Friday, October 30, 2009
Porter Christian Club
So you guys know I went to Porter for a semester way long time ago. (13 years ago to be exact.) I was invited to speak at their Christian Club. I was thoroughly impressed and humbled and encouraged. It was really great to see this amazing mix of students in a classroom, all willing to spend time learning about God and fellowshipping with one another. I hope that I can have more chances to work with groups like this. Often times more powerful ministry happens outside of church, and it was great to see JH students being at the forefront of that on Thursday. Major props to all the Christian Club leaders. I hope that we can get together soon to talk strategy!
Monday, October 26, 2009
A call for prayer
Somewhere between the beginning of this summer and the beginning of this school year... something changed. I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the transition of the old 8th graders out and the new 6th graders in... but things seem unsettled. Maybe it's individual hardships and circumstances, but If your heart beats with the rhythm of our ministry, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.
We need to pray. Things have been funky, and we need to get on our knees about it. We need to pray for our ministry, our staff, and our fellow brothers and sisters.
Wed 7:30 to 9:30.
We need to pray. Things have been funky, and we need to get on our knees about it. We need to pray for our ministry, our staff, and our fellow brothers and sisters.
Wed 7:30 to 9:30.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Candyland!!
Candyland season is upon us. (Halloween, I mean.) That means we need people to help us pull together to decorate our church and lead elementary students through the maze of games and candy.
It's always a fun event, and there's always a bonus: candy!
We'll be decorating for the next two Fridays (including today) from 6:30pm to 10pm.
And then the event itself will be on Saturday 10/31/09 from 5pm.
Yeah-Yuh!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Windows 7 & Healthy Competition
Today, Windows 7 was released. I doubt any of you JHers actually upgraded today. (If you did... congratulations!)
So that marks the two most famous computer companies both using this week to launch huge products. Apple launched a new iMac and Macbook, some other updates and a brand new mouse. Microsoft wiped out Vista and launched a significantly better Windows OS.
So who wins?
You and me! You see, sometimes competition can be awesome. It motivates us, it helps us gain an edge and makes us want to do better. This is why we watch sports. It's all about competition. And in the case of Microsoft vs. Apple, when they compete and do their best, we, the customer, get better products. But not all competition is good. Sometimes it's terrible. It leads us to do shady things like cheat and steal. And dirty competition leads to nothing for everyone involved.
So... who do you compete with in life? Your friends? Your brother? Sister? What do you compete for? Attention? The latest fashion statement? Popularity?
Whatever it is, let's just make sure that it's actually worth competing for. The latest and greatest thing will soon become last year's long gone trend. What you wear now may not be cool in 6 months. But your education? Your grades? That actually has an impact on your future.
Reputation? Now that's a tougher one to figure out. But what's your reputation worth? Say someone is saying things behind your back. Sure, you attack them back, but what does that say about you? Reputation is difficult to defend with words because reputation is built on actions.
Be competitive with things that matter, and drop the things that don't. It's a waste of time.
-Kevin
So that marks the two most famous computer companies both using this week to launch huge products. Apple launched a new iMac and Macbook, some other updates and a brand new mouse. Microsoft wiped out Vista and launched a significantly better Windows OS.
So who wins?
You and me! You see, sometimes competition can be awesome. It motivates us, it helps us gain an edge and makes us want to do better. This is why we watch sports. It's all about competition. And in the case of Microsoft vs. Apple, when they compete and do their best, we, the customer, get better products. But not all competition is good. Sometimes it's terrible. It leads us to do shady things like cheat and steal. And dirty competition leads to nothing for everyone involved.
So... who do you compete with in life? Your friends? Your brother? Sister? What do you compete for? Attention? The latest fashion statement? Popularity?
Whatever it is, let's just make sure that it's actually worth competing for. The latest and greatest thing will soon become last year's long gone trend. What you wear now may not be cool in 6 months. But your education? Your grades? That actually has an impact on your future.
Reputation? Now that's a tougher one to figure out. But what's your reputation worth? Say someone is saying things behind your back. Sure, you attack them back, but what does that say about you? Reputation is difficult to defend with words because reputation is built on actions.
Be competitive with things that matter, and drop the things that don't. It's a waste of time.
-Kevin
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Following the leader, the leader, the leader...
Hey, did you know you can become a follower of this blog?!?!
New Apple Products!
And that got me thinking. What is it inside of us that makes us all of a sudden hate the old stuff when newer, shinier things come out? Whether it's cars, computers, clothes, or phones, we all have this desire to get the latest and greatest thing. But it's not like the old stuff stops working. It's not like the old stuff doesn't do less than when you first bought it... it's just our desire to have something better, shinier, newer, smaller, bigger, etc. We spend so much of our time chasing the newest thing... when a couple of months from now, we'll have it, and then something new comes out and then we'll all be chasing that again. It's a constant cycle of chasing... when does it end? When are we finally going to be satisfied?
I think you know where I'm going with this. Maybe we need to stop chasing the newer, shinier thing, and be grateful for what we already have. Maybe we need to stop chasing the things that are ever-changing, and start chasing the everlasting, always faithful God. 6 months from now, guess what? God will be God. He'll still be all-powerful. He'll still be full of grace. He'll still be loving and merciful...
The new iMac is incredible... but in 6 months, something tells me that this will no longer be the "best" thing out there.
Monday, October 19, 2009
It's Fall! Time to turn a new leaf...
P. Kevin here...
So I know our website has been fairly dry lately, but I think it's time to have something interesting or insightful everyday of the week to read. You guys spend all day at school, and then you're home, and you're studying, you're watching TV, you're playing video games, you're talking to your friends... it's hard to get a "God" moment everyday when there are so many other things going on. Sometimes after a busy day, we can forget that God wants our attention, even if it's just for a moment.
So I had a chance to watch "Where the Wild Things Are" with my small group yesterday after Sunday worship. We had a good time, but I have to say that the movie wasn't really what I expected. The previews made it seem like it was going to be an adventure movie, and critics gave the movie some awesome reviews. Me? I found it a bit boring because of those expectations. And I know my boys found it to be pretty dry as well... maybe even a little confusing. The movie was slow and there didn't seem to be much to look forward to once you saw Max interacting with the "wild things". The movie itself was very well made though. The "wild things" were done very well... the eyes of each character expressed things that most CGI characters in movies can't do. There was emotionality to the characters that I enjoyed. But it wasn't a "terrible" movie. It was just not at all what I expected.
But as with all movies, I was reminded of the fact that each of us want to belong. The main character, the boy named Max runs away into his imagination because he wanted attention... he wanted love, he wanted to belong. No one likes rejection. And so even in his fantasy world, he wants to be accepted, and so he lies about being a "king". Aren't we all like that? We become who we think someone else wants us to be. Think about the groups of friends at your school. Certain people hang out with certain people. If you have two separate groups of friends, if you pay careful attention, you'll see that for each group of friends, you're different with them. You talk and act a certain way around them. The fear of rejection and the joy of being accepted are very powerful things in our life.
I hope that you feel accepted in our Elevate JH ministry. You may not know everyone or care about everyone... but I hope that you can call this ministry home. It's not an easy process, but hopefully in the weeks to come, those on the edges would become part of the inside. And once we start making a greater effort, we hope that you'll make a greater effort too.
So I know our website has been fairly dry lately, but I think it's time to have something interesting or insightful everyday of the week to read. You guys spend all day at school, and then you're home, and you're studying, you're watching TV, you're playing video games, you're talking to your friends... it's hard to get a "God" moment everyday when there are so many other things going on. Sometimes after a busy day, we can forget that God wants our attention, even if it's just for a moment.
So I had a chance to watch "Where the Wild Things Are" with my small group yesterday after Sunday worship. We had a good time, but I have to say that the movie wasn't really what I expected. The previews made it seem like it was going to be an adventure movie, and critics gave the movie some awesome reviews. Me? I found it a bit boring because of those expectations. And I know my boys found it to be pretty dry as well... maybe even a little confusing. The movie was slow and there didn't seem to be much to look forward to once you saw Max interacting with the "wild things". The movie itself was very well made though. The "wild things" were done very well... the eyes of each character expressed things that most CGI characters in movies can't do. There was emotionality to the characters that I enjoyed. But it wasn't a "terrible" movie. It was just not at all what I expected.
But as with all movies, I was reminded of the fact that each of us want to belong. The main character, the boy named Max runs away into his imagination because he wanted attention... he wanted love, he wanted to belong. No one likes rejection. And so even in his fantasy world, he wants to be accepted, and so he lies about being a "king". Aren't we all like that? We become who we think someone else wants us to be. Think about the groups of friends at your school. Certain people hang out with certain people. If you have two separate groups of friends, if you pay careful attention, you'll see that for each group of friends, you're different with them. You talk and act a certain way around them. The fear of rejection and the joy of being accepted are very powerful things in our life.
I hope that you feel accepted in our Elevate JH ministry. You may not know everyone or care about everyone... but I hope that you can call this ministry home. It's not an easy process, but hopefully in the weeks to come, those on the edges would become part of the inside. And once we start making a greater effort, we hope that you'll make a greater effort too.
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