Family Night...

*Pictured from top left to right is Jodi and Gracen at McAllister's, Gracen "pooped" after an evening at the park, me helping Gracen out with a few sips of sweet tea, and finally Jodi and Gracen taking a swing at Kiroli Park.

Once a month we have "Family Night" here at Family Church. We are encouraged to spend quality time that evening with just our family. It is the vision of the house to see families function biblically. There has been a major meltdown within the home over the past 50 years and we want to see families get back to functioning the way God designed them to function-biblically.

My family spent our time at Kiroli Park swinging, walking the trails, and then going to my favorite place, McAllister's, to have a nice family meal.

Embracing Change

Working with Middle School students there is a word that describes this "season" in their lives that they experience between the 6th-8th grades-change. Puberty, growth spurts, increased attraction to the opposite sex, stronger desire to "fit-in", peer pressure increase, emotional "ups and downs", several changes that these young people will be experiencing through the next several years. Some exciting but some very uncomfortable for them.

My family and I have been through many changes this year. Some were very uncomfortable, some very exciting, and some a little scary. Change is difficult sometimes but we need to embrace change not shy down from it. Change can be a wonderful thing! Change can be a learning experience! Change can grow our character!

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.."

So what "changes" or "seasons" are you experiencing right now in your life? Ask God what it is he wants to do through these changes and allow you to learn and grow during them.

Mature or still a babe?

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." (I Peter 3:8-9)

As we read the above verse and break down what is being said can we answer the following questions honestly? Are you living in harmony with others? Are you being sympathetic towards others? Are you compassionate and humble? These are commands from the word of God! If we are striving towards full devotion we must abide by them! Is it easy to live in harmony with others? Is it always easy to love and be humble? Not exactly but Christ has given us the power through Him to do these things.

When people pay you evil are you tempted to do evil back? When people insult you (yes even Christians) do you retaliate and throw insults back? If we do we are putting ourselves on the same level as the one doing the insulting. We deceive ourselves if we think we are anything less than worldly and babes in Christ! When people say and do evil to us we are to repay them not with the same evil or insult but with blessing! We are called to do this!

Leave outcomes to Christ who alone knows all and is the one who is completely just!

Lions, Bears, and Goliaths

"David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumsized Philistine will be like one of them , because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (I. Samuel 17:32-37)

David spoke these words to Saul after days of Goliath's threats to Israel. Because of David's youth Saul didn't believe he had the power or ability to stand up to Goliath. What Saul failed to realize is that this wasn't David's "first rodeo". You see God had been preparing David for this moment for a long time. He had been preparing him through battle's with lions and bears. David had spent a many of "lonely" nights with sheep in a field praying to God and worshiping Him when no one else was around. He was ready for this test because he had already been through the training!

When we are faced with the Goliath's in our lives we should be prepared and ready to fight. Why? Because we have been preparing for that very moment. We have spent hours in our prayer closest. We have sacrificed many of meals in fasting to the Lord. We have spent energy and heart worshiping God even when it hurt. We are more than prepared for the Goliath that stands in our paths!

So is the same for us.

Kids Camp

( A recent trip to the Board Walk in Shreveport, LA with some awesome people from my small group)

This Sunday we will take 170 Family Church kids, staff, and volunteers to Jimmie Davis State Park on Caney Lake for this years 2007 Kids Camp. I'm excited yet alittle anxious because I don't know that I've ever done a "Kids Camp" before but hey, I get a wondeful excuse to act completely like a kid again. Sometimes thats not too hard to do.

Please be in prayer for us as it will be a 5 Day long event.

Blessings,

Beck

Busyness

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-38)

Why do so many people burn out in ministry? Why do so many people burn out in life? Why are so many people so tired all the time? Although many answers could be given to these questions I believe one main reason for burnout is we as Christians can stay so busy. So what is wrong with that? Aren't we being productive? Aren't we doing "ministry"? Aren't we expanding the kingdom?

So much emphasis these days is put on the "doing" (ministry) instead of the "being" (our relationship to God and holiness). You see we can keep our schedule so full sometimes that we begin to neglect what is the most important relationship we will ever have-our relationship to God. We begin to become spiritually empty, dry, and void while we are dressed in our religiousity. We spend time with others "ministering" while our time with God becomes less and less. Also, other very important relationships begin to suffer including your relationship to your husband, wife, or children. Do we win others all the while losing those closest to us in the name of God? Doesn't the Bible talk about managing our own homes before we can manage others (the church)? You can't live for God on an empty tank. Eventually you will run out.

I encourage you today to stop and see where you are placing most of your time, energy, and efforts. Maybe it is time to reevaluate some things?

*Please pray for us tonight as we minister the hope of Christ in the jail ministry this evening.

Continue Faithful

"...but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition."
(I. Thessalonians 2:2)

Many times through life when we experience resistance or opposition we tend to back off or even quit. Many a Christians overseas are facing continual opposition on a daily basis that refuse to let up, back down, or throw their hands up in frustration. They continue to be loyal and faithful to their king.

Paul and his colleagues in ministry found this same opposition when preaching the gospel to the church of the Thessalonians but did he back off? We have been taught in our thinking that Jesus caused no problems and always brought peace everywhere he went. Just loving Jesus not wanting to stir anything up. That isn't true at all. As a matter of fact it was the opposition of the gospel he preached that put Him on the cross!

So I encourage you today...Yes you will at times experience resistance when preaching the gospel but be faithful! Remember, it is God you are trying to please...not man. Preach on!

We have returned from our New Orleans Mission. For messages, videos, testimonies, worship, etc. go to www.familychurch.org then to Family TV & Media. There you will find Youth Retreat-New Orleans-Steve Hubbard where you can watch the service from your computer. Enjoy!

Beck

New Orleans Mission

I just returned from our Mission to inner city New Orleans, LA and I wish I had the space to write all of the events that touched my life.

A few things that touched my heart were:

1) To see the devastation from hurricane Katrina
2) Swim, play, etc. with the inner city kids in the projects
3) Rebuild homes that hadn't been touched in 1 1/2
4) To see teenagers work in unity and reflect teamwork
5) Ate fried chicken in a family's home in the projects
6) Built relationships with teenagers and youth workers
7)See people the way Christ does

As I walked in the first home we were to clean up it was dark, damaged, destroyed, and broken. As I was placing the damaged items in my wheel barrel cleaning it up I realized something...that house looked alot like some peoples lives I've seen. It looked alot like mine when Christ found me...Maybe it looked like yours...dark, destroyed, damaged, and needing restored. Just as we were cleaning that dirty house I reflected on how Christ came to clean our house...our lives...our hearts...through the blood of His son Jesus Christ and the work of the great Holy Spirit.

The Sunday service yesterday was all student lead and I should have up the link within the next week.

Thanks for praying with us.

I love you,

Beck