WELCOME HOME ANN LOUISE
Heather and I brought home our new baby girl - Ann Louise home this week.
she was born Feb 18!  her big sister Joy is excited and ready to teach her "all the tricks" on how to get mom and dad to do like they ought to.
click here for pics:   http://jamie2heather2joy.shutterfly.com/

We have 3 months under our belt here at FBC Hampton.  Being a pastor is so totally different that youth ministry.  I really miss the youth ministry but in a way I'm still a youth pastor.  I really miss the youth at Moncks Corner, it's been nice chatting with a few of them and keeping in touch.  the youth here at fbc hampton are great, there's about 10 commited teenagers that are here each week - they just got back from a mission trip, these teens are really impressive with how hard they work to help people.

I am currently setting forth an effort to reach out to the people in the community in their 20's  this is a special group that really didn't have anything for them here at the church...  but that has changed, there's a young adult small group now and 4 coffee house concerts have been booked.  There's nothing that lifts the energy of a church than that group in their 20's

the deacons here are a blessing they have been a great support and very helpful in helping me learn this new ministry.  the senior adults here are really great.  their commitment to caring and ministering to this community is exciting. 

Joy is doing well, she's walking and making everyone laugh.  ok ok ok, quit begging!  I will be glad to show you pics
http://jamie2heather2joy.shutterfly.com/action/
she's 1 yr old now and has me whooped, I'm helpless against her powers, but thank God she can't talk or we would be in hopeless debt!!!  she loves to sleep at night but hates day time naps.  here favorite food is bread and yogert and fruit.  if you give her veggies she will throw them back at you.  by the way she throws with her left hand...  i guess she's gonna be a south paw.

Heather is doing good.  she has become reaquainted with old high school friends.  she misses her moncks corner friends greatly, but there's been some special people her who has helped make settleing down in hampton good for her.  she is thinking about coming out of retirement and starting interp again...  but maybe more sign language than interp, we'll see.

having the "in-laws" near by has been fun.  I'm so lucky to have great in'laws expecially when one of them is my only staff member here at the church.

well, i guess i'll wrap this up, Heather and I are going to go play spades tonight at someone's house.  I haven't taught Heather all my "tricks" yet, so we might be in for a defeat, but once i've finish training Heather, we will be an unbeatable team.  and by the way, for you false accusers...  I don't cheat!  or at least you can't prove it.

well that is all for this update, hollar at me - I would love to hear from ya.

Jamie

Dear Friends,

 

I am sending you this email to let you know that on March 21, 2007 during Youth Group I will be announcing my resignation from First Baptist Church, Moncks Corner to accept the call to be the pastor at First Baptist Church, Hampton, SC. 

I wanted to send you this email so that you would be among the first to know.  I also wanted you to hear it from me before you heard it "on the street."  Below is my letter that I have already submitted to Pastor Hal.

*note* 

my new email is -   jamiewilliams3@yahoo.com

new mailing address:

Jamie Williams

FBCH

305 Oak St. East

Hampton, SC 29924

Dear First Baptist Church of Moncks Corner,

Heather, Joy and I have been invited by First Baptist Church, Hampton, SC to accept the call to be their pastor.  After much prayer and counsel we feel this is the direction the Lord is leading and have accepted their call.  As a result, effective as of April 13, Heather and I are resigning from our positions here at First Baptist Church, Moncks Corner.  Even though we are very excited about this new opportunity of ministry we have been given, it is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to this amazing congregation.

My time at First Baptist has been better than I could have ever imagined it could have been.  When reflecting over the 10 years I have served here, my heart fills with gratitude.  Thank you for the opportunity to serve and learn so much.  Thank you for the awesome first class facilities and for the budget to pull off some very special things in efforts to bring students closer to Christ! 

I want to give thanks to so many of you. 

First of all to the volunteers in the ministries I worked with.  So many of you made yourselves available to invest yourselves into children and youth and those investments will have eternal benefits!  Some of you went beyond simply volunteering.  You made great sacrifices of time and money to make the ministry the best it could be. 

I also want to say thank you to the problem solvers.  You are a gift from God.  Any person can find problems, but only special people close to our Lord are gifted to solve them.  I also want to say thank you to the encouragers who always knew what to say and when to say it.  People like you are empowering!  Who knows where Paul, Mark, and Timothy would have been with out Barnabus?

Thank you to children's ministry leaders.  I have come to treasure not only those who help, but especially those who have been willing to be in charge.  Thank you to the parents who brought their kids faithfully, cause no matter how many bells and whistles you have, NOTHING replaces a room full of special children!  Thank you to those who made VBS happen every year, those who coached a basketball or soccer team, those who made Sunday School thrive, who made Wacky Wednesday successful, who helped with Camp Longridge, who made Team Kid develop and grow.  Thank you to the music ministry and to choir leaders who have given stability to children*s ministry for so many years, those who made the Family Fun Fair a hit, and those who love and pray for our kids everyday!

Thank you to the youth of Moncks Corner.  It has been awesome cheering for you at games, competitions, recitals, plays, graduations, weddings, and even at the birth of a child. 

Thank you to the youth group who faithfully supported the student ministry here at FBC even when it required sacrifice.  You brought to this ministry effectiveness, happiness, and life-changing opportunities for yourself and your friends.  Thank you to the ones that believed in this ministry and brought others into it. 

Thank you to the ones who fell in love with Christ and His purpose and thought it no problem to sacrifice and work hard to serve our Lord!  Thank you to the ones who worked so hard on this youth group, mission trips, spring break projects, food drives, campus ministries * you not only impacted the lives of strangers you even led each other closer to the Lord!  There are no memories any better than those including youth running up to me and telling me with excitement that they just gave their life to Christ or their friend just gave their life to Christ or even their brother or sister just gave their life to Christ!!! 

I am very grateful and proud of so many of the youth I*ve known over the last 10 years who are now pastors, music leaders, lay ministers, church workers, Bible teachers, mission workers, and also those who faithfully serve the Lord in so many different ways!  A special thanks to them for spreading the gospel not only in Moncks Corner but far beyond!  All of you reminded me that the Word of God never comes back void!  You are proof that Christ changes lives and gives hope and purpose!  My love goes out to many others who are continuing to work out the process of seeking God and working out their faith and what they believe.  I pray God's very, very best for all of you!

Thank you to the adults and parents who chaperoned, drove, coached, prayed, encouraged, and supported this ministry.  Thank you to the moms and dads that made sure your teen was here even when attractive things were drawing them elsewhere.  Thank you to the adults who helped teach, who helped lead, who did ministry teams, and who loved and supported this ministry every way that they could! 

Lastly, thank you to all of you who personally poured out the love of Christ on our family.  Thank you for your generous blessings during life changing events like our wedding and the birth of Joy, who will always know Moncks Corner as her birthplace!  Thank you for your kindness in remembering us during birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas.  Thank you to those who loved and looked out for Bob, Larry and Junior when we were out of town, or when they would escape or even when Larry acted like he was going to die but then changed his mind.  Thank you to those who took care of us every time our house broke, leaked, flooded, or simply got too hot!  Thanks to those who were there for us every time a vehicle needed a tow or we needed a ride.  And thanks so much for great memories like fishing trips, hunting, cookouts, spades, boat rides, visiting your homes, going to ball games, going out to eat, and many more that I will remember the moment I print this letter.

Finally thank you to our friends.  We love you dearly.  Your friendship, love, smiles, hugs, kind words, encouragement, laughter, support and presence made the good times great and the hard times fun!  You allowed us to see a peek of what heavenly fellowship is going to look like!

God Bless you and your future!  I pray that this congregation will work hard and see God move in a great way. 

Please pray for us as we seek to do a job that we can only do with the help of God.

Because of HIM,

Jamie, Heather, & Joy

below is the Bible Study we went over during this year's youth winter retreat.

DID GOD MAKE ME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Read Luke 19:1-10
- which verse sums up Christ's purpose?
- how is this purpose seen in Luke 19:1-10?
- list 10 cool things you noticed in Luke 19:1-10?

Read John 20:20-21
- what did God send Jesus to do?
- why did God send Jesus to do it?
- what is Jesus sending us to do?
- why?
- how?

Read John 15:9-17
- how did God love Jesus?
- how did Jesus love us?
- how should we love each other?
- what does that mean?
- what does that look like?

Read Mark 8:34-38
- what did Jesus' cross accomplish?
- why would Jesus want us to have a cross?
- did he mean a real cross?
- what did he mean?
- what would our cross accomplish?
- how?

Read Matt. 28:18-20
- what is a disciple?
- how do you make one?
- how do we teach them?
- how many should we make?

 

WHAT TOOLS TO I HAVE TO SERVE GOD?

give at least 5 answers to each question below:

what things are you good at?  how can you use those things to serve God?

what type of people like you?  how can you use that to serve God?

how many people younger than you  do you know who loves to hang out with you?  how can you use that to serve God?

what activities do you do that give you a chance to meet other people?  how can you use that to serve God?

how many people do you know that need help all the time?  how can you use that to serve God?

how much free time to you have?  how can you use that to serve God?

how much money can you earn?  how can you use that to serve God?

what hobbies do you love?  how can you use those to serve God?

where's you favorite place to go?  how can you use that to serve God?

what "things" do you have?  how can you use them to serve God? 

how many ways are you able to communicate to people?  how can you use that to serve God?

what kind of work can you do?  how can you use that to serve God?

think of any other thing that you can use to serve God?

 

WHERE DOES CHURCH FIT IN TO MY PURPOSE?

- why do you think we should go to church?

- how often do you think we should go?

- what do you think the job of the church is?

Read - Acts 2:41-47
- name 5 things the first church did:

-  do you think we should do that in our church?
- what are some way we do these things?
-  are these things we can do better when we're together?  why?

Matt 28:18-20 lead the church and the individual Christian to connect to God, to grow in God, to serve in God's name, to connect others to God, to help others grow in God, and to serve with others in God's name. 

"THE CYCLE"  *connect to God, grow in God, serve with God, connect others with God, help others grow in God, work with others to serve with God, REPEAT*

- what are things the church can do
to help you connect to God ?
- what are things the church can do
to help you grow in God?
- what are things the church can do
to help you serve God?
- what are things the church can do to help you connect others with God?
- what are things the church can do to help you help others grow in God?
- what are things the church can do to help you serve God with others?

- AS CHRISTIANS AND AS PART OF A CHURCH WE ARE TO GO THROUGH THIS CYCLE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
- are you stuck in one of these four steps? 
- how can you get to moving again?
- is church involvement the goal or a tool?
- how can you use church involvement to help you with the cycle above?

TIME TO STOP TALKING AND START DOING!

We've covered your purpose, tools you can use, how the church fits in,
now is the time when this study becomes a waste of time...  OR
a changing point in our lives!

GOAL SETTING - not listing what should be done, but rather written when
and where you will do it and how you will get it done!

When you get home what are you going to do to better live what you've learned today?
What things will you do EVERY DAY?
what things will you do EVERY WEEK?
what things will you do EVERY MONTH?
what things will you do EVERY YEAR?

- what are things in my life that needs to change?  what am I going to do to change them?

- what are things in my life that needs to stay the same?  what am I going to do to protect them?

- who do I know that I can share my goals with?  how can they help me meet my goals?

- what questions do I have for Jamie? 

a few years ago I wrote a book about teenagers and the Christian life.  I would love for yall to read it and give me you thoughts...

here's the link

WYABOO CREEK

 

Phil. 3:10  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11  and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15  All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16  Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
10 factors and talking points:
1.  You got to want it to win!  This passage of Scripture starts out with a simple but life changing statement.  "I want to know Christ."  This close after Christmas, the phrase "I want" is fresh in our minds but I'm guessing that a red hot desire to know Christ was not on our Christmas list.  For 2007 to be your year of destiny, you'll have to change your "want to's"  When you start wanting to know Christ then your life begins to change!
2.  You got to be ready to take the good with the bad!  Sure, everyone wants the part of Christ that brings blessings, healing, Heaven, protection, but who wants to part that brings suffering, sacrifice, rejection, tears, or self denial?  Wanting half of Christ will never cut it!  He's an all or nothing type of God.  Revelation says "hot or cold or not at all!"  If you want 2007 to be your year of destiny you have to want ALL of Christ.  The sacrifice and the blessing - or another way to say it is the cross and the crown!
3.  You have to believe what you don't understand.  In verse 11 Paul says "and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection..."  He really didn't have a clue how that was going to work out.  But he didn't need to, he just knew Christ had it waiting for him.  There so much we don't know, so much we can't see, but don't let that slow you down...  keep wanting Christ and pursuing Christ in your FAITH even when your sight can't see it!
4.  You have to know where you're at!  One of our biggest problems is we think that we are good people and that Christ is completely happy and satisfied with our lives.  Paul knew better!  He knew that he had tons of work to do as a maturing Christian.  We must not be satisfied with a "leveled off" Christian life.  We must understand that if we are not growing and improving as a Christian then we are failing in a major area of our service to Christ!
5.  You have to know where you're going.  Paul knew the mark was perfection.  Paul knew that it didn't matter how good people thought he was or even if he was doing things better than EVERYONE else around him.  He didn't set his standard by other people, his standard was set by Christ himself.  We must not look at our friends to figure out if we are who we ought to be.  We must set our eyes on Christ.  He is the one that has set our goal and our purpose.  If we use anything else, we set ourself up to fail.
6.  You have to let the past go.  So many excuses of why we can succeed in our past!  FORGET ABOUT IT!  Living for Christ is about right here, right now!  It's fine to learn from the past, but never never be paralyzed by it!
7.  You must expect to work your butt off!   Where did we get the idea that serving Christ was a take it easy, once a week, in our spare time type of hobby???  It's no where in the Bible!  This and all other scriptures teaches us that the Christian life is pushing and working and not giving up and giving it "ALL OF OUR ALL!!!"  It is only this type of attitude that will make 2007 a year of destiny!
8.  You must know God will make it worth your while and then some!!!  Read Romans 8:18 - Christians who are achieving their destiny believes with out a doubt that nothing they sacrifice here and now can compare to the results that are to come.  Jim Elliott said "he is no fool to loose what he can not keep to gain what he can not loose!"  Please don't let anything on this earth become more important or more valuable that serving your God.  If you do you are doing yourself and many others an awful disservice that you won't realized until it's to late.  Do you believe that?  Do you really?  Does your life prove that you believe it?  Live by that faith! 
9.  You must keep moving forward even when you're confused - Paul knew that this would catch many people off guard.  It may have caught you off guard.  But he instructs us to not let our confusion slow us down.  Keep serving God.  The more you live by faith, the more God tends to explain things to us as we go.  Don't get stuck on a question mark.  Just keep focused on Christ and trust Him to answer those questions when he see's fit to.
10.  You must be excellent at what you do understand!  How easy it is to cover up our failures with ignorance.  It seems every time I got in trouble the first thing I said was "I didn't know!"  Many times we make mistakes as Christians because we just didn't know what was going on.  But what about the mistakes we make and we really did know better???  The last part of this verse really drops a big challenge!  Ok fine, don't worry about what you don't understand..  but be excellent at what you do understand!!!  Paul wasn't giving us permission to sin because of ignorance, he simply knows how God works.  He knows that if we are faithful with the little, God will give the many!  He knows that if we are faithful with what we do know, that God will reveal much much more to us!

10 factors in achieving your destiny!
(God's will in the Shepherd's life)
Luke 2:8  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  9  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  10  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  11  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  12  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  13  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  14  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."  15  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."  16  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  17  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,  18  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  19  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  20  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

10 factors of the Shepherd Achieving their Destiny:
1.  Even your job is part of God's plan for you.  Many times we divide our lives in to sections.  Home, work, school, church, friends, family, etc....  but God is not to be kept in a box.  He is to be God in every part of your life and in every moment of your life.  If the shepherds didn't realize that they did when the angels showed up.
2.  Don't let fear stop you from seeking Christ.  So many times teenagers live spiritually watered down lives because they are scared.  Scared of what others might think.  Scared of what living for Christ may cost them.  They live by the way things look rather than living by faith.  The angels were quick to point out, that everything about Christ is good news.  Even when you sacrifice for Christ, it's always worth it!  Pursue Christ with the confidence that there no need for fear cause ALL things turn out for the good of those that love HIM!
3.  Recognize your signs - I wonder how many people walked by and saw a baby lying in the manger and just kept on walking.  The only reason the shepherds got to meet Christ was because they knew the sign.  The Bible tells us tons of signs to look for when following Christ.  It tells us directions and values to get us to where God wants us.  We must dig in Scripture and figure out how it applies to us.  We must pay attention and see what God is up to around us by looking for signs of His work.
4.  Get totally pumped about Jesus - I think this part of the Christmas story is really funny.  These angels were simple sent to tell the shepherd where to find Christ.  But the more and more they tell, the more and more excited they get...  and before you know it like a million angels have shown up and begin singing and cheering about Christ being born!  It would be awesome to see people get that excited about Christ!
5.  Don't let moment die, act on it!    God's purpose was not simply for the shepherd to hear the angels.  God purpose was for the shepherd to do what the angels said.  After all it wasn't hearing the angels that took the shepherds to Christ, it was acting on what they heard that made the difference.  It just don't cut it for us to show up to church every week (even though that alot more than some people do.)  We must take it to the next step, we must live what we learn.  We must take the Scripture and practice what it teaches each day.
6.  Don't drag your feet - The shepherds didn't take their time packing and taking care of this and that.  They HURRIED!  Some times we take far too long to obey Christ.  We start thinking about it way too much and then nothing happens.  When you know God has spoken to you...  Act first and ask questions later!  Don't miss what God wants to do in your life cause you spent too much time waiting.  So many teenagers wait so long that their entire high school career is gone and they lost that time and did NOTHING for Christ!  Act now!
7.  Tell everyone! - These shepherd couldn't hold it in!  They loved hearing from God.  They loved seeing Christ.  They told everyone around!  I'm sure some people didn't care but some did!  Tell everyone about what Christ means to you.  Fall more and more in love with Christ each day, and watch how HE becomes a bigger part of what you talk about.
8.  Doing God's will results in treasure in the hearts of others - Many times when we "do the right thing" it feels like no one really cares.  But there's always some one that it means so much to when you do the right thing, even if you don't realize it your actions for Christ mean more to some people than anything else in the world.  The shepherds actions would be something that Mary would never forget.
9.  Bring Christ back to the everyday parts of your life.  How many times have we been to camp and gotten all excited about God only to come home and let it die.  When the shepherd left Bethlehem and went back to their home towns, nothing changed, they were still totally pumped about meeting Christ.  Don't leave Christ at camp, let him be what you're all about even about your friends and family.
10.  Praise God every single time you see His truth shown - so many times we harp on the negative and seem to overlook and not notice all the good that is going on.  That's must change!  To glorify God we must dwell on what is good and not notice all the negative around us.  That way when people see our lives, we are reflecting all that's wrong in this world, we're reflecting all that is positive and good!

10 factors in achieving your destiny!
(God's will in the Inn Keeper's life)
          Luke 2:4  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  5  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  6  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,  7  and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
          *pass out worksheets and pencils to each student.  Give them time to fill the worksheet out and then draw them back for discussion.  Allow them to share their thoughts on the worksheet.  Use the factors and thoughts below to guide discussion.  Use factors to point out facts that we must face as we seek to live for Christ.
10 factors and thoughts: 
1 - things aren't always what they seem,  - we think of "inns" like we think of hotels, the Inn at Bethleham was probably more like a homeless shelter than a hotel.  Those inns were notorious for crime and crowdedness.  The thought of a manger may have been better than the thought of one of those Inns.  Many times when we are trying to live for God we judge people and situation quickly and based on limited knowledge.  Be patient get all the info and make your best decisions after that.
2 - secular possession can have spiritual importance,  - what do you think the Inn Keeper would have thought if some preacher guy came up to him and said, "hey there, you see that manger right there, God gave it to you for a purpose, you need to pay attention, some day God will use it to do something spiritually amazing!"  I think we a short sighted about who we are, our gifts, abilities, talents, and possessions are not given to us randomly and by accident.  Everything we are and everything we have has been given to us by God to serve Him.  So pay attention, and be purposeful on using it all to serve your Lord!
3 - some times tough times are exactly the way God wants things to be, - our first thoughts when our life gets tough is "I must not be in God's will"  but that's not necessarily true.  Joseph and Mary were going through tough times, but they were exactly where God wanted them.  It's not always easy to follow God but it is always worth it!
4 - doing the best you can with what you have, - take a lesson from the Inn Keeper.  He didn't have limitless recourses or a 5-star hotel, but he took what he had and offered it.  So many times we don't offer God what we have.  We keep it for ourselves and we use it simply to make us happy.  What a waste.
5 - not giving up when things aren't "perfect" - it would have been so easy for the Inn Keeper to say "I don't have anything for you"  but he didn't give up.  He made sure to examine every possibility even unlikely ones.  Too many times we spend too much time worrying about what we can't do for God when we should be focusing on what we CAN do for God.
6 - the importance of being in the right place at the right time - I'm sure Joseph and Mary would have rather been a million other places than a stable in Bethlehem.  But if they weren't there then they would have failed to fulfill many prophecies.  These prophecies confirmed that Jesus was the Messiah, many people would have never had recognized Jesus and would have never been saved, if Joseph and Mary weren't at the right place at the right time.  Not to mention the shepherds and the wise men would have found an empty stable and an empty house if the young couple would have not been at the right place.  Sometime we underestimate the value of "being there!"  Being at the right place at the right time is huge!  Skipping or missing church can have long lasting repercussions.  Skipping or missing opportunities to help someone in the name of Christ could have long lasting repercussion.  I know we can't be perfect, but that not the point.  The point is to recognize the importance of BEING THERE and doing your best with the guidance of God to be at the right place at the right time.
7 - you don't always get "props" for doing as you should - I feel bad for the Inn Keeper, so many Christmas plays makes him out to be the bad guy.  When actually he probably offered what was best for a young mother giving birth.  The manger would have been safer and would have had more privacy.  Many time when we do our best for Christ we will hear complaints and criticisms.  That's ok, keep doing what is right.  Don't get discouraged.  And do obey God simply for the praise and credit, cause you will quit real quick.  Do the right thing for the right reason and you will do well for a long time!
8 - what you're looking for isn't always what God want's you to have - I'm sure Joseph asked for room in the Inn and not for a stable.  But that wasn't the best choice, it wasn't God's choice.  Fortunately Joseph ended up right where he belonged.  In our lives we see so many things we want to have, so many places we want to be, so many people we want to be close with...  but don't get attached to those ideas.  Live an open life ready and willing to do something new, different and unexpected.  Cause many times that is exactly where God will lead you.
9 - when serving God, sacrifices many times leads to blessings - who would have thought that a story of paying taxes and sleeping in a manger would lead to visits from kings and gifts of gold and other expensive items.  We avoid obeying God so many times because it requires SACRIFICE but when we avoid the sacrifice we also surrender the blessing!  And now a days that blessing could mean the difference between Heaven and Hell for a friend or loved one.
10 - creativity can be the difference between achieving for God and failing to do anything. - who would have thought of sending a pregnant woman to a manger???  But it was a great call, it was the right call!!!  Don't ever let your ministry and service to God "stay inside the box."  Be willing to do weird and unheard of things to serve God.  Stay faithful to the TRUTH but allow the method to being anything, anywhere, at anytime!  Creativity is the gift God uses the most to do the things people said can't be done!

10 factors in achieving your destiny!
(God's will in Joseph's life)
Read:  Matt 1:18-24
18  This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  19  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  20  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  21  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  22  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  23  "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us."  24  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  25  But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

*  Divide students in teams of two.  Write the 10 factors on one card each and pass them out evenly to the teams.  Give them time to answer the questions for each card.  Then use their answers for discussion.  Review the points below and use them during the discussion.
10 factors:
(confusion, embarrassment, doubt, concern, compassion, loss, revelation, obedience, patience, sacrifice)
Discussion Points:
*what confuses us when we are trying to follow Christ?  bad examples?  friends' opinions?  our own desires?
*has doing the right thing even been embarrassing to you?
*have you ever gotten mad at someone for embarrassing you but found out later it wasn't their fault?
*does your concern for other people ever help you do the right thing?  has it ever tempted you to do the wrong thing?
*do you find your compassion pushing people and yourself to do the right thing or to allow others and yourself to do what you feel like doing?
*have you ever felt that serving God has caused you to lose things that are very important to you? 
*have you refused to serve God because you feared it would cause you to lose something?
*how many times in your life have you heard something and you totally knew it was true, trustworthy and from God?  Did you act in obedience or did you avoid the issue?
*do you find being patient easy or hard?  do you find being patient helps you or interferes with your attempts to serve God?
*has serving God ever caused you to sacrifice something?  was it big or small?  did you feel it was worth it? why or why not?
* enduring (Luke 2:39-40) - we see that Joseph obey God was not a short term choice, it was a long term choice.  do you find yourself only serving God for short spurts or for the long haul?  which do you think God is calling you to do?

last night at encounter we played name that tune but we had to gargled the tune with water while our team mates tried to guess what song it was.  all the songs were really easy but it was hard to understand the tune with all that gargling  going on....

sadly there's some really important messages that many people are having trouble believing and understanding because the message is getting gargled and unclear!  The most important message is that of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  many say they are Christians but their lives are confusing all that watch them.  one reason for that may be the way we live our lives.  Eph. 5 gives some basice "rules for Christian living"  in a survery done compairing 10 qualities from eph 5 with ten attitudes of "pop" society...  found that Christian teenagers have an 86% tendency to live according to pop society rather than the standards of Eph. 5 -  THIS GIVES A MESSAGE THAT CHRISTIANS DO NOT SEE IT IMPORTANT TO LIVE A "CHRISTIAN" LIFE...  YET WE INVITE PEOPLE TO "FOLLOW CHRIST"  THAT IS A GARGLED MESSAGE!  sadly when confronted with this problem, most Christian corrects it by not changing their lives, but they quit sharing the message of Christ at all.  This gargles things even more! 

The challenge last night was to be ONE that allows your life to communicate the message of Christ as clear as possible...  and to begin with practicing the basic Christian living we see in Eph 5!

here at those 10 qualities

1.  sacrifical love
2.  absolutely no hint of sexual immorality
3.  no selfish greed
4.  no bad language or harmful talk
5.  no sexual or inappropriate jokes
6.  constant attitude of gratefulness
7.  push your friends away from doing wrong, don't join in with them
8.  aggresivly seek what makes God wants
9.  be controled by the holy spirit not by beer, or anything else
10.  constantly sing psalms, hymns, and praise and worship songs.

here are the 10 "pop" culture traits

1.  love just your friends and those who like you
2.  flirt, be sexy, talk about who's hot
3.  look out for yourself cause no one else will
4.  say what you want to say, dog out people who don't like you
5.  sex is funny, we joke about it all the time
6.  always want more, compair ourselves to others who have more than us
7.  laugh at the wrong thing, join in if you won't get in trouble, and maybe even argue that it's "no longer wrong"
8.  seek aggresivly what ever will make you happy
9.  controled by desire to have friends and have fun
10.  my music is all about me and what I love.

which statements better descibe you?  what are you doing to become more and more like Eph 5 every day?  Is your life sending a clear or gargled message?

There's a new fad in the church world, and that the fad of "hopping"  going to which ever church that has the funnest and most entertaining thing going on, or the church that your friends are going to and following them around.  finding the new thing that makes you the happiest.

Those of you who thinking I'm getting ready to bash that...  sorry to disappoint you...  I'll never gripe about youth going to church, any church that believes and teaches the Bible is awesome!  I think it is a good thing.  at least I do to beging with.  the problem is if EVERYBODY did that ALL THE TIME, then eventually churches would begin to close one by one cause for an organization to be strong and of high quality it must have CUSTOMERS & WORKERS. 

here's what I mean.  Here in Moncks Corner there's 3 subways!  they all are on the same team.  no matter which store you go to you are still helping SUBWAY!  likewise no matter which legitamate church you go to, you are still doing a good thing.  HOWEVER  each subway have their own employees.  maybe on occations one will move from one store to the other, but once they pick a store, then they are commited to THAT STORE.  They are at that store when they should be, they do what ever they can to make their store the best, they do what ever they can to bring customers to their store, they work hard to achieve the goals of their store.  and it's not because they are competing against the other stores, it's because if all the stores are doing this, then all the stores become strong and SUBWAY gets the maximum benefit. 

LIKEWISE in the church or specifically in the youth group, we need WORKERS.  to Unite with THEIR church.  and commit to making their youth group excellent, to bring others to their youth group, to do anything they can to help their youth group achieve it's goals. 

I work close with the youth pastors from ALIVE and EYC.  I love what they are doing!!!  and each of them will tell you what makes a youth group great are those youth who begin as "customers" but grow in to "workers"  the more workers you have in a youth group, the better it becomes.  the better it becomes, then the more "customers" you can attact, and the more customers you attract, the higher the chance some one will hear the Word of God, believe the Son of God, and pursue the Will of God!  Our youth ministry is called ENCOUNTER and I've been watching it for almost 10 years and over these 10 years their's been times when it was AWESOME there's been times that it was boring and I wanted to go hang out with another youth group, there's been times that it was everywhere in between. and 100% of the time, it was a result of the "workers"  when we have commited youth that sees ENCOUNTER as their minsitry to care for and support...  those are the VERY BEST TIMES of ministry!!! 

NOW THAT'S A GOOD THING!

ASK A YOUTH PASTOR HOW YOU CAN BECOME A MEMBER, AND BECOME A WORKER AND MAKE A YOUTH MINISTRY BETTER TODAY BECAUSE OF YOU!!!

 

here's some things that can help you see if you're a customer or a worker or maybe somewhere in between:

a customer says "I don't want to go, cause there's no one there I know"  a worker says "I want to go so I'm going to try to bring everyone I know"

a customer says "I can't come tonight cause I have a test."  a worker says "I had to bust my rump all afternoon to get ready for a test so that I could come tonight"

a customer says "It doesn't matter where you go, just as long as you go" a worker says "this is my youth group and I'm going to do my very best to support it"

a customer says "i might come, what are we doing tonight?"  a worker says "I am coming tonight, what can I do to help?"

***customers are awesome cause it's the step before becoming a worker***  workers are awesome cause the find more customers ***

 

 

Over the last 2 weeks I have been doing some digging.  I have noticed about 30 teenagers who have simply become MIA's in the church.  They don't seem to be protesting or hindered from coming, they just simply seemed to have "let go of church."

Also last week, the Baptist Courier, (a monthly news papers for SC Baptist) did 4 different articles on the decline in church attendance.  After reading those articles, I decided to do some research of my own.  As a youth pastor, I figure this is important stuff I need to noodle on a little while.  So I asked some youth who at one time was extremely involved and is now occasionally involved if I could send them some questions to answer.

My hope was to get info that I could use to make me a better youth pastor but also to get info that could make the church more useful and relevant to them.

Here are some quotes from local teenagers about they way they see life as a "Christian teenager's:

"I really don't think they see church as important"

"Many high schoolers my age haven't figured out what their God given purpose is in their life"

"I think they don't want to take the time to search for His (God's) will"

"I think many high schoolers are not fully committed to his (Christ's) mission"

"I do believe that there are Christian teens who have not fully put their faith in Christ"

"Most people come to a lot of church events because of something fun to do, I don't always think some students come to be supporters (of their youth ministry)

* Here are some quotes from local teenagers about helping Christian teens get involved at church.

"I think they need their surroundings to be godly like with the support of your friends...  because it can also depends on who you hang around with."

"The best place to find out what it (God's will for your life) is, is by going to church and reading the Bible"

"We (Christian teens) shouldn't be afraid to go outside our comfort zone and invite people to church activities"

"They need to know the blessing that come with doing God's will"

*Here are some quotes from local teenagers about the importance of church:

"I think there is a whole lot more to it (the Christian life), like showing you live for Christ through your actions and going to church and how you live your everyday life."

"I don't think teens realized that one day they are going to be in heaven or hell"

"I think it is a serious issue because you should be living for Christ in the way that he wants you to"

Other interesting statements:

" I think it's more likely for a teen to become a Christian cause of another teen influencing them"

"I got involved in school activities and that's why I don't come to church"

"Yes I think when the parent gives the teen the choice to not go to church it is teaching them that church isn't as important."

 

***  I would love your reaction to this info.

***  I pray that teenagers will answer the call of God!

***  I believe there's nothing greater than teenagers pursuing God like a monkey on a doughnut!

I got a message asking me - "do you think a teenager should spend ALL their time at church?"

it's a fair question cause sometimes it seems we plan so much that there's no way you can do all of it.

I believe every Christian teenager has 5 responsibilites as a Christian:

1 is to be discipled and to disciple other people.  what i mean by this is to learn and do the ways of Christ from someone and to teach them to someone else.

2 is to worship.  this is to simply respond in praise and thanksgiving to the greatness of our God.  we do this in music, but we are also suppose to do it with our life style and our everyday choices.

3 is evangelism - that is to purposfully tell and explain the gosple to those in our world.  we all live in different worlds, what i mean by that is some people live in a sports world, some in a work world, some in a school world, and some in other types, some in several types...  you're not there by accident you're their to tell God's love to them

4 is service.  this includes taking care of those in your church, looking out for them and making sure they have all they need.  it is also part of evangelism.  when you serve other people, then they can see what you are talking about when to tell them about the love of Christ.

5 is fellowship.  some thinks this mean to get together and have a good time, but it means gathering with your church group and encouraging each other to learn about Christ, focus on serving Christ, brainstorming on what we can do to point people to Him, and lifting each other up when we feel like giving up.

this is your purpose as a Christian!  it involves your life inside and outside the church.  after you make the choice that you want to life a purpose driven life, then you can better make choices about which church programs you need to be committed to, and which ones aren't for you.

i have NO doubt you need to commit to certain events,

but i don't believe you have to be at all of them.

in the last 2 months I've spoken with several parents about their teens coming to church.  Some parents I've approached and some parents have approached me. 

it seems that many teenagers have been given the option of going to church.  and if the parent can not convince them to go on their own then they can do what ever they want to.

what they think is "i don't want to make them go to church and when they grow up they resent it and quit going." 

but I'm not sure that is the best way to approach this.  when we are growing up we learn what's important by the expectation that we percieve.  many people believe education is important cause the were expected to work hard in school.  many people believe working and earning money is important cause they were expected to appreciate the value of a dollar.  many people believe family is important because the were expected to support and love their family.  but when it come to church, it seems the expectations have been dropped to almost zero.  now the "wishes" are still there, such as "i wish my child would want to go to church"  but there doesn't seem to be an expectation.  I believe that sends a message that church is not really important, that your relationship with God is not urgent.  it's on the level of a sport or an instrument...  if you want to do it, then i'll support you, but I won't expect that of you...  sadly, if the truth be known, church falls below sports and arts as well.... 

so, now, some of you have the power to choose...  so i want to give you some things to think about as you make your choice. 

honestly if you've read this far, i'm impressed, and i'm encouraged that you are interested enough to give this a fair shake...  

so here it is - 15 reasons Christian teenagers should go to church:

1.  it's a great opporutinty to study scripture.  most teens don't make the time to do daily devotions, so this is at least one place that you can get some spiritual nutrician.  if you don't do it here, you more than likely won't do it at all.

2.  people here need to see you.  the purpose of Church is to encourage each other to serve Christ, some people need encouragement from you cause they look up to you.

3.  you need a reminder.  it's easy to forget who we are and what Christ wants us to be doing, Church is a way to remind each other and commit to serving God in the upcoming week. 

4.  dominos affect.  you affect others.  if you make a stand to come every week, then it will help others who are not sure if they are going to come...  and if you don't come, it may discourage those who are coming and make them want to quit.  Will you make a stand even if you're by yourself for a while?

5.  better together:  most teenagers never do local mission projects, but a strong sunday school class can join together and do some neat things, but if no one in the clas is reliable or commited, then things can't get done. also when a good group of teenagers join together, the excitment is contagious to others. 

6.  telling others about Christ.  church makes Christian more aware of what scripture says, it gives a chance to ask hard questions.  if Christian are more aware, they can do a better job of tell others who don't believe in Christ.  if those who don't believe have better information, they have a better chance of making a good decision.  if they make a good decision then they have eternal life in heaven to look forward to. 

7.  letting friends hear for themselves.  most teenagers have friends who are Christians or aren't commited Christians.  if you are commited to church, then it's easier for them to give it a shot and hear what scripture says, this could also make an eternal differentce in their life.

8.  God expects you to support a church and allow it to make you stronger as you make it stronger.  as a Christian you are to do what you know God expects - no excuses -

9.  the younger crowd.  they always want to know what the teenagers are doing.  if they see teenagers committed to church and to Christ, then they are going to be influenced to take a longer look at Christianity.  this obviously can make an eternal difference in their lives

10.  your teachers:  these are adults that want to see you succeed as a Christian teenager!  building a relationship with them each week can be a great resource for you to use in your Christian walk.

11.  5 Birds with one stone!  as a Christian the Bible expects you to achieve in the areas of discipleship, fellowship, service, evangelism, and worship.  Church is God's plan to help you achieve all 5 at once.

12.  getting serious.  let's just say several Chrisitan teens said to each other, "I want to get serious about my Christian life."  Church is the perfect place for them to meet and to pray, set goals, hold each other accountable.

13.  visitors.  when new people are looking for a church, if they see teenagers who are commited they are very attracted, if they don't then they get the feel that this church is dying.

14.  cause it looks good!  some people wonder if teenagers even care about God.  when they see a strong group of teen devoted to meeting every week for the purpose of growing closer to Christ, then they see teens saying with their choices that "I love God and HE is very important to me."  and what you do speaks evern louder than what you say.

15.  cause the church is one body with many parts.  if you aren't commited to coming, you handicap the church.  for the church to function best, it must have every person commited to supporting it.  each person that is not commited hurts the church, each person that is commited strengthens the church.  so which every church God is calling you to, be commited!

I guess what it boils down to is are you a commited follower of Christ?  Are you ready to get serious about your faith?  are you wanting to help others grow in their faith?  are you willing to do what is right even when no one else may be?  do you believe God wants to use you to influence others in a postivie way? 

COME JOIN US!  STUDY THE SCRIPTURE, LIVE THE SCRIPTURE, TELL THE SCRIPTURE!  It's a big part of our God given purpose!  don't neglect it!