YAM Annual SuperBowl party

Yep, it’s that time of year again . . . the air is cold, resolutions are gone, and the Annual YAM Superbowl Party at the Thompson house.  Becoming quite the tradition, this has become one of the staple events of the young adult ministry.  The party starts at 6 pm (for the heathen) or after church (for the saints) and stop by anytime during the night.  The Thompson’s are graciously providing the pizza so please give them a heads up if you are coming.  Guys bring the chips and drinks; gals bring either an appetizer or dessert.  Also, the infamous Jason Thompson salsa will be making its appearance for all to savor.

Even if you don’t like football . . . no worries.  Come anyway.  There will also be darts, pool, and a very intense game of Nertz.  There is even a list of those who met their spouses at this particular event . . .

New Theme for Sunday School

This past Sunday, the YAM discussed the new upcoming Sunday School series The Exchange.  Centered in Romans 6-8, this 6 week study is about exchanging the misconceptions of Christianity from culture and replacing it with true Christianity from the Bible.  You see, Christ died to save you from your sins.  But that is not where the good news stops! There are so many ways that God works within the lives of those who believe, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The series will challenge you to rethink what it means to be Christian.  It will encourage you to persevere and endure in the faith.  Dependence on Jesus will become the focal point, and the result will be fruit that comes from the very nature of being a Christian.  So come, learn, and live life together with your brothers and sisters as we dive into some practical teaching from God’s word.

See you at 9:00 for donuts and coffee . . . Study starts at 9:30.

Post – 4th update

Since I counted at least 15 people who were out last Sunday, just wanted to send out a quick update over some of the things going on in the next few weeks:

• The Rev. Dr. Scott Davis is preaching on Sunday morning on David and Golisha so make sure you get there early to get a good seat.  Alan is leading our Sunday School discussion over lunch so don’t forget your $3.  And finally, Will is preaching the Sunday Evening service on Ezekiel and missions completing the YAM fun-filled Sunday!
• On Wednesday, Braylon will be completing our Narnia discussion looking at Prince Caspian and the symbolism between it and Scripture.
• On Sunday evening the 20th, each of the mission trips will be sharing a brief testimony of how God worked around the region and around the world this summer.  Following this great time, we are headed to Lazer Blaze for some laser tag action.  Check the Events page for more info!

Oh Boy(d)!

This past Sunday was our first Sunday of the new SS format and many of the attenders enjoyed a friendly game of Ultimate Frisbee afterwards.  I was not there, so Angela W. has graciously offered up this 100% completely accurate first-hand account of the days events:

The funny thing is . . . I didn’t even want to play in the first place.

• 85 degrees outside, with a heat index that made it feel more like 100
• A bunch of way too competitive guys who would play as if their next meal depended on whether or not they won the game
• And a stomach so full of food from the SS meal earlier that I thought I was going to fall over

But for some reason, I let myself get talked into playing anyway.  “It’s just for a while,” they said.  “It’ll be fun,” they promised.  Right.

At first it wasn’t as bad as I thought.  The guys were even behaving!  The only time I messed up was when someone tried to throw the frisbee to me overhand like a baseball – not once, but twice (we won’t name names!).  At one point, someone on my team dropped the frisbee and the other team took possession.  As our defense stepped up to the challenge their drive down the field, I found myself face to face with a sight so terrifying that it can hardly be described – the offensive force that is Adam Boyd!

Our eyes locked.  I could see that he was ready to make a big play, but I was just as ready to stop one.  He tried several times to fake a pass, only to realize that my defense was unshakable.  Unstoppable.  He pulls his arm back, ready to pass downfield, and I take a step forward to block it . . . hands held high . . . arms outstretched . . .

 . . . and I found out I wasn’t unstoppable after all.  Apparently the offensive force that is A Boyd throws a frisbee like an NFL quarterback, and my outstretched hand was just one small obstacle in the way of his receiver.  CRACK came his fist (with frisbee in hand) right onto my right hand resulting in quite an impressive fracture almost from joint to joint.  However, as I became dizzy from the pain, I remember clearly looking behind me where the frisbee had been aimed . . . and seeing it hit the ground instead of the receiver’s hands.

Score one for my unstoppable defense!

Hearing + Obeying = Listening

Hopefully those of you who were in SS this past Sunday haven’t forgotten the formula already!!!  I just wanted to send a mid-week reminder to everyone to remember to be in thought this week on Dr. Henderson’s sermon from Sunday on Romans 8:28 in preparation for the next big announcement . . . .

June 22nd is the big day . . . We will be moving our Sunday School class to Sunday’s after church!  We will be meeting in the CAC for a $3 all-you-can-eat lunch around the big table while we discuss and apply the day’s sermon to our own lives.  Also, this will be the Sunday that we welcome the recently graduated Seniors as they spend the summer with us before some of them go off to college.  Stay tuned for some more information in the coming weeks on all that this move entails for you.

Tonight we continue in our discussion of the movie Expelled so be ready to chime in with your thoughts on whether or not Intelligent Design or Evolution even matters in the long run.

A Slightly Different Take On Genesis 32:22-32

This Sunday we will be continuing to study the life of Jacob as we take a look at Genesis 32-33 in Sunday School.  When Jacob finally comes to the very end of his own strength and runs out of schemes and plans he winds up in an impossible situation.  Facing the consequences of twenty years of sin and mistakes Jacob must finally learn to give up his own control and seek the only One whose strength is endless and whose plan is sovereign.

Here now in this link is a unique take on Jacob’s encounter with the Omnipotent and Sovereign…jacob.pps

Enjoy and then take a look at those two chapters as we prepare for Easter Sunday. 

Waffle House Evangelism

Yes, you read that right. Tonight begins Operation Waffle House Evangelism for the Young Singles class. Over the next 3-4 weeks, our class is going to visit the Waffle House there in front of church each Friday and Saturday night as we look to reach out to the other young adults in our community. Now, when I say night, I mean late night/early morning because everyone knows that Waffle House is only good after Midnight. Right?

So, we are asking for everyone to be in prayer for our covert teams who, starting tonight at midnight, will be visiting our neighborhood Waffle House. If anyone wants to join us, just comment below and we will give you the details.

Sunday Morning Bible Study – 1/27

This week we continue our story of Abraham and God’s promises to him as we look through Gen 15-17.  Instead of giving you a summary this week, here are 2 sections from an article that someone wrote to go along with this week’s lesson:

Normally, our lesson authors begin with an anecdote that introduces the theme of our study.  This week’s story touched my heart.  An elderly Christian lady kept a prayer journal for many years.  She drew a line down the middle of each page.  On one side she listed her petitions, and, on the other, the dear lady recorded God’s answers to her requests.  Our author mentioned that some of this woman’s prayers were not yet answered, and she left blank spots in her journal as she awaited the Lord’s answers.  As she spoke with our lesson author about the blank lines, she observed, “There is no faith without doubt.”  The elder woman’s transparency touched me.

Flannery O’Conner once wrote, “Doubt always coexists with faith, for, in the presence of certainty, who would need faith at all?”  Time and experience have taught me that doubt is not the opposite of faith; rather, indifference is.  Abraham, the great man of faith, experienced long seasons of doubt. Like King David, Abraham’s foot almost slipped.  His wonderful, godly man staggered, at times, at the tension between his experience and God’s promises.  Honestly, I can identify with Abraham’s struggle, and I think most thoughtful, honest Christians experience the same doubts and struggles. The old patriarch did not cease to be a man of faith when he staggered at God’s promises, and times of doubt do not invalidate your faith either.

I hope that as you prepare for and study this lesson this week, any “seasons of doubt” you may be going through would be comforted through Abraham’s example.

Sunday Morning Bible Study – 1/6

This week we will be looking at Genesis 10-11.  Genesis 10 speaks to the promise of God in both creation and in the covenant to Noah to be fruitful and multiply.  We see that the sons of Noah did just that; however, what we also find is that some of this covenant was not filled . . . to fill the earth.  The people decided to gather together where they were comfortable and establish roots (and also a big tower).  As a result, God gave each group their own language and scattered them out across the earth. 

Now fast forward a few thousand years to another group that was given a command to go to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.  They also stayed put where they were comfortable; and to this group, God sent persecution to spread the church into all the earth.  So as you read through this lesson, think about your plan in seeing the Gospel spread across the earth.  Are you just staying where you are comfortable?  While this is not the main point of the Genesis passage, I do think it has some parallels and ultimately a root in the pride of man thinking that we know better than God does.

Sunday Morning Bible Study – 12/30

In just a few days, it will be 2008, a New Year, a time of new beginnings.  Yes, you know . . . the time where you, we, all of us think about making a new resolution(s) to do things different or start something new.  As we continue in the story of Noah (Genesis 8:15-9:29), we see that he and his family have also come to a time of new beginnings.  Everything is gone; they are the new creation (the only creation) of the earth.  Noah is the new Adam.  However, just as our New Year’s resolutions tend to fall away, we see in Gen. 9:21 that Noah falls into sin just verses after offering up worship to God!  Gen. 8:21 tells us that “the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”  We are of the lineage of Noah also; we are sinners from birth.  As you begin this new year, I challenge you to not fall into the same trap as Noah.  Noah walked away from God for just a minute and fell into sin.  We must make sure that whatever we resolve to do this New Year, we must follow God and not separate ourselves from Him.  Yesterday’s worship doesn’t protect us from today’s temptations.

See you on Sunday!