Friday, October 27, 2017

My Inheritance (delayed)





I am rich now, because of an investment made by you, Dad, when I was young. This was not a college fund, stock in a company, or a high yield savings account. The investment was the words of God.

When I was young you used to pray the Lord's prayer with Jerrett and I before bed, for months on end. I don't really know how long. It could've been years. That detail is a bit fuzzy.


I remember you would recite from memory the Lord’s prayer and explain parts of it to us bit by bit. It was especially powerful that you had it memorized. This communicated implicitly the importance of it upfront: "this is something worth having with you at all times." I didn't appreciate that at first, but when I was converted later in life, it helped push me towards what David did: "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11)


My Dad with playing with my
nephew James, Summer 2017
I was just a couple years under 10 and I didn't realize you were making an investment in my life that would grow exponentially over the years. By age 11 – 12, I was disinterested in spiritual things, but Jesus grabbed a hold of me at late 17.  Now the Lord’s prayer has been a guide for me many times, putting a structure on my prayers so that they are guided by God's word, ensuring they are God-centered and are very likely to be answered.


Thank you Dad for making that investment in my life. I'm enjoying the return abundantly and I look forward to planting that seed in our children one day. My faith is deeper and prayer life is richer because of what God did to grow your investment in me as a child. It is hard to convey the weight of my thankfulness, so I hope just a simple "thank you" will do in print. Thanks Dad, and I love you.


If you are reading this and are wondering how to invest in your children so they are rich as God would have them be, I recommend doing what my dad did and making the words of God an integral part of your child's life in the home. You can't underestimate the return it may have in their life, though it may seem meager at times. 
Deuteronomy 6

Friday, June 30, 2017

Be a little strange...



"Outsiders" get their label because they lead lives that are strange; Strange in the way they think, spend time, and look for approval. Outsiders lead a strange lives because they belong to a different kingdom. This kingdom has strange values, strange ethics, and a strange King. Paul knew this well and had to remind the Philippians "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ..." (Phil 3:20 ESV)




There is an enemy though who wants nothing more than to assimilate us. He wants us to live as citizens of the world's kingdom and submit to the ruler of this world, Satan. (John 14:30) Not only does Satan want us to live as part of his kingdom, his citizens want us to live as part of his kingdom as well. They want us to live, believe, and have fun in all the same ways. If they can't change our minds, they will settle for insisting that we keep our heavenly citizenship a private matter. "You can believe in Jesus, but don't burden me by talking to me about him or the kind of life he wants people to live." The tension is that our king has asked us to do exactly those things. As followers of Jesus, we often can't make both Jesus and the world smile because they are asking opposite things.






To live as outsiders, we need to stay connected with our King because the voices all around and even in our own hearts are calling out for us to live as insiders, citizens of this world. Peter wrote "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 ESV) When you get back from camp, you return to a battlefront. Satan isn't going to take the summer off to go somewhere with better weather (he is used to the heat.) He is prowling and is ready to attack. He will seek, kill, and destroy ASAP. It won't always be obvious. Sometimes it starts with a small desire to get approval from friends for a wrong thing that seems so inconsequential.



Would you join me this summer by living as an outsider? We are staying connected to our king, trusting him to give us strength and insight on how to live as an outsider. We are doing this by meeting for Bible study starting (next) Sunday July 8th at 4pm and we are also doing daily prayer and Bible study (with the book you received after camp). We will live as citizens of one of these kingdoms this summer, evidenced by our belief and behavior. It is not too late to start living like an outsider this summer. Be strange for the glory of God! 

A couple more of these encouragements will follow!

Monday, May 15, 2017

7 ways to help your student take finals


No student likes taking finals, but there is still an excitement and anticipation because of the sweet freedom that comes afterwards! I would know. I just took 2 finals last week. How can you help your student this week? Here are a few suggestions:

  1. Encourage them to get enough sleep. (If they are young enough, insist on it!)
  2. Plan tasty, healthy meals to help them operate at 100%. 
    1. Both 2 and 3 are often under-valued. Encourage them to give attention to these things. It can be the difference between a sharp or dull memory in a stressful moment.                     
  3. Pray for them and with them. Pray that God gives them sharp thinking, good recall, and sustains their energy throughout the testing day. Also encourage them to pray themselves throughout the day, asking for help from the Father! I can't count how many times prayer has made a difference in my life while testing!
  4. Try to minimize surprises that will distract and drain their energy. Have some big news that will drain them emotionally? Waiting is probably better. A good surprise can motivate them though, hence # 6! 
  5. Give them a carrot to look forward to after finals. Maybe take them to a movie, make their favorite food, or throw a little celebration.
  6. Encourage them to use good study habits. Students can study too little or too much, both negatively affecting their scores. I outlined these here in an a blog post for students. (maybe you should send them the article!)
    1. study creatively, study without distractions, study hard, de-stress at night, review right before bed, review in the morning, eat healthy
  7. Give them time and space to recover. Even at the time I am writing this I am fatigued and intentionally trying to take it easy. I need it badly. God made a day of rest for a good reason: we are people who need rest!
What do you do to help your student? what would you add? let us know by comment below!

Thursday, May 11, 2017

How to crush it during your finals


No student likes taking finals, but just think of the sweet freedom that comes afterwards! I would know. I'm taking (grad school) finals this week while you guys are getting ready for yours.

I have been taking finals in college (while working) for years. Sometimes this has been dreadful and I've learned a few tricks along the way on how to crush finals even when things are busy. Here is a few tips I have learned:

  1. Get enough sleep.  Your brain needs it to store and recall info! (7-8 hours is optimal!) 
  2. Eat tasty, healthy meals to operate at 100%. 
    1. Both 2 and 3 are often under-valued by students. It can be the difference between a sharp or dull memory. I've experienced both sides of this and would rather sleep more if I have  little less study time because it affects me so much. 

  1. Pray up and down that God helps you and guides you. He is the Creator & Lord of all truth, so ask Him to help you know and remember His truth!
  1. Give yourself a carrot to look forward to after finals. See if you can go to a movie, get some ice cream, or whatever is fun. (not that you guys are donkeys like below...)
  2. Use the best study habits:
    1. Study creatively - summarize info by writing it out, draw pictures, make acronyms, teach it back to your dog, create weird associations, walk while you read, have someone test you. All these will help you remember things that are boring and hard to retain.
    2. Study without distractions. If you are serious studying, make sure you are not distracted. Maybe you should come to study shelter and work on knocking out some studying!
    3. Study in increments. Study for 25 minutes, take a 5 minute break. Repeat 3x and take a longer 20 min break. (this is used by medical students!) The app "BeFocused" is built to help you do just this! check it out in the app store.
    4. Wind down & review. End your night by relaxing for a bit, showering, and then a 1/2 hour before bed review your information. 
    5. When you wake up, review again and you will remember much better during your test. If it is a morning final, it is better to just focus on reviewing, not learning new stuff!
  3. Give yourself time to recover. 
    1. Even at the time I am writing this I am fatigued and intentionally trying to take it easy. God made a day of rest for a good reason. Don't plan to go crazy with summer on day 1. Plan to take it easy 1-2 days and then go all out!

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

DNOW 2017 Recap

So what happened at DNOW weekend?

We had 17 students:

  • Stay at 3 homes overnight.
  • Do 2 service projects in the community.
  • Study God's word in both small & large groups.
  • Eat tasty food prepared by the awesome food team & host homes.
  • Play dodgeball, 9 square, watch UK beat UCLA (!), and paint pictures together!

A Special Thank you to:

  • Parents, for letting their students come.
  • Students, for adding to the fun and not causing problems!
  • The host homes
  • The small group leaders
  • Our guest speaker, Stuart 
  • The band "3-in-1"
  • Those who provided student scholarships 

Here are a few fun pics from the weekend!




Sunday, April 2, 2017

Don't Waste Your Spring Break

Students, I hope you are excited for your spring break!

I scratched down a few tips to help you make it great!


  • Rest - take it easy for 1-2 days where you don't schedule much. Sometimes we forget we have limits and we need to take it easy.

  • Draw near to God daily-  pray, read scripture, and fast something you usually spend too much time doing and devote that time to God.

  • Invest in a friendship that will help you draw near to God.

  • Invest in a friendship to lead someone to God.

  • Rethink what is most important. We juggle a lot. What are the things we need to do and just want to do? 
    • I want to do a lot more than I can with my time. I have wanted to learn another language for a while, but I know it is not the way God wants me to use my time right now.
    • How does God want you to use your time?

  • Do something fun. Make a memory with someone you care for! (Amber and I went to Cincinnati on Friday and it was a blast!)

Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God! (Colossians 3:17)

Let me know how you are and what God is doing in your lives this spring break!

Bronson

Monday, February 27, 2017

Jesus Getting His Prayer on.

Alan Witham preached on Mark 1:35-39 to jump-start our 40 Days of Prayer.


These are my sermon notes, loosely organized. I hope you can be challenged by Jesus' example of prayer as we head into this time of focused devotion to the Lord starting next week (March 6th)





1) Jesus prioritized a definite time for his prayer.

  • He was busy. So are we. 
  • Do I think my life is busier than Jesus'?
  • When the sun comes up, things get busy.

2) Jesus established the priority of a definite place.

  •   Desolate- by himself, without distraction.

3) Jesus had a definite practice

  • Jesus made it a priority.
  • If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we need to pray?
  • Few people pray who don't allot time for this.
  • We need to allot times for prayer.

4) Prayer prepares you for spiritual warfare

  • When you strengthen you prayer life, you will be prepared for battle of spiritual warfare.
  • When our prayer life is strong, we can over come the world, our flesh, and the devil.
  • The more consistently you pray, you can overcome the world, self, and devil.
  • Your prayer life affects other as well. It strengthens their walk of faith.
5) Strengthening our prayer life enables us to prioritize our time.

  • The disciples knew where Jesus was and what he would be doing.
  • He did this until people were looking for him. 
  • Jesus chose to say no to some good things to say yes to the best things. 
  • Prioritizing. Many decisions are either for good or best, not just bad or good. 
  • We need to pray "lord please give me wisdom to say no to what I need to say no to and yes to your will today"



Thank You Alan for a challenging sermon and a commission heading into these 40 days of prayer!