ATTENTION ALL PARENTS: Don’t Miss The Moments

My mentor Todd Gaston wrote a great piece for parents encouraging us not to miss the moments.  I hope you find this encouraging.

I know first hand that raising kids is tough!  Living in Northern Va often makes the schedule even more challenging.  People often say time passes in a blink in regards to raising kids.  I know time can feel stressful in evenings trying to get your kids to do homework, get showered, or to go to bed.  Even in the morning, things can feel slow in regards to kids getting up, getting ready, and heading off to school.  But these days too will be gone (sooner than you know).

So while there is still time, live out God’s Word.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”  Deuteronomy 6:4-8

Did you catch that?
…talk about them when you sit at home
….when you walk along the road
…when you lie down
…when you get up

I might add:
…as you drive kids to soccer.
…as you eat dinner together.
…as you go to school.
…as you take a vacation.
…as you take your daughter on date (dad!)
…as you tuck them in at night.
…as you wake them up in the morning.

Time is moving fast, so don’t miss the moments all around us to impress God upon them!

Take a moment and add more opportunities:

Matthew 5:16 (Fuse Scripture Memorization Verse 7)

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

When was the last time you were in complete darkness?  I don’t mean in your bedroom with the lights off or driving a lonely road at night.  I’m talking the type of darkness you find camping in the middle of nowhere, or when a nighttime storm knocks out the electricity on your whole street.  In this type of darkness, you literally can’t see your hand in front of your face.

Sitting in darkness, you can find yourself hoping for even the slightest bit of light.  And when you finally see it, be it a glimpse of a campfire through the trees or the beam once you finally locate the flashlight, your entire outlook on the world changes.  You can finally see your way to that light.  It’s the same in our relationship with God.

Read Matthew 5:14 – 16.  The contrast between light and dark is used often throughout the New Testament.  Things that are evil, or of the world, are often referred to as being in darkness.  The things of God are said to be light.  Jesus tells us that those who follow Him are the light of the world.  We are not to try to hide this fact, but in actuality, are to let it shine brightly for others to see.

The world is full of people living in darkness, those who don’t know Jesus and can’t find God on their own.  They can spend their whole lives on the broad road wandering aimlessly toward destruction.  As a follower of the Christ, your light, your good works done out of your love for Jesus, serve as a beacon, a signal flare showing others how to find the way to life.

Wouldn’t you like to lead people living in darkness to the bright shining light of Jesus Christ?

Reflection:

Who served as a light in your life to show you the Way?

What does it mean for us to let our light shine before others?

How do our good works serve to point others to God?

Write a prayer below asking for God’s help in letting your light shine brightly.  Thank Him for those in your life He has used as light to show you the Way.

How can I pray for you?

I would love to talk: call me on my cell: 281-703-5091

Don’t Waste Your Life (Wednesday March 6, 2013 Revisited)

“Most believers aren’t in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They’re facing a danger that’s far greater: wasting them. ….”

Last night we had a pre-message for our upcoming series WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR? One of the most common questions I hear as a pastor is people asking, “What is God’s will for my life?” Or, “What on Earth am I here for?”  It is a question that has so many other questions wrapped up in the one.  So at FUSE, we have decided to spend several weeks diving through the question, WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR? Last night we started our series off by answering 3 basic questions that people wrestle with daily.  These three questions are ones that seam so simple, yet, they are so foundational for every person to consider, both believer and non-believer.  

3 BASIC QUESTIONS

1.     WHAT DOES GOD WANT?  MY WHOLE LIFE.

“Give yourselves completely to God since you have been given
new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right
for the glory of God.”            Rom. 6:13

“This is what the Lord your God wants you to do: Respect the
Lord  and do what he has told you to do. Love him. Serve the
Lord your God with your whole being.”      Deut. 10:12

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and
love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and money.”   Matt. 6:24

“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and
crown your efforts with success.”         Pr. 3:6

2.      WHAT DOES IT TAKE?  DISCIPLINE.

“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.”
1 Tim. 4:7

“Spend your time and energy in the exercise of keeping
spiritually fit.”            1 Tim. 4:7b
“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the
sin that so easily hinders our progress.”  Heb. 12:1b

“Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him
and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to
do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me.” But the Lord
answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted
by many things; but there is need of only one thing and Mary
has chosen the better part…”          Luke 10:40-42

“God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to
obey his own purpose.”            Phil. 2:13

3.     WHY SHOULD I DO IT?  THE CROSS.

“He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for
themselves but for him who died for them and was raised
again.”                 2 Cor. 5:15

“Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins.
God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness.”
Eph. 1:7

“Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about
God’s compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him.”
Rom.12:1

“We beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous
life God has given us!”         2 Cor. 6:1

“Lord, I have heard the news about you; I am amazed at what
you have done. Lord, do great things once again in our time;
make those things happen again in our own days.”
Hab. 3:2

WHAT ABOUT YOU?  ARE THERE AREAS IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU NEED TO CUT OUT IN ORDER FOR YOU TO BE MORE DISCIPLINED?  HAVE YOU BEEN SITTING ON THE SIDELINE FOR SOME TIME NOW, AND GOD IS MOVING YOU TO AUDACIOUSLY STEP OUT IN FAITH TO FOLLOW HIM?  HOW CAN I BRING YOU ENCOURAGEMENT TODAY?

I would love to talk: call me on my cell: 281-703-5091

Matthew 11:28 (Fuse Scripture Memorization Verse 6)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 
Matthew 11:28

Want to try a little experiment?  Pick a day, any day.  Pick one 24-hour period.  Now, for that one day, try to do everything right.  I mean everything.  Everything you do.  Everything you say.  Everything you think.  It all has to be exactly right.  Now, you may be asking, “Whose standard of ‘right’ are we talking about here?”  Well, God’s of course.  That’s right.  For one day, try to live in such a manner that you do everything exactly how God wants you to do it.

Most of you just checked out.  You’re thinking, “Why even try?  That’s impossible.”  And you’re correct.  It is.  Any of us can spend our whole life, not just a day, trying to do things right, only to realize that we constantly fail and consistently mess up.  Sometimes it seems the only thing we get right is doing things wrong.  A life like that can really wear on a person.  It’s exhausting!

Read Matthew 11:28-30.  Jesus came in the midst of a culture that told people the only way to God was to do right, to live according to every one of God’s standards.  They, like us, found they just weren’t up to the task.  Their constant shortcomings wore them down more and more.  Can you relate?

Jesus understood this.  So in verse 28, He invited all who were listening – all those tired, worn-out people – to come to Him.  The yoke He asks us to bear along the way is light.  Sure, the path itself is hard.  We end up facing all kinds of troubles, but the burden to make it right no longer falls on us.  It now rests with Christ.

The One that we follow is gentle and humble, and when we find ourselves a little road weary along the Way, He gives us rest.

Reflection:

What burdens are you currently bearing that are wearing your down?
How can the narrow Way be hard yet the yoke Jesus gives us to bear be easy?
In what ways has Jesus provided rest for you in the past?

Write a prayer below thanking Jesus for the rest He has provided for you in the past.  Take a moment and ask Him to relieve you of the burdens you listed above that are wearing you down.

What On Earth Am I Here For? A Fuse Series

“Most believers aren’t in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They’re facing a danger that’s far greater: wasting them. ….”

This is a quote that has had me thinking about my life recently.  Often times I get asked: “What is God’s will for my life?” Or, “What on Earth am I here for?”  So this Wednesday night we are beginning a series called “What On Earth Am I Here For?”  Through this series, we are going to look at several areas of our life, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR CALLING.  We are called to be a part of God’s GREATER story, not our own.

This Wednesday March 6th, we have a Pre-Series message titled: DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE.  We will answer 3 basic questions that every believer must answer to understand what it takes to live a life that pleases God.  The rest of the series is outlined as follows:

1. What On Earth Am I Here For?  (March 20)
2. Planned For God’s Pleasure  (March 27)
3. Formed For God’s Family  (April 3)
4. Created To Become Like Christ  (April 10)
5. Shaped For Serving God  (April 17)
6. Made For A Mission  (April 24)
7. What Have We Learned  (May 1)

This is going to be one our most basic Sermon Series that we have ever done, yet, it will be one of the most PROFOUND to understanding the purpose of what it means to be created in the image of God.  Join us at FUSE on Wednesdays to discover the true PURPOSE of life.  If you would like to go further, we will have Rick Warren’s book THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE for sale in the lobby of The Mill for you at $12.  This is just to recoup the cost of the books.  This 40 day journey will help you dive further into the conversations that we will be having throughout the rest of the series.  I STRONGLY recommend that you and your family go through this study over the next 40 days together. If you have any questions please contact Jared at jared@fbctw.org.

“GHOST STORIES” Re:Charge 2013: A FUSE Retreat

It is that time again! We are gearing up for Re:Charge 2013: A FUSE retreat. The dates are March 22-24 and we will be going to Sam Houston State Park in Huntsville, TX. The theme this year is GHOST STORIES! It is going to be an incredible time. Be sure to sign up NOW! The cost is $50, and as ALWAYS, if you need financial assistance, please let us know! We want everyone to be able to take part in this incredible adventure. SIGN UP HERE!

Here is our promo video.

Ghost Stories: Re:Charge 2013 from Fuse Student Ministry on Vimeo.

Matthew 6:33 (Fuse Scripture Memorization Week 5)

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33

“Hakuna matata!” Remember that phrase? It comes from the Swahili people of Africa and literally means, “no worries.” It’s often used like the English phrase, “no problem.”

Of course you probably know it because Timon and Pumbaa sing to a young Simba in Disney’s The Lion King™. The young lion cub is in a self-imposed exile because of the death of his father, for which he thinks he is responsible. Simba is sad and depressed until he meets the lively meerkat and warthog duo who encourage him to forget his troubled past and live a life of “no worries.” Who would’ve ever thought that when we sang along with this song, we were actually learning a very biblical idea?

Read Matthew 6:25-34. It’s human nature to worry. We humans worry about everything. Do people like us? Are we cool? Do we listen to the right music? Is global warming destroying our planet? Am I ever going to get out of my parents’ house? The list is never ending.

However, Jesus tells us not to worry. God takes care of all of His creation. He makes sure birds have enough to eat, and He dresses flowers more beautifully that the richest king. So why shouldn’t you think He’ll do the same for you? Basically, Jesus is trying to get you to understand that you can’t control tomorrow. While you can certainly plan and prepare for the future, no amount of worrying is going to change it. You can sit around and be anxious about it all you want, but that won’t make any difference.

So, what should you do instead? Seek after God. That’s the way to live. Discover what is important to Him and what He would have you do. He’ll take care of the rest.

Hakuna matata Christianity? Try it… You just might find you look at your faith in a whole new way.

Reflection:

What are some things that you are really worried about right now? What do you need to do to let God have control of them?

Why is it so difficult not to worry about the future?

In what ways are you currently seeking after God?

Write a prayer below to God about your worries. Tell Him about them. Tell Him why you’re worried. Ask Him to take full control over these areas of your life.

Attention All Single People…

I have the opportunity of speaking at ROOTED tonight, which is our 18-25 ministry at The Woodlands First.  This is a great read by Perry Noble!

If I could sit down with single people one on one and just offer them one piece of advice it would be…

Desperation In Dating Always Leads To Destruction!  

How do you know you are desperate?

• You are compromising!  (And…if you are compromising you KNOW you are doing so!)
• You are listening to your friends more than you are listening to Jesus.
• You have placed your value in whether or not he calls and asks you out for a second date (or whether she says yes to a second date!)
• You view yourself as “damaged goods” and believe that you are not worth very much.
• You believe the myth that “I am miserable because I am single” and believe that marriage will solve all of your problems.
• You are pretending to be someone you are not because you fear if you were who you really are the person you are dating would not like you!
• You are with a person who is leading you away from Jesus, not closer to Him.

Desperate people rarely make good decisions and reality is that some singles reading this may be pursuing a relationship that has warning signs all over it…but instead of paying attention to that you believe that if you push through that eventually the other person will become who you want them to be!

But…the book of Proverbs says, “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”  (Proverbs 22:3)  In other words…if we see danger in something (like maybe our dating relationships) and we pursue them anyway then we are clearly told there is a penalty to pay.

Desperate people hardly ever make great decisions.  The worse thing that you could do for your future spouse and children is become desperate and grab on to whomever just happens to be in front of you.

Desperation in dating always leads to destruction.  My prayer is that if you are wrestling with this that you would turn your desperation for a date into a desperation to hear the voice of the Lord (Jeremiah 29:13) and allow Him to shape your view of dating and marriage more so than the culture we are living in.

The ONE THING I know about the Lord is that HE IS GOOD…and if HE IS GOOD then so are HIS WAYS!  AND…whenever HIS WAYS and my ways are not the same it is I who need to adjust my thinking (Isaiah 55:8) because in doing so there is hope, life and freedom!  We should NOT be desperate when there is a God in heaven who wants greater things for us than we could ever imagine!

Mark 8:34 (Fuse Scripture Memorization Week 4)

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:  “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  (Mark 8:34)

Have you ever used a GPS or ridden in a car with someone who had one?  They’re fantastic.  Anytime you want to go somewhere, you just program it in to your handy Garmin or TomTom, and off you go.  Along the way, a pleasant, electronic voice tells you exactly how to get where you want to go.  Need something along the way?  Food?  Restroom?  Detour?  Just ask the GPS, and it’s right there with an answer.  Isn’t it interesting that even though we are ultimately in control of where we’re going, we put our trust in a little electronic box, following wherever it leads.

Read Mark 8:34-35.  Jesus’ call to people He met throughout the Gospels, and His call to us, is made up of just two simple words:  “Follow me.”  Though the words are simple, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that choosing to walk that path is actually pretty hard.  No one can ever accuse Him of trying to trick us by painting a picture of the Way as all sunshine and rainbows.  Instead, it’s a life made up of sacrifice.
When any of us chooses to answer Jesus’ call and follow Him, we must deny our own selfish motives.  This means that we make following Christ our priority, and that we make all of our wants, wills, and desires secondary to that.  This isn’t something to be taken lightly.  It’s not easy.  It’s not even something we just do once.  All along the way, every morning we wake up, each moment of each day, we continually face choices of whether we’re going to go where we want to go or, instead, if we’re going to follow where Jesus is leading us.

Following Jesus is an all-or-nothing decision.  You can’t do it halfway.  Are you ready to put Him above you?

Reflect:

What do you think it means to follow Jesus?

What, in your experience, can be hard about trusting Jesus’ lead?

What are some ways in which you need to “deny yourself” in order to follow Christ?

Write a prayer below confessing to Jesus how difficult it can be to follow Him.  Ask for His help in denying yourself in the ways you wrote about above.

15 Myths Singles Believe…

This is an incredible read for young singles written by Perry Noble.

#1 – Being miserable is the result of being single…getting married will solve all my problems.

#2 – I’ve messed up in my past and do not deserve anyone good. (See I Corinthians 6:9-11, especially focus on verse 11!)

#3 – Ephesians 3:20 isn’t true for me and my future spouse…I need to settle.

#4 – This relationship that I am in isn’t what I would like my marriage to be like..but when we get married I can change this person.

#5 – This person is not God’s best for me…but if I rush through the process of dating and getting married then I have God backed into a corner and He has to bless me because He loves me, right?  (See Deuteronomy 6:16)

#6 – Marriage isn’t that big of a deal…if my first one does not work out then I can drop them and start over.  (See Malachi 2:13-16)

#7 – We are going to cuddle all of the time.

#8 – The things that really get all over my nerves about this person won’t bother me as much when we get married.

#9 – The fact that we do not agree on what we believe when it comes to Jesus and the church will not impact the way we raise our kids. (See II Corinthians 6:14 and Amos 3:3)

#10 – We should live together before we get married to give it a “trial run,” after all, you would not buy a car without test driving it first.  (See Hebrews 13:4)

#11 – I need to keep as many secrets about my past from this person as possible; after all, my past issues won’t impact this relationship at all.

#12 – All of my friends are married…I am not…something is obviously wrong with me.

#13 – The way I handle my money now will not impact my future marriage.

#14 – When I get married my spouse will meet all of my needs.

#15 – Dating is tough…marriage is easy!