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:

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

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.

A LETTER FROM PASTOR JARED TO FUSE STUDENT MINISTRY

Howdy Fusers, ONE MASSIVE thing I want to share with you today…

#1 – Elevation Weekend is right around the corner…  Have you signed up?  If you have not you can do so HERE!  Have you invited your friends?  We are SO PUMPED up about this year, and we are EXPECTING God to do great things in our lives in 2013, especially at Elevation Weekend.  The price is now at a low rate of $74.  As ALWAYS, is money is an issue, please let Jared know, as there are scholarships available!  Our lineup is better than ever: Worship Leader: Robbie Seay Band, Speaker: Todd Gaston.

We have decided to change the direction of Elevation Weekend due to the recent tragedy in Newton, CT.  We want to be sensitive to all that our country is facing, so we will no longer do Kill Sin.  INSTEAD, we are branding THIS YEAR’s ELEVATION WEEKEND: ONE GENERATION AWAY.  Here is a snapshot of what the weekend will look like:

Passing down truth from one generation to the next is never easy.  The greatest challenge in this process is maintaining quality.  Something tends to get lost in the exchange.  Leading our kids to embrace the life God wants for them will face many challenges.  It appears that we are always living in the tension of being One Generation Away.  We are One Generation Away from truth (values, faith, and a godly life) becoming extinct.  Or we could be One Generation Away from changing the world.

This reality is not unique to our day.  In 605BC, Israel was facing the same dilemma.  Babylon invaded Jerusalem killed many and then captured the elite to immerse them within Babylonian culture.  Their intention was to convert these Hebrew men and women into model citizens.  Their strategy was to remove God’s truth, values, life, and faith from their life.  Their hope was to change who they were.

In our main sessions, we are going to be studying the Old Testament book – Daniel.  Let’s look at how Daniel’s character determined his direction in leading his generation and nation forward. The world still wants people to conform to its standards and follow its practices.  Just like Daniel, we are one generation away from the truth becoming extinct or from changing the world.

SO, HOW ABOUT IT?  ARE YOU PLANNING ON BEING AT THIS YEAR’S ELEVATION WEEKEND?  YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS!

Failure Is An Opportunity

FAILURE.   Failure is haunting.  Failure can have control over us.  Failure, when not addressed, has the power to own us.

Rob Bell in his book Drops Like Stars writes about failures this way:

Now it’s absolutely necessary for us to own and name and claim and make amends for our failures and mistakes and sins and wrongs where others are concerned.  But to stop there is tragic.  IT ISN’T JUST A FAILURE, a mistake, a sin, a wrong…  IT’S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY to grow, expand, evolve, learn.  This is called the art of failure.  What every artist must learn is that EVEN THE FAILED PIECES ARE ESSENTIAL.  pp.110-113

During the 2009 World Series, Mark Teixeira of the Yankees talked about dealing with failure. Through game five of the Series, Teixeira was hitting 2 for 19.

“When you’re in a rhythm during the season, you’re going to fail seven out of 10 times,” said Teixeira. “When you’re not in a rhythm, you’re going to fail a lot more.”

The reality of it is as athletes, and as humans, we are going to fail.  It is inevitable.  What defines us is NOT how we fail, it’s how we manage our failure, and how we move on from failure.

Sunday Jay Feely, kicker for the Arizona Cardinals kicked a career high 61 yard field goal to tie the ball game at 16 against the Buffalo Bills, with a minute left on the clock.  Something extremely interesting happened.  They got the ball back from Buffalo and had the opportunity to win the ball game with a few seconds left on the clock.  Coming off such a confidence builder in the 61 yard field goal, Jay Feely had the chance to be the games hero by kicking a 38 yard field goal.  What do you think happened?  Well…  HE MISSED.  That forced the game to go into overtime in which Buffalo eventually won.  Jay Feely is not a failure.  What he is faced with now is an opportunity to move on, to grow, to expand, to evolve, and to learn.  The outcome has yet to be seen, but he has a choice.  In his book Failing Forward, John Maxwell says, ”One of the greatest problems people have with failure is that they are too quick to judge isolated situations in their lives and label them as failures.  Instead, they need to keep the bigger picture in mind.”  Jay Feely must realize that losing Sunday is just one out of sixteen games this season.  He has to keep the bigger picture in mind.

Have you failed recently?  A failure is an event, never a person.  Don’t let your failure define you.  Most importantly, FAILURE IS AN OPPORTUNITY.  How will you choose to move on from a failure?  I have a proposal for you…  FAIL FORWARD!

Day 3: Philippians 2:13

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13 NLT)

Day 1: Philippians 1:6

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 1:6 NIV)

It was definitely God who had produced the Philippians transformed lives by the work of regeneration.  So Paul was confident that God would continue this work until Christ’s return.  Even though Paul rejoiced in the Philippians’ generous gifts and their evidences of spiritual growth, his confidence did not rest ultimately on the Philippians themselves, but on God, who would preserve them and enable them to reach the goal.  The “good work” refers to the salvation begun at their conversion.  To see it as a direct and limited reference to their monetary gift is unwarranted.  Paul would not have hinted that their gift was only a beginning, and that more should follow.

The incredible thing to me is that God placed all of his marbles in God and God alone.  He was so encouraging to the Philippians, but he always reminded them to place their faith in Jesus and Jesus alone.  That is something that we need to lean in on.  The same salvation that came through the Philippians is the same salvation that Jesus wants to run through you and me.  We need to remember that God is still alive and that he is doing great things.

Here is a great word from Dr. Jim Denison:

WHY CAN I TRUST THE BIBLE? (Sunday July 15, 2012 Revisited)

The Bible is the most translated and most read book in the world

2 Tim. 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Ps.119:86 “All of your commands can be trusted” NCV

How do I know this?

I CAN TRUST THE BIBLE BECAUSE…

1.   IT  IS HISTORICALLY ACCURATE! 

Not just doctrinally .. but every other area too!  Why?  God CANNOT LIE!

                  SCREEN HEB. 6:18  “It is impossible for God to lie!”

Ps. 33:4 “The Word of the Lord is right and true.”

1. Most of the Bible is from eyewitness accounts

2. Archeology always confirms the Bible eventually

3. The Scriptures have been copied with extreme care!

2.   IT IS SCIENTIFICALLY ACCURATE!

The Bible wasn’t given to be a science textbook.  Doesn’t use scientific language

but it never gives bad science!    FACT: always ahead of contemporary views!

J. Kepler (astronomer) “Science is thinking God’s thoughts after him!’

o Reason its accurate: The Laws of the Universe are God’s Laws!

                                           So he understands them even when we don’t!

      SCREEN Ps.148:5-6 (NLT)  Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he

      issued his command, and they came into being. He established them forever

      and forever. His orders will never be revoked.”  

FACT: Science constantly changes!  Quickly Obsolete.  ILL: Medical views..

Paris Louvre Library- 3 ½ miles of old science books – almost all obsolete!

               1861 French Academy of Science

                  “51 Incontrovertible Scientific Facts that prove the Bible is Wrong”

                   Today- all 51 facts have been proven wrong by SCIENCE!

One proof- not a man-made book is what the Bible DOESN’T SAY!

- You’d expect it to promote the current science of the day!

For 1000s of yrs everyone believed…

1    The earth was flat!   Yet, 2,600 yrs ago  Isaiah said (Screen)

Isa.40:22 “God is enthroned above the sphere of the earth”

Jesus “One sleeping/ one working

2    The earth has to be held up!

Greeks: A giant named Atlas….

Hindus : Giant Elephants held up earth their backs

they stand on the back of giant turtle

on a giant serpent swimming in a sea

Egyptians:  Earth is held up by 5 pillars

Moses “schooled in the wisdom of the Egyptians”  Yet none in Bible!

                    Screen Job 26:7 (NLT) “God stretches the sky over empty space

                     and hangs the earth on nothing!”    How did Job know that?

      3    The number of stars could be counted

150 BC – Hipparchus announced 1,022 stars in the universe!

150 AD – Ptolemy concluded 1,026  (found 4 more)

2,600 yrs ago  JER. 33:22 :”The number of stars are infinite”

              From Hippocrates on for 2,000 yrs- science taught HUMORALISM

all illness& temperament caused by 4 Body Fluids: BILE  BILE  BLOOD  PHEGM

                                                You wont find that in the BIBLE

      4    Too much blood made you sick. “Must bleed people to keep them alive!”

Science didn’t know until 1628 that blood circulates!  William Harvey

Washington got sick. Bled him 3x. Died!

TODAY: We GIVE people blood to help them get well!  (Transfusions

               SCREEN: LEV. 17:11 (NLT) “The LIFE of every creature is IN its blood!”

      5.   25% of all Europe died of bubonic plague in Middle Ages

They didn’t know the value of quarantining the sick!

                        But Long before science discovered germs, God said…

             Lev.13:4 (NLT) “…Put an infected person in quarantine for seven days.

Pr. 30:5 “Every word of God is flawless.”

In fact, it’s more than accurate.  It’s pure!    It’s perfect!

Ps. 12:6 “The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay and purified seven times!”

3.   IT IS PROPHETICALLY  ACCURATE!

The Bible has predicted 1000s of events that happened just as God said!

Over 300 about Messiah-  where & how he’d be born, die – CROSS

2 Pet. 1:21 “No prophecy ever originated from humans. Instead, it was given by the Holy Spirit as humans spoke under God’s direction.” GW

Mt. 26:56 “But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” NLT

Rev. 22:6 “The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true.

      The Lord …sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon

      take place.”

4.   IT IS THEMATICALLY  UNIFIED 

One unified message!  Next wk- we’ll talk about that unified theme

What’s so amazing about that?

The Bible is one book made up of 66 books

Written

by over 40 different authors  -  over a period of 1,600 years!

              in over a dozen countries on 3 different continents!

in at least 3 different languages

by people from all walks of life!

Farmers & kings,   soldiers & shepherds, princes & priests,

                        historians, fisherman, tax collectors,  scholars, businessmen, MD

caves, ships, palaces, prisons, deserts

COULDN’T GET A MORE DIVERSE GROUP over 1600 yrs.

  yet they make one book with one story without contradiction.

            ILL: Gave out 50 pieces of colored paper- cut it any way you want.

What are the ODDS  they all fit perfectly to form a map of USA!

LK. 24:27 “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to

      them what was said in ALL the Scriptures concerning himself.”

The theme of the entire Bible is God’s plan of redemption!

The star of the story is Jesus.  You can see him in every book!

Jn. 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you

      eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!”

Mt. 5:18 Jesus  said, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter  not the least stroke of a pen  will  disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished!”

6.   IT HAS SURVIVED ALL ATTACKS

The most despised, derided, denied disputed, dissected, disputed, debated,

outlawed & destroyed book ever!

YET STILL THE BEST SELLING, MOST READ

Source of more great ART, MUSIC & ARCHITECTURE

Mt. 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never

      pass away.”          Voltaire “Within 100 yrs the Bible will be forgotten”

                        His home became headquarters for French Bible Society

1 Pet. 1:24-25 “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”

ILL; Gravity- You don’t break God’s laws.. they break you

7.   IT  HAS TRANSFORMING POWER

Nothing can change lives like the Bible!  Your life has been changed by it!

Jn.8:31-32 Jesus said “If you continue in my Word, then you are my

      disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make

      you free!”

      Q: Do any of you believe everything you read online?

            WHY IS THE AUTHORITY& INERRANCY OF GOD’S WORD IMP?

                                    Your salvation depends on it!

If it’s not reliable – you’re in a heap of trouble!

THE WORD OF GOD TELLS US ….   (list benefits)

THE BIG Q: WHAT WILL BE THE AUTHORITY FOR MY LIFE?

The World or the Word?      GOD or ME?   How’s that working for you?

      Rom. 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but

be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test

and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

           The will of God is found in the Word of God

God’s plan for you is good pleasing and perfect

PRAYER: Dear God, from this day forward, I will accept the Bible as your

flawless Word  to me and I will make it  the Final Authority for my life- even when

I don’t understand it, it is not popular, it is not easy, or I don’t like it. You are God

and I am not.  Thank you for loving me enough to speak to me through your

Word. Thank you that you are not silent! I want to LOVE your word, LEARN your

word, and LIVE your Word.

Col. 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”

Sermon By Rick Warren

BUILDING MY LIFE ON THE BIBLE (Sunday July 8, 2012 Revisited)

HOW DO I BUILD MY LIFE ON THE BIBLE?

 God gave us 5 senses: Hear, See, Smell, Taste, Touch

 Must learn to Use all 5 in Building your life on the Bible

READ JAMES 1:19-25

1^ST way I build my life on the Bible

1.   I RECEIVE IT WITH MY EARS

Rom.10:17 “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.”   

James 1:19-21 “Everyone should be QUICK TO LISTEN, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly ACCEPT THE WORD planted in you, which can save you)

o “Accept” Dechomai (hospitality term) “Receive a stranger”

Welcome the Word! Come on in!   Attitude of Acceptance

o Receiving Word is often compared to planting a seed in gard

(Parable-sower)

o You can plant SAME SEED different locations-dif results!

Why?   some soil prepared to receive!

2 hear same message “Blessed” vs “Didn’t get anything…”

Not prepared!

            For “Good Reception” I need to be…

  QUIET    

     “Be quick to listen and slow to speak…”

when talking / I’m not listening

  CALM

      “and slow to become angry …” 

Fact:  we don’t hear much when angry / upset / uptight

When emotionally upset -you’re defensive!

A relaxed attitude increases receptiveness

Rush frantically, irritated, parking spot, come in late…

”OK GOD SPEAK!”

    Listening lowers blood pressure! “Be still & know…

  CLEAN

     “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent”

Before seeding- do some weeding!

“FILTH”:  (ruparion) “ear wax” – stuff is gross!  tip

Point: Sin blocks me hearing God!  PLUGS UP SOUND!

“EVIL” – anything that we know isn’t right in our lives

o Kay makes me take off filthy clothes before come into house!

o Before you meet with God –take out emo/spirit garbage!

Stinks!             HOW?  CONFESSION!  IT CLEANSES!  take time

  HUMBLE

    “humbly accept the Word planted in you which can save

     you”    Ready to do whatever God tells me from his Word

4 Spiritual Hearing Aids; Be Quiet, Calm, Clean, Humble

2^nd  way I build my life on the Bible

2.   I READ IT  WITH MY EYES

James 1:22-25  “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!  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.”   TO be blessed- do ALL these

Look at one at a time: “Look intently”

As I read it, I am to reflect on it!

In many ways, God’s Word is like a Mirror

PURPOSE:  TO EVALUATE OURSELVES

ILL  Every one of you-looked in a mirror this morn

assessing the damage of the night before

Then you did something about it Some- A lot!

Is MakeUp a Sin?  GIFT OF GOD!  For some-a sin NOT to wear

God’s Word:  Reflects what I look like on the INSIDE

Ever seen yourself in the Bible?

2 ways to look at a mirror:

GLANCE – quick, teenagers…human nature

Many have a QT-occasional glance RUSHED

“Lord, I’ve got 10 min.”   QUICKLY FORGET

GAZE INTENTLY – look at the details

God wants us to gaze on not glance at His Word

Get a Bible Reading Plan

3^rd way I build my life on the Bible

3.   I RESEARCH IT WITH  MY HANDS & MOUTH

Difference between Reading & Studing

         Bible “STUDY” requires

                  – writing down what I learn

                  – talking about what I learn  (why groups)

      I’m going to teach you how to do this!

John 5:39 (NLT) “You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. And the Scriptures point to me!”

Acts 17:11 (NLT) “The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth.”

4^th way I build my life on the Bible

4.  I REVIEW & REMEMBER IT WITH MY MIND

James 1:25 “The man who looks intently into the perfect  law …and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has

heard but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.”

Continues= Review.Continually Ponder, think about it over

Not forgetting: Memorizing, Nothing will do more…

“Cant!”  You remember what’s important to you!

            The Bible term for remembering & reviewing God’s Word is  MEDITATION

Josh. 1:8 (NIV) “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”                   `

5^th way I build my life on the Bible:

5.   I RESPOND TO IT WITH MY ACTIONS

James 1:22 (NIV) “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves DO what it says!”   

MT.  7:24-27  “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.    BUT everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  

We don’t know storms 2012 will bring.

But we can build on the rock solid foundation of God’s Word !   Will you join me?

Sermon By Rick Warren

A LETTER FROM JARED TO FUSE STUDENT MINISTRY

Howdy Fusers, THREE things I want to share with you today…

#1 – Purple Cow has been a blast hasn’t it?  I love what God is doing in your lives as leaders.  Last night seeing you worship EXCITED me SO MUCH!  Remember, if you missed last night’s talk you can catch up with it HERE.  Being a leader is NOT easy.  In fact, it is very difficult!  But here is the deal…  God wants to use those who belong to him.  Here are some of the great quotes that we made a BIG deal about in Purple Cow Week 3, and excite me as a leader…  ‎”A greatest leader’s gift: A fully yielded heart to God.” ‎”Good is the Enemy of Great.” ‎”Honesty makes or breaks leaders.” “Successful leaders are learners and the learning process is ongoing, a result of self discipline and perseverance.”  “Leadership develops daily, not in a day.”  We made a HUGE deal about those quotes.

What does your relationship with Christ currently look like?  How are you as a follower of Christ?  Are you following Him well?

#2 – I am SO PUMPED up about our summer schedule!  Here are some of the things that we have for FUSE on Wednesday nights and MORE:

Fuse Worship: Wednesday Night Activities

June 6, 2012 – A Night with Scott Jeffries and THE WAR

• After hearing from actor Scott Jefferies in The Mill, students will move to Sawmill Park for our annual water balloon and shaving cream war! Time: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

June 13, 2012 – Summer Dive In

• Time for our students to enjoy some awesome water inflatables after a short devotional in The Mill. Water inflatables will be set up in the Parking Lot behind Building C. Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

June 27, 2012 – Ultimate Frisbee

• We will be meeting in Town Green Park at 6:00 pm for an ultimate Frisbee tournament! Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

July 11, 2012 – Dodgeball Tournament

• Dodgeball Tournament in the FBCTW gym following a short devotional in The Mill. Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

August 1, 2012 – On Campus Laser Tag

• Massive game of Laser Tag across the entire FBCTW campus! Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Sunday Morning Bible Study

June 3 – July 1: Francis Chan’s Basic Series

High School: 9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Junior High: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

July 8 – August 19: Rick Warren’s 40 Days in The Word

High School: 9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Junior High: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Student Life @ The Beach

June 21-25, 2012

Orange Beach, AL

Speaker: Ben Stuart

Worship Leader: Kristian Stanfill

7up Camp

-August 17-18, 2012

-Weekend for incoming 7^th graders to get away and be introduced to Fuse Student Ministry!

Insomnia

August 24-25, 2012

Fuse all nighter! Amazing Race across The Woodlands.

BOTTOM LINE: MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!

#3 - Audacious 180 is LIVE and in FULL EFFECT!  We are about 162 for camp, and still signing up people as I speak.  We are SO PUMPED about it.  REMEMBER that camp is the VERY BEST THING we do all year. This year is NO EXCEPTION! We want ALL of you to do whatever it takes to get signed up for camp! I PROMISE! You do not want to miss out! For more information go HERE! ALSO, REMEMBER that if money is ever an issue, DO NOT LET IT BE. We will do EVERYTHING that we can to get you to camp! We have scholarships available, so fill out THIS FORM! SO… What are you waiting for? GET SIGNED UP FOR CAMP HERE!