Donald Miller made a post on his blog recently where he highlighted the type of questions that Americans typically ask about things in our world.  We are consumed with the question of “How”.
“How can I lose weight fast?”
“How can I make more money?”
“How can I manage to afford that bigger house?”
“How can I take on more debt, even if I haven’t paid for what I’ve already got?”
“How can I get my kids into Harvard?”
The question “How” tends to assume that I know what’s best for me, and I know what it is that I want.  It is a question of means, so that I can eliminate the gap between what I want and what I have.
Miller’s observation–with which I agree–is that the Bible can be a frustrating book for Americans to read, because the type [...]

Church camp is coming up soon!  July 25-30th are the dates for our annual week of fun and fellowship in Fall Creek Falls State Park.
If you need an application, you can download it here.
Applications and payment are due July 11, 2010.
Hope to see you there!
Mark

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in our annual Vacation Bible School.  There were lots of smiles and laughs every day.  I had the privilege of talking with the kids at the end of each evening, asking what they had learned, and based on the quantity and qualities of answers I received, I think the answer to my question was, “A lot!”
VBS would not be possible without all the wonderful volunteers who give up so much time and effort to make it great.  Saturday was lots of fun especially, with a petting zoo and pony rides.  And who could forget Crazy Uncle Jon’s songs every night?  I’m sure he’ll find his way back again.
As VBS director, I just wanted to express my deep appreciation for everyone who helped us out.  We’ll look [...]

Have you ever pondered the gravity of the words you pray?  Do you ever think about what a frightening statement it really is to say to God, “Make me a better person”?  Or “Help me to do your will in my life”?  Or “Help me to grow in my faith”?  Have you ever had any growing experience that didn’t involve hurting somewhere along the way?
Let’s not forget Daniel.  He was a good man.  If he were here, we would love for him to go to our church. Daniel prayed three times a day while looking out his window.  Then suddenly, prayer to anyone but King Darius was illegal.  But when government makes rules against righteousness, then Godly people have to break the law.  Do you realize that it was for praying that Daniel was thrown [...]

How comfortable are your feet right now?  When I ask this, do you suddenly become aware of them?  At any given moment, we can feel our feet, but if we’re not thinking about them, we don’t really notice how they feel.  Perhaps even as I say this, you suddenly pause and realize the need to adjust a sock or tighten a shoelace.  Your feet have always been there, haven’t they?  But just before you read this, you weren’t thinking about them.  Awareness is everything.
Once in chapel at the Harding Graduate School, a man got up to lead our prayer.  He was from Africa, and he could pray unlike anyone I’ve ever heard.  He spoke with a booming voice and a thick accent.  The first half of his prayer he spent simply acknowledging the majesty of [...]

I am already getting excited about Old Hickory Bible Camp in 2010!
Our theme for this year is going to be “That We May Be One.”  We will focus on our unity with God, and our unity as Christians.  Jesus said that it was through our unity and love for each other that the world will really know we are Christians.
Our theme for this year is “Out of Style.”  I want to see who can come up with the tackiest, most outdated clothing they can find.  (Let’s be sure to keep it modest)  I plan to be amazed at some of the clothing that will show up.  Of course, for some of us, to be out of style all we’ll need to do is wear what we would be wearing anyway! Ha!
Be sure to look at [...]

Hello!  Thanks so much for your help in our annual White Christmas project.  This year, we will be focusing on a family of three: a mom, a daughter, and a son.  For a breakdown of what they are needing, please click here.
We will be having our Christmas party on December 13, where we will wrap the presents that everyone buys.  For those who want to shop together, we will do the shopping on this same day after morning services.
If you are planning to help out, could you please post a comment on this blog post, letting us know what you intend to buy?  This way we will make sure they get some of everything, and not just end up with 10 pairs of pants and no shirts.  It is fine if you want to let [...]

I just wanted to say a big “thank you” to everyone who came on the retreat, and to all of you who have been asking how it went. We really had a terrific weekend.
We were able to spend part of Saturday hiking in the Smokey Mountains, and got to actually go under a waterfall.  One of the big highlights of the trip were the cabins themselves.  They had lots of amenities, and everyone was able to be very comfortable for the endurance of our stay.
Saturday night we provided our own entertainment, playing some games like Questions Only, using a gigantic T-Shirt so that the kids could take turns playing the role of a 2-headed dragon, and for the grand finale we heard some original tunes by our kids who utilized drinking straws as wind [...]

Today in class we talked about Psalm 78, where Asaph wrote down several stories of Israel’s experience as something he wanted to pass on to future generations so they could know their own history, and also know how to better please God than their ancestors did.
We broke into three groups and each group was given the challenge, “If I could place some Bible verses in a time capsule to pass on to the next generation, here’s what I would include.”
Each group had a different topic to “advise” their descendants about.  I was very pleased that everyone took it so seriously, and they really came up with some terrific passages.  Here are some of the results.
Group One: Advice For People Who Are Young

Psalm 119:9 – How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living [...]

We had a terrific time at the Oakleys’ last Sunday afternoon. They have lots of outdoor space, and there was plenty of room to play frisbee, football, and whatever else we came up with.
One of the highlights of the evening was definitely the Mummy decorating competition. David, Alayna, and Megen all looked pretty convincing. We used this as a starting point for our devotional where we did a sort of interactive reading of the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. We let different people play different roles. It was pretty cool to get to the part where Lazarus is to come forth from the tomb, and we had a real “mummy” ready to emerge!
We finished things off with a hayride outside, then we came in to prepare some [...]