God Bless Us Everyone

In the book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the main character, Scrooge, learns that the meaning of Christmas is love and giving. He then throws the best Christmas for his employee, Bob Cratchit and his family, including his son, Tiny Tim. Tiny Tim then blesses everyone saying, "God bless us everyone!"

I'm not saying those in Crash are like Scrooge by any means. But they all got the opportunity to feel like Scrooge at the end of the book when he learns that Christmas is a time of love and giving. I'm talking about the Operation Christmas Child boxes. On November 17th, the Crash students put together care package presents for children in other countries who aren't going to get any presents. Our Crash students were able to give to others in need and share the love.

Not only were we able to put together 3 boxes (which was my goal), but we ended up sending a total of 6 boxes!! This week I got an email from Operation Christmas Child that confirmed that the care packages went out. Our boxes went to needy children in the Philippines. We were able to share love and give to those in need which is a great feeling. This idea of love and giving is at the center of Christmas. All of you Crash students have helped make Christmas awesome for 6 children- 6 Tiny Tim's. This is fantastic! Good job! You've all made me proud. So, may we never forget to love; may we never forget to give, and may "God bless us everyone!"

Cameron's Musical Christmas

This week is Christmas. I love Christmas time for many different reasons; the people, the love, its the temperature of the weather, egg nog. But most importantly, I love Christmas songs. I start listening to them on Thanksgiving week while driving up to Yosemite. So I started thinking, what are my favorite Christmas songs. Off the top of my head I can come up with 20 or 30 off the top of my head, and those are just the traditional Christmas carol type songs. But there are so many. So I have my top 5 favorite Christmas Albums and my top 10 Christmas single songs that all help get me into the Christmas spirit.

Top 5 Christmas Albums
5. "Christmas Pageant" By Family Force 5 - R&B, auto tuner sounding dance music.
4. "Dig That Crazy Christmas" By Brian Setzer Orchestra - Rockabilly music with an orchestra as back up. Very fun, fast, and somehow still traditional.
3. "Christmas Celebration" By Mannheim Steamroller - Electric, classic & mostly instrumental.
2. "Christmas With Weezer" By Weezer - Acoustic takes on surprisingly very religious Christmas song.
1. "Let It Snow Baby, Let It Reindeer" By Relient K - Very fun traditional carols mixed with awesome original Christmas songs, including my favorite (see below #1).

Top 10 Christmas Single Songs
10. The Chipmunk Song - Tegan & Sara
9. Santa Clause Is Coming To Town - Sugarcult
8. Christmas Time Is Here - Gatsby's American Dream
7. All I Want For Christmas - My Chemical Romance
6. Carol Of The Bells - August Burns Red
5. Holly Jolly Christmas - The Format
4. Rocking Around The Christmas Tree - Cartel
3. Noel! Noel! - Eve 6
2. This Time Of Year - The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones
1. I Celebrate The Day - Relient K

Honorable Mention - The band The Killers don't have a Christmas album. But for the last 5 years they have recorded a Christmas song every year for the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Each song is awesome. The frontman Brandon Flowers is quoted this year as saying, "Our Christmas single with (RED) is one of our traditions as a band. We didn't want to let it fall by the wayside just because we're on hiatus; this cause is too important." This I think is awesome!

I hope these help you get into the Christmas spirit. Don't forget, our Christmas Eve service is this Friday at 6 PM. I hope to see you all there! Merry Christmas =)

Keep It On The DL

Today I'll be answering a question, but it's not a question a student asked, it's a question I asked. This week in fact. Contrary to what you may think, I do not know everything. There are things even I have questions about. When I have a question, I go to those whom I know and respect and ask them. The question is this, " There are more than a few instances when Jesus, after he preforms a miracle, tells those involved not to tell anyone. There are times when He even doesn't want His disciples to tell people things. Why does He not want them to tell people what He had just done?" For those of you with Bibles at home, the passages I am talking about are Matthew 8:4, Matthew 16:20, Mark 7:36, Mark 8:26, Mark 8:30, Mark 9:9, Luke 5:14, Luke 8:56 & Luke 9:21. Now because they are in different gospels, some of them refer to the same story, so really there are 6 different instances where Jesus tells people not to tell anyone.

To make matters worse, there is another instance when, after He casts a demon out of someone, that He tell him to go tell his family and tell them all about it (This is in Mark 5:19). So does He want us to tell others or not? If He does want us to tell others (which I believe is God's command throughout the New Testament), why does He tell these people to keep it on the DL?

Here are a couple possibilities as to why Jesus didn't want a whole lot of people to know. First, Jesus was not "show-boat-ie" He wasn't a showoff. Every recorded miracle He did was to prove a point, to point them to God. It was never for His own fame and fortune. So Jesus telling people not to talk, was to make sure it was more about loving people and pointing them to God. Another theory as to why He wouldn't want people talking about it, is that maybe one or more of these people He interacted with, wasn't that credible, and people wouldn't listen to them. There is even one instance when Jesus heals a blind man, and the man goes to the Pharisee's to tell them of the miracle, and they didn't believe him and wanted him to lie. It also could have been because, as Jesus said at different points, "My time has not yet come." He didn't want people to know, because He wanted to help someone, and get the one-on-one interaction with the person, but didn't want a huge commotion because it wasn't time for that. It wasn't time for Jesus to fulfill what He came to do.

Whatever the reason, we know that God loves us, and wants us to share this love- His love, with others and point them to Him. Jesus' time came, He died for our sins, rose from the dead, and now commands us to go and teach others, to tell them all that He's done. It's not on the DL anymore, but, as the Christmas carol goes, we should, "Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is LORD."

The Nativity Scene

How many of you have seen a Nativity scene before? It's the picture of Mary & Joseph huddled around baby Jesus in a stable. There are also a couple shepherds, a few wise men, and some animals watching. It's a very tender, warm & loving picture. It is THE picture of Christmas and what Christmas really is all about.

But what is the actual story behind it? Why is each character necessary? The Nativity scene is what gives meaning to Christmas and every piece is important; every character had a role to play. They all have their own story to tell about the birth of Jesus, and each story contributes to the larger story; the story of Christmas, the story of Immanuel, "God With Us".

Join us this Wednesday at our Crash Christmas party as we celebrate Christmas together. We will look at the story each of the Nativity characters has to tell and we'll see the larger story of Christmas and what it's truly all about. Our Christmas party will actually be at a secret holiday location, so call the church office for directions, (760) 568-3646.

Be Prepared

I am an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts of America trains young men to be prepared for any and all situations. They earn merit badges by showing knowledge and proficiency in various subjects like: first aid, swimming, wilderness survival, basket weaving, orienteering etc. Essentially these scouts are trained to have knowledge and handle any situation they may find themselves in. The scouts get equipped and prepared, in fact that's the Boy Scout's motto, "Be prepared."

This idea of being prepared, reminds me of a great passage, the "Armor Of God," found in Ephesians 6:13-17. It's a great passage not only to read, but to memorize. When I was in high school I had it memorized word for word (though now I must admit I don't quite remember it that well). In this passage, Paul encourages the people in Ephesus to be prepared, using the imagery of a soldier putting on armor before a battle. He encourages them to stand strong against the Devil. He encourages them to be prepared. He encourages us to stand strong and be prepared. Join us this week at Crash as we continue to look at the Armor of God and how putting it on prepares us to resist Satan's schemes, and fight off temptation.

Story Time

Some of the best stories begin with, "Once upon a time..." Stories are wonderful. I love all kinds of stories: funny, sad, dramatic, romantic. I think I like stories so much, because I like people so much. I love to find out about people and hear their stories. We all have stories to tell: things that happened at school, memories, jokes, things we read. Our whole lives are stories, and we are the main characters. The stories I love to hear about are stories that have to do with meeting Jesus. They aren't just, "once upon a time," but they are a specific time, they are life changing, and most importantly, they are true.

A couple weeks ago I had the honor and privilege to baptize a few students. Baptism is the public declaration and celebration of a person's life-long commitment to follow and obey Jesus. Usually when a person is baptized they share their story, called a testimony. It's the story of how they came to know, trust, and believe in Jesus, and explain what He is doing in their lives now. Our students didn't get to share their testimonies. So this Wednesday those students who were baptized will get to share their testimony, their story of how they met Jesus, and what He is doing in their lives now. I will also be sharing my story, and we'll all figure out what our own story is. So join us this Wednesday at Crash as we look at what our story is, so don't miss out. Hope to see you there.

What I'm Thankful For

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving. I just love this time of year. It gets a little cooler, love and joy is in the air. I can't forget about Turkey Dinners! I love turkey and stuffing, and pumpkin pie. It's awesome. Thanksgiving is also a time when we think about what we're thankful for.

Here's what I am thankful for:
1. My Family (My Dad, My Mom, My Brother, My Sister & My Sister-In-Law)
2. My Friends (too numourous to list. You know who you are)
3. God (His Love, Mercy & Grace)
4. God's Provisions (Breath, Food, Shelter, Clothes)
5. My Country (that I have freedom)
6. Love & Acceptance (from friends and family)
7. Desert Springs Church (for being an awesome community of support and encouragement)
8. Crash (and every student that's a part of it, and everyone that helps make it what it is)
9. The Simple Things (that make me smile and think about God)
10. Coffee (For the energy it gives me and the enjoyment I get from the taste)
11. All The Traveling I've Done (I got to see the world, and it was awesome)
12. Pumpkins (for all the good things you can make with it, like pumpkin pie, and pumkin spice latte)
13. Cameras (to remember the fun times.)
14. Computers (to make life organized and easier)
15. A/C (for keeping me cool in the summer)

To list a few.... So this week I have a question for all of you, "What are you most thankful for?"

Are You Annoying?

A friend of mine stated on facebook, "Dear major corporations, please stop using annoying people to do your commercials. I will never buy your products if your spokesman is obnoxious." How true is this? The commercials and spokesmen who are annoying or obnoxious make us not want to buy the product. It turns us off. There are a few commercials I find SUPER annoying. They are not funny or clever. Because of how annoying they are, I will go out of my way to make sure I don't buy those products.

Annoying and obnoxious people turn us off. It's even a proverb. Proverbs 27:14, "If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse." Its a funny verse, but it's so true, even for us as Christians. As God's spokesmen, what we do & what we say matters, but so does HOW we do & say it. God tells us to tell others about Him. It's the job of a witness, a spokesman, an ambassador. But if we are telling others about God in an annoying way, it will turn them off. They will count it as a curse. Jesus was never annoying but full of love. Everything He said was out of love (even some of the mean things He said about the Pharisees).

So the questions you have to ask yourself are, "Am I annoying in how I am telling people about God? Is it out of love? How are they perceiving it?" All junior high students are welcome to join us in Crash, as we figure out how we can be good, effective, loving spokesmen without being annoying. I hope to see you all there.

The Best Feeling In The World... Sort Of

So today is not Thursday. I had Thursday off. Although we did have to reschedule the girls Crash Choices Camp-In, I will answer another couple personal questions based on a choice I made. The questions are these, "Do you believe in keeping your first kiss till you're married?" and, "Have you had your first kiss yet?"

To answer the second question, yes, I have had my first kiss. It was the spring of my 8th grade year and it was to Estre (yes, that's how she spelled it, and it was short for a longer name). I remember, I had liked her A LOT. She was pretty, she was smart and she was funny. We had been friends for all of my 8th grade year.

Well, one day I had roller-bladed to her house. We were hanging out in her dad's library/downstairs-living-room-area alone. I had liked her for a long time, and I finally had gotten the guts to talk to her about it. As we were talking I leaned in and kissed her, and she didn't pull back. So we kissed. shortly after that, I left. I remember rollerblading home (cause I roller-bladed everywhere in junior high) and I felt on top of the world. I felt like nothing could stop me. It was the best feeling in the world...sort of. It was until I later asked her what it meant and she told me it had meant nothing. See I thought we were boyfriend/girlfriend. Boy was I wrong. Once we got to high school, I found out she had started dating someone. I was crushed.

Which brings me to my answer about the first question. I believe that kissing is part of dating. It is a form of PDA (Public Displays of Affection) to show, well your affection. I do believe kisses should be saved. Kisses should be reserved for special people in your life, people you like more than a friend. It's not something you should give to everyone. In fact, the longer you wait, the better the kiss, the experience, the memory. Then there's real emotion and meaning behind it, then it's all the more special.

As I have said before, purity is a direction. If kissing someone is going to make you think and want to do more, then you totally should NOT do it. But if it's something you can do, to show affection and end it there, then maybe you should, I don't know. It's your choice. I think it's something you should talk to your parents about. See, it's all about the direction you are headed. Are you headed toward purity and guarding it, or not? It's your choice and I want to encourage you to choose purity.

It Matters 24-7

Back in 2009, Olympic Medal winner Michael Phelps made a poor choice. It was bad, it was a scandal; he decided to use illegal drugs. Because of his actions He was suspended from swimming. He almost lost everything he loved, because of his poor choice. Not only was he suspended, but he also lost many endorsements as well. Many company's saw how he had acted, and decided they didn't want someone who did that to be their spokesman, to endorse their product. How was he caught you ask? Well, someone took a picture of him, and he probably didn't even realize it. How he acts, matters. People look up to him. He is a role model 24-7, whether he thinks people are watching or not.

In a way, Christians are like Michael Phelps. We are role models 24-7. How we act, is how God acts... at least in the minds of others. This is why is very important to always make good decisions & choices which will uplift God, not make Him sad or mad. We represent God with our actions. It's very important to remember this.

Gandhi once said, "I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." In the past Christians have given themselves a bad name, because of a lack of love, or being hypocritical. If we are representatives of God, then people will think of God depending on what they think of us. The choices that we make always matters. So let me ask you this, do you represent God with your actions and the things that you do? All Jr. High students are welcome to join us tomorrow night as we continue to look at how we represent God, to others, through our actions.

The Worst Feeling In The World

This Friday kicks off the Crash Choices Camp-In. The guys will meet this Friday at 5:30 and have a lock-in up in the Loft. We'll have fun and play games, but more importantly we'll talk about the choices we are faced with, making good God pleasing choices, and what it means to be a man of God. In honor of Choices Camp-In, I'm going to answer a question that has to deal with choices some of you may be faced with. The question is, "Have you ever drank [alcohol] in your life?" and "have you ever gotten drunk?"

Before I answer this question, let's look at what the Bible has to say about alcohol. One of Jesus' first recorded miracles was changing water to wine in John chapter 2. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul says, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit." Debauchery is doing lots of things to in the flesh, momentarily feel good, like sin. Paul tells us not to get drunk, because it'll trap us in sin. Rather we should be filled with the Holy Spirit. We shouldn't let pleasures drive and control us, but we should let God drive and control us. What you need to realize is, alcohol makes you loose control. Not only does it slow down your reaction time (which is why no one should ever drive after drinking alcohol), but you may say and do things you wouldn't normally do.

I don't believe God is necessarily opposed to alcohol. God's word reminds us that not only with alcohol, but with anything, it shouldn't be in excess. We shouldn't allow ourselves to be driven or controlled by anything other than God. Also God tells us to respect authority. The law in this country is that those 21 years old or older can drink alcohol, God tells us to honor and respect that (So none of you students should be drinking). Also, we shouldn't cause another Christian to stumble. Drinking may be fine for you (when you're 21) but for a friend of yours it may not be. He may be an alcoholic (someone who is addicted to alcohol). You never know, so you need to be careful where you drink and who you drink around.

That having been said, here is my answers to the questions. I have had alcohol and I have gotten drunk (had too much alcohol). It was the worst feeling in the world for me. I was not in control of myself. Worse, I threw up many, many times, and my body just ached. Think of the worst you've felt when you've been sick, now multiply that by 10. I do not recommend any of you feel like that. I do not recommend that any of you get drunk.

This week and next we'll be talking about choices that we make and are faced with at the Crash Choices Camp-In. The choice to get drunk was not a good choice, it was not, "being filled with the Holy Spirit." It was a choice that I made, that was NOT glorifying to God. As we have all made good and bad choices, this is one of those bad choices that I am not proud of, that I regret. I want to encourage you NOT to make the same choice.

You'll Eat Those Words...

Have you ever heard the phrase "Open mouth, insert foot," or "You'll eat those words"? They both basically mean that you'll be sorry you said that. Everyone has these moments, where something comes out, you say something you regret. Sometimes we catch it quick, or realize what we said and other times we don't. I remember when I was joking around with friends and I said, "your mom!" It wasn't until a while after the words came out of my mouth, that I realized someone took it personally, and was really hurt. I regretted I had said it.

It is not hard to find celebrities who said things they later regret, and have had to issue apologies. Stars like Michael Richards, Mel Gibson, Christian Bale and Kanye West. A talk show host named Dr. Laura used a racial slur on the air. Gray's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington got into a heated debate and said used a slur (which he apologized for) I've definitely heard come out of the mouths of Jr. High students. The result of their actions lost them respect, money and in some cases their jobs. What you say represents not only who you are, but the kind of person you are. I think celebrities above all people, while they sometimes fail at this, realize more than most that they not only represent themselves, but also represent their show or movie, as well as the company's and products they endorse.

If you call yourself a Christian, you represent God, even in what you say. Paul says in Ephesians 5:1 & 4, "Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us... Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." If we represent Christ, we represent Him with what we say, even if we are joking. Join us tomorrow night as we continue to discuss how we are spokesmen for God, how we represent Him, and thus must honor Him with the words that we use & the things that we say.

All-Hallows-Eve

Today's question is, "What is Halloween? How did it get started? What does it represent? Can we celebrate it as Christians?" These are great questions, as Halloween falls on a Sunday this year. Halloween is an annual holiday where people dress up in costumes, trick or treat, carve jack-o-lanterns, and in most cases glorify death and the dead.

We get the name Halloween from the old Scottish holiday "All-Hallows-Even" (evening). As you may know, eve generally means the night before something, think Christmas Eve (the night before Christmas). So Halloween was celebrated as the eve before All-Hallows or All Saints Day. All Saints Day originally started in 609 by the Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome and blessed it to "The Virgin and all the martyrs" and was actually in the Spring. Within 100 years All Saints Day was moved to November 1st and it celebrated & honored all the Roman Catholic saints.

Although many other countries celebrate holidays similar to Halloween which honor and remember the dead (Roman holiday Parentalia, or Mexican holiday "Day Of The Dead"), the one most linked with Halloween is the Irish holiday Samhain, which means "summer's end." The Celts believed that the boarder between this world and the next was think on this day, and that spirits, both harmless and harmful could escape. The families would welcome their harmless loved spirits and ward off the harmful ones. Costumes were worn to disguise people as harmful spirits so they would be left alone. It was also a holiday of gathering before winter, hence the trick-or-treating.

I am not one for Halloween. I don't like to be scared, and I certainly don't like to glorify death and darkness. The only thing I do like is the free candy. I think it's fine to do the fun stuff, but stay away from the dark, scary, things, that don't honor God. It's fine to dress up and go trick or treating, but you need to make sure things are in perspective. If the whole idea of Halloween is uncomfortable, celebrate All-Saints-Day. Dress up as an old saint. Do things to remember and honor them. What ever you do this weekend, remember the LORD God should be honored and praised above all. Be Safe and Happy All-Saints Day.

A Spokesman For God

Who is your favorite spokesperson? What do they endorse? Do you buy what they endorse? What is a spokesperson anyway?

A spokesperson, is someone who is authorized to speak on behalf of another person, organization, or group of people. They endorse the product, meaning they tell everyone this is what they themselves use, and everyone else should use it too.

Spokespeople tend to be athletes, movie stars, or famous people. They get paid to use and endorse various products. A spokesperson represents the product they endorse. Company's think that if they have someone who is cool using their product, then their product will be thought of as cool. People view the product by how they view the spokesperson. If the spokesperson is annoying, then people will think the product is annoying. If the spokesperson is cool, then people will think the product is cool, and buy it.

Did you know that as Christians we are kind of like spokespeople for God. Paul says that "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us." When people think of God, they inevitably think of Christians. How Christians act, is how other people believe God acts. Join us this Wednesday at Crash as we continue to look at the role and relationship of a spokesmen to it's product and how we, as Christians, are spokespeople, representatives, ambassadors of God.

Forgiveness B.C.

How did you get into heaven in the Old Testament? Why Did Jesus have to die on the cross? These are two questions that I received in the 'I Wonder' box recently. I sort of answered them last night when we looked at Jesus' sacrifice for us. But I wanted to take some time and explain it a little further.

To answer the first question, let's start with Romans 6:23a (just the first part), "For the wages of sin is death..." Sin must be paid for, it comes with a cost. That cost is blood and death. That's just how it is. Looking at Adam and Eve, they didn't sacrifice anything, but the Bible says, "The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." God killed something to provide for Adam and Eve, as a result of their disobedience.

God can see our hearts. He always has, and always will. Before the 10 commandments, He chose people who He knew had good hearts. He made covenants or deals with them. But every time the people messed up. God would have to punish them. When Moses got the 10 commandments, that was really when God told the people His standards, and required blood and death for anything less. The whole book of Leviticus explains God's standard, and what to do if you broke it. "...Say to the Israelites: 'When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands they must bring... (Leviticus 4-5)" Depending on who sinned, a specific animal was to be brought and killed as an offering. Only then was the person forgiven. Every sin would need a sacrifice.

Flash forward to the time of Jesus. John the Baptist (who happened to be Jesus' cousin) said, "Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)" John meant that Jesus was going to be the sin offering, the sacrifice for sin, for everyone. Finally, in John 19:30, "...Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit." Jesus said it is finished meaning, He was the sacrifice that every sin needs. His blood, and His death, pays for our sin, if we believe.

On the third day, Jesus rose from the grave. He was alive. I've heard a really good illustration of the whole death and alive thing. Jesus death pays for our sin. His resurrection is the receipt. So to answer the questions, "How did you get into heaven in the Old Testament? & Why did Jesus die on the cross?" I'd say, sin requires blood and death as payment. There is no way around it. In the Old Testament, rather than dying themselves people sacrificed animals to stand in their place. Once Jesus came, He was the "Lamb Of God who takes away the sin of the world." He was the ultimate sacrifice. He was the last sacrifice. It had to be Him, He was the only one who was perfect, who could conquer death. He did it out of love.

Take One For The Team

What do you think of when I say the word "sacrifice"? What's the first thing that comes to mind? Sacrifice is defined as, "the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim." Basically something is given up, so that others may profit. There are really three kinds of sacrifice (that I can think of), that we sort of see today.

1. Heroes - Men and women who risk (or lose) their own lives to save someone else, this is called "self-sacrifice". These kind of people are typically police, firemen, and soldiers in an army. Think, those that gave up their lives to save people in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

2. Sports/Teams - This is typically where you will hear the phrase, "Take one for the team." They will sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Think baseball, when a player gets out on purpose so their teammate can get a point for the team.

3. Involuntary - This would be something like animal or human sacrifice. In the Old Testament God required an animal sacrifice for forgiveness. When you think of human sacrifices think of King Kong, the leading female in the movie was involuntarily tied up and "given" to King Kong (luckily she didn't die).

Come on Wednesday night to Crash as we continue this discussion on sacrifice. Specifically we'll look at the ultimate sacrifice, Christ' sacrifice on the cross. We'll descover what He went through, and what it means for us today.

When I Became A Christian

In honor of my birthday on Wednesday (Oct. 20), I'll be answering some questions about me. The questions are, "How old were you when you became a Christian?" & "How did you learn about Christianity?" & "Why did you choose to be a Christian instead of other religions?"

I've been a Christian literally my whole life. I love God SO MUCH that Christian is my middle name. Really it is! But it's not because I love God (even though I do very much). My middle name comes from a great grandpa of mine. But in all seriousness. I became a Christian very early on. I was raised in a Christian home, meaning everyone in my immediate family was a Christian. I grew up going to church every Sunday, and was involved with many Bible studies growing up.

Specifically, I don't remember my age when I asked Jesus to come in my heart and be my savior and friend. It was before 3rd grade, so I was about 7 years old. I had learned in Sunday school about asking Jesus to come into your heart. They had invited who ever wanted to, to raise their hand and pray. I had not a clue what it meant, so I didn't do it. But when I got home, I was still thinking about it. I remember being in my room, folding my clothes with my mom. I asked her what it meant. She explained to me that Jesus was God and loved me very much. But the bad things I did, made it so I couldn't be friends with God. Because He loved me, and wanted to be friends with me, He took the punishment for my sins, so that we would be friends. All I had to do was believe, pray and ask Jesus to be my friend and savior.

Growing up, I always went to Sunday school, camps, Bible studies and youth groups. That was where I learned about the LORD, and what it means to be a Christ-follower (Christian). I even went to Biola University (a Christian Bible college), where I learned even more about God. I couldn't get enough. I can't get enough. In the now 26 years I've been alive, I've learned that there is always going to be more to learn about God. Quite frankly, I'm OK with that.

Why I became a Christian then, and am still a Christian to this day is because it's the only thing that seems real, reasonable and true. Looking back, I can see God's hand. I can see then when He was guiding me, teaching me, loving me, and giving me wisdom and peace. Although I can't feel Him all the time, because of my past experiences, I know that I can trust Him, when I read that He will always be with me & that He loves me.

So to answer the questions, "How old were you when you became a Christian? How did you learn about Christianity? Why did you choose to be a Christian instead of other religions?" I'd say Christian is my middle name. I grew up being a Christian. I learned about it from those closest to me: my family, my teachers, pastors, and college professors, and my friends. I'm still a Christian today, because it's the only thing that makes sense. I must get punished for the bad things I do, and it's a punishment I could never take. So God, because He loves me, chose to get punished in my place, so that He can be my friend.

Unspoken Rules I Will Tell You About

Society has many unspoken rules. Things that we are just supposed to learn to deal with. The thing is, no one ever tells you what they are, they are just rules that society has just made up. They are really evident in junior high and high school. Geeks don't sit or talk to jocks. Nerds don't date cheerleaders, 'cause cheerleaders only date jocks. Rich kids don't hang out with poor kids. Band people are just weird, so stay away from them. The list goes on and on. The reality is, there are unspoken rules society has created that show differences between people and tell us we can't love those different than us.

There have been many books and movies written about facing and breaking these rules because of love for fellow human beings. The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin is about a young teen who has a friendship with a slave which was taboo. Huck runs away with the slave in an attempt to set him free. The movie Mean Girls is about destroying social barriers, overcoming the snobby mean rich girls, and encouraging everyone to get along.

I think one of the best stories written (or spoken about) on the subject of breaking society's rules is that of "The Good Smaritan" as told by Jesus. He frequently broke the rules society has because they don't line up with God's Laws or what He is doing. He constantly challenged people to set aside the rules society has and follow God's rules. The parable of the "Good Smaritan" is a great illustration showing what it means to "...love our neighbor..." and explaining who our neighbor is. All Jr. High students are encouraged to join us tomorrow night as we look at Jesus' attitude towards society's rules, how He responds and what we can do about it. I want to encourage you to read the "Parable of the Good Smaritan" before you come to Crash. It's found in Luke 10:25-37.

How Do I Know What To Do?

Today's question is, "How do you know you're doing what God wants and not just praying and going to church?" This is a great question. How do we know? Of all the things that God commands of us, how do we know which ones are the big ones? How do we know if we are following the "big one's" today?

Last night we learned, according to Jesus, what the single greatest law was, and is, the Law Of Love. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is like it, love your neighbor as your self. There is no law greater than these (Mark 12:30-31)." Jesus says that all of the Law and Prophets (the Old Testament) hang on these two laws. Jesus agrees with the scribe when he says that it's more important than offerings or sacrifices. Loving God and people with every aspect of who you are, is more important than going to church or praying (not that those aren't important). This is what we should be working on.

Wednesday we saw a couple things. First, these two laws, flow out of each other. You love God then you can have the love to love others (even if they are annoying). Second, we saw that if you are loving God and people with all that you are, the rest will follow. If you love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength, then you'll want to go to church, you'll want to pray, you'll want to obey Him in everything. If you are loving your neighbor then you won't steal, kill, covet, gossip, fight or even pick on each other.

So to answer the question, "How do you know you're doing what God wants and not just praying and going to church?" I'd say do all you can to love God with your whole heart (emotions, thoughts, feelings), your whole soul (purpose, motivation), your whole mind (knowledge, wisdom) & your whole strength (actions, deeds). As you receive love back from God you'll be able to love others. That is what God wants from us, and that is how you'll know, if you are loving.

It's The Law...

Laws and rules are good. They help keep people respectful and safe. They help guide us in how to live properly and in peace. They are written down and enforced, so everyone knows, understands and follows the same laws. 'Don't steal', 'don't murder', even 'don't speed'; these are good laws that keep us safe and living in peace with each other. Most laws are good, but there are some that seem to be crazy, and less important than others.

Throughout the world there are some strange laws. In Venice, Italy, there is a law that says you can't feed pigeons and another in Rome, Italy that says you can't climb into a fountain. In Canada, they have a law against paying for things over $10 in only coins. In both France and England you cannot kiss someone at the train station. In Moscow, you can't drive a dirty car (at this moment if I were living in Moscow, I'd get a ticket). In Granada, you can't leave the beach and stroll around the city in a swimsuit. In Denmark, you must drive with your headlights on at all times. Lastly, you'll be fined in Singapore if you feed the birds, spit, chew gum or forget to flush public toilets. These laws seem ridiculous and stupid. They seem like they shouldn't even be laws. Does this mean they are less important than others?

We tend to think of laws in terms of degrees or ranking, "This law is more important to follow then that one." Or, "I may have broken a law, but I didn't break THAT law..."

So, which ARE the more important laws? Which are the laws we should follow, and which are the ones we don't need to worry about? Seriously, what do you think? Join us tomorrow night at Crash, as we look at and understand the single law that Jesus thought was the most important.

"A Thiest" Or "Athiest"

Today's question is one that I promised a student last night I would answer today. It's " My friend is an athiest. What does that mean? What does he believe?" This is a good question. Jr. High is when people start to think about what they actually believe about God and about life. We will have friends who are athiests. I actually have a friend who considers himself agnostic. It's good to understand the term "Athiesm", but it's also good to understand the words "Thiesm" and "Agnosticism" as well, because they are all connected and everyone is one of them.

Everyone, actually, technically, is either a "Thiest" (thiesm) or an "Athiest" (athiesm). Athiesm is a lack of belief in God. Some completely deny the existance of God, others, just don't believe in a god. Thiesm is the opposite, it is the belief in a god, doesn't matter what god, just a god. I don't believe there really is a middle ground; you either believe in a god, or you don't. But some people think there is a middle ground, they have no idea whether God exists or not. They call themselves agnostic.

Agnostic, when broken down means "without knowledge" or "unknowable". Agnostic's say that no one can know for sure whether God exists. For instance, my friend, when asked, says, "I doen't know whether god exists or not, but probably not." They tend to think there is no way to know for sure God exists, but they are open to the possibility.

To answer the question, an athiest is someone who does NOT believe in a god; a thiest is someone who does believe in a god; and an agnostic, has no idea, but they're open to the possibility. As Christians we are all thiests, we believe a god does exists, and we believe He is the one true God, Yahwah, the Creator of the universe, the great I AM, the King of Kings and Lord of lords.

Was Jesus Emo?

While I was studying for this week's lesson, "Jesus and Emotions", I came across this picture (on the right). "Emo" is something that has become popular within the last decade. But what is it, exactly, and WAS Jesus emo?

Emo originally started out as a sub-genre of music, known as "emotional hardcore" or "emocore". It is know today as a sort of fashion trend and lifestyle attitude. People who are emo tend to dress in skinny jeans, tight shirts, and comb their long bangs to cover one or both their eyes. Most people describe the personality and attitude of an emo person as emotionally candid, sensitive, introverted, quiet, shy and glum. Sad, depressed, and heartbroken are also emotions used to describe someone who is emo. Emo music and poetry is filled with depression due to unrequited love, emotional issues, and relationship problems.

Does this really describe Jesus? I believe Jesus was emotionally candid and sensitive. He constantly showed His love and acceptance toward everyone. He showed His anger to the Pharisee's and those who turned His Father's house into a market (like we looked at last week). At times He was introverted and quiet. He would sit, listen, and just be with people. He withdrew at times to connect, get refreshed and re-energized by His Father. There were things that made Him sad and broken hearted, like those who were in need, or those who were unaccepted and thrown away by society. Though He was NOT shy, glum or depressed, He DID have unrequited love, and relationship problems (though not from any fault of His own). He (and God) was constantly seeking out, loving and accepting humanity, despite rejection.

Isaiah 53:3 says, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." He was despised, (meaning He was hated) and He was rejected (meaning He was lonely). He seemed to have every reason to be depressed, but He wasn't.

Depression is a feeling of hopelessness for the future. It's a choice, an attitude we choose to respond with to life. It's a feeling of hopelessness for the future, and a defining characteristic behind the emo attitude. Jesus wasn't hopeless. He had more hope than anyone could ever have, He was confident of what the future would bring.

Jesus' attitude was not depression but hope. Jesus wasn't emo, but He did have lots of emotions, good reasons behind each and every one and He never let His emotions get out of control. Join us this week at Crash as we discover more of Christ's emotions, how they are like ours, His reasons behind them and how those reasons should help shape our own emotions.

Testing & Tempting...

Last week in Crash we looked at the temptation of Christ, and noticed what He did to resist temptation- He quoted scripture. He focused on His Father, His plan and His ways. We learned that we can do the same. When we focus on God, He helps us, and empowers us. One of the verses I used to encourage the youth to not give into temptation was 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." Today's question must have been sparked by this verse. The question is this, "Does God tempt us? Or is it always Satan?"

Let's look at what the Bible says. James 1:13 says, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone..." James clearly states, God does not tempts us. In fact, James goes on in verse 14, "...but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." God may lead you into a situation where you have to make a choice, but He never tempts, He never tries to sway us away from Him.

1 Corinthians 10:13 is an encouragement to believers, that God will be with us, that He will help us. When it says, "...He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear..." it's not saying that God tempts us. In the original language, the word for 'tempted' here, can also be interpreted as 'test'. I believe God tests us, but he doesn't tempt us. God provides the choice and leaves it in our hands. Think about Adam and Eve and the tree. God put the tree there, and told them not to eat of it. He prepared them by giving a way out- His command, but ultimately left it up to them. The serpent was the one who swayed Eve. God will give you everything you need to resist temptation, He's not going to test you on something you shouldn't be able to handle.

So to answer the question, "Does God tempt us? Or is it always Satan?" I would say that God never tempt us, but rather He tests us, to see how faithful we will be. Satan is always the one to tempt us, to sway us to choose one way, which always leads away from God. So trust and be faithful to God and focus on Him only. Trust that He is faithful, He has prepared you, He will be with you and that He wants the best for you, which is never tempting you to evil.

Rage & Grace

There are things in this life that make us mad and angry. They are our hot buttons and when pushed can get us going from 1 to 60 in a second. Some people have more buttons than others, we call them hot-heads. I saw one video on You Tube of a hothead, who, after his mom deleted his online gaming account, went up to his room and went nuts. He was flailing about, bouncing on the bed and screaming. He almost looked demon possessed. Sometimes we have so much rage built up, that we just freak out and go nuts. We lose control.


Rage is defined by dictionary.com as angry fury or violent anger. Now rage is an extreme form of anger, but we typically even look at anger as a negative thing. We think that anger is sin, and it's never what God wants. He never wants us to get angry.


But did you know there was a time when Jesus got angry? You might even say He flipped out. But wasn't He sinless? How can Jesus, who loves everyone, flip out, and how was it not sin? Tomorrow night we continue our series on The Life Of Christ, looking at John 2:13-17 to figure out what made Jesus flip, how it was not a sin, and what is OK for us to be angry about.

Why I'm Excited About 30

So I was wholly planning on answering a question today, but I'm going to save it for next week. Instead, I'll tell you all why I can't stop smiling. Why our God, The LORD, Yahweh, is so awe inspiring. I am encouraged to see how God is moving and working through Crash. I am so thankful not only to be witnessing it, but to be a part of it.

Last night we had 30 students show up. Let me repeat that in case you missed it, 30 students came to Crash last night! There was SO MUCH excitement and energy, it emanated and oozed out of the Loft. This is a huge encouragement to me. Whats more of an encouragement is that I know a few students who weren't able to come last night, which means we'll have even more next week. I feel blessed to see the Crash community growing not only closer together, but growing in numbers.

Now I'm not one to focus solely on numbers. If you do that you miss the point, you miss the relationships. The students become a number in stead of a student... with a face... and a name. 30 is by far the most we've ever had at a single Crash night. But I was, and am, able to say all their names, and point them out of a crowd, even the first-time friends. I'm able to tell you a little about each one. To me they aren't just numbers, but students.

I named our ministry Crash for a couple reasons, first it implies community (because a community of rhino's is called a crash), second it implies a safe comfortable place. Crash's purpose is to provide Unity, Security and Identity. Unity to connect them with other peers, godly adult leaders and with God. Security to create a safe place where they won't get hurt physically or emotionally. Security to have a place where students can be themselves and share their struggles and victories without fear of feeling rejected. Identity to show them their new identities in Christ and to show them that they are loved and accepted for who they are.

Here is what 30 students tells me, beyond the number. It tells me that junior high students are excited to come to church. It tells me that Crash is becoming a community that people want to be a part of. It tells me that junior high students love Crash so much, they want to share it with their friends. Lastly, it tells me that Crash is more and more becoming the place I desire it to be, a place for junior high students where they can find unity, security and identity.

Please pray that this continues to happen, that students are encouraged and excited to come to Crash, to share it with their friends. Please pray that Crash continues to be a place where students can find Unity, Security and Identity. Please pray that we find more godly adult leaders, who love God and love students, who can connect with them, guide them, and point them to God.

Resisting Our Little Devil

When I stop to think about the topic of temptation, the first thing I think of is Donald Duck. There are some famous Donald cartoons when he is tempted to do something. What happens is a small version of Donald wearing a devil costume, appears on his shoulder. Then eventually a small version of Donald wearing an angel costume appears on the other shoulder. Ah, this is the temptation moment, which side does Donald give into?

Sometimes when I find myself tempted by things, I feel like the same thing is happening in my head. There is a little Cameron wearing a devil costume on one shoulder and another little Cameron wearing an angel costume on the other. Which side is Cameron going to give into?

Temptation is funny (not funny, "ha, ha," but funny interesting). Here's why, even the best of us, when we're tempted end up falling into sin (except one, The Best, but I'll get to that later). And it's not just the things that are impulsive, the things we react to. I sometimes catch myself planning to sin: like wanting to see a movie I shouldn't, or thinking of a mean joke or prank I could pull on someone, or (when I was younger) planning on disobeying my parents.

Satan uses a wide variety of schemes to tempt us, both internally (in our minds) and externally (through other people and outside factors) to try to get us to sin. Sometimes we give in and sin, and other times we are able to resist the temptation. There was one guy who was able to resist all temptation. He never sinned, even at His physically and emotionally lowest point. Join us tomorrow night as we continue to explore this topic of temptation. We'll figure out the schemes that Satan uses to tempt us. Finally, we'll look to Jesus, at His life when He was tempted and find out how He resisted temptation and how we can too.

From Bad To Good

Today's question is, "Why does God make things happen for no reason?" This is a great question. It's one I have wondered many, many times. You tend to ask this when something has happened in your life, that makes you question if there is a cosmic ultimate plan or not. When you can't see any good, or anything beyond the situation.

Growing up through Jr. High and High school, I tended toward the optimistic side. I believed that everything happened for a reason. It helped me get through the tough times in life. But, if you think about it, it's not really that comforting. "Everything happens for a reason..." It doesn't provide any answers. It's sort of what I like to call a 'pat answer', something that we say when we don't know how to respond, to hurt and pain. My heart goes out to the student who asked this. I don't want to give a pat answer. I want to give a straight answer that will hopefully give you... well hope.

First off, God gave us free will. Every human has the choice to do what they want, to make their own decisions. As great as a gift as this is, it has the potential for evil. See, someone can choose to get drunk and drive home, and get in a fatal car accident. Someone can think that they have nothing and choose to steal, to rob people, to break into a car or house and steal valuable things. I will not shy away from the sad thought that there is evil in the world and that it can and does effect us.

God does not make these things happen. These things are a result of human choices. Evil is born in our hearts (Matt 15:19), and affects the decisions we make. The decisions we make effects other people. Now I will say that God allows things to happen, this I think He does for many different reasons. The biggest of which is to grow us, to draw us closer to Him and His will. God allows things to happen because we need to live with the decisions we make, and we need to live with how they will effect others, otherwise it wouldn't be free will, it'd be limited will.

Now, this is the last and most important point I want to make. Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." This verse can be tricky. A lot of people use it in their pat answer, "...see, everything's going to work out... There's a reason for everything..." I don't think people really understand what this verse says. This verse is saying that God can take any situation, and turn it into good, His good, for His glory. God has power over evil. Yes, He will allow things to happen, but He can take that evil, and turn it into something good. It may not be our idea of what is good, but it is God's, and that makes all the difference in the world.

This is where Christians are separated from non-Christians. This verse has incredible hope. The hope is this, no matter what, God can make it good. Even though we can't see beyond the situation, we can have a hope that good can follow. So, "Why does God make things happen for no reason," the answer is, He doesn't. He allows things to happen because He gave us free will. But be encouraged, whatever the situation, God can make good come from it.

Contains 100% Man AND 100% God

Today, I want you to do a little experiement. It's going to take 2 half full glass of water, a spoon full of sugar, and a spoon full of salt. First take the salt and mix it into one of the glasses of water. Make sure to stir it all the way in. Next take the sugar and stir that into the other glass of water. Make sure it's all mixed together. Now, pour both glasses of water into the same glass. It probably doesn't taste very good, but it's now fully salt water, and fully sugar water. it's 100% both.

O.K., now for the real fun. See if you can unmix the water from the salt from the sugar, so you have all three ingretients back to being separate. It's hard right? It's almost impossible. This is a metaphor, an allegory, it's something easy to understand, to help you understand something a lot harder.

This expierment is a metaphor for Jesus Christ. It's to help you understand how Jesus is fully, 100% God and yet fully, 100% human. He is divine, He has all of God's power (cause He is God). He preformed miracles. He was also fully human. He got hungry and thirsty, He felt pain and even had emotions. Jr. High students are welcome to join us as we look more at how Jesus was fully God AND fully man, what His attitude was, and what that means for us as we live our daily lives.

Meaning Of Life...

Today's question is a good one. I think it's a question everyone has had. It gives people purpose, and direction. And knowing the answer can really give people a new life. The question is, "What is the meaning of life?"

This is a fantastic question. It's one I know I've wondered often. What is our purpose? Why are we here? Many people have pondered this question, throughout time. Some think life was an accident. Others think it's all just a dream. If you've read The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, you found out the answer to the meaning of life is 42. Yes, 42 (although, now, you need to figure out the question to the meaning of life).

While these might be interesting thoughts and gusses, I think they are all wrong. I believe God created us for one purpose, to glorify Him. Not that he needs anything from us, but God desires us to choose Him. He built us to have a relationship with Him. He loves it when we love Him. He loves it when we glorify Him. Jesus' own prayer describes eternal life: that we may know God (John 17:3). He gave us free will, because He didn't want robots who were programed to love Him. He wanted people to choose to love Him.

Paul tells us that, no matter what, whatever we do, we need to glorify God. 1 Corinthians 10:31, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." The prophet Isaiah says that God called us all by name and created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we are encouraged to "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." The Psalms are packed with declarations such as, "I will glorify you..." Among other things, He calls us a "crown of splendor" and, "a royal diadem." When we glorify God, He is delighted.

So the meaning of life is to glorify God. It's not about us at all, it's all about God, it always has been. If this is the meaning of life, then we are not fulfilling our purpose until we are glorifying God, praising Him, thanking Him, and enjoying the relationship we can have with Him. So I want to encourage you, go out. Enjoy God's creation. Enjoy God's company. Seek God, and glorify Him with everything you do. Then you will truly live and will fulfill the purpose God created you for.

Back To School, Back To School...

"Back to school, back to school, to prove to dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight... Oh, back to school..." Every September (or late August) I always think about this line from a movie. It always gets me psyched for school... even though I don't go to school anymore.

Yesterday, I got to talk to many students and see how their first day of school went (for some of them, it was their first day of Jr. High). What an exciting time, the first day of school, new classes, new teachers, new friends. At the beginning of the day you're all nervous, wondering where your classes are, who your teachers are, who you're going to sit next to. In talking to a lot of you, it seemed by the end of the day, you had made it through and you were relieved. None of you got stuffed into a trash can, or singled out by other students. You all had fun, and saw that school isn't as bad or scary as you may have thought.

I was homeschooled through 2nd grade. It made things easier, because I could just wake up and go to the kitchen table. I didn't really need to make friends, except for my brother. During my home school days, we would go to an academy every Friday, to have class with other kids who were also being home schooled. This picture is from one of the first times I went to the academy (My brother's on the left, and I'm on the right). I was SO excited to be going to hang out and play with other kids. I was excited to be in a class room and learn, and I was glad I had an older brother who could help show me the ropes. But that didn't stop me from being nervous, and having butterflies in my stomache.

It's been a long time since I've taken that picture, but nothing has really changed. When I went into a public elementary school (and when I went into Jr. High, high school and college) I had butterflies in my stomache, yes, but I was excited. I was excited to learn new things, to make new friends, and be another year older.

I hope that you are all just as excited as I was (and still am). I hope that the butterflies in your stomache don't get the better of you, and get in the way of you enjoying this moment in your life.

If you are nervous, then at lunch sit with a students you know from Crash. Lean on them to get through your first week, to talk to, to sit next to. If you need a break from school (and even if you don't) all Jr. High students are welcome to join Crash this Wednesday night as we hang out, get to know those who go to our school, and begin to learn about who Jesus is.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Wow! It's been a crazy summer, which has gone by so fast. It's hard to believe it's almost over. It seems like just yesterday we were gearing up for the beginning of summer and meeting all our new 6th grade students, and now they are core members of Crash. This summer has been incredible. We saw a movie, went to camp, cooked hot dogs for a fund raiser, stayed up all night during a lock-in and even made it out to the beach. It's like the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end..."

But I have good news, it's not quite over yet. Join us tomorrow night as Crash has a blast at Boomers. We're going to meet there from 5-8PM and get an unlimited ride bracelet. All you need to do is be there at 5 and bring $20. That's it. It's going to be so much fun! It's definitely not something you're going to want to miss out on.

Before you head back to school, with the free time you have left, use some of that time and take me up on one of my deals. To remind you all here are the running deals I have with you students:

1. Memorize and recite ALL the books of the Bible.

2. Memorize and recite ALL of Psalm 139.

3. Memorize and recite ALL of Psalm 100.

4. Memorize and recite Philippians 2:1-11

All of these deals do have to do with memorization, but the reward is sweet- a 2 liter bottle of whatever soda you want. So get studying and memorizing, and I hope to see you all at Boomers tomorrow night at 5.

Flashback! White Picket Style!

Hey everyone! We had an amazing time at camp! God is really stretching and growing all of us. We learned about family, and reconciliation and what it all means for God's family. We learned from Steve that being a part of a family is important, and whether they wrong you or you wrong them, reconciliation must take place.

Tomorrow night we will be flashing back (flashback- get it?) to remember all the good times at Summer Camp (at the top of every one's list, is the Alpine slides, broom ball, and the talent night. However I'd also like to add both stories that Steve our speaker told outside of chapel). We'll sing worship songs and review what we learned up at camp. We'll even play a camp game.

For those of you who came to camp, get ready to share all your awesome fun memories. For those who didn't come to camp... You missed out, and we definitely missed you! You'll have to make sure you're at winter camp. All Jr. high students are welcome to join us to get a taste of what Summer Camp was like, whether you went or not. I hope to see you all there!

Summer Camp!!!!

This week (and next) I will not be answering a question, because it's SUMMER CAMP!!!! I am working extremely hard to make sure this is a camp that is awesome and unforgettable. The theme of camp is White Picket Fence, and we will be traveling to beautiful Crestline.

Our camp speaker Steve Stout is a close friend of mine that I served in ministry with. He has been in Jr. High ministry for 5 years as both a volunteer and paid intern. He has experience teaching Jr. High students as well as having a God given passion for them. He will be exploring the important topic of family, unpacking our role within family and the reconciliation (a big word that means forgiveness) necessary in any family. By the end, the students will understand and have the opportunity to accept the invitation God offers them, "You are members of God's family (Ephesians 2:19)."

If you are signed up, don't forget to grab a packing list from me. Also the theme dinner, on Thursday night, is going to be a formal banquet, so bring something nice to dress up in. Camp is going to be SO MUCH FUN! Don't forget we meet at the church at 2 PM this Sunday. Can't wait to see you all there. =)

Sticks & Stones...

"Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." We are all taught this rhyme when we are young. It's supposed to help us when we are being made fun of. But really, does it help? Is it even true? I would say no. Words can and do hurt, and in some cases hurt more than sticks or stones.

One of my favorite quotes is that of a man named Geri McGhee, "Words are creative either for good or evil. Words either bind or they loose. Words can be destructive or constructive; they can build up or they can tear down."

How true is this?! Geri McGhee reveals a major truth; that words CAN hurt. They can be quite destructive, and drive people to hate and even hurt themselves. But he also reveals something on the other side of the coin. If the words that we use either build up or tear down, then everything we say, will do one or the other, not both (and rarely do they do nothing).

So if we understand that our words either build up or tear down, why do people use their words to tear down. I'm sure they know their words will hurt. The conclusion that we can draw is that they mean for their words to hurt, they intend to hurt the person. But why would someone mean to hurt someone else?

Ah, that is the question at hand; why would someone want to hurt someone else? Because they're mad, or they're getting revenge, or they're amusing themselves, or pumping themselves up, or are they trying to get others to notice them or laugh along? Whatever the reason, it is because they are thinking about and looking out for themselves. This is the definition of 'selfish'. Put-downs are a matter of the heart. Rumors, slander, gossip, the mean things we say, they are all symptoms of a selfish heart. All Jr. high students are welcome to join us tomorrow night as we continue to discover how put-downs are symptoms of a selfish heart, and what we can do about it.

Salvation Cannot Be Taken Away

Recently I got an interesting question in the "I wonder..." box. The question is this, "Would you still go to heaven if you believe in God, but you don't follow everything He says?" This is a question that needs unpacking.

First off, no one is perfect, Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Even when you become a Christian you still deal with sin and temptation and doing the right thing. Second, you need to realize that salvation is a free gift. It's not something dependant on you. Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by GRACE you have been saved through FAITH, and this not from yourselves, it is a GIFT from God, NOT BY WORKS, so that no one can boast." God gives it to us, and it's not based on something that you do, or don't do.

John 3:16-18, "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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because He has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." This is a great passage. You may have heard the first part before, but the whole thing is awesome. God loved us, before we loved Him and so He sent His Son to save the world. All you need to do to be saved is believe. We see Paul say this, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved... (Acts 16:31)" If you have believed, you are saved.

I believe that you can never lose your salvation either. Lets look at just John 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." All you have to do is believe. If you believe then 2 things will happen: 1. you will not perish, (this means that you won't die spiritually), 2. you will have eternal life. This isn't temporary. It's not something that can be taken away. It's eternal. Listen to Jesus' words in John 5:24, "I tell you the truth, WHOEVER hears my word and BELIEVES HIM who sent me HAS ETERNAL LIFE, and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." This is something you can be confident of just like you can be confident that your family loves you. God's love & free gift for all eternity, is yours if you believe. It doesn't matter whether you can feel it or not. It's there.

You can have confidence in this fact: salvation is a gift from God, it's free, and it's something you can never lose. All you have to do is believe. So, my response to this question is this, "Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God?"

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire...

"Liar, liar, pants on fire..." So a while back I got into a debate with a friend as to the ending of this little rhyme. Should it be, "...Nose is longer than a telephone wire..." which is what I thought, or "...dangling from a telephone wire..." I found out I was wrong. It's "...dangling from a telephone wire," which is a paraphrase of a verse of a poem written in 1810. But I like "...nose is longer than a telephone wire," because it makes me think of Pinocchio.

Pinocchio was a wooden puppet, who was given life. There was one catch, his nose would grow every time he lied, and when he told the truth, it would shrink. Throughout his adventure, his nose grew and shrunk many times. Eventually he learned to be brave, TRUTHFUL, unselfish, and able to tell right and wrong, which turned him into a real boy.

Lying, is the telling of lies, or untruthfulness; falsehood. This is no where near who or what God is about. He is truth. He can't have any falsehood anywhere around Him. Psalm 31:5, and Isaiah 65:16 call Him the "God of Truth." And it seems like every third phrase out of Jesus' mouth is, "I tell you the truth...." Jesus even tells us that we must worship God in "Spirit and in truth (John 4:23)".

Lying is the easy way out. When we lie its because we don't think we can use truth in that situation. We are thinking about ourselves, and what's going to happen to us. We don't trust that the truth will be good enough. Even when we tell "little white lies" to protect someone feelings, we're doing it because we think they can't handle the truth. We are being false, and this is not what God wants.

Lying is yet another symptom of a selfish heart. All Jr. High students are welcome to join us tomorrow night as we look at a time when Abraham lied (yea he really did!), and continue looking at why lying is a symptom of a selfish heart.

Jesus Loves The Little Children, All The Children Of The World...

Today's question is a good one, and it's actually two. "God loves us as equals right? He knows everyone's name?" and " Does God think of me as more than a person?" These are very good and even revelant questions.

We are His creation. All throughout the Bible we see Him continually seeking us out, giving us chance after chance. That's what the whole Gospel message is about. He is not about to give up on us, He loves us too much. Romans 5:8 starts off, "But God demonstrates His LOVE for us..." and John 3:16 "For God so LOVED the WORLD..." Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is [because of a FREE GIFT He gave us] that we are saved...."


God loves us, His creation...All of His creation. Jesus tells His disciples to take the gospel message out to all the ends of the earth, because He loves us all. He talks of every knee on earth bowing, no matter their tribe or nation. He even tells us to love our enemies in Luke 6:27, "...Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you..." Throughout His teaching He tells us to take care of the poor. He loves everyone, each one of you, no matter what.


Guess what, there is nothing we could do that could separate us from God. Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."


A quick read through my favorite Psalm- 139 you find that God created us and loves us. He know's our names and even how many hairs are on our heads. "..How precious to me, are your thoughts O God! How vast is the sum of them, they would outnumber the grains of sand..." God thinks about each and every one of us ALL THE TIME! Way more than thing we could count up to.


With all that said, to answer the questions, "Does God thinks of me as more than a person?" and "God loves us as equals right? He know's everyone's name?" I'd say yes to all of them. I'd like to leave you with a worship song that is fantastic! One of my favorites. It's called "He Knows My Name"


I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hands

Chorus
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go
(Repeat Chorus)

A Thief In The Night...

A long time ago, when I was little, our house was robbed (in the day time no less). Luckily we weren't home when it happened. We came home to find the house in disarray and interestingly enough a half full can of soda on the coffee table (I guess the thief thought it best to refresh himself before making a gettaway). My mom's jewery, our family valuables and even the baseball card collection my brother and I each had, was stolen. I remember feeling devistated, violated, and not at all safe.

Now the guy was eventually caught, and went to jail, but that couldn't take the feelings I had away. Only God could and it took time. Jesus said, "The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10)." Isn't so true. The thief who robbed my family's house was only interested in himself. His actions, born out of his heart, showed that. He didn't care about us, or how we felt. He stole from us & destroyed our sense of safety (at least for a while). Jesus came so that we may have life. Jesus is not about stealing, but rather giving.

All Jr. high students are welcome to join us this Wednesday night at Crash as we continue to explore how God feels about stealing and how it's a symptom of a selfish heart.

This Is Who I Am...

First off, I have to appoligize for not updating my blog at the end of last week. Things got a little crazy, as they tend to do just before a holiday. I did have a great 4th of July weekend with my family. I hope you all had a great holiday weekend as well.

Now for the question of the week, or rather questions. I figured I'd answer a couple fun random questions directed at me, most of which are on the student profile sheet I have you students fill out. So I'll answer the questons on there as well.

Name: Cameron Coulter
Birthday: Oct. 20
In this world, I am closest to: My family
Food you hate: Coconut shavings
Biggest Fear: Being alone (as in having no friends or making no difference to anyone)
Favorite Band: Hawk Nelson, Relient K, Queen, Weezer
Favorite Movie: Stranger Than Fiction, Braveheart, The Princess Bride, among many more
Favorite TV Show: [still on] Psych, The Office, How I Met Your Mother; [canceled or ended] Boy Meets World, Lost, Firefly, Seinfield
Favorite Superpower: Freeze Time. You'd never be late, and you'd always get things done on time... you would even be all rested up for anything. It really is the best power I think.
Favorite Subject in School: I always loved math, Creative writing, and drama.
Outside of school I like to: hang out with friends, read and play games
I am really good at: encouraging others.
Something about me that would supprise you is: I was in a nationally televised commercial
Something I have always wondered is: What it was that Jesus wrote in the dirt in John 8:1-11, and what heaven is going to be like.
Do you own a Bible of your own: Yes
What do you think of God: He is mighty and powerful, loving and forgiving. He is the creater of the universe, and he loves me.
What do you think about Jesus Christ: He is God. He was the perfect sacrifice, to pay the price for my sin. He is my savior and for that I am eternally greatful.
Do you believe in Heaven and Hell: Yes, I believe they are real places. Everyone will go to one or the other for all eternity.

[Other Questions I have been asked]
Do you love Starbucks: Yes, they have some good drinks. My favorites include, Skinny Vanilla Latte, Passion Tea Lemonade with Raspberry syrup, and Pumpkin Spice Latte
Have you ever had a boy/girl party: My birthday partys have included all my friends, guys and girls... All but one or two, which were sleep overs, then it was just my guy friends.
Can I sing: Not very well... and neither can I dance.

So this is me. If you have anyother questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Cheater, Cheater Pumpkin Eater

"Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater." We've all said this phrase, especially when playing games against our friends. Or maybe someone has said this to us. I know I have cheated in my life before. I can be very competitive, so when I was younger, I know I would move pieces when people weren't looking, or quickly re-rolled a dice to get a different number.

People cheat all the time. They cheat on: tests, games, relationships, and even in business. People cut corners, break rules, and fix games all so they can get ahead and ensure their success. When people cheat, they are being selfish. They are exploiting, manipulating, deciving, or defrauding (or all three at the same time) others for personal gain. This does not sound like loving others, which is what God called us to do.

Proverbs 11:1 says, "The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are His delight." Back then price would depend on weight. People would fix their weights so that it says something weighs 1/2 lbs, when infact it would weigh 1 lbs, in an effort to get more money from you. Basically what this proverb is saying is to be honest. When someone is cheating they are not being honest, they are being selfish.

Tonight we begin a series called A Matter Of The Heart. Cheating is something that really, at it's root, is a matter of the heart. All Jr. high students are welcome to join us tonight as we really explore how cheating is a matter of the heart.

Ode To The Beach

I love the beach. The sand, the surf, the cooler weather. I love everything about it. I grew up at the beach. When I was in 3rd grade, my family moved about 6 blocks from the beach. I do have to say I was spoiled, I didn't realize how lucky I was. But it's like that saying, "You don't know what you have till it's gone." I am obivously not living at the beach anymore, but man, do I wish I still lived there. If I had known I wasn't going to live at the beach my whole life, I'd have gone WAY more.

When I do go to the beach there are many different things I love to do. I loved to bike and rollerblade along the strand. I love to play my favorite sport, beach volleyball. I love to build sandcastles and dig for sand crabs. I love to body surf, and boogie board. I've also even been known to surf every once in a blue moon.

Why do I tell you about why I love going to the beach? Because the Junior High group is going to "Crash" the beach all day tomorrow. It's going to be SO much fun! I'm going to get to do everything I love. We are even going to crash a world famous beach. How many of you have heard the song, 'Surfing USA' by the beach boys "...San Anofree and sunset/Redondo Beach L.A. ...Everybody's gone surfin'/Surfin' USA"

Yes we will be heading to beautiful Redondo Beach for the day. I really hope to see you all there. All you have to bring is $5, a sack lunch, swim suit, towel, and money for dinner on the way home. Call the church office for more details and to tell us that you're coming, so I can make sure you have a ride there.