The Fear of Being Ignored

I get home tonight from our Wednesday night services and asked my step son Kenny what he learned in his High School class at church. He said he learned about the 6 Core Fears of all teenagers. One of the six he mentioned was the fear of being ignored. He said it was a great discussion and that Jeff Berg led his small group that night. My wife Monica was in the room and she asked me what my worst fear was of the six Core fears.

I told her my worst fear when I was a teenager was the fear of being ignored. It reminded me of when I was a sophomore in high school when I had moved from the town I grew up and lived all my life to a town and school that I knew absolutely no one, except for my brother who was a freshman. My parents were divorced and I had made the very tough choice to move from living with my mom to living with my dad. My brother joined me as well. It was definitely my choice, but this was a choice no child should have to make. Thus, just another reason why God hates divorce, but I digress.

The first two weeks of school I ate lunch all by myself. I was in a lunch room full of students and it was like I was invisible to everyone around me. I sat at a table by myself and no one would sit with me. I dreaded lunch every day and it was only for 30 minutes, but it seemed liked a lifetime. One day I tried to sit down next to some kids at a table and they all got up and left after I sat down. It was one of the worst experiences of my high school years.

Then Kenny chimed in and said that he went through the exact same thing in 6th grade when he moved from living with Monica and me to live with his dad in a different town.His choice as well. The conversation then turned to Monica mentioning that she noticed one of Kenny's friends had posted some really kind words about Kenny on his Facebook page. The message said how much he appreciated Kenny's friendship and how good of friend and person Kenny is to him. That friend was the first person that befriended Kenny that 6th grade year when Kenny had no friends. What makes that story even better is that this friend is not what most would consider to be one of the popular kids. In fact, he doesn't have a lot of good friends. But Kenny, who, over the past three years, has become very popular in his class, goes out of his way to make sure this friend knows he still cares about him. He doesn't ignore him, now that he has become so popular and has many friends.

I couldn't be more proud of Kenny, for understanding it doesn't matter how popular you become, you remember what it's like to be ignored, you remember that everyone is created in God's image and as Christ followers, we are called to love one another.

In John 13:34-35 Jesus said "I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

 It's sad to say that unfortunately even as adults, people are left alone, ignored. They are at your work, at restaurants eating by themselves, homeless, across the street from where you live or in your church. Look for them and remember what Jesus said..."I give you a new command: Love one another".
"By THIS ALL people will know that YOU are MY Disciples."


What's your biggest Core Fear?
- Fear of Rejection
- Fear of Judgement
- Fear of Abandonment
- Fear of Feeling Ignored
- Fear of Humiliation
- Fear of Feeling Worthless


Terry Langenberg
Twitter: TheLangenberg
Facebook: TheLangenberg

The Book!!

Can I be honest/vulnerable with you? 

((If you answered no, I need you to click here))

I grew up around the church, not "in" the church like some of you who knew all the books of the Bible before you were even potty trained, just around.  At 15 years old I remember hearing the Gospel for the first time (at least the first time I listened), responding to it and starting my personal relationship with Jesus.  However, if you asked me when I feel I was really all in (not just lukewarm) I would say 22 years old.  It's because of this dichotomy that I have a hard time nailing down, in my own mind, when a child should/can accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior: When can they really comprehend what they're doing?  What "sins" are they needing to repent over?  Do they just want "fire-insurance"?    

I know... It just got real didn't it!!  I mean, this is a raising Godly families blog and we're family pastors. Hey, I asked you upfront if I could be honest and vulnerable, so if you're still reading this, by the law of ethics you have to cut me some slack right about now!!  

Courtney has a simliar story (accepting but not all in) but she felt the call on her life at 7 years old... SEVEN!!  And it is here as a dad of a 7, 6 and 3 year old that I find myself.  

Every night for the past 7+ years I have prayed over our children.  Asking God to reveal Himself to them at a young age and that their walks would bring Him glory.  So should it be a shock that my 7 year old informed me, earlier this Fall, that he had accepted Jesus into his heart and that my 3 year old begs to pray on all occasions because she: "Luvs Jesus width mine entired hart"!  

For those of you keeping score at home, that does leave us one short... And for the sake of full disclosure we have been a little worried about this one (she takes after her mom :))!  But two Saturdays ago my middle kiddo emerged from our playroom with a huge smile on her face and handed me this:      

(("Holy Bible...Come and see me...By Creighton"))

(("Love Jesus... Play with me Jesus"))

(("Our team is Jesus...Love me")) 

(("People do you remember me")) 

(("Jesus I am sorry for lying...Jesus [unsure]")) 

(("I Love You Jesus... Do you love me as I do?")) 

(("I Love You people...Do You Love Jesus")) 

(("The End... I Love You...Mrs. Stoll [her kindergarden teacher]"))

I don't know what you think but if you ask me, that's a pretty amazing declaration of faith!!  

I love how God challenges our thought processes and continues to shift our paradigms when we put Him and His plans in a box. 

Please hear me very clearly... Courtney and I didn't save them, scripture is clear, that is the work of the Holy Spirit alone.  We weren't perfect (far from it) and we didn't follow a step-by-step guide but we were faithful in prayer and God blessed us through it.  I ALSO want to point out that our jobs are not over, in fact, now the hard part begins: Discipleship!!  

Michelle Anthony (author of 'Spiritual Parenting') said it this way: "So faith in our lives and in our children's lives must have this expression of obedience for it to be alive. Perhaps the fullest definition of faith comes from its meaning in the original Greek. The word pistos embodies three things: possessing a firm conviction, making a personal surrender, and demonstrating the corresponding conduct."

It's here that I'm so excited about what God is doing at New Beginnings.  We have a dynamite team that is passionately pursuing God's plan for South Tulsa and fighting for families!  We want to run this race with you... We are NOT looking to evangelize or disciple your kids but to come alongside you, being your biggest fan, support and advocate (Faith Map).  We want to pray, cry and even laugh with you as we discover together what God has in store for your family and the generations to come!! 

What's your personal favorite piece of art your children made!?

Do  you still have it (Post a pic or tell us about it)?

_________________________________________________________________________________

The statistics of the probability of folks "accepting Jesus":

- 5-12 years... 32% ("accept Jesus")

- 13-18 years... 4%

- 19+ years... 6%

*Anyone notice that Matt Fowler and I have the toughest jobs at New Beginnings... Just Sayin'!! :)

Here's some verses/passages to look into regarding children and "accepting" Jesus as Lord:

- Acts 2:39

- 2 Timothy 3:15

- 1 Samuel 3

- Mark 10:13-16 

- Matthew 18:3-4

- Matthew 19:14

Late Night Faith Talks

Each night, as we put our boys down we make a point to have a faith talk that will cause them to think about a passage of scripture and discover ways to apply what we talked about. Lately we have been using Shepherd Serve which is a list of 150+ family devotionals by David Servant. Here is what we are studying tonight. As you check Facebook one last time and are looking for a devotional. Might you consider giving a Late Night Faith Talk a try such as this found at http://www.heavensfamily.org/ss/family-devotions-christ-centered-family-devotions

Jesus as a Young Boy
Luke 2:41-52
One of the many laws that the Israelites were required to obey was to observe the yearly Passover festival in Jerusalem. It was a time to remember when God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt over a thousand years before Jesus was born. God's destroying angel had killed all the firstborn Egyptians, but he didn't harm the firstborn Israelites because they had obeyed God's instructions to kill a lamb and mark their doors with its blood. When the destroying angel came to a house that was marked with the blood, he "passed over" it. The Egyptians were so afraid of the Israelites' God that they released them from slavery, and all the people of Israel left Egypt to journey to a new land God would give them. God had said that from then on, the Israelites should kill a lamb every year on that same day to remind them of what He had done for them in Egypt.

He also wanted them to understand that their sins could be forgiven only through a sacrifice that served as a substitute. Of course, an animal can't really serve as a substitute for a human being, so we know that the animal sacrifices only served to reveal what Jesus would do for us when He died as our substitute on the cross. That is why Jesus is referred to as "the Lamb of God" in the Bible. Jesus died on the cross during a Passover festival. When Jesus was young, He journeyed every year to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with Mary, Joseph and many other people who lived in Nazareth. The festival lasted for one week, and then everyone returned to their home towns. Mary and Joseph, probably knowing that Jesus was responsible enough to take care of Himself, didn't worry that He wasn't with them when they departed from Jerusalem. They assumed He was with their friends and relatives traveling back to Nazareth with them. Once they discovered He was missing, however, they went back to Jerusalem and frantically searched for Him, finally finding Him three days later talking to the religious leaders in the Temple.

Mary and Joseph were probably very angry with Jesus at first, but they could hardly remain angry since He was amazing everyone in the Temple with His deep understanding of spiritual matters. (If you were missing for three days, your parents would be very angry with you, but if they found you at school teaching your teachers and the principal, they would probably cool down quickly!) Jesus was surprised that Mary and Joseph had searched for a whole day in Jerusalem before they found Him. He thought they should have known right where He'd be, in His "Father's house," the Temple. But Mary and Joseph didn't understand what He meant, which is often the case with parents and their children!

Q. At twelve years of age, Jesus was most interested in spiritual matters. Does that mean He was a nerd?

A. No, it means that He was a very wise boy with whom God was pleased. Kids are often very interested in sports, hobbies and other fun activities, and there is nothing wrong with those interests. However, wise young people are most interested in learning more about their relationship with God. Knowing and obeying God should be the most important thing in everyone's life, young and old.

Q. Because Jesus remained in Jerusalem when His parents left for Nazareth, does that mean He was disobedient to His parents?

A. Although it may seem that way, it couldn't be that way because disobedience to parents is a sin, and Jesus never sinned. Mary and Joseph apparently departed from Jerusalem without being certain Jesus was with them, assuming that He was with others who were also departing. It could be considered a case of negligence on their part. Perhaps when Jesus discovered that His parents had departed without Him, He assumed they would soon return upon discovery of His absence. And the best place to wait for them was at the Temple, as that would surely be the first place they would look for Him, knowing who He was. One other possibility is that Jesus' heavenly Father had instructed Him to remain at the Temple. If that was the case, Jesus had to obey regardless of how Mary and Joseph reacted. The only time it is acceptable to disobey parents is when obeying them would mean disobeying God.

Application: Since we are followers of Jesus, we should obey our parents just as Jesus obeyed Mary and Joseph.

The most important thing we have learned in keeping our Family Devotional Times consistent is to have a regular time, a regular place and a regular routine to what we study. I pray the Lord will bless you as you continue on the family journey of discipleship. Blessings, Pastor Travis

Let’s play two…or three…or all weekend!!

It is amazing how God orchestrates the events of life to coordinate with what He is showing us in His word. Take this weekend for example. As I prepared to talk with our middle school students about Jesus’ Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), our oldest child’s team was opening up their baseball season in a tournament appropriately called the ‘Frozen Frenzy’. And as usual it seemed the Lord was making it very clear that the red print I was reading in scripture was spoken to me, and not just the group of young people I would be teaching.

Jesus’ parable is of a master that before leaving for a journey entrusts three of his own servants with his possessions. These possessions (or talents) were distributed according to each man’s ability. Two of these men immediately jumped at this fortuitous situation and invested their talents to gain more, while the other servant, paralyzed in fear, did nothing with his master’s money. When their master returned, the first two received praise for being good stewards of their gifts, while the other servant was harshly rebuked. As I studied this passage, it became clear that the focus of the story has less to do with the total interest gained but rather shows there is much more concern with the amount of faithfulness applied by each. The teaching begs us to evaluate our lives and ask the question: What exactly are we doing with the opportunities we’ve been given?

With this in mind, I started to notice all the potential there was surrounding this weekend spent at the ballpark. There were multiple occasions to be intentional and obedient to Christ. Each game presented its own ups and downs, little guys experiencing successes and failures. There were belted base hits and bewildering blunders. There were favorable close calls and strike zones that were mysterious to say the least… But that was only the on-field action! There were crazy parents in the stands (my wife and I may be included in this group at times), our younger children playing in the dirt and interacting with new friends, meals enjoyed at local restaurants where orders were inevitably messed up, teammates that stayed the night at our home… But how did we respond to each situation? What was the point of the weekend? Was it all about winning – securing a 10” tall trophy that will be boxed-up in the garage by this time next year? Surely all this time and effort and energy are being spent on something bigger than baseball. Please tell me there is more going on than that!

With every chance we have to be obedient and intentional, there is adequate room to be lazy and irresponsible. Admittedly my wife and I did not capitalize on each and every opportunity as we would have liked (see crazy parent reference above) but our eyes were opened to what these types of weekends could be. There is potential to help mold and shape these boys into young godly men of character and integrity. There are relational opportunities everywhere – chances to live out our faith in front of unbelievers, times to encourage fellow saints, multiple occasions to show grace and compassion, to reveal that these things are merely shadows of something far more glorious.

So often we look for opportunities “to serve” God and overlook what is right in front of us. Sometimes it is not a matter of finding our mission field as much as it is about opening our spiritual eyes to see that it is right before us. Oh that we might find deep value in living on task and making the most of the relationships and experiences we so regularly enjoy – to live intentionally in the things we’re already doing.

God has placed us here at this very place and time in history so that others might seek Him and discover that He is not far from them (Acts 17:26-27). So what opportunities has God entrusted with you? May we be found faithful and one day hear the words from our Master, “Well done, now enter into My joy!” (Matthew 25:21, 23).

Guest Blog Day - Kathryn Plumlee

Today's Guest Blogger, Kathryn Plumlee, gives us an excellant example of a spontaneous Faith Walk experience. Faith Walks are simply a category to describe conversations about God that unfold in the context of the family’s day-to-day life. Faith Walks are everyday! Every question that arises in the daily walk of life is an opportunity for parents to form their child’s faith.

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So many of us in the community have driven by 151st and Memorial on a morning route to work or school and have seen the man preaching at the QuikTrip. A year or so ago, on a rush in to buy our breakfast of champions (chocolate milk and donuts) my oldest son, then about nine, asked me about that man, "Mom, He is kind of scary. Why would he be doing that with everyone looking at him?" I remember thinking to myself that I had so often asked this same question.

But I used the opportunity to teach Andrew that God sometimes asks us to do strange things. I simply told my son that the man felt called by God to stand on this corner and make sure everyone heard the name of Jesus as they went to work that morning. We discussed how God uses us in strange ways at times and that He doesn't ask us to understand. 

Andrew asked if it would scare me to stand on the corner and shout out the name of Jesus to everyone passing by I honestly answered,  "Yes, however;  if God asks us to do something, He promises to take care of us, and equip us for the task."

Now this is the really cool part of the story. Last week as my boys and I were driving again to QuikTrip to get our Monday breakfast of champions, my five-year-old Noah asked almost the same question. However, this time I didn't have to say a word. My twelve-year-old Andrew looked at his baby brother and told him almost the exact same thing we had talked about. Andrew told Noah that if God asks you to do it, you just do it, and you trust Him to take care of you. WOW, tears of joy! Joy, first of all, that Andrew had listened to my conversation, and secondly, that he had taken it to heart. 

Pretty soon all three of my boys were discussing things they could do that would be scary but that they knew God would want them to do. Things like speaking to friends about God, standing up for someone being bullied, not following friends who ask them to do something against their parents, etc.

This whole conversation happened in about four minutes in the car on the way to work and school. But I pondered it and sang praise to God about it all day long.

My prayer is that someday, not too far off in the future, one of these three little boys will be asked by God to do something big. And at that moment they will remember the guy preaching at QuikTrip, and they will remember to be brave and trust God. 

In Joshua 1:9, as the children of Israel prepared to go into the Promised Land, God told them, "Haven't I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!

Building Kids, Building Parents, Building Families!

My daughter Jill Sallee Lewolt (pictured below), serves as a children's pastor at Journey of Faith Church in Manhattan Beach, California. She is building God's Kingdom through family ministries on the west coast. Occasionally Jill will work with Michelle Anthony, one of the nations foremost family ministry leaders. Several of her books are cited in the NBFamilies Resource Guide section of the NBFamilies.info blog.

Michelle Anthony’s book, “Spiritual Parenting” asks us parents to discover what it means to seek God as our primary audience. She says, “Spiritual Parenting isn’t perfect parenting - it’s parenting from a spiritual perspective with eternity in mind. This means putting God at the center of the family. If we want faith to endure for all generations, we must become increasingly confident and focussed about the kind of faith we are trying to pass to our children (Spiritual Parenting, Page 27).”

Psalm 78:1-8 has been called the blueprint for families who understand that God has called them to be the primary disciple- makers for their children. The Psalm explains that it is God’s desire for each family to pass on their faith to the next generation. God set up the infrastructure that He envisioned would be best for this replication – the family! (Spiritual Parenting, Page 30)

Psalm 78:1-8 My people, hear my instruction; listen to what I say. 2 I will declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past— 3 things we have heard and known and that our fathers have passed down to us. 4 We must not hide them from their children, but must tell a future generation the praises of the Lord, His might, and the wonderful works He has performed. 5 He established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children 6 so that a future generation— children yet to be born—might know. They were to rise and tell their children 7 so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep His commands. 8  Then they would not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not loyal and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

It is exciting to dream that one day your great-great grandchildren will gather to recount how their ancestors were God- fearing and faithful examples of Jesus’ devoted disciples. They will describe how without you, your children, your grandchildren, and their children had faith that has impacted the world. (Spiritual Parenting, Page 31)

Faith in Action

John 15:5 warns the disciple that the focus should not be on the fruit. Rather, the focus must be on “remaining or abiding” in Jesus.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.

James is cautioning against the extremes:

1. Adopting a solely intellectual belief system of biblical knowledge and the things we “say” we believe. (Faith with no works)
2. Adopting a system of works, “doing things,” without being led by the Holy Spirit or by His power to accomplish them - like Pharisees. (Works with no faith) (Spiritual Parenting, Page 33)

“I Can Do Nothing”

Jesus instructs us that if we remain/abide in the Vine, then and only then, will we bear fruit. Our faith is exercised in the tension between the intellectual assent without works and legalistic works apart from faith. Real vibrant faith is a blend of Holy Spirit enlightenment and the missional efforts that flow from it. (Spiritual Parenting, Page 35)

Two Foundations

Jesus instructs in Matthew 7:24-27 about two foundations. One falls and one stands in the storm. Most assume that Jesus is the Rock. However, this passage reveals the identity of the two foundations:

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock.

Matthew 7:26  But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

In this parable the “Rock” becomes obedience. In the context of Spiritual Parenting and passing our faith on to the next generations, “building on the Rock” means obeying God’s Word in our everyday circumstances and letting our children be eye-witnesses to that solid-rock way of living. (Spiritual Parenting, Page 36)

When paths collide...

For more than a decade now I've been in full-time ministry, specifically, working with teenagers!!  

I know, I know for some of you this sounds more like a disease or at minimum a disorder...we're not ruling that out quite yet!!  But truthfully, when you've seen what I've seen, life-change among young men and women, you can't help but want it for more students!!  

One example that comes to mind is Taylor (Whom we refer to as T-Doe)... When I met him he was a little 8th grader moving into his 9th grade year at a big new school across town!!  I remember having him, and a few others, in an early morning bible study each week.  We would joke around, eat some donuts and if we were lucky, maybe even get around to talking about Jesus before I took them to school (because they were not old enough to drive themselves yet).  Over the years he began to get extremely passionate about the service projects we did and the need to "share Jesus' love with everyone we met".  I'd like to say that his passion and focus was all me BUT Taylor has an amazing family who always supported him (and his brothers).  Over the years I watched as his mom and dad found ways to encourage this passion, from taking him to a local soup kitchen on weekends to even providing some finances when he had a "big idea": Serve-a-thon (which still happens every Spring Break in Oklahoma)!!  

Taylor got "Faith Mission" and his family understood that this was an important step of his "Faith Map"  (before we even had names for these things)!!  But that's not the point of today's post... Last week Taylor decided to invite others into a project he has been doing over the past handful of years (See video below).

With this short video he began to ignite the flames for others among a new generation!!  So with the challenge accepted two of our guys D-Groups from NBHighSchool took over South Tulsa invading grocery stores, gas stations and fast food restaurants delivering Valentine's to ladies working.  

They used their own money and purchased cards, candy and even roses to hand deliver and share a little of Christ's love!!  The stories are amazing and smiles, tears and hugs they received will live on for a long time.

I wish we had video but getting them to smile and take the picture was already a big ask!!

For me, this is the sweet spot of my job... Not every teenager or young adult is consumed with self or even walking around entitled.  Not that Taylor is perfect but he is following the example he saw in Scripture and through the support of his family and church he continues to change the world (literally)!!  To see old youth set the stage for new ones is so exciting to me!!  To know that many of the students pictured above have committed parents that are not only ready but are already engaged in the "Faith Map" with their teens, is why the future of New Beginnings and NBHighSchool is so exciting.  

However, the journey ahead isn't going to always be easy... We are going to have to work together (in prayer, service and support) to do what we have all been called to do: "to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength...and our neighbor as ourselves" (Matthew 22:37-39)!!

What can you do TODAY to make someone's life better!? 

Below is the video Taylor and a friend did his very first year of doing the FFVD (Fast Food Valentine's Day)... Please check it out (at least watch the last 30 seconds)!!

*Want to hear more about Taylor's ministry... Click on this link: Reach Ministries

**If you just love seeing smiling faces... Here's the 2011 video and this years (2013 video)!!

A Word on Sunday School Teachers and Parents.

I read a story this morning about the last words of a dying eight year old boy in Glasgow, Scotland, that brought me to tears. The legendary missionary John G. Paton, who once risked his life to witness to cannibals, writes “This dying boy seemed to be filled with joy about seeing Jesus. His simple prattle, mingled with deep questionings, pierced the hearts of some careless sinners who heard him and greatly refreshed the faith of God’s dear people.

Shortly before the boy passed away he said to his parents: “I am going to be with Jesus, but I sometimes fear that I may not see you there.” “Why so, my child?” said his weeping mother. “Because”, he answered, “if you were set upon going to heaven and seeing Jesus there, you would pray about it and sing about it; you would talk about Jesus to others, and tell them of that happy meeting with Him in Glory. All this my Sunday School teacher taught me and she will meet me there. Now why didn’t you, my father and mother, tell me all these things about Jesus if you were going to meet Him too?” Their tears fell fast over their dying child; and he little knew, in his unthinking eighth year, what a message from God had pierced their souls through his innocent words.”

This story was a great reminder to me not only about the importance of Sunday School Teachers, but the responsibility we have as parents as commanded in Deuteronomy 6:6:-9, to teach our children about Jesus. A couple of days before the boy passed away, his aunt who was known to be one of the only Christians in their family, sat down beside the little boy and as he spoke he said: “Talk with me about Jesus. I am tired of hearing so much talk about everything else but Jesus. I’m going soon to be with Him. Oh, do tell me everything you know or have ever heard about Jesus, the spotless lamb of God. ” The child literally longed to be away, not for rest, or freedom from pain, but “to see Jesus.” After all, that was the only thing on his heart, the only thing that mattered.

What do you speak to your children about as you go about your daily business? We can all take important truths from the Biblical command as such:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” -Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Are the things we speak to our children about throughout the day leaving a lasting impression upon them? Are we spending our waking hours with our children wisely talking about the things of the world or impressing our love for God upon them.

Do we make the most of times when we drive down the road by singing songs of praise? Or as we walk into our homes after work by stating blessings upon our children and praying over them regularly?

Do we fill our day with scripture, the walls of our homes with Psalms, the doors we pass through with symbols of faith.

Parents have the most influential opportunity to impact a child’s faith at home and are desperately needed in the church to model their faith before their kids by teaching in their Sunday School classes.

Have you been considering entering a rotation to teach in your child’s Sunday School class? You are needed. More importantly your children need to see you involved in their activities and lessons. Over 150 chilren were present in our children's ministry last week. We need parents of every skill set to join our children's ministry team to teach the truths of God's word to children of all ages.

Will you join us just once per month on a rotation to fill these important needs? Contact Pastor Travis at 918-720-6052 to discuss opportunities that fit your passion and gifiting.
 

Just Keep Moving Forward

At the risk of losing my cool card, I’m going to let you in on a little secret previously only known by my wife. Saturday evening after the kids went to bed, for the first time ever, I worked out with my wife…AND our friend Jillian Michaels (via DVD). Okay, now that it is out there, I must explain.

See my wife & I are fairly active people that are unfortunately in the midst of a very busy season. Our opportunities to go for a run have been sparse & establishing any kind of workout routine has recently felt nearly impossible. So knowing we needed some exercise, I agreed to swallow my pride and join my wife and the three other ladies on TV for a few cardio circuits. As we burned calories together, I learned a few things.

For starters, if my wife is in need of a laugh, performing the kickboxing repertoire I learned from Jillian & the girls should do the trick. Secondly and more importantly, doing something is always better than doing nothing. Sometimes the thought of what we’ve done in the past sets an unrealistic goal of what we should be doing now. For instance, my wife has run a marathon before and just last summer, I was summiting 14ers like a boss. However, she currently is not ready to go 26.2 and I am getting winded just thinking of hitting a trailhead. To hold ourselves to those same standards in this hectic season of life would only set us up for disappointment. Yet on occasion when time or energy will not allow us to achieve certain things, we do nothing. We must remember that something is better than nothing.

I also learned that sometimes it takes a partner to help you to move forward. Neither Brittany nor I were particularly in the mood to do burpees at 9pm but we knew of our shared desire to get in a workout. So, we held each other accountable and encouraged one another, and we got something started. And though it was a far cry from previous feats, it was a step in the right direction.

"So what’s the point Matt?" Well as silly as it sounds, this struggle is not isolated to exercise but rather all facets of life, especially in regard to our spiritual growth. We often think back to earlier times in our faith when we read scripture more often or prayed more faithfully and we are disappointed that we are not currently there. Possibly we are frustrated in our seemingly slow progress. Maybe we are unsure of how to engage our children or co-workers in a dialogue that points them to Jesus. Perhaps we are hesitant to lead a family devotion time. Might I remind you, something is better than nothing.

Or then again, you may be realizing your need for accountability and support. Might I encourage you to get plugged-in to a discipleship group? God has wired us for community (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 & 2 Timothy 2:22). How will you know what you’re missing until you try?

I’ll close with this: if you are waiting until you feel ready and adequate for the task, you’ll never move onward. But that’s the beauty of the gospel. God did not wait until we were clean and presentable and well disciplined to save us. It was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us. In fact, we were enemies of the cross (Romans 5:6-10). And guess what? He loves you right now – not a future version of you, but you right now. The “you” that is lazy, fearful, and hesitant…He loves you!

Or perhaps the best illustration I’ve heard likens our progress to a baby that is learning to walk. Although there are many more crashes than successful strides, these steps can captivate an audience of adults. Parents cheer and applaud every wobble from the ottoman to the couch but never rebuke their child for the many falls along the way. Rather there is great rejoicing in each step taken. And so it is with our heavenly Father. He is for you! He lifts us up when we fall & beckons us to trust Him and keep moving forward.

So, what step do you need to take this week?