Our Blog

Student Ministry March 2018

Dear Church Family,
When it comes to our daily lives, it seems to me like there are two main ways to live. One is by faith, and the other is by fear. Every Christian knows that we are supposed to walk by faith in the Lord. We are supposed to trust Him with everything that is happening in our lives or could happen in our lives. We believe that He is in control over all things, and that He is working all things for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. We have nothing to fear because God is for us and He will guide us through any valley or mountaintop. Jesus is our great shepherd who will give us the refreshing water of the Holy Spirit through His word to calm our souls when we are weary of the demands of the world. The Lord constantly takes the things in our lives that were meant for evil and brings good out of the ashes. Can any of you testify to this truth in your own lives? Have you seen God work in your life as you have looked to Him in faith?

While most of us have witnessed God’s faithfulness firsthand, we all have areas of our lives that, when threatened, make us revert to fear. We fear: the prospect of losing a job; the defamation of our character; the estrangement of a friend; the inability to meet expectations; even the death of a loved one. And on top of those there are many more things that we fear even though we know that God is in control and we can trust Him. So as Christians, why do we fear so much? This simple answer is that we control very little in our lives. Fear has to do with lack of control. Just think of the things you have little to no control over and ask yourself if they ever cause you to fear. You might find that there are lots of things that you have no control over which don’t affect you at all! So why do some of these other things illicit fear when they are threatened? Think now about the things that cause you to fear. Do you notice that the things that make you fear are much more precious to you than those other things that you don’t really fear? So, what’s going on here?

When God exposes fear in our lives, it is not time for us to despair. It is time for us to repent and give those fears to the Lord. He is exposing our idols. Those things that are so precious to us that we could not fathom losing are the very things that God is shining light on to say: “look at this part of your life that you have not given to me yet. Don’t you know that you can trust me with this?” Of course, we know that we can trust God! But how deceiving it is for us to know this truth, but then constantly keep pieces of life tucked away from His reach (as if that were possible). God wants us to see where we are deceived. Don’t be deceived! Grandparents, parents, students, and teachers; No mass shooter can end your life early. And no amount of fear can make your life longer (Matt. 6:27). We must live in wisdom and take action to prevent evil. But we must not live in fear of evil (Psalm 23:3-4). Let us all strive to give the idols of our life, which cause us to fear, to the Lord. While this is not easy by any means, it starts with a simple prayer of repentance. Turn to the Lord and ask Him to help you trust Him, not with just the easy stuff, but also with the precious stuff.

Sincerely,

Brian Van Doren  

Kids Happenings March 2018

Hello church family,
         WOW this past month has gone by fast!  Not necessarily because there are less days in the month of February but because of how busy our church has been.  I have so many people that ask me, “Are you glad when Upward is over?” I’m sure the question is asked because I, along with so many others, can finally rest. But to be honest, I really enjoy the Upward season. I love getting to meet new children and their families, spending endless weekends with amazing friends, and witnessing the many blessing and opportunities our Lord gives us to share the gospel.

Yes, my house could use a good deep cleaning and I don’t think I have made a good home cooked meal in almost 2 months. I know I can count on one hand the number of evenings that I was able to stay home and just relax.  This is okay, as a matter of fact this is right where God wants me.  “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Colossians 3:23”  The work that we are doing during Upward season and in every season of our lives needs to be done with all our heart. Not to boast about what we’ve accomplished but what God has accomplished.

I was given the opportunity to share the gospel with 5 of my players during practice a couple weeks ago.  Three of my five players had already heard of how “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and “while we were sinners, Christ died for us.” and “if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” But two of my players had never heard the gospel. One was adamant that he had never sinned, to the point of wanting to argue about it.  The other child was saddened to know that Jesus died for us and he asked with great concern, “how did die?”.  With the help of the Holy Spirit we were able to navigate through the conversation in a way that a child could understand.  Seeds were planted that evening and God was moving. We all have hope in knowing that as long as we do “not grow weary” during the Upward season and all seasons of life, God will use our work for His glory.

So as the Upward season comes to an end a new season will begin in the hearts of the children that now know the truth of the gospel.  Thank you to all the coaches, referees, score keepers, concessions help and prayer warriors that volunteered this season. And we give praise to our Lord for giving us the strength and endurance to press on.