Coming up...

Wednesday August 5th- Shock will be enjoying some mini-golf at Harbor Light Golf in Wildwood, NJ. The time this night will be changed from 6-8pm to 4-6pm.

Sunday August 9th- Connection will be holding its first ever Banana Party. More details to come. Admission will be One Banana and you must wear yellow. 6:30-8:30PM @ The BanAnnex

Some topics to come in August:

Repentance

Sin

God's Glory

Holly Jolly Summer Christmas

Connection had a holly jolly Christmas this July. Sunday we enjoyed building Frosty the Marshman (we used marshmallows because sadly there was no snow to be found in the area), played Christmas Carol Charades, had a lovely rendition of Partridge in a pair tree and so much more.

The Christmas spirit was truly evident this July. Too often we can miss the importance of Christmas when it's surrounded by all of the Holiday hooplah. It was awesome for us to take the time to celebrate God's interaction with mankind at a not-so-normal time of the year.

Our lesson centered on faith and the fact that it is by faith that we are justified. Faith is not something to be based off of emotions or the crowds but it is something that should be based on the proven trustworthiness of God which can be found in the scriptures.

We then had an amazing prayer time to close in which we lifted our lives and the lives of others to the Lord.

Heads Up

American Christianity which has sadly crept into the Christianity of churches is one that is very man-centered and selfish. This is nothing new which is why Jesus warns believers and people against who they listen to in Matthew 7:15. False prophets are not always easy to recognize for they are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing- they have the appearance of being faithful churchgoers and studiers of the Word but they are far from the truth. One of my frustrations with Christian retreats most recently has been the drive for Pastors and speakers to wish to be exciting rather than truthful. The truth isn’t always going to guarantee the best crowd response which is why many retreat speakers make Christianity and Salvation out to be more like six flags than the narrow road that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 7.

Creating a me-centered gospel is simply more comfortable. Just think of the last time you’ve heard the Gospel presented. How many times was the word “you” used? God loves you. God wants you. Jesus died for you. God wants to be your friend…etc. You get the picture. We build the person up so much that they think they’re doing God a favor by “being saved”. God is presented as desperate for friends and we approach others like mothers who push their kids to befriend the not-so-popular kid, “Just give God a chance. He really loves you and wants to be your friend.” This is the all-mighty, powerful, holy God we are talking about; The One who holds the universe and our very existence in His hands. The way we present the gospel leaves those aspects out. It also makes salvation more like recruitment; instead of “being saved” people are “being recruited” to befriend a very false God and be involved in a very false Christianity.

Salvation should lead to a realization of our desperate need for God. There is no part of the gospel experience that should leave you feeling good about yourself. The truth is that we have been born completely wicked and in sin. There is absolutely no way for us to gain salvation on our own. Every act is an act of God’s sovereign grace. To put the final decision in man’s hands is to take ultimate authority away from God.

Matthew 7:13-29 describes two roads, two trees, and two house foundations. Jesus tells us that we have two choices there is only ONE right choice though. You can either walk the narrow road or the broad road. You can either be a good tree or a bad tree. You can build your house on the rock or on sand. Jesus tells us that very few walk the narrow road which is completely true as evidenced in today’s “Christian” society. Many people are convinced that as long as you’ve said the prayer at one point in your life than you’re saved and good to go. Yes, profession is a part of the salvation experience but I’m here today to say that merely saying a prayer is not evidence of your salvation. That would be like saying that conversion is like a flu-shot, “I got the shot now I’m good to go. I don’t need to worry about the way I live from here on out.” Genuine conversion is an experience that leads to transformation and as I said before a realization of your desperate need for God. To say the prayer is enough goes along with the me-centered gospel which gives man the authority to claim whether he/she has salvation or not.

Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My father who is in heaven will enter" (Matt. 7:21). Ultimately it is up to God. How do you know then if you are saved? “You will know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:20). So often we find rest in simply saying a prayer at one point or calling ourselves Christians when we live lives completely against God and His word. When there is a genuine encounter with the Lord there will be fruit in your life and evidence from that encounter. It doesn’t matter if you know who Jesus is, what matters is if He knows you (1 John 2:4-5).

Christmas in July!

Yestarday could not have been any hotter-

but that didn't keep us from celebrating Christmas!

Yes, Christmas.

Shock had its first ever Christmas in July celebration. Christmas music filled the air, the halls were decked, and we participated in some out of the ordinary Christmas games.

We also ended the night with popsicles, which is something that is a little out of the ordinary for a Christmas celebration- but it's July!

We certainly are looking forward to Connection's celebration on Sunday.

Christmas is coming early this year...

Shock Pool Party!

Shock had their first party of the summer and it was a splash!

We met at the Pattison's house for some food, pool, fun, and also some time in God's Word. It was great to see everyone there that showed up- and if you weren't there- well then you missed out.

Julian Price was the first to venture in the pool and everyone followed in after his lead. There was volleyball, some kickball, and even a game involving a sweatshirt exchange inside the pool. The Pattison's also provided hot dogs and desert for everyone to enjoy.

Our topic for this week in Connection and Shock was Praise- it was also good to discuss a little about praise and what it means to live lives dedicated to praise to the Lord.

Friday Flick #2 Is Just Around The Corner!

This Month's Friday Flick is:

I AM LEGEND

Following last month's Friday Flick I could not wait for the next one to take place. The movie may be a little scary but I cannot wait for the conversation and discussion that it will be sure to spark.

Remember, yes this is a night to watch a movie but that is only half of it- the night's main focus and goal is to learn how to process through and discuss what was just viewed. So if you're gonna show up- be ready to interact with all of those that are there!

Look forward to seeing you there and talking with you!

The Friday Flick is this Friday, July 17. 6:30-9PM

Ultimate Spoons Tournament

Spoons Everywhere!

From beautifully decorated spoons to a sparkling silver spoon walkway to wonderful spoon trees (a.k.a. Christmas Trees decorated with spoons)-

The first Ultimate Spoons Tournament was accomplished!

The teams involved:

M.A.D. Spoons

Valkrie

Uhhh

Just give us a team name

5-4-3-2-1

Yes, some interesting names but each team had some serious spoons players involved. They certainly put their blood, sweat, and tears into the night as each team pressed on through 3 rounds of increasing difficulty to gain the grand prizes- edible treats that of course have to be eaten with a spoon.

Our 1st place winners of the evening was M.A.D. Spoons. This team came ready to play as they frequently ended in 1st place throughout the rounds. Congratulations to M.A.D. spoons for their work and effort!

This night surely was a blast and I know that we are each looking forward to the next Ultimate Spoons Tournament.

The world renowned producer, director and artist, Mike Krieg volunteered for no money to make a commercial for the event- check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd4sriPDdi8

OddBall Olympics

The Olympic games are completed...

Both our groups, Connection and Shock, competed and competed well for the honor of olympic pride...oddball olympic pride that is.

Connection's olympics took place on Sunday night and last night Shock's olympics went underway.

We had a wonderful time- but once again I did not have my camera to document the precious moments that were experienced. The events included: the discus throw, the hammer throw, high jump, the javelin throw, and the full team relay.

Each team formed together to create a country and flag. Some of the teams included: Mars, Sparta, Australia, Battlestar Gallactica, The Sun, and many more.

Giving up to God

The following is a recent testimony from a student in our group of the amazing work of God and how incredible it is to have Him take hold and control of tough situations in life. The hardest step in the toughest of times is to give up control and hand the situation over to God but like this student describes the results are incredible.

OK, to be honest I haven’t been myself lately. In fact, I’ve been totally depressed and I’m sure that everyone whose been around me has noticed that. There were many reasons for this, but its still no excuse for all of my apathy. God has put me through a very very huge gigantic mammoth sized test in the past month and at first i felt like I’ve failed him. I let myself slip into a stage that i really hated and regret. However, thanks to many of my trustworthy friends, and the counseling I've had with them, I’ve been able to understand how to overcome this dark time. Like many others, this test for me has been difficult and I should have right away reached out for God instead of letting myself drift away. Because I let all these heavy burdens get to me it has ruined some of my recent retreats and activities. But as of now, July 6, 2009 I have overcome this challenge and have begun to restore my flame for God. I realized that I needed to give it all up to him, and even though i constantly told him, I guess it wasn't enough. Today, every possible thing that I planned went wrong, and a lot of stress engulfed me. but I spent about an hour and a half on the roof just talking to God, and it started out by seeing the worst possible situation. then I began to see that I don't want it to turn out like that, and if really am the leader that I thought I was, I have to get over this and start to make things right again. And it wasn't easy to come to this resolution, but the first thing I did was fix the screwed up relationship I made with my brothers. I went to them and humbled myself before them and God, and apologized. I apologized for all the wrong things I’ve done and all the things that seemed wrong to them. Lucky for me that they let me turn off the TV and listened. And I thought I was going to get shut down, it’s amazing what the Holy Spirit can do. Anyway, for twenty minutes I had a conversation with them and it was great, I think I finally made things right between me and my brothers, and it feels good. At the end of it we hugged (which is an extremely rare thing) and made up for all the bad things that happened in the past. And now, I finally feel relieved from my constant stress and pain, and its all thanks to God. During that hour and a half prayer, I gave it all up to him, and it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and face (that’s another story). But I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m back and I feel wonderful. I don’t know who’s going to read this, or even if they give a care, but if you do could you pray for me, I really could use it. And if anyone else is going through a tough time, and I know there is, allow me to let you in on a little secret. GIVE IT UP! If you really want to get rid of this pain give it up to God. I’m not saying the problems are just going to go away like magic, but God will lift the weight and help you carry it. Anyway, that’s all I want to say, and maybe many many things can come from this hard time I just went through. Maybe it can inspire somebody to come to God and Jesus Christ, maybe it can help some of you get through a tough time you’ve been going through, maybe I’ll use this twenty years from now as I’m preaching at a small youth group or a big music festival and have many people led to Christ. There are infinite possibilities, but even if it only helps one person, just one person. I’m glad I went through the pain to help that one person.