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 24

A Gift Worth Giving

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It’s only a few hours until Christmas! Most of you will probably be up bright and early in the morning with your children gathered around a Christmas tree. Your purpose: unwrapping all those presents. Christmas is such an exciting time. I can still remember the excitement I had as a child when it came time to open the presents. Going back and watching the home videos is rather embarrassing now. I would get super excited over everything, including clothes. Yes, I loved opening gifts regardless of the contents inside.

Although the excitement is still there when I unwrap a present that was picked especially for me, I get more joy out of giving presents now and watching the excitement on other’s faces. It is always a great joy to watch as those I love open the gifts I chose just for them. If you have children, you no doubt understand this. Watching them open their presents is probably one of your favorite parts of Christmas.

Christmas is an exciting and wonderful time; one I enjoy thoroughly. However, this year, I have been thinking about the types of gifts we give the ones we love.  Consider this: “Why do we enjoy giving physical gifts to those we love, but we neglect to share the greatest gift of all, that which is spiritual?”

The greatest gift anyone could ever receive is salvation. For without it, we would be hopelessly lost. God loved mankind enough to give something so dear and precious to Him, His one and only son. He did this so that we could be saved from the pits of torment. He is the greatest gift of all, and yet, sometimes we are reluctant to share Him with others. One of the final requests Jesus made to His disciples was, “Go 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” (Matt. 28:19-20). If I’m willing to go all out and spend lots of money on gifts that are perishable, why not take time to share with those I love about an imperishable gift that is absolutely free?

This Christmas, I hope you will be reminded to share the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers. I challenge you to make it a point to take time to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with your loved ones. After all friends, this is one gift worth giving.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Dec 20

That One Gift

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It’s that time of year again. Christmas is only a few days away. If you have kids, they probably already have given you a long list of the things they hope to receive come Christmas morning. With most kids though, there is always one gift they desire more than any other. As long as they find that one gift under the tree on Christmas morning, they are happy.

If you are honest, you may have to admit that you were the same away when you were their age. We probably all pestered our parents at some point about that one gift that we just had to have. I remember various conversations around this time of year that went something like this; “But dad, I just have to have it. I don’t know if I will be able to live without it. It’s all I really want for Christmas; nothing else matters but this one gift. Please!”

As you go about doing your last minute Christmas shopping looking for that one gift your child thinks he or she can’t live without, I hope you will remember the greatest gift available to us all. We truly must have this one gift. None of us can ever live without it. This gift is the gift of salvation, and God offers this gift to us.

God sent His son into this world in order for Him (Jesus) to “Save His (God’s) people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Do you realize God desires one thing above all others?  He wants all people to repent of their sins and come to know Him (2 Peter 3:9). This is the very reason why God sent His son to die upon Calvary’s cross (John 3:16). Friends, this Christmas unwrap the one gift that can last for all eternity: salvation. This is truly THAT one GIFT mankind must have!

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

 

 

Dec 13

“Oh, No!”

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We have probably all done it at one time or another. You know, something we were told not to do. As a child I can remember doing this on a few occasions. I knew as soon as I committed the forbidden action, I was going to be in trouble. Immediately I would have one of those, “Oh, no!” moments. You know, the moment you realize you did something you were not suppose to do and cry out, “Oh, no!” At that moment I would begin to contemplate the consequences of my actions. I knew I was in trouble for my disobedience.

Imagine how Adam and Eve must have felt. They were living the good life in the Garden of Eden until one day Satan appeared in the form of a serpent and helped change that. After giving in and breaking the one command God had given them, the Bible says, “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8). I imagine Adam and Eve hid themselves because they had one of those “Oh, no!” moments. They knew they had disobeyed God.

Adam and Eve found out very quickly the consequences for their BIG mistake. Consider if you will, what they had to endure.

  1. They lost their innocence. The Bible says, “The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Gen. 3:7).
  2. For Eve and her descendants, childbirth would be painful (Gen. 3:16). If you have ever been pregnant or have ever spent time around a woman who is, you understand the pain that comes from everything involved in pregnancy (morning sickness, weight of carrying the baby around, actual birth, etc.).
  3. Eve would now be in subjection to her husband, as he is the head of the home (Gen. 3:16).
  4. For Adam, making a living for his family would now be hard work. Moses records, “By the sweat of your face you will eat bread” (Gen. 3:19).
  5. They would now suffer both spiritual and physical death (Gen. 3:19, 24). The spiritual death was their separation from God and communing with Him in the garden. The physical death was that for the first time ever, something God created would die.
  6. They lost the garden. By this point Adam and Eve must have realized they made a BIG mistake because the Bible records, “Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden” (Gen. 3:23).

Satan tricked man on this occasion in the garden, and he continues to trick Christians today. Just like Eve, Satan deceives Christians into believing that sin will bring them great joy and pleasure. He deceives Christians into believing there is nothing wrong with a little sin. His desire is for Christians to see only the fun that comes with sin. Unfortunately, just like with Adam and Eve, sin always results in consequences.

Friends, remember…sin is not all it’s cracked up to be. Sure it looks good, feels good, tastes good and appears to be the unanimous choice of most people in our society today. However, with sin comes consequences, and many times those consequences have a far higher price than we would be willing to pay if we knew about them upfront, before we partook in the sin. Let’s fight to keep from being deceived by sin. We don’t want to have one of those “Oh, no…that was a BIG mistake” kind of moments when we are trying to serve God.

Now that’s Something to Think About!