Youth Blog

Hey guys

Hows it going? I hope you all have a good half term!

I don’t know about you but sometimes life just gets so busy that I actually stop and forget about what is actually important! Because you see, recently I’ve just been so tied up with work and for those of you who don’t know I work at a Bible college and basically part of job is to work with churches putting missions on. This usually means that I have to go and visit various different places for instance this last week I have working on a mission that is going to take place in March which has meant a lot of phoning, emailing and going to visit people regarding this mission. Now don’t get me wrong I love my job, but believe it or not I can get overwhelmed sometimes with all the things that need to get done and usually I am left banging my head against a brick wall!!! (Not really… well sometimes maybe I do!)

This kind of reminds me of a story in Luke 10:38-42 because there are two people in this story Mary and Martha. Now Martha was doing all the work but Mary was just sat around doing nothing just listening to Jesus. As you can imagine Martha was getting really annoyed at the fact that Mary was being just plain lazy and says to Jesus “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Jesus’ response in this situation is shocking rather than telling Mary to get off her back-side he basically tells Martha to chill-out about everything that needs doing and not to worry. Because Mary had chosen what was best.

Sometimes I think we can get so stressed out with all that we need to do, even if it is for God! We can forget about the important stuff and I guess that last night’s at youth fellowship taught me, that all of us need to stop worrying about all the other stuff which is important. Just so we can STOP and listen, because I think that God is wanting to speak to us but often we can be just too busy with our own concerns and worries to hear.

But how can we hear God? Well I think it is different for each one of us, for me I have to get away from all my distraction which usually involves going on a long walk, turning my mobile phone off and can begin by reading my bible!!! So I guess my challenge is this week is, when was the last time that you stopped and tried to listen to God?

This isn’t an easy thing to do because often it feels like nothing is happening but do take the opportunity this week to stop and listen because you never know what might happen!

Take care guys, remember there is no Youth Fellowship next week!

See you soon

James

Hey guys

I have one simple question for you all to think about!

How close are you to God?

Im kind of cutting straight to the point today and im sorry if it’s not what you expected but its something that we need to be constantly reviewing.

Try and imaging something like the Grand Canyon, you are on one side and god is on the other, there isn’t any bridge and everything you have tried to do to get to the other side just won’t reach, so one day Jesus comes along and fills the gap and allows you to get to the other side, what do you do?

Are you standing on your side and doing nothing or are you slowly going onto the bridge, or are you on the other end of this Jesus Bridge being very close to God?

Jesus wants us to be close to him and spend some quality god time.

Now unless this is the first web site you have been on you have probably been on this for a while, it’s a shame that generally we have no problem doing stuff for our leisure but loads of problems spending time with God.

I have a challenge for you all, it’s called a challenge because it can be hard but it’s always good to do it. I want you to try and spend 30 minutes a day (morning, lunch or evening) praying and reading your bible. On Sunday evening we will be spending the entire evening in Gods presence which I always enjoy doing because spending time with god, the creator of everything, is the most amazing experience ever.

Some basic points to think about

How close am I to God?

Do I spend enough time with God?

What can I do over the next week to spend more time with God?

 see ya sunday

Ok, I was away with YFC for a week at a conference and I had arranged for a friend of mine to come and join me. However, he said he couldn’t and the way it was put across, his reason, was that he wouldn’t go unless someone else would go with him. So I ignored him, and had a minor falling out. Do you think I was childish? I do! He has been a friend of mine for as long as I have been a Christian. We all do stupid things; I like to call this the sheep complex (this is where evil Japanese sheep came from). Basically it’s a story of a field of sheep on top of a cliff. One day a sheep decides to run off it because it had nothing better to do, what happened next? The rest of the sheep followed and jumped off the cliff! Why am I telling you this? Because sheep are stupid, and so was I! http://www.zealoty.com/html%20files/weird%20news.html follow the link and it will tell you the full story. I see people around me ending friendships because of the most stupid and petty reasons going! In the end I spoke to my friend and ended the “sheepieness!” I believe that we are all called to fix broken relationships because Jesus was the ultimate friend-maker. I think that all relationships should have God at the centre of it. Even friendly relationships with someone that doesn’t believe in God can be Godly because of the way YOU act. Your attitude can affect others and encourage even non-believers to act in a Godly way. So I challenge you to fix your broken relationships, keep them strong, and remember you only get out what you put in so don’t be afraid to put in the extra hours work! And most importantly don’t be a sheep!!! J

Hey everyone

I do apologise that it has been a little while since I last wrote to you all… life can get just so busy sometimes but that’s another story. The last couple of weeks we have been thinking about lifestyles in particular regarding drugs and alcohol as well as relationship with our parents.

These situations and issues don’t tend get any easier, if anything I think it gets harder in terms of temptation and not just knowing what the right thing to do is but actually doing the right is often a lot more difficult. Because we can under so much pressure to do what everyone else is doing, this can both be positive and negative at the same time.

For instance your mum and dad might want to be doing certain options at School etc but you want to do something else, what do you do? Or even when people at school might offer us cigarettes, alcohol or even drugs! What do you do? Because doing the right thing when we are faced with these “peer-pressure” situations is really hard.

Jesus in Matthew 5:10-12 talks about going through these hard times and in some ways it is what we should expect as Christians because this has happened to those who lived years ago. But the challenge is to be salt and light. (Matt 5:13-16) Salt because salt gives taste and flavour to something and so we should be salt to show ourselves to be different to the world. Also a being light and letting the light shine so that people will be able to see God in us.

Anyways, I would love to hear what you think about this because it is really challenging! But keep going and continue to be salt and light!

God bless

James

The last couple of days I have been spending some time reflecting on what Anthony was speaking about on Sunday, about being in a consumer driven society and how as Christians it is so easy to get caught up in it all! I have to say I am no different whatsoever as I will be braving the streets of Liverpool this coming Thursday and I am not looking forward to it at all because I can’t stand shopping most of the time because it usually involves me spending money on someone other than myself! Also the hustle and bustle of so many people doing their last minute Christmas shopping running around like headless chickens just freaks me out to be honest!  

Anyways that’s my moan out the way! But with this in mind, it has got me thinking about this last year, of all the highs and lows that have accompanied me along the way this year. As an outsider looking in on my life over this last year I would probably think what an amazing year it has been. I finished my degree at Cliff College, I got engaged and I’ve got the best jobs in the world - working as an evangelist at Cliff College as well as the privilege of working at St. Luke’s!!! However, despite all of this really good stuff, to be totally honest it has been probably one of the most difficult years of my life. And much of this has been down to not having right priorities because it seems to me that things get busy with, work, assignments or just life in general and when that happens my relationship with God gets compromised because I try to do things on my own. However, despite this I found God so gracious and faithful and I want to leave you with two verses from the Bible in Deuteronomy 31:6 God says: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” And in Hebrews 13:8 says: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”  So what has your year looked like this year? Have you had much chance to stop and look back to see the highs and the lows? Also how have you found God to be faithful this year?  

Take care guys have a great Christmas and an amazing New Year! 

Yours in our Friend and King Jesus 

James  

Do you think that Christmas is important?People today have many different answers to this question - even Christians. Sometimes we focus on the commercial side of Christmas, whilst others try to focus on different parts of the Christian Christmas story. Perhaps for you the most significant part of the story is the role of the wise men, or maybe the part where Jesus is born in a stable. The part I try to focus on is not only the story of Jesus being born, but also that fact that the Bible says “he will save people from their sins”. And if you read on further, he does! Have you heard the phrase XMAS? For me this is a term which tales Christ out of Christmas. How do you think you would feel if you were told that you weren’t getting any presents this year?  I don’t know if this is me being old but it wouldn’t particularly bother me because I’m not very present focused. I want to encourage you all this year to be Godly about your Christmas - don’t become another commercialised Christian. Anyhow - a very wise man once said “its better to give than to receive” and I for one happen to agree.

Hey guys.

It’s been great to get to know each of you over the last couple of months but I have some stuff to tell you so you can get to know me even better. Did you know that I got bullied really badly in school? Did you know that out of the entire school I would be the only one to have NO friends? Have you noticed the Billy no-mates in your school, because in my school I was him! Now you’re probably thinking why did he tell me this and like most things I do have a reason. The reason is that no-one was willing to reach out to me in my lowest days and it almost drove me to do things that would not have a great effect on my being, and yet, in the days where young Christians are making more of a stand in their schools and colleges it still happens.

Just ask yourself the question do I care about those in need in my school/college/work?

If you do then that’s great, prove it! Get out there and change someone’s life, be Jesus for someone.

If you don’t then do you want to want to care? Someone that loves God cares about what god cares about, and if you don’t care about what God cares about then you need to think why and what can be done to change that.

I want to challenge you this week to go and make the difference, to show compassion and love for people you normally wouldn’t, be Jesus for someone!

Do you dare to be different?!

Hey again

What did you have to eat yesterday? Do you remember? Because I can’t! Have you ever really thought about food and how you can go out one evening have a massive meal and then the following morning - your hungry again!

This coming Sunday our theme is “yesterday’s food” and we’re going to be thinking about how after having a meal on Sunday, we don’t wait until the next Sunday until we have our next meal! That would just be crazy wouldn’t it, we would starve to death! However, when it comes to being fed spiritually that can sometimes be our attitude!

I remember a few years ago, I got into the attitude that the only place that I got fed spiritually was on Sunday at Church and Tuesday night at cell group because I guess I got the impression that the more services and meetings that I attended the more spiritually healthy I would become. However, very quickly I found felt empty - and going to church and cell group just was not enough. I needed to be getting fed every single day and if I didn’t, I would eventually starve.

Guys, this is probably one of the hardest things to do in the Christian journey because it doesn’t just involve going to church. It requires us to make time in our day for God. This means spending time praying, reading the bible and worshipping God. So the question this week is what works for you? How do you keep yourself spiritually fed? Do you take the dog for a walk and talk to God then, do you set aside a certain time in the day which you spend with God.

May this week we could give each other ideas about what does work for us?

Take care, see you Sunday

Blessings

James

Everyday we have choices to make, the choice to speak to someone, the choice to hang out with a certain kind of person, the choice of what we watch, but sometimes we make bad decisions with those choices. If you had the choice of helping someone in financial need or buying a Nintendo wii (ultimate gaming experience) most people would pick the wii, because it’s awesome, but also because as humans, we all have selfish desires. We all make bad decisions from time to time (if you don’t, let me know because I would love to know your secret).

‘The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature, will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the spirit, from the spirit will reap eternal life.’ Galatians 6:8

Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians and he was trying to say that even though it’s our nature to make sinful decisions we must change and make spirit focused decisions. As Christians we need to be reflecting Christ in our lives, which includes decisions that we make. I remember in college I made a decision to use my phone in class which was against the rules, and the teacher (who was an atheist) made an example of me to the entire class. Then he went a step further and said “YOU CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN!” That made me think about what I did, and if my actions in that class were representing Christ in the right way.

I want to challenge you all this week to not only make good choices, but make choices that are outwards focused, to stand out from the crowd and honour god. “Do you dare to be different?”

Hi guys

I hope you have a great half term. What you all up to? Over the next five weeks (after half term) we are going to continue looking at the theme ‘Walking with God.’ This is going to be a personal look at our relationship with God and how we are all called to walk with Him each day.

On Sunday 28th we will be looking at ‘Living in the light.’ If you’ve got time take a look at Ephesians 5:6-17 in preparation - its really quite challenging. Have you ever been to a place where it has been completely dark, where you can’t see a thing, not even your hand in front of face - and no matter how long you’ve waited your eyes just won’t adjust? Then all of a sudden someone turns a torch on or lights a match, then all of a sudden you can see where you are and what you are doing.

Paul in this reading describes those who don’t know Jesus as those who are in the dark - they don’t know what they are doing because they cannot see. So those of us who are in the “light” can shine the light into the dark places not just expose the darkness but also be a guide. This is a massive challenge for us all. And it encourages us to think about our own lives and how we are trying to ‘shine our lights.’ I know there are some situations where I’ve actually found it easier to reflect the darkness instead of the light just so I could fit in. What About you guys?

It’s not always easy but God promises to be with us always. And His light is better than the world’s darkness. (John 16:33)

God bless you and have a great week

James