Take Joy Where? (Thanksgiving)

Well, it's that time of the year. Thanksgiving is next week. The holidays are officially here. It will be Taylor and I's first holiday season as a married couple. I love my wife, I am thankful for her, and I excited about being with our family as a family.

Thanksgiving is a neat holiday to me. We set this time of the year apart from the rest of the year to be thankful which is kind of weird. I hope that we really exhibit an attitude of thankfulness year-round.

Thankfulness is easy at times and not so easy at others. This week I was to tempted to have one of those others. My truck has been acting up. Tuesday morning was a breaking point for me. I had to be at a local school pretty early. I went out to get in my truck to leave and it started having some issues. It caused me to run late. I loathe running late. I wanted to kick, spit, and cuss. I was on my way and began to pitch a little hissy fit to God. And, then, like a hammer on my heart, God hit me with Philippians 4:4...

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
Phil 4:4 (NLT)

So often we want to place our joy in things other than the Lord. That morning I wanted to place it in my truck running well. That sounds silly. But, I allowed my joy to depend on my truck. Maybe its not your vehicle. Maybe its your relationship with your parents, children, spouse, or some boy/girl. Maybe your joy depends on your bank account or how things go at work/school.

I would like to remind you that Paul wrote Philippians 4 while being in jail for worshipping Jesus. He had all the reason in the world to be in the dumps. But, he chose to be joyful. Not in his freedom. Not in his status. Not in his living arrangements. But, Apostle Paul's joy depended on Jesus. So should ours.

Our family situations change. People let us down. Things, like trucks and cars, break. Finances can hit a wall. We live in a changing and inconsistent world. But, as Christians, we belong to an unchanging and consistent Jesus. He doesn't walk out. He doesn't leave. He doesn't break. He can handle anything and everything we throw at Him.

This Thanksgiving, and every other day of the year, I challenge you to place your joy in Jesus. Let your thankfulness depend on Him, not your circumstances. He can handle it. Take joy in belonging to Jesus.

ALL ABOUT JESUS!!!

 

CALL 4:1... What is it and Why we want you!

Your invited to CALL 4:1!

 

 

Call 4:1 is a monthly worship night for Students from 6th grade all the way to College. Call 4:1 is for students and BY students. Students will be planning and leading the services each month.

 

The name Call 4:1 is based off of Ephesians 4:1, "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling..."

 

 

Call4:1 will be the third Sunday night of every month from 7:00-8:30. Our first night will be THIS SUNDAY NIGHT, September 15th.

 

 

 

 How awesome would it be to see students from our area rally together in support of each other and for the cause of Christ? This is the vision. That students will worship and walk in the name of Jesus.  After each worship session we will have FREE food and time to just hang out. 

 

Here is a link to the event page on Facebook. The time listed on the event page is wrong. The actual time is 7-8:30pm.

https://www.facebook.com/events/672387992789049/

 

Our church address and my contact info is below. If you are interested in taking part, attending, or have any questions please do not hesitate to shoot me an email.

 

Harmony Community Church

1984 Pulpwood Yard Rd.
Peachland, NC 28133
 

 

All About Jesus,

Seth Springs

tsethsprings@aol.com

Back To School Bash @ DRM (Pictures)

This past Saturday was our youth group's Back to School event. The event was hosted by Damascus Road Ministries. DRM is a ministry to those struggling with addiction and is located in downtown Monroe, NC.

There were 3 or 4 youth groups represented and a total of around 45 people in attendance for the pizza eating, couch sitting, and Jesus worshipping event.

One part of the event was an open mic for any student who wanted to share. To my amazement, several students got up to the microphone to sing and encourage the other students.

After all the pizza and worship, we headed over to a local ice cream place called the Bus Stop Soda Shop. It was good, and I highly recommend the strawberry milk shake.

It was fun to see God move among the students, and it was a huge faith-booster for me to see this thing come together. I'm super thankful to work with the students that I do, and to have ministry friends like those at DRM!

ALL ABOUT JESUS!!!

 

Painting The Youth Room

This weekend was one of the highlights of Taylor and I's time with the youth at Harmony Community. We painted the youth room!

With 6 adults and about 10 or 12 youth, we got the room painted in 3 days. Thanks to all who came out and put some time in! It was awesome to get to spend some time together, and to work together to see a project be completed. I hope that this will help us see it as OUR youth room, and that it will be somewhere the students are excited to come and bring friends!

 

Here are some pictures of us working and the finished product!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Why Live For Jesus? (Video)

Here's a quick clip from a sermon I recently preached from Galatians 2:20.

Most believers know what we are supposed to be doing, but not why we are to do it? So, why should we live for Jesus?

Blazing. (The Week After Youth Camp.)

Last week we took our students to Fort Caswell in Oak Island, NC for Youth Camp. It was one of those awesome, turn you upside-down weekends. Worship was free, fellowship was fantastic, and the preaching was on fire. If you've ever been to youth camp, you know the kind of week I am talking about. It's kind of like a revival for teenagers, but at the beach. The kids were away and soaking in God's word for a whole week.

But, we're back and a big question we must answer is, "What now?"

We (yes, WE) are all on this spiritual mountain top and ready to set the world on fire for Jesus. But, that's how it is every year. We go to this awesome camp, we get emotional, and we come back committed to Jesus...for about two weeks. So, my question is, how can we make this year different? How can we fan the flame of our hearts for Christ, and not allow our selfishness or our surroundings to damper our enthusiasm for Christ?

 

"Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert."

-Isaiah 43:19

 

 

 

God wants this for us. I believe with all my heart He is wanting to do a new thing, and He is calling out a generation for it. But, we have to decide if we are going to get on board with God. God has a plan, and is calling us to take part in it. Will we be obedient? Will step out in faith and see God fill our hearts with passion for His name? Will we rise up as John's, or fall away like Judas?

 

Think today, what is one new thing that God is wanting to do in YOU? Maybe He is calling you to walk away from a sin, start reading the bible daily,

pray more for lost family, or start a relationship with a neighbor who doesn't know Christ. The possibilities are endless. What new thing is God wanting to do in and through you?

 

 



4 Parts of Effective Focus

Focus is important. What we focus on helps make us into who we are.

 

Here are 4 parts of the Christian walk that we need focus on to be effective members of the body of Christ.

 

 

 

1. Love Jesus:

"And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength."

Deut. 6:5

 

It all starts with us responding to His love with our love. Falling deeper and deeper in love with Jesus is what our entire Christian life is to come from. Without love from God and an increasing love for God, we will surely be a hotter mess than we already are.

 

 

2. Share Jesus:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria,

and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 1:8

 

When you fall in love, you can't keep it to yourself. When Taylor and I got engaged last September, I wanted to tell everyone. We ought to feel the same way when we experience God's love for us. How could we ever keep a love that saves a secret. We must focus on sharing Jesus and His love with our community and our world.

 

3. Make Disciples of Jesus:

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Matthew 28:19

 

A love that saves is a love that changes. Focus on making an investment in the lives of others in order to see Jesus change them and make them more like Him. In the process, He'll be changing you too.

 

 

4. Celebrate Jesus Together:

"And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near"

Hebrews 10:25

 

A love that saves and changes ties those who have been saved and changed together. Focus on hanging out with other followers of Jesus to encourage each other and make much of Jesus. Don't get bogged down with routine. Just focus on Jesus and grow together. It's that simple.

 

 

See the common factor in all of these?

 

Jesus.

 

Focus on Jesus. He is Life, and our source for being who He has created and saved us to be. It's...

 

ALL ABOUT JESUS!



You Choose: Example or Excuse

It is easy to make excuses. I am a major mess-up, so I know all about them. They're easy to make when we sin. Others are easy to blame when things go sour. Its easy to expect much of people, but take no responsibility for/on ourselves.

 

I'm young and dumb. I come from a broken home. I grew up in a house where drug abuse and addiction played a big part. I have struggled to read. I go on stuttering rampages. I am not the coolest. I am a little ragtag. My pockets aren't usually full. I'm just all-around very good at making messes.

 

Those are some of the daily excuses that I battle, and my heart would usually love to use them. But, God says...

 

 

"NO!"

 

I'm chosen, blessed, adopted, forgiven, redeemed, and accepted by the one, true, living God of all creation. That gives a thumbs down to all excuses. That erases any ugly past, and any skeletons in your closet. His presence in us makes up for our stutters and stumbles. His grace empowers us to be more that young, dumb, and inexperienced. So, RISE UP. Rise up over your excuses. Rise up over your past. Rise up over your imperfections. Rise up over your surroundings. RISE UP! Christ did! And, haven't we been united with in His death and His resurrection? Rise up!

 

I believe that the Timothy of the bible had excuses. I believe Timothy had those who would look down upon him for his age and lack of experience. Why else would his mentor, Apostle Paul, say to him...

 

"Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity."

1 Tim 4:12 (NLT)

 

What will you be? Just another pile of excuses that point back to a broken and wasted life, or an example that leads others into the footprints of Christ? Will you continue to allow your downfalls to keep you down? Or, will you rise up in your new identity found in Christ Jesus? You are no longer to be an excuse. I believe those died on the cross too. Be an example today. The world needs Jesus. He has chosen you to show them His great love.



People Matter.

We were all created. We will all die. Whether we die young, or live to be old, we will expire. Most would say that this truth proves a conclusion that says "time matters." However, I think that the bible teaches that, more than time, people matter.

"But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent."

2 Peter 3:8-9 (NLT)

We will expire. So how do we make it count? We don't try to make as many memories as possible, because they will be forgotten, or, in essence, die. We don't run out and stock up on milk and bread like the 2nd great depression is coming. No. We are to love. We are to invest ourselves in what matters. That is not time, memories, or something that will delay an inevitable ending. We are to invest ourselves in the lives of people. They matter.

I once heard Paul Washer say, "I am to preach as a dying man to dying men."

This quote has made an impression on my heart. It reminds me that I am to live with an extreme since of urgency. I am to do this, because I am dying and others around me are dying. And, if they die without knowing Jesus as Lord, they will not rest for all eternity. But, they will labor in hell. This is to drive us. People that God loves, and that God commands us to love, are dying without knowing God's love. This is horrific. The fields are white for the harvest. Where are the Lord's workers?

The Holy Spirit is teaching me more and more that people matter. People were the reason Christ came. People were the reason that Christ died. I'm not to forget this. Jesus remembered me. I am to remember others. I'm not only to remember them during prayer request time in Sunday School. I'm not to only remember them when they get sick. No. Christ has called me to be a missionary in my home, and in my community. Jesus has called us to more than just saying, "I'll pray for you." Christ has called us to GO and DO. (Matthew 28:16-20/James 1:22)

My challenge today is this: Pick someone today, and pour your life into theirs.

What do I mean by this? Find someone, anyone, who needs to know the love of Jesus. Then, do whatever it takes for that person to know the love of Jesus. This may be risky. It may cost you gas money or time. It cost Jesus his life on the cross. It may be frustrating. They may not get it quickly. Jesus prayed that God the Father forgive them anyway. People matter to Jesus. So, they should matter to you.

"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters."

1 John 3:16

This is Taylor with some of our Youth at Sliding Rock in Brevard, NC.
Taylor has been leading small group with our girls on Wednesday Nights.

All About Jesus.