Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Mar 14

Daddy/Daughter Date Night

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Just recently, we held our first Daddy/Daughter Date Night. Several aspects caused this event to be great. First, the dads were able to spend time with their daughters, which is irreplaceable. Second, the dads were able to show their daughters how a true gentlemen treats a young lady he likes and/or cares for. Third, the dads were able to let loose and cut up with their daughters in a way they might not normally. Fourth, the dads and daughters participated in a game together about how well they know each other. Last, they were able to dedicate one night totally to their daughter with no distractions or interruptions. Both the dads and the daughters had a great night.

I wish all dads and daughters would participate in an event like this. These evenings can do more good for their relationship than most would imagine.  It was a joy to see the look in the eyes of our girls as they spent time with their dads. I hope and pray that both the dads and daughters will remember this night for a long time.

If you are a dad, I hope you take the responsibility God has given you seriously. There is no greater responsibility you could ever be given. Take time while you have it to spend with your children. Take them out, play with them, have a serious conversation with them and teach them the importance of living lives of service to God. This time and energy will be the greatest investment you will ever make. After all, it’s an eternal investment for you and your children.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6).

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Feb 15

The Blame Game

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I read a quote by Perry Noble the other day that caused me to stop and spend some time reflecting on it. The quote was, “The person who always has to blame is always lame.”  This got me to thinking; am I a person who spends a lot of my energy and time blaming others for my actions, my mistakes, my shortcomings, etc.?

Many of us today seem somewhat incapable of taking the blame for our mistakes and failures in life. Instead we want to look at the people around us and pass it off on them. Unfortunately, this is nothing new. The blame game has been going on since the beginning of time. Do you remember the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3)? After they both had disobeyed God by eating of the forbidden fruit, neither one of them was willing to take responsibility for their sin. In fact, when God asked Adam if he’d eaten of the tree which he was commanded not to eat, Adam immediately blamed his disobedience on Eve: “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate” (Gen. 3:12). As if that weren’t bad enough, Adam seemed to push the blame even further away from himself when he said: “The woman whom you gave to be with me.” Not only is Adam blaming Eve for his actions, but it appears he had the audacity to blame God. Are you kidding? Really Adam?

As for Eve, she didn’t do any better when she had the opportunity to take responsibility for her actions. When God asked her what she had done, she said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (13).  Eve followed in the steps of Adam and placed the blame on the serpent. Here we have two people who were clearly guilty of disobeying God and neither one wanted to take responsibility for their disobedience. Instead, they took the easy way out and placed the blame on someone else.

Friends, that’s just lame! If we are guilty (and we usually are) we need to take responsibility for what has happened. Paul wrote, “For each one will bear his own load” (Gal. 6:5). According to scripture each one of us is responsible before God for our actions, mistakes, struggles, etc. We better accept the blame and strive to make it right because we will eventually have to answer for it (Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). Don’t be lame, accept the blame and make things right!

Here are a few things to do when you are to blame (which is all the time) for your actions and disobedience.

  1. Pray and ask God to forgive you (I Jn. 1:9).
  2. If your actions have caused others pain, apologize to them and make things right (Matt. 5:23-24).
  3. Work on taking responsibility for your actions (Prov. 28:13).

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Prayer: Father, please help me to take responsibility for my actions, my mistakes, my struggles, my problems and every aspect of my life. When I am tempted to blame others for these things, please open my eyes to my personal responsibility. Help me to see that I have no one to blame but myself. Please forgive me for my need to blame others and help me to be more willing to accept responsibility for my actions and seek forgiveness. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

Feb 04

What More Can We Accomplish?

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Last Sunday night I gave our State of the Student Ministry Address to our students and parents. I started out with what a fantastic year 2011 was for the Karns student ministry. We accomplished so much more than I had even hoped to accomplish in our first full year together. Looking back on it, I’m not surprised at all. The Karns congregation, and especially the young people we have here, are some of the best I have ever encountered. I would put this group of students up with the best of them. However, I wanted to remind them that 2011 is in the past and we are now one month into 2012. The question I wanted our students and parents to consider was this, “What more can we accomplish?” “What more can we do through our student ministry to aid in our student’s faith development?”

The answer to that question is very simple. With the help of God, we can accomplish much more than any one of us could ever dream. Do you remember the words of Jesus when telling His disciples how hard it was for the rich to enter the kingdom of God? He said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mk. 10:27). As long as we are following after God and His will, anything is possible. It is my hope and prayer that this year the Karns student ministry can help our student become true disciples of Jesus. I don’t want to just have a group of students who are devoted to activities and youth gatherings, but rather I want a group of students who are hungry for knowing God more intimately and whole-heartedly devoted to following after their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Baptizing them is not enough; let’s move toward teaching them what a true relationship with the Lord really results in, one who is willing to follow Jesus wherever He leads. The Bible refers to this as a disciple.

And Jesus said unto them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. God therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:18-20).

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Jan 30

It’s Been Awhile…Welcome 2012!

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It has been a little over a month since my last post. I took an extended break from the blog world to enjoy the newest addition to our family. Caden Lee was born on January 6th @ 8:19 a.m. Miranda and I are extremely excited to have Caden in our lives. Since his birth it has been important to me to spend every waking minute with my son and less time writing or doing some of the other hobbies I enjoy. I’m going to be honest with you… I didn’t miss my hobbies at all. I enjoyed every minute I had with my boy! However, now that  Miranda and I are somewhat adjusted to this new life of ours, I am picking back up my hobbies of writing, reading and running, all the while spending every free moment I have with Caden.

With that being said, let me tell you about some of the things I have been thinking about lately. As 2011 came to a close, I did a lot of thinking and praying. Here are some of the things I prayed for and am continuing to pray for in this New Year.

  1. I prayed/pray that I will be the kind of husband Miranda deserves, the kind of husband God desires me to be (Eph. 5:25, 28).
  2. I prayed/pray that I will be the kind of Father that God desires me to be to Caden (Eph. 6:4). I want to take my responsibility as a dad to heart and love my son unconditionally and set an example for him of what a relationship with God is suppose to look like.
  3. I prayed/pray that God will help me to be more effective in reaching out to those who are hurting, both physically and spiritually (Eph. 4:32), and  also to look for more opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are lost and dying in their sins (Matt. 9:37-38).
  4. I prayed/pray that I will help, along with their parents, to develop the students God has blessed me the opportunity to work with into true disciples of Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20). I don’t want to have kids who just participate in youth group activities; I want to have students who are whole heartedly devoted to Jesus. If their heart is devoted to Jesus, no matter where they go or what they do, I know the Lord and His church will be in the forefront of their mind and actions.
  5. I prayed/pray that I will spend even more time devoted to studying and meditating upon God’s holy and divine word (Psa. 119:97).  I want to know God in a way that I have never known Him before.
  6. I prayed/pray that I will make it a point to spend a significant amount of time each day talking to my heavenly Father about my life, my hopes, my dreams, my struggles, my trials, my temptations, etc. (Phil. 4:6-7; I Thess. 5:16-18).
  7. I prayed/pray that God will help me make the best use of my time. I’m tired of allowing sports and television to take so much of my time. Time is a commodity that is precious. I want to use it wisely (Eph. 5:15-16).
  8. I prayed/pray that God will help me to make better choices when it comes to my overall health. As a student minister, I’m always on the go which means I eat a lot of fast food, especially with the students. It’s so easy to think that because I’m at Burger King I might as well go with the loaded Double Whopper and fries. Our bodies are a temple that are not our own. I want to glorify God in my body (I Cor. 6:19-20).
  9. I prayed/pray that I will use this blog to God’s glory (2 Thess. 1:11-12; Col. 3:17). In spite of what some might think, I want my post to help/challenge the readers in their walk with the Lord. I am hopeful that I will do a more efficient job of that this year. Yes, I know…that probably means posting more often than I’m accustom too.
  10. I prayed/pray that I will use my life as a living testimony/sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1-2; Matt. 5:16). When people see my life, my actions, and hear the words I speak, I want them to see Christ living in me.

It is my hope and prayer that 2012 will be the best and most productive year of my life. I know that with God’s help, anything is possible (Mark 10:27).  May all of us use this year to bring glory and honor to our great and awesome God!

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Dec 06

Tim Tebow is…

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I’m a Tennessee Vols fan, always have been and always will be (even during seasons like 2011). As a Tennessee fan there are certain teams that I am not a fan of. For instance, I’m not a South Carolina or Georgia fan. I want the Vols to beat them every year. However, there are two teams Tennessee plays every year that I like even less than the two mentioned above. Those teams are Florida and Alabama. Being a Vols fan, means strongly disliking these two schools since they are probably our two biggest rivals. Tennessee may not win 9-10 games a season, but if they can beat Florida and Alabama that season is a success.

Recently, I have found myself cheering for Florida. Well, not for Florida exactly, but one of Florida’s former players. Tim Tebow may be the greatest player to have ever worn a Florida uniform. During his time at Florida let’s just say I wasn’t his biggest fan. After all, he and his team beat my Vols all 4 years he played there. However, now that he’s not beating my team every year (although Florida still is), I see Tim Tebow differently. I see him as someone I respect.

Tim Tebow is one of my favorite players in the NFL. It’s not because he is a winner on the field (although the Denver Broncos are 6-1 with him as their starting quarterback), but because of the manner in which this young man conducts himself. He is not arrogant, he is not flashy, he is not a dirty player, he is not obsessed with himself, he is not someone with a foul mouth, he is not someone who parties, he is not someone who experiments with substance abuse, he is not someone who gets in trouble for his off the field issues and he is not someone who is going to make excuses. Tim Tebow is none of these things.

Tim Tebow is a team player, he is a leader, he is an encourager, he is a motivator, he is hard working, he is determined, he is tough and he is a light. I am a fan of Tim Tebow, not because of what he does on the field every week, but because of what he stands for, both on and off the field each week. Although, I do not agree with him on some doctrinal issues, I admire and respect Tim Tebow because he is willing to stand up for his belief in God and face the scrutiny that comes with it. Every week more and more people speak out against Tim and the way he openly professes his faith. Yet, each week, he continues to let his light shine to those around him. I wished more of us who professed to be Christians were willing to stand up and stand out the same way he does. Tim Tebow is not afraid of what others think. He seems only to be concerned with being a light for the Lord he loves.

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).

Friends, you and I can learn a little something from Tim Tebow. Why not heed the words of Jesus and be a bright shinning light for him?

Now that’s Something to Think About!