and the end of the year, so keep your ears open for any bonfire announcements.
Can you believe that the Youth Group Christmas party is one month and three days away? That's right. The Youth Group Christmas party will be held on Sunday evening, December 9th, from 5:00-7:00 pm. Everyone, please bring a $5.00 gift to participate in the White Elephant gift exchange. More information is on the "Parties and Events" page.
Attention Youth Group Girls!!! We will need a female Youth Leader in the very near future. (Read the next paragraph, and you'll see why.) Youth Group is still looking for a second woman Youth Group Leader. We've been looking now for two or three months, and we aren't any closer to finding a second Youth Group Woman Leader. Please contact any of the Youth Group Leaders with your suggestion.
I am tentatively scheduling a Youth Group activity sometime between Dec 14th and Dec 21. I am hoping to have a sleep over at the church during that time. If the weather allows, we will be camping outside. As of right now, this will be an all-boys event, unless we find a woman who would be willing to sleep over at the church and watch the girls. For safety and security reasons, if there are only male Youth Group Leader(s) available for the sleep over, then only the boys will be sleeping over.
That's it for now. My, how time flies...
-Michael
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Party Announcements!
Hi Everyone!
I have two party announcements for this week! Information will be posted on the Parties and Events Page as well.
Camp Fire! (Weather Providing)
I made the announcement this past Sunday at Youth Group that Loving Grace Alliance Church has a recreational fire permit. Our first camp fire will be during regular Youth Group time in two Sundays from now, if the weather cooperates.
Who: Loving Grace Alliance Youth Group
What: First Camp Fire
Where: At the Hayes Mill Road Church
When: Sunday, November 4th from 5:00-7:00pm
Why: Because we can. :-)
Additional Notes: I'll be bringing marshmallows to roast. I plan on using whatever sticks I can find in the woods along side the church. Please bring any camp fire chairs or sticks if you are against sitting on tree logs and using sticks from the ground.
CHRISTMAS PARTY!!!
Wow! It's already time to figure out the Youth Group Christmas party. I figured we should make the announcement early, so people can try to plan ahead.
Who: Loving Grace Alliance Youth Group
What: Youth Group Christmas Party!
Where: At the Hayes Mill Road Church
When: Sunday, December 9th from 5:00-7:00pm
Why: Celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Additional Notes: We will be doing a White Elephant gift exchange. Rules are fairly simple. Everyone is to bring a wrapped gift (or gifts) to the party. The gift(s) should be worth no more than $5.00 total. Be sure the gifts are uni-sex (meaning can be either for a boy or a girl. So no Barbie's or G.I Joe's.) We will then go around and exchange the gifts one at time. There will be a more in-depth explanation of the White Elephant when we actually do it.
That's it for now.
-Michael
I have two party announcements for this week! Information will be posted on the Parties and Events Page as well.
Camp Fire! (Weather Providing)
I made the announcement this past Sunday at Youth Group that Loving Grace Alliance Church has a recreational fire permit. Our first camp fire will be during regular Youth Group time in two Sundays from now, if the weather cooperates.
Who: Loving Grace Alliance Youth Group
What: First Camp Fire
Where: At the Hayes Mill Road Church
When: Sunday, November 4th from 5:00-7:00pm
Why: Because we can. :-)
Additional Notes: I'll be bringing marshmallows to roast. I plan on using whatever sticks I can find in the woods along side the church. Please bring any camp fire chairs or sticks if you are against sitting on tree logs and using sticks from the ground.
CHRISTMAS PARTY!!!
Wow! It's already time to figure out the Youth Group Christmas party. I figured we should make the announcement early, so people can try to plan ahead.
Who: Loving Grace Alliance Youth Group
What: Youth Group Christmas Party!
Where: At the Hayes Mill Road Church
When: Sunday, December 9th from 5:00-7:00pm
Why: Celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Additional Notes: We will be doing a White Elephant gift exchange. Rules are fairly simple. Everyone is to bring a wrapped gift (or gifts) to the party. The gift(s) should be worth no more than $5.00 total. Be sure the gifts are uni-sex (meaning can be either for a boy or a girl. So no Barbie's or G.I Joe's.) We will then go around and exchange the gifts one at time. There will be a more in-depth explanation of the White Elephant when we actually do it.
That's it for now.
-Michael
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Weekly Announcements (a few days late)
Hi Everyone!
Sorry for the delay in posting the weekly announcements. I've been very busy at home and at work, so I haven't had time in the last week to update the site. Anyway, here's what we have going on.
First and foremost, Youth Group is now meeting at the Hayes Mill Road church location! This Sunday will be our first Youth Group meeting at Hayes Mill Road, so I'm very excited. I don't really know where we will be meeting inside of the church, or what changes we will make to the format of the Youth Group meetings, so it will be a learning experience for all of us. The meeting time has not changed. We will meet from 5:00-7:00pm. If the weather cooperates, we will meet for part of the time outside, so please dress appropriately.
Youth Group outreach ideas are needed for this Sunday. Fall is here, so my first idea is leaves raking for some of the church members. Please bring any and all community service ideas with you this Sunday. I will be speaking with the adults based upon our decision this Sunday.
Youth Group is still looking for a second female leader to help out. If you have any suggestions, please let one of the Youth Group leaders know.
The Church Open House is next Sunday, October 28th. I will need some of the Youth to hang out during the Open House to help promote the Youth Group to any visitors. Please see any of the Youth Group Leaders if you are able to help out that day.
That's just about it for now. See everyone Sunday as we continue to go into Apologetics!
-Michael
p.s. Shh.... I'm working on something... Something that involves fire... I'll know more this Sunday for Youth Group, so come to this week's meeting to find out more. :-)
p.s. Shh.... I'm working on something... Something that involves fire... I'll know more this Sunday for Youth Group, so come to this week's meeting to find out more. :-)
Monday, October 8, 2012
Youth Group Lesson: Apologetics
Hi Everyone,
Before I begin, I owe a huge "THANK YOU" to Pastor Nick Pridemore of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Bloomington, IN, as I am blatantly using his material (with his permission, of course). If you are ever in the Bloomington, IN area, head on over to Cornerstone for some very sound Bible-based teaching, and head on over to Pastor Nick's Young Adult ministry called "Resolved" for some encouraging and God-focused ministry. I base a lot of my Youth Group activities and teachings after what I experienced and learned from Pastor Nick at Resolved.
Yesterday, we continued our topic on Christian apologetics. Two Sundays ago was an overview/introduction to the topic, and yesterday we continued the introduction. I intentionally held off on posting last week's lesson, as this week was an extension of what we did last week.
(This is what we covered two weeks ago)
So what is apologetics? Apologetics is defense of the faith of Christianity. It's giving an account of why you believe in Christianity without using the Bible as your main resource. We study apologetics, because some people refuse to believe in the Bible and its truths. Imagine this scenario...
Inquisitive Person: Why do you believe in God, and Jesus, and the Bible?
Christian Believer: Because the Bible is truth.
Inquisitive Person: Is the Bible really truth?
Christian Believer: The Bible says the Bible is truth.
Inquisitive Person: How do you know the Bible is truth?
Christian Believer: The Bible says that it is impossible for God to lie, and the Bible is God's word to humanity. So, because God always tells the truth, the Bible is truth.
Inquisitive Person: I don't believe in the Bible. Use something else to prove to me that God and Jesus and the Bible are truth.
This is where apologetics come into play. Apologetics is a tool that Christians can use to help defend their faith and beliefs. By no means should apologetics be the only reason you believe. Apologetics should reinforce your beliefs, not be the center of your faith.
I then went into basic math logic, where a --> b --> c.
I used the example where if:
a = I swing a large hammer
b = onto my thumb,
then c = a number of things. First, my thumb is injured. I probably yelled or screamed. I'm in pain. Secondly, you can infer that I could be careless, I could be tired, I had an unfortunate accident, or maybe I was distracted.
It's that second level of thinking that we are pursuing in apologetics. It's the thoughts that are not directly stated, but are implied or can be deduced through additional logic. Some things are easier to figure out than others, as some answers might have definitive answers, and some have strong evidence there of.
The Youth Group and I turned to the Book of Genesis. I asked them, who wrote Genesis? A few of them said God. While it is true that God inspired the book, he didn't pick up a pen and paper and write the first version. So, the question remained, who wrote Genesis? Ron's Bible had an answer in it. His translation of the Bible said it was Moses who wrote Genesis. Most Christians attribute Moses as the author, and I am one of them. However, that tidbit of information was not specifically in the Book of Genesis, but it was included as background information.
The point being is that Christians should be able to answer some questions about their faith that aren't specifically laid out in the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible does it say "And then Moses wrote Genesis". Yet, we credit Moses. People are going to answer questions where answers may not lie directly in the Bible. The "who wrote Genesis" question is just one example. What about "why aren't dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible if God made everything?" Apologetics will help Christians explain their beliefs to people that want to know things that are not specifically spelled out.
(This is what we covered yesterday)
We opened up with a comedy song that had nothing to do with apologetics. For those interested, it was the "Dooright Famiy" by Ray Stevens. Hey, if Christians can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at? :-)
We then listened to a song that gave a clue as to the topic of the night. "Somewhere in the Middle" by Casting Crowns. The first half of the chorus lyrics give the best clues:
Fearless warriors on the picket fence,
Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
and we are caught in the middle.
(We didn't cover the second half, but it does apply as well)
With eyes wide open to the differences,
to the God we want and the God who is.
Bu will we trade our dreams for his?
Or are we caught in the middle?
Can you figure out last night's topic clue? One of the Youth Group members figured it out. She said "you want to believe, but you don't know". (I have to admit that I was impressed, as using music for topical clues is very cerebral. I guess it's true that women do develop intellectually faster than men.)
So that brings up question, what is a belief? For that question, we turn to the dictionary. Belief is a noun. Belief can be defined as "any cognitive content held as true." There are two key words in that definition.
The first is cognitive. Cognitive is an adjective, and it can be defined as "of or pertaining to the mental process of perception, memory, judgement, and reasoning, as contrasted with emotional and volitional processes." (Say what? Be honest, you know you had to re-read that definition at least twice.) To paraphrase, a cognitive thought is something that you have actively, and consciously thought about, and came to a logical conclusion.
So, going back to the definition of belief, we can paraphrase it to read "any thought that you have actively and consciously thought about and came to a logical conclusion that the thought is true." (Perhaps now you can see why the word "cognitive" was developed.)
So that brings us to the difficult word in the definition of belief. The word "truth". You would think that cognitive would be the difficult word, but no, truth is far more difficult than cognitive.
So what is truth? Truth is a noun. It is an idea (though some can argue that truth can take on different mediums, let's run with the notion that truth is an idea for now.) Truth has many different adjectives and tests to see if something is truth. All of these must apply for something to be truth.
A: Truth is discovered, not invented. It exists even if know one knows about it. Gravity existed before Newton named it.
B: Truth is transcultural. If something is true, it is true for all people in all places at all times. 2+2 is 4 no matter who’s holding the pencil.
C: Truth is unchanging even though our beliefs about truth can change. When we started to view the earth as being round instead of flat the truth about the earth’s shape didn't change, only our beliefs.
D. A belief can’t change the truth no matter how sincere the belief is. A person can sincerely belief the earth is flat, but they are sincerely wrong. People can have contradictory beliefs, but it is impossible to have contradictory truths. We can belief anything is true, but we cannot alter what really is true.
E. Truth is not affected by the attitude of the person stating it. A person’s arrogance doesn't make the truth he professes wrong and vice-versa.
F. All truths are absolute. Even truths that seem to be relative are actually absolute. If I say, “I feel warm today, 10/7/2012, it may seem like a relative statement. But in reality it is absolutely true for everyone everywhere that Michael McCracken felt warm on 10/7/2012. (Also, remember that only the Sith speak in absolutes. Wait... does this mean that the Sith from Star Wars is truth? Someone call Yoda for linguistic clarification).
G. Truth is eternal. By this I don’t mean specific truths like what day it is or what the temperature is. I mean the concept of truth, or the fact there is truth, will never cease to be. Augustine said truth cannot die, for even if it dies then it is true that it died and truth is alive again.
I threw a lot at the Youth Group last night, but that was the intention. As we move along in the apologetics study, conversations will come up, and it is my goal and hope that some of this sticks with them.
As the last song of the night, we listened to "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns. The Youth were starting to get the idea of the song to topic concept, as they were engaging more on topic. I think I'm on to something using multi-media to get the Youth Group's attention...
So that was the lesson in a nut shell. We had a lot of side conversations, and we went more in depth that i wrote about, so if you interested, come to Youth Group and hear everything first hand. (Oh, then we played two games of Flag Tag, and I don't move as fast as I remember.)
I'll be posting the Youth Group Weekly Announcements later on this week. This post took a lot longer than I thought, and I had started it last week...
That's all for now,
-Michael
Before I begin, I owe a huge "THANK YOU" to Pastor Nick Pridemore of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Bloomington, IN, as I am blatantly using his material (with his permission, of course). If you are ever in the Bloomington, IN area, head on over to Cornerstone for some very sound Bible-based teaching, and head on over to Pastor Nick's Young Adult ministry called "Resolved" for some encouraging and God-focused ministry. I base a lot of my Youth Group activities and teachings after what I experienced and learned from Pastor Nick at Resolved.
Yesterday, we continued our topic on Christian apologetics. Two Sundays ago was an overview/introduction to the topic, and yesterday we continued the introduction. I intentionally held off on posting last week's lesson, as this week was an extension of what we did last week.
(This is what we covered two weeks ago)
So what is apologetics? Apologetics is defense of the faith of Christianity. It's giving an account of why you believe in Christianity without using the Bible as your main resource. We study apologetics, because some people refuse to believe in the Bible and its truths. Imagine this scenario...
Inquisitive Person: Why do you believe in God, and Jesus, and the Bible?
Christian Believer: Because the Bible is truth.
Inquisitive Person: Is the Bible really truth?
Christian Believer: The Bible says the Bible is truth.
Inquisitive Person: How do you know the Bible is truth?
Christian Believer: The Bible says that it is impossible for God to lie, and the Bible is God's word to humanity. So, because God always tells the truth, the Bible is truth.
Inquisitive Person: I don't believe in the Bible. Use something else to prove to me that God and Jesus and the Bible are truth.
This is where apologetics come into play. Apologetics is a tool that Christians can use to help defend their faith and beliefs. By no means should apologetics be the only reason you believe. Apologetics should reinforce your beliefs, not be the center of your faith.
I then went into basic math logic, where a --> b --> c.
I used the example where if:
a = I swing a large hammer
b = onto my thumb,
then c = a number of things. First, my thumb is injured. I probably yelled or screamed. I'm in pain. Secondly, you can infer that I could be careless, I could be tired, I had an unfortunate accident, or maybe I was distracted.
It's that second level of thinking that we are pursuing in apologetics. It's the thoughts that are not directly stated, but are implied or can be deduced through additional logic. Some things are easier to figure out than others, as some answers might have definitive answers, and some have strong evidence there of.
The Youth Group and I turned to the Book of Genesis. I asked them, who wrote Genesis? A few of them said God. While it is true that God inspired the book, he didn't pick up a pen and paper and write the first version. So, the question remained, who wrote Genesis? Ron's Bible had an answer in it. His translation of the Bible said it was Moses who wrote Genesis. Most Christians attribute Moses as the author, and I am one of them. However, that tidbit of information was not specifically in the Book of Genesis, but it was included as background information.
The point being is that Christians should be able to answer some questions about their faith that aren't specifically laid out in the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible does it say "And then Moses wrote Genesis". Yet, we credit Moses. People are going to answer questions where answers may not lie directly in the Bible. The "who wrote Genesis" question is just one example. What about "why aren't dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible if God made everything?" Apologetics will help Christians explain their beliefs to people that want to know things that are not specifically spelled out.
(This is what we covered yesterday)
We opened up with a comedy song that had nothing to do with apologetics. For those interested, it was the "Dooright Famiy" by Ray Stevens. Hey, if Christians can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at? :-)
We then listened to a song that gave a clue as to the topic of the night. "Somewhere in the Middle" by Casting Crowns. The first half of the chorus lyrics give the best clues:
Fearless warriors on the picket fence,
Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
and we are caught in the middle.
(We didn't cover the second half, but it does apply as well)
With eyes wide open to the differences,
to the God we want and the God who is.
Bu will we trade our dreams for his?
Or are we caught in the middle?
Can you figure out last night's topic clue? One of the Youth Group members figured it out. She said "you want to believe, but you don't know". (I have to admit that I was impressed, as using music for topical clues is very cerebral. I guess it's true that women do develop intellectually faster than men.)
So that brings up question, what is a belief? For that question, we turn to the dictionary. Belief is a noun. Belief can be defined as "any cognitive content held as true." There are two key words in that definition.
The first is cognitive. Cognitive is an adjective, and it can be defined as "of or pertaining to the mental process of perception, memory, judgement, and reasoning, as contrasted with emotional and volitional processes." (Say what? Be honest, you know you had to re-read that definition at least twice.) To paraphrase, a cognitive thought is something that you have actively, and consciously thought about, and came to a logical conclusion.
So, going back to the definition of belief, we can paraphrase it to read "any thought that you have actively and consciously thought about and came to a logical conclusion that the thought is true." (Perhaps now you can see why the word "cognitive" was developed.)
So that brings us to the difficult word in the definition of belief. The word "truth". You would think that cognitive would be the difficult word, but no, truth is far more difficult than cognitive.
So what is truth? Truth is a noun. It is an idea (though some can argue that truth can take on different mediums, let's run with the notion that truth is an idea for now.) Truth has many different adjectives and tests to see if something is truth. All of these must apply for something to be truth.
A: Truth is discovered, not invented. It exists even if know one knows about it. Gravity existed before Newton named it.
B: Truth is transcultural. If something is true, it is true for all people in all places at all times. 2+2 is 4 no matter who’s holding the pencil.
C: Truth is unchanging even though our beliefs about truth can change. When we started to view the earth as being round instead of flat the truth about the earth’s shape didn't change, only our beliefs.
D. A belief can’t change the truth no matter how sincere the belief is. A person can sincerely belief the earth is flat, but they are sincerely wrong. People can have contradictory beliefs, but it is impossible to have contradictory truths. We can belief anything is true, but we cannot alter what really is true.
E. Truth is not affected by the attitude of the person stating it. A person’s arrogance doesn't make the truth he professes wrong and vice-versa.
F. All truths are absolute. Even truths that seem to be relative are actually absolute. If I say, “I feel warm today, 10/7/2012, it may seem like a relative statement. But in reality it is absolutely true for everyone everywhere that Michael McCracken felt warm on 10/7/2012. (Also, remember that only the Sith speak in absolutes. Wait... does this mean that the Sith from Star Wars is truth? Someone call Yoda for linguistic clarification).
G. Truth is eternal. By this I don’t mean specific truths like what day it is or what the temperature is. I mean the concept of truth, or the fact there is truth, will never cease to be. Augustine said truth cannot die, for even if it dies then it is true that it died and truth is alive again.
I threw a lot at the Youth Group last night, but that was the intention. As we move along in the apologetics study, conversations will come up, and it is my goal and hope that some of this sticks with them.
As the last song of the night, we listened to "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns. The Youth were starting to get the idea of the song to topic concept, as they were engaging more on topic. I think I'm on to something using multi-media to get the Youth Group's attention...
So that was the lesson in a nut shell. We had a lot of side conversations, and we went more in depth that i wrote about, so if you interested, come to Youth Group and hear everything first hand. (Oh, then we played two games of Flag Tag, and I don't move as fast as I remember.)
I'll be posting the Youth Group Weekly Announcements later on this week. This post took a lot longer than I thought, and I had started it last week...
That's all for now,
-Michael
Monday, September 24, 2012
Weekly Announcements for 9/24/2012
Good Morning Everyone!
Let me begin by saying I've been sick since last Saturday. I am recovering, but the recovery is slower than I'd like it to be. I'm not sure what I have, but I certainly don't want to pass it along to any of the kids. (Symptoms are low grade fever 99.0 to 100.0, headache, dizzyness, nausea, fatigue, "head in the clouds" type of feeling, lack of ability to concentrate.) I am planning on being at Youth Group this Sunday, as I think I'm getting better. Prayers for my recovery/health are appreciated.
I've been very disconnected from the church and from Youth Group the past 10 days, so I apologize for the redundancy of the announcements.
Let me begin by saying I've been sick since last Saturday. I am recovering, but the recovery is slower than I'd like it to be. I'm not sure what I have, but I certainly don't want to pass it along to any of the kids. (Symptoms are low grade fever 99.0 to 100.0, headache, dizzyness, nausea, fatigue, "head in the clouds" type of feeling, lack of ability to concentrate.) I am planning on being at Youth Group this Sunday, as I think I'm getting better. Prayers for my recovery/health are appreciated.
I've been very disconnected from the church and from Youth Group the past 10 days, so I apologize for the redundancy of the announcements.
On Saturday, September 29th, the Berlin Fall Festival will take place from 10:00am to 4:00pm on Broad Street in Berlin. LGAC will have a table with Operation: Christmas Child on display, invitations to our church's Open House on October 28th, and a sand art craft for kids to do. As the Youth Group, we should have a presence at the table, if nothing more than to help out and promote LGAC.
On Sunday, October 28th, the Church is having an Open House at the Hayes Mill Road location. I've been asked by the Open House Committee to have a table set up to highlight and promote the Youth Group. I would like to have a few of the Youth Group members hang out with me at the table to help me promote the Youth Group as new people come by. Please see me, Ron, or Val if you are interested in promoting the Youth Group at the Open House.
On Sunday, October 28th, the Church is having an Open House at the Hayes Mill Road location. I've been asked by the Open House Committee to have a table set up to highlight and promote the Youth Group. I would like to have a few of the Youth Group members hang out with me at the table to help me promote the Youth Group as new people come by. Please see me, Ron, or Val if you are interested in promoting the Youth Group at the Open House.
I admit that I haven't been very good at promoting the church community service projects. I think this topic is well over due for action. Fall is upon us, and soon we'll be socked in for winter. Bring your ideas, because I guarantee you will not like my ideas...
We're looking for a new woman Youth Group Leader to join the Youth Group Leader team. Right now, Val Cromwell is the only woman on the Group Leader team, and she could use some support. So, if you know anyone who would like to help out at the Youth Group, please have that person talk with Pastor Jim and Ron for consideration.
That's all for now.
-Michael
That's all for now.
-Michael
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Weekly Announcements for 9/18/2012
Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the delay in the weekly announcements. I've been sick the past couple of days. I'm still not up to full strength, but I'm improving. Anyway, onward to the weekly announcements!
I missed Sunday's Youth Group Meeting due to illness. I haven't had a chance to talk with Ron or Val about how everything went. The next time I am at the Youth Group, I will be doing some lessons on apologetics. I was asked to do a lesson or two on this topic before we broke for summer. To be honest, I am not very strong on apologetics, yet this is a very important topic for Christians to know and understand. I'm taking this opportunity to learn apologetics and relay what I find to the Youth Group. I am interested at the thought of what I might find.
Sorry for the delay in the weekly announcements. I've been sick the past couple of days. I'm still not up to full strength, but I'm improving. Anyway, onward to the weekly announcements!
I missed Sunday's Youth Group Meeting due to illness. I haven't had a chance to talk with Ron or Val about how everything went. The next time I am at the Youth Group, I will be doing some lessons on apologetics. I was asked to do a lesson or two on this topic before we broke for summer. To be honest, I am not very strong on apologetics, yet this is a very important topic for Christians to know and understand. I'm taking this opportunity to learn apologetics and relay what I find to the Youth Group. I am interested at the thought of what I might find.
On Saturday, September 29th, the Berlin Fall Festival will take place from 10:00am to 4:00pm on Broad Street in Berlin. LGAC will have a table with Operation: Christmas Child on display, invitations to our church's Open House on October 28th, and a sand art craft for kids to do. As the Youth Group, we should have a presence at the table, if nothing more than to help out and promote LGAC.
I admit that I haven't been very good at promoting the church community service projects. I think this topic is well over due for action. Fall is upon us, and soon we'll be socked in for winter. Bring your ideas, because I guarantee you will not like my ideas...
We're looking for a new woman Youth Group Leader to join the Youth Group Leader team. Right now, Val Cromwell is the only woman on the Group Leader team, and she could use some support. So, if you know anyone who would like to help out at the Youth Group, please have that person talk with Pastor Jim and Ron for consideration.
I did some house keeping on the website. I changed some things around, and I think I made some improvements. Thoughts and comments are appreciated.
That's all for now.
-Michael
That's all for now.
-Michael
Monday, September 10, 2012
Weekly Announcements for 9/10/2012
Hi Everyone,
Let's dive right into the announcements.
Yesterday we had our Youth Group Mixer party. We had a solid turn out, and everyone had a fun time. We played lots of games, and we all ran around crazy for 4 hours. We played flag football, marshmallow war, marshmallow run (for lack of a better name), and Flag tag. We had pizza and soda, and at the end, we played Bible Jeopardy with the game board projected onto the big screens. Good times. I really hope that we get a great turn out like this for every party.
Starting next week, we will have our Youth Group meetings on Sunday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 at the church. This coincides with the new Ed Webster House Church, so that'll work out nicely. It is my plan to have an on-going series based upon Christian Apologetic's. I plan on having self-contained messages that do not build on on-another, but instead all follow the same topic of Apologetic's. I'll do my best to update the topics on the Weekly Schedule, so that everyone knows what I'm talking about.
On Saturday, September 29th, the Berlin Fall Festival will take place from 10:00am to 4:00pm on Broad Street in Berlin. LGAC will have a table with Operation: Christmas Child on display, invitations to our church's Open House on October 28th, and a sand art craft for kids to do. As the Youth Group, we should have a presence at the table, if nothing more than to help out and promote LGAC. I'll bring this event up at the next Youth Group meeting for discussion.
Also for next week, we will need to discuss church community service projects. I've been bringing this topic up for a few months now, and the time to act is now. Bring your ideas, because I guarantee you will not like my ideas...
We're looking for a new woman Youth Group Leader to join the Youth Group Leader team. Right now, Val Cromwell is the only woman on the Group Leader team, and she could use some support. So, if you know anyone who would like to help out at the Youth Group, please have that person talk with Pastor Jim and Ron for consideration.
I need to do some house keeping on the website. I need to clean up some of the pages, and update the Verse of the Month. Don't be surprised if there are lots of updates in short order.
That's all for now.
-Michael
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
From the Mind of Michael: Opening Thoughts
Hi Everyone,
This is an experiment with the Youth Group Blog. It's called "From the Mind of Michael". I sometimes feel compelled to draft up a few thoughts and tid bits about various topics. The thoughts aren't always very long, so I usually don't post them. The Weekly Lessons that I post are more developed, and I try to have strong scripture backing and Biblical references. However, perhaps short snippets are in order from time to time. So, without further ado, here is the first edition of "From the Mind of Michael".
From the Mind of Michael: Opening Thoughts
I love football. The American version, mind you, not the international football known as soccer in the USA. As this is the start of the NFL season, it seems like everyone has an opinion of who will win the Super Bowl and how every team will do this coming year.
I would like to point out that although the Bible believes in the gift of prophecy, predicting sports outcomes is not the intent of this gift. Be wary of anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.
I do have some favorite players. I like Tim Tebow (NY Jets) and Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh Steelers). Both of those players profess their faith in Christianity, and both are good role models. They use their fame as an Evangelical platform, and I have no problem with it.
I am still a Buffalo Bills fan, and I probably will be for life. I can't think of any Bills players that openly profess their faith at every opportunity, but doesn't mean there aren't any out there. (The Bills get very little coverage compared to other NFL teams and other teams in Buffalo in general...).
As I now live in the shadow of Philadelphia, PA, I'm surrounded by Eagles fans. To an extent, I see some similarities between the Eagles and the Bills. Both teams have rabid fans. Neither team has won a Championship since the NFL-AFL merger. Both areas have a lot of pride in their local cuisine. (Wings in Buffalo and Cheesesteaks in Philly). Both teams hate the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and New York Giants. Also, a trip to the playoffs would be considered a successful season.
I think there is a lot of praying during football games. I know that I find myself irrationally praying to God for the outcome of a football game. I wish I could say that the prayers are infrequent, but I think it's in my nature to lift everything up to God now, so as a lame excuse, I'm going to say I can't help it. I do wonder if a sporting event has ever changed someone's life because of an answered "prayer." I can't think of any, but I would be very interested to see a testimonial on such an event.
Anyway, as a final thought, here are my predictions for everyone to look at and laugh at in the upcoming months.
AFC Playoffs:
1: Patriots
2: Broncos
3: Steelers
4: Texans
5: Bills
6: Ravens
NFC Playoffs
1: Packers
2: Giants
3: Cardinals
4: Panthers
5: Seahawks
6: Eagles
Super Bowl Prediction:
I'd really like to see Bills over Seahawks, but I don't think either team will make it past the Wild Card round, so I'll go with Broncos over Giants in the Manning Bowl. I'll even guess the score. 38 to 20, this one isn't even close.
This is an experiment with the Youth Group Blog. It's called "From the Mind of Michael". I sometimes feel compelled to draft up a few thoughts and tid bits about various topics. The thoughts aren't always very long, so I usually don't post them. The Weekly Lessons that I post are more developed, and I try to have strong scripture backing and Biblical references. However, perhaps short snippets are in order from time to time. So, without further ado, here is the first edition of "From the Mind of Michael".
From the Mind of Michael: Opening Thoughts
I love football. The American version, mind you, not the international football known as soccer in the USA. As this is the start of the NFL season, it seems like everyone has an opinion of who will win the Super Bowl and how every team will do this coming year.
I would like to point out that although the Bible believes in the gift of prophecy, predicting sports outcomes is not the intent of this gift. Be wary of anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.
I do have some favorite players. I like Tim Tebow (NY Jets) and Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh Steelers). Both of those players profess their faith in Christianity, and both are good role models. They use their fame as an Evangelical platform, and I have no problem with it.
I am still a Buffalo Bills fan, and I probably will be for life. I can't think of any Bills players that openly profess their faith at every opportunity, but doesn't mean there aren't any out there. (The Bills get very little coverage compared to other NFL teams and other teams in Buffalo in general...).
As I now live in the shadow of Philadelphia, PA, I'm surrounded by Eagles fans. To an extent, I see some similarities between the Eagles and the Bills. Both teams have rabid fans. Neither team has won a Championship since the NFL-AFL merger. Both areas have a lot of pride in their local cuisine. (Wings in Buffalo and Cheesesteaks in Philly). Both teams hate the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and New York Giants. Also, a trip to the playoffs would be considered a successful season.
I think there is a lot of praying during football games. I know that I find myself irrationally praying to God for the outcome of a football game. I wish I could say that the prayers are infrequent, but I think it's in my nature to lift everything up to God now, so as a lame excuse, I'm going to say I can't help it. I do wonder if a sporting event has ever changed someone's life because of an answered "prayer." I can't think of any, but I would be very interested to see a testimonial on such an event.
Anyway, as a final thought, here are my predictions for everyone to look at and laugh at in the upcoming months.
AFC Playoffs:
1: Patriots
2: Broncos
3: Steelers
4: Texans
5: Bills
6: Ravens
NFC Playoffs
1: Packers
2: Giants
3: Cardinals
4: Panthers
5: Seahawks
6: Eagles
Super Bowl Prediction:
I'd really like to see Bills over Seahawks, but I don't think either team will make it past the Wild Card round, so I'll go with Broncos over Giants in the Manning Bowl. I'll even guess the score. 38 to 20, this one isn't even close.
Weekly Announcements for 9/4/2012: Post-Labor Day Special
Hi Everyone,
I hope everyone enjoyed Labor Day! It's time for the weekly announcements.
This coming Wednesday is the last Wednesday meeting for the Youth Group. No more Wednesday meetings for the near future. One day, we might change again, but right now, Wednesdays are out and Sundays are in.
Speaking of this Wednesday, I will be speaking that night. This is the follow up to the question asked last week, "Should Christians have non-Christian Friends?" Also, we had a question about the letters IHS on a Catholic handout. I have researched that question, and I have an answer (Thank you, God, for making the google search engine.)
Sept 9th is the Youth Group Mixer Party! All Youth Group aged people are invited. This party is to welcome any new people who are now old enough to come to Youth Group and to welcome any people who can now make the usual Sunday evening meeting time. Party will be from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at the church. Please bring $3, as we are going to try to get pizza, soda, and popcorn. Please let Ron, Val, Walt, or Mike know if you can make it, so we can get a feel for who is coming. Please note that the normal Sunday Evening Meeting time is from 5:00 to 7:00. These are extended hours for the party.
Lastly, the Youth Group is looking for a second woman Youth Group Leader. Right now, Val is the only woman Youth Group Leader, and we don't want her to burn out. So, if you know of someone who you think would be a good Youth Group Leader, ask them to contact Ron, Val, Walt, and Mike.
That's all for now.
Michael
I hope everyone enjoyed Labor Day! It's time for the weekly announcements.
This coming Wednesday is the last Wednesday meeting for the Youth Group. No more Wednesday meetings for the near future. One day, we might change again, but right now, Wednesdays are out and Sundays are in.
Speaking of this Wednesday, I will be speaking that night. This is the follow up to the question asked last week, "Should Christians have non-Christian Friends?" Also, we had a question about the letters IHS on a Catholic handout. I have researched that question, and I have an answer (Thank you, God, for making the google search engine.)
Sept 9th is the Youth Group Mixer Party! All Youth Group aged people are invited. This party is to welcome any new people who are now old enough to come to Youth Group and to welcome any people who can now make the usual Sunday evening meeting time. Party will be from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at the church. Please bring $3, as we are going to try to get pizza, soda, and popcorn. Please let Ron, Val, Walt, or Mike know if you can make it, so we can get a feel for who is coming. Please note that the normal Sunday Evening Meeting time is from 5:00 to 7:00. These are extended hours for the party.
Lastly, the Youth Group is looking for a second woman Youth Group Leader. Right now, Val is the only woman Youth Group Leader, and we don't want her to burn out. So, if you know of someone who you think would be a good Youth Group Leader, ask them to contact Ron, Val, Walt, and Mike.
That's all for now.
Michael
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Youth Group Lesson: What is an Elder?
Good Morning Everyone!
Here is a recap of last night's Youth Group meeting and lesson for anyone who missed it.
Announcements:
The church is moving into a new building soon. As it stands right now, the Youth Group and Front Line Ministries will be sharing a space in the new building. I presented the Youth with my vision of a living room/social room type setting for the shared space. I'd like to see couches, chairs, coffee tables, bean bag chairs, area rugs and other items that would make the space feel more inviting and comfortable. I asked the Youth to think of any additional items or ideas to make the area more comfortable, and we'll have on-going discussions about this every week.
As we gear up for the new school year, autumn is quickly closing in on us. I challenged the Youth Group to think of Community Service ideas to help out fellow church members. Right now, I'm limiting the ideas to just helping church members instead of out-reach, as I am concerned about the safety of the Youth. I will continue to ask the Youth Group for ideas as we get closer to autumn.
Youth Group starts its Sunday meeting starting on September 9th. We are having a party on that day to serve as a mixer/welcome to Youth Group Party. Please bring $3 per person attending as we are going to order pizza and soda and such. Please see me (Michael) if the $3 is an issue. I never want someone to miss out on a Youth Group event because of the cost.
Lesson for the Evening:
So last night, we got into a side discussion about our Elder Board. There were questions like, who is on the Elder Board? (Ryan Gager and Ted Webster) Why are they meeting tonight (last night)? (To talk about the future building).
And then the question was asked "What is an elder?" After pausing a second to think about it, I asked the Youth Group, "What do you think is an elder?" The overwhelming answer was "someone old." (Gotta love the Youth Group.) While that may be the public persona, that is not quite the Biblical definition of an Elder. So, we went diving into 1 Timothy 5:17 to find out the Biblical definition of the word "elder."
1 Timothy 5:17-21 (NIV)
17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%205&version=NIV)
Here is a recap of last night's Youth Group meeting and lesson for anyone who missed it.
Announcements:
The church is moving into a new building soon. As it stands right now, the Youth Group and Front Line Ministries will be sharing a space in the new building. I presented the Youth with my vision of a living room/social room type setting for the shared space. I'd like to see couches, chairs, coffee tables, bean bag chairs, area rugs and other items that would make the space feel more inviting and comfortable. I asked the Youth to think of any additional items or ideas to make the area more comfortable, and we'll have on-going discussions about this every week.
As we gear up for the new school year, autumn is quickly closing in on us. I challenged the Youth Group to think of Community Service ideas to help out fellow church members. Right now, I'm limiting the ideas to just helping church members instead of out-reach, as I am concerned about the safety of the Youth. I will continue to ask the Youth Group for ideas as we get closer to autumn.
Youth Group starts its Sunday meeting starting on September 9th. We are having a party on that day to serve as a mixer/welcome to Youth Group Party. Please bring $3 per person attending as we are going to order pizza and soda and such. Please see me (Michael) if the $3 is an issue. I never want someone to miss out on a Youth Group event because of the cost.
Lesson for the Evening:
So last night, we got into a side discussion about our Elder Board. There were questions like, who is on the Elder Board? (Ryan Gager and Ted Webster) Why are they meeting tonight (last night)? (To talk about the future building).
And then the question was asked "What is an elder?" After pausing a second to think about it, I asked the Youth Group, "What do you think is an elder?" The overwhelming answer was "someone old." (Gotta love the Youth Group.) While that may be the public persona, that is not quite the Biblical definition of an Elder. So, we went diving into 1 Timothy 5:17 to find out the Biblical definition of the word "elder."
1 Timothy 5:17-21 (NIV)
17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%205&version=NIV)
I then asked the Youth, what does that verse mean? After some answers, we picked the verse apart word by word. There is a lot of information within that verse, and in the interest of time and typing, here are the highlights.
First off, the word elders is plural, as in there should be more than one elder. Secondly, the elders are to direct affairs within the church at a "well" level of competence. That means that they have authority to manage roles within the church, and they are to be skilled in how those roles are managed. The word "worthy" can mean deserved or earned. A synonym of honor is respect. Preaching and teaching are roles that are sometimes thought of solely as the responsibility of the Pastor, but here in Timothy, we see that the elders can be tasked with preaching and teaching.
So, to paraphrase 1 Timothy 5:17, The people who are authorized and skilled at managing within the church are deserving of respect upon respect, especially those that assist in preaching and teaching, (roles that are traditionally assigned to the pastor.)
That is a lot of responsibility for a group of people. At the advise of Val and Walt, we then turned to 1 Timothy 3:1-7 to see what kind of qualifications a person should have to become an elder. (Yes, I realize that Timothy 3 is talking about Overseers and Timothy 5:17 is talking about Elders. For this study, I'm holding both groups of people to the same standard.)
1 Timothy 3:1-7
3 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
We picked these attributes apart. I asked the Youth what the more difficult words meant. Such as, what does the word reproach mean? Reproach means correctable. It doesn't mean that the Overseers don't make mistakes, it means that Overseers should not have known habits that would be considered questionable. For example, constantly using using foul language would be a negative trait, so Overseers should not constantly use foul language.
What does the word temperate mean? Youth Group's response, something that is tempered. OK, while that is true, let's not use the word to describe the word in question. Hannah Hoffecker gave the best definition as someone who does not get angry quickly, and someone who doesn't show disinterest in things. To paraphrase Hannah's answer, temperate means you are slow to anger and you show you care.
What does hospitable mean? One of the kids answered, to be hospitalized. (not quite, though it does make me wonder about the word hospital...) Hannah Hoffecker gave the best answer again by saying you take people into your house or help people that need a place to stay.
Another discussion we had was the word "conceited". Conceited can mean arrogant, boastful, prideful, "it's all about me" attitude. The fall of the devil was because the devil thought he deserved the praise and honor and glory that was for God.
I told the Youth Group that being conceited is one of the flaws that I always watch out for in myself. I told the Youth that Youth Group is not about me teaching, it's about God. My goal for teaching Youth Group is to show the kids God's love and to teach them how to live a Godly life. I said that I can't protect them from the world, but by coming to Youth Group they can see how Godly people treat each other.
They can see God's love by how Walt and Val treat each other as husband and wife. They can see God's love by how Ron, Walt, Val, and I interact with each other. We don't always agree on things, and sometimes one of us (ok, mostly me) goes off in the wrong direction, and it's by the open, honest, and loving conversations that the four of us have, that we are able to correct and encourage one another.
The last topic of conversation is tied to verse 7. The question was, should Christians have non-Christian friends? This one was hotly discussed, and I told them that I would go in the Book of Acts and show them how we are to conduct ourselves when we hang out with non-Christians. (The answer, by the way, is yes. We should have non-Christian friends, but they should not be the only friends we have).
Last night's lesson was spur of the moment, but I think it went very well. The night was filled with lots of good discussion that I can't accurately describe. I encourage all Youth Group aged people to come out, and to become part of the conversations we have.
Kind regards,
Michael
Monday, August 27, 2012
Weekly Announcements for 8/27/2012
Good Afternoon Everyone!
I did some housekeeping on the blog. I updated the Weekly Meeting page to reflect the upcoming Sunday Evening change. I also gave a long winded explanation as to why the meeting was changed to that time and day. I updated the Youth Leaders page to reflect the lack of pictures and bios. Eventually I will take the pictures, and I will receive the bios from Pastor Jim, Ron, and Walt. Anyway, time for the Weekly Announcements.
A big Thank You to Suzanne Williams for speaking last week. I've heard great feedback from the Youth, and Suzanne said she enjoyed herself, too. I'm very thankful that there are people like Suzanne who are able and willing to teach the Youth Group while Ron and I take some time to rest and recharge.
This Wednesday, I will be speaking. Ryan is being summoned to a Building Meeting during the Youth Group meeting time. Ryan and I are working to reschedule him to sometime after the Sept 9th.
Speaking of Sept 9th, I have two major announcements for that day. First off, that is the start of the Sunday Evening Youth Group Meeting change! That's right, no more Wednesday nights, and instead, we are meeting Sunday evening from 5:00 to 7:00pm. I pray everyone is able to make it to the new meeting time and day.
Secondly, Sept 9th is the Youth Group Mixer Party! All Youth Group aged people are invited. This party is to welcome any new people who are now old enough to come to Youth Group and to welcome any people who can now make the usual Sunday evening meeting time. Party will be from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at the church. Please bring $3, as we are going to try to get pizza, soda, and popcorn. Please let Ron, Val, Walt, or Mike know if you can make it, so we can get a feel for who is coming. Please note that the normal Sunday Evening Meeting time is from 5:00 to 7:00. These are extended hours for the party.
Thank you to the Youth Group members that were able to help out with the Church Building Berlin Farmers' Market Booth on Saturday. The event raised $500.00 for the Building Fund. It's amazing that we are able to collectively bring together items and convert them into cash for the new building. God is blessing us in this endeavor. (Endeavor, noun - an attempt to do or attain something.)
Anyway, that's all for now.
Michael
I did some housekeeping on the blog. I updated the Weekly Meeting page to reflect the upcoming Sunday Evening change. I also gave a long winded explanation as to why the meeting was changed to that time and day. I updated the Youth Leaders page to reflect the lack of pictures and bios. Eventually I will take the pictures, and I will receive the bios from Pastor Jim, Ron, and Walt. Anyway, time for the Weekly Announcements.
A big Thank You to Suzanne Williams for speaking last week. I've heard great feedback from the Youth, and Suzanne said she enjoyed herself, too. I'm very thankful that there are people like Suzanne who are able and willing to teach the Youth Group while Ron and I take some time to rest and recharge.
This Wednesday, I will be speaking. Ryan is being summoned to a Building Meeting during the Youth Group meeting time. Ryan and I are working to reschedule him to sometime after the Sept 9th.
Speaking of Sept 9th, I have two major announcements for that day. First off, that is the start of the Sunday Evening Youth Group Meeting change! That's right, no more Wednesday nights, and instead, we are meeting Sunday evening from 5:00 to 7:00pm. I pray everyone is able to make it to the new meeting time and day.
Secondly, Sept 9th is the Youth Group Mixer Party! All Youth Group aged people are invited. This party is to welcome any new people who are now old enough to come to Youth Group and to welcome any people who can now make the usual Sunday evening meeting time. Party will be from 4:00pm to 8:00pm at the church. Please bring $3, as we are going to try to get pizza, soda, and popcorn. Please let Ron, Val, Walt, or Mike know if you can make it, so we can get a feel for who is coming. Please note that the normal Sunday Evening Meeting time is from 5:00 to 7:00. These are extended hours for the party.
Thank you to the Youth Group members that were able to help out with the Church Building Berlin Farmers' Market Booth on Saturday. The event raised $500.00 for the Building Fund. It's amazing that we are able to collectively bring together items and convert them into cash for the new building. God is blessing us in this endeavor. (Endeavor, noun - an attempt to do or attain something.)
Anyway, that's all for now.
Michael
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Weekly Announcements for 8/21/2012
Good Evening Everyone!
It's time for the Loving Grace Alliance Youth Group Weekly Announcements. Let's get started.
This Wednesday, Suzanne Williams will be speaking at the Youth Group. Suzanne is our church's secretary, and she is definitely a Godly woman. Suzanne has a wonderful relationship with God, and I know that tomorrow will be an interesting, exciting, and Godly message. Please come out, and hear what God has laid upon Suzanne's heart.
Starting on Sunday, September 9th, the weekly meeting day and time will change. The meeting will move to Sunday evenings from 5:00-7:00pm. Announcements will continue to go out to remind everyone.
This Saturday, Ed Webster is holding a Yard Sale at the Berlin Farmers' Market. If anyone is able to help out, please let one of the Youth Group Leaders know. The start time is at 7:00am, and we close up at 3:00pm or when we run out of stuff to sell. If you cannot attend, please lift up a prayer for the church building fund.
Speaking of the new building, we had the announcement in Church last Sunday that we will be leasing the new building starting October 1! Holy Cow! This is happening fast. I'm really excited. We, as in the Youth Group, will need to roll up our sleeves and get dirty, as we will be asked to help out to get the building ready. We will be asked to help with yard work, such as pulling weeds and picking up sticks in the yard. We will be asked to help clean the inside, such as sweeping, vacuuming, and scrubbing. There is A LOT of work to do in the building, but we will be reaping many benefits from the new location. First and foremost, we will have a designated Youth Group spot. Right now, the plan is that the spot will be a shared space with Front Line Ministries, but it'll be right next to the kitchen, so good times. With that spot, we'll be able to set up couches, chairs, lighting, games spots, and hold parties.
Speaking of parties, last Saturday, we had a game day. Good times were had by all. For those of you that missed it, we played on two wii's. That's right, we set up wii's on both of the projectors. We played the marshmallow throwing game. Louie (not sure on the spelling. Jake's friend) is the August Flag Tag champion. He was the first person to win two matches. Jake came in second. We had pizza and Coke. We set up an obstacle course and timed ourselves. Walt Cromwell and I ran the course, too. (We have rug burns as our battle scars.) We also played a couple of games of Battle-Dice (Also known as Seven-Dice). It was a good time. I hope everyone can make the next game day.
Anyway, that's all for now. I have a few more updates, but I want to get these announcements up.
-Michael
It's time for the Loving Grace Alliance Youth Group Weekly Announcements. Let's get started.
This Wednesday, Suzanne Williams will be speaking at the Youth Group. Suzanne is our church's secretary, and she is definitely a Godly woman. Suzanne has a wonderful relationship with God, and I know that tomorrow will be an interesting, exciting, and Godly message. Please come out, and hear what God has laid upon Suzanne's heart.
Starting on Sunday, September 9th, the weekly meeting day and time will change. The meeting will move to Sunday evenings from 5:00-7:00pm. Announcements will continue to go out to remind everyone.
This Saturday, Ed Webster is holding a Yard Sale at the Berlin Farmers' Market. If anyone is able to help out, please let one of the Youth Group Leaders know. The start time is at 7:00am, and we close up at 3:00pm or when we run out of stuff to sell. If you cannot attend, please lift up a prayer for the church building fund.
Speaking of the new building, we had the announcement in Church last Sunday that we will be leasing the new building starting October 1! Holy Cow! This is happening fast. I'm really excited. We, as in the Youth Group, will need to roll up our sleeves and get dirty, as we will be asked to help out to get the building ready. We will be asked to help with yard work, such as pulling weeds and picking up sticks in the yard. We will be asked to help clean the inside, such as sweeping, vacuuming, and scrubbing. There is A LOT of work to do in the building, but we will be reaping many benefits from the new location. First and foremost, we will have a designated Youth Group spot. Right now, the plan is that the spot will be a shared space with Front Line Ministries, but it'll be right next to the kitchen, so good times. With that spot, we'll be able to set up couches, chairs, lighting, games spots, and hold parties.
Speaking of parties, last Saturday, we had a game day. Good times were had by all. For those of you that missed it, we played on two wii's. That's right, we set up wii's on both of the projectors. We played the marshmallow throwing game. Louie (not sure on the spelling. Jake's friend) is the August Flag Tag champion. He was the first person to win two matches. Jake came in second. We had pizza and Coke. We set up an obstacle course and timed ourselves. Walt Cromwell and I ran the course, too. (We have rug burns as our battle scars.) We also played a couple of games of Battle-Dice (Also known as Seven-Dice). It was a good time. I hope everyone can make the next game day.
Anyway, that's all for now. I have a few more updates, but I want to get these announcements up.
-Michael
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Weekly Announcements!
Hi Everyone!
Sorry for the delay in the Weekly Announcements. Yesterday was a crazy day. Lots of announcements, so here we go!
Last Week's Meeting:
A huge "THANK YOU" to Donna Webster for coming out last week and leading the discussion. For those that missed it, we spoke about Honor. Honor is a huge topic that Donna was able to concentrate into one lesson. She had index card handouts for the verses, and the pace of information was very good, I thought. Thank you again, Donna. We enjoyed having you teach.
Party Announcement!
We are having a Game Day this Saturday, August 18 from 1:00 - 5:00pm at the church. Everyone, please bring $2 so we can order pizza or a snack for everyone. Bring your marshmallow shooters as well.
Meeting Day and Time Change!
Starting on Sunday, September 9th, the Youth Group Meeting day and time will change to Sunday from 5:00 to 7:00pm. We will still be meeting at the church.
Tomorrow's Meeting:
Tomorrow's guest speaker has been changed. I will be leading tomorrow's discussion. The summer has been very restful for me, and Val still needs additional time to finish her message. So, I'm back at the front for next week. (In all honesty, I've missed leading the discussions, and I'm excited to get back at it.)
Next Week's Meeting:
Next week, we will be hearing from Suzanne Williams. Suzanne is the church secretary, and she is definitely a Godly woman. I look forward to hearing what God has laid on Suzanne's heart to share with us.
Church Building Fundraiser:
Ed Webster is organizing a booth at the Berlin Farmers' Market for August 25th. Volunteers are needed to help man the booth. I am asking the older Youth Group members to help out throughout the day, especially in the morning during the rush hours. I will be there for the morning, and possibly part of the afternoon. I am not 100% sure of the times just yet. I am still getting details from Ed. I will relay additional information at the Youth Group Meeting tomorrow night. (And I'll post on the blog.)
That's all for now. See everyone tomorrow night.
-Michael
Sorry for the delay in the Weekly Announcements. Yesterday was a crazy day. Lots of announcements, so here we go!
Last Week's Meeting:
A huge "THANK YOU" to Donna Webster for coming out last week and leading the discussion. For those that missed it, we spoke about Honor. Honor is a huge topic that Donna was able to concentrate into one lesson. She had index card handouts for the verses, and the pace of information was very good, I thought. Thank you again, Donna. We enjoyed having you teach.
Party Announcement!
We are having a Game Day this Saturday, August 18 from 1:00 - 5:00pm at the church. Everyone, please bring $2 so we can order pizza or a snack for everyone. Bring your marshmallow shooters as well.
Meeting Day and Time Change!
Starting on Sunday, September 9th, the Youth Group Meeting day and time will change to Sunday from 5:00 to 7:00pm. We will still be meeting at the church.
Tomorrow's Meeting:
Tomorrow's guest speaker has been changed. I will be leading tomorrow's discussion. The summer has been very restful for me, and Val still needs additional time to finish her message. So, I'm back at the front for next week. (In all honesty, I've missed leading the discussions, and I'm excited to get back at it.)
Next Week's Meeting:
Next week, we will be hearing from Suzanne Williams. Suzanne is the church secretary, and she is definitely a Godly woman. I look forward to hearing what God has laid on Suzanne's heart to share with us.
Church Building Fundraiser:
Ed Webster is organizing a booth at the Berlin Farmers' Market for August 25th. Volunteers are needed to help man the booth. I am asking the older Youth Group members to help out throughout the day, especially in the morning during the rush hours. I will be there for the morning, and possibly part of the afternoon. I am not 100% sure of the times just yet. I am still getting details from Ed. I will relay additional information at the Youth Group Meeting tomorrow night. (And I'll post on the blog.)
That's all for now. See everyone tomorrow night.
-Michael
Monday, August 6, 2012
Weekly Announcements for 8/6/2012
Hi Everyone,
It's time for the weekly announcements for the Youth Group!
Please pray for Pastor Jim as he had his appendix removed last Thursday evening. He is home and recovering now, but prayers are always appreciated.
This Wednesday, Donna will be speaking at the Youth Group. Donna is truly a Godly woman. Her and her husband, Ted, are fantastic examples of how couples can show God's love towards each other and towards their community. I encourage all of the Youth to come out as Donna speaks about what God has laid on her heart to share.
PARTY ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
OK everyone. We're going to take a vote as to what we are going to do for a party.
Choice 1: Game Night at the church on Friday, August 17.
Choice 2: Movie Night at the church on Friday, August 17. ***Movie will be determined by Youth Group Leaders.***
Choice 3: Park Day at the Berlin Park on Saturday, August 18.
We will be voting on what to do this coming Youth Group Meeting, so either let me know, or be at the Youth group Meeting.
That's all for now.
-Michael
It's time for the weekly announcements for the Youth Group!
Please pray for Pastor Jim as he had his appendix removed last Thursday evening. He is home and recovering now, but prayers are always appreciated.
This Wednesday, Donna will be speaking at the Youth Group. Donna is truly a Godly woman. Her and her husband, Ted, are fantastic examples of how couples can show God's love towards each other and towards their community. I encourage all of the Youth to come out as Donna speaks about what God has laid on her heart to share.
PARTY ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
OK everyone. We're going to take a vote as to what we are going to do for a party.
Choice 1: Game Night at the church on Friday, August 17.
Choice 2: Movie Night at the church on Friday, August 17. ***Movie will be determined by Youth Group Leaders.***
Choice 3: Park Day at the Berlin Park on Saturday, August 18.
We will be voting on what to do this coming Youth Group Meeting, so either let me know, or be at the Youth group Meeting.
That's all for now.
-Michael
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Olympic Thoughts
Hi Everyone,
After taking an unexpected day off from posting on blog, I'm back.
I want to start off with an apology. I was scheduled to be at Youth Group last night, but sadly, I was not able to make it. I apologize to the Youth Group and to Ted Webster. I'm sorry. Please forgive me for not making it to the meeting as I had promised.
*** This post is an editorial. These are my opinions and my opinions alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the other Youth Group Leaders, Loving Grace Alliance Church, or the Christian & Missionary Alliance. ***
I hope everyone has been watching the Olympics the past couple of days. I know Jessica and I try to watch some of the NBC highlights every night before bed. A lot of the events, I only stand and watch in awe. The athleticism on the Olympians is mind boggling.
I do enjoy watching Michael Phelps swim. I think it's amazing that he won 19 medals and his medal count could increase. His 15 gold medals is also mind boggling. Plus as a swimmer, he had to do them in short order. Sometime he had to swim events less than 30 minutes apart. That's crazy. I will be sad to see him leave the Olympic spotlight. I don't remember watching him on TV in 2004. I might have seen him, but I don't rightly remember.
I do remember watching him on TV at the 2008 Olympics. That was amazing. That was truly a once in a life time run. I remember seeing him win gold after gold after gold. I like the clip of him standing on the deck of the 4x100 relay where the United States beat France. That is a picture of raw emotion.
On a related note, I am not a huge fan of Lochte. He seems more arrogant than anything else. I am saddened that Lochte might become the face of USA Olympic swimming. But enough of that.
Womens' gymnastics in one word: painful. It's painful in that women can do splits that make me hurt just watching them perform. I really don't know if men have the same ligament structure as men, because I don't know if the male body can bend in some of those ways.
It's painful to see Jordan Wieber breakdown as she didn't make the cut for women's all-around competition. The amount of time and effort and sacrifice that goes into being the defending Olympic Gold medalist for Women's All-Around is astronomical. To see her not make the cut because of a rule that only allows two competitors from one country to compete is painful. I can understand that critics will say that those are the rules that everyone knew before going into the Olympics, but it's still painful to see our athletes come short.
I am looking forward to watching more of the Olympics. I wish I could sit and watch all of the events all day. One day I will go to an Olympics games and see everything first hand.
-Michael
After taking an unexpected day off from posting on blog, I'm back.
I want to start off with an apology. I was scheduled to be at Youth Group last night, but sadly, I was not able to make it. I apologize to the Youth Group and to Ted Webster. I'm sorry. Please forgive me for not making it to the meeting as I had promised.
*** This post is an editorial. These are my opinions and my opinions alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the other Youth Group Leaders, Loving Grace Alliance Church, or the Christian & Missionary Alliance. ***
I hope everyone has been watching the Olympics the past couple of days. I know Jessica and I try to watch some of the NBC highlights every night before bed. A lot of the events, I only stand and watch in awe. The athleticism on the Olympians is mind boggling.
I do enjoy watching Michael Phelps swim. I think it's amazing that he won 19 medals and his medal count could increase. His 15 gold medals is also mind boggling. Plus as a swimmer, he had to do them in short order. Sometime he had to swim events less than 30 minutes apart. That's crazy. I will be sad to see him leave the Olympic spotlight. I don't remember watching him on TV in 2004. I might have seen him, but I don't rightly remember.
I do remember watching him on TV at the 2008 Olympics. That was amazing. That was truly a once in a life time run. I remember seeing him win gold after gold after gold. I like the clip of him standing on the deck of the 4x100 relay where the United States beat France. That is a picture of raw emotion.
On a related note, I am not a huge fan of Lochte. He seems more arrogant than anything else. I am saddened that Lochte might become the face of USA Olympic swimming. But enough of that.
Womens' gymnastics in one word: painful. It's painful in that women can do splits that make me hurt just watching them perform. I really don't know if men have the same ligament structure as men, because I don't know if the male body can bend in some of those ways.
It's painful to see Jordan Wieber breakdown as she didn't make the cut for women's all-around competition. The amount of time and effort and sacrifice that goes into being the defending Olympic Gold medalist for Women's All-Around is astronomical. To see her not make the cut because of a rule that only allows two competitors from one country to compete is painful. I can understand that critics will say that those are the rules that everyone knew before going into the Olympics, but it's still painful to see our athletes come short.
I am looking forward to watching more of the Olympics. I wish I could sit and watch all of the events all day. One day I will go to an Olympics games and see everything first hand.
-Michael
Monday, July 30, 2012
Weekly Announcements for 7/30/2012
Happy Monday Everyone!
The Church picnic was yesterday at Camp FAC. Great times, great weather, great memories. It's days like yesterday that we can say we are truly blessed to have a great church family. The power of a church family is really shown at picnics where the members can hang out, eat food, swim, and, most importantly, see baptisms. Here are a few points about baptisms. A baptism is an outward symbol of what has already happened in a person's heart. It's important to remember that being saved is based upon your relationship with Jesus Christ. A baptism is only an action to show others that you have already received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Can you believe that August 1 is this Wednesday? It amazes me how quickly time flies. I've been told that time goes faster as you get older. I'm starting to believe that bit of advice. Anyway, here's what we have going on for the week.
Some of the Church Leaders are meeting tomorrow night to discuss how each ministry will fit into the new building. Ron Cochran is going to represent the Youth Group. I will try to be there, but I have an evening dentist appointment, and I don't know what time I will be done. So all of you are aware, the different ministries are; Worship (music), Front Line, Childrens', Youth Group, and Adult Sunday service. Really, out of all of the different ministries, the Youth Group is the most flexible as to where we meet and what we need.
Ideally, I would like to have a room for the Youth Group. I would like to have couches, chairs, end tables, lamps, and a TV for us to use as a hang out spot. I envision the Youth Group to become a hang out spot. A place where everyone can feel relaxed and welcomed. Right now, the church has limited funds allocated to the Youth Group, so we've been doing what we can, where we can. I think we've been doing fairly well for
ourselves, given our resources. Still, we can dream...
This Wednesday, Ted Webster will be coming out to speak on integrity. Ted is one of the church's advisory board members, and he is one of our elders as well. Ted has a real passion for God, and his messages are always engaging. I encourage everyone to come out and hear what God has laid on Ted's heart to share with the Youth Group.
That's all we have planned for this week. Kind of a quiet next couple of weeks as we are in the middle of summer. See you Wednesday.
-Michael
The Church picnic was yesterday at Camp FAC. Great times, great weather, great memories. It's days like yesterday that we can say we are truly blessed to have a great church family. The power of a church family is really shown at picnics where the members can hang out, eat food, swim, and, most importantly, see baptisms. Here are a few points about baptisms. A baptism is an outward symbol of what has already happened in a person's heart. It's important to remember that being saved is based upon your relationship with Jesus Christ. A baptism is only an action to show others that you have already received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Can you believe that August 1 is this Wednesday? It amazes me how quickly time flies. I've been told that time goes faster as you get older. I'm starting to believe that bit of advice. Anyway, here's what we have going on for the week.
Some of the Church Leaders are meeting tomorrow night to discuss how each ministry will fit into the new building. Ron Cochran is going to represent the Youth Group. I will try to be there, but I have an evening dentist appointment, and I don't know what time I will be done. So all of you are aware, the different ministries are; Worship (music), Front Line, Childrens', Youth Group, and Adult Sunday service. Really, out of all of the different ministries, the Youth Group is the most flexible as to where we meet and what we need.
Ideally, I would like to have a room for the Youth Group. I would like to have couches, chairs, end tables, lamps, and a TV for us to use as a hang out spot. I envision the Youth Group to become a hang out spot. A place where everyone can feel relaxed and welcomed. Right now, the church has limited funds allocated to the Youth Group, so we've been doing what we can, where we can. I think we've been doing fairly well for
ourselves, given our resources. Still, we can dream...
This Wednesday, Ted Webster will be coming out to speak on integrity. Ted is one of the church's advisory board members, and he is one of our elders as well. Ted has a real passion for God, and his messages are always engaging. I encourage everyone to come out and hear what God has laid on Ted's heart to share with the Youth Group.
That's all we have planned for this week. Kind of a quiet next couple of weeks as we are in the middle of summer. See you Wednesday.
-Michael
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
New Church Building Walk Through with Pictures!
Hi Everyone!
***UPDATED POST*** Here are the pictures I took of the walk through. I noticed that Suzanne was taking a bunch of pictures, so I stopped taking pictures after the Main Entrance. I'll see if I can grab a couple of them from her next time I see her. Please note that the pictures are kind of large in size. I didn't realize that until I began uploading. Sorry about that.
Tuesday night, I had a chance to look at the new church with Pastor Jim, the church advisory board, and all of the church ministry leaders. Ron Cochran and I represented the Youth Group during the walk through.
Let me start off by saying that I'm super excited about the new building, and I am looking forward to the opportunities that a facility opens to us. I took a couple of pics and a few videos of the inside. I will post those later for everyone to see. Suzanne also took a bunch of pictures, and I'm going to ask her for some of them, too.
We entered in the back door facing the parking lot. That is the ground floor/basement. There is a long hallway that runs from the door to the other end of the building. To the right is a large, open room and a small kitchen. The large room has dividers that segment the room into four, smaller sections. Things of note in this area are windows with a view of the overflow parking lot. There is a baptismal pool in there, too. The kitchen has two stoves, and there is a lot of cabinet space.
To the left of the hallway is a smaller room and a nursery room. The smaller room could be divided into two rooms, and that room is connected to the nursery. Things of note are the two barn style doors for the nursery. (The kind where the top opens but the bottom can stay closed.)
At the end of the hallway is an office space, the Mens' room, the Lady's room, a water fountain, and a door leading to a second entrance on the basement level. Things of note are the shower in the Men's room, and the really old cabinet in the office space.
From the second entrance entrance, we go up two flights of stairs to a small hallway. To the left is the Main entrance, straight ahead is the sanctuary, and to the right are stairs to the upstairs. Things of note in the stairwell are the really, really, really old chair lifts to go up and down the stairs. I have not seen those in quite some time. They do work. I tested them, but I did not ride in them.
Next we go into the Sanctuary. There are lots of pews and chandeliers. The area has lots of echo, and the stage is really large. The stage is about two - three times the size of the circle room in our current facility. It has a very regal and formal feel to it. It almost feels like a Catholic church from that aspect. Lots of light can come into the building, and a sense of reverence can be felt when you enter the room. The pews are most definitely secured to the floor. I tried to move one, and it didn't budge. There are lots of light switches and dials and outlets, and some of them were labeled "DO NOT TOUCH", but Pastor Jim, Ed, and I touched them anyway. Sadly, many of them had no noticeable effect. Things of note in the area are the lack of access into the raised stage. Two small rooms flanking either side of the stage, and the sound system was tucked away in a closet in the back.
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Moving to the Main entrance, there is a foyer that is about half the size of our current sanctuary. A bathroom is off to the side. There are two double doors going from the Main entrance to the outside, and two sets of double doors going from the Main entrance into the sanctuary. There is a single door to the side that leads to the hallway that connect to the stairs going up and down. Things of note in the this room is the presence of usable space for couches, chairs, and/or a coffee bar.
Outside of the Main entrance, there is a concrete porch. The porch has a thin metal railing going around it, and the landscaping is overgrown, but kind of pretty in a rustic sort of way. There is a set of stairs leading down towards the paring lot from the porch. Things of note are an old wooden bench and two plants of poison ivy. Frank identified them quickly and let everyone know before we got too close to them. Of course, Ron, Jon, and I decided to get really close to both of them just to check them out.
Going up the stairs to the upstairs, there is an office space that served as the senior pastor's office at one time. There is a window with wooden slats over it looking over the sanctuary.The space is kinda of small for a senior pastor's office. There are two closets/storage spaces up here, along with another bathroom and a shower in the bathroom. Things of note are a couch bed left over from the previous people, and the window overlooking the sanctuary. (I just think those kinds of windows are always interesting.)
So, that's the building in a nutshell. There is a lot of potential for the place, but there is also a lot of work. The entire basement was covered in a mold/mildew type substance, and the carpet was in bad condition. No one knows the last time the septic was checked, and there is an older heating and air air conditioning unit. Still, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. God has provided for us so far, and I have complete faith that God's will will be done.
I'll be posting the pictures either tonight or tomorrow. (I posted pictures "tomorrow"). Also, there was a lot of discussion that I want to share with everyone, but this post have gone on long enough. More on everything later.
-Michael
***UPDATED POST*** Here are the pictures I took of the walk through. I noticed that Suzanne was taking a bunch of pictures, so I stopped taking pictures after the Main Entrance. I'll see if I can grab a couple of them from her next time I see her. Please note that the pictures are kind of large in size. I didn't realize that until I began uploading. Sorry about that.
Tuesday night, I had a chance to look at the new church with Pastor Jim, the church advisory board, and all of the church ministry leaders. Ron Cochran and I represented the Youth Group during the walk through.
Let me start off by saying that I'm super excited about the new building, and I am looking forward to the opportunities that a facility opens to us. I took a couple of pics and a few videos of the inside. I will post those later for everyone to see. Suzanne also took a bunch of pictures, and I'm going to ask her for some of them, too.
We entered in the back door facing the parking lot. That is the ground floor/basement. There is a long hallway that runs from the door to the other end of the building. To the right is a large, open room and a small kitchen. The large room has dividers that segment the room into four, smaller sections. Things of note in this area are windows with a view of the overflow parking lot. There is a baptismal pool in there, too. The kitchen has two stoves, and there is a lot of cabinet space.
Long Hallway in Basement (my back is at the doors to the parking lot)
Large Room in Basement. (Kitchen can be seen in back.)
Baptismal Pool. I am not sure of the nature of the gray lump next to the pool
Another view of the Large Room
Kitchen
Kitchen
Kitchen
Small Room in Basement. (Nursery Door in back)
Small Room in Basement. Nursery entrance in back left.
Nursery Room
Nursery Room (Small Room can be seen in background)
At the end of the hallway is an office space, the Mens' room, the Lady's room, a water fountain, and a door leading to a second entrance on the basement level. Things of note are the shower in the Men's room, and the really old cabinet in the office space.
Office in Basement
Cabinet in Office in Basement
Second Entrance in Basement
From the second entrance entrance, we go up two flights of stairs to a small hallway. To the left is the Main entrance, straight ahead is the sanctuary, and to the right are stairs to the upstairs. Things of note in the stairwell are the really, really, really old chair lifts to go up and down the stairs. I have not seen those in quite some time. They do work. I tested them, but I did not ride in them.
Stairs going up
Next we go into the Sanctuary. There are lots of pews and chandeliers. The area has lots of echo, and the stage is really large. The stage is about two - three times the size of the circle room in our current facility. It has a very regal and formal feel to it. It almost feels like a Catholic church from that aspect. Lots of light can come into the building, and a sense of reverence can be felt when you enter the room. The pews are most definitely secured to the floor. I tried to move one, and it didn't budge. There are lots of light switches and dials and outlets, and some of them were labeled "DO NOT TOUCH", but Pastor Jim, Ed, and I touched them anyway. Sadly, many of them had no noticeable effect. Things of note in the area are the lack of access into the raised stage. Two small rooms flanking either side of the stage, and the sound system was tucked away in a closet in the back.
Sanctuary!
\
Sanctuary!!
Big Stage!
View from Stage
"DO NOT PUSH" hmm... Let's push them all!
Sound Booth. (more like Sound Closet...)
Moving to the Main entrance, there is a foyer that is about half the size of our current sanctuary. A bathroom is off to the side. There are two double doors going from the Main entrance to the outside, and two sets of double doors going from the Main entrance into the sanctuary. There is a single door to the side that leads to the hallway that connect to the stairs going up and down. Things of note in the this room is the presence of usable space for couches, chairs, and/or a coffee bar.
Main Entrance
Main Entrance
(Sorry, no Pictures...)
Going up the stairs to the upstairs, there is an office space that served as the senior pastor's office at one time. There is a window with wooden slats over it looking over the sanctuary.The space is kinda of small for a senior pastor's office. There are two closets/storage spaces up here, along with another bathroom and a shower in the bathroom. Things of note are a couch bed left over from the previous people, and the window overlooking the sanctuary. (I just think those kinds of windows are always interesting.)
(Sorry, No Pictures)
So, that's the building in a nutshell. There is a lot of potential for the place, but there is also a lot of work. The entire basement was covered in a mold/mildew type substance, and the carpet was in bad condition. No one knows the last time the septic was checked, and there is an older heating and air air conditioning unit. Still, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. God has provided for us so far, and I have complete faith that God's will will be done.
I'll be posting the pictures either tonight or tomorrow. (I posted pictures "tomorrow"). Also, there was a lot of discussion that I want to share with everyone, but this post have gone on long enough. More on everything later.
-Michael
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