TFBC - Family Ministry

Share Jesus Without Fear

2012-02-14T16:01:00.000-08:00

Wanted to introduce a book that all of us should read. This book is written by William Fay. He gives us a tool in this book every christian should use. We are called to Go and make disciples. This begins by going to share our faith, that is, how we have gone from death to life in Christ. Just to introduce the book to you, I want to share a portion of Chapter 2 called, Catch the Vision:

"One night I had a dream. A woman clutched a little girl, struggling to hold her child's head above the water. Nearby, a wave plunged a man into its salty depths. He choked for air as he thrashed his arms against a ceiling of water. All around, the ocean churned with drowning people, gasping for air and desperately trying to push their heads above the surface. Their screams were doused by the roar of the relentless waves. Their cries caught the wind, but only in vain. They were alone in their terror,with no help in sight.

Then a huge rock appeared, and a voice called into the darkness. People began crawling up the rock's craggy sides to safety.

But when they got to safety, something happened that drove me almost goofy. The people who emerged from the waves got busy. They got involved in building rock gardens, rock lives, rock jobs, listening to their rock music, and going to rock meetings where they talked about the people who were still drowning in the ocean. But nobody went back to the water's edge to help.

Have you ever tried to run or yell in a dream? In my dreams, I can do neither. Yet I tried to run; I tried to yell at the top of my lungs, "How could you have forgotten you were once in the sea?"

As I watched the "saved" scurry about their rock work and as I listened to their rock talk, I realized the rock was the cross of Calvary. The voice they heard was Jesus, calling by the power of the Holy Spirit, inviting them to come join him. He's never high up on the rock where it's safe; he's calling from the ocean's edge, there the dead, the diseased, and the lost are found, and as you might recall, that's where he found you."

Fay goes on to state, "Did you know that as few as 5-10 percent of the people in an average church have shared their faith in the past year? That means 90 percent of us have chosen the sin of silence. Just like in my dream, those who were drowning have gotten so busy and involved with the safety of "The Rock" they've forgotten to reach out to those who are still drowning."

I share this with you for two reasons. First it is a command of Christ to Go and make disciples. Second, it is only in obedience to this command that we experience the abundant life Christ promises. This is the adventure missing in most of our lives. This is eternal stuff we bypass on a daily basis, and Jesus is calling us to join Him. Will you join Him today? Think about it.

Technology Again

2012-02-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

Things we have lived through: Renting not only a video, but a VCR to take home to play it on; cell phones that had a separate large battery as well as an antenna on the phone as well as the roof of the car; records, 8-tracks, tapes, cd's, and now digitial downloads; the PC along with DOS language, and only 256 megs of memory, windows and mac wars, etc; pong, atari, nintendo, sony ps, xbox, etc.; disco, rock, pop, grunge, punk, etc.; on and on. Technology has exploded over the last 30 years or so, especially in the lat 5. We now have social media, texting, tweeting, and all kinds of ways to communicate. Here's the problem however. Our kids are the most entertained generation, to my knowledge, in history. Yet, they are also seemingly the most bored.

Here is what I think. Our kids are substituting these false experiences for real ones. Our kids are getting romance from movies and not in real life. Our boys are getting their adventures from video games and car racing movies, but no real adventure in their life. Parents are protecting their kids more and more do to fear of what's "out there" that can hurt them. This filters into our spiritual lives as well. Our relationship with God should be dynamic, but many times we try to create a linear experience through reading and gaining more and more knowledge, never leaving the bible study and entering the adventure we are called to.

You want to get your heart racing, palms sweaty, and a hint of fearful yet exciting anticipation in your life. Try sharing your faith. We need to actively pursue Jesus and walk as He did. Initiate conversations like Jesus did with the woman at the well, and spoke life to her. Invite others to "come and see" as Philip invited Peter to do. Get down and dirty serving others as Jesus left His home in heaven, became a human and served us. Sitting in a pew is only exciting if you're coming in from serving. You ever see men coming out of the harvesting fields. They are tired, sore, and dirty. But they are also thirsty for a cool drink of water, exited to find shade, and share their experience with fellow workers. This is what our Sunday's should be like, a break from the harvest, to "rest" as God intended for the Sabbath, for the purpose of preparing to go back into the field to harvest more!

It's no wonder our kids are growing up bored with the church and not sure about this whole Jesus thing. When do they see us (i'm including myself here) actually work in the field. Or do they only see us take the shade, enjoy it, but never really leave it.

This was supposed to be about technology, and in a way it is. Through technology our field has been expanded. But we must utilize it in the same way we utilize other parts of our life. Our kids are looking for models. Paul told his Philippian brothers, "imitate me". If you were to ask your kids to imitate you, what would that look like? Let's get out of the shadows and into the field. Let's lead our kids into the great adventure of following Jesus. Let's allow our kids to see the greatest romance is God's pursuit of His Bride!

Technology & Discipleship

2012-02-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, i need to be more consistent in posting these. Sorry for the long delay. Today however I wanted to look at technology and discipleship. It occurred to me that our kids will grow up never knowing life with commercials, without a remote control, a phone that has a chord attached, or many other devices I once knew or had to do without. This is the reality in which we live. I remember just a few years ago asking students to turn off their phones before speaking to them on Wednesday nights, so they wouldn't get phone calls that interrupt. Today the phones never ring, yet their heads rarely raise up do to the texting that is constent.

So what are we to do? Are we to be like our parents and explain to them how spoiled they are not to have the disadvantages we had as youth or children? Are we to refrain from utilizing the technology in protest, "I will never use .... it seems like such a waste!"? Are we to ring our hands in defeat? I think there is a better solution. I think we can use it to our benefit. Parents, our kids are growing up in the world. Jesus' prayer in John 17 was not for us to be removed from the world, but we be kept from the evil one. Now many people might attribute the rise of technology to the evil one, but I'm not sure that's sound.

So here is a challenge for us as parents. This morning I took my 8 year old daughter to a coffee shop. I pulled out my phone and used it to read the bible with her. We talked about the wages of sin, and the gift of God, and how God loved the world so much! She didn't blink. Her using my phone is an every day affair. She loves to play games on it. But now, I have modeled an even better use for it, God's word. Right at the tip of my fingers. Now I'm not suggesting everyone will need to do this exactly this way. But...we have to be meek as a dove, but wise as a serpent. The world system is evil and Satan would love to sift our kids away from the Father. Let's be faithful stewards of those things in which we have been blessed. Let's utilize all that is at our disposal to reach out to our children. Let's not be timid to do so, but bold in the Spirit of God to do things that might be uncomfortable for us, but for our kids is second nature.

This is a challenge no doubt, but our kids are worth it. The gospel is alive and exciting. God calls us to a dynamic relationship with His Son Jesus! Let's encourage our kids in every way to pursue the God who has so passionately pursued us!

Brandon

Preparing for a New Year!

2011-12-14T11:42:00.001-08:00

As many do, I am looking toward the new year and thinking about what I want to do, change, experience, etc. Looking ahead also means looking back. So what have I learned in 2011?

My top 5 (in no particular order):
*Being a parent takes lots of work.
*Staying on task is not always easy.
*Setting goals is easy, achieving them is not.
*Being a servant isn't so bad as long as I'm not treated like one.
*As much as things change they seem to stay the same (cliche I know, but true).

So with those lessons learned, what am I looking forward to in 2012:
*Abiding in Christ - I need to stop trying to earn favor and rest in Christ's accomplished work on the cross.
*Steward God's resources to His Glory - watch how I spend my money to be sure it is bringing glory to God.
*Enjoy the Sabbath - God created the Sabboth for us to enjoy! 6 days will you work, on the seventh you should rest!
*Become a Servant to all - Somehow I am sure this is a key to the abundant life Christ offers.
*Micah 6:8 - I want to live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before my God.

I hope as you prepare for you New Year you will take some time to reflect on what the Lord has shown you. I also hope you'll take some time to seek God and what He desires for your year to come.