POPULARITY CONTEST

Connect
A company hired a management consultant to appraise the personnel efficiency reports made out by their managers and supervisors. The consultant expected the reports to be dull going, but found to his surprise that they contained a good deal of intentional -- and unintentional -- humor. Here are a few examples...

- This foreman has talents but has kept them well hidden.
- Can express a sentence in two paragraphs any time.
- A quiet, reticent manager, Industrious, tenacious, careful, and neat. I do not wish to have this woman as a member of my department under any circumstances.
- In any change in policy or procedure, he can be relied upon to produce the improbable, hypothetical situation in which the new policy cannot work.
- Needs careful watching since he borders on the brilliant.
- Open to suggestions but never follows them.
- Is keenly analytical, and his highly developed mentality could best be utilized in research and development. He lacks common sense.
- Never makes the same mistake twice but it seems to me he had made them all once.

Reflect
Read: Mark 6
Key Verse: Mark 6:33&54

33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus.
55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
56 And wherever he went--into villages, towns or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

We see here that everywhere that Jesus and his disciples went they were recognized. Jesus especially, because of all the teachings he had taught and all the miracles he had done. They knew who he was as soon as he would step off the boat or go from town to town. Because he was so well known, and people knew of the change he could bring into their life, they often went out of their way to bring the sick to him and beg him to let them touch his clothes. Just touching his garment was enough for them to believe they would be healed. Isn’t that wild? To be so popular that people would beg you to let them touch just your clothing.

Direct
We are all identified in a certain way by the people around us. Some people know us better than others, but none the less we are known. Kevin Bacon is known for his role in the movie Foot Loose, A Few Good men, Apollo 13, Trapped, The Woodsman and many more. Oprah Winfrey is known for her daytime talk show named after herself “Oprah” and for all the things she has given away and the people she has helped. Muscians that we love, like 50 cent, is known for getting shot a whole bunch of times and making rap albums.
But what about us? what are we known for? We probably don’t have thousands and thousands of people who know us but what about the ones that do? Do they know us as quiet or loud, funny or corny, loving and caring or thoughtless and selfish? Do they know us for the love we have for God or for all the sins we commit? Think about this throughout this week. Ask yourself what kind of impact have you made on the people who know you? What are people chasing after you for? I pray that we would all be known for our love for God for our hunger for him and our hunger for righteousness.

The Scream

Connect:

Above is a picture by the famous painter Edvard Munch. Look carefully at the painting. What is it that captures your attention? Where are your eyes drawn to? I imagine most of you were immediately drawn to the figure at the bottom center who appears to be screaming, thus the title of this painting “the scream.”

Art such as this can bring out a variety of emotions for each of us. It can disturb us. It may soothe us as we find ourselves identifying with the character. It may frighten us, or it may just freak us out. In any of these cases, it speaks to us. Munch wanted to teach us something about our lives. He wanted to teach us something about despair, and so he taught us by painting.

Reflect:

In the 4th chapter of Mark, Jesus wants to teach the crowds something about life in the kingdom of God. Now he doesn’t go about this by painting a picture with brush and canvas, but he does paint a picture of sorts with his words. He tells the people parables. Parables are tricky devices that hold a lot of truth, but often the truth is concealed and needs to be unpackaged. In verses 10-20, Jesus tries to explain this mystery to the disciples. He just told the parable of the sower, but nobody gets it. The weird thing about this is that of all the people who should have understood this parable, namely the disciples, even they were clueless. So what does this mean? The mysteries of God are all around us. We can see them in the midst of creations story. You can see them in the people you meet, in the conversation you have, in the work you do. Like the disciples you’re not always going to understand these stories completely, but also like the disciples you should never stop searching. You should never stop asking God to help you see his action everywhere and in everything.

Direct:
This week take time to look at a few of the parable of Christ and try to understand the deeper meaning that lies within them. Take time to see the work of God, the face of God, in everything around you, in your teachers, friends, parents, siblings, in everything. Allow God to help you understand the deeper meaning. Allow Him to be your teacher.

MOSH PIT

-CONNECT- The music is blaring. The lights are glowing firey red and blue. The strobe is on and people are surfing overhead. And then, the mosh pit begins. With every beat of the drum and the scratchy chords of the guitar, you are into the moment---feeling the music and loving the artists. You push and plow your way to the front, longing for a touch of the lead singer or a keepsake of the set list and guitar picks. These are the entertainers that you have come to love. Just behind the big, buff security guy stands the band. No matter what it takes, you are headed up there…and all the while people are being pushed and slammed against the gate, gasping for air and slowly suffocating beneath the madness of all the devoted fans. Everyone has one goal, get as close as possible.

-REFLECT- Read Mark Chapter 3
Key Verse: 7-12
Jesus is the main attraction in this passage. People are coming from EVERYWHERE just to see him.. He is the guy who can heal. He is the one who they have come to love and worship. They wanted to be close to him and follow him…and so they came. Jesus tells his disciples to get a boat ready because he needed some distance. These people were crazy! They would push through the crowd, surf over top, and mosh their way around, just to be caught up in a moment with him. These people didn’t care what it cost to get close, they were going. They were sick and needed to be touched by Jesus. They wanted to touch his clothes or get a drop of his sweat on them, like a crazed fan looking for any sort of connection with their musical idol. The difference for them was that they were pushing in to the Son of God---and they did it so that their lives would be changed.

-DIRECT- There are so many people and things in our lives that we just HAVE to be a part of. We want to get close to a particular group of people. We want to have just a piece of a certain club or clique. Many of us spend our whole lives (or at least a few of our school years) just pushing in whatever ways we can to connect with whatever it is we idolize. The problem is that it’s rare that the things we are fighting so hard to get to is Jesus. Somehow the people of Jesus’ day got it…they knew he was someone worth crowding in for. Do you get it? Maybe we need to consider why we don’t, ‘cuz Jesus has much more to offer us than a guitar pick and a sweat towel….he offers us a drop of his blood and the assurance of eternal life. Now that is worth surfing the crowd to get to.

I CAN"T TAKE IT!

-Connect-
Linkin Park has some great songs, like "ONE STEP CLOSER":

I cannot take this anymoreI'm saying everything I've said before

All these words they make no senseI find bliss in ignorance

Less I hear the less you'll sayBut you'll find that out anyway

Just like before...

Everything you say to meTakes me one step closer to the edge

And I'm about to break I need a little room to breathe

Cause I'm one step closer to the edgeAnd I'm about to break

I find the answers aren't so clearWish I could find a way to disappear

All these thoughts they make no sense I find bliss in ignorance

Nothing seems to go away Over and over again

Just like before...

Everything you say to meTakes me one step closer to the edge

And I'm about to break I need a little room to breathe

Cause I'm one step closer to the edge And I'm about to break

Everything you say to meTakes me one step closer to the edge

And I'm about to break I need a little room to breathe

Cause I'm one step closer to the edge And I'm about to break

Break break break break break

This song kinda seems to share the mounting frustration and pressure that people sometimes feel when we feel like we have said all we can, done all we can, but feel frustrated with a part of our lives. Sometimes we all find oursleves in a place where we are little bit sensitive . . . a little "on edge" so to speak, when others continue to push us.


We all get to these places where things aren't perfectly clear. Situations don't work out how we planned or hoped. We wish we never knew certain details of people's lives and/or issues, and we realize that not everything is black and white. Sometimes we just want to disappear from the scene and get away from everything, and everyone . . . just gotta have some room.

-Reflect- Read Matthew Chapter 26
Key Verse: 31-35

This is a perfect story of someone who felt a lot of pressure. Someone who seemed on the edge. Someone who just wanted some space, wanted to get away from everything and everyone, and felt like his words were not being heard. Peter was frantic. The tension was building. People were starting to recognize him as one of Jesus' buddies. And he tells them once tht he has no idea who the guy is. but yet they still come back . . . pressuring him, pushing him getting in his business . . . and he's strarting to sweat a little bit. I'm sure he jsut wanted to be left alone! He just wanted to disappear . . . and jst wanted for people to hear what he was saying--that he was innocent . . . but they asked again. Peter swears with everything that he has no clue who this "Jesus" guy is . . . and then gets out of the crowd and breaks down from the pressure.

The passage might remind us of the pressure we feel in various situations, and even when it comes to being asked if we are followers of Jesus. We admit it in church, but then we don't want too many people to know . . .it makes us panic . . . it makes us fight even harder to avoid seeming "too Christian." We kind of get nervous if people label us a "goodie goodies" or we fear we might be too much like our parents . . . always seeing God in "everything." And the harder people push us and question us, the farther we want to run, the closer to the "edge" we get, and we end up frustrated and confused about our faith, wishing people would just stop making a big deal about it.

-Direct-
-When was a time you felt people were pushing you over "the edge?"
-Have you ever felt like everything you were saying and doing was not being noticed--even when you tried harder? How did that make you feel?
-Have you ever denied Jesus--maybe not with your words, but with your actions?
-How so?
-If you were Peter, what would you have done to make things right after denying Jesus?
-What can you do now to make things right with Jesus?

POSERS

~Connect~
A rather pompous-looking deacon was endeavoring to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. “Why do people call me a Christian?” the man asked. After a moment’s pause, one youngster said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you.”

~Reflect~ Read: Matthew 23
Key Verse: Matthew 23:3

In this chapter we see Jesus speaking against hypocrisy to the disciples and the crowd around him. He tells them obey the teachers of the law and the Pharisees because they are your leaders but he tells them not to do as they do because they do not practice what they preach. Jesus refers to them as hypocrites 6 times aside from other things such as blind guides, blind fools, blind men, snakes and brood of vipers. All this shows us how much he detests hypocrisy and those who bear false witness to those around them. He continuously says “Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees” in other words he is saying you who deceive and lead my people astray you will only reap suffering and misery.

~Direct~
The illustration given in the beginning is a perfect example of a hypocritical “Christian”. Making themselves to be a “Christian” for all to see and to someone who doesn’t know the real him/her it is believable but God knows all things and nothing is hidden from him and in Daniel 2:22 it says: “He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him”. It doesn’t matter how well hidden you have your secret the one who knows all things will reveal it and he would use even someone you least expect. So listen to God’s calling, a call to live a life of justice, mercy and faithfulness. Stand for righteousness and truthfulness and live up to what really means to be a “Christian” a true follower of Christ.

TEENS PAY TAXES?

-Connect- I often like to watch the Dr. Phil show in the afternoons and this week Dr. Phil has been talking about two little girls who were "abducted" by their father and taken to Belize. Dr. Phil, at the urging of the girls' mom, sent decetives to Belize in order to rescue the girls, and after weeks of tracking the girls down he found them and brought them back to America. However when they arrived, he found out that they didn't want to be with their mom. They had left everything about this world so that they could be with their father in a tiny Christian community in Central America. They left their friends, sports, schools, TV, electricity, and even running water for their faith.

-Reflect- Read Matthew 22
Key Verses 15-22

In our passage for today, a group of Jewish religious leaders come to challenge Jesus along the lines of faith and culture. They want to know if it is alright for believers to continue to participate in culture, to pay taxes, if they are suppose to be faithful to God alone. Just like the girls on the Dr. Phil Show, this group was struggling with their position in the world when God had called them out of the world. How could they continue to be children of this world if they we children of God? Jesus' answer is simple. Simply give to God what is God and give to Caesar (or the world) what is Caesar's.

-Direct- Now I say this is simple, but how do we apply Jesus' command to our lives? Maybe it's not right for these two girls to completely avoid the world and move into a community that has no contact with the outside world, but on the otherhand we are Christians and we have to find our identity first and foremost in Christ. Sure we should participate with the world, but if the world is making up who we are then we have forgotten the second part of Jesus' command, "Give to God those things which are God's." And what is God's? Maybe the better question would be, what isn't God's? This week we should think about those things in our lives that we are quicker to give to the world instead of to God. In what ways do we place the world above our relationship with God? In what ways are we leaving him out of the equation?

I'VE GOT THE POWER

-CoNnEcT- A teacher at a religious institution once asked his class, “Who has the ultimate authority in this room?” The class was a little surprised to hear him asked the question, but finally decided to answer with the most obvious response. One guy raised his hand and said, “Obviously you are the ultimate authority in this room, you are the teacher.” The teacher’s response was one of disagreement, so he called on another student. “Well, if it isn’t you, then I guess you want us to say God,” said the student.
The teacher quickly responded “Well, God is always in control, but aside form him, who is the authority?”

There were no more responses, so the teacher finally answered his own question. “The ultimate authority in this classroom is you, the students. You control what will go on and if the class will even take place. You are the ones with the “unspoken” authority to learn or not learn. You are in control.”

-ReFlEcT- Read Matthew Chapter 21
Key Verses: 23-27

Jesus is spending some time in and around the temple in Jerusalem. He has riled a few people by calling them robbers (they were setting up business right in the church!) and the religious leaders of his day want to know who this “Jesus” guy thinks he is. So they ask him, who gave you this kind of authority to act this way?! (aka, “who died and made you boss?”) Instead of Jesus just jumping on them and saying “ME!...I AM GOD YOU KNOW?!” He questions their knowledge. He wants to know if these religious church folk know anything about God…but they don’t really seem to get that the baptism of John (water baptism for repentance) was something done by God’s authority. They know that if they believe God gave John the authority to baptize people, and Jesus is similar to John, then they will be criticized for not believing. On the other hand, if they say that the baptisms were from human authority, the crowd is going to go crazy! (because they definatley thought John the Baptists actions were from God.)

Jesus response to their ignorance? He tells them that he doesn’t have to explain himself. If they don’t get it, then they probably never will get it---and since his authority to do what he is doing is from God, he has no need to defend himself. I am sure these guys were left wondering “who is the ultimate authority in our temple?! God, this Jesus guy, or us- the leaders?

-DiReCt- We struggle with the idea of authority our whole lives. We don’t like anyone telling us what to do or how to act. We get to places where we sometimes rebel against our parents authority (come on, admit it.) Ultimately we want freedom to be the only authority in our life. We can be respectful to some degree, but we really want to be the one to make all the decisions for ourselves. Have we figured out though, that God is the ultimate authority, or at least he should be? We should WANT him to be a part of every decision we make, but so often we don’t.

So think about the opening question the teacher asked…who is the ultimate authority in your life? Is it a certain person, is it God, or is it you? You are the only one who can decide if God will take that place in your life. Then you will know that the actions he guides you to do are ones you can claim as “authorized by God.” That is a pretty bold authorization…not too many people can argue with that!

-Who is the ultimate authority in your life?
-What do you like or dislike about that?
-List some things you can appreciate about anyone who is an authority figure in your life (teacher, coach, leader, parent, etc.)
-Take some time to pray that God would help you (and all of us) to learn to respect God as the ultimate authority in our lives.
-Leave some comments and/or prayer requests!

YARD SALE FAITH

Connect- The world's longest yard sale," which runs for hundreds of miles, is held each August in the area of the country where I live. People from around the USA travel great distances to find "bargains" during the four-day event. It is a joy for them to find the item they've been searching for. Once the object is found, the prospective buyer asks, "How much?" The seller responds. Then the buyer makes a counter offer. If the seller refuses to lower the price sufficiently, the buyer may walk away, unwilling to pay it.

Reflect- Read Matthew 19
Key verse: 21
Jesus gets pretty bold and starts telling this guy that to have eternal life, he’s gotta sell everything he’s got and start following Jesus. Not the most exciting news for a person to hear, but Jesus says it anyway. The point? That nothing here on earth really matters as much as just keeping our focus and priorities on Jesus.

Direct- SO, is God asking you to give up all of your possessions? maybe, then again, maybe not. He does want to be more important than our possessions though.When we give him everything that we have he will truly bless us. So don't worry about the things that we have here on earth those are only temporary.

In Matthew 6:19-21 it says: “Don’t store treasures for yourselves here on earth where moths and rust will destroy them and thieves can break in and steal them. But store your treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will be where your treasure is.”

So how do we store up treasures in heaven? It's not like we can go down to our local HSBC (Heavenly Storage Banking Co-op) and put in a bag of denarii. The clue is in the last sentence: “Your heart will be where your treasure is.” If your treasure is in heaven then that is where your heart will be. If you want to make sure that you are storing heavenly treasure then pay attention to what you are giving your heart to - what you are treasuring.

-What do you value most in your life?
-Would you be willing to give it up if God asked you to?
-Pray that God will help you treasure the right things in your life…and pray the same for the rest of us too. :)

Duck Duck Goose

~Connect~ A little boy visiting his grandparents has been given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma's back yard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead.

The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch that day, Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn't you, Johnny?" And she whispered to him, "Remember the duck! So Johnny did the dishes.

Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing. Grandma said, "I'm sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally smiled and said, "That's all taken care of. Johnny wants to do it." Again she whispered, "Remember the duck." Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's, finally he couldn't stand it. He confessed to Grandma that he'd killed the duck. "I know, Johnny," she said, giving him a hug. "I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.

~Reflect~ Read: Matthew 18
Key Verse: Matthew 18:21-22

Here Jesus is asked a question by Peter. He asks him “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” and Jesus responds that we should not forgive just seven times but seventy-seven times. What Jesus is saying is we must be willing to forgive beyond the norm. We should always be forgiving just as He forgives us over and over again. We should show mercy and compassion towards others just as God shows mercy and compassion towards us. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” We are no better than the next person, we are all sinners and we are all guilty of wrong doings toward others and just as we seek to be forgiven we should also seek to forgive.


~Direct~ In the story Johnny had killed the duck and not only that but he tried to hide his wrong doing by hiding the duck and then not telling his grandmother what had happened and when being black mailed by his sister became overwhelming for him he decided to rectify his action and ask for forgiveness. What Johnny didn’t know was that he had already been forgiven. His grandmother had seen it all happen and decided to forgive him even though he then had it from her. All because of the love she had for her grandson. It’s the same when it comes to God and us. God sees all that we do. He is with us all-day and everyday, all night and every night and knows our thoughts. There is nothing that we can hide from him and so when we sin he sees it when we have wrongful thoughts he knows it and even so he forgives us. Every wrong thought or deed no matter how big or how small all is forgiven all because he loves us so much 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” He expects us to be forgiving towards those that surround us and those we come in contact with as He is forgiving towards us. Don’t be a slave to un-forgiveness, don’t let it run your life, don’t let it submit you to it’s beck and call but overcome it with the power that there is in forgiveness.

Beam me up

-CoNnEcT- When I was growing up my one of my family's favorite TV shows was "Star Trek." It didn't really matter which one it was. It could have been the original, the next generation, Deep Space Nine, or Voyager. All of them were good. And at least for me, one of the most interesting parts of the show was the way they could be beamed from one location to another. I'm sure you've heard the famous phrase "Beam me up Scottie." Sometimes, I still find myself wishing that I could be beamed into another existence. Waiting in traffic or waiting for the bus. I just want to get there, I am sick of waiting. I wish there was a way that someone could just "beam me up. "

-ReFlEcT- Read Matthew 17
Key verse: 1-13

For some strange reason, everytime I read this passage in Matthew 17.1-13, I think about being beamed up. I'm not sure if there is any deep connection here. Maybe, it's just my weird imagination or maybe it's the way that Jesus is described. It's as if he's entered some other existence. But when I step back and ask myself "what exactly is going on here?" I quickly begin to see the deeper connection that Star Trek has with the transfiguration (change). For in this passage, Jesus is showing us his true nature, and the cool thing is that this can be our new nature as well, if we place our faith in him. One of the fathers of the early church used to say that Jesus became human so that we might become divine. So as Jesus is here transfigured, he is showing us what we can look forward to.

-DiReCt- Sometimes life gets pretty difficult. Sometimes we really want to be beamed out of this world. And in the same way that Jesus was transfigured here and now, he can transfigure us here and now. We can have the same sort of "beaming up" experience if we will but find our faith in him. When school, family, or friends become to much to bear, Jesus can transfigure (change) our situation. He can change us even now. We don't have to wait until we get to heaven to experience this transformation ---we can have it now. So long as we focus on Jesus, the one who was transfigured in our midst, so too can we be transfigured forever.

LIVIN' THE GOOD LIFE

-CoNnEcT- Remember the cute little kid from the movie HOME ALONE? You know, the red-head who gets left behind and keeps the burglars from entering his house by setting up all sorts of traps and devices to cause them immeasurable amounts of pain. He is a face that most people won’t forget, but never really saw too much of again.
This kid, named Maculley Culkin, had a rough run through his teenage years and ended up in a bad place, kind of like the more recent events with the Olsen Twins.

These people are celebrities, they have plenty of money, fame and success, but something went wrong. Maculley Culkin ended up with a drug addiction, married and divorced and out of the acting loop by 19. The Olsen twins (Mary- Kate and Ashley of “Full House” and a bazillion movies) end up with eating disorders and self esteem issues after an entire lifetime of fame and fortune! They have “everything” in this life, and yet they are obviously lacking life in some form.

-ReFlEcT- Read Matthew Chapter 16
Key Verse: 24-26

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is making clear that his followers aren’t people who just get a bunch of “stuff” and rewards in this life. They aren’t people who get whatever they want or can have anything they desire, but rather, a people who have to give up something. The something Jesus talks about happens to be themselves. It is a puzzling thought to think about, that is, the idea of loosing your life, so that you can find it.

How DO you loose your life? The answer: you give up control. You give up your own power and allow a greater power to guide your life. Until that happens, then you can’t really live. Jesus makes that clear when he implies that we can have all things, but if we don’t have true “life” then we aren’t really living.

-DiReCt- We LOVE control. We love ourselves. We LOVE success. But the Christian life is NOT about getting something (although there are PLENTY of blessings that come) instead, it’s about giving something up. (That would be ourselves!) We have to let God be in control of our lives because we will never make it on our own. We may have some good things happen, we may experience God’s blessings in some ways, but no matter how much we gain, we won’t truly be living. The good news is that Jesus wants to help us find life. Without him, we can have money, fame, family and fun and still be dead inside. So loose yourself in Jesus---it is there that the lost are wondrously found.

-Do you consider yourself a follower of Jesus?
-What is the hardest part of your life to allow God to control?
-How do the people closest to you identify “really living”?
-By giving yourself completely to Jesus everyday, what have you/do you gain?
-Reread the chapter and ask God to show you something new through the entire chapter.
-Take a few minutes to pray. :)