In my reading this week I came across Ephesians 5:1-2; "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
The first part of that verse is pretty powerful... "Be imitators of God..."
Its been said that the greatest form of flattery is imitation. But God is so perfect. How are we to flatter him in this way? That's some pretty high standards! Luckily, God gave us chapter 4 in Ephesians too.
Verse 31 - Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Verse 32 - Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.
Verse 29 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Verses 26-27 - In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
Verse 25 - Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
WOW, right? I know, I said it before, that's a huge bill to fill! Isn't it nice to know that "with God all things are possible?"
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Unplug
Sorry I haven't posted for a couple weeks - its been crazy busy here!
I spent last weekend at Unplug '09. It was an amazing weekend at Kalahari near Sandusky, Ohio. If you've never heard of Kalahari, they claim to be the world's largest indoor water park!
You can check them out at http://www.kalahariresorts.com/oh/
We arrived Friday night and cut loose with our friends in the water park. Then we joined up with about 700 of our closest friends from other youth groups in Ohio for the Friday night session. There were four session on the weekend and each of them included music from the Liberty University band, Exodus. http://www.myspace.com/exodusband
There were crazy eating games and whacky antics before each message. That kept the students entertained and engaged. Then Exodus played to signal the beginning of the worship portion of each session. The speaker was Pastor Jeff Bogue from Grace Church -North (Akron) and throughout the weekend he challenged the kids to look at trials as gifts and to persevere. Another highlight was a huge cross that was constructed. Students wrote down their struggle points on stickers and posted them on the cross, essentially giving them over to God. Sunday's session featured Ja'rod Cherry, a former NFL player, who shared his testimony with the students.
I've been impressed with the impact the weekend had me as well as on some of the students. We've heard from parents who noticed a change in their child's life.
Praise the Lord!
I spent last weekend at Unplug '09. It was an amazing weekend at Kalahari near Sandusky, Ohio. If you've never heard of Kalahari, they claim to be the world's largest indoor water park!
You can check them out at http://www.kalahariresorts.com/oh/
We arrived Friday night and cut loose with our friends in the water park. Then we joined up with about 700 of our closest friends from other youth groups in Ohio for the Friday night session. There were four session on the weekend and each of them included music from the Liberty University band, Exodus. http://www.myspace.com/exodusband
There were crazy eating games and whacky antics before each message. That kept the students entertained and engaged. Then Exodus played to signal the beginning of the worship portion of each session. The speaker was Pastor Jeff Bogue from Grace Church -North (Akron) and throughout the weekend he challenged the kids to look at trials as gifts and to persevere. Another highlight was a huge cross that was constructed. Students wrote down their struggle points on stickers and posted them on the cross, essentially giving them over to God. Sunday's session featured Ja'rod Cherry, a former NFL player, who shared his testimony with the students.
I've been impressed with the impact the weekend had me as well as on some of the students. We've heard from parents who noticed a change in their child's life.
Praise the Lord!
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