Mar 15

The Karns’ Student Ministry

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Karns has a fantastic Student Ministry (Grades 6th – 12th) that I personally feel is blessed. It has nothing to do with me or what I do, but it has everything to do with the others who are involved in this ministry. If you will bear with me, I would like to give you a few reasons why I believed the Student Ministry at Karns is blessed.

  1. Great Students. I have worked with 4 different student ministries in the past, and this group of students is by far the most spiritually mature. First, this group has a deep love for the Lord. Second, they want to know what the Bible teaches. Our students truly care about studying God’s Word. They don’t want to have their time wasted with powder puff lessons; they want the MEAT of the Word! Third, this group genuinely loves and cares for one another.
  2. Wonderful Parents. Karns is blessed with parents who believe in investing in the spiritual lives of their children, and this investment is making a difference for our students (Eph. 6:4; Prov. 22:6).
  3. Tremendous Volunteers. In order for a Student Ministry to be successful, people, time and energy are required. Miranda and I could never do this alone and accomplish everything that needs to be accomplished. We have so many members, both parents and non-parents alike, who are generous with their time and volunteer in order to make a difference in the lives of our students.
  4. Best Eldership. I am blessed to work under a group of men who truly believe in Student Ministry. Our elders see student ministry for what it is… an investment into the eternal well-being of our students. They understand Student Ministry is not a glorified babysitting gig. From day one, they have reassured me of their belief in what we are doing. This is evident from their support of the Student Ministry: volunteering, chaperoning, hosting devotionals, teaching, and just interacting with the students. I wouldn’t trade the Karns’ eldership for any other in the brotherhood!  

What a blessing it is to be involved in the Karns’ Student Ministry! I thank God for this wonderful opportunity every day.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

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 29

CYC 2012

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Last weekend 43 of us from Karns attended Challenge Youth Conference in Gatlinburg. It was an extremely beneficial weekend for everyone. Personally, I think it was by far the best year overall that I have ever attended. I thought all the speakers did a tremendous job with their lessons and our group devotionals where some of the best time we spent all weekend. As I sit back and reflect on what I hope is a launching pad for a fantastic 2012, I want to share with you some of the quotes that stood out and challenged me over the course of the weekend.

“All the devils apples have worms.”

“We will have to give account for the things we know and for the things we should have known had we been listening.”

“You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.”

“Temptation is a proposal to fulfill a legitimate need in an illegitimate way.”

“The penalty of sin last longer than the pleasures of sin.”

“Not feeling shame doesn’t make something right!”

“Until we decided sin is something detestable, disgusting, something we hate, we are not protected from sin.”

“When we change our mind about what we love and about what we hate, then we can protect ourselves from sin.”

“We can’t have a flirtatious relationship with sin.”

“When what you want is greater than what you fear, you’ve lost the battle with sin.”

“There is nothing I can do to make God love me more; there is nothing I can do to make God love me less.”

“My actions are a measure of my love for God. Can people look at my life and tell I am into God?”

“Two reasons people don’t become Christians: 1) They don’t know any Christians; 2) They know some Christians.”

“Do people praise Jesus because of you?”

“If your friends followed you today, where would you lead them?”

As I said earlier, my life was richly blessed because of CYC ’12. Lord willing, I’m already looking forward to next year.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

Father, thank you for an incredible weekend at CYC. I pray all those who were in attendance will take to heart the challenge that was presented. Help us to be people who truly hate sin and are hooked on you. Lord, please forgive us when we fail you and give in to our desires. Help us become more like your son. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

 

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 06

Words Aren’t Enough

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The apostle Paul wrote, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2).

Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39).

Peter wrote, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (I Pet. 4:10).

John reminds us, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (I Jn. 3:18).

Paul summed it up by saying, “Through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Gal. 5:13b-14).

The words above have been lived out by so many recently. Over the course of time Caden was in the hospital, I can’t count the number of calls, texts, Facebook comments/messages and visits we had. Miranda and I were overwhelmed by the amount of love and support we were shown by our church family as well as many others. We can’t even begin to thank you enough for your kindness. There aren’t enough words to truly express our gratitude so please accept our sincere and heartfelt thanks. We consider ourselves blessed to be a part of the Lord’s church. When Caden is old enough to understand, we will share with him your love and concern for him, as well as Miranda and me, during his time in the hospital. Again, from the bottom of our hearts, Thank You.

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy” (Phil. 1:3-4).

Now that’s Something to Think About!