July Parent Newsletter:

Parents of the Go:

Summer Meals Wednesday nights throughout the summer for $3. Drop your son or daughter off at CREW at 6:00 pm and let CREW provide the meals.

Carowinds Trip: July 28th. 8:00 am-8:00 pm. Cost: $60 (If you get a coupon from Bojangles it's $15 cheaper).

Dear Parents,

Last week while I was at summer camp I had the opportunity to interact with several other Student Ministers. Several Student Ministers complained about the lack of support they get from parents and how parents are always undermining their authority. When they were sharing I was thanking God for each of you.

Thank you for being supportive of me and the direction I have been attempting to steer CREW Student Ministries.

Thank you for adopting and supporting my vision of reaching, teaching and releasing 7th-12th grade students.

Thank you for speaking words of encouragement to me through cards, emails and even pulling my aside and letting me know you support me.

Thank you for driving your son or daughter to activities and on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights.

Thank you for encouraging your son or daughter who drives to come out to activities and on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights.

Thank you for paying for events and activities. I know it can be a strain on your budget but I appreciate the sacrifice and know that God is using all of the events and activities to mold and shape your son or daughter into an individual who loves the Lord and serves others.

Thank you for praying for me and my family.

Thank you for entrusting your most treasured possession into our care week after week.

I could not effectively serve the students at FBCS if it was not for your encouragement, love, prayers and support. Thank you.

I will close this brief newsletter with a quote from the Apostle Paul to the church in Philippi,

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

What Happens To Babies Who Pass Away?:

Ghana: Chaplains deliver bad news, every week sometimes multiple times a week the scenario below would play out.

Everyday there is a knock on the Chaplain’s door, a nurse pokes her head in to tell us that another baby has died. The head chaplain shakes her head with sadness and gets up to deliver the bad news. I follow the head Chaplain into the nursery to inform a new mom that she will no longer be able to hold her precious baby. This scenario plays itself out several times

Friends becoming pregnant and losing the baby has caused me to ask, “What happens to infants who die?” “What happens to babies who die in the womb?” “What happens to invalids who may be old, but have the mind of a five year old?” “Are they saved?”

Thesis: The Bible provides hope that babies who die in the womb, infants and invalids know neither good nor evil, therefore, they are incapable of committing sins in the body and die safe and secure in the arms of Jesus Christ because of His death on the cross.

Before I seek to answer these questions I must explain four points which I affirm which help to shape my answer:

AFFIRMATIONS:

     The Bible is my sole-source of authority on this and every issue. I cannot establish my answer to this question on the basis of emotions, rather, I must make sure I answer the question how the Bible does.

     Everyone who is born is born with a sin nature or a bent towards sin. Psalm 51:5, “I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me”; Romans 5:12, “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Adam was humanities representative in the Garden, (we elect a representative to the house/senate to represent NC) when he sinned, we all sinned. Consequently, we have inherited a sin nature or a bent towards sin.

       Everyone needs a Savior. Jesus Christ is called the Second Adam in Romans 5:17, “since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ Everyone who confesses with their mouth and believes in their heart will be saved. If anyone is in Heaven it is because of Christ’s death on the cross, NOT someone’s innocence or good deeds.

     When everyone dies they will go to one of two places: either Heaven or Hell. All those who have followed Christ will awake in Heaven to everlasting pleasure and all those who have rejected Christ will awake in Hell to everlasting, conscious pain.

My thesis for this sermon is that individuals who die in the womb, infancy, and invalids die safe and secure in the Father’s arms. We are about to jump into the deep end of theological waters and at times may think this is too deep but don’t worry, I will help to navigate us through.

I will outline three Biblical texts which build a theological answer to our question and than I will provide two examples from the Biblical texts where these truths played out.

The first text we will look at is Romans 5:12. “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Everyone is born with a sin nature or a bent towards sin. Adam’s sin makes it impossible for anyone to choose Christ without the inward working of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s work on the cross is the ONLY way to God. Romans 5:18, “So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone.” Christ’s death and resurrection justifies everyone who trust in Him. If infants, babies in the womb, and invalids are to be safe in the Father’s arm it’s only possible because of Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection.

Is Christ God? (Yes)

Does God know everything? (Yes)

Not a drop of Christ’s blood was wasted. Christ shed his blood for all those who would trust in Him and He shed His blood for all those infants, babies and invalids who would die before reaching an age where they could hear and understand the Gospel.

Second text, 2 Corinthians 5:10 states: “For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may be judged for what he has done in the body, whether good or worthless.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 teaches that individuals are NOT held responsible for Adam’s sin, rather; individuals are held responsible for “deeds committed in the body” or their “own deeds.” We are not held responsible for Adam’s sin, only our own. Adam’s sin creates in all of us a bent towards sin which we act out. Due to our sin nature we need the inward working of the Holy Spirit to regenerate us to trust in Christ but we are not held responsible for Adam’s sin only our own.

There is a sense in which an infant or invalid can stand before God and honestly say they haven’t done anything wrong. While they have a sin nature or a bent towards sin they have never acted on their nature; therefore, I believe the Bible teaches that when they die they are safe and secure in the Father's arms.

Third text, Romans 1:18-20: “For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.” Individuals will be held accountable based on the revelation he/she has received. Everyone sees creation and creation should lead to worship but it doesn't individuals suppress the truth and do not worship God.

Infants and invalids, however; cannot notice creation and worship God. They do not have the mental capacity, ability, or knowledge to be held accountable, therefore; they are safe.

Two Examples from Biblical Texts Where Above Truths Played Out:

First example: Deuteronomy 1:35; 39: “None of these men in this evil generation will see the good land I swore to give your fathers.” Verse 39 “Your little children, whom you said would be plunder, your sons who don’t know good from evil will enter there. I will give them the land, and they will take possession of it.” After the children of Israel rebelled against God they were made to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. They would wander until the old generation died and a new generation came of God. The reason for this is found in verse 39. God exempted and didn't hold responsible those who had no knowledge of their sin because of their age. These individuals were SAFE from God’s wrath because they couldn't/didn't know good from evil.

Same principle can be applied to babies in the womb, infants or invalids they do not know right from wrong nor can they understand/comprehend the Gospel message; therefore in the graciousness of God He keeps them safe and secure in His arms.

Second example: 2 Samuel 12:23, “But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” David has faith and hope that he will be reunited with his dead son in paradise.

My prayer tonight is that many of you hearing this sermon would claim 2 Samuel 12:23. You would cling to the precious truth found in this verse. You would say like David, “my child can’t come back to e but one day I will see him again.” What a glorious day that will be in Heaven! Child, take you by the hand and lead you along the streets of gold. The time you missed on this Earth with your children will be given back to you and multiplied a hundredfold.

These passages help to answer the question, “What happens to infants, babies in the womb and invalids who die?” These passages provide hope that babies who die in the womb, infants, and invalids know neither good nor evil, therefore; they are incapable of committing sins in the body and die safe and secure in the arms of Christ because of His sacrifice on the cross.  Our Lord graciously and freely receives all those who die in infancy-not on the basis of innocence or worth-but by His grace made available to them on the cross.

Have you lost a child? Have you felt the pain of losing a baby in the womb or delivering a stillborn? If so, take heart that your child is safe and secure in the arms of Christ. When your child closed his/her eyes on this Earth, when they opened them they were looking into the face of Christ. For some, Christ's face was the first face they ever beheld and it was glorious. Beloved, take heart, your child is in Heaven.

If you desire to see him/her again please trust in Christ. Run to Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Admit that you are a sinner. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Confess your sins and you will be saved and reunited with your child in Heaven.

In conclusion, the Bible provides hope that babies who die in the womb, infants and invalids know neither good nor evil, therefore, they are incapable of committing sins in the body and die safe and secure in the arms of Jesus Christ because of His death on the cross.

10 Lessons From CREW Summer Camp:

Last week I took a group of students to Mission Fuge Camp at Liberty University. While there every one of the students worked hard and served the Lord. Every night before falling into a deep sleep (for 3 hours) I would jot down some thoughts from the day. Here are my thoughts:

1. Surreal Being Back on the campus of Liberty University as a Student Minister: During the
   
   course of the week I was amazed at God's goodness and sense of humor allowing me to come back to the campus where I studied to be a Student Minister as a Student Minister. There were several instances where I would be walking with my students and remember walking on the very same sidewalk several years ago dreaming about what it would be like to be a Student Minister. I can remember worshiping in the Vines Center as a Student at Liberty University and praying for my students who I would one day meet, and now here I was worshiping in the very same arena as a Student Minister sitting in the same section where I had prayed for my students several years before. I sat on the very benches with my students talking about life and God where I had sat as a student discussing youth ministry theory and how to best minister to middle and high school students. It felt like I had come full circle being back on the campus of Liberty University as a Student Minister.
2. Reminded of the power of the Gospel: The Gospel message is a sweet message which I need to be reminded of again and again and again. I should never get over hearing the Gospel. I need the Gospel just as much as one of my students who does not know Christ needs the Gospel. Sitting in chapel hearing the Gospel message again reminded me that I am a sinner saved by grace who has been redeemed from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of light. I am now a Son of the King, co-heirs in the Kingdom a Saint who sometimes sins. I am prone to trust in my works and boast in ministry as a Student Minister but I need to remember that it is not of me but it is all of God. God is the one who saves and God is the one who is worthy of all worship. All praise and honor and glory goes to Him!
3. Rekindled in me a passion for missions: Everyday I went out with a group of students from
   all over America and we were led by a college student to serve the community of Lynchburg.
   
   One day during lunch I engaged in conversation with the college student in charge of our group and her love for missions and evangelism was contagious. We began talking about places we had visited on mission and people we had shared the Gospel with. It was great to be reminded that my passion for missions and evangelism is not weird or radical but is very biblical. Her passion rekindled in me a passion for missions and evangelism and a re-commitment that missions and evangelism is why I am here. It is easy to get sidetracked with all of the "good" things that come up in a week but I need to remember to stay focused on the "best" thing; missions and evangelism!
4. Full Body Worship: As everyone reading this blogs knows I am an Associate Pastor/Minister of Students of a conservative Southern Baptist Church. I love my church but sometimes I feel weird letting myself go in worship. I feel if I were to become "undignified" (dancing, hands raised) in worship people would begin to ask questions. At camp it was good to be able to engage in full body worship. It was refreshing to sing praises to God at the top of my lungs, raise my hands, dance my feet and engage in full body worship. Incredibly freeing to worship with 1,200 students and adults in a style which suits our age and preference. 
5. CREW Student Ministry has a group of students who can work: I was blown away with
   
   the ability of the students in my group to work. Everyday I thought to myself the parents will never believe how hard these students are working. Six hours a day in the hot heat of summer our students worked hard serving others and bringing glory to Christ. I'm not a big fan of entertaining students to death rather I believe if you give students a challenge they will rise to the occasion. They proved me right. Everyone of them worked hard and rarely if ever complained. King Jesus was exalted through their service.
6. Students love babies: Julia and I brought our son, Bryant with us to camp. It was great having my son with me all week and introducing him to evangelism, missions and youth camp! He was the only baby out of 1,200 campers and staff. Needless to say he got a lot of attention. By
   
   the end of the week students we didn't even know would come up to him and say, "I've heard a lot about this baby and now I can meet him." One day CREW students were standing in line waiting to enter the bookstore and another student who was not a part of CREW had a picture of Bryant on their phone and they were showing everyone talking about how cute the baby was. Students love babies and it was great to have him with us and introduce him to evangelism, missions and youth camp!
7. We Are A Family: One of the pillars of CREW Student Ministry is to teach my students that our group is a family. We fight together and are here to walk together with them through life. Summer camp provides an opportunity for those who go to grow closer to the
   
   Lord and closer to each other. By the end of the week we were sitting on the roof of Demoss hall (5 stories in the air) sharing burdens, prayer requests and praises with one another just like a family. 
8. Keep the main thing the main thing: I need to let the main thing remain the main thing. The main reason I got in the ministry was to share the Gospel in word and deed with students. I did not get into the ministry to visit the hospital excessively, to attend meetings, to be involved in denomination life, to argue theology or any of the other things which can overwhelm my schedule. I got into ministry to share the Gospel in word and deed with students. I was reminded of that last week and the need to always keep the main thing the main thing.
9. I Love My Job: I spent 90 hours last week with students and I returned home with a greater love for my job as a Student Minister. I am amazed that I get paid to be a minister of the Gospel. I am incredibly thankful for my church who pays me a salary so that I am able to minister to students full time. God is good!
10. King Jesus is worth it! King Jesus is worth losing everything for. I have been saved to be a light to my community and to live unashamed of the Gospel. King Jesus is worth it! He is worth the awkward conversations and the rejection from culture. He is worthy of praise from everyone on planet Earth and I will give every ounce of breath in my lungs to proclaim His worthiness to everyone I come in contact with.

I love youth camp! The ripples from one week of youth camp will spread out over the course of an entire life and many people will be effected because of what God did last week at youth camp!

Happiness Versus Holiness:

I used to say, as others still do, “God calls us to holiness, not happiness.” There’s a half-truth in this. I saw Christians pursue what they thought would make them happy, falling headlong into sexual immorality, alcoholism, materialism, and obsession with success.

I was attempting to oppose our human tendency to put preferences and convenience before obedience to Christ. It all sounded so spiritual, and I could quote countless authors and preachers who agreed with me.

I’m now convinced we were all dead wrong.

There were several flaws in my thinking, including inconsistency with my own experience. I’d found profound happiness in Christ; wasn’t that from God? Further, calling people to reject happiness in favor of holiness was ineffective. It might work for a while but not in the long run.

Tony Reinke gets it right: “Sin is joy poisoned. Holiness is joy postponed and pursued.”

Happiness Versus Holiness?

Consider Leviticus 9:24: “Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.” The radically holy God sent down fire, and they did what? They fell facedown . . . and “shouted for joy”! This remarkable response flows from the utter holiness of submission combined with the utter happiness of praise.

Likewise, 2 Chronicles 6:41 says, “May your holy people be happy because of your goodness” (NCV). To be holy is to see God as he is and to become like him, covered in Christ’s righteousness. And since God’s nature is to be happy, the more like him we become, the happier we become.

Any understanding of God that’s incompatible with the lofty and infinitely holy view of God in Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah 6 along with the powerful view of the glorified Christ in Revelation 1, is false. God is decidedly and unapologetically anti-sin, but in no sense anti-happiness. Indeed, holiness is what secures our happiness.

Travel the Royal Road

In Western culture popular opinion holds that high moral standards are foolish, demeaning, and narrow-minded human constructs—impossible to maintain and contrary to happiness. This lie has been remarkably effective. We seem to have to choose between sinning to be happy and abstaining from happiness through self-deprivation.

If we believe the lie that saying no to sin means saying no to happiness, then no amount of self-restraint will keep us from ultimately seeking happiness in sin. John Piper writes:

Enjoy a superior satisfaction. Cultivate capacities for pleasure in Christ. . . . You were created to treasure Christ with all your heart—more than you treasure sex or sugar or sports or shopping. If you have little taste for Jesus, competing pleasures will triumph.

Holiness doesn’t mean abstaining from pleasure; holiness means recognizing Jesus as the source of life’s greatest pleasure. As Charles Spurgeon put it, “Holiness is the royal road to happiness. The death of sin is the life of joy.”

Encountering the Irresistible

Too often our message to the world becomes a false gospel that presents an impossible burden: to be a Christian you must give up wanting to be happy and instead choose to be holy. But “give up happiness; choose holiness instead” is not good news—and therefore it’s not the true gospel. In truth, it bears more resemblance to the legalistic worldview of the Pharisees Jesus condemned (see Matt. 23:2–4).

Theologian Bruce Ware once told me, “Of the eighty kids who grew up in our Bible-believing church, my sister and I can count on one hand those now walking with Jesus.”

If given a choice, people who grow up in evangelical churches will likely choose what appears to be the delightful happiness of the world over the dutiful holiness of the church. Satan tries to rig the game by leading us to believe we can’t have both happiness and holiness. Offer people a choice between being hungry and thirsty or having food and drink, and their choice is obvious. Never mind that the meal may be laced with cyanide or the drink injected with arsenic. Any offer of happiness, with or without holiness, will always win over an offer of holiness devoid of happiness.

“How little people know who think that holiness is dull,” C. S. Lewis wrote to an American friend. “When one meets the real thing . . . it is irresistible. If even 10 percent of the world’s population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before a year’s end?”

Like Spiritual DNA

DNA’s double helix is perfectly balanced at the core of human life. Two strands wrap around each other, forming an axis of symmetry and providing a perfect complement for each other.

God has made holiness and happiness to enjoy a similar relationship: each benefits from the other. For those of us who are Christians, our lives should overflow with both. Neither alone will suffice; both together are essential for the truly Christ-centered life.

When Jesus says “Be perfect” (Matt. 5:48), we must recognize that true happiness in him is part of what he intends. Our pleasure is won in the “Aha!” moments of discovering firsthand why God’s ways really are best. And the more we discover his ways and experience the goodness of his holiness, the less we will try to find happiness apart from him.

Wednesday Worship:

Monday Morning Humor

Wednesday Worship:

Monday Morning Humor:

Wednesday Worship:

Monday Morning Humor

CREW: Share Your Faith

This week CREW Student Ministries is at Mission Fuge Camp at Liberty University. The students are going out everyday and being the hands and feet of Jesus. God is doing and going to do amazing things. The students are using their skills to open doorways to share the Gospel. Fuge provided us with a great way to transition to the Gospel message and I wanted to share it here to help my readers be more intentional in sharing their faith.

F.I.R.M

The Gospel shows us the Lord's desire for us to be in a relationship with Him. We must be willing to build relationships with other people. FIRM is a great place to start. FIRM is an acronym which you should think through when talking to someone. It will help you to get to know, form a relationship and allow you to simply and effectively transition to the Gospel.

F- Family:

Tell me about your family. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are you the oldest or youngest?

I-Interests:

What hobbies do you enjoy? Do you play sports? What is your favorite subject in school?

R-Religion:

Do you celebrate Christmas/Easter? What are a few of your holiday traditions? Do you attend church? What do you believe it takes to get to Heaven?

M-Message:

Thank you for sharing about yourself. May I take a few minutes and share my story?

Your Story:

Once we have started a conversation and established a connection with people, we can share what God has done and is doing in our own lives. This shows what a relationship with God looks like. 

Share about your life before Christ

Share about how you met Christ and how He changed your life

Share how Christ impacts your life on a daily basis

Finally, do not forget to ask the person if they would like to accept Jesus Christ. Don't be afraid to draw the net and ask someone to make a decision to follow Christ. If we don't draw the net we might let a fish get away.

Our students are sharing their faith this week. 

Do you have the guts to share your faith?

My Response to Me Before You:

This weekend a new movie opened in theaters nationwide called "Me Before You". To be honest the trailer for the movie (see below) got our attention and Julia and I had made plans to go see the movie or at least rent it when it came out in Redbox (because whose got time to see a movie in the theater when you've got two toddlers). We had plans to see it until we found out what the movie was about...

SPOILER ALERT: They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose.

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart? (From the publisher.).

Will eventually decides that his quality of life is not worth living so he decides on physician assisted suicide or euthanasia. At first Louisa Clark decides to speak out against his decision and stick to her morals but she eventually gives in and goes to his appointment with him while he ends his life.

 The movie has opened up a discussion on euthanasia, suffering, and the sovereignty of God. Below is my response to the movie as well as talking points Christians can use with their friends when discussing this movie...

Watching anyone, especially a loved one, suffer is extremely difficult. Suffering is a result of the fall, and it is natural to want to avoid it. Wanting to end suffering through euthanasia, however, opposes two of God's principles.

The first relates to the importance of suffering. In Philippians 1:19-26, Paul writes,

for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

When he wrote this, Paul was under house arrest in Rome. His movements were limited, although he could receive guests. He would have welcomed death—a heavenly euthanasia. But he understood how little suffering mattered compared to God's plan in his life. Several years later, Paul was imprisoned again. He was not under house arrest this time, but in a stone cell. Most of his companions had deserted him. His closest friends were miles away, ministering to others. Despite these horrible conditions, he wrote to Timothy, "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (2 Timothy 2:10). Again, Paul knew God had a plan. In order to fulfill that plan, Paul needed to be in a dark, dank prison cell. That being the case, Paul was willing to suffer.

We, too, need to have faith that God's plan for those who suffer is in their best interests. They may have to live through difficult seasons of pain and disease and exhibit great humility as others care for them. They may even have to stay on this earth longer than they'd wish to. Even in the midst of the suffering, God is working, and will continue until we draw our very last breath (Philippians 1:6).

The second truth euthanasia opposes is the sovereignty of God in His creations. God ordains the days of our lives (Psalm 139:16). Death is inevitable (Psalm 89:48), but it is also controlled (Hebrews 9:27). And active euthanasia is murder. Even when motivated by the most selfless desire to end someone's suffering, active euthanasia is still sin because it is done in rebellion to God's will and in rejection of His plan.

But causing a death and allowing a death are not the same. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we are to go to extraordinary measures to save a life if the person wishes otherwise. It is not unbiblical to shut off machines that keep a person alive. If the person has made his or her wishes known in a living will, or is in a persistent vegetative state, it may even be the duty of a loved one to make that call. Reluctance would be natural. Death was not God's plan for His creation (Genesis 2:17).

Death is inevitable, but it is not our place to actively seek death for a loved one. Like Paul, we need to believe God when He says, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). God has control over the timing of our death (Psalm 89:48). Until then, "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 150:6).

In the end, "Me Before You" teaches a false message that some lives aren't worth living while God's Word proclaims a different message. God's word proclaims that all people are created in God's image and therefore, have value, worth, and dignity regardless of if they are a fully functioning member of society or if they are bound to a wheelchair or in a hospital bed. EVERY LIFE IS VALUABLE!!!

If you claim to be PRO-LIFE may I encourage you to be PRO-LIFE on every front. Both when dealing with babies in the womb and on the issue of euthanasia. EVERY LIFE IS VALUABLE! EVERY LIFE HAS HONOR! EVERY LIFE HAS DIGNITY!

Putting Me Before You is not a Biblical concept. Me Before You is a selfish concept. In the Bible we are called to die to ourselves and put others first. Think of Jesus's words when asked what is the greatest commandment, "Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and the second is like it love your neighbor as you love yourself." We are called to put You Before Me time and time again. We are called to self-lessly put other people first rather than ourselves. Please when someone asks you about "Me Before You" tell them that "You Before Me" is better than "Me Before You."

June Parent Newsletter:

For Parents on the Go:

1. Beginning June 8th drop your son or daughter off at 6:00 PM for summer meals and games in the Youth Room. Cost: $3 per meal

2. Summer Camp: Mission Fuge at Liberty University. June 20-24th.

3. July 28th we will be going to the U.S. National Whitewater Rafting Center. Cost: $60.

4. Young Men’s Bible Study every Wednesday morning at the Waffel House in King. Encourage your son to come out to the Waffle House every Wednesday morning this summer for meal and a time of man shaping Bible study. If he needs a ride please let me know and I will pick him up. Oh yea, the meal’s on me!

5. Every Wednesday night your teenager has the opportunity to lead the lesson this summer. Please encourage either him or her to sign up to teach a lesson.

Parents,

It’s here. The weather is finally getting warmer. Spirits are up. The days are long. The end of school is nigh. The unofficial beginning of season–Memorial Day weekend–has passed.

Which means in a little over three months we’ll all be moaning, “Where did the summer go? I can’t believe it’s over.” So what can we do over the next hundred days or so to help alleviate that feeling of loss? Or to put it positively, what can we do to make the most of June, July, and August? Here are twenty-one suggestions.

1. Forget about all the days you’ve missed on your Bible reading plan. Pick up with the schedule this summer and stick with it.

2. Choose 12-15 verses to memorize. Work on one a week.

3. Drive with the windows down, and keep the windows open at night.

4. Take a road trip and sing loudly in the car.

5. Take your kids to a baseball game.

6. Catch fireflies.

7. Play kickball in the backyard.

8. Take a prayer break everyday.

9. Make plans now to watch the Summer Olympics. Go ahead and binge. They only come around every four years.

10. When you’re driving across the country, don’t freak out about stopping at McDonald’s.

11. Keep track of how many hot dogs you eat, and don’t feel bad about any of them.

12.  Run/walk/watch a 5k.

13. Go to a parade; watch fireworks on the Fourth of July.

14. Check Facebook and Twitter and Instagram a lot less.

15. Go outside. Play at the beach. Take a walk. Give thanks to God for his creation.

16. Read a book just for fun. Read another book by someone who’s dead.

17. Stop by the nursing home, the hospital, or the assisted living unit and visit someone who would love to be outside.

18. Go swimming. Don’t worry about how you look (be modest of course!).

19. Invite a friend to church.

20. Buy something from the ice cream truck.

21. Enjoy this summer and make it a summer to remember

Reaching, Teaching, Releasing,


Pastor T