Senior Banquet. JUNE 5th

So here is the deal. Senior Banquet is going to be off the hook, and you need to buy your tickets tomorrow. Friday is the last day we will be selling tickets. Come out and celebrate our senior class, enjoy a delicious dinner, yummy desserts, silly senior memories, and end the night with some dancing to a real DJ! So don't be lame, iron that dress shirt, and polish those dancing shoes, and come give our seniors a proper send off!

Why do we read the Bible. . .

I found this story on another website i follow, http://blog.beliefnet.com/jesuscreed/

The Bible and Coal

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of
eastern West Virginia with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible.

His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in anyway he could. One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?"
The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said,
"Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of
water."

The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before
he could get back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You
will have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the
river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he
returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was
"impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket
instead.

The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of
water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went
out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his
grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak
out before he got very far . The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but
when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the
basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was
clean.

"Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not
understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change
you from the inside out. That is the work of God in our lives. To change
us from the inside out and to slowly transform us into the image of His
son."

Un-Christian

I just started reading a book by the president of the Barna Group titled UnChristian. The book is a presentation of over 3 years of research investigating what people between the ages of 16-29 think about Christianity. The research focuses on 6 broad themes that are often times cited by "outsiders" (the term adopted in the book to refer to those outside the church) as their major problems with Christianity and Christians. The 6 common themes used to describe Christians are:
Hypocritical
To focused on getting converts
Antihomosexual
Sheltered
Too Political
Judgemental

To tell the you the truth, the 6 areas didn't surprise me all that much, as there have been times I have felt the same way and I am an "insider" (as opposed to an outsider). But I want to know what you guys think? Are these common opinions about Christianity at your schools? At your workplaces? Please post and let me know what you have experienced. . .

Don't Believe the Lies. . .

On Wednesday night, in 30 minutes, we collected a total of 283 cans of food! (that doesn't include all the jars and dry food) So don't believe the lie that we can't make a difference in this world. God calls us to care for the poor and those in need, and we did guys! Trust me when I say, God is pleased!

Living Sacrifices

Holy Week is upon us! Chara! I have been reading Romans 12 which talks about personal responsibility. The scripture says we are to be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship! Our love must be sincere. We are to hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love! Wow...devoted. I looked up that word and it means loyal, faithful, committed, dedicated, constant, loving, caring. Are we constantly showing that kind of devotion to all of our brothers and sisters?

We are commanded to honor one another above ourselves. Basically...it's not about ME. As living sacrifices we do not repay anyone evil for evil. We must be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If possible, as far as it depends on YOU, we must live at peace with everyone. If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. This is the core of Christian living! Do you have some coals that need to be heaped? Do it now! If you have experienced God's grace, pass it on to others. Remember...grace is undeserved favor! What Jesus showed us on the cross. Blessings!

Community Wide Youth Gathering

Tomorrow night, Wed April 1st, all the youth groups from the Santa Maria Valley are going to be getting together at First Christian Church from 6:30-8:00pm. The meeting will include student-led worship from area youth ministries, as well as a message from Rocky Kim, youth pastor at First Christian Church.

Some of you may be asking yourselves, why are we getting together with other youth groups?

Let me give you a couple of many reasons:

For starters, the Church (i use the term "Church" here to refer to the universal church which is made up of all true believers for all time) makes a tremendous statement to the surrounding community when local churches are able to meet, serve, and worship together. Often times the tension and division found between churches is no different than what we see in the surrounding culture.

Secondly, we believe that by getting all of the Christian youth in the Santa Maria area together, God will bring accountability and change in behavior to our Jr. High and High School campuses. When we know who the other believers are at school, it allows us to keep one another accountable, as well as to encourage one another in our walks with Jesus.

Also, when God's people get together and pray, big things happen! Prayer is the most important activity any Christian can be involved in.

Finally, it is going to be a lot of FUN!

So we hope you realize the value that comes with an event like this, and we will see you tomorrow.

Beard a Reno Week 6

Kenna is still kissing me, Cormac cries everytime I kiss him, and we are still 6 weeks from judging. . .