Pastor B Advent, Winter

Advent Day 4

Hope: Week One – Day Four

From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. – Isaiah 64:4 (NRSV)

What a mysterious passage! This verse sets up an interesting theological idea. The first half of the verse talks about how amazing and powerful God is. From generation to generation there has never been anyone more marvelous than our God. God is the creator of the world and Savior of all humankind.

This week in Advent, we are focusing on the spiritual discipline of hope. Being good at hope (and yes, you can be good at hope) means you must have two things: patience and Imagination. Consider what it means to be patient. Nobody hopes for things they already have, rather we have to wait for the things we are hoping for. Verse four says that God only works for those who wait on Him, not the people who rush to get things done their own way. But we shouldn’t just sit around waiting for God to work without any idea of what we are looking for.

Think about it this way: there was once a little girl who was participating in a scavenger hunt. As she wandered through the yard she got more and more upset because she couldn’t find any of the clues that her parents hid for her. Finally, she gave up and asked for help. When her brother came over, he easily found one of the clues and handed it to the little girl. She was shocked! The little girl had walked past the clue a dozen times, but she didn’t realize that’s what she was supposed to be looking for. She lacked the imagination to see what was right in front of her. Today’s passage calls us to practice hope with patience and imagination. We are not supposed to wait around doing nothing and expecting God to act. We must remember what our God is like and then live into the expectation of what God will do. Take time today to ask God for the right combination of patience and imagination.

Pastor B Advent, Winter

Advent Day 3

Hope: Week One – Day Three

Make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! – Isaiah 64:2 (NRSV)

This has been a pretty crazy year with the pandemic, celebrity deaths, and a vicious presidential election. We’ve seen politicians on all sides behave badly and struggle to provide good leadership for our country. The way we do school and church has changed in ways we wouldn’t have imagined beforehand. We missed big events and milestones all in the hope that we could keep each other safe and healthy. 2020 has been tough; if 2020 was a food, it would be toothpaste-covered orange slices. But this verse is one we need for today. It’s about hoping for a better future.

In the second half of this verse, Isaiah asks that God might make the nations of the world tremble. He doesn’t specify which nations; he probably means all nations. It’s tough to say what is going on exactly, but it’s a pretty good bet that it had not been a good year. If we think about the historical context, this was likely written during the exile when all of Israel was under the thumb of foreign enemies. For Israel, things were rough, and it felt like the whole world was turning against God. So, what does Isaiah want? He’s not interested in maintaining the status quo. Isaiah wants God to shake things up!

Advent is the beginning of the church calendar, and this prayer seems to be a wish list for God to do new and exciting things with the new year. Remember that this week in Advent we are focusing on hope. As Christians, we are called to live with the hope and anticipation that God is still working in the world.

Imagine what the new year will be like for just a minute. How would you like for God to shake things up in our world? How would you like God to shake things up in your community or your school? Take some time today to ask God to shake things up. Tell Him what you might want this to look like. Allow the hope of Christ to shape your vision for the future during this Advent season. Rest in the hope that God wants to shake things up!

Pastor B Advent, Winter

Advent Day 2

Hope: Week One – Day Two

Oh, that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence. – Isaiah 64:1 (NRSV)

This verse is a passionate prayer that God would interrupt the whole world. The imagery is violent and startling. If God were to act like this, there would be no denying who was in charge. The speaker is asking God to storm onto the stage in the middle of the play. God is the director. God is in charge. If things are going awry then it is God who should jump in and make things right.

But, if any director were to jump on stage in the middle of the play, then the play would be over. The only time you see the director is at the curtain call. Instead, God chose to enter the play as an actor. He came to us as a little child. A helpless baby born in a barn to a poor family.

Why might God have chosen this particular method? Why would God hold off on the big flashy entrance and come to Earth as a humble child? Well, one reason might be that if God came with thunder and lightning, there would be no need for faith. Everyone would be forced to acknowledge God as King, and God would not be sure who really wanted an authentic relationship with Him.

God might also be trying to teach us something about who Jesus is and who we are supposed to be. We are not supposed to go through the world throwing our weight around and lording over people. As Jesus followers, we are to be humble like Jesus, treating everyone as our neighbors.

Now, this prayer from Isaiah is still really helpful. It is a hopeful cry for God to act. Whenever we see terrible things on the news or we’ve experienced some evil, we should pray asking God to intervene in a big way. The amazing thing about God is that He is planning on coming back in a big way to right all wrongs and save His people. God has promised to someday jump on stage and make things right. When we reach the curtain call of this life, God will make a big appearance and things will be made right.

Pastor B Advent, Winter

Advent Devo Day 1

Hope: Week One – Day One

A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. – Isaiah 40:3 (NRSV)

Maybe you have heard this passage before. It is repeated in the Gospels and used to describe the ministry of John the Baptist. John was a prophet sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for Him. He lived in the wilderness near the Jordan River and people came from all around to hear him and be baptized. John called people to repent and get their hearts right because he knew that the Messiah of God was coming soon.

Advent is the season before Christmas in which we are supposed to prepare our hearts for Christ just like John did two thousand years ago. We are invited to take time for reflection and prayer. We are called to cultivate anticipation in our souls through worship and studying the Bible. We are encouraged to sit quietly and remember what Jesus means for our lives.

The thing is, while God is asking us to prepare our hearts for Jesus, the world is asking us to prepare our homes for Christmas. There are gifts to buy, halls to deck, presents to wrap, lights to string, cookies to bake, and carols to sing. There is so much to keep us busy and distracted that we might miss Jesus when He shows up.

So how should we prepare our hearts for Jesus this Advent? Here are a few ideas: participate in some charity work in your community, attend a special Christmas service with your family, or spend some extra time in prayer or reading your Bible alone or with some close friends. And of course, following this devotion series is something that will help too.

Believe me, Christmas morning is so much sweeter when we welcome the day having prepared for Jesus.

Pastor B Oakwood, Parent Cue, Winter

Parent Cue: The Good Life Series

Right now, in our culture, students have a great opportunity to absorb a great amount of knowledge at their fingertips. They have the ability to ask Google or Siri for life advice, what a word means, or dive into deeper aspects of a subject they are learning at school. However, in the world of vast knowledge, a question arises. “What is the right WAY to use all this?” Even with all the knowledge in the world, the human race still needs direction on how to use it properly. How can we make right choices with all our knowledge? This only comes from God. It is called WISDOM.

The Good Life is a four-week series that focuses on the book of Proverbs. It covers the wisdom that can help middle schoolers take a step toward living the good life—God’s best life for them! Real wisdom is hard to come by, but so very important in directing students’ steps. Pointing them to the truth in the book of Proverbs will give them the foundational pieces of wisdom they can not only understand, but also begin to apply to their lives and faith.

THINK ABOUT THIS

“In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.”
PROVERBS 16:9, NIV

DO THIS

 MORNING TIME

Take time to share what you personally think is the good life with your kid this week. Then, ask them to tell you what the good life looks like to them, too.

 MEAL TIME

Take turns sharing with each other about areas in your life where you could use some wisdom right now. Then, share some ideas about where you could find the wisdom you need.  

 DRIVE TIME

Ask your kid where they see you being the least patient with them. Listen to their response and try to exercise more patience the next time you find yourself in that specific situation with your kid.

 BED TIME

Watch the movie, Eighth Grade, to learn about what middle school is like these days. (Watch it without your kid as the content may not be age appropriate yet!) Take note of what middle schoolers are dealing with and talk to your kid about some of the things that stuck out to you from the film.

Pastor B Oakwood, Parent Cue, Winter

November Middle School Series

This Month’s Series is based on Micah 6:8

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? 

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Thankfully, God doesn’t leave us to wander through life without any directions. He has given us a set of expectations to show us clearly which paths will take us where we need to go. These expectations aren’t arbitrary rules imposed on us just to make our lives harder. Quite the opposite—God’s expectations exist to give our lives meaning and direction. One important thing to know about God’s expectations: they can’t be faked. They have to start with serious heart transformation that only comes from knowing Jesus Christ.

Act. Love. Walk.

Three signs that we are being transformed from the inside out by Jesus. Three signs to point your students squarely in the direction that God wants them to go.

Nov. 6 Week 1 – ACT JUSTLY

Nov. 13 Week 2 – LOVE MERCY

Nov. 20 Week 3 – ALL ACCESS BELIEVE WEEKEND LAUNCH

Our annual Thanksgiving service is Tuesday, November 26 at 6:30p in the Main Worship Center. If you would like to participate in the Thanksgiving Cook-off, bring your award-winning CHILI or PIE/DESSERT to the Branch at 6p.

Wednesday, Nov. 27 – NO FUSION HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Pastor B Culture, Students, Winter

Andy Mineo Featured Christian Rap Artist

Andy Mineo visits Bayside Community Church for the 12 youth conference.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Check out this Spotify Link

Who Sounds Like Who
DrakeLogicChance The RapperPost MaloneXXXTentacionWiz KhalifaMac MillerJ. ColeLil Nas X

Check out the Interlinc Article Here

At just 17, Andy Mineo had it all—money, power and respect. But while attending college in NYC, he finally faced the music—neither was the key to life.

Andy, formerly known as “C-Lite,” grew up in a single parent home in Syracuse, New York. Without any positive male figures around, at a young age, he struggled with profanity, submission to authority and physical aggression. With his conduct becoming uncontrollable, Andy was removed from the public school system and placed in behavioral modification centers. But change was on the horizon.

The summer before entering the 8th grade, Andy attended a Christian camp where his sister served as a counselor. While there, he heard the gospel preached clearly, cried out in desperation for Jesus to forgive him and experienced “some pretty unforgettable prayer sessions that really rocked [him].” Andy came home with a love in his heart for people that he once hated, and knew he was changed. But, he also came back to no home church, no community, no bible study and no mentors. So, as he rode his spiritual high into the ground and neglected to fan the flame that had begun, his relationship with God was compromised. His heart wasn’t set on pursuing Christ; instead, music and status had become his focus.

While in middle school, he began recording in his mom’s house and was buying new pieces of equipment with birthday money. Eventually, he started selling studio time out of his closet; before long, he was a sophomore in high school running a full-fledged business out of his mother’s basement making $25/hr recording and producing hundreds of artists in Upstate New York. He had also started a rap group with a few friends that led to a deal with Syracuse University’s Marshall Street Records, which gave them the opportunity to open up for the major acts that performed at SU. As a solo MC, Andy became well known in the underground freestyle rap scene for winning battle competitions during high school and his freshman year in college. Adding to his resume, he also excelled in athletics—thriving in football, basketball and lacrosse throughout high school.

With the financial success of his recording studio, his rap group/solo underground career taking off and athletic prowess, Andy had local fame, money and street credibility. Unfortunately, all of the success and recognition only led him away from God and towards greater sin. Headed for the big lights of New York City to attend college, stardom and rebellion seemed inevitable. But while taking a piano class his freshman year, Andy met Alex Medina (producer of “Background,” “The invasion (Hero)” and many other Reach tracks) who invited him to check out T.R.U.C.E. (an urban ministry that focused on evangelism via performing arts). He soon got connected with others, was discipled and the Lord began to deal with him more deeply concerning sin patterns in his life. After hearing Da Truth’s “Price Tag” song, he vowed to shut down his recording studio and never use his gifts to help record music that did not honor God. He lost all his business and income, but he found his new identity in Christ.

Armed with a new purpose, Andy spent several months traveling with T.R.U.C.E. and sharing the Gospel in some of the most poverty-stricken and drug-infested neighborhoods in the U.S. He went on to release Sin is Wack Vol. 1, which caught the attention of Lecrae and many others. To his credit, he has since been featured on Rehab, Flame’s Captured, Tedashii’s Blacklight, Ambassador’s Stop the Funeral and many other notable projects. While his introduction to a larger audience came through his vocals on Lecrae’s “Background,” and he continues to pen melodic choruses, rapping remains his passion and focus for future projects.

Entering a new season in his life, Andy decided to drop his stage name, C-Lite, in favor of his birth name; it symbolizes his aim to live out everything off stage that he pours out through his art on stage. He recently graduated from City College of New York and currently serves on the board as a leader of a new church plant in Washington Heights. He is also leading weekly small groups and men’s groups at his apartment, traveling on the weekends to minister and working on his highly anticipated debut album. Once divided in his ambitions, Andy has resolved to love the Lord with all his heart, soul, strength and mind—no compromise.

Pastor B Oakwood, Students, Winter

What is your Mission?

Our Identity Series focused on a great Application this past Wednesday. Three elements can help us shape and understand our personal Mission connected to the life calling given to us as we follow Jesus Christ.

Mission Failed: The truth is that when we are NOT built up in the TRUTH that God created us and said we are “very good,” the TRUTH that we are created as “His Masterpiece,” in order to do good works, or the TRUTH that in His book are written “all the days of our life,” we may find ourselves living a life feeling like we have already failed the mission. Our fear of failure keeps us from moving forward. We take ourselves out of the game and really don’t pursue the coach to ask for play time. We find our lives filled up with distractions and might think that this pursuit of Christ is just a set of rules we tip toe around and hope we don’t get caught, get struck down, or get out of line.

I have to leave my passion: The risk factor of following Jesus seems to be coupled with a subtraction of what we enjoy. We end up thinking “If I dedicate all I am to Jesus, I will probably have to stop playing my team sport, stop spending time on that activity I enjoy, or spend all my time following around that Pastor that seems to not work much.” The TRUTH is that God wants to meet us where we are, shine through us, and use us as His vessels to be ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.

BURDEN + PASSION + VISION: With the three elements of Mission combined, we find that we can join together beyond the walls of the church to care for our BURDEN, while pursuing our PASSIONS that God created us to live, all wrapped in the VISION that our Father has for us as we live here on Earth. The freedom from feeling like a failure and the pursuit of the MISSION gives us the ability to rise from living a defeated life in Christ to find a personal calling that lines us up with our hearts desire for life and satisfaction.

SO WHAT IS YOUR MISSION? Taking a look at the image above, what three elements lead to a MISSION for your life? What would it look like if you decided to give up the fear of failure and sign on to a MISSION given to you from GOD? Jesus sent out the disciples in Matthew 10 to preach that “The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand.” What if you could join in with the Kingdom of Heaven and make an impact for eternity? I know that in my personal life, when I come back to these elements in my life, I feel the wind in my sails. I walk away from an event, a ministry, a serve project, or my family and think, “I could do that for the rest of my life.”

God Bless You!

Pastor B

Pastor B My Life, Winter

Merry Christmas: The Greatest Story Ever Told

Emmanuel, God with US

Isaiah 7:14, Matt. 1:18-25

God Wants To Be With US

Christmas 2011

ME

Christmas means Wassailfest, lights at the downtown circle, Christmas Parties, Christmas Trees, Christmas Shopping…

We pretty much have a routine that our kids are beginning to grasp here in New Braunfels.  Laura has been under the weather this year, but that doesn’t stop Katie and Noah from requesting a visit to Wassailfest.  It is awesome looking through the eyes of little kids.  Noah, my three year old, came around the corner Thursday night and shouted in excitement, “It’s Christmastime!”

 This year Mommy was not the only one excited about getting down the Christmas Tree and all the decorations.  Before she could even say anything, our little five year old set the tone for the family.  SHE wanted to top the tree this year, and she did, on Daddy’s shoulders.  So we got the inside decorated, and we were driving home from Church the next day, and Katie says, “WE need Christmas Lights on the outside of our house now!  Ours is BLANK!”  

I love that Katie and Noah are thinking on their own and learning new things.  They really have this thing about just wanting to be with Mommy or Daddy, almost all the time.  That is both good and bad :).  A very special BE WITH Time, though, is usually bed time.  Noah is easy, he usually wants his little blanket and stuffed animals (it is like he is making an ark of his own) and asks for a drink of water and snuggles up under his big Spiderman Blanket and goes to sleep.  Not before he calls me some three year old name like “Silly Cookie” or Good Night “Woody” referring to Toy Story.  If I lay in his new “Big Boy Bed” he usually says “Get OUT OF MY BED!”    

Katie on the other hand milks the exclusive BE WITH time for all it is worth.  She loves it when Mom or Dad lay with her and talk a little, snuggle a little, look at her American Girl Doll, and listen to a Kids Christmas Musical on the CD player that she has requested… since October.  I sort of feel good when she tries to pull me back as I try to leave.  I think its because we both like to have a little quality BE WITH time.

WE
Looking at my kids and thinking about where we come from, it makes sense that a relational God would make people like you and me with a craving to BE WITH someone, anyone that would love and accept us.

I mean, this BE WITH craving really took off in the cyber world of Facebook and Twitter.  I know that probably most of you have requested some amazing Cell Phone for Christmas so you can have a REAL SOCIAL LIFE and text your friends.  Now you can even skype or have “face time” on your iPad and video chat.  I think this all has to do with a BE WITH FACTOR in all of us, and the truth is, you have all that, but get most satisfied when someone is actually WITH you.  Actually PRESENT.  In front of you.  Face to Face.  Real in person like.  

God created us to be relational beings.  He set the BE WITH FACTOR inside of us.  A craving for real relationship.  How about that girlfriend or boyfriend of yours, or even a crush.  It doesn’t satisfy you just to text him or her, you really want to BE WITH that person.  If you really think about it, you are probably planning amazing moments in your head revolving around the next time you are going to actually BE WITH him or her.  Maybe that is why you actually like school.  You are a 6th grade guy that thinks he is in love with your Math teacher, and you are planning every moment just to BE WITH her as she teaches you addition subtraction.  One word – TUTORING!

It is funny, though, we lose that thought when it comes to knowing God.  When we think about God, we tend to forget that he really just wanted to BE WITH His Creation.  In the Garden of Eden, He walked and talked with Adam and Eve. Then sin separated us from God.  I think sometimes, we think of Him watching us from afar and not really interested in our daily lives.  That is where this amazing Christmas Story proves us wrong.  THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD begins with a promise in the old Testament.  
Isaiah 7:14 says
“14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
There had been a hope throughout history that hinted about GOD BEING WITH US.  
So lets read out of Matthew and think about GOD BEING WITH US.  

GOD    The Birth of Jesus Christ Matt. 1:18-25

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

You see, Joseph was pledged to BE WITH Mary.  

Joseph was a descendant of King David and had been taught the Oral Law

from the time he was a young boy. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth was married to a priest,

indicating her family’s values. Jesus would grow up in a loving home that observed the

Jewish laws. But Jesus was conceived in a way that appeared to conflict with those

Jewish laws. Mary and Joseph were betrothed.

Betrothal was nothing like today’s

“engagement” period. Mary and Joseph did not live together, but their betrothal was an arrangement so binding, that it could not be ended except by divorce. When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, the Oral Law gave him an additional option. He could have had Mary killed by stoning. Yet Scripture tells us that Mary was “highly favored!”  Scripture says the Lord was with Mary . . . and the Lord was with Joseph. The presence of God enabled Joseph to believe and trust that the rules of his religion were to be submitted to the Author of his religion.

YOU
GOD WANTS TO BE WITH US!
When Sin Separated us from Him, he found a way to get reconnected again. He took on flesh, played by his own rules He created for mankind, and actually became a man, just to BE WITH US!  Some day we will be in the New Heavens and New Earth and there will be the same relationship Adam & Eve had in the Garden.  We will be God’s people and He will be our God.  That is why it is the GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD!  God made a way to redeem us by sending the Son of God.  Born of a virgin.  A king is Born.  One that will rule over our lives forever, and He knows how we feel.

WE
So if God wants to BE WITH US, the question is do you want to BE WITH God?
In other words – To BE WITH or NOT to BE WITH… THAT IS THE QUESTION!  He pursued us in the most miraculous way.  He wants us to have some exclusive time just talking about life, enjoying His Presence and enjoying the RELATIONSHIP.