Bucket List

Tonight I am speaking at the South Yukon Church of Christ. The theme for their summer series on Wednesday nights is "The Bucket List." It's from the movie by the same name in which two guys make a list of things they want to do in life before they "kick the bucket." I'm thinking of what would be on my bucket list, but I need a little inspiration. So, what things would be on your "bucket list"?

More of Jesus, Less of Me

One of the songs that I am loving right now is called "In the Middle of Me" by Todd Agnew. The whole song talks about having more of Jesus and less of "me". It also reminds me of how much better my life is with Jesus at the center of everything. Check out the lyrics of this song:

I need a little more sunshine in the middle of rain
Need a little more joy in the middle of pain
Need a little more color in the middle of this plain jane

CHORUS
Cause I’ve looked as deep as I can see
And I think I need a little more You in the middle of me
I need a little more patience in the middle of stress
I need a little more beauty in the middle of this mess
Need a little more substance in the middle of this emptiness

CHORUS
And I’ve looked as deep as I can see
And I think I need a little more You in the middle of me
I Need more of You and less of me
More of You and a little less insanity
More of You and a little less complexity

CHORUS
I’ve looked as deep as I can see
It seems more of You is better for me
I need a little more rhythm in the middle of this lazy rhyme
Need a little more spontaneity in the middle of this daily grind
Need a little more truth not music in this world of lies

CHORUS
Cause I’ve looked as deep as I can see
And I think I need a little more You in the middle of me
In the middle of me

Amazing Servants

Yesterday I saw one of our members mowing the church lawn and it reminded me of how many amazing servants we have at Alameda. Two weeks ago in my sermon I took time to recognize and honor all of our members who serve our church family in both "up front" positions and "behind the scenes." As I said then, serving is a type of witness/testimony because it displays the hold that Jesus Christ has on our lives. Next time you see someone serving tell them "thank you" and be inspired to serve others out of your own love for Jesus and what he has done for you.

Back from Camp and Thoughts on Youth Ministry

I'm back from a great week at Camp Blue Haven in the mountains of New Mexico. Spending the week worshipping God and teaching senior high students about the Bible and Christ is exactly what I needed. Being around students made me think about my time in youth ministry and about our youth ministry at Alameda.

Our youth ministry needs our help, and here's what we can do: (1)pray for our students, parents, and Jeremy; (2)ask Jeremy what the youth ministry needs and how you can be involved; and (3)become a champion of our youth ministry by encouraging our youth volunteers and students, spreading the word about the exciting things happening in our youth ministry, and having the courage to correct/stop gossip and rumors.

Youth ministry is vital to the growth, health, and future of the Kingdom of God. So let's all get on board and support Jeremy and our students the best we can.

We Hear You, Lord

The following is a written prayer that I came across. I don't know who wrote it, but it's good. Check it out:

We hear you calling us, Lord.

On good days we hear you loud and clear.

And even on bad days the world’s siren song

never completely drowns out your voice.

We hear you asking us to

follow you

trust you

honor you.

We hear you begging us to

seek you

find you

love you.

We hear you reminding us that you alone

are worthy of our

admiration

reverence

confidence.

We hear you, Lord.

And part of us wants more than anything

to find comfort and encouragement

in your voice, and to

respond to you with the best that we

have and are.

Part of us longs for the place of rest

your call offers.

Part of us knows that life

in you

would be the very best

of all possibilities.


We hear you, Lord.

But part of us finds it hard to let go

of our own ambitions

and the solutions we have

figured out for ourselves.

Part of us demands that we keep

trusting in ourselves

or at least in what

we can see and touch.

Cut through our layers of defense, Lord. Our

defiance

arrogance

self-sufficiency

greed

and all the things in us that keep telling us

to ignore your call.

Go to work on us, Lord.

In us.

Remake us in your image

so we can love you first and best.

We hear you calling us, Lord.

Help us, please,

to listen.

The Shack

Is anybody else reading The Shack? What a great book! If you haven't read it, add it to your summer reading list. It's the best Christian fiction book I've read. Here's one excerpt (I'll try to post more later):

[God speaking] "Mack, just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors."