Jesus’ prayers were answered

John 17:20-21

20
“I pray for these followers, but I am also praying for all those who will believe in me because of their teaching.21 Father, I pray that they can be one. As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us. Then the world will believe that you sent me.

Think about this prayer offered up by Christ.  It’s amazing!  The context is that He is about to ascend back into heaven to be with His Father.  He had just been praying for His disciples, when He does something astounding in verse 20.  He prays for us…that’s right, you…me…us  If you have chosen to live for Jesus, He prayed specifically for you!  He prayed for all of those who would believe through the message of His disciples.  His prayer has been answered! Think about it:

 

The Story — At Just the Right Time

I don’t usually do this, but at the encouragement of a friend, I thought I would.  I am posting a message I did for Middle and High School students yesterday during worship service.  The message was a continuation of a series we created called “The Story.”  During this series, we focused on Creation, The Fall and The Exodus.  Yesterday, our focus was on how Jesus entered the story at just the right time.  In order to hold students’ attention and to make them think, I wrote a story which had an “epic” feel and focused on some themes we wanted to concentrate on that morning:

- At just the right time, in the story, Jesus came to be with us.

- Jesus came to free us from all that holds us hostage.

Check it out and I hope that God is able to bless you through it (this is my entire message…so it may take some time to read through.)

 

A Part of Something Bigger Than Myself…

It’s been a rough football week for me…

The team I coach lost their first game of the season last week.  My beloved Buckeyes looked confused, slow,  timid and got embarrassed again on the National Stage (boy, isn’t USC the most arrogant football team ever?).  The Browns dropped passes, made mistakes and were unwilling to take chances against the Steelers.  All of these losses affected my mood.  I found myself going to bed angry last night.  Why?  I don’t know…I mean it’s just football.  I don’t play for the Buckeyes…I don’t coach for the Browns…I need to expect that my team of 7 & 8th graders will make mistakes sometimes.  So, what’s the deal?  Well, if I take a step back and really see why I can get so passionate about sports, and sometimes why a loss can affect my mood, what I really see is this:  I want to be a part of something BIG. I love to be on a mission.  I love to have vision.  I love to lead.  I love to be led by visionaries. There is also a part of me that is looking for something to conquer.  At the surface level, this is not a bad thing, but I need to be reminded of something: I am a part of something BIG!

 

The Rear View Mirror

It’s been a while since I have blogged, but I wanted to share a thought quickly with you.  A few months ago, I came to an amazing realization:  I am not who I used to be.  I am now a husband an a father.  I realized this one day when I looked in my rear view mirror.  Shortly after Elle was born, I had both of the kids in my car.  I glanced in my rear view mirror to the back seat and realized I had not one, but two kids.  My, where did the time go?

 

An Expensive Purchase

Think of something valuable or expensive that you purchased and now own. For example, a house, some jewelry, a car or that all-important Nintendo Wii How do you treat this possession? I think back to my first “real purchase” as a young adult — a 2000 Plymouth Neon. Man, I was so careful with that car. I would clean it often and make sure the rims looked good. Now, don’t get me wrong, I certainly was NOT any cooler for driving this car. The Neon didn’t get me any more dates, nor did it inspire me to do any “Fast and Furious” stunts with the hoppin’ 4-cylinder.  But I really took care of this car. Why? Well, for me, it was an expensive purchase. I mean I had just graduated college and spent several thousand dollars on this car (with additional help from my parents.) So I took care of it.

Keep that picture in your mind of a valuable possession that you have purchased at some point in your life.

 

What if God Says No?

This is a question that I recently asked some students in our ministry.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  Click here to engage in the conversation.

 

Good Friday’s Lamb

Today is Good Friday and a chance to reflect on the amazing sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Often times Jesus is referred to as “the Lamb of God.” But, what does that really mean? Why would Jesus be associated with this kind of animal?

 

God or Gas? (an encouragement to students)

(this is another post from our Jonah Challenge for Middle and High School Students)

Funny title I know, but a good question to ask — especially when it comes to determining if we truly are experiencing a “calling” from God, or just the result of too much Chipotle. The funny thing about Jonah is that he seems like a real baby at times in the story found in the Bible. Yet, God still called him to something…God still had a specific purpose for his life. Check this out:

Jonah 1:1-2

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

God told Jonah to do something. God had an assignment for Jonah. Maybe it was something Jonah FELT deep in his soul? Maybe Jonah actually HEARD God with his own ears? Whatever happened, we know this: God does give specific callings for people. Is God calling you? How can you tell?

Here are a few things to help you out: