An Open Letter to FBC Stanleyville

Dear Stanleyville Family,

On Sunday each of you received a recommendation from the Pastoral Staff and Deacon Body to be voted on December 6th at 7 pm in the Sanctuary. The three points to be voted on are:

1. Stay with 2 services, with Pastor Eddie preaching the 11:00 and Pastor T preaching the 9:00.
2. Sunday School will run 10:00-10:45 am, with bells at 10:40 and 10:45 am on the minute.
3. Combined services will be held on Easter, Homecoming, Thanksgiving, and Christmas-having at least one combined service in Church quarters outside of those holidays/events.

Those are the recommendations from the Pastoral Staff and Deacon Body to be voted on December 6th at 7 pm in the Sanctuary.

It has been a joy, blessing and a privilege to preach/teach the Word of God every Sunday for the last ninety days and I would love to continue to preach/teach.

If I could go back in time and change how I responded to the meeting in June I would but I can not go back in time; therefore, I believe along with the rest of the Pastoral staff and deacon body that our best course of action moving forward is to adopt the three recommendations. I believe it would do more harm to our church to reject these recommendations than if we accept them and seek to move forward towards unity from this point in time.

It has been a joy, blessing and a privilege to preach/teach the Word of God every Sunday for the last ninety days and I would love to continue to preach/teach. 

I have been busy but from all of the responses I have received from students and parents CREW Student Ministry has not suffered nor do any of the students feel like they are playing second fiddle to my preaching. Student after student shared in messages and texts how much they were learning during my preaching and how for the first time they were excited to attend the church service.

Below is an extended quote from one of my volunteers concerning how I have handled both the added responsibility on top of CREW Student Ministry.

You’re doing a wonderful job as Youth Minister and in your Assoc Pastor role. I do not see that the youth ministry has sufferedr in any way as a result of your expanded responsibilities. The youth benefit from both your youth leadership and expounding of the scripture during Sunday sermons. Attendance in SS seems to be growing. Wednesday fluctuates due to school activities. Your studies and lessons are always interesting and easy for them to understand and relate to. You continue to use technology and social media to reach them which is fantastic. You are so invested in their spiritual, social, academic and sports lives. I’m sure it means so much to them and their families when you keep up with, and attend their extracurricular activities. I don’t know how you do it!  But I can say from my viewpoint you are the most effective and involved in the lives of our youth than any of our prior youth leaders. That’s 20+ years worth, BTW! 

We have also seen a growth in our nursery, CREW, college/career classes, 9:00 am service and our 11:00 am services. Our attendance in several areas has been increasing these past ninety days. I believe our SS Director at our last quarterly church conference stated that we had 10 new members in Sunday School classes in the last three months. I can not remember a time in the three years I have been on staff that I have seen significant growth in a variety of different areas around the church as I have seen these last 90 days.

It has been a joy, blessing and a privilege to preach/teach the Word of God every Sunday for the last ninety days. I would love to continue to preach/teach. If I could go back in time and change how I responded to the meeting in June I would but I can not go back in time; therefore, I believe along with the rest of the Pastoral staff and deacon body that our best coursce of action moving forward is to adopt the three recommendations. I believe it would do more harm to our church to reject these recommendations than if we accept them and seek to move forward towards unity from this point in time.

I love each of you and I am open to whatever the church decides to do.

Recommendation from the Pastoral Staff and Deacon Body to be voted on Wednesday, December 6th at 7 pm in the Sanctuary:

1. Stay with 2 services, with Pastor Eddie preaching the 11:00 and Pastor T preaching the 9:00.
2. Sunday School will run 10:00-10:45 am, with bells at 10:40 and 10:45 am on the minute
3. Combined services will be held on Easter, Homecoming, Thanksgiving, and Christmas-having at least one combined service in Church quarters outside of those holidays/events.

Serving Him & His Church,

Pastor T Welch

Tough Questions on The Virgin Birth:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.-Isaiah 7:14

This past Sunday I had the privilege to preach my very first Christmas sermon. The sermon text for Sunday focused on the virgin birth. There was a lot of information on the virgin birth I wanted to unpack for the congregation but I realized that the majority of people there would have fallen asleep if I spent significant time unpacking Hebrew words for the congregation; therefore,  I left a lot of notes scattered around my office and took time today to compile them into this "tough questions" blog examining issues related to the virgin birth.

Is virgin or young woman the correct translation of Isaiah 7:14?

 Isaiah 7:14 reads, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Quoting Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 reads, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means, 'God with us.'" Christians point to this "virgin birth" as evidence of Messianic prophecy fulfilled by Jesus. Is this a valid example of fulfilled prophecy? Is Isaiah 7:14 predicting the virgin birth of Jesus? Is "virgin" even the proper translation of the Hebrew word used in Isaiah 7:14?

The Hebrew word in Isaiah 7:14 is "almah," and its inherent meaning is "young woman." "Almah" can mean "virgin," as young unmarried women in ancient Hebrew culture were assumed to be virgins. Again, though, the word does not necessarily imply virginity. "Almah" occurs seven times in the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis 24:43; Exodus 2:8; Psalm 68:25; Proverbs 30:19; Song of Solomon 1:3; 6:8; Isaiah 7:14). None of these instances demands the meaning "virgin," but neither do they deny the possible meaning of "virgin." There is no conclusive argument for "almah" in Isaiah 7:14 being either "young woman" or "virgin." However, it is interesting to note, that in the 3rd century B.C., when a panel of Hebrew scholars and Jewish rabbis began the process of translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, they used the specific Greek word for virgin, "parthenos," not the more generic Greek word for "young woman." The Septuagint translators, 200+ years before the birth of Christ, and with no inherent belief in a "virgin birth," translated "almah" in Isaiah 7:14 as "virgin," not "young woman." This gives evidence that "virgin" is a possible, even likely, meaning of the term.


With all that said, even if the meaning "virgin" is ascribed to "almah" in Isaiah 7:14, does that make Isaiah 7:14 a Messianic prophecy about Jesus, as Matthew 1:23 claims? In the context of Isaiah chapter 7, the Aramites and Israelites were seeking to conquer Jerusalem, and King Ahaz was fearful. The Prophet Isaiah approaches King Ahaz and declares that Aram and Israel would not be successful in conquering Jerusalem (verses 7-9). The Lord offers Ahaz the opportunity to receive a sign (verse 10), but Ahaz refuses to put God to the test (verse 11). God responds by giving the sign Ahaz should look for, "the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son...but before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste." In this prophecy, God is essentially saying that within a few years' time, Israel and Aram will be destroyed. At first glace, Isaiah 7:14 has no connection with a promised virgin birth of the Messiah. However, the Apostle Matthew, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, connects the virgin birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:23) with the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14. Therefore, Isaiah 7:14 should be understood as being a "double prophecy," referring primarily to the situation King Ahaz was facing, but secondarily to the coming Messiah who would be the ultimate deliverer.

Why Is the Virgin Birth so Important?

The doctrine of the virgin birth is crucially important (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:27, 34). First, let’s look at how Scripture describes the event. In response to Mary’s question, “How will this be?” (Luke 1:34), Gabriel says, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). The angel encourages Joseph to not fear marrying Mary with these words: “What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20). Matthew states that the virgin “was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Galatians 4:4 also teaches the Virgin Birth: “God sent His Son, born of a woman.”

From these passages, it is certainly clear that Jesus’ birth was the result of the Holy Spirit working within Mary’s body. The immaterial (the Spirit) and the material (Mary’s womb) were both involved. Mary, of course, could not impregnate herself, and in that sense she was simply a “vessel.” Only God could perform the miracle of the Incarnation.

However, denying a physical connection between Mary and Jesus would imply that Jesus was not truly human. Scripture teaches that Jesus was fully human, with a physical body like ours. This He received from Mary. At the same time, Jesus was fully God, with an eternal, sinless nature (John 1:14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14-17.)


Jesus was not born in sin; that is, He had no sin nature (Hebrews 7:26). It would seem that the sin nature is passed down from generation to generation through the father (Romans 5:12, 17, 19). The Virgin Birth circumvented the transmission of the sin nature and allowed the eternal God to become a perfect man.

5 Reasons Why The Virgin Birth Is Important:

1. Jesus Had A Heavenly Origin

The most important reason to hold the belief in the Virgin Birth concerns Jesus' identity as God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. If Joseph were His true father, then Jesus would be only a human being. He would not be the Son of God as Scripture clearly states. He would have had His beginning in time rather than eternally existing. As the Bible states,

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God (John 1:1).
Thus the Virgin Birth is crucial to Jesus being the Son of God.

2. Jesus Had A Sinless Nature

A second reason why the Virgin Birth is important concerns the sinless character of Christ. If Jesus had a human father, then He would have inherited a sinful nature as the rest of us have. The Bible says.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, . . . thus death spread to all, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).
To the contrary the Scripture states that Jesus never sinned. Peter wrote,

Who [Jesus] committed no sin, nor was guile found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:22).
John testified.

And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him there is no sin (1 John 3:5).
If Jesus were the son of Joseph, then His sinless character would only be a myth.

3. Jesus Was The Perfect Sacrifice

A third reason why the Virgin Birth is crucial to the Christian faith concerns our salvation. Without the sinlessness of Christ there would be no salvation. Christ came, according to the Apostle Paul, to save those who were under the law.

But when the fulness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4,5).
This echoes Jesus' own statement,

For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
God required a sacrifice that was without blemish, "Your lamb shall be without blemish" (Exodus 12:5). If Jesus were a sinner in any sense of the word, then He could not provide salvation for us. However, because He came into the world by supernatural means and lived a sinless life, He could be that sacrifice for our sins without spot and without blemish. The Bible makes this clear:

For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

4. It Shows The Uniqueness Of Christ

What the virgin birth does is show the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. No one else has ever come into the world the same way as Jesus. The unique and miraculous nature of Jesus carried on through His entire life. His birth was a miracle, His public ministry consisted of miracles, Jesus miraculously lived a sinless life, He miraculously came back from the dead, and left this world in a miraculous way. From His entrance into this world until His departure, the life of Jesus Christ was a miracle.

5. The Bible Says So

The fifth reason to believe in the Virgin Birth is because the Bible says so. If Jesus were not actually born of a virgin then the Bible is wrong. If it is wrong concerning the Virgin Birth, then it is possible that it may be in error about other matters. Once the door opens to the possibility of error in Scripture the eventual and logical result is that the entire foundation of the Christian faith will crumble. The doctrine of the Virgin Birth and the credibility of Christianity go hand-in-hand.

Summary


There are at least five reasons why the virgin conception of Christ is an important doctrine. First, it confirms Jesus heavenly origin. Second, it is necessary for His sinless nature. In addition, the virgin conception was also necessary for Him to be the perfect sacrifice. It also points out the uniqueness of Jesus. Finally, the virgin birth is important because the Bible says that is what happened.

Christmas FOMO

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full-John 10:10

I have a confession. I am one of those weird people that can't get enough of the Christmas season, no matter what time of year it is. We all having coping mechanisms. Some people shop. Some people eat sweets I listen to Christmas music.

There's something about Christmas that brings a smile to my face. So, naturally, when Christmas comes around, I want to make the most of it. It's as if I develop Christmas FOMO (fear of missing out). I want to make sure I experience the season to the fullest, so my December days are jam-packed with Santa visits, Nutcracker tickets, Christmas tree excursions, gingerbread house contests, holiday light exhibits, caroling concerts, every Christmas movie known to man, and too many Christmas parties to count. It's no wonder that by the time January rolls around, I'm ready for a long nap.

Maybe you can relate to that feeling. While none of these things are bad, it's easy for me to lose sight of the joy God is trying to show me in the middle of this season. Amid the busyness, I am reminded to be present, to look around, and to realize that God is at work.

It's time to celebrate what God has done in my life, to reflect on the past year, and to observe God in the little things around me. When I can look at each day through the lens of faith, hope and opportunity, God shows up and uses me in ways I could never imagine.

As I shuffle from party to party, I realize I have the opportunity to encourage others, to bring laughter to those going through difficult times, and to be generous to those I have never met. This one concept has changed my whole approach to the Christmas season. It's amazing how much I see God when I actually take time to look for him at work in my life. Instead of a list of dates on my calendar, I instead recognize how many opportunities I have to know God more and to experience the joy he intends for me to have throughout the year. Where is God at work in your life? What opportunities is he giving you today?

Whisper, Starbucks and Gospel

Every week I schedule time to read the latest trends and studies on students in America. At the beginning of November I was reading an article about how the anonymous app Whisper is making a comeback among middle, high school and college students. In case you don't know Whisper is an "anonymous" app where an individual can post anything he or she wants anonymously.

After reading the article I re-downloaded the app and began to read the posts. What I found was an online world filled with depression, suicide, sexual sin and all sorts of debauchery (don't I sound old using that word).

After reading post after post about students going home and cutting themselves or planning on getting drunk I felt compelled to post something. I posted a whisper that I was a follower of Jesus Christ and was praying for people and would love to pray for them. I posted the whisper to the app and attempted to start something else. Within minutes my phone was blowing up with people asking for prayer: I kept receiving notifications on the app. I would try to start something else but every few seconds my phone would vibrate with another individual asking for prayer.

There are a lot of hurting people in the world.

People kept asking me for prayer. People asked for prayer for sick family members, for the world, help with thoughts of suicide, with addiction to drugs, alcohol and porn, one lady asked if I would buy her a car (she got me confused with the other Pastor who makes lots of money). I would tell people I was praying for them and than I would ask if they had any questions about Christianity. This led to lots of questions: was Moses high when the burning bush talked to him, who wrote the first 5 books of the OT, how do you know there is a God, why do Christians hate homosexuals, lots of questions on sex and how Christians view sex, are there multiple ways to heaven, why evil in the world, how know the Bible is true, do you think there are unicorns and aliens, etc. 

One individual seemed genuinely interested in Christianity and we talked for about an hour in the app. After an hour I realized that it was better if we met in person. He asked if he could bring his girlfriend and we agreed to meet at Starbucks. It's always best to meet in a public place when you talk with someone online so that if they are crazy you have witnesses and if they kill you at least you die with a triple Venti peppermint white chocolate mocha.

We met at Starbucks and for about two hours and three re-fills of coffee we talked and examined the claims of Christ. They were fascinated by Jesus, who He was and what He has done. We walked through the Book of John together and talked about Jesus. By the end of the conversation I was feeling a prompting from the Holy Spirit to "draw the net" and ask them if they wanted to receive Jesus Christ as there Lord and Savior. They both replied yes they wanted to become Christian and thought I would never ask. The Holy Spirit had regenerated there heart all I had to do was offer them Jesus and they saw Him as the irresistible treasure that He is.

Right in a comfy chair in the middle of Starbucks they prayed to receive Jesus Christ as there Lord and Savior. What a glorious blessing!

Three Takeaways:

• I am amazed that God used an encounter on Whisper and Starbucks coffee to lead two people to saving faith in Jesus Christ. As Christians we need to be where the people are and shine the light of the Gospel into the darkness. If hurting people are on Whisper we need to be on Whisper, if hurting people are in the hospital we need to be in the hospital, if hurting people are in the bars, strip clubs, casinos, churches, Wal-mart, etc than we as Christians need to be in these places shining the light of the Gospel. I found a dark corner of the internet to shine the light of Christ and two people were saved. Where is there a dark part of the world which needs the light of Christ? Will you take the light of the Gospel to that place?

• When we share our faith with others we can't be afraid to ask people to trust in Jesus Christ. If an evangelism conversation is going well don't hesitate to ask people to trust in Jesus. Give people an opportunity to bow there knee to Christ. 

• People are fascinated by Jesus Christ. When I met with the couple in Starbucks they wanted to talk about Jesus. They were fascinated by Jesus. We make evangelism so complicated and try to get people to memorize a "set" formula when in reality all we need to do is sit down with someone open our Bible to Jesus and let Him do all the work. This holiday season if you have family members and loved ones who are not believers... don't fight with them just take a few minutes to talk with them about Jesus. You will be amazed at how receptive they are to hearing and learning about Jesus.

And the master said to the servant, "Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled."-Luke 14:23

How To Talk With Students About Alcohol:

Another day, another twelve teen-related alcohol deaths among underage drinkers the United States of America.

It keeps on happening and it keeps on happening and it keeps on happening. All because teenagers are surrounded by a temptation that they are not equipped to resist.

There’s something we can do to help.

WHY DO WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT ALCOHOL WITH OUR TEENAGERS?

Like it or not, your students are performing perceptions about the world around them. Those perceptions come from their peers and their parents, from culture and from the Church.

If the Church isn’t going to help shape students’ understanding of alcohol, culture will be happy to do it for them, spending more than $2 billion dollars annually on advertisements.

And what do those advertisements try to tell students? That alcohol is delicious and that it is a magic drink that will make you happy and grown up and attractive.

Sure, our teenagers are shrewd. They know it’s marketing.

A parent or a youth pastor has significantly more influence over a teenager than a commercial during a football game, but what those commercials lack in weight, they make up for in tenacity.

A parent might talk to their teenager once a year about the dangers of alcohol. Commercials, song lyrics, television shows, and movies conspire to tell teenagers tens of thousands of times a year about the awesomeness of alcohol.

So, I get it. It’s an uncomfortable thing to talk about. But if we don’t do it, there are plenty of other people who will. You won’t like what they’re saying.

HELP TEENAGERS UNDERSTAND INFLUENCE.

The scariest truth about underage drinking is that it does not care for a student’s good intentions. A student can sign a covenant or make a promise to abstain from alcohol, but peer pressure and influence are real things.

The sad reality is that if a student’s good friends are underage drinkers, that student is likely to also become an underage drinker. Make it clear to students that they cannot make themselves numb to the influence of others, but that they can decide who will be around to influence them.

There is no one-time decision a student can make to avoid alcohol; only the everyday decision to avoid people and situations surrounded by alcohol.

KNOW YOUR CHURCH’S TEACHING ON ALCOHOL.

Some churches require members and clergy to commit to living “dry.” Others merely suggest it. Some don’t care one way or the other except for a prohibition on drunkenness. Some churches will even have a beer tent at the church fish fry.

Make sure you know where your church sits on that spectrum before you accidentally say something that might lose you your job.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO VILIFY DRINKING.

Underage drinking is bad. Binge drinking is bad. Drinking and driving is bad.

But keep in mind, your students have parents and grandparents who drink wine at dinner or have a beer during the baseball game. You want to be careful not to inadvertently paint those people as “bad people.”

TEACH GRACE. THEN, TEACH GRACE AGAIN.

Too often teenagers die because they compound one bad decision onto another. It happens when they fear the consequences of their punishment more than the consequences of their actions. A former student summed it up this way:

I was at a party and I had a few drinks because everyone else was drinking. It was stupid. My mom texted and told me I needed to come home, so I chugged some mouthwash and then chugged some water and then I did the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. I drove home drunk. In my own head, I was just thinking, ‘If I don’t come home, my mom is definitely going to kill me. If I drove home like this, then only maybe will it kill me.’

It’s an exaggeration, obviously, but the minds of the intoxicated are known to be prone to hyperbole.

It’s a difficult thing to balance, but keep in mind that extreme consequences can often lead to sneakier and riskier drinking. A friend of mine used to have a zero tolerance alcohol policy for students on his leadership team, but he abandoned it when he realized it only made those students less likely to talk to their pastor when they were struggling.

Every student in CREW knows that I have an open door, closed mouth policy when it comes to underage drinking. What I mean by that is that if a student is at a party drinking they can call me and I will come to the party, pick them up and let them spend the night in my basement and I will make them breakfast with Tylenol the next morning. We won't talk about it and I won't tell there parents. I'd rather them be safe than dead.

 BE AVAILABLE.

Most of the fruit of this conversation will not come from a stage or even in a small group. Make yourself available to students who need one-on-one time to talk to you about their lives, their struggles, and their temptations. I’ve even got a sneaky way you can help those conversations happen:

Instruct everyone to take out their phone and display your phone number. Ask everyone to text you. Make clear you’re talking about everyone. Ask them to text you the word ‘BEARS’ if they want to talk to you one-on-one sometime soon. Ask them to text you the word ‘BEANS’ if they don’t.

It’s silly and ridiculous, but it will work. It gives students time to tell you NOW that they need help instead of waiting to tell you later, when they will inevitably talk themselves out of it. It also makes sure they don’t feel exposed. Imagine if you told them to text you only IF they wanted to talk. As soon as someone reached for their pocket, they’d feel a hundred judging stares coming from every direction!

CREW Students know they can reach me anytime day or night and I will drop what I am doing and talk with them or come to them and listen. Students are always blowing up my phone and I love it!

Challenged Accepted:

I was recently challenged by a fellow Pastor to see if I could combine all of my beliefs in theology into one easy to read paragraph. I wrote, re-wrote, deleted and shortened everything I believe into one paragraph. Here it is...

I am a follower of King Jesus. I believe in the Triune God of the Bible. I believe that God the Father sent God the Son to live a perfect life and die a justice-satisfying death in my place. I believe that the Son rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father. I long for the day when he returns to judge the living and the dead, casting his enemies into hell and ushering his people into his kingdom. I believe the Spirit of God is poured out and into all who are born again. I believe that all people must repent of their sins and turn towards God through faith in Jesus. In other words, we are justified by grace through faith, having our sins charged to the account of Jesus and his righteousness charged to ours. In short, we are justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. And I believe that Spirit-filled followers of the King bow to the authoritative Word of the King as they seek to carry out the Great Commission of the King. Finally, the mission of the King has a church. The church, tangibly expressed in local congregations, seeks the joy of all peoples and the fame of the name through the proclamation of the gospel and in loving service to their neighbors. And we do this until Christ returns or calls us home.

Do you agree? Disagree? Parts you would change? I challenge you to write down everything you believe about theology into one paragraph.

The Elephant In The Room: Depression

Last week I had the opportunity to talk with teenagers in a local middle school… the topic of my choice. So I chose to address the elephant in the room: depression.

It seems counterintuitive: the economy is strong, drop out rates are down, teen pregnancy is down, more kids wear seatbelts, less kids smoke, kids have unprecedented knowledge and entertainment at their fingertips, YouTube is still free… and McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets are now actually made of chicken!

So why is it that kids are by far the most depressed they’ve been in literally decades?

If you’ve even glanced at a newspaper in the last few months, you’ve seen countless articles about the rise in teen anxiety, depression and suicide. In fact, the suicide rate for teen girls just hit a 40-year high.

The question everyone is wondering is why?

Experts are speculating, and most of their theories have one “device” in common: the smartphone.

I can’t say I disagree. In fact, I see three ingredients catalyzing this unprecedented increase in teen anxiety and depression, and all flow from that device young people carry around in their pocket.

Let’s take a quick peek at these three factors, and then a few practices that can counter these precarious influences:

Social Media: 

Who doesn’t want to be LIKED? 

Today every student struggles with, “How come they didn’t like my post?” and, “Why don’t I have as many friends or followers as Jake?”

I’m definitely not alone in this theory. Experts consistently cite social media as the culprit to this increase in unhappiness, some even naming specific apps like Instagram (which, ironically, can also reflect if someone is depressed). Social media tends to display other people looking their best and having oodles of fun, which can make our own life look rather pathetic.

“I wish I had her body, hair, lips… her boyfriend…and her French Bulldog!”

Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, and author of iGen agrees, particularly noticing the increase in feelings of “loneliness” around 2012, which happens to be the year smartphone-ownership crossed the 50% mark in the United States (now over 80%).

Experts also point to cyberbullying, and conflict with friends as a source of depression. Guess where all this cyberbullying and conflict occurs? Social Media.

But Social Media isn’t alone contributing to depression…

Digital Absorption 
Screens are killing relationships. It’s not just social media—it’s texting, YouTube, Netflix and every other diversion our devices offer that distract us from the very people we care about the most sitting right next to us! Our culture has even named this phenomenon: partner phubbing.

It’s really not that surprising people are spending more time with screens than the people they love.

Screen interaction is way easier for most people.

People have always struggled with insecurity. But now they have a new tool… or vice… that allows them to take some of the fear out of face-to-face communication. Digital communication allows two conveniences: the ability to hide behind a user name or avatar, and ability to groom or edit our communication. Let that sink in for a moment. Consider the ramifications for someone who is insecure: it provides an escape from the struggles of real life communication; and the more they use digital communication, the less equipped they are for face-to-face communication.

But our mobile devices also offer an escape from interpersonal venues. Now if a person feels awkward in a social situation, they simply bury their head in their phone. If three or more young people are in a conversation and one person isn’t really contributing, it’s now socially acceptable for them to pull out their phone (“the rule of three”). This creates a downward spiral. Fleeing interpersonal communication only makes people more antisocial.

Here’s where it becomes really damaging: the more we retreat to our mobile devices, the less we take an interest in those around us.

There’s another word for this: self-absorbed.

MIT professor Sherry Turkle, author of Reclaiming Conversation, calls this the Empathy Gap. The more we become absorbed in our own digital world, the less we empathize with the people around us. We actually hinder our ability to recognize facial cues. We don’t notice our friend sitting next to us feeling tense.

“Chris… you look sad. Are you okay?”

One colossal problem: self-absorbed people are miserable.

But this gravitation towards “self” isn’t only from digital communication, it’s from the entertainment young people are soaking in at an average of 9 hours a day. Entertainment that often preaches…

The “DGAF” Mindset 
Now that the overwhelming majority of young people have smartphones in their pockets, they carry a vast library of entertainment media with them; and much of this entertainment has a common theme:

“Who cares!”

Or as many of today’s young people say it…

“I Don’t Give a F**k!” (DGAF)

This “do whatever you want” mindset doesn’t pause to consider consequences; it only thinks about the immediate thrill.

What else do we expect when we tell our kids that truth is only what we make for ourselves. “Do what feels right at the moment.” “Don’t let anyone else tell you what to do.”

Sadly, there are two costs to this kind of living:

Consequences actually do happen, and a life of consequences leads to unhappiness.

Living a life of “who cares” and “what’s good for me” is selfish and puts others’ needs secondary to your own. This is an archetypal recipe for unhappiness. Call it counterintuitive if you must, but selfish living breeds unhappiness.

Take a peek at entertainment media for yourselves. Music alone tells the story. Today, as I write this, you’ll hear Cardi B bragging explicitly what she’s going to do with your boyfriend, or Post Malone threatening to grab and Uzi and use it if you “mess” with him (he words it a little differently). Demi Lovato isn’t as violent, but don’t mistake that for forgiveness. She makes it clear that she’s not sorry, and “it'd be nice of me to take it easy on ya, but nah.”

But French Montana and Swae Lee probably say it best, in the chorus they repeat in their song Unforgettable: 

And you are unforgettable 

I need to get you alone 

Why not? 

A f**king good time, never hurt nobody…

Sadly, most young people are discovering that “a f**king good time” often has its consequences (also in the headlines right now).

So in a world where social media, digital absorption and self-focused-entertainment all lead to feeling lonely, regretful and depressed, how are caring adults to react?

The common overreaction would be to ban technology completely. One problem with this response: our kids are sure to encounter technology sooner or later, and who is going to equip them to be responsible with these devices?

Moms, dads, grandparents and mentors can make a huge difference, and research is there to back you up. Here’s a few simple practices that truly make an impact on our kids’ self esteem.

Helping Our Kids’ Self Esteem: 

Empathetic listening 
Is it really surprising that the cure to a lack of empathy is empathy?

In a world where an increasing amount of people are ignoring those around them, simply take notice of your kids.

A brand new study reveals that if parents “acknowledge the perspective” of their kids and allow them to express themselves, then these kids are less likely to be depressed, engage with others easily, and have an overall stronger sense of self-worth.

Whodathunkit? Simply listening to someone makes them feel more valued.

And here’s the cool part. When you take the time to notice your kids, this paves the way to…

Dialogue 
And in a void of face-to-face communication, is it surprising that good ol’ fashioned interpersonal conversation makes a difference?

Talk with your kids about their self worth. .

Engaging in healthy dialogue is the one parenting practice that every researcher out there actually agrees on. Parents should constantly be dialoguing with their kids about their thoughts and feelings… even their digital habits.

Share Truth in a World Potent with Lies 
Sometimes today’s believers get so distracted trying to block lies that they forget to point towards truth. Help your kids’ discover what it looks like to practice wise posting in an insecure world. Help them navigate encouraging entertainment media. And most of all, help them understand that they are worth so much more than the number of LIKES they receive.

I am here to chat further about depression in students if you would like. 

Wednesday Christmas Music:

Wednesday Christmas Music:

Wednesday Christmas Music:

SHOW ME THE RICHES: A Thanksgiving Post:

Or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you.-1 Corinthians 3:22b

We are blessed.

We are blessed.

We are blessed.

As believers we are "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). We have even inherited Christ's glory, bequeathed to us by our Lord Himself (John 17:22). "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28).

The world or life or death or things present or things to come is totally inclusive. Paul begins and ends this declaration with all things belong to you. In Christ, all things are for our sakes and for God's glory.

Specifically, the world is ours, even now His main point is that, in the millenial kingdom and throughout eternity in the new heavens and new earth, we will possess the earth in a richer way. But even now the universe is a possession of God's people. It is ours. Our heavenly Father made it for us. It is still in the grip of the evil one, but it will someday and forever belong to us, not to him. 

When we fully inherit the world, with Jesus on the throne, it will be perfect and even more ours. In the meanwhile, this present world already belongs to us, with its wonders and glories, imperfections and disappointments. The believer can appreciate the world as no unbeliever can. We know where it came from, why it was made, why we are on it, and what its final destiny will be. We can sing with certainty as well as joy, "This is my Father's world." And we are His heirs.

All lie is ours; but from the context it is clear that Paul is primarily referring to spiritual life, eternal life. In Christ we have new life, a quality of life that will never tarnish, diminish, or be lost. God's own life is in us now. Through Christ, God abides in us, and we share His nature and His life.

Even death is ours. The great enemy of mankind has been overcome. Christ has conquered death, and through Him we have conquered death. Unless we are raptured, we will have to pass through death; but we will pass through it as its master not its slave. All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus. It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior. That is why Paul could say with such joy, "for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain". Whether he remained on earth for a while longer or went to be with the Lord, he could not lose. For Christians, death can only make things better. To stay here and finish the work Christ has given us to do may be "more necessary" but "to depart and be with Christ... is very much better". For God's people, this present life is good, but death-which users us into eternal life-is better.

Things present are ours. That encompasses everything we have or experience in this life. It is, in fact, a synonym for this life. It includes the good and the bad, the pleasant and the painful, the joys and the disappointments, the health and the sickness, the contentment and the grief. In God's hands it all serves us and makes us spiritually richer. "In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us"; and because nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord," nothing can cause us any real harm. God causes all things to be working together for our good.

Things to come are ours. The reference here is not primarily, if at all, to the future of our present lives. That is included under things present, meaning everything we will experience on earth. The things that are to come are heavenly blessings, of which we now have only a glimpse. Yet they will be the greatest blessings of all.

This Thanksgiving, take time to remember how blessed you truly are. 

November 2017 Parent Newsletter:

For Parents on the Go:

1. This Sunday, the high school guys will have an opportunity to interact with the Crusader Men’s Sunday school class and learn about life from a spiritual giants at FBC Stanleyville. Everyone should come to Sunday school first and I will take the high school guys down to the Crusader Men’s SS class.

2. Ridgecrest, November 17-19th. I have attached a packing/information list at the bottom of this email. We will be leaving the church around 5:00 pm on Friday, November 17th and will be returning around 3:00 pm on Sunday, November 19th. Students will need money for dinner on Friday, 17th.

3. Ugly Sweater Christmas Party, December 2nd  6:00 pm-8:00 pm. Pastor T and Julia’s house. Cost: FREE.

4. During the month of December your son or daughter will be receiving a 25 day Christmas devotional to help them focus their heart and mind on the reason for the season. We will be going through the devotion on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings.

5. On Wednesday, December 6th at 7:00 pm the church will be holding a meeting to discuss the changes which were introduced in June. I value your opinion and the opinion of your son or daughter. Please talk to me if you feel like I am doing a good job balancing everything and please talk to me if you feel I am doing a poor job balancing everything. I highly value your opinion as well as the opinion of your son/daughter and I am taking everything into consideration.

Dear Parents,

I love fall. As I sit on my back patio writing these wods, the air makes me want to breathe deeply and enjoy life purposefully. Sure, part of it may have to do with the crisp, humid-less air, the anticipation for holidays with my family, and the pure giddiness that comes from stepping on the crunchiest leaf. But my love for fall is much deeper than the pumpkin spice, bonfires, and football games. This season speaks to my soul.

For a season that brings so much death to creation (including a hunter's prize), there seems to be quite a bit of joy. More than that, there seems to be a deep-rooted peace. No matter the cold that is coming for certain, I know it will not last. Spring will come. In approximately six months, the flowers will bloom and vibrant colors will return to the land. No matter how frigid the winter, life will be restored. Just think, if we did not have this certain hope, we would plead with God like the animals of Narnia for winter not to come, for all it brings is death and bitter cold. The promise of spring brings hope to my heart and a sweet reminder to my soul.

This is the gospel. Jesus Christ turns back the timetable to bring life to the dying. This is my state without Him. Just like Isaiah 40:6-7 says, “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass.” The lushest tree in the summer cannot withstand the slightest autumn breeze that blows its coat away. On my own, I know I am living in an endless cycle of coming winter and death (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Praise God that this is not how Isaiah 40 ends. Peter comforts persecuted Christians with these words in Ahis first letter: “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:23-25). My first birth led me to death, but praise the Lord He allowed that I was born again to a living hope through His Son Jesus Christ. This hope promises to never fade but is instead an evergreen of life and eternity with my Savior. That, my friends, is good news.

Christians are promised seasons of cold. Just like the believers to whom Peter wrote, life will be hard and suffering will come. What is even more certain than the chill that causes the leaves to fall is the hope of the Son returning in glory to bring eternal life and reward to his people.

Therefore, I do not live as one chaffed by the bitter cold of this world. I live with my eyes set on eternity, looking to the certain return of my Savior. The creatures of Narnia understood this living hope as well. As they awaited the return of their king, they sang:

“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,

At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,

When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,

And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” (C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe)

So enjoy this beautiful season. Take a stroll. Drink some apple cider. I’m convinced that conversation is just better around a fire pit. But more than all these things, in this season, praise God for the gospel that brings direction to the lost, rejoicing to the sorrowful, and life to the dead.

Reaching, Teaching, Releasing,

Pastor T Welch

Merry Christmas Vs Happy Holidays:

Every year, the same devil in a different Santa Suit tries to suck the joy out of Christmas. The enemy stirs the pot of "religious persecution," then sits back on his haunches while we do his dirty work.

I am talking about everyone's favorite seasonal debate: “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays.”

It’s not hard to get things churning, because so many Christians get mad when “blind” people (i.e. unbelievers) bump into stuff (Proverbs 4:19). We even tend to knock down and belittle new believers when they stumble. “Angry Christian Syndrome” gives Satan’s schemes the traction they need for folks to think that most Christians were upset about something as insignificant as a coffee cup.

The Enemy’s Dirty Distraction

When we participate in the mud-slinging against those we claim are removing Christ from our society—those who never claimed to follow Him—the mud falls back onto the Church. The bride of Christ gets soiled.

Satan wants to distract us from Jesus, from our own callings, and from uniting us for a greater purpose (2 Corinthians 11:3). But if we're to fulfill the Great Commission, shouldn't we care more about whether the world sees Jesus in us than about the world’s commercialized version of our beliefs? Shouldn't our first concern be to meet people where they are to draw them toward Jesus, instead of drawing battle lines in the sand (Matthew 9:9-13)?

When we see the mud-slinging over the next hot topic, we don't have to play into the enemy's hands (1 Peter 3:9). The integrity of our own relationship with Jesus demands that His peace, love, and compassion “shine in our hearts” as we reach out to the world (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).

Before You React, Pause and Reflect on These 4 Questions

Knowing Satan uses the same bag of tricks, we can be on guard by asking ourselves a few questions (Ephesians 6:10-17, 2 Corinthians 2:11).

1. Am I more focused on the appearance of religion than I am on the will of God?

It’s hard to examine our own faults and sins. That’s why it’s so easy for the enemy to make us focus on the faults of others, whether believers’ or unbelievers’. We can get so caught up in aligning language and tradition with religion that our hearts aren't aligned with Jesus. It's called legalism, and it's the same trap that the Pharisees fell into—the very people who persecuted Christ (Matthew 23). The longer we walk with Jesus, the easier it is to slide into this trap, so you wouldn't be alone if you struggle with this.

Romans 14 offers solid advice for keeping our focus on Jesus. You can also check out Larry Osborne’s book, Accidental Pharisees, in which he describes how to avoid the common traps along the road of a deepening faith, because Satan is always looking for a way to destroy us (John 10:10).

2. Am I being persecuted—really?

Scripture says that even in persecution, we are alive in Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). But persecution is not the same as facing disagreement or being in the same society as other religions and worldviews. Persecution is facing hostility, oppression, or death specifically because of one’s religious beliefs or practices. We only need to glance at the global news to see what real Christian persecution looks like. Here in America, most of us have only been mocked. Even then, Jesus tells us that we’re blessed when we’re insulted because of Him (Matthew 5:11).

3. How can I use this opportunity to start a conversation or establish a relationship?

If someone wishes us "Happy Holidays" instead of “Merry Christmas,” shouldn't we recognize and return the favor? Instead of responding with a passive-aggressive "Merry Christmas!" we can first open the door to a conversation with a kind and gentle "Thank you!" and make them wonder where our hope comes from (1 Peter 3:15).

4. Will this draw others toward Jesus or push them away?

This is especially important to consider on social media, which usually isn’t the best vehicle for conversation and relationship. Too often, social media is used for firing “bullet” statements which wound and exclude others.

Jesus bridged the gap between us and God, once and for all (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Because we’ve been called to go out into a broken world, we should be careful that our words and actions build bridges, not walls. But righteous—and self-righteous—indignation won’t win people to Jesus; our love and compassion will.

Righteous—and self-righteous—indignation won’t win people to Jesus; our love and compassion will.

                                                            Redirecting Our Focus

Rather than pushing others away from Jesus with petty arguments, we can choose to live in such a way as to honor not just Jesus’ birth, but His entire ministry. We can choose to obey His greatest commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27-37). This is how others will recognize us as His followers (John 13:35). And this is how He will reach—and ultimately change—the world.   

Stranger Things & A Theology of Monsters:

My wife and I just finished watching Stranger Things 2, Netflix's latest hit series. If you haven't seen this show: watch it. Now. It's a relatively tame (TV-14) sci-fi/fantasy/horror series centered on small town residents trying to unravel a super-natural mystery. It's The X-Files meets The Goonies meets E.T., complete with the delightfully '80s setting of the latter two. It's smart, well-written, suspenseful, and entertaining. I was shocked when I realized that I liked every single character on the show. Nerd culture is front and center, too, making the series even more fun for, well, people like me.

Also, if you haven't seen this show: stop reading here. Sorry, but SPOILERS ahead. But if you have watched Stranger Things (wasn't it so good!?) then, by all means, read on.

At the heart of the story is a young girl named Eleven ('El', for short), whose mother was the subject of military experimentation which resulted in her daughter being born with, as one boy repeated puts it, "superpowers." El has the ability (among other, very Stephen King-esque powers) to make out-of-body journeys to "the Upside Down," a nightmare landscape that is the dark shadow of our world. Locations on Earth are mimicked in the Upside Down, only there they're cold and dark, and deadly. The danger lies in the Upside Down's one natural resident, a nightmarish and very hungry monster. When a gateway between that world and our own is opened inadvertently, the monster begins to prey on the unsuspecting towns-people.

Only once does this shadowy, alternate world and its resident draw any kind of theological reflection from the characters on Stranger Things. Late in the series, when El is searching the Upside Down for a missing person, she finds a dead body. In her terror and horror, El begins to cry out, "God! God!!"

Where is God in a world of nightmares? Is there a God in a world of monsters?

El's question receives an immediate answer: a kind voice calls back to her, "It's ok ... We're right here ... It's ok ... We've got you ... Don't be afraid." This is not God speaking, but the mother of a missing boy El is searching for, who is waiting with El's body back in our reality as the girl explores the Upside Down. The mother assures this frightened child that she's not alone, that she's safe.

Stranger Things's answer to our search for God in the midst of darkness and horrors is the presence and comfort of others. Friendship is a major theme in the show, but by the end it's not only friends who are relying on each other: a new, unlikely community has formed, made up of all of those who've encountered the truth and are committed to fighting against the darkness together. They support each other, and because they have one another, there's hope that good will prevail in the end.

Sometimes, when faced with the true monsters in our right-side-up world — monsters like depression, suicide bombers, human trafficking, Alzheimer's, or cancer (one which, we eventually learn, casts a long shadow over the story of Stranger Things) — we're going to find ourselves wondering where God is. When people are horrified and afraid, when the darkness seems overwhelming and people feel alone, the Church has to be the voice that says: It's okay. We're right here. We've got you. Don't be afraid.

After all, we believe in a Savior who destroys monsters.

Demons routinely retreated before him. In a battle of wits, he outmatched the Devil himself (depicted later on, in Revelation chapter 12, as a man-eating dragon, all heads and horns and teeth). Jesus entered into the jaws of Death, and carved a path out the other side — a path that, one day, will allow all of his followers to elude Death's grasp and cause Death to die. That dreaded monster that consumes everyone and everything in its path will be swallowed up forever (Isa 25:8; 1 Cor 15:54).

And not only do we worship a monster-slayer, but we are his deputies in the world today.

Ever since Jesus ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to inhabit the Church, we have been called the "Body of Christ," his hands and feet in this world. When El cried out for God, a voice of human compassion answered her. We must be that voice of compassion, not because God is absent, but because God is present in the Church. God is not silent; God has chosen to comfort the afflicted, heal the wounded, and rid the world of monsters through the work of the Church. We're the community of those committed to fighting the darkness together, carrying on what Jesus started.

The darkness is real — maybe not the kind of horrors you can see on Stranger Things, but horrors no less. Things that break our hearts, scar our souls, and shake our faith. The good news about monsters is that they're things that will pass away one day, things that God will heal and make new (Rev 21:1-4).

But in the meantime, while we live in this broken world, Christians can't simply offer words of deferred comfort and imperceptible hope. We have to stand in the gap and, empowered by God's Spirit, confront every horror we can spot, so the world can know what God is about and see that God's work isn't done.

We have to demonstrate with our lives what a good theology of monsters looks like.