This is it...I just got home after possible one of the LONGEST weeks of my life. Our first day we checked the trip odometer and it read 108 miles traveled. We went from Lake Wylie to Rock Hill to Chester in one day....for those not around here, that's a good bit of traveling. We started every morning at 9 o'clock and I got home every night around 8:30 or 9, after driving all over Northern SC it seems like and hanging with around 200 kids everyday.
I wouldn't change it for the world.
This was quite possibly also one of the greatest weeks of my life. We ran the whole spectrum, starting off in the morning with 3-5 year olds, going to two YMCA camps in Rock Hill for 5-7 and 9-10 year olds, then finishing our night with a VBS in Chester with all ages. Suffice it to say, we had to adapt the material we got very quickly, because preschoolers and 5th graders have veeery different tastes. Luckily, the songs we had are good for everyone (even some adults got into them) and most of our memory verse stuff we were able to keep intact, and I was even dubbed "Bubba" at the VBS for the week, which is a persona I'll probably keep for the rest of the summer (for some reason I make a dang good ole' Bubba). But it seems like we had to make drastic changes to the way we told our Bible story and the words we used.
However, one thing we didn't change was the gospel message. I was very proud of my team, who are both a bit younger than I am and neither of them have had much practice with this, but they shared Jesus Christ with these kids, sometimes using simpler words, but never watering down the message. We had at least 13 decisions just this week...and this is only the beginning. I'm getting really excited to see how God is moving in this ministry. I can't wait to see how it starts expanding and gaining more notice in our community.
Please keep us in your prayers though. We had a fantastic week, but we are exhausted. There are only three of us in the team, sometimes with an adult, sometimes by ourselves, standing in front of 50 kids trying to keep them attentive and entertained, while trying to share the love of Jesus. It's a daunting task, so please pray for us that we'll have the strength and wisdom to deal with any problems, and that we can be worthy vessels for the Holy Spirit to move through these kids in our community. Next week, while I'm off, I plan on diving back into the Word and reflecting back on some of the things I've learned these past couple of weeks, so I should be updating pretty soon. I love you all! God Bless!
Matthew
Friday, June 27, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
PUMPED
There really isn't anything like a week at camp to get you pumped up. For serious. I had an awesome week...a long week, but a good one. I got to meet a lot of youth from all over South Carolina that were there for the same thing I was, and for the most part, waaay more excited about it. It kinda put me to shame.
All week long I was reminded of Revelation 2, when the church at Ephesus receives their letter:
I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you: you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place-unless you repent. Revelation 2:2-5 (emphasis added)
I really have been struggling for a long time, trying to regain my first love for Christ...and I've failed miserably. I didn't know how. But our chapel speaker this week (Matthew Elrod, check him out, he's awesome: www.matthewelrod.com/blog) challenged us to look at God from a different perspective, looking at God's magnificence, and really took us down a few notches. I'm regaining a zeal to study God's Word more, and I'm really excited about this summer now. In the midst of updating you on how our clubs are going, I wanna reflect on some of the things I've been challenged with this week, so look for that in the future.
All week long I was reminded of Revelation 2, when the church at Ephesus receives their letter:
I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you: you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place-unless you repent. Revelation 2:2-5 (emphasis added)
I really have been struggling for a long time, trying to regain my first love for Christ...and I've failed miserably. I didn't know how. But our chapel speaker this week (Matthew Elrod, check him out, he's awesome: www.matthewelrod.com/blog) challenged us to look at God from a different perspective, looking at God's magnificence, and really took us down a few notches. I'm regaining a zeal to study God's Word more, and I'm really excited about this summer now. In the midst of updating you on how our clubs are going, I wanna reflect on some of the things I've been challenged with this week, so look for that in the future.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
So it starts
Well, in around an hour and 40 minutes, we will be leaving to start our week of training camp. I passed my salvation presentation with flying colors (yaaay) and have everything done that I needed. I'm actually starting to feel a little giddy :D
But anyway, training is a week long, and I won't be back until next Saturday, so I probably won't be posting anything til next week. After we get back, Monday starts our official job, and we have a busy week ahead of us: 3 bible clubs from 9 to 3, then a VBS that night at 6:30, Monday through Friday. I'll be keeping you updated every couple of days, and everytime something happens that I get excited about. So anyways, please keep me in your prayers this week as I go through training, and I'll let you know how everything went in a week!
But anyway, training is a week long, and I won't be back until next Saturday, so I probably won't be posting anything til next week. After we get back, Monday starts our official job, and we have a busy week ahead of us: 3 bible clubs from 9 to 3, then a VBS that night at 6:30, Monday through Friday. I'll be keeping you updated every couple of days, and everytime something happens that I get excited about. So anyways, please keep me in your prayers this week as I go through training, and I'll let you know how everything went in a week!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Finally Back on Track
Ok...so obviously my hope at the end of my last post didn't quite work out, as it's been well over a month since my last post, but a lot of things have happened in the past month, and computer usage was scarce. But I'm home now, back in SC, and I'm getting back on track with everything.
But not without a few changes. While I do plan on finishing out part 2 of contentedness (and I know you're all dying for the conclusion :P), I'm gonna be changing the format of my posts, and a little bit of the content. While I'll still be posting my studies in the Word, many people back in WaFo asked me to keep them updated on the progress of my summer job...so I figured this would be the easiest way.
Speaking of my summer job, for those who don't know I have a job with Child Evangelism Fellowship for the summer, where I'll be working with kids in the area at YMCA's, churches, and other programs. I'm pretty excited about it, but I need a lot of prayer support, currently in the area of funding, and later for the children I will hopefully be able to reach.
So to cut this a little shorter, I'll just say come back often, as I'll be posting waaay more often than I have been, and please be in prayer for me, my team, and the children we'll be ministering to this summer. Thanks!
But not without a few changes. While I do plan on finishing out part 2 of contentedness (and I know you're all dying for the conclusion :P), I'm gonna be changing the format of my posts, and a little bit of the content. While I'll still be posting my studies in the Word, many people back in WaFo asked me to keep them updated on the progress of my summer job...so I figured this would be the easiest way.
Speaking of my summer job, for those who don't know I have a job with Child Evangelism Fellowship for the summer, where I'll be working with kids in the area at YMCA's, churches, and other programs. I'm pretty excited about it, but I need a lot of prayer support, currently in the area of funding, and later for the children I will hopefully be able to reach.
So to cut this a little shorter, I'll just say come back often, as I'll be posting waaay more often than I have been, and please be in prayer for me, my team, and the children we'll be ministering to this summer. Thanks!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Contentedness Part 1
"But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness."
1 Timothy 6:11
I'm not completely sure if the title of this post is even a word...but oh well. I haven't been able to get to a computer much in the past week, hence the week long absence again...but hopefully I can make it up by what I found in 1 Timothy.
"If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
1 Timothy 6:3-10
How many plexiglass preachers do we hear these days that preach about money? How often do we ourselves complain about it? When does concern over your finances cross over into worrying too much about money? Unfortunately, I have no clue. What I do know is, 1. Too many, 2. Too much, 3. Too quickly. As a college student, my finances is usually one of the main things I worry about. I'm always worried about if I'm going to be able to eat, or buy gas, or other things like that. But I shouldn't. At all. For a very good reason.
I started at Southeastern in fall of 2005. I had plenty of money over the summer, but due to some really, really stupid decisions on my part, I had none by the time I started college. And after books, I had less. And after my first month of rent, I had less. After a couple of weeks worth of groceries, I had none. After my first tuition payment, I had debt. Lots. And I could not get caught up. I never barely ever had money for groceries, much less anything else. And yet, I NEVER went without a meal. I never had to buy gas because I had a job I could walk to, and didn't have a car anyway. I am LIVING PROOF of Matthew 6:26.
So why can't I be content in what I have? Why must I have more? As I continue my journey towards higher integrity, I have to answer this. And it's a very hard answer. Please pray for me as I try to be content in everything God graces me with. Thanks...and I'll try to get a post up more often.
1 Timothy 6:11
I'm not completely sure if the title of this post is even a word...but oh well. I haven't been able to get to a computer much in the past week, hence the week long absence again...but hopefully I can make it up by what I found in 1 Timothy.
"If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
1 Timothy 6:3-10
How many plexiglass preachers do we hear these days that preach about money? How often do we ourselves complain about it? When does concern over your finances cross over into worrying too much about money? Unfortunately, I have no clue. What I do know is, 1. Too many, 2. Too much, 3. Too quickly. As a college student, my finances is usually one of the main things I worry about. I'm always worried about if I'm going to be able to eat, or buy gas, or other things like that. But I shouldn't. At all. For a very good reason.
I started at Southeastern in fall of 2005. I had plenty of money over the summer, but due to some really, really stupid decisions on my part, I had none by the time I started college. And after books, I had less. And after my first month of rent, I had less. After a couple of weeks worth of groceries, I had none. After my first tuition payment, I had debt. Lots. And I could not get caught up. I never barely ever had money for groceries, much less anything else. And yet, I NEVER went without a meal. I never had to buy gas because I had a job I could walk to, and didn't have a car anyway. I am LIVING PROOF of Matthew 6:26.
So why can't I be content in what I have? Why must I have more? As I continue my journey towards higher integrity, I have to answer this. And it's a very hard answer. Please pray for me as I try to be content in everything God graces me with. Thanks...and I'll try to get a post up more often.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Saved by Doctrine?
"Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."
1 Timothy 4:13
This post is a pretty difficult one, which is why it's been a week since my last post. This doesn't so much constitute my personal studies, this actually came from my experience this past weekend. I taught the 11th and 12th grade guys at Wake Forest Baptist Church for their DiscipleNow weekend. For those who don't know, the relationship between Southeastern Seminary and Wake Forest Baptist Church is not exactly a good one. WFBC is not part of the Southern Baptist Convention, and some of their theology and doctrine are more liberal than Southeasterns. Since Paige Patterson came to Southeastern and began making changes leading to Southeastern becoming very conservative, relations have become strained. Patterson was denied membership at WFBC, because they did not want the same thing to happen to their church. Ever since then, stories and rumors have been circulating about anything and everything.
And I was not immune to this. When my friend from Gardner-Webb called and asked if I could help her out, I accepted immediately, but with quiet reservations. Even as I walked over from my dorm to the church (which is right on campus by the way) I was silently praying and fearing that they would shun me when they found out I was from the seminary. I was scared. And it was completely ridiculous. Not only did I meet some of the sweetest, nicest people I have ever met there, I was accepted immediately and treated like one of their own. The guys I taught were great, and while we didn't agree on everything, we had a great time and I hope I get to know them better. I gave my contact info to the youth minister there, and he invited me to come and help anytime with anything, and even invited me to have lunch with him anytime.
You see, we, especially at seminary here, are very doctrine-centered. Please don't get me wrong, I am a Southern Baptist, and Apologist-in-training, and doctrine is very important. But we tend to elevate it to the point where if you don't have the same doctrine we do, you're not as saved as we are. And that's wrong. GRACE is what saves us, NOT doctrine. Whether someone is Methodist, Presbyterian, Anabaptist, Southern Baptist, Free Will Baptist, Pentecostal, non-denominational or any other of the thirty one flavors, what matters is that you have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life, and no matter what you do, God's grace is sufficient for you. It doesn't matter if you use grape juice or wine during your Lord's Supper. It doesn't matter whether you believe in free will or predestination. Frankly, and this is a tough one for me, it doesn't even matter if you've been sprinkled or if you've been dunked. Baptism doesn't save you. Christ does, and He'll do it even if you aren't baptized.
Again, I'm not promoting throwing away your doctrine, or not pursuing the truth, or "tolerance". What I am promoting is an understanding that not everyone is going to believe what you believe. And that's ok. Christians should fellowship with Christians, and Christian encompasses more than Southern Baptists. I, personally, am looking quite forward to working with my brothers and sisters in Wake Forest Baptist Church in the future.
1 Timothy 4:13
This post is a pretty difficult one, which is why it's been a week since my last post. This doesn't so much constitute my personal studies, this actually came from my experience this past weekend. I taught the 11th and 12th grade guys at Wake Forest Baptist Church for their DiscipleNow weekend. For those who don't know, the relationship between Southeastern Seminary and Wake Forest Baptist Church is not exactly a good one. WFBC is not part of the Southern Baptist Convention, and some of their theology and doctrine are more liberal than Southeasterns. Since Paige Patterson came to Southeastern and began making changes leading to Southeastern becoming very conservative, relations have become strained. Patterson was denied membership at WFBC, because they did not want the same thing to happen to their church. Ever since then, stories and rumors have been circulating about anything and everything.
And I was not immune to this. When my friend from Gardner-Webb called and asked if I could help her out, I accepted immediately, but with quiet reservations. Even as I walked over from my dorm to the church (which is right on campus by the way) I was silently praying and fearing that they would shun me when they found out I was from the seminary. I was scared. And it was completely ridiculous. Not only did I meet some of the sweetest, nicest people I have ever met there, I was accepted immediately and treated like one of their own. The guys I taught were great, and while we didn't agree on everything, we had a great time and I hope I get to know them better. I gave my contact info to the youth minister there, and he invited me to come and help anytime with anything, and even invited me to have lunch with him anytime.
You see, we, especially at seminary here, are very doctrine-centered. Please don't get me wrong, I am a Southern Baptist, and Apologist-in-training, and doctrine is very important. But we tend to elevate it to the point where if you don't have the same doctrine we do, you're not as saved as we are. And that's wrong. GRACE is what saves us, NOT doctrine. Whether someone is Methodist, Presbyterian, Anabaptist, Southern Baptist, Free Will Baptist, Pentecostal, non-denominational or any other of the thirty one flavors, what matters is that you have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life, and no matter what you do, God's grace is sufficient for you. It doesn't matter if you use grape juice or wine during your Lord's Supper. It doesn't matter whether you believe in free will or predestination. Frankly, and this is a tough one for me, it doesn't even matter if you've been sprinkled or if you've been dunked. Baptism doesn't save you. Christ does, and He'll do it even if you aren't baptized.
Again, I'm not promoting throwing away your doctrine, or not pursuing the truth, or "tolerance". What I am promoting is an understanding that not everyone is going to believe what you believe. And that's ok. Christians should fellowship with Christians, and Christian encompasses more than Southern Baptists. I, personally, am looking quite forward to working with my brothers and sisters in Wake Forest Baptist Church in the future.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Integrity
"Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You."
Psalm 25:21
God has many, many ways of convicting. I have found that out in the past week. It seems every day something happens and it hits me that I'm not as I should be. Just last night, I taught the guys bible study we have every Wednesday, and I convicted myself during the lesson. In my last post, I said I wanted to find out what my reordered priorities should be. Of course, God is above all, and I have to make Him first in my life. As long as I can do that, the rest should fall in line. And the only way I can do that is by increasing my integrity. A lot.
I was recently given a model as to what a man of integrity is. I was extremely humbled, and I appreciate this man and all he does. And I know God put him in my life for the purpose of showing me this, providing me a model of integrity that I can strive for. I can only pray that I don't get in my own way of attaining this goal, of being the same man everywhere, no matter where I am or who I'm with. I have to let God work in me, and I tend to get in the way of Him.
That's my other issue. Pride. I have way too much. Whenever things start going the right way, I like to pat myself on the back. So, I have a request: don't give me any praise. If I do well at something, don't tell me. If I don't do well at something, tell me how I can improve. This is going to be difficult for me, because I enjoy receiving praise...we all do. But it tends to inflate my ego a little, and that's not good. I must decrease, He must increase. Please help me in this, and keep praying for me. And if you had anything to add, please do, I would appreciate any comments.
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