Youth Story

When the prediction is wrong, has the church come out better or worse than if it was never made? I believe that there are some ways in which you can say that a false apocalypse scare can do some good. For example: I think that more people prayed to God during the prediction than did before. I believe that more people actually took a a look at their lives and considered the possibility of the end coming before they had a chance to turn back to God. I even think that it can be good from the stand point of daily living. We are to always be prepared and ready for the return, not just when someone on the radio says that they know the exact date. As Americans we want to schedule everything: Lunch, Meetings, Hair Cuts, Trips, Work, Dinner, etc...   So why not schedule the end of the world as well? It doesn't seem to work that way. There are also a few bad things that come out of a fake apocalypse prediction. First off, it has the ability to make people question God, Scripture and t...

Recent news of the looming apocalypse has gotten America all stirred up. With movies like 2012 and History Channel specials running every other hour, Americans are becoming more and more interested in the Apocalypse. This week, Harold Camping, a "well known" Christian talk radio personality's prediction of the rapture and end of the world has become a central story in the mainstream and social media. People have even sent Camping their entire life savings convinced that this prophecy will come true. It is twenty minutes after the time in which Camping foretold of the Christian rapture, and I am here writing this article. Camping predicted a huge earthquake that would rock the entire world. Throughout the last few days I could not seem to go anywhere without someone making a crack joke at this prediction and the end of the world. I want to deal with a few things in this article. The first I want to cover is: why exactly people are so willing to buy into apocalypse predicti...

This article comes to us from Pastor Jason Underwood. You can find this and more writing on his BLOG ! The Red Letters of Christ Last week we started a series called Thats what He said.  We began looking at the Red letters of Christ.  The thing is when you begin to read the red letters you begin to see a theme.  Jesus cared for “The least of these” or the untouchables. The church has just now begun to wake up to our role in the world, we are global citizens living in a very connected world.  We can not stand on the sidelines and remark on all that is going on around us without taking a stance.  I admit am a country boy at times with a small country mindset and thinking, I typically used to and sometimes still do refer to things in other countries as “over there” everything that is not in America is “over there” But I have become more understanding as I read what He said…that “over there” has a face, and a name…many times over there are...

Tonight as I logged on Facebook, I started seeing comments like: "Turn on the news" or "He is Dead" Sure enough when I flipped on the television, there it was. Osama Bin Laden was killed by American ground forces in Pakistan. I watched the President's speech live and had some chatter with people online about the ordeal. I watched as thousands of people gathered in public places to celebrate. I watched countless comments fly on Twitter and Facebook. Most were very positive. What interested me the most out of all the conversations going on were the Trevecca students that were saying very different things about the situation. They were talking about God's grace and quoting scriptures like: "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Ezekiel 33:11" "Don't rejoice when your enemies fall; don't be happy when they stumble. Proverbs...

 This story comes to us from Laura Milner originally posted on her blog . A fire must be tended to, there has to be someone keeping an eye on it, keeping watch and fanning the flames. Even the most well-built fire will burn out if there is no one stoking it. For this reason, I am reminding you to fan into flames the gift of God that is within you … 2 Timothy 1:6 You can never have too many Fire Stokers. Fire Stokers are the people in your ministry that come along side teens and love them , encourage them and build them up in Christ. Fire Stokers see the gifts in them and help them to be the person God created them to be. Fire Stokers are Disciple Makers! Fire Stokers are most often behind the scene hero’s. They are there when you need them and just have a knack for connecting with teens and build long-lasting relationships. I am blessed to have several amazing Fire Stokers in my life. They call and text me to see how I am doing, they know what to say to enc...

My buddy Jason and I took our youth groups tonight to see the movie "Soul Surfer". It was a great time. The reason I recommend you take your youth group to see the movie can be summed up in one word: Priorities. The story is amazing and the acting is great, but everything seems to sink away as you are drawn into the world of this teenage girl. Her hopes become the viewer's hopes. It builds a sort of straw man in a way. You as the viewer also buy into the dream of her becoming a professional surfer. All the while she passes by opportunities to focus on the "real" important things in life.   Through all of the scenes that will make you cry, eventually you will begin to pull for this great surfing family. The entire family, guided by their faith in God, begins to see order being birthed from the chaotic waters. After the movie is over, your teenagers will be asking themselves some of these questions: What is really important to me in life? How can God use me to...

What is a Drive By Blogger? Someone that is using an internet blog to defame, misrepresent, damage, or bash someone's reputation or work. They do this in a way that provides little to no accountability for what they are saying. Sometimes this is even done totally anonymously Why is it bad? Although this type of blogging may result in higher view counts than other forms, it is bad in general because people will say things from behind a computer screen that they would never in a million years say to someone's face. Why is it worse for Christians? Christians are charged with a very unique and difficult task. We are to spread a message of love and acceptance, while remaining bold and certain of our doctrines. Historically Christians have had to balance being defenders of orthodoxy against heresy, blasphemy and idolatry; while still displaying Grace in a world whose traditions, understandings of God and standards are changing constantly. So when we are given a medium such as ...