Will’s Brain Log

Tonight, Pastor Matt Keller, came by Collide to open up our new series all about questions.  We talked about Jesus healing the blind man in Mark 10. He was a no name, blind beggar, who cried out to Jesus while he pasted by. Jesus asked him a question that seemed obvious, “What do you want me to do for you?” Why? Because Jesus wanted him to say it. To tell him, to be open about who he was and his limitations and Jesus did a miracle in his life. The same thing goes for us. God is looking down asking us the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” “What is your limitation?” What is it that is in the deep, dark place in your heart that no one knows?” 

For the next few weeks we will be answering your questions. I will be answering some questions right here on my blog but also at Collide. No question is a bad question. Ask anything you’ve ever wanted to know. 

This is a whole series that You Pick.

I was reading Mike Ash’s blog a little while ago and wanted to share with you what he wrote. It’s an encouraging message in this economic downfall. If you don’t read his blog regularly, you should…

“It’s no surprise that one of the most topics talked about today is the economy. There is such a state of unrest and even fear in some cases as it concerns job and financial security. It may just be amplified because I live in the area with the greatest # of foreclosures in the country, but I would bet that everyone is feeling it on some degree.

So, what do we do during this time of instability?

Honestly, I believe that this is the perfect time to stay close.

Stay close to God.

Stay close to your family.

Stay close to the family that you have in your church.

During times of instability, we have seen that very often people tend to PUSH BACK and DISCONNECT. They allow that problems that are happening on a financial or emotional level draw them away from a relationship with those that care for them, which leads to bigger problems.

So, let me encourage all of us who may be feeling some stress from the economy that is up in the air to continue to engage those relationships in your world. Keep spending quality time with your spouse and kids. Make time with God a priority. Make it to church as often as you’re in town.

Doing this and continuing to engage will help all of us to make it through this time and on the other side we’ll be stronger, not weaker.

What could a church look like if it were filled with people who were determined to engage during this time instead of disconnect? It would look pretty cool.”      

- Mike

Well, tonight is a double feature. I will be giving everyone some tips on how to break up, which will be fun, but we will also be talking about sex. Three quick thoughts about sex, that I like to call Revolutionary Truths…

• Revolutionary truth # 1- We are sexual people. No doubt about that, its how we are created to be. And in all honesty, sex is a good thing that God created. It was his idea. Its so easy to mislead our students in the church by telling them how horrible sexually is and really confuse them with our words. So lets just put it out there, sex is not bad. However….
• Revolutionary truth # 2- God created us to be pure and set apart in our sexuality. In simple terms, we shouldn’t act on every impulse just because God created sex and sex is a good thing. I’ll be speaking from 1 Thessalonians 4. In fact though sex is meant to be a good thing but… 
• Revolutionary truth # 3- Sex is not always good. It’s meant to be good but that’s not always the case. Because of trying to do things our way, we can get ourselves in a bad place and find that sex isn’t all that good.  Bottom line is sexual actions outside the commitment of marriage, is always going to turn things up. We don’t realize that getting hooked up would cost so much, create so much guilt, and feel so much shame. But thank God for second chances. 

Do you ever feel like your teenager isn’t listening to you? Or maybe they physically appear to be listening but have a glazed look on their face. I’ve heard parents say time and time again, “He never listens to a word I say.” or “I’ve tried talking to her but she just closes me out.” This behavior is something every parent is likely to encounter in raising an adolescent and after a while can become a very discouraging situation. But there is good news. You are still number one! Regardless of the behavior your teen shows you, chances are you are still the number one influence in his or her life.
A survey done by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, shows that nearly half of all respondents (45%) feel that their parents significantly influence their decisions. That is way more than friends (19%) or even teachers and respected adults (14%). No matter what, you are still the number one most influential person in your teens life.
So next time you feel like you are getting nowhere, remember, your voice counts more than any other voice in their life.

Well, tonight we are starting a new 2 week series on relationships and dating. This is a big topic in youth culture. Everyone wants to know how to get hitched, how to stay hitched, and how to get unhitched (sometimes). But is that all there is to it.
So often I find young people striving to find a relationship to fill a void in there life and the core of it all comes down to self-value. The bottom line is when it comes to dating, you can’t value or respect someone else unless you value and respect yourself.
However, the sad truth is many students don’t really know their own value. Circumstances have taken place in some of their lives that have robbed them of truly knowing how valuable they are.
“Our true value doesn’t come from people. Our true value can only come from a higher place. Jesus came so that we would know how much we are worth. You are worth so much, for the God of the universe to send His son, to this humble place called earth, just so humans can spit on him, beat him, and kill him. He gave his life for you. He died so that you might really know how much you are worth. You are worth every drop of blood He lost. B/c even if you don’t feel loved on earth. He wants you to know He loves you.”
Jn 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”