Monday Morning Humor:

Motivation For Missions:

I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.-John 10:16

God has a people in every people group. He will call them with Creator power. And they will believe! What power is in these words for overcoming discouragement in the hard places around the world!

The story of Peter Cameron Scott is a good illustration. Born in Glasgow in 1867, Scott became the founder of the Africa Inland Mission. But his beginnings in Africa were anything but auspicious.

His first trip to Africa ended in a severe attack of malaria that sent him home. He resolved to return after he recuperated. This return was especially gratifying to him because this time his brother John joined him. But before long, John was struck down by fever.

All alone, Peter buried his brother in the agony of those days recommitted himself to preach the gospel in Africa. Yet his health gave way again, and he had to return to England.

How would he ever pull out of the desolation and depression of those days? He had pledged himself to God. But where could he find the strength to go back to Africa? With man it was impossible.

He found strength in Westminster Abbey. David Livingstone’s tomb is still there. Scott entered quietly, found the tomb, and knelt in front of it to pray. The inscription reads: OTHER SHEEP I HAVE WHICH ARE NOT OF THIS FOLD; THEM ALSO I MUST BRING.

He rose from his knees with a new hope. He returned to Africa. And today the mission he founded is a vibrant, growing force for the gospel in Africa.

If your greatest joy is to experience the infilling grace of God overflowing from you for the good others, then the best news in all the world is that God will do the impossible through you for the salvation of the hidden peoples.

A Biblical View Of Immigrants:

The Bible does not directly answer questions about American immigration reform. But it does provide relevant information regarding immigrants and immigration more broadly. Four principles bear specific mention.

First and foremost, every human being is created in God's image and likeness (Gen 1:27). And every human being is offered salvation on the same terms, through the blood of Christ (John 3:16). This doctrine cannot be emphasized too often or clearly enough because it is often rejected or ignored in our society's public thinking. Whether the issue is abortion or race relations, immigration or sexuality, our cultural narrative threatens to create distinctions between those who are truly human and those who are subhuman. We resist this with every fiber of our being and trumpet the fact that every human being in our nation bears the image of God and is worthy of the dignity that entails.

Second, as believers, we live under Christ's great command to love our neighbors as ourselves. This command was first given to Israel (Lev 19:18) and reaffirmed by Christ (Luke 10:27). In fact, as was his custom, Jesus expanded the scope, so that "neighbor" included any person in need. To love our neighbors as ourselves is to act justly toward them and to be merciful to them (Mic 6:8). This sort of justice and mercy means not "turning aside" or "oppressing" the foreigner or stranger (Mal 3:5; Zech 7:10). It means treating them the way we would want to be treated were we in their situation (Matt 7:12). Whatever the specifics of our immigration policy, they should represent the fruit of just and merciful intentions toward our immigrant neighbors.

Third, God expresses a special concern for immigrants, and we should too. Throughout the Old Testament, God instructed Israel to leave portions of their field unharvested intentionally so the poor and the alien could glean there (Lev 19:10; 23:22; Deut 24:21). As God never tired of reminding Israel, they were to treat the foreigners among them with special compassion because they themselves had been foreigners in the land of Egypt (Exod 22:21; 23:9; Lev 19:34; Deut 10:19). Nor does the New Testament subvert this concern. As Paul teaches us, we believers were all similarly alienated-not from our native land but from God himself (Col 1:21-23). How can we, having once been alienated but now drawn close to God, view others with anything but compassion? And lest we need more motivation on this score, Jesus himself reminds us that the way we treat immigrants acts as a true test for whether we know him at all (Matt 25:31-46). When we oppress immigrants, regardless of their status, we persecute the Lord,

Fourth, when Christ returns to renew and restore the universe, we will rule over a kingdom that includes worshippers from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Our allegiance to God's kingdom then should be reflected in our allegiance to that kingdom now. We may be American citizens, but we are also aliens in this world, foreigners who belong to another country (1 Pet 2:11; Heb 11:13-16). We must remember that many immigrants will one day be-and in Christ already are-citizens with us in the city of God.

Seven Thoughts On Suffering:

Man has historically been desperate to determine the why behind suffering. We want to analyze and categorize events into nice and neat designations of precise cause and effect. "This is happening because of _____" or "so that _______." Perhaps we think that we can manipulate and control our future lives, protecting ourselves from certain undesired effects by avoiding particular causes.

This was the thinking behind the question of John 9. A man is blind (effect). It was naturally assumed that personal sin must have been the cause. But whose was it? His own? His parents? Grandparents? Kids?Obviously someone did something wrong. Bad things don't happen to "good" people.

Notice Christ's response. The man was born blind so that God would be glorified. Can you feel the weight of that? Here was a man who had suffered for decades in order that at this particular moment Christ might display His mercy and magnify His grace.

Anyone familiar with the Old Testament should recognize this refrain. It is very similar to the problem that is dealt with in the book of Job. The Sabeans steal the oxen and the donkeys and strike down the servants. Fire falls from heaven and burns the sheep and the servants. Chaldeans raid, take the camels, and destroy the servants. Wind blows across the wilderness and topples the wall of the house in which his seven sons and three daughters were feasting. Loathsome sores break out on his body, his friends reject him, the young mock him, and his wife implores him to curse God. Surely Job was suffered.

His friends are convinced that they have insight into the situation. Certainly, they say, Job had sinned against God. Surely he was suffering the effects of his own transgression. His friends implored him to admit his sin, to repent, and be restored.

How does God deal with the answer regarding Job's suffering? If you are not sure, I highly encourage you to go read Job 38-42. Rather than saying, "you see Job, this is exactly what I was doing in this," God speaks of His sovereignty and power and wisdom and creativity. That does not exactly fit into our clean cause and effect categories. After reading the book we cannot point to a particular sin of Job and we cannot merely blame it on Satan. It is not that simple.

We will all suffer. This is the deserved lot of humanity in this age. We would thus do well to develop a theology of suffering before the dark night comes. You do not wait until you are choking to learn the Heimlich and neither should you wait until you are in the throes of tragedy before learning the reason behind, and the response to, suffering. I have included seven of my own thoughts that I find helpful as well as links to a few highly recommended resources.

Seven Thoughts on Suffering:

God is entirely sovereign over absolutely all suffering. He works "all things" according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). Even if Satan's hand is behind your suffering (as it was in Job's case), God's hand is still involved (notice that God recommends Job and places boundaries on Satan's ability to inflict harm). It is not either/or. See Does God Ordain Evil? by Matt Chandler for more on God's sovereignty over and use of evil to accomplish His good and holy desires.

All things exist for the glory of God and thus in some way God is glorified even in our suffering. Reread John 9 or the account of Lazarus in John 11 where Jesus intentionally delays His arrival so that Lazarus would die. Notice that the text says that this was motivated by His love and desire for His beloved to see God's glory. It is better to suffer and see the glory of God than to continue in ignorant bliss.

All suffering is a result of sin's origin with Adam's first transgression. His sin has fractured all creation, but it will be restored one day (Romans 8:18-25). Therefore we can confidently say that tragedies are a result of sin, but as in John 9, we cannot look at the individuals afflicted and necessarily conclude that it was their direct sin, which precipitated the disaster (see Luke 13:1-5).
Suffering will work to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29). J.I. Packer ""Still He seeks the fellowship of His people and sends them both sorrows and joys to detach their love from other things and attach it to Himself."

The proper response to suffering is faith and even joy. Rather than anxiousness, we should be growing in trust. Rather than despair, we should be growing in joy (Romans 5:3-5). Trust that this is God's good hand upon us and that He is a generous Father. All of His works toward His children are good. See this excellent and yet challenging article on Piper's thoughts after he was diagnosed with cancer on how to not waste it.

All suffering is covered by the suffering of Christ. He was called one who was acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3) and He is able to help and sympathize with us in our suffering because of His own (Hebrews 2:5-18).

Soon and very soon there is coming a day free from suffering for those who have trusted and rejoiced in Christ. Believe this hope...in it...rest in it.

Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him

Wednesday Worship:

Wednesday Worship

Monday Morning Humor

I Love Upward:

The church I work at is famous in our community for it's Upward Sports program. So famous in fact that when I applied for home and car insurance the agent I was working with talked all about our Upward Program and how much his children enjoyed playing when they were younger. My insurance agent knew about our church because of our Upward Program; crazy!

The first year I was hired as a Student Minister I took an observing role in Upward to get a feel for the program and all that it stood for. This past year I was approached about being an assistant coach and to be honest I wanted to say no. I wanted to say no because I already had a lot on my plate with a new baby coming and other church related activities. I wanted to say no because I'm not very good at basketball (tbh: I'm horrible. I look like I have two left feet and two left hands). I would have said no but because I work for the church I felt an enormous amount of pressure to say, "yes."

We have just finished our Upward Season and I can say with all honesty, I am 100% glad I said yes to serving as an Assistant Coach and I am now in love with Upward Sports.

Below are six reasons why I LOVE UPWARD!

1) I was able to watch children grow to love the game of basketball:
I may not be very good at playing basketball but I love to watch basketball on TV (GO UNC!). When I think back to my team's very first practice I picture a timid group of 2nd & 3rd graders who did not know very much about the game of basketball. They were timid, shy and had a lot to learn. It took a couple of practices and a few games but once they began to score points and win games you could see the excitement for the game of basketball. One of the players on my team had not scored a basket in three games and the player was becoming discouraged. We made an intentional focus to get her the ball so she could score and when she made her first basket her face lit up. Her mom in the stands jumped up and shouted with joy when the basketball went soaring through the net. After that first basket the player gained confidence and you could see a love for basketball all over her face. By the end of the season all of the players on my team had grown to love basketball and could not wait to play again next year.

2) I was able to watch children deepen their skill set and learn the fundamentals of basketball:
Upward Sports utilizes what they call: 360 Progression which is a uniquely designed sports experience that adapts and expands as players develop in their personal athletic journey resulting in total athletes. Every athlete is taught the fundamentals of the game but the teaching is geared towards that child's particular skill set. This allows the children to gain confidence as they learn more and more about the game of basketball. The very first game a player on my team would play defense the whole time. Even when we were on offense, the player would play defense. We were able to break the habit of playing defense and the player became a pretty good player on both sides of the ball. Players struggled with dribbling, passing, etc but by the middle of the season to the end of the season every player had shown significant improvement. We were able to build a solid foundation which can be built upon by other coaches.

3) I was able to see our church reach out into our community:

On a typical Saturday (7:00 am-7:00 pm) around 700 people would visit our Family Life Center. Some of these individuals were individuals who would never darken the door of a church but they would come out to see their child or grand-child play basketball or cheer. During every halftime, an individual would get up and share his or her testimony. This intentional time of Gospel proclamation allowed for many people to hear the Gospel who would not normally come to church on a Sunday morning.

4) I was able to watch children learn values to help them excel in life:
Every practice we would spend 5-10 minutes teaching the children an important life lesson and value needed to excel in life. These lessons were biblically based and applicable to every child. A few of the values which children learned were on respect, gratitude, team work and love. These values are necessary to excel in life. Upward focuses on the total athlete-mentally, athletically, spiritually and socially. Upward is not just looking to create sports superstars but is looking to develop men and women who were succeed in life and bring value to a community.

5) I was able to see every child who wanted to play given the opportunity to play:
As a Student Minister I am able to see first hand the importance of sports in the life of a student. Sports teach students values and skills which are necessary to thrive in life. Upward sports allows every child to participate and learn the importance of team work, gratitude, respect, good sportsmanship, etc. I believe these lessons learned in elementary school will lead to more successful adults and a better society. We do not turn away any child and because of that everyone is able to learn and grow.

6) I was able to watch church members step up and selflessly serve their community:
Upward Sports is a large undertaking for a church to take on. It involves countless hours and numerous volunteers. I was blown away by the servant's heart of all of our Upward volunteers. Most of the volunteers worked from sun-up till sun-down to serve their community. Church members coached, refereed, worked in the kitchen, cheered, worked the sound board, mopped, swept, set up for church, helped with security, gave money for scholarships, took prayer requests, made sausage gravy, and a myriad of other ways of service. First Baptist Church of Stanleyville has a heart for their community. I was blown away and impressed with the servant heart of each of our church members.

In conclusion, I LOVE UPWARD SPORTS! I am now a full fledged supporter of this ministry because I have witnessed first hand the effect Upward sports can have on the life of a student. I am excited for my children to grow up in the Upward Sports program and develop values and skills necessary to help them excel in life.

I LOVE UPWARD! 

What makes God Happy?:

I will make with them an everlasting covenant that I will not turn away from doing good to them... I will rejoice in doing good to them.-Jeremiah 32:40-41

This is one of those promises of God that I come back to again and again when I get discouraged (yes, that happens to pastors). Can you think of any fact more encouraging than that God rejoices to do you good?

He doesn't begrudgingly fulfill his promise (Romans 8:28). It is his joy to do you good. And not just sometimes. Always! "I will not turn away from doing good to them."

But sometimes our situation is so hard to bear we just can't muster any joy. When that happens to me, I try to imitate Abraham: "In hope he believed against hope" (Romans 4:18). God has always been faithful to guard that little spark of faith for me and eventually (not right away) fan it into a flame of happiness and full confidence.

O how glad I am that the thing that makes Almighty God happiest is doing good for you and me!

Monday Morning Humor:

Sex: God, Gross, or Gift

Sex can be viewed in one of three ways. It can be viewed as god, gross, or gift. The first two ways are pure idolatry. Idolatry is putting something or someone in the place of your worship of God. It's placing someone or something into a god-like status.

Sex Can Be A God In Your Life:
In our culture, this is often the main view of sex. Watch any television show, movie, listen to music, etc., and you will see a culture that elevates sex. Here are three ways sex is viewed as God.

• Watching pornograph (which generates revenues of $90 billion worldwide)
• Sending pictures of yourself that you shouldn't be sending to others...ever!
• And sinful relationships in which you might be in right now.

The first commandment commands us to worship God alone. If we obey this command, then we don't find ourselves worshipping other people and other things (like sex) as functional gods. If we find ourselves falling into sin, we still continue to worship, but do so as idolaters treating people and things as gods. Do you see the point? Sometimes sex can be our god. We disobey God, stop worshiping him, and start worship things and people.

Sex Can Be A Gross Thing In Your Life:
There are a few ways sex can be seen as gross. They are most commonly seen in these ways: The first way sex could potentially be seen as gross in your life is if you have experienced bad teaching on sex. Bad teaching on sex leads to a bad understanding of sex. These teachings might say something like, "Don't have sex, because you don't want to be all used up for your future spouse." That is a horrendous way to look at sex and teach sex.

The second way, might be that you've had bad experiences with sex. I'm talking about the terrible acts of molestation or rape. This is a reality for many people. If this terrible act of sin has happened to you, then you might have a bad view of sex at this point in your life. I would encourage you to talk with someone about this immediately. This is something you will need to work through with a counselor.

Finally, you might see sex as gross if you are embarrassed by it. We should never be embarrassed by sex, because sex is a gift given by God to us. God created it. Within the appropriate context, we are to enjoy this great gift God has given us.

Sex Should Be Seen As A GIFT In Your Life:
Sex is a GIFT within the context of marriage, given by God, to married couples. Sex is not given as a gift to boyfriends and girlfriends. It's not given as a gift to middle schoolers or high schoolers or college students or young professionals or those engaged or retirees in a nursery home. Sex is a gift given by God to be pursued without fear, without hesitation, in full safety, in full unity, and in the full covenant commitment of marriage alone!

Anything outside of that-whether pornography, sending inappropriate pictures of yourself, a relationship you are in that you shouldn't be in, or anything, God forbid, that has happened to you sexually in a terrible way-is an absolute abomination and spit in the face of the God who created sex and perfectly gave it to us to be enjoyed in the context of marriage.

The Glory Of Plodding

It’s sexy among young people — my generation — to talk about ditching institutional religion and starting a revolution of real Christ-followers living in real community without the confines of church. Besides being unbiblical, such notions of churchless Christianity are unrealistic. It’s immaturity actually, like the newly engaged couple who think romance preserves the marriage, when the couple celebrating their golden anniversary know it’s the institution of marriage that preserves the romance. Without the God-given habit of corporate worship and the God-given mandate of corporate accountability, we will not prove faithful over the long haul.

What we need are fewer revolutionaries and a few more plodding visionaries. That’s my dream for the church — a multitude of faithful, risktaking plodders. The best churches are full of gospel-saturated people holding tenaciously to a vision of godly obedience and God’s glory, and pursuing that godliness and glory with relentless, often unnoticed, plodding consistency.

My generation in particular is prone to radicalism without followthrough. We have dreams of changing the world, and the world should take notice accordingly. But we’ve not proved faithful in much of anything yet. We haven’t held a steady job or raised godly kids or done our time in VBS or, in some cases, even moved off the parental dole. We want global change and expect a few more dollars to the ONE campaign or Habitat for Humanity chapter to just about wrap things up. What the church and the world needs, we imagine, is for us to be another Bono — Christian, but more spiritual than religious and more into social justice than the church. As great as it is that Bono is using his fame for some noble purpose, I just don’t believe that the happy future of the church, or the world for that matter, rests on our ability to raise up a million more Bonos (as at least one author suggests). With all due respect, what’s harder: to be an idolized rock star who travels around the world touting good causes and chiding governments for their lack of foreign aid, or to be a line worker at GM with four kids and a mortgage, who tithes to his church, sings in the choir every week, serves on the school board, and supports a Christian relief agency and a few missionaries from his disposable income?

Until we are content with being one of the million nameless, faceless church members and not the next globe-trotting rock star, we aren’t ready to be a part of the church. In the grand scheme of things, most of us are going to be more of an Ampliatus (Rom. 16:8) or Phlegon (v. 14) than an apostle Paul. And maybe that’s why so many Christians are getting tired of the church. We haven’t learned how to be part of the crowd. We haven’t learned to be ordinary. Our jobs are often mundane. Our devotional times often seem like a waste. Church services are often forgettable. That’s life. We drive to the same places, go through the same routines with the kids, buy the same groceries at the store, and share a bed with the same person every night. Church is often the same too — same doctrines, same basic order of worship, same preacher, same people. But in all the smallness and sameness, God works — like the smallest seed in the garden growing to unbelievable heights, like beloved Tychicus, that faithful minister, delivering the mail and apostolic greetings (Eph. 6:21). Life is usually pretty ordinary, just like following Jesus most days. Daily discipleship is not a new revolution each morning or an agent of global transformation every evening; it’s a long obedience in the same direction.
It’s possible the church needs to change. Certainly in some areas it does. But it’s also possible we’ve changed — and not for the better. It’s possible we no longer find joy in so great a salvation. It’s possible that our boredom has less to do with the church, its doctrines, or its poor leadership and more to do with our unwillingness to tolerate imperfection in others and our own coldness to the same old message about Christ’s death and resurrection. It’s possible we talk a lot about authentic community but we aren’t willing to live in it.

The church is not an incidental part of God’s plan. Jesus didn’t invite people to join an anti-religion, anti-doctrine, anti-institutional bandwagon of love, harmony, and re-integration. He showed people how to live, to be sure. But He also called them to repent, called them to faith, called them out of the world, and called them into the church. The Lord “didn’t add them to the church without saving them, and he didn’t save them without adding them to the church” (John Stott).

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7). If we truly love the church, we will bear with her in her failings, endure her struggles, believe her to be the beloved bride of Christ, and hope for her final glorification. The church is the hope of the world — not because she gets it all right, but because she is a body with Christ for her Head.

Don’t give up on the church. The New Testament knows nothing of churchless Christianity. The invisible church is for invisible Christians. The visible church is for you and me. Put away the Che Guevara t-shirts, stop the revolution, and join the rest of the plodders. Fifty years from now you’ll be glad you did.

Wednesday Worship

Monday Morning Humor:

F.L.E.E.-A Strategy for Pursuing Sexual Purity:

Author: Trent Hunter
Originial Article: http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/f-l-e-e-a-strategy-for-pursuing-sexual-purity/
Original Date: March 11, 2013

We're supposed to flee from things that can kill us.

Active volcanoes, oncoming traffic, and snakes come to mind. So should sexual immorality. To Christians in a sexually confused culture, Paul issued this clear order: “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). That is, flee from the dangerous enjoyment of sexual pleasure outside of God's wise design for its enjoyment in marriage.
So how are you doing at fleeing? Maybe you are fleeing into sexual immorality. Or maybe you're just thinking about it . . . all the time. You're already there, of course. Maybe you're running, but in circles. Images are glued to the walls of your brain. Or maybe this whole subject just adds to the feeling of shame.

Thankfully, God is committed to our sexual purity. Scripture says, “You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Christ died to purify our consciences and our very lives. What grace! When we see him we will be like him, but until then we flee sexual immorality.

What's your plan for the next encounter with temptation? Or for the next conversation with a friend, child, or spouse who needs your counsel?

Here's a strategy: F.L.E.E.

It's biblical, it's hard to forget, and it fits on a napkin.

First, fill yourself with Christ.

The seductress of Proverbs 9:17 says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” That's the voice of the ancient serpent promising satisfaction to a hungry man passing by a pretty girl's house, “but he does not know that the dead are there” (9:18).

This is why the first step in our flight is to fill ourselves with Jesus Christ, who says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Sexual pleasure can never do what only God can. But Christ, on the other hand, is satisfaction.

How, then, do we fill ourselves with Christ?

Believe he really is the bread of life: “whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life” (John 6:47-48).

Fill yourself with his Word: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 8:4).

Fill your life with his people: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another” (Colossians 3:16).

You get air out of a glass by filling it with something else, and you can shake that taste for stolen water by going to the One who offers “water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

Second, lock out the lies.

Why do we run to instead of from sexual sin? Lies, I tell you!

If a koala so much as looks at me, I'm going to run. They're cute, but they have large claws, sharp teeth, and I've heard they can destroy you. Sexual immorality is similar. Sure, it looks just good. But watch this guy:

She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him . . . “I have perfumed my bed. . . . Come, let us take our fill of love till morning.” . . . With much seductive speech she persuades him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter. (Proverbs 7:13-23)

Our flight from sexual immorality requires that we lock out the lies that give it power. Or, as Solomon said, “keep your way far from her” (5:8).

So what would that look like for you?

When and where are you hearing seductive speech? How can you get away? Whatever the cost—your smartphone, home internet, a relationship—if it helps you see God, it's a net gain. After all, “it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire” (Matthew 18:9).

Seduction's voice calls “to those who pass by” (Proverbs 9:15). Flee now! Better yet, don't pass by.

Third, exchange lies for truth.

Unless we retreat from the world, we're going to encounter seductive lies. Actually, we lie to ourselves. We are born exchanging the truth about God for a lie, along with everything else, including sex (Romans 1:25-26). For Christians, God reverses the exchange. While our old self was corrupt through deceitful desires, the new self is created after the likeness of God (Ephesians 4:22-24).

What, then, should you do when tempted? Unsheathe your sword and go on the offensive, rejecting lies and rehearsing truth:

God is not stingy, but good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
Sinful pleasures are not filling, but fleeting (Hebrews 11:24-26).
People are not objects, but image bearers (Genesis 1:27).
This is not private, but reaches heaven and eternity (Psalm 51:4).
God does not approve of sin because he loves to forgive, but forgives to free us from sin (Romans 6:1-2).
Sexual sin isn't harmless, but defrauding (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6).
It will not be easy to turn back, as you are already hardening your heart (Hebrews 3:13).
This is not inevitable, since God provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Your past does not define you, Christ's blood does (1 Corinthians 6:11).
Are you embracing lies, or exchanging them for the truth? Are you glorifying the body, or are you glorifying God with your body? When seductive speech calls out, remember, “all her slain are a mighty throng” (Proverbs 7:26).

Finally, expose yourself to the light.

If you fall to sexual sin you will be tempted to hide in the dark and pretend it didn't happen. But remember: we are still sinners. So we confess sin.

Confession brings sin to the light and light to our eyes to see what we could never see in the dark: the holiness of God, the sinfulness of sin, and the glory of God's grace. John weaves these themes together beautifully:

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

Coming to Christ means coming out of hiding to be exposed by the light and covered with Christ's blood. As Christians, the best thing to do, of course, is just stay in the light. But the best thing to do when we wander into the shadows is to run back. Confession is where that starts.

So, are you hiding? Confess your sins to God. He forgives! But don't stop there. “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another” (James 5:16). That's what Christian friends are for.

It is good news that we are not condemned in Christ, and it is good news that we are no longer slaves to sin. My friends, flee from sexual immorality.

CREW Parent Newsletter: March 2016

For Parents On The Go:

1.      Sunday Mornings & Wednesday Nights in March. Date Different. An honest conversation with your child on dating, sex and marriage.

2.      Saturday, April 9^th. College Trip to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. We will be taking a tour of LU and eating lunch in the cafeteria as well as doing something else fun on campus. Cost: TBD

3.      June 20-24^th. Summer Camp: Mission Fuge at Liberty University. Money for camp ($150) is due by April 1^st. Please make all checks out to FBCS Youth Ministry. If you would like more information about camp here is there website… http://www.fugecamps.com/

  Dear Parents,

We have been busy these past two months discussing dating, sex and marriage with your son or daughter. I believe the series has been going well and everyone has been challenged. I wanted to focus in this month’s newsletter outlining everything that we have been learning.

How To Date Different For the Guys:

1.      Don’t pursue girls, pursue Christ, then pursue a woman.

2.      Prepare yourself for dating by pursuing the marks of manhood:

a.       Knowing the Gospel

b.      Sacrificial Leadership

c.       Hard Work

d.      Protecting Women & Children At All Costs

e.       Making good decisions for the benefit of others.

3.      Invite other dudes into your life for wisdom and accountability

4.      Pursue a girl with her dad’s approval, but don’t date until you are ready for marriage.

How To Date Different For the Girls:

1.      Don’t pursue boys, pursue Christ and a man one day will pursue you.

2.      Prepare yourself for dating by pursuing the marks of womanhood:

a.       Knowing the Gospel

b.      Sacrificial Helper

c.       Courageous Nurturer

d.      Protector of True Beauty

e.       Guarding the Unity of Your Home

3.      Invite other ladies into your life for wisdom and accountability

4.      Be vocal about who you are in Christ when a man pursues you

5.      Allow your dad (or Christian community) to be your leader, provider, protector until the day you are married.

How To Date Different For Couples:

1.      Ask yourself the hard questions:

a.       Are both of our parents involved?

b.      Are we both ready for marriage?

c.       Are we staying pure?

d.      Are we involving others in our dating relationship for wisdom and accountability?

2.      Have we made our intentions clear to each other, to our parents, and to other believers in our life?

3.      Why are we dating?

4.      Who is holding us accountable?

Encouragement for Dad’s of Young Daughters:

1.      Date Them Now And Often:

a.       If you don’t have a few times a month daddy date with your daughters, then get going immediately. This will help to show your daughter how she is to be treated by a man.

2.      Set The Bar High:

a.       Set the bar high for any dude who tries to pursue your daughter. Date them and treat them like royalty. When it’s time for them to be pursued, the bar will be right where it needs to be.

3.      Set A Clear Standard In Your Home From An Early Age:

a.       Talk with your daughters at an early age about what your home will look like with friends and boys. Set boundaries. You are the parent not her best friend.

4.      Have A Purity Weekend Between Mom & Daughter:

a.       Have a purity weekend where mom and daughter can go away and have a special weekend together. During this weekend, deepen the conversation on dating, sex, and marriage. Challenge and parent them to date different.

Encouragement for Dad’s of Young Sons:

1.      Spend Relational Time With Them Often:

a.       Spend as much relational time with your son as possible. Take them to ball games. Go hunting together. Go to movies. Go out to eat. Just spend time with your son-both quality and quantity time.

2.      Engage Them Spiritually And Emotionally:

a.       Throughout their young childhood, engage your son both spiritually and emotionally. Let them see you model your faith. Part of modeling your faith will be modeling repentance. Begin to talk with them about deep things. Pray with them. Let them see your passion for your King..

3.      Teach Them Biblical Manhood At An Early Age:

a.       Dads, it is your job to teach your son the marks of mature manhood. Read books with them. Memorize Scripture with them. Help them learn to be leaders, providers, and protectors at an early age. This is your most important aim as a dad.

4.      Have A Purity Weekend Between Dad And Son:

a.       When ready, take your sons on a purity weekend. Do something awesome together. Go and kill stuff. During this weekend, deepen the conversation on dating, sex, and marriage. Challenge and parent them to date different.

HOW TO DATE DIFFERENT: WEEKLY SUMMARY

GOD: Week One	In all things, begin with God and his design for it.
ME: Week Two	This is a season to prepare, not a season to practice.
THEM: Week Three	Test the CHARACTER of the person you wish to date.
US: Week Four	Sex is a GIFT within the context of marriage, given by God, to married couples.
WE: Week Five	Involve your parents (and the church) in your relationship for wisdom and accountability as you move forward.