April 16, 2014 Pastor B My Life, Oakwood, Students

Easter – Journey to the Cross

Easter Services 5 & 6:30pm Saturday, 8, 9:15, & 10:45am Sunday. No Fusion 9:15am Bible Study.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.. Isaiah 53:6

This verse was read to me as a VERY YOUNG CHILD by my mother. She had an ABC’s Children’s book that took each letter of the alphabet and tied in a scripture. “A” began with “ALL WE..” and the rest of the scripture followed. As we journey to the Cross again this Easter Season, I have come back to remember the beginning of my personal relationship with Jesus. Simply asking the question, “What is sin?” and talking about what Jesus did for us on the Cross led my mother and I to a little brown, mushroom stool where I knelt down and asked Jesus into my heart. Now, 30 years later, I come back to the beginning again, and remember the powerful journey to the cross that Jesus took in order to take a sheep, like me and like you, that has gone astray. He not only found me, but he saved me from the one who would like to steal, kill, and destroy my life. He promised me abundant life when he took my iniquity, my sins, and fully paid for the world. He is the GOOD SHEPHERD that laid down His life for us. He KNOWS His sheep and His sheep KNOW Him. On top of all that, that powerful sacrifice of the GOOD SHEPHERD is trumped by the powerful authority that He has to take His life up again. The only one that has the authority to lay down a life and take it up again is Jesus Christ. He is all about raising dead things to life. I am thankful this season for what Jesus did for me. I am also reminded about the powerful NEW LIFE we have in Christ.

Do you feel like you have gone astray? Do you feel like your life is moving toward dead things? Is there something that you need to give to Jesus, so that, in His authority, He can bring NEW LIFE? As we Journey to the Cross this week, remember the powerful work Jesus has done in your life. Remember that He is GOOD. He wants us to have ABUNDANT LIFE, and where there is evidence of sickness, pain, a broken relationship, or destructive behavior, there is a GOOD SHEPHERD ready to move us from our OWN WAY and lead us to THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE.

April 11, 2014April 10, 2014 Pastor B Culture, Students

Andy Mineo About the Artist

Andy Mineo – About the Artist

Interlinc Article

Whether he’s on stage bringing an audience to its feet with his riveting performance or off stage fielding interview questions with a potent combination of intellect and wit, it’s obvious Andy Mineo is a born communicator and hip hop music is his instrument for reaching the masses. “It is absolutely undeniable that hip hop is becoming the universal language,” Mineo says expressing an unbridled enthusiasm for his artistic vehicle. “It’s so influential because you are able to say so much in a short period of time. The essence of hip hop is the boldness of it so you’re able to be exactly who you are. You are able to say exactly what you want. You represent exactly what is deepest and dearest to you and people respond to that. They respond to that realness.”

Listen To Andy Mineo- Never Land feat Marz

That musical authenticity, heart for people and keen insight into the human condition coalesce on Mineo’s Reach Records debut Heroes for Sale. “We make heroes out of a lot of things,” he says. “We make heroes out of people. We believe ourselves to be greater than we really are. We make ourselves look like heroes to other people. What I really wanted to do is show the brokenness of the heroes that we create and the heroes that we try to be in order to show that there is ultimately only one great hero.”

To underscore that message, Mineo was willing to strip back the layers of his own life and be honest with his audience. “I get really transparent on these songs,” he confesses. “I want to let people see into my brokenness in hopes that other people would identify with that and ultimately know that they don’t have to be great. Their God is. Also I just wanted to have fun. I wanted to show off my love for hip hop. I wanted to try some things. You’ll see a bunch of my big personality come out. I let people see who I am.”

Andy Mineo – Saturday Morning Car-Tunez

A native of Syracuse, New York, Mineo grew up in a single parent home and was a troubled kid who was kicked out of public school because of his anger issues and aggressive tendencies. Sports and music became positive outlets for Andy’s excessive energy. “I was more involved in basketball and football until one of my friends and I just started rapping as a joke,” he remembers. “We used to buy singles because we couldn’t afford anything else. When you’re 10 years old and you’ve got two or three dollars, you buy the CD single instead of the whole album. The CD single would have instrumentals, so we would just write our own raps to the instrumental on the CD. That’s kind of where my love for it began. My buddy got a program for the computer and we were recording in my living room. I put together my first rap and I fell in love with it the moment I heard myself on the beat. I said, ‘Man, I want to do this forever!”

Mineo became a hard-working young entrepreneur and not only recorded his own raps, but started a studio in his house where he recorded other young hopefuls. He became a local hero and at 17 had money, success and everything most young guys are looking to achieve. “When I got to about 15 or 16, I got all the equipment I needed to not only record myself, but have my friends come over and I’d record them,” he says. “Other people got wind of that and said, ‘Hey I’ll come over and I’ll pay to let me record,’ so I started doing that. The business kept on evolving. I started making more money and bought more stuff, moved it into my basement and built a full studio with one of my friends, who was a carpenter. We created a little ghetto basement studio. That’s how I made my money all throughout high school.”

Yet even with Mineo’s worldly success, there was still an emptiness and restlessness in his heart. He found what he had been looking for when his sister Mary went to work at a church camp one summer and took Andy with her. “I was surrounded by loving people,” he recalls. “There were a couple of guys that invested in me that summer, shared the gospel with me, showed me what it is to follow Jesus, and that’s when I had my first real encounter with Jesus.” When he returned home, it was hard to grow in his faith. “All throughout high school it was really difficult to follow Jesus without having any community,” Mineo says. “I didn’t have any home church. I didn’t have any men to disciple me. Nothing. When I went to college is when I started to get that. In college, I got away from the situation I was in. God put me there and he put me around a bunch of people that loved God, people that looked like me and talked like me. They were into hip hop like I was and it was really a blessing to meet some of these guys.”

Mineo met producer Alex Medina (Lecrae, Trip Lee) who encouraged the young artist to check out T.R.U.C.E. “It was a group of young people that would gather on Saturdays to work on performing arts for the purpose of evangelism,” he says. “I got invited to come check them out at a rehearsal and there was a whole bunch of men there, people my age, and they all loved God. They were an encouragement for me to start walking with God again. They showed me that I could use my gifts for him. I didn’t have to live the way I was living. I didn’t have to make the music the way I was making it. I could actually use everything that I have for Jesus. I got connected with people that showed me that I could do more with my life and my music.” Mineo traveled with T.R.U.C.E. and began making a name for himself with such projects as Sin is Wack Vol. 1. Soon others were enlisting Mineo to add his considerable skills to their projects. He’s been featured on Tedashii’s Blacklight, Ambassador’s Stop the Funeral, Flame’s Captured and Lecrae’s “Background.” “That was the first song we collaborated on and since then we started to build a relationship,” Mineo says of working with Lecrae. “He came to New York and we shot a music video for it. We started to realize that we both had a similar vision, a similar mission in what we wanted to do with our music. They were looking to sign a new artist and I just seemed to be the right fit so I signed with Reach and it’s been a heck of a journey ever since.”

March 27, 2014March 27, 2014 Pastor B Culture, Students

God’s Not Dead Family Movie Discussion Guide

Family Movie Discussion Guide

DownloadtheGodsNotDeadParent Discussion Guide

Willie Robertson quotes a passage from Matthew 10… “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33
+ How do you react to the above passage from Matthew 10?

Friendships and taking a stand:
+ Talk about a time when you were persuaded by a friend to a.) do something you
really didn’t want to do or b.) abandon something important to you. Never
underestimate the power of your story and how it speaks into your teenager’s life.
+ If you’re a Christ-follower, describe for your teenager the most diffi cult part of that
journey for you. Ask him or her to share the same.
+ How can I encourage you in your friendships?
+ How can I support you as you stand for Jesus?

+What do each of these passages say to YOU about taking a stand?
Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Acts 26:17-18
I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

+ Talk about a time you had to take an unpopular stand, perhaps one you took
entirely by yourself. It doesn’t necessarily have to be one of faith—but make sure
it’s not one related to disciplining or arguing with your student!
+ “Is there ever a time when you felt compelled to go along with the group
even though you wanted to take an opposite view?” (Remember, this is an effort
to keep communication lines open and fl owing, so be mindful not to judge or
correct your teenager’s actions during this conversation. One way you can do
this is by relaying a story of your own of a similar nature. If your teen conveys
something that requires your parental focus, engage in that at another time.)
+ “Is there someone you know—and respect—who has taken an unpopular
stand despite pressure to do otherwise? Tell me

Be it, Say it, Do it:
+ Tell a story from your life about when a friend ignored you in public and how
that felt. (If you don’t have a story like that, ask your teenager if he or she can
share one.)
+ When is it easy or difficult to acknowledge God in public? (Share some of your
thoughts, too!)
+ Who have you seen take a stand for God in public? How did it go for them?
What impact did that have on you?
+ Are there ways to “acknowledge God” without using words? If so, explain.
As always, thank you for allowing us to make a small investment in the spiritual life
of your family. It’s an honor to come alongside you as you continue to show your
kids the walk of a Christ-follower.

March 25, 2014 Pastor B Culture, Students

God’s Not Dead : HollywoodJesus.com : Movie Reviews, Trailers and Spiritual Commentary

God’s Not Dead : HollywoodJesus.com : Movie Reviews, Trailers and Spiritual Commentary.

God’s Not Dead | Review

Putting God On Trial

Jacob Sahms

What would you do if you had to sign a piece of paper that said that God was dead? Sure, we know that Cassie Bernall said she believed in God in the library at Columbine, but have you ever considered how you say that God is alive (or dead) in little moments throughout your life? That’s the crux of freshman Josh Wheaton’s (Shane Harper, Good Luck, Charlie) problem in the first semester course of Professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo): he has to sign a paper saying that “God is dead” to pass the class.

Duck Dynasty’s Willie and Korrie Robertson, The Newsboys, Dean Cain, and David A.R. White highlight the cast, but the film’s poignant, heart-and-mind aimed focus is on the battle between Wheaton and Radisson. Sure, Wheaton’s girlfriend thinks challenging Radisson is a threat to their five-year plan, and White’s Pastor Dave gets involved as Wheaton’s advisor, but ultimately, it all comes down to the debate in the class: will Wheaton be the “only Bible” his classmates read?

White’s pastor tells Wheaton to check out Matthew 10:32-33: “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” It’s classic proof-texting, but it’s also an acknowledgment that we can’t just expect our “way of life” to testify to what we believe, but we actually have to be prepared to speak when the time is right.

Based on the book by Rice Broocks, the film embellishes an Internet forward that spins through the cycle every few years. I took this copy of the presentation from Truth or Fiction online: “A notorious atheist professor at the University of Southern California is known for challenging students about their faith. He dramatically drops a piece of chalk to the floor saying that if God existed, he could prevent the chalk from breaking. This happens year after year until a particular Christian student becomes a part of the class. This time, when the professor drops the chalk, it bounces off his clothing and ends up harmlessly on the floor. The stunned professor runs from the room in shame and the student preaches the Gospel to the remaining class members.”

Radisson and Wheaton go round and round, and there’s certainly not a skirting of deeper issues, like creation, the origin of God, etc. Stephen Hawkins gets some good airtime, and Wheaton’s arguments are torn into by Radisson. The fact that an atheist believes in something (or actually believes in nothing) becomes abundantly clear throughout the film, but it also shows that what we believe matters to us, even if it is, again, a belief in nothing.

In the end, the “proof” of God isn’t an argument—God’s existence is unprovable in mathematic equations. But the proof of God can be seen in the relationships, experiences, and moving of the Spirit in people. The challenges of our first-year student are merely the focal point in a string of events and conversations that allow us to hear the argument, and consider it for ourselves. Will it be enough to convince the disinclined? I don’t know. But it may open our eyes to the way we consider our words and actions and whether or not we’re prepared to explain what we understand about God, for ourselves.

March 24, 2014 Pastor B Culture, Students

YouTube You Can Use – The Best Birthday Gift Ever

YouTube You Can Use – The Best Birthday Gift Ever.

The Best Birthday Gift Ever

Vol. 4, Issue 7

Game On Devo Week 3 and a word on Daniel

Game On Wk3 Devotional – Light in the Dark

Bottom Line: You talk by the way you walk.

In Daniel chapter 6, the Babylonians, who were the rulers when we last saw Daniel, have been taken over by the Persians. Daniel has faithfully served God, won the favor of a king, and now that kingdom is taken over by an entirely new empire. But like the king of Babylon, the king of Persia notices Daniel too:

Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom (Daniel 6:3 NIV).

It wasn’t so much about what Daniel said. It was about what Daniel did.

In fact, in one translation, it says that God gave Daniel a Spirit of Excellence. Meaning, that he was not only a sharp individual, but God blessed him in his efforts to do well at his job. What a great example that we can all look to for our own lives, whether that is our school work, paying job, or the time we give to a cause or a program.

February 11, 2014March 7, 2014 Pastor B Students

Game On Devotional Week 2

Click here for the Game On Wk2 Devotional

In any kind of competition or event, winning is almost always connected to the amount of preparation. The practice and the skill building may not seem necessary in the moment, but when it’s Game On, those skills are what take us all the way. Daniel was a young Jewish boy who encountered his “Game On” moment over and over. Ultimately it was the preparation of his faith skills that helped him through the most difficult of moments.

Bottom Line: Prayer is about knowing Someone, not getting something.

February 3, 2014February 3, 2014 Pastor B Students

Game On Devotional Week 1

Bottom Line Session 1: Our faith grows when we apply the Bible to our lives

Here is the first week Devotional

GameOn_Week 1 Devotional

January 30, 2014 Pastor B Culture, Students

Hey Parents! – Game On Series

Hey Parents!

1. We’re Teaching This

In any kind of competition or event, the winning is almost always connected to the amount of preparation. The practice and the skill building may not seem necessary in the moment, but when it’s Game On, those skills are what take us all the way. Daniel was a young Jewish boy who encountered his “Game On” moment over and over. Ultimately it was the preparation of his faith skills that helped him through the most difficult of moments.

2. Think About This

by Crystal Chiang

Your student experiences so many influences each day. They receive messages from you—their parents, teachers, other students, media, ministry leaders, coaches and a variety of other sources. Do you ever wonder what is getting in? Whose voice do they hear the loudest and who has the most impact on their actions?

Despite all of the noise in their lives, studies show that students largely develop their ideas about God at home. Believe it or not, they are still listening to you, and not just when you’re talking about spiritual things. They are listening intently when you talk to them AND when they hear you talk to other adults about money, relationships, faith, culture, and life choices.

As a teacher in a public high school, I often engaged students in conversations that sound like this:

Student: The RIGHT way of doing (money, politics, marriage, etc.) is _________.

Me: Why?

Student: Because it’s RIGHT.

Me: Why?

And eventually we would end up at the same place. Because that’s how their parents do it or say it should be done. Nearly 100% of the time students expressed “their” opinions in what was clearly their parents’ language.

Students take their cues on how to live from their parents more often than anywhere else. This is particularly true when it comes to our faith. The spoken or unspoken posture that we take toward Scripture, prayer, service, and worship will ultimately be the model our students use as how things “should be done”.

So how can you leverage your influence as a parent without resorting to lecturing or re-preaching each Sunday’s sermon?

Partner with the student ministry that your teenager attends. Just because the sign out front says “students” doesn’t mean that you are unwelcome. In fact, both the church and the home are more effective when they choose to work on the same thing at the same time. Connect with your child’s small group leader, be proactive in determining what they are learning and how you can engage your student in conversation about that topic at home.
Be transparent about your own faith. Talking with your teenager about faith doesn’t mean that you have to have a perfect message prepared at all times. It also doesn’t mean you need to have all of the answers. It’s okay to be transparent with them about how and when you pray as well as what happens when you don’t receive an answer right away. If you spend time reading Scripture, do so in a place where they might see you or ask him/her what he/she thinks a certain passage means.
Ask your teen what he or she is learning. Silence doesn’t always mean inactivity. Students process spiritual information in different ways. Just because your teenage daughter doesn’t volunteer to tell you what she’s learning at church doesn’t mean she simply goes to see her friends. Often students simply do not know how to begin the conversation with their parents about spiritual matters. Simply opening the door can allow you to speak valuable words into their life. And remember, anytime you frame a question for your teenager, be willing to answer the question yourself. Your transparency opens the door to more transparency from them.

3. Try This

Here is an open-ended conversation starter to encourage dialogue between you and your child about faith. These can be asked at dinner, in the car, or anywhere that conversation flows easily. Remember to model the way by answering the question first and then asking your student.

Week 1: What do you appreciate about God?
Week 2: Where have you noticed God’s activity around you?
Week 3: How can we make God a bigger priority in our family? (This is a great time to make a commitment as a family. You can choose to pray together or at the same time each day, read scripture, or read a devotional together. )
Week 4: How can God use our family?

Get connected to a wider community of parents at www.orangeparents.org.

November 20, 2013 Pastor B Culture, Students

5 Tips to Starting Spiritual Conversations

http://iasleadersinsight.tumblr.com/post/65554932475/5-tips-to-starting-spiritual-conversations

By Shannon Culpepper

When I share Jesus, I don’t like to argue; I like to engage and learn. I don’t like to preach; I like to tell people about the beauty of Jesus. I don’t like to act like I have it all together; I like to proclaim how the message of Jesus gave me an answer for my brokenness. When I do these things, it helps me to find people who are spiritually hungry, who are attracted to Jesus, and who know their own brokenness. I’m not looking for people to get baptized right there. I’m not looking to disprove atheist concerns. I’m also not looking for nice, non-threatening people. I’m looking for the people the Holy Spirit is already working on. This takes lots of pressure off of me.

If you’re having trouble in this area, perhaps a few tips, and ideas can help:

Be yourself! If you have a relationship with God, that is going to shine through whether or not you say the right things. Be real about who you are: someone who is broken who has been rescued and is being made more like Jesus. People will be attracted to Jesus much more than they will be attracted to you. So there’s no pressure.

Listen. Listen. Listen. There is a reason you have two ears and one mouth. Be genuinely interested in the person you’re talking to and love them well by listening to their thoughts, concerns, and ideas. Someone who feels heard will be much more willing and ready to listen later.

Relax. In all circumstances be reasonable, gentle, and respectful. There’s no reason to argue. There’s no reason to fear if you don’t know an answer. For the most part, people will match our tone. If we are being gentle, loving, and respectful, it will have a calming effect. So just relax. Remember: not everyone is spiritually hungry, and that’s just natural. Don’t push it if they don’t want to talk.

Okay, now that we have some ground rules for engaging with pre-believers (or anyone for that matter), here are some easy ways you can start a Spiritual Conversation.

Ask to pray for him/her. Then actually pray for him/her. I know, I know. It sounds crazy. A year ago I would’ve highly objected this approach. Then Jeff, someone I work with, encouraged me to do it and it changed my life. You would be amazed how much people feel blessed when you ask them how you can pray for them. The phrase we used was, “If God could do a miracle in your life, what would it be? And can we pray for it?” As we prayed for them, we would ask God to BLESS the person and their family. BLESS stands for Body (health), Labor (work), Economics (financial needs), Social (relationships), and Spiritual. God did amazing things through this approach. Trust me, it’s easier than you think.

Ask about his or her culture. Ask about what he or she believes in. At this point, if this person has allowed you to pray with them, spiritual things are on their mind! So ask! When I am talking to students who I know are from different cultural backgrounds, I ask about their upbringing. “Oh, you’re from Bangladesh! Tell me about it! What faiths are common there? What faith is your family?”

Engage them about their faith system. This is a great opportunity to learn about other faiths. Ask lots of questions. One of my favorites is to ask about salvation. “In your religion, how are you saved? Do you think you will be saved one day?”

Share your story and God’s story. At some point in your life, God rocked your world by revealing how incredible Jesus’ death on the cross was. Whether you were saved at seven or at 77, you have a story. Share what the good news of Jesus means to you. What’s First is a resource on our groups page that helps you write out and learn to tell your story and God’s story. Go through it with a friend and practice together.

Ask if he or she has ever read the Bible. Remember the point here? We’re looking for spiritually hungry people. Many people of other faiths and cultures would love to learn about the Bible. Just ask! Ask if they want to start reading the Bible together in their home with their friends. Tell them you’ll come and help them (note: don’t invite them to a Christian meeting—-that’s really scary if the person isn’t a believer!). The Film Discussion Guideon our groups page is great for this! It helps pre-believers get into the word and discover what it says for themselves.

And before you know it… you’ll have pre-believers engaged with the Bible and telling others what it says! Sharing your faith doesn’t have to be scary. These are all things you do at church every week already. You pray for people. You ask questions. You talk about what God is doing in your life. Now try it with your friends who are far from God. Let us know how it goes.

Next Steps.

Get Training: Want some training in how to share Jesus and start I am Second groups? Learn more or sign up for online coaching here: www.iamsecond.com/onlinetraining

Get Gear: Still not sure you are ready to to start a spiritual conversation? Get some I am Second gear. You’ll be surprised by how many conversations you start just by wearing it: www.iamsecondstore.com

Get Small Group Materials: Whether you lead a small group now, or want to start one soon, I am Second has all the I am Second small group discussion guides you could want. Check them out here: www.iamsecond.com/groups/discussion-guides/