A little Friday video viewing for you…The guy that Penn Jillett is talking about is doing what Christians should be doing: treating people well and telling them the truth in a loving way. Great quote by Penn about halfway through, “How much do you have to hate someone to believe there is eternal life and not tell them?” Wow.
If you’re getting a bunch of code below instead of the video, here’s a link to watch the videon on YouTube.
I’m not the kind of guy who saves Christmas money for something I really want later in the year, but I still had a little left over. So, shopping for some new shoes last night at a friend’s store, this was the conversation. I have 2 different shoes on checking them both for fit.
Jeremy: Both of them look good.
Ben: Not sure about either one of them.
Jeremy: What kind of jeans are those?
Ben: Polo. I’ve had ‘em for a while. Never would have bought ‘em but they were 75% off.
Jeremy: (Unkowingly by me switching gears) Do they fit?
Ben: (puzzled about being questioned about jean fit by another guy…) They’re tight in the legs but really baggy in the rear end. Sort of weird.
Jeremy: No. I was talking about the shoes.
Ben: Oh. Yeah. I think I’ll go with the ones on my right foot.
I guess guys are allowed to notice somebody else’s jeans but neither participant in the conversation really wants to go into too much detail. Thanks for the shoes, Jeremy.
The Citizen Tribune (the local paper) has done a story on Arrowhead and our gas buydown. Pretty exciting! Here’s the link:
See yesterday’s post for what we’re doing here.
Today let’s talk about the transition from high school to college.
I understand that college isn’t for everybody and that not all of us necessarily make this transition, but let’s talk about it anyway. My four years (yes I finished in four years!) at UT were the turning point in my spiritual growth, so I have a huge desire for Arrowhead to become a place where college students are everywhere. Whether it’s students from Carson Newman or Walters State or anywhere else, if you are reading this and you are in college, I want you to know that we would love for you to feel right at home at Arrowhead and we want to serve you.
Why is college such a big deal? For the first time, you are on your own! Sink or swim. No one to make you go to class, clean your dorm room, go to bed before 4am, or go to church. What a great thing. Unfortunately, many students choose to use that freedom for ungodly activity. But, those who choose to harness that freedom for good can unleash a time of massive spiritual growth. Generally speaking, you have more time to study the Bible, go to church, take part in campus ministries, and be a part of a small group. The potential is limitless.
The Bible is able to feed that spiritual passion and answer the questions you hear others asking around campus. As we try to figure life out and lay the foundation for adulthood, God wants to be right in the mix of that.
It’s a common experience for most of us that when life changes in some way, we generally seek out some sort of spiritual experience or someone who can offer some order in the midst of the chaos we are experiencing. There are questions that arise that we didn’t have to have answered before the transition occurs. There are disruptions in the routine of our life that cause us to approach things differently, and God has a lot to say in those times.
Over the next week or so, I want to address what God can do in the middle of those life transitions and how we at Arrowhead would love to help. I’ll address the transition from childhood to the teen years, from high school to college, from college to the real world, marriage, the birth of a child, divorce, and the loss of a job. If you can think of others, let me know what you think. I’d love to know your thoughts on these issues as well. Come on…I know you’re reading! Play along and comment.
Let’s start with the transition from childhood to teenager.
I spent nearly 8 years in ministry to students, and for the record I absolutely loved it. The teen years have the potential to be some of the greatest or some of the most painful. When you hit high school, at least most parents begin to offer a little bit more freedom as time progresses. As a child, all of us need to know what works and what doesn’t. The world is black and white. Everything is practical. Either you get your way or you don’t, and either way you just have to deal with it. Why? Because I said so! (Sorry…practicing for when Eli gets a little older.)
As a teenager, that doesn’t necessarily cut it. Not only do we need to know what works. We need to know what happens when it doesn’t. Will it be okay if my parents fight? What if they get a divorce? How am I going to deal with my grandmother’s death? If my boyfriend/girlfriend breaks up with me, am I ever really going to be okay again? Yes, the world is usually still black and white, but sometimes grayness is unavoidable.
There are tough questions to be dealt with in life. Teenage transition is one big tough question sometimes. God addresses those issues in His Word. And, the church shouldn’t be silent on them. There aren’t always clear answers, and that’s okay.
We want Arrowhead to be a place that teenagers can call home. Too often church is focused only on adults, and that’s not good. Teenagers are more than capable of strong faith and I fully believe if the world is really going to be changed for good, students will lead the way.
Another great day at Arrowhead today! Eli wanted to help give the recap.
It’s gonna be a great week spending time getting to know some folks who are calling Arrowhead home. Hope you have a great one as well.
I normally wouldn’t post on a Saturday night and I almost never just post a link to someone else’s thoughts, but this post by Mark Batterson hit me right between the eyes. It basically summarizes my life right now!
As a team of people involved with Arrowhead, all of us are learning how to adjust on the fly. My preferred course of action is to plan the work and work the plan, but church planting doesn’t seem to give a rip if that’s what I’d prefer. Last week we finally settled on setup and volunteers for our kids rooms and then…32 kids showed up on the first week! Now we’re adding another. More pipe and drape, more toys, more flooring, more volunteers = a stressful week. But let me be clear: I CAN GET USED TO THE KIND OF STRESS THAT COMES WITH MORE PEOPLE!
It’s been an awesome week hearing stories of how people came to Arrowhead last week and hearing some response. If you didn’t make it to week 1 last week, we’d love for you to come hang out with us on Sunday!
I think I’ve got adult ADD. Seriously, when I was a kid I was focused, determined, and driven. Now I’m still driven but if I’m not careful I forget what I’m driven to do, or I’m driven to do too many things at one time.
This verse helps me remember to remember God in my daily life. As long as I focus on what God has called to do and how He’s called me to think a lot of other things fall into place. Distraction doesn’t have to be anything sinful to take my thoughts away from Him. It can just be a lack of focus. The only way to make sure I do focus is to be intentional about what I think about.
After a great day on Saturday I was just settling in to rest a little and then get back up and study for Sunday morning when my cell phone rang with the news that a pipe had busted at our house in Knoxville (which is still on the market). So instead of a relaxed afternoon and evening before the launch service, my dad and I jumped in the truck and spent the next 3 hours drying up the flood we found in our kitchen. Monday was spent dealing with a water restoration company and the plumber, and lots more time will have to be spent dealing with insurance, etc. this week.
It’s obvious at a time like this that Satan has a plan to get Sara and I down, and we’re not just going to give in that easy. But, I do begin to ask questions like: God, don’t You want me spending my time this week focusing on how to lead Arrowhead into its second week of existence instead of this junk?
I think God allows times like this to remind us that trials bring about character. That doesn’t make it fun! But it does make it worth it in the end.
