Raising Children in a LGBT World

As you probably are aware the LGBT agenda has reached a fever pitch. I have spent a lot of time and energy thinking and praying about and for the world my children will grow up in. Below are ten principles for raising children in a LGBT world.

1. Talk honestly and openly about sin, homosexuality, the LGBT community, and gay marriage with your children.
We live in a post-Genesis 3 world.  Because of this, sin is a reality, both in our lives and in the lives of our children.  Part of the goal of parenting is teaching our children to love God and hate sin.  Using your conscience as a parent, and discerning the appropriateness of their age, talk openly with your children about homosexuality and gay marriage.  Unless you live in the mountains, have no technology, and your children have zero friends, I promise they are already chatting about this issue with their friends.  Six, seven, and eight-year-olds are already having these conversations in lunch rooms and on school playgrounds.  Your children’s classmates might have 2 mommies or 2 daddies.  Too often, parents want this to be a hush hush issue with their children until later in middle or high school.  By then, it’s too late.  As your conscience, the Holy Spirit, and Lady Wisdom guide you, talk honestly and openly about this issue with your children.

2. Model to your children a marriage that is a picture of the gospel.
As Owen Strachan put it, speaking about gay marriage (President of Center for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood), “Let’s allow this decision to shock us back into taking stock of the log in our own eye. Let’s use it to motivate us to dig into our marriage and truly love our God-given spouse. Let’s recommit to loving our children in a distinctly biblical way. May this Supreme Court decision awaken God’s people to display the beauty of complementarity as never before, to put the union of a self-sacrificial head to his loving bride on IMAX display wherever we are.”  As Strachan alludes, the home is the most foundational place for your children to learn the gospel and see it modeled.  Let us recommit to pursuing our marriages before anything else.  Let us model to our children the entire gospel within our marriages–servant headship, submission, grace, repentance, and restoration.

3. Teach your children the biblical foundations for marriage.
Teach your children the foundation for marriage from Genesis 1-2, the mysteries of its relationship between Christ and the Church in Ephesians 5, and how marriage ultimately wins when Jesus returns in Revelation 19.  Talk about this often with your children.  Show your children often pictures and videos from your wedding.  Never talk poorly about marriage.  Elevate it as the most important pursuit.

4. Teach your children the biblical foundations for sex.  
Many parents are waiting until late in middle school to talk with their children about sex for the first time.  Again, in my opinion, this is too late.  I would encourage somewhere around 4th, 5th, or 6th grade to truly begin the “sex talk” with your children.  A good way to start this conversation is for dads to take sons, and moms to take daughters, on what is called a purity weekend.  Take your children somewhere fun, do more expensive things (because this weekend should be awesome), and begin the conversation about sex with your children.  Notice I said begin.  This is not a one-time conversation.  This needs to be an ongoing discussion with your children.

5. Protect your children from the influences of pornography.
Like a warrior fighting his enemy on the battle field, may parents fight to protect their children from the influences of pornography!  This is not a light task.  Some researchers have stated that the average age of first exposure to pornography is down to eight.  Eight!  I’ll repeat, EIGHT!  Children can access pornography on any device in the home today (cell phones, television, iPads, computers, gaming systems, and more).  What is more, Covenant Eyes is a great filtering software you can put on your devices.  Teach your children why this filtering software is on your devices.  It’s not because you don’t trust them (which you shouldn’t, though), it’s because we want to put guardrails in our lives and completely crush any form of temptation to sin.

6. Pray fervently for and with your children.
As the influences of culture creep closer to our doorsteps, let us pray fervently for the hearts and minds of our children.  The battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of this world (Eph. 6:12).  Let us pray that God would protect, build up, and send out our children into the world as ambassadors for Him (2 Cor. 5:20).

7. Partner with a gospel-centered local church that will come alongside you and teach the truths of Scripture.
Discipleship primarily happens in the home, but the local church should also be a great resource for equipping and building up your family.  So often, parents view the local church as the center of discipleship.  It’s not.  As parents, that is your job.  The local church should come alongside of you in teaching your children the truths of Scripture.

8. Teach your children biblical gender roles.
As you teach marriage and model marriage to your children, it is important to teach your children biblical gender roles, too.  Men are designed by God to be leaders, providers, and protectors in the home.  Women are designed by God to be helpers and nurturers in the home.  Men and women are equal in dignity, value, and worth, but different in role and function.  This is powerhouse complementarianism.

9. Train your children towards courageous biblical manhood and womanhood.
Being a man who practices the marks of mature biblical manhood is completely counter-cultural–and likewise for women who practice mature biblical womanhood.  We are called by God to pass down the truths of manhood and womanhood to the next generation (Titus 2).  We pass these truths and characteristics down by teaching and modeling them.

10. Don’t panic.  Trust in God.  He is still in control.  His plan will still win.
The sky is not falling.  The world is not going to hell.  God is still in control.  Let us live with this bold posture.  Talk with your children about this issue just like you would about any issue.  As Christians, we are “sent into” the world to seek the redemption of the world (Rom. 8) and be instruments used by God in the building of his Church (Matt. 28:16-20).  Remember, we are “sent into” the world by our Chief Commander armed with truth & love.  We await His triumphant re-entry.  For Christians, nothing changes.  Same mindset.  Same posture.  Same mission.  Same victorious King.  When we understand this, we realize that love (and truth) wins.

Reaching, Teaching and Releasing,


Pastor T
Student Minster at FBC Stanleyville

Wednesday Worship:

I Want To Be A Megachurch Pastor:

I want to be a megachurch pastor. I want to be the guy who comes up with the big vision. I want people to be inspired by me. I want to be the guy who brings people to church in droves. I want to be the guy who doesn’t offend anyone. I want to be fiercely independent. I want to be a game changer. I want to be able to live off the sales of my books instead of church tithes. I want people to take pictures with me like a celebrity. I want people to see my face in projectors across the world at the same time. I want to shoot hoops with reporters so I can also look like a regular guy. I want to be edgy. I want to push the boundaries of doctrine. I want people to see themselves in the text. I want to come up with something new and creative that Christians have never seen before. I want to get the rockin’ praise band and maybe hop in and play with them from time to time because I can (and it would look so cool). I just wanna praise Father-God. I want to use the translation that fits what I want to say. I don’t want to have to explain context. I want to tell people that God is going to give them everything they want this year. I want to tell people that God has chosen our nation and we need to follow God again. I want to be worth millions of dollars. I want to spend my time being creative. I don’t want to spend my time calling people to find out where they have been. I don’t want to visit run-down care facilities that smell like old urine. I want the megachurch to be filled with millennials. I want to be a household name. I want to be a megachurch pastor.

So why don’t I try to become a megachurch pastor? I don’t try because the Holy Spirit knows better. Instead of my vision we have the Word. I don’t inspire, that’s the Holy Spirit’s work. The church is increased by the Holy Spirit, not me. If people are offended by hearing the Word, it’s because they, like me, are sinners. In the church, independence is an aberration. Instead of trying to increase the size of the church by speaking the language of the world, scripture has its own unique language of the cross. The cross proclaims strength while weak (2 Cor. 12:10). The cross proclaims that totally depraved human beings, all human beings, cannot choose Jesus, cannot come to Jesus, cannot find Jesus (John 15:16; 1 Cor. 1:18-31). The cross declares that every word of scripture is a testimony to Jesus (John 5:39). The cross preaches that the poor in spirit are blessed. The cross offends (1 Cor. 1:23).

God does not want pastors who will make His church grow. Do we think that He can’t do that for Himself? God doesn’t want pastors who will bring out every gimmick to get people in the door. God doesn’t want pastors who will hold back, manipulate, or splice His Word, no matter how noble the intentions seem. God wants men who will proclaim the cross, who will proclaim that you are lost, who will proclaim that you are at God’s mercy, who will proclaim that you never chose to follow God, who will proclaim that what was foolish to the world is the power of God, who will preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the forgiveness of sins as the focus of every sermon.

As for me, sin is deeply entrenched in me. I selfishly want so many things. Sadly, in my flesh, I want to make it look like I’m doing it for God. I want people to hear how smart I am and how long my prayers are. I am the Pharisee I so desperately point to with disdain. I am a sinner and it sucks to meet you because you’re a sinner too.

The Word of the cross is not about the wisdom of this world. It’s not about spiritual CEOs or vision statements (i.e. business models). Jesus invites the muck of the earth. Jesus wants the junkies. He wants the red light district. He wants the greedy. He wants the young. He wants the old. Jesus wants the burdens of society who are stuck on social security, who live in urine-stained rooms, who are true examples of humility and faith in Christ. Jesus wants the single mother of a few whose kids aren’t well disciplined. Jesus wants the boyfriend who practically forced his girlfriend to get an abortion. Jesus wants sinners. This is the message of the cross. We are destroyed by the Law that reveals an abominable selfie. We are rebuilt in the body of Christ, in His image. We then live holy lives that are protected by pure teaching and external sacraments. We are kept in the Body by the Holy Spirit who brought us in. This is how disciples are made. This is why Jesus came.

Being the pastor of a small congregation means being there among sinners as one of them. It’s messed up. It’s hard. It’s frustrating. It’s enough to drive to depression or alcoholism. It doesn’t look like what some megachurches even now have on Netflix. Jesus never expected the road to be broad. He never expected it to be easy, either. He uses a sinner like me to do His will for other sinners. He uses a sinner like me to speak to sinners. He uses a sinner like me to echo His Word for sinners that are given life by that very Word. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus and for some crazy reason He sends a sinner like me in His place. All I can do is take that sinful nature of mine, the one who wants to be a megachurch pastor, I hold it kicking and screaming under the waters of baptism. I go see my pastor and confess my sins. Each time I have, he always declares me forgiven. All I can do is kneel before God Almighty at the rail and taste what my sinful nature thinks is useless, the very body and blood of Jesus Christ.

So when I consider being a megachurch pastor, I remember this; the church is not about me. It’s about Jesus Christ and Him crucified for sinners. It might not seem like much to the world but it’s everything for the church

The Importance of Sleep:

Life is short. Stay awake for it.

So goes the tagline for the second largest coffee franchise in America. It’s catchy and practical. Drink our coffee, it suggests, not merely for its taste, but for its benefits, that is, to be awake to life. And the reason being — here comes the resonating connection — life is short. The clock is ticking. Our days are numbered. And we Christians agree (Psalm 90:10; 103:15–16; James 4:14).

Life is too short to sleep all the time.

But life is also too short not to sleep a large part of the time.

The fact is humans need sleep, between 7–8 hours a day. But most of us aren’t getting it. According to studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sleep deprivation is epidemic. In the last week articles and infographs have been circulating the web with convincing evidence that this is the real deal.

In addition to that content, here are three reasons why you should get some sleep.

1. God created you to require sleep for a healthy life.

In a sense, this highlights the most intuitive reason why we need sleep: to survive. Most of us (not all of us) know from experience that going without ample sleep has drastic effects on us physically and emotionally. The latest study claims that going just one night with less than six hours of sleep may alter our genes and cause several side effects — from a higher chance of catching a cold to the loss of brain tissue.

But perhaps the most shared result is that without enough sleep we’re “more likely to get emotional.” Now we know how to fill in that generic term. Without enough sleep, we are more easily stressed and frustrated. Our capacity for patience dissipates. Lack of sleep is a sucker-punch to our ability to listen and think creatively, and therefore be productive.

Personally, one of the toughest things during my time in seminary was sleeplessness (and I think I got more than most guys). Days that followed only a few hours of shut-eye often meant the Hebrew was harder and our home was unhappy. But a good night of sleep was like its own mini-vacation, and it still is.

God created us this way. Just like oxygen and food, we need sleep to work right. It won’t look the same for everyone, and some are in situations where their care for others inhibits a solid snooze, but know for sure that we need sleep. It was God’s idea.

2. Sleep is the midwife of humility.

Humility is a heart-virtue that gestates. It matures over time, born by truth and practice. We believe facts about reality (we’re needy creatures, not autonomous beings), and we act in step with those facts.

Next to prayer, sleep may be the most central practice that lines up with the truth of who we are. Sleep is that necessary moment that comes every single day when our bodies go slow and our minds start dragging. They witness to our fragility. And eventually, we will surrender. Our problem, as the studies suggest, is that we don’t surrender soon enough. Oftentimes we push back. The invitation gets handed to us with generous terms, but we resist until we’re wrestled down.

To be sure, some people have trouble falling asleep. One report says 40 million Americans suffer from 70 different sleep disorders. It’s serious, and deserves treatment, which could be simply adopting new habits. But the concern here is the heart of the matter. Whether we fall asleep quickly or not, we can welcome sleep for what it is. We can choose to bow out of the action, to know that the world will be fine without us for a while. We can welcome that segment of the day when we make ourselves most vulnerable, when we exit consciousness and are forced to, in the right sense, “let go, and let God.” Whether we actually say it or not, going to bed prays, at least in practice: “Now I lay me down to sleep. Lord, I pray my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, Lord, I pray my soul to take.”

Sleep is intrinsically a humble thing to do.

3. Sleep is distinctively Christian.

Really, there is something remarkably Christian about sleep. We see this first in the Psalms and then fulfilled in the life of Jesus.

We read in Psalm 3:5–6, “I lay down a slept and woke again, for the Lᴏʀᴅ sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” Then we read in Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lᴏʀᴅ, make me dwell in safety.”

It’s Saying Something

Two things are happening here. First, David is making sleep an act of faith in the Lord’s protection. Enemies surround him, and they want to destroy him. But he sleeps. He knows the Lord sustains him and guards him. But why? How does he know this? Here’s the second thing to see: David trusts in God’s protection because of what God says in Psalm 2.

In Psalm 2 we see that the Lord’s King — who is also a Son — will reign. He will have the nations as his heritage and the ends of the earth his possession (Psalm 2:7–8). The Lord exalts him and issues the warning of his supremacy: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2:12). This is an endorsement that carries throughout the entire Psalter. The Lord is committed to his King, his Son, his Anointed — and David knows it.

David is God’s anointed king, but he mirrors the true and better Anointed King that will descend from his lineage (2 Samuel 7:16). David’s faith in God’s protection, displayed by his sleep, points us to the Son of David who also knew how to sleep — which we see in Mark 4.

Why Jesus Slept

This scene of Mark 4 shows us Jesus and his disciples out at sea when a windstorm arises. The waves are so intense that they’re breaking into the boat, filling it with water (Mark 4:37). The disciples are terrified. This is a shipwreck in the works. But where is Jesus? He is in the stern of the boat asleep on a cushion (verse 38). He wakes up to stop the storm by his word and the disciples are awed. But we as readers — disciples with a canonical conscience — see him sleeping and we’re awed.

Jesus slept for the same reason David did. He knew that his Father would protect him. Based upon what God had promised to his King, to David, to Moses, to Abraham, to Adam — Jesus knew God would keep his Anointed. Sleep was the symbol of faith in that promise. It was for Jesus and for David and for us.

The Same Spirit of Faith

When we sleep we are saying — in that same spirit of faith — that God will protect his Anointed and all those anointed in him (2 Corinthians 1:21). We are saying that no matter how many thousand enemies surround our soul, because of the Father’s commitment to his Son, we will not be destroyed. We will not be condemned. Nothing will ever be able to snatch us out of his hand (John 10:28). Nothing will ever separate us from his love (Romans 8:38–39). When we go to bed, we are saying that.

Christian, life is short. You should get some sleep.

Dating & Sexual Sin:

It will always be a struggle for Christians to figure out what it looks like to live holy lives in an unholy culture. It seems to be especially difficult for dating couples to handle themselves in such a way as to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. Over the last six years I’ve interacted with many college students who, from all I can tell, are walking with the Lord and pursuing holiness, but as soon as they start dating they seem to surrender to sexual sin.
Why is that? There are many reasons, but here are three dangers to avoid.

Acting Like A Non-Christian

This should seem so obvious that it’s almost not even worth mentioning—except that it’s biblical. I’ve found that most Christians struggling with sexual sin are ignorant of Paul’s implication in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5. The passage is worth reading:

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God…

Look at verse 5 specifically: Paul’s implication is that when you indulge in the passion of your lust you are acting like a non-Christian. So here’s the reality: when you sin sexually you are acting like you don’t know Jesus. Are you a Christian? If so, why would you intentionally act like you’re not?

Acting Childish

Like little children, we often prefer the immediate satisfaction of now over the greater fulfillment of later. It’s hard to wait. More than that, why wait when I can have what I want now? Oh yeah, because someone in authority over me told me “no.” And his name is God. But oh how we hate not getting what we want when we want it!

Just like a parent with a child, God knows better than we do and he desires our good even more than we do. When I tell my son not to run into the street it’s not to kill his joy but to increase and prolong it. When God reserves sex for marriage and encourages self-control, it’s not because he’s a prude or a killjoy, but because he is a loving Father.

Acting Arrogant

We often like to play with fire and push the boundaries. Let’s do a quick Q&A session:
Q: Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?
A: No.
Q: Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?
A: No.

Adventures can be fun and rewarding, but adventuring with sin always leads to death. God created our bodies for sexual pleasure and intends for us to enjoy it, but there are God-defined boundaries to which we must submit. A fire in the fireplace is beautiful and enjoyable, but take it out of its designated place and you will burn your house down.

We often think too highly of ourselves. I don’t always hear it said but I often see this lived out: people think they are the exception to the rule. Some people really believe that they are the ones who can play with fire and not be burned. So they think they have no need for clearly defined boundaries or regular accountability. Where others have failed, they are convinced that they are going to succeed.
You are not as awesome as you think, and while your graduation speaker probably told you that you were exceptional, you are certainly no exception to the rule of the scriptures. The world says that we need no boundaries and we can take care of ourselves. Wisdom says otherwise in Proverbs 14:16:
One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

Let Lecrae instruct you on this:
If you wait ’til you’re alone on a date night
To figure out what’s wrong in the late night
It’s too late, right? You got caught up again
And now you back in sin feel like you can’t ever win

Conclusion

The point is this: you are not the exception, but Christ is. So let’s repent of our sexual sin, childishness, and arrogance, and seek to glorify God with our bodies as we live and date as those who have been redeemed by his blood.

God's Promises:

The God spoke to Moses, telling him, "I am Yahweh. I appeared to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I did not reveal my name Yahweh to them. I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as foreigners. Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore tell the Israelites: I am Yahweh, and I will deliver you from the forced labor of the Egyptians and free you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Yahweh your God, who delivered you from the forced labor of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh." Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor.

-Exodus 6:2-9

In CREW we have been going through the Book of Exodus and talking about how God keeps His promises. Promises provide us with hope of what is to come. In the midst of darkness, promises remind us of the glory of God. Here, we find that God gave Moses several awesome reminders. 

Consider these four "I will" statements: God says: (1) "I will deliver you" (Ex. 6:6a); (2) "I will redeem you" (6:6b) (3) "I will take you as My people, and I will be your God" (6:7); and (4) "I will bring you to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (6:8). These four statements highlight God's work of salvation. 

Liberation:

God said, "I will deliver you from the forced labor of the Egyptians and free you from slavery to them" (Ex. 6:6a). This is a picture of salvation. God is going to bring His people out of slavery and deliver them. God will liberate the people from bondage through Moses. This will be accomplished by grace through faith; it isn't something that Israel earned. The purpose of this liberation is that they might worship the Almighty God.

Redemption:

In Exodus 6:6b God said, "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment." With the exception of Jacob's blessing in Genesis 48:16, this is the first we see of the word redeem. Later it is used in Exodus 15:13, where the people are singing of God's redemption. In both cases it is the Hebrew word "gaal." When a person is the subject of this verb (as God is here), the word is "goel". God is the "redeemer," the "goel".

Adoption:

God said, "I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Yahweh your God, who delivered you from the forced labor of the Egyptians" (Ex 6:7). This shows the familial nature of salvation. It reminds us of the doctrine of adoption. God is going to take Israel as His people. He has already called them his son. This is a display of God's matchless love.

Inheritance:

"I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession" (Ex 6:8). God promises His people that they will have a possession. This promise was first mentioned to Abraham. Later, in the book of Joshua, we see the people entering, conquering, and inhabiting the land. These people had nothing. They were slaves in Egypt. But God is going to give them an inheritance-all by His grace.

Christ Connection:

The truths we see in this Old Testament story are taught in the New Testament as well. For instance, Paul said that Jesus, "gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age" (Gal. 1:4). Spiritually, God sets us free from slavery and our inability to keep the law through the mediator, Jesus Christ. This occurs only by grace through faith; we haven't earned this. The purpose of our release, like the Israelites, is worship.

Not only that, but Paul said of God's choice of Israel, "to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises" (Rom. 9:4). In redemption, God has rescued us from a dreadful situation, but there's more! Through adoption, God brings us into His very own family. This is privilege!

Finally, The New Testament draws on this idea of inheriting the promised land to the believer's hope in the new heavens and new earth. By Jesus' resurrection, we have an "inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" (1 Pet 1:4). Peter said this inheritance is awesome (imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading) and assured (kept in heaven for you). Jesus told us that the meek will inherit the earth.

For reasons like these, we can continue to live in obedience, even when it is difficult. We can rest in God's promises and trust in God's sovereignty as we make the one true God known to everyone on the earth.

My Favorite Restaurant: Waffle House

I have a confession to make. My favorite restaurant is The Waffle House (specifically the one in King).  Yes, I love my hashbrowns scattered, smothered and covered. Every time I take my family (yes the whole family goes with me to Waffle House. No I am not a redneck) we leave there having had an enjoyable eating experience. Recently, after eating at the Waffle House Julia and I were talking about how the Waffle House has a lot to teach the church about welcoming guests and visitors. Here are 5 things which the Waffle House could teach the church.

1. They know our names: The waiters and waitresses at the Waffle House make an effort to learn our names and the names of our children. They also make an effort to learn the names of everyone who comes in. I have been sitting at a booth and listened while our waitress talks with everyone in the restaurant and asks them by name how there family members are doing. We as a church and as church leaders should work hard to learn everyone's name who visits and who are members. It has often been said that a name is a bridge to a relationship. We should work hard at learning names and using them when talking to people. It shows we care and desire to get to know someone on an individual basis. Our congregations are made up of individual people with individual dreams, fears and excitements. We need to work hard learning their names so we can better minister to every person under our care.
2. Friendly and Hospitable: From the moment I walk into the Waffle House until the moment I leave I feel welcomed. I feel like I am part of the Waffle House family and to be honest I feel the love. It has well been said that the church can be the most unwelcoming place if you do not fit the mold. We in the church need to go out of our way to welcome guests and make them feel comfortable in our churches. We need to be genuinely friendly and hospitable answering questions they may have and welcoming them to our church. It should not matter that someone has entered our church in shorts or covered in tattoos or body piercings. Every person should feel the love of Christ coming from our churches. Sunday morning should be the friendliest and hospitable time of the week for everyone who enters our doors.
3. Down To Earth: The Waffle House is probably the most comfortable down to Earth place on the planet. No one puts on airs and attempts to act all high and mighty. Everyone is welcomed regardless of the style of dress. We need to be churches which are down to Earth. I realize it is popular among a different generation to get dressed up for church and to treat it as a sacred place. This is fine but let us not forget that church is not the building but the people. For example, a hat is not being worn in the church but rather a hat is being worn on the church. As a Pastor I need to be down to Earth and personable. I need to get to know those in my church. I need to lose my tie, take off my jacket and be real. Long gone are the days when Pastors wear suits and ties and put on airs in front of the congregation. This next generation is looking for Pastors who are real and down to earth relating to them and applying the Scripture in everyday language. We can wear a suit and tie preaching but we need to leave our "green rooms" and meet our church members. Sharing meals with them in their homes, seeing them at their work or school and talking with them as normal people.
4. Talks To Our Kids: We go back again and again to the Waffle House because they talk with our children and make our children feel welcomed. If we want to be reaching younger families than we need to go out of our way to make their children feel safe and welcomed. As a Pastor I need to interact with their kids (what else would a Student Minister be doing) but also working hard behind the scenes to ensure that everything in the Nursery and Children's department is safe and fun.
5. Serve Hashbrowns: Everyone loves hashbrowns and if the church started serving hashbrowns smattered, battered, and covered I am sure we would see an increase in our churches. ;)

In conclusion, I love the Waffle House and I think we can learn a lot from their philosophy on how to grow our church.

Reaching The Next Generation:

On Sunday nights First Baptist Stanleyville has been going through a study on 2 Peter. A few weeks ago we were discussing 2 Peter 2:4-8 and Pastor Eddie commented that we must change the direction of our world and the next generation and if we do not judgment is coming. The conversation that night than turned to what we can do practically to prevent the coming judgement and disciple the next generation. Below you will find my thoughts on how to change the direction of our world...

1. Pray: Jerry Falwell Sr. used to say, "nothing of eternal significance is ever accomplished apart from prayer." If we want to change the direction of our world and the direction of the next generation we must be people of prayer. 2 Chronicles 7:14, "if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Do you have a wayward son or daughter? Pray for them. Do you have a wayward grandchild? Pray for him or her. Do you feel burdened for your city, state, schools in your county, Nation and the world? Pray for them. We must hit our knees in prayer. Nothing will change until we call on the name of our Lord.
2. Evangelism: We must be people who put feet to our prayers. If all we do is pray and never open our mouth and share the Gospel with those we care about we are hypocrites. We need to be people of prayer and we need to be people who share the Gospel. Everyone we meet is on one of two roads: either a road which leads to Heaven or a road which leads to Hell. Those of us on the road to Heaven need to raise up our voices and implore those on the road to Hell to turn around and follow Christ. Our communities, states, Nation and the world will return to the Lord when people return to the Lord. Let us lift loud our voices and proclaim the Gospel to everyone we meet because eternity is long, Hell is hot, and millions are on there way there and we have the only means of escape. Share Christ with everyone you meet!
3. Befriend Sinners: Take a minute and list ten people you know and have a real genuine relationship with who are sinners. Are you able to do it? Shame on us if we surround ourselves with "church folk" and never reach out to our lost family members, neighbors, and co-workers. Matthew records this in 19:11, "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' We are most like Jesus when we befriend sinners. 
4. Teach Why We Believe Something Is Wrong: I have noticed a trend in recent years with individuals who disagree. I have seen this trend not only in religious circles but also in political circles. We spend a lot of time talking at one another and not enough time talking with one another. The next generation knows what we are against but I am almost certain they do not know why we are against it. We need to spend more time reaching across the table with those we disagree with and have civil discussion on the issues. We need to teach the next generation the importance of marriage between a man/woman, gender identity, and other issues which society is teaching the next generation.
5. God is on His Throne: When we discuss problems in our society we have a tendency to sound fearful and forget that God is on His throne. We need to remember that God is ruling and reigning over the entire Universe. His plan will NOT fail! He will accomplish His will in this world. We need to remind ourselves that our hope is not in a certain political party or church but our hope is in God ruling and reigning on His throne. Trust God! Do not loss heart! God is on the move and He will accomplish His plan. It may look bleak and dark but do not loss heart God WILL ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSE!!

In conclusion, the task to reach the next generation will not be easy but it will be rewarding. Will you join me in reaching the next generation?

5 Reasons To Have Family Devotions:

Just about everyone I know feels overwhelmed. Most are busier than they’ve ever been before, especially if they have children at home.

Pair that with my observation that most Christians I know would affirm that family worship—if they’re familiar with it—would probably be a worthwhile practice if they were to make time for it.

If these things are true for you, then my prayer is to persuade you, despite the many demands on your schedule, to make a priority of family worship. And I hope to persuade you regardless of your family’s size—even if you’ve never had kids or no longer have them in your home—by means of the following five reasons.


1. God deserves to be worshiped in our homes by our families.

This is the Bible’s teaching. While there’s no direct command regarding family worship, it’s implied throughout. When Isaac asked his father Abraham, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Gen. 22:7), he knew something was missing in the worship because Abraham had led Isaac and the rest of the family in worship before.

Moreover, after any of Job’s grown children held a feast, he’d send for them and offer a burnt offering of worship in their presence. “Thus Job did continually,” we read (Job 1:5).

The apostle Peter exhorts husbands to live with their wives “in an understanding way” (1 Pet. 3:7). One reason Peter says this is so that “your prayers may not be hindered.” He’s not just referring to the husband’s prayer; he’s referring to mutual prayer. Peter assumes Christian couples pray together in their home.

If you’ve believed the gospel, I hope you’re convinced by both Scripture and the Spirit that God—by virtue of who he is and what he’s done for us—deserves to be worshiped in our homes by our families.

2. There’s no better way to speak the gospel into the lives of your family each day.

The grit in our souls and the grind of life puts us in need of rehearsing the glorious truths of the gospel daily. Jerry Bridges has reiterated so helpfully the need for us to “preach the gospel to ourselves every day.” Family worship gives us the opportunity to do that for the entire household.

If you have children, are you sure they’re clear on the gospel message? Even if they’ve not yet embraced it savingly, are you confident they can articulate the essence of what God has achieved in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus? Don’t assume others will explain and ensure they grasp it. In the context of family worship, you can be certain they know the only message by which we’re reconciled to God.

3. There’s no better way to provide a regular time for your kids to learn the things of God from you.

Certainly you want your children to learn Scripture and how to live as a Christian from your pastor and others who teach in your church. That’s essential to Christian parenting. But you don’t want to outsource to the parents of other children all the Christian teaching your children receive.

Besides, the opportunities your kids have with these teachers each week is limited in comparison to the time you can spend with them each day. Family worship is the best and most consistent way for you to transmit your core beliefs to your children.

4. There’s no better way for your kids to see the ongoing, positive spiritual example of their parents in real life.

During daily life in your home, your children see you at your worst. They often see you when you aren’t acting like a Christian. Make sure they see you at your best, too, when you live like a follower of Jesus in their presence.

Let them see you—a man or woman they know to be imperfect and sinful—return relentlesly to the Bible and to the centrality of Christ in the home. Let them see, not a hypocrite who attempts to partition their sin from their faith, but someone who regularly comes to God in family worship and humbly acknowledges their sin and need for a Savior.

Those who do will also discover how family worship fosters the times of confession, forgiveness, and restoration that all healthy families need.

5. Isn’t this what you really want to do?

Should it be necessary to persuade any genuine Christian to want to worship God in his or her home with the family? Doesn’t God himself plant that desire in the heart of all those who love him?

So do what you really want to do. Begin the worship of God with your family in your home tonight.

100 Quotes on Missions:

100 Quotes On Mission:

“Must you go to China? How much nicer it would be to stay here and serve the Lord at home!” She made it plain at last that she would not go to China.” -J. Hudson Taylor’s new ex-girlfriend

“You can do something other than working with God in His purpose, but it will always be something lesser, and you couldn’t come up with something better.” -Steve Hawthorne

“I have seen, at different times, the smoke of a thousand villages - villages whose people are without Christ, without God, and without hope in the world.” -Robert Moffat

“The command has been to “go,” but we have stayed - in body, gifts, prayer and influence. He has asked us to be witnesses unto the uttermost parts of the earth… but 99% of Christians have kept puttering around in the homeland.” -Robert Savage

“While vast continents are shrouded in darkness… the burden of proof lies upon you to show that the circumstances in which God has placed you were meant by God to keep you out of the foreign mission field.” -Ion Keith-Falconer

“I wasn’t God’s first choice for what I’ve done for China… I don’t know who it was… It must have been a man… a well-educated man. I don’t know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn’t willing… and God looked down… and saw Gladys Aylward… And God said - “Well, she’s willing.” -Gladys Aylward

“Brother, if you would enter that Province, you must go forward on your knees.” -J. Hudson Taylor

“The man… looking at him with a smile that only half concealed his contempt, inquired, “Now Mr. Morrison do you really expect that you will make an impression on the idolatry of the Chinese Empire?” “No sir,” said Morrison, “but I expect that God will.” -Robert Morrison

“Here am I. Send me.” -Isaiah

“And people who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives… and when the bubble has burst they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.” -Nate Saint

“Jehovah Witnesses don’t believe in hell and neither do most Christians” -Leonard Ravenhill

“Had I cared for the comments of people, I should never have been a missionary.” -C.T. Studd

“Young man, sit down: when God pleases to convert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine.” -said to a young William Carey

“Oh, that I had a thousand lives, and a thousand bodies! All of them should be devoted to no other employment but to preach Christ to these degraded, despised, yet beloved mortals.” -Robert Moffat

“We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.” -John Stott

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” -Jim Elliot

“A tiny group of believers who have the gospel keep mumbling it over and over to themselves. Meanwhile, millions who have never heard it once fall into the flames of eternal hell without ever hearing the salvation story.” -K.P. Yohannan

“I have but one passion - it is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ.” -Count Zinzindorf

“God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.” -J. Hudson Taylor

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” -John the Baptist

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” -C.T. Studd

“The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue. It needs no furlough and is never considered a foreigner.” -William Cameron Townsend

“Prepare for the worst, expect the best, and take what comes.” -Robert E. Speer

“The saddest thing one meets is a nominal Christian. I had not seen it in Japan where missions is younger. The church here is a “field full of wheat and tares.” -Amy Carmichael

“I used to think that prayer should have the first place and teaching the second. I now feel it would be truer to give prayer the first, second and third places and teaching the fourth.” -James O. Fraser

“It is just as proper, maybe even more so, to say Christ’s global cause has a Church as to say Christ’s Church has a global cause.” -David Bryant

“If you are sick, fast and pray; if the language is hard to learn, fast and pray; if the people will not hear you, fast and pray, if you have nothing to eat, fast and pray.” -Frederick Franson

“What are we here for, to have a good time with Christians or to save sinners?” -Malla Moe

“I tell you, brethren, if mercies and if judgments do not convert you, God has no other arrows in His quiver.” -Robert Murray Mc’Cheyne

“It’s amazing what can be accomplished if you don’t worry about who gets the credit.” -Clarence W. Jones

“Two distinguishing marks of the early church were: 1) Poverty 2) Power.” -T.J. Bach

“Do not think me mad. It is not to make money that I believe a Christian should live. The noblest thing a man can do is, just humbly to receive, and then go amongst others and give.” -David Livingstone

“From my many years’ experience I can unhesitatingly say that the cross bears those who bear the cross.” -Sadhu Sundar Singh

“I pray that no missionary will ever be as lonely as I have been.” -Lottie Moon

“All my friends are but one, but He is all sufficient.” -William Carey

“How little chance the Holy Ghost has nowadays. The churches and missionary societies have so bound him in red tape that they practically ask Him to sit in a corner while they do the work themselves.” -C.T. Studd

“I have always believed that the Good Samaritan went across the road to the wounded man just because he wanted to.” -Wilfred Thomason Grenfell

“The more obstacles you have, the more opportunities there are for God to do something.” -Clarence W. Jones

“Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” -William Carey

“God’s part is to put forth power; our part is to put forth faith.” -Andrew A. Bonar

“All the resources of the Godhead are at our disposal!” -Jonathan Goforth

“I feel now, that Arabia could easily be evangelized within the next thirty years if it were not for the wicked selfishness of Christians.” -Samuel Zwemer

“The Indian is making an amazing discovery, namely that Christianity and Jesus are not the same - that they may have Jesus without the system that has been built up around Him in the West.” -E. Stanley Jones

“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” -Jesus

“All roads lead to the judgment seat of Christ.” -Keith Green

“Obedience to the call of Christ nearly always costs everything to two people- the one who is called, and the one who loves that one.” -Oswald Chambers

“Christians don’t tell lies they just go to church and sing them” -A.W. Tozer

“I have said that there is nothing in the world or the Church, except it’s disobedience, to render the evangelization of the world in this generation an impossibility.” -Robert Speer

“I will lay my bones by the Ganges that India might know there is one who cares.” -Alexander Duff

“Today Christians spend more money on dog food then missions” -Leonard Ravenhill

“It will not do to say that you have no special call to go to China. With these facts before you and with the command of the Lord Jesus to go and preach the gospel to every creature, you need rather to ascertain whether you have a special call to stay at home.” -J. Hudson Taylor

“We talk of the second coming, half the world has never heard of the first.” -Oswald J. Smith

“God cannot lead you on the basis of facts that you do not know.” -David Bryant

“And thus I aspire to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named so that I would not build on another man’s foundation.” -Paul

“Why do we insist on building the largest and most impressive structures in our city when people on the other side of town are hungry, jobless and worshipping in storefronts?” -K.P. Yohannan

“If every Christian is already considered a missionary, then all can stay put where they are, and nobody needs to get up and go anywhere to preach the gospel. But if our only concern is to witness where we are, how will people in unevangelized areas ever hear the gospel? The present uneven distribution of Christians and opportunities to hear the gospel of Christ will continue on unchanged.” -C. Gordon Olson

“I spent twenty years of my life trying to recruit people out of local churches and into missions structures so that they could be involved in fulfilling God’s global mission. Now I have another idea. Let’s take God’s global mission and put it right in the middle of the local church!” -George Miley

“God provides the men and women needed for each generation.” -Mildred Cable

“Oh dear, I couldn’t say that my church is alive and I wouldn’t want to call it dead. I guess it’s just walking in its sleep!” -Church member

“When he landed in 1848 there were no Christians here; when he left in 1872 there were no heathen.” -said of John Geddie

“I am ready to burn out for God. I am ready to endure any hardship, if by any means I might save some. The longing of my heart is to make known my glorious Redeemer to those who have never heard.” -William Burns

“At the moment I put the bread and wine into those dark hands, once stained with the blood of cannibalism, now stretched out to receive and partake the emblems and seals of the Redeemer’s love, I had a foretaste of the joy of glory that well nigh broke my heart to pieces. I shall never taste a deeper bliss, till I gaze on the glorified face of Jesus himself.” -John G. Paton

“Save others, snatching them out of the fire.” -Jude

“The evangelization of the world in this generation.” -Student Volunteer Movement Motto

“Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring.” -Jesus

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” -John Piper

“His authority on earth allows us to dare to go to all the nations. His authority in heaven gives us our only hope of success. And His presence with us leaves us no other choice.” -John Stott

“Today five out of six non-Christians in our world have no hope unless missionaries come to them and plant the church among them.” -David Bryant

“Tell the students to give up their small ambitions and come eastward to preach the gospel of Christ.” -Francis Xavier

“Christ for the students of the world, and the students of the world for Christ.” -Luther Wishard

“We who have Christ’s eternal life need to throw away our own lives.” -George Verwer

“Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell, I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell.” -C.T. Studd

“When I get to China, I will have no claim on any one for anything. My claim will be alone in God and I must learn before I leave England to move men through God by prayer alone.” -J. Hudson Taylor

Weird Kids:

Last night, Piper and I were running around our house with our shirts off beating our chests and yelling like Tarzan. I would than flex my fat and Piper would copy me. We were quite a sight. We were having a blast when Julia came home and laughed at us and called us weird. I love being called weird and I think we need more weird in the world.

Here are five reasons I genuinely want my kids to be a little “ weird. ”

1. “Normal” isn’t working.

A few years ago, a pastor named Craig Groeschel wrote a book called “Weird,” and the premise was that our culture’s “normal” values are: Debt, divorce, depression, materialism, promiscuity, selfishness and a bunch of other unhealthy stuff.

He challenged us to create new trends which may go against the grain, but would ultimately create healthier, happier and holier lives.

2. Kids are born an original masterpiece, not a carbon copy of someone else.

God wired each child with masterful uniqueness. We should help our kids discover who they were born to be instead of squeezing them into a mold they were never meant to fit.

3. Being a good person is much more important than appearing like a good person.

One of the most dangerous and toxic lessons we can teach our kids is that appearance matters more than reality. Character is a matter of being the same person in both public and private. It means doing the right thing even when nobody is watching. If we place too much emphasis on appearances or “fitting in” without teaching the more important issues of integrity and authenticity, we’re doing a huge disservice to our kids (and society as a whole).

4. Our kids are much more important than our egos.

Let’s be honest, most of the time when I get frustrated with one of my kids for doing something “weird,” it’s simply because my pride is wounded and I’m afraid of what people might think of my kid or my parenting. Obviously, it’s important to teach our kids manners and common courtesy and those sorts of things, but we also need to swallow our pride when their self expression doesn’t line up with our own.

5. Let’s face it, we’re ALL a little weird!

Have you ever met a truly “normal” person? Me neither. How boring and sad it would be. Let’s stop acting ashamed of the quirks that make us (and our kids) so beautifully unique. “Normal” people never change the world! Remember, God make you (and your kids) and He has never once made a mistake.
 

Holding Onto My Sanity:

When it comes to ministry, especially ministry to youth, there seems to be a constant battle against the powers of hell over the souls of our students. To put it another way, seeing students come in and out of our churches and youth ministries means also, sadly, seeing some come in and out of faith. As one entrusted with the role of shepherding the flock, it is all too easy to think that it is my job to keep my students from sin and harm, my job to ensure that they understand the Gospel, my job to win them to salvation and secure them in Christ.

The reality is, not only is it not my job, it is also not in my power.

Since working in ministry, I’ve had sleepless nights worrying over the souls of my students; I’ve had anxiety wondering if they really are saved and know the love of Christ; I’ve been on my knees in tears, broken over the evident sin in their lives. The burden of a youth pastor/leader is a heavy one to carry. Were it up to us to carry it alone, we would be crushed by the weight of the task.

The only thing that has maintained/will maintain my sanity as a youth pastor is holding onto the promises of God’s sovereignty and the work of His Spirit.

In order to maintain our sanity in ministry, we need a strong theology and understanding of the Spirit. Without it, we will default to a poor ministry mindset that it is our job to save. We are so easily tempted to think that the quality of our preaching, the structure of our ministries, the intensity of our love, convicts our students of sin and brings them to salvation. While our preaching, ministries, and love for our students are instruments which the Spirit can use to save, they are simply that – they cannot save by themselves.

Living in a culture that prizes excellence, quality, and greatness, we can easily forget this. If Scripture tells us that we were dead in our sins, and that it was only by an intervention of God that he raised us to life (Eph. 2:1-10), then nothing we say or do can raise a dead heart to life in Christ. To God alone belongs salvation. This is both the burden and the freedom of the pastor.

It is a burden because it means there is nothing I could ever say to win people over to Christ. No amount of sincerity, emotion, or intensity in my preaching can save my students. God can and will use these things in our preaching; but ultimately, it is his work through the moving of the Spirit to accomplish it. It is a burden because it often leaves me feeling helpless as a minister of the Gospel.

I have no other option but to come to God on my knees in prayer as I prepare to preach, shepherd, and lead.

But this is also the freedom of the pastor. Because it is not up to me; I do not have to carry the weight of the burden of salvation. There is freedom in remembering that if it is not me who saves, but the Lord, then my job is not to win or wow, but to be faithful with the preaching of the Gospel that has been entrusted to me. It is freeing because not only is it not in my power to “win” people to Christ, it is also not in my power to “lose” people to Satan. To think otherwise is to be prideful over the influence of our words and actions.

Though there are things we say that can do more harm for the gospel than good, it is ultimately not our responsibility to keep our students secure in Christ’s hands. I hope and pray that I never do anything that will turn people away from Christ. But even if I do, even when I seem to “fail” as a pastor or preacher, salvation is in the mighty hands of the Lord. God will bring about salvation either through us or despite us; but it will always be his work, not ours.

Nothing evidences this more than my own salvation. It was God, not me, who saved me by the blood of the Lamb. It was God, not my youth leader, who elected me and plucked me out of hell’s grasp. It was God, not my parents, who secured my place in heaven. And it is God in the power of the Spirit, not me, who is still pursuing me, forgiving me, and securing my place in Heaven. Remembering that God is the one who is continually holding us, sinful youth leaders that we are, in His Hands, ensures us that our students whom God has elected will also remain secure in His Hands.

We all desire to be fruitful in ministry; this is a given. We all desire to see our students come to Christ for joy and salvation. But thankfully, this work does not lie with us. Without the Spirit, all of our works – even the best of them – are devoid of all true power. With the Spirit, all of our works – even the worst of them – are empowered with the hope and the reality that God saves. My job is not to save people by my hand, but to faithfully proclaim the mighty hand of Christ our Savior.

Monday Morning Humor:

Monday Morning Humor:

Monday Morning Humor:

Monday Morning Humor:

Monday Morning Humor:

Monday Morning Humor

Wednesday Worship

Wednesday Worship:

Wednesday Worship

Wednesday Worship:

April 2016 Parent Newsletter

1. $150 is due for camp ASAP. $150 is due for camp ASAP. We will be going to Mission Fuge Camp June 20-24 at Liberty University. I encourage every parent to send their son or daughter to camp. If you need help with the cost for camp. Please contact me. I will NOT turn anyone away. 

2. April 9th FREE Trip to Liberty University to tour the campus. We will be departing from the church by 9:30 am and will spend the day touring campus and eating lunch in the cafeteria. 

3. We will be starting a series through Exodus on Sunday mornings and a new series on Prayer on Wednesday nights. 

4. Did I mention that $150 is due for camp ASAP.

5. Did I mention that $150 is due for summer camp ASAP.

Dear Parents,

I have a confession to make. I need prayer. I cannot do this job on my own and I need you to pray for me. Below is a list of things you can pray for…

Please pray I seek Jesus alongside the kids, always conscious that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. I must be genuinely aware that I have much to learn from the students I serve and, consequently, the kids feel valued. Such respect is priceless. Everywhere teens go – home, school, activities, parties – they either feel “greater than” or “less than” everyone else. What a beautiful thing to have a place in their lives where each person matters as much as anyone else does, a place where they are enough just as they are.

Pray I feed teenagers the meat of Scripture. Kids this age have an incredibly fine-tuned radar for hypocrisy and lies, and they know when they are being babied. With the guidance of the Spirit, pray I go deep into the Scripture. Teens are hungry for truth and meaning. The Spirit can teach anyone who is willing to listen (no matter their age) the most complex of truths. 

Pray I listen well: someone who responds from a heart aligned with the Word, rather than reacts out of emotion, opinion, disappointment or fear. 

Pray I cultivate in particular the virtues of joy and humility. A youth program permeated by joy and humility is attractive to teens, but even more important, a teen can come to value genuine commitment to a body of believers. 

Pray I am not rattled by the doubts and hard questions teens will raise, but demonstrates a resilient faith that doesn’t have to have all the answers all the time.  

Pray I demonstrate a gracious love that never fails. Pray I do not give up on a kid, no matter how sullen, rebellious, angry, or self-destructive. You never know when a kid might be tempted to give up on himself or herself.

Thank you in advance for praying for me.

Reaching, Teaching and Releasing,

Pastor T

P.S.: Did I mention $150 is due for summer camp ASAP!