Ask Me Anything?

So I've been looking at all of the questions we got from our Fall KickOff Registrations. I will now attempt to answer all of them here.

DO YOU LIKE POPCORN?
Absolutely. I make it a weekly to bi-weekly practice to consume home-popped popcorn. We cook ours in coconut oil. You should try it.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BIBLE VERSE?
That's a tough one. There are so many (approximately 31,103 to be exact) and (obviously) they are all good. But if I had to pick one of my most treasured, let-it-impact-my-life-daily verses, I'd have to say Jesus's words in John 16:33 have been dear to me as of late:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SONG?
Again, a terribly hard question. I like so much music and there are so many good songs and those songs are all good for different reasons. But if I were to pick a song that the band and the music and the meaning of the lyrics all came together to make a huge impact on me, I'd have to pick "The Suburbs" by The Arcade Fire (& for a particularly emotional experience watch the corresponding video here.)

WHERE CAN I FIND 1 CUBE FOOT OF COPPER?
The Thomas Edison National Historical Park in New Jersey. It was originally a gift to Edison by a group of mining and smelting companies. It weighs 486 pounds.

WHAT'S A GOOD BIBLE PLAN I COULD START READING?
Well, there are many and we have some hard copy plans of varying levels available at our 180 Resource Booth, but i personally use YouVersion's Bible Reading Plans on their mobile app. If you have an Apple or Android phone you can download it and pick a plan that will come up daily on your phone. A few of their plans I might suggest are: Project 51, The Gospels, and Chronological (the one I'm reading this year).

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DANCE LIKE A ROBOT?
They don't call me Mr. Roboto for no reason.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK IN THE BIBLE?
If I had to pick, it would be Romans.

HOW DO I BE MYSELF AND NOT CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK?
That is a challenge for all of us. The simple answer is find our identity in Christ. Hopefully we can begin to realize that answer this semester as we look at our identity on Wednesday Nights.

DOES GOD SLEEP?
I don't think so.

WHAT ANIMAL DO I HATE MOST?
I'm reporting you to PETA.

WHAT IS MY POINT IN BEING ON THE EARTH?
To glorify God.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?
Let's instead answer "WHAT IS YOUR MOST WATCHED MOVIE?". Toss up between the original Star Wars and The Princess Bride.

WHY DO I CONSTANTLY BITE THE SIDE OF MY FACE?
How would I know, I'm no dentist.

WHY AM I SO CLUMSY?
God must want you to learn to BE CAREFUL!

WHY IS AMERICA SUCH A BROKEN "P.C." SOCIETY?
See Genesis 3

WHY DO YOU NEED MY SHOE SIZE?
You never know when I might be at a thrift store somewhere and see this perfect pair of shoes for you.

WHY DO I HAVE TO FILL OUT THIS FORM?
Isn't it obvious?

WHAT IS A LAFFY TAFFY UPDATE?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA. Wouldn't you like to know?

HOW ARE YOU?
I'm blessed WAY MORE than I deserve.

IDK?
Me either.

Hope that all helps. I'd love it if you want to keep asking questions. You can just post them in the comments here.

THAT Video from Tonight

Here's THAT T-Shirt War Video from tonight's intro at 180 Youth Ministries: I'd love to hear your thoughts, feedback, etc. on the message. What stood out to you? What moved you? What challenged you? How do you need to REFLECT? What do you need to RECEIVE from God?

We KICKED It Off!!!

Last night was our Annual Back-To-School Kickoff event for our Youth Ministry. We had a great turn out thanks to the enthusiasm and efforts of our students promoting the event. Great job everyone! Some of the highlights: The Premiere of our new Praise Team (who sounded fantastic after just one practice!)

A crazy dance party during worship time.

And a (potential) world record of 48 pens stuck in an epic beard!

I am excited to see everyone return next week as we start of study WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE: a look at our Identity. Peace.

The Beard is Back (or The Return of the Blog)

Life is cyclical. Trends come and go...and come again...and go again. It seems like lately everywhere I look there are beards: on TV, at church, on EVERY youth pastor at camp, and even on high school kids. It's crazy. So I did what any good person would do...I gave in to peer pressure and grew one. But the truth is, no matter your beard-motivation, this is not a new trend. Recently, my wife's aunt, who is a family-tree guru, looked up some of my ancestors. Here's my Great Great Grandfather Homer Rufus Elliott: Now that is a great beard! Well, all this talk of trend-cycles has inspired me to more than some scruffy face hairs; It has also inspired me to resume my blog. My plan for this space is to make regular posts that inspire thought and discussion as well as have some fun. I will largely use it as an extension of my personal devotional life and the lessons I teach at church. So I hope you join me in pondering the deep things of life. And if you wonder what this particular post has to do with those deep things, check out what the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon had to say about beards:

God bless.