Our 2010 Winter Retreat, "Forever" is only one day away and the anticipation is gigantic. 

Over the past year we have said over and over, "The best is yet to come."  Going into last night we already had more students signed up for Winter Retreat then ever before.  Obviously we got last minute sign-ups at service yesterday evening and a few more calls this morning.  Each event, each service, each year everything just keeps getting better.  This mantra isn't something that just sounds good, it's truth.  

I can barely contain myself thinking about all that God is going to do this weekend and the friendships and unity that will be built. 

Our verse this weekend which goes with our theme, "Forever," is Psalm 100:5, "The Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

God's love truly endures forever and I look forward to His faithfulness being poured out on this generation once again this weekend.

        

Way #5 to guard your eyes from the junk food of life.

CHANGE THE ATTITUDE OF YOUR MIND- "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceiful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;"  Eph. 4:22-23

We must learn to change the attitude of our minds.  That old man, old sinful person is always trying to cause our mind to think in that same old way.  But God is challenging us to live different, think different, be different.

Ed Young says the "tude is rude."  Our fleshly attitude is usually sinful or wrong, but when we make the attitude new, when we align it with God and His word, that's when we begin to live the right way.

The only way to change that attitude is to allow scripture and the presence of God to rewire our brains, to change our way of thinking from wrong to right, from selfish to unselfish, from prideful to humble.

Our "tude is rude" naturally, but as God's people we are no longer slaves to sin.  Let's change our minds and live as free men and women.

        

Way #4 to guard your eyes from the junk food of life.

KNOW YOUR WEAKNESSES

In Gethsemane Jesus told Peter, James and John to "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." -Matthew 26:51

We all have weaknesses or vices.  Things that we are naturally prone to give in to as human beings.  We need to be careful to avoid those situations and vices so we aren't even put in a position where we could be tempted to compromise or succumb to our sin.

Jesus said to pray and we know avoiding temptation begins with asking God for strength through prayer.  Without Him we would never be able to resist the sin that so easily entangles. 

Jesus though starts with "watch".  We have to be on the lookout, keep our eyes open, be ready for the sin that is coming at us.  Let's be people who know our weaknesses and keep a watchful eye out for the situations that would cause us to stumble.

The junk food is everywhere. 

        

Way #3 to guard your eyes from the junk food of life.

BE COURAGEOUS-Acts 4:13, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.  And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."

Peter and John were uneducated common men, yet everyone was astonished by their boldness, by their courage. 

The end of the verse is the part that I love, "they recognized that they had been with Jesus."   Courage doesn't come from some deep inner strength that certain people possess naturally, courage comes from "being with Jesus."

If we really want to guard our eyes, if we really want to be  people of courage, if we really want to stand up against the sin our culture would say is acceptable, right, or permissable then we need to do one simple thing...

BE WITH JESUS!

Spending time with Jesus is where true courage comes from.  Courage to challenge the status quo, courage to go against the flow, courage to go.

        

Way #2 to guard your eyes from the junk food of life.

LISTEN TO YOUR HEART-Hebrews 3:7-8, "So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts..."

When listening to your heart, it's not your own thoughts or convictions you're listening to, it's God.  As followers of Christ we know the Holy Spirit resides within us and we must learn to listen to Him when He speaks. 

When God convicts us of sin, of things we are watching, images we are taking in with our eyes, we need to stop and listen.  We cannot harden our hearts like the people of Israel did.  We cannot continue staring at the junk food that is polluting our minds.

Stay sensitive to God, listen to Him, obey Him.  When we ignore God, we disobey him.
Remember, the more we ignore that voice, the harder it will be to hear Him the next time.

Listen to your heart!

        

We are in the middle of a sermon series entitled "Junk Food" here in Revolution Youth.  I'm going to be posting 5 ways to guard your eyes from the junk food of life over the next week or so. 

Every day we encounter junk food. We see it everywhere, indulging in it often.  We love the way it looks and tastes.  We love how we can get it "right now."  Junk food rules our culture.  I'm not just talking about food, I'm talking about the junk that we see on television, in the movies and on the internet every day.  It's almost impossible to guard our eyes from the junk food of this culture.  However, there are some steps we can take to protect ourselves as God's people.

Way #1 to guard your eyes from the junk food of life.

Know What You're Looking At - Prov. 13:16, "Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly."

A prudent man is one who acts with wisdom.  This scripture says that he acts out of knowledge.  We should never take action in a situation until we have gained knowledge.  We need to know the situations we put ourselves in, know what we look at, know what we will allow permeate our minds.

How often do we watch movies merely because a friend recommends it?  How often do we watch television shows without having any idea what kind of images may pop up during the course of this unknown program?  How often do we click on this link or that link without a second thought?

We need to do our research, gain knowledge, and stop ourselves if we're not sure what our eyes are about to see.  Otherwise, we are a fool who will be exposed in his folly.  Our minds are sponges soaking up the images we allow entrance through our eyes.  We must guard our eyes.  Let's be sure knowledge always precedes our actions.

        

We have entered 2010 and countless people have talked about this year's resolutions.  Pastors have blogged and spoken about what we should do next as we have now entered another decade. 

I was reading Matthew 5 the other night and began to think about resolutions.  I was wondering if anyone ever resolves to eliminate sin from their lives?  I know this is a daily thought we probably all have, but to make it a new year's resolution, not so typical. 

Matthew 5:29-30, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away.  For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."

These are harsh words spoken by Jesus.  In His culture the right side of the body was considered more important or more powerful.  Our eyes cause us to lust in our mind and our hands represent the physical actions that we take as we sin.

Was Jesus telling them to physically cut off their hands and pluck out their eyes?  I don't think that was his point. His point was to make us question what things are causing us to sin.  What is important or powerful in your life that you are allowing to rule over you?  Sometimes we have to give up that which might be the hardest.

This New Years let's resolve to get rid of the things causing us to sin in our life.  I want to give up the things of this world even though they may seem important, so that I can live more pure.  Let's seek to give up that which might be the hardest. 

Let's be people of purity.  When it comes to sin, we need to cut it off and pluck it out.

        

I have been a part of the church my whole life. As a pastor's kid and now pastor, I am in the church building whenever the doors are open and I meet all sorts of people as they come and go.  With so many different types of people in one place, conflicts are sure to take place. Fortunately, growing up I watched these conflicts from a distance, they never seemed to affect me. I was even blessed enough to never be in a church where a large faction or split of any type took place.  But the fact is, events of conflict happen all the time in churches all across the country. We argue over the color of carpet, business models, pews vs. chairs, choruses vs. hymns, Calvinism vs. Arminianism, Patriots vs. Steelers, and so on.  In the last few years as an adult and church leader I have found that confrontation due to conflict takes place on an almost daily occurrence.  I have come to understand that confrontation, conflict, and difference of opinion is not negative when handled correctly.  In fact, such things are positive because they move us into a place of excellence as well as a place of true peace.

Recently, I read a scripture in Romans 12 that really jumped off the page.  Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

The truth is, the majority of the time peace depends on us.  Yes, there are moments when situations are out of our hands, where people are upset or disgruntled, and no matter how hard we try they will still be upset.  Yet the majority of the time it does depend on us. We have the ability to bring peace or war, unity or division. 

Jesus called us to be peacemakers and I personally want to be someone that says, "No matter what, if it's possible, as much as I am able, bring peace."

Then I started thinking about true peace vs. false peace.  This is something Chrissy loves to talk with me about.

False Peace = parents overlooking disobedience of their children allowing them to dictate what they do so the child does not become upset.
True Peace = parents disciplining their children in love when the child acts out in a wrong way. (The child may be upset initially, but you've made a way for true peace to come.)

False peace = leaving a meeting upset over the decision that was made, complaining about it, downing your authority, allowing your frustration to fester.
True peace = voicing your disagreement over the decision at an appropriate time with a humble attitude, understanding God is in control and that you aren't no matter who makes what decision.

False Peace = ignoring confrontation when someone has hurt or wronged you because then the individual will know they hurt you or become agitated that you were even hurt, allowing fear, bitterness and pride to take root in your heart.
True Peace = embracing confrontation; using it as an opportunity to air your feelings as well as talk about the situation and how you feel wronged by that individual, letting the individual explain himself/herself, giving opportunity for both parties to grow, forgive or be forgiven.

Are you living a life of true peace or false peace? Unfortunately, many of us live in false peace because we have bought into the lie that we are called to be peacekeepers.  This is false; we have been called to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers.  There is a distinct difference. Peacekeepers encourage individuals to bottle up their thoughts and feelings so as to sustain a false peace (perhaps even tolerate a sin) in the situation.  Peacemakers address real situations allowing all people to express their feelings; thus, enabling all to understand each others' opinions and make wrongs right. Peacekeepers force the issue to remain in the dark.  Peacemakers encourage the issue be brought into the light. Peacekeepers manage bondage. Peacemakers bring freedom.

As you read this, you may all know the difference between true peace and the false peace.  You've experienced both sides of peace in your lives, in your relationships, in your families, in your churches.  Remember, in whatever situation you find yourself in today, we are called to be peacemakers not peacekeepers, if at all possible, as far as it depends on us.

        

As most of you, I've been on a bit of a Michael Jackson kick lately.  I remember the day after he died every individual who drove by me or pulled up next to me would be blasting favorites like "Beat It," "Smooth Criminal," "Thriller," "Man in the Mirror," and the list goes on.  It was amazing just how much of an impact this one man had on music and the world.  Anyways, that's not what this blog is about.  

This week Chrissy and I had the pleasure of viewing the movie, "This is it," a documentary where you watched several of his comeback tour rehearsals leading up to his debut in London a few weeks before he died.  Needless to say, we loved it!  I'm not advocating everything Michael Jackson ever did.  He obviously had his issues.  However, I'm not sure any artist has ever written more hopeful, truthful, challenging music in the secular industry than Michael Jackson.  Songs that called for an end to violence, world hunger, selfishness, crime, war, and world destruction.

As we watched the movie one of the songs that has always been a favorite of mine came on, "Man in the mirror."  My mind immediately went to a passage of scripture which until recently I had never fully understood.  James 1:22-24 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."  I had always focused on the idea of being a "doer" not a "hearer," and I had preached from this passage; yet, never had I fully understood the whole mirror concept. 

James compares those who are hearers of this world to "face-forgetters."  Let me explain. Imagine someone wakes up in the morning goes to the mirror and sees himself.  He notices that he has a gigantic whitehead on his forehead, he has some dirt on his cheeks, his hair is sticking up in every direction, and he decides to do nothing about it.  He walks away from the mirror and never thinks about the way he looks again. He almost forgets all of the flaws that need to be adjusted, and just carries on as usual.  This is what hearers of the word and not doers are likened to.   Scripture serves as a mirror to our lives.  We are to take the word that we read, the scriptures we are taught and compare them to our lives.  The scriptures reveal our sin and faults and shortcomings, thus causing us naturally to change what is in contrast to the scripture, to change what is not pleasing to God.  When we hear everything scripture says and don't apply any change to our lives then we are like these whitehead faced, dirty cheeked, carrot top haired people.

Be sure to look in the mirror and make the changes necessary so you are not just a hearer but a doer as well.  After all, "If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make that CHANGE! WHOOOOO!

        

This past weekend i had the honor of performing a funeral for the grandfather of one of our youth leaders.  This youth leader as well as his grandfather are "good ol' boy's" -  they own and work on a farm with horses and other animals.  They enjoy hunting, fishing, camping and even own a bar and grill in town called "The BUC." So naturally, I fit right in. (If you know me, then you obviously know this is far from the truth.)  Our youth leader's grandfather never attended our church. He was from a Catholic background (I believe many Catholics are saved and going to heaven), and praise the Lord he accepted Christ as his personal savior a few days before he passed.  In fact, this youth leader, his grandson, was able to lead him in the sinner's prayer. 

Those who attended the funeral were diverse, but the majority of them were good ol' boys (or girls) from the surrounding area.  People who worked hard and enjoyed being outdoors and working in it.  Friends and family came up to share stories remembering this man who worked hard on his farm, had an amazing sense of humor, enjoyed playing pranks, and loved his friends and family. Stories were told of how he would always tell the people close to him how much he loved them. It was beautiful. 

I loved hearing these manly, burly, blue collar men who possessed no fear in showing their love for each other.  Then I started to think about the church. Do we love the people in our church? Do we love the lost enough? Do we disregard different skin color, different backgrounds, or maybe different social standings and love others enough? I wondered how often we overlook people or write others off because of the way they look, or the amount of issues they have.  How often have I thought, "that's a lost cause" and not bothered to show them the love of Christ?  We must fulfill what Jesus challenged us with and what scripture speaks to us of in 1 Thessalonians 3:12, "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."  I want my love to OVERFLOW for my brothers and sisters, but also for others.  The word "others" makes me think of loving my neighbors.  When the Pharisees asked Jesus who their neighbor was he told them the story of the Good Samaritan.  So our neighbor is everyone with whom we come in contact.  I really need God's help to show love to all people.

Lately I've been asking God to give me "spiritual eyes" to see what He sees, to hurt for what hurts Him, to reach out to those that He shows me.  For too long I've let my fleshly eyes look at people and see "lost causes" and my prayer is that I would no longer be tempted to think this way.

God loves the the inner city dwellers, the suburbanites, the meatheads (another name for someone who works out a lot, I saw a few of them at the gym this morning), the punk rock princesses, the goths, the homosexuals, the metrosexuals (like me), and the "good ol' boys".

Let's start showing them love too!