UPdate

Wowzers! It's been WAY too long!

May has truly been a crazy month. Tara wrapped up her first year of med school. We moved homes. We took a little trip with her family to Branson. And we're just now finally getting settled into our new home while preparing for summer at New Life.

But it's good to finally get back on here & update what's been going on! And I got a couple of updates to go along with the freshest post as well:

1. VBS --> starts Sunday night @ 6:00 PM & will occur every night through Wednesday night. Got some awesome stuff planned so be sure to come & kick it with us each night!
2. Summer Days --> will kick off the following week June 17th & will occur every Thursday throughout the summer. Got some sick activities together so be sure you're coming out every Thursday!

More info to come so STAY TUNED!

JV

STAY

Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt distant from God? Ever felt like God was way over there & you were way over here?

Chances are that in your Christian walk you have felt this distance before. You have felt like something just wasn't right & there was this huge gap between you & the Lord.

Take a look at Job. A great servant of the Lord known to fear God, obey God & live his life for Him. Also a man of great wealth. Had a huge family, tons of livestock & simply had it all. Then Satan comes creeping into the presence of God one day & God offers Job to be tested by Satan. Just like that. God has such confidence in Job's faithfulness that he literally hands everything but Job's mortality over to Satan's dispense. What a test.

And Satan takes everything. Takes his livestock, all of his children, all his servants & even his health. Satan covers his entire body in boils & literally takes it all. Job went from having everything to having nothing. Nothing but a wife & 3 friends who constantly encouraged him to curse God & die. But Job never wavered. He never lost faith. Despite all he went through, Job believed in God's promises & remained faithful to the end.

Now why did Job go through that? Why did Job lose everything? Because God was testing him. God allowed Satan to test Job to prove His faithfulness to Job & Job's faithfulness back to him.

Now back to you. Why do you feel distant from God? Why do you go through the things you go through that just make you feel like God is far away? It's safe to say Job felt like God was a pretty good distance from Him. So here's a few reasons why you may feel the distance:

1. Test --> God is simply testing you. Just like Job, He is allowing you to go through tough times or difficult experiences just to test your faithfulness. He isn't gone. He's just testing your faith. 
2. Sin --> whenever you choose sin & yourself over God, you're naturally going to feel distant. If you continually choose to live your life in the wrong direction, the distance will be inevitable. 

So what do you do? How do you close the gap? Simple: STAY. 

1. STAY in the Bible --> you must read God's Word daily. Cannot express the power of God's Word to know Him in such an intimate way. 
2. STAY in prayer --> you have to communicate with God. Simply talk to Him. Talk to Him & listen to what He is telling you. 
3. STAY in church --> be consistent & faithful to go. Be available to hear God's Word being taught & be an active component in the body of Christ. 

And these principles apply to your spiritual life whether you feel like God is the furthest thing from you or if you feel like you are walking side-by-side. Whether you feel dead or on fire, you must STAY. And it's when you continue to be faithful that God restores you. When you continue to live your life for Him & choose Him over this world that He comes & makes you know He is right by your side. 

God is always faithful. He just wants you to be faithful back to Him. Will you STAY?

JV

ReTURN

How do you typically respond when someone gives you a gift? When someone does something nice for you? When someone pays for your meal when you go out to eat?

As you think about your response, let's take a look at the response of ten men healed of leprosy. As Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, ten outcast lepers called out to Him to come & help them. Jesus met them, healed them & told them to go tell the priests & show them the miracle that had taken place. They went, were healed & seemingly continued on their way.

However, ONLY ONE returned to Jesus. Only one came back to thank Jesus for what He did. Only one praised God for the miracle in his life & threw himself at the feet of Jesus in humility & gratitude. Only one returned.

So what about you? Who are you in this story? Has Jesus changed your life & you have simply gone on your way? Never to return? I think that might be the case for many of us. We get what we want from Jesus in salvation, but we never live it out. We rarely go to church, open our Bibles, or even pray. We have altogether forgotten about the miracle done in our life. We have gotten so excited over the blessing, we have forgotten WHO has blessed us.

But Jesus wants us to RETURN. He wants us to truly follow Him & be just like Him. Jesus tells us in Luke 14:27 that "anyone who does not carry his cross & follow me cannot be my disciple." The cross of self-denial. The cross of making Jesus more in our lives. The cross of obedience to Him & His word.

When the lone leper did return, Jesus asked him about the other nine. Is Jesus asking about you? Is Jesus asking where you have gone?

Come back to Him. ReTURN.

JV

DO Something

Question: what is your FIRST thought when you see a homeless person? When you see someone dirty & covered in filth? When you can smell someone? When you see someone with a cardboard sign on the street corner?

Unfortunately, most of us think: "Go get a job." We don't have much compassion & certainly seem to look the other way as we drive past the dirty man with a cardboard sign asking for food.

HOWEVER, the Bible calls us to have a completely different attitude. In fact, 1 John 3:17 tells us "if anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" Huge callout. If you have no compassion or love for those in need, can God's love really be inside of you? Absolutely not. James 1:27 tells us "religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." The call to love those in need. The call to provide & take care of those who lack.

But HOW? Great question. There are so many ways to ACT out God's love. You can go find a person in need & give them some clothes & food. You can go minister to & love a homeless person. And you can even do it with the click of a mouse. Below are just SOME of the many ways to get involved in taking care of the poor, orphaned & widowed. To take care of those in need. Check these out:

1. Invisible Children --> is a media-driven organization with a mission to expose & help end the war in northern Uganda & it's affect on child soldiers. http://www.invisiblechildren.com
2. TOMS Shoes --> is a shoe company with a great & simple mission: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. http://www.toms.com/
3. Call It Captivate --> is a clothing company started by Bryce Avary of The Rocket Summer to encourage people to give to others in need. When you purchase an item they give 25% or more to a mission YOU decide. http://www.callitcaptivate.com
4. Blood:Water Mission --> is a grassroots organization that empowers communities to work together against the HIV/AIDS and water crisis through creative social action. http://www.bloodwatermission.com
5. Food for the Hungry --> is a child sponsorship program designed to walk with churches, leaders & families in overcoming all forms of human poverty by living in healthy relationship with God & His creation. http://www.fh.org/

So you see, it's actually quite easy to ACT. It does us no good just to know about these things. James tells us in 2:14-17 "what good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

You cannot ignore the call. You have to ACT. You must have action. You must go.

DO something. 

JV

T-Shirt Design

So I have this really awesome top-secret graphic designer named Jeremy Teff, my brother-in-law, and he helped design us a dad-gum sweet t-shirt! So what I want you guys to do is check out the designs below & cast your vote for your favorite color scheme. You guys already voted on the design, so now you gotta pick a color. Holler your thoughts at me & the voting booth will close next Wednesday night!

JV

The "I-Minus" Cross

Take a look at or imagine the cross. Now separate the two beams. What two shapes come to mind when separated?

The first shape to make from the vertical beam is the letter "I". Then the horizontal beam brings to mind the "minus" sign. Thus, we can refer to the cross as the "I-Minus" cross. The cross of self-denial. The cross of denying what you want. The cross of denying what you think you should be happening in your life. 

We know that Jesus set the ultimate example of self-denial ON the cross. Jesus set the ultimate example when he began sweating blood in the garden as He prayed to the Father to let this burden pass from Him, yet still only asking for God's will to be done. Jesus set the ultimate example when he was stripped naked, beaten & then scourged 39 times with a whip that tore off His skin, tissue & muscle from his backside. Jesus set the ultimate example as He was being mocked as a king; given a robe, staff & a crown of thorns that was beaten into his skull. Jesus set the ultimate example as he walked, crawled & carried the cross to the eventual place of His death. Jesus set the ultimate example as stakes were driven into His hands & feet, & then elevated to be mocked & insulted. Jesus set the ultimate example as He willingly suffered hours of pure agony on the cross before eventually giving up His life. 

For Jesus, the cross was all about "I-Minus" & self-denial. The cross was all about denying His wants & needs. The cross was all about putting God's will ahead of anything else in His life. The cross was all about thinking of YOU & ME. The cross was all about Jesus taking on the sin of the whole world & taking it the grave. The cross was all about taking YOUR place. The cross was all about offering forgiveness of sin & new life as the perfect sacrifice was slain. 

But what is the cross for you? Is the cross just something to wear? Get a tattoo of? Or maybe to have a decorative wall in your house? Or, to you, is the cross all about "I-Minus" & self-denial? 

Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23 that "if anyone would come after me, he must DENY himself & take up his cross DAILY & follow me." Jesus makes sure we understand the cross is all about self-denial by His words & example. So are you living up to the standard of the cross? Are you denying yourself DAILY? Obeying God's will & word more than yourself? 

John 3:30 also tells us "He must become greater. I must become less." It should be becoming increasingly obvious Jesus wants more of Him in our lives than ourselves. That Jesus wants us to follow Him more than we follow ourselves & the pattern of this world. 

So don't ever forget the price paid for your life. The price that paid the forgiveness of your sin. Take up the cross. Deny yourself. Follow Him. 

JESUS > you

JV

Carried to the Table

In 2 Samuel 9, we learn all about a character named Mephibosheth. Son of Jonathan & grandson of Saul. A man born a prince & grew up only learning how to be a king. A man with a strong heritage & with everything at his fingertips. However, a man that was crippled. A man who couldn't walk. A man that was no longer heir to the throne & a man in hiding to stay alive. A man crushed, broken & crippled.

2 Samuel 9 opens with David asking who he might show favor to in the house of Jonathan. Now Jonathan was David's best friend & when Jonathan helped protect David's life from his father Saul, David made a covenant to always protect Jonathan's family. A covenant that went against the traditional grain when overtaking the throne, which usually entailed killing all family members & servants of the former house.

So on this particular day, David calls for Mephibosheth. Calls him into his presence & decides to bless him. To give him land, servants & the ultimate prize of a seat at the king's table. A place reserved only for the king himself & his sons. A seat of royalty & honor. And David restores to Mephibosheth all that he was due to receive as king & more.

Now understand how much like Mephibosheth you are. Because of your choices & sin, you have been left broken & crippled. You have been in hiding because of your shame & filth. Yet God is calling you out! Calling you to come into His presence so that he may bless you & give you a place at His table. Calling you to be forgiven. Calling you to become whole & clean. Calling you to be restored in His presence. Just like David, God is seeking you to give you more than your old life has given you. More than this world could have ever satisfied, God will restore to you so much more.

Yet, you have to be carried to the table. Just like Mephibosheth in his broken & crippled state had to have been carried into the presence of the king & carried to his place at the table, so must you. And there is only ONE who can do that. Jesus. He will clean you, forgive you & carry you to the table of the Father. Just as He carried the cross to forgive your sins & give you new life, He will carry you to a life restored. A life no longer broken. A life complete.

But you have to let Him. You have to understand only He can do it. Jesus tells us in John 14:6 "I am THE way...no one comes to the Father except through ME." Jesus is the way. The ONLY way. Become whole. Become clean. Become complete. Become new. Let Jesus come into your life & forgive your sins. Let Jesus carry you to the table.

JV

Music That Makes You Cooler

In this edition of Music Spotlight, I'm going to highlight a few bands/artists you should know about. And if you don't know about them, then here's your chance. Either way, you're gonna feel cooler after knowing them & listening to their music. Hit up the playlist on the right.

1. The Rocket Summer - by far one of the most talented musicians out there. As frontman of The Rocket Summer, Bryce Avary records EVERY instrument on every album & truly puts on one of the best concerts I've ever witnessed. And not only is he an incredible musician, but also an incredible writer. His lyrics are so passionate & spiritually charged, you can't help but find yourself in the lyrics & find yourself in worship. Check out The Rocket Summer website @ http://www.therocketsummer.com/

2. Danyew - this is a recent find for me & an artist that seems to be on the rise. Being a huge Phil Wickham fan, this guys falls right in line. He has incredible vocals, worshipful lyrics, & a music style that you don't hear elsewhere. This will surely be a name known across the circuit soon, so check him out first @ http://www.myspace.com/danyew

3. Chris August - this is a fun one for me. Chris was an awesome guy I looked up to growing up in church/youth together, & it has been really fun to see him grow as a musician. He has a very soulful sound, & addresses a lot of the issues we face as Christians in this world: love, change, being real & yet worship the Lord in the midst of it all. Solid artist to check out @ http://www.myspace.com/chrisaugustmusic

JV

Standards

Our life is full of standards. Standards that have either been set for us by someone else, or standards we have set for ourselves. Those standards may be high, low, attainable or even out of reach. Either way, standards should be set to challenge us. To give us a goal. To make us push to the limit & give our best.

In light of standards, we know that God set some pretty high standards in creation. And to take a deeper look at these, let's take a look at some of the extreme standards set in place for Earth:

1. Composition of the Earth's atmosphere: the fact that there is enough oxygen to sustain ALL life
2. Water: the fact there is enough water to sustain ALL life
3. Distance from the sun: the fact that if we were any closer or further away, we would either burn alive or freeze to death
4. Rotation: circular gravitational pull is necessary - any other shaped rotation would cause us to freeze to death or burn alive
5. Placement of planet: the Earth is encompassed within the rotations of Jupiter & Saturn - these planets protect the Earth from outside dangers by absorbing & taking the hits

All of these extreme standards, and more, are certainly set in place for the Earth to show us the fingerprint of our creator. His fingerprint is also on the human body. Let's take a look at just one extreme standard the Lord has set for our human body:

• Laminin - the protein in our body that holds all things together. Without Laminin, we would certainly not survive. Laminin holds all of our cells together & holds all of our tissue in place & intact. It literally holds our body together. Now, the most important thing about a protein is it's shape. If it doesn't have it's designated shape, it will not function. Without it's designed shape, it will not do its job. So Laminin must have & keep its shape to do its job & hold all things together. 

Now let's take a look at Philippians 3:12-16. What Paul is talking about here is pressing on. Pressing on & pursuing the standard of Christ. And Paul emphasizes how he has not already reached the standard, but because he has not reached it, it is exactly why he is pressing on to live up to it. And here's the deal with the standard of Christ: once you become a Christian, you now have a new standard. The standard of Christ. And you can't escape it. You can't claim to follow Christ & then live to another standard. Being a Christian REQUIRES the standard of Christ. It requires to live your life FOR Him & LIKE Him. 

So back to Laminin. The protein that holds all things together. Remember the most important part of a protein? Shape. Take a look below at the shape of Laminin. Unbelievable. And the really cool part about Laminin, it's shape & the standard of Christ? Colossians 1:17 tells us that in Christ, "all things hold together." 

So what standard are you living up to? What standard are you basing your life upon? The standard of the world? Your friends? Or the standard of Christ? The standard of the Cross?

JV

The TRUTH

In a society filled with multiple forms of truth, it is sometimes hard to know what exactly truth is. Our world tells us what is true for you is great, but what is true for someone else is also just as great. A very philosophical view of truth as being simply relative. And completely wrong.

After Jesus was handed over to Pilate in John 18, Pilate asked Jesus the essential question to life: "what is truth?" Pilate, much like ourselves, was searching for truth. Searching for answers. And Jesus had been speaking nothing but truth the entire time. In John 14:6 Jesus tells us He "is the way, the TRUTH, and the life." Jesus IS truth.

However, sometimes the world challenges that belief. How do we know? How do we know what we believe? Well, it starts with the Bible. For Jesus to be truth, then the Bible must be truth first. Check out these facts on the Bible:

• Written over 1,500 year span without any of its writers knowing their writings were going to be a part of one book
• Written by more than 40 people from all walks of life (kings, military leaders, peasants, fishermen, tax collectors, poets, musicians, shepherds, etc)
• Written in many different places (wilderness, dungeons, while traveling, while in exile, etc)
• Written on 3 different continents (Asia, Africa, Europe)
• Written in 3 different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek)
• Written in a variety of literary styles (prophecy, historical narrative, song, poetry, parables, biography, autobiography, law, allegory, etc)

All of these elements come together & prove to not only be historically accurate, but also archaeologically accurate. There has never been a historical or archaeological discovery that has refuted the Bible. It is completely inerrant, and through an amazing set of circumstances above, completely TRUE. The Bible is truth. 

And if the Bible is truth, then we know Jesus IS the truth. In a world looking & searching for the answers to truth, JESUS IS. 

Finally, take a look at Psalm 22. This was written over 1,000 years before Jesus' crucifixion, and what we learn from it can teach us the greatest truth: Jesus was mocked, beaten, bled & died for you. TRUTH. He was crucified, laid in a tomb to die for you. TRUTH. He rose again & gives you new eternal life. TRUTH. He’s coming back so be ready. TRUTH. 

Jesus IS truth. Jesus IS the answer. Be free, forgiven & redeemed. TRUTH. 

JV