NYWC Atlanta 2012: Part 1

There’s nothing like a National Youth Workers Convention to jump-start my blogging!  So, I will once again attempt to record my thoughts, observations, and notes here…should anyone be interested in reading them.

I came a day early for the pre-convention spiritual retreat, “Coming Home: An Invitation to Rest in God” led by Mark Yaconelli.  This also gives me a chance to scout the lay of the land before the rest of our group comes up tomorrow.

This is the first time I’ve been to an NYWC in Atlanta that wasn’t at the World Congress Center.  At first I was very disappointed in the new location of the conference, but once I got here I fell in love with it!  The Atlanta Marriott Marquis is beautiful, well laid-out, and has great access to plenty of food options that are reasonably priced.  In fact, I can walk from the parking garage to the hotel to the Peachtree Center Mall without ever stepping foot outside!  I can see definite advantage in having the conference in the hotel!  It takes 30 seconds to get up to my room!

Now…on to more weighty matters.  My first day of retreat was very meaningful.  The Lord has spoken to me and revealed to me some deep things about myself.  We spent the day exploring the idea of “coming home,” with God being the one who is always “at home” in our lives.  We are the prodigals who wonder away and need to come back home to the Father.  We explored our childhood memories of home, we wrestled with the deep fears and longings of our hearts, and we laid ourselves bare to Jesus’ loving attention.   I really can’t write any more on this until I have some time to sit with it.

Finally, let me say that I’m thankful the bookstore wasn’t actually open for purchasing anything.  I gave it a very thorough look over, and if I could buy anything right now, I’m sure I’d blow a small fortune!  There are so many great resources and books there for student ministry and personal growth.  So, I’m now going to spend some time narrowing down my selections!  Tomorrow is going to be great!

Stand Firm in the Faith!

I have continued to meditate on 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 over the last several weeks, but have fallen down on the job of blogging about it.  These two verses are a series of brief, pointed commands.  And I believe that they outline some of the key elements to being a strong disciple of Jesus in today’s world.

Here it is in the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation:

“Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong. Your every [action] must be done with love.”  –1 Corinthians 16:13-14

“Stand firm in the faith” has taken on new meaning for me as I have been following the story of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran over the past several days.  This young Iranian pastor has refused to recant his faith in Christ.  As a result today the Iranian courts have sentenced him to death.  Whether this will stand, or will be repealed, remains to be seen.  The international community has risen up in united outrage over this blatant violation of basic human rights.  With this outcry and God’s people in earnest prayer, hopefully Pastor Nadarkhani will indeed be released.

This man is a living example of what it means to “stand firm in the faith.”  He willingly risks losing his life for the sake of the Gospel of Christ.  He would rather die than deny his Lord and Savior.  THAT is true faith!  C.S. Lewis once said,

“You never know how much you really believe anything
until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you.”

I hope that you will join me in prayer for Pastor Nadarkhani and all Christians facing persecution for their faith.  Here are some other things you can do with your church and youth group:

• PRAY with your youth, Sunday School class, and church.
• Educate them with help from Voice of the Martyrs and many other organizations out there.  I’ve recently discovered a powerful documentary entitled Love Costs Everything.  Below is the trailer:

• Discuss with your group the difference it would make if they lived in a place where being a Christian was dangerous.  How do they stand firm in their faith?  How does that compare to how people like Pastor Nadarkhani stand firm in the faith?

Audacious Faith: Preparing for Victory

Here is my 3rd sermon in the series I preached in May and June of this year.  It’s taken from Joshua chapter 5, when the people reaffirmed their covenant relationship with God by circumcising the males, and then observing the Passover for the first time since Mt. Sinai.  This sermon lead up to our own reaffirmation of our commitments to God and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. o

Audacious Faith sermon #3: Preparing for Victory

Audacious Faith: A Crossover People

Here is my 2nd sermon in the series I preached between our pastor retiring and our interim beginning.  It’s taken from Joshua chapters 3-4, when the people of Israel crossed over the Jordan River into the Promised Land.  I hope it challenges and encourages you today.

Audacious Faith sermon #2:  A Crossover People

Be Alert!

I have been inspired to meditate on 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 over the next 5 weeks.  Our interim pastor, Dr. Leonard Dupree, preached on 1 Cor. 16 this past Sunday morning, and these two verses in particular spoke to me.  They are a series of brief, pointed commands.  And I believe that they outline some of the key elements to being a strong disciple of Jesus in today’s world.

I really like the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation of this passage.  Here it is:

“Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong. Your every [action] must be done with love.”  –1 Corinthians 16:13-14

This week, I’m meditating on what it means to “Be alert!” Other translations say, “Be on your guard.”  I see this applying in a number of ways:

• Be alert to open doors of ministry.  Earlier, in 1 Corinthians 16:9 Paul talks about a great door of ministry opportunity that has opened for him.  What doors of ministry opportunity is God opening up for me every day?  Am I missing them because I’m not on the alert?  Am I failing to see people with compassion the way Jesus did?
• Be on your guard against temptation.  1 Peter 5:8 warns us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  This echos the warning God gave Cain in Genesis 4:7.  What are my spiritual blind spots I need to be especially aware of?  What wrong attitudes or motives do I tend to struggle with?  Do I have a tendency to complain, to get my way at any cost, to be judgmental of others?  What are my weaknesses that Satan tries to capitalize on?  Greed? Lust? Pride? Materialism?  I need to be on my guard and alert to these tendencies so I can avoid those pitfalls

What about you?  How do you need to be more alert and on your guard in your personal and family life?  What ministry opportunities do you need to keep your eyes open for?  What areas do you need to guard against temptation and wrong attitudes?  What are your blindspots?  What kids are falling through the cracks in your ministry?  What issues and topics have you been avoiding teaching on or addressing with your students?