Wednesday, February 19, 2014

QUESTION BOX #4


So the questions keep coming in our Question Box each week. While there's a wide variety from silly to serious, it is interesting to see trends in questions occur. One of the most frequent questions I'm currently receiving revolve around being AWESOME:

"Why am I so awesome?"
"Why is (student's name here) so awesome?"
"When God made me did he put in extra awesome?"

I love these questions. The simple answer is because you are made in God's image. In the first two chapters of Genesis we see God speak the rest of creation into existence, but He hand crafted mankind, making us to reflect Himself.

In Psalm 139 (if you've never read this Psalm you should stop reading this and go do so immediately) the author reflects on this fact:

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:13-14 ESV)

So we are awesome only because God is awesome. So our challenge is to live lives that reflect Him so that He gets the glory.

Looking forward to tonight's fresh batch of questions! Keep 'em coming!

Friday, February 14, 2014

DCYBATD week 4: WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN?

This past Wednesday night, Randell Boggs (pictured here back in the day rocking out with his cohort Tyler...sort of) shared with our youth group on the common question: WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN? I so enjoyed his teaching - from the great questions to the thought's from Carlos Whittaker's blog to using 80s rock ballads as a foundation for truth.

But I most enjoyed the simple, logical train of thought he used from the Scripture to help understand where God is at in all of these tough things of life. Here's a recap:

God didn't create the world with suffering. Genesis 1:31-and God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

Sin came into the world when Adam & Eve chose to disobey God's protective command.

Through sin and selfish choices, evil is born. 2 Chronicles 12:14 says "and he did evil for he did not set his heart to seek The Lord."

The results of this are Moral evil - evil that results from human selfish desires - and Natural Evil - fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornadoes. Romans 8:22-For we know that the whole creation has been groaning in the pains of childbirth until now.

So if God didn't create sin and evil and suffering, where is He when those things are going on in our lives? Romans 8:28 tells us "and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."

See, because of the fallen nature of sin, we will face tough things in this life. But the good news is that we have a loving God who is with us through those things and will eventually overcome them for us if we trust Him. Jesus puts it best in John 16:33- I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

We'd love to hear your thoughts, comments or further questions.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

LET'S SEE THAT AGAIN...

In case you wanted to see that video from tonight again...

QUESTION BOX #3

Winter appears to be giving us a break for the rest of the week. It has been so cold and miserable the last week or so, my family has just stayed inside as close to the fire as possible. The picture to the right is from last year's archive because we haven't even wanted to venture out.

But as school and church are back in session tonight and we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I thought a good question to answer from the question box this week would be:

"WHY DOES SUMMER GO BY FAST AND WINTER DRAG ON?"

Now scientifically this seems counterintuitive, since the days are actually shorter during the winter and longer in the summer. However, I believe Albert Einstein put it best:

"When you are courting a nice girl, an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour.”

Definitely he is on to something, as when you are busy enjoying yourself at the lake, barbecuing, spending warm evenings outside with friends and family, time goes by quickly. But when you are stuck inside with nothing to do, time drags on.

However, I believe Scripture gives us another view of the winter.

Genesis 18:22 tells us: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

Isaiah 55:10-12 says: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire. And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

And Psalm 74:17 says: “It was You who set all the boundaries of the earth; You made both summer and winter.

All of this tells us a few things. One, God is in control. He made the seasons. So, if He made the seasons, it would stand to reason that there is a reason! Two, in order for us to survive, there must be a rhythm of planting, growing, harvesting, furloughing and repeat, so that we can have food. But third, and maybe most important to us, that all requires a time of rest, both for land and worker. God sets that model from the beginning when he challenged us to rest on the seventh day. Then throughout Scripture He continues to challenge us to take not just weekly, but seasonal and annual times of rest.

So God's desire is for you to use the long downtime of winter to reflect, rest, read, renew, so that when new life comes in the spring you are a ready to be a part of it.

So I pray that you used your last few snow days to rest and I pray that you are ready for what God has next in your life!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

DCYBATD: RESOURCES!!


We will be returning to our Youth series "DON'T CHECK YOUR BRAINS AT THE DOOR" next Wednesday (weather permitting) with Randell Boggs sharing on the question "WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN?"

In this interim week, I thought I'd take a moment to share some of the resources available to you to further study the big questions you have about God, faith, religion, etc.

WEBSITES
*www.seanmcdowell.org – World View Ministries is an organization aimed at helping young people define their worldview. It includes blogs, articles and videos on various related topics
*www.rzim.org - Ravi Zacharias Ministries includes an enormous library of faith and reason related articles and media.
*www.answersingenesis.org - This is the website for Ken Ham, who debated Bill Nye on the issue of Creation vs. Evolution last night. Lots of good science and Bible resources.
*www.rightnowmedia.org - This online Christian media resource is free to anyone in our church. You simple need to give us your email so we can get you added. Then you will have access to thousands of video resources. Specific to the topics of Big Questions of the Faith would be these series: DOCTRINE with Francis Chan; APOLOGETICS with Matt Chandler; or TRUE U: DOES GOD EXIST? with Dr. Stephen Meyer.

Now if you are more of a "paper-and-ink" sort of a person, here are some books I'd recommend:

*Preston Jones: “IS BELIEF IN GOD GOOD, BAD OR IRRELEVANT?”
*C.S. Lewis. “MERE CHRISTIANITY”
*Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler: “DON’T CHECK YOUR BRAINS AT THE DOOR”
*Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow: “IS GOD JUST A HUMAN INVENTION?”
*Alex McFarland and Elmer Towns: “10 QUESTIONS EVERY CHRISTIAN MUST ANSWER”
*J.P. Moreland and Mark Matlock: “SMART FAITH”
*Lee Strobel: “THE CASE FOR FAITH”; “THE CASE FOR A CREATOR”; “THE CASE FOR CHRIST”

Let me know if you check out any of these and find something you like or have questions.