As I sit here in my bed at Winterfest in Ozark, MO I can't help but think about how much energy these teens have. I wish I could vacuum the youthfullness out of these teens and bottle it up somehow. I'm sitting here battling it out with Ethan on Flappy Bird and barely getting past one pipe due to crossed eyes, lack of sleep, ready to throw my phone out of frustration and questioning my sanity. I wonder how I will ever make it driving home tomorrow and going back to work Monday. But as I sit here and think on these things and think about what I've seen this weekend and what God has done in these teens lives, I realize that I wouldn't change a single thing. These teens are what keep me going, what burden my heart and reassure me of God's calling on my life. This weekend has been fantastic and God has moved and changed the lives of many. I have come to the realization that I am extremely blessed and my cup is overflowing. I will lay my head down tonight with a fire burning in my spirit ready for what's next. God, thank you for blessing me with the teens I get to minister to. I love my calling!
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
Oceans
Just recently I started listening to the new album by Hillsong United titled "Zion". My favorite song at the moment is "Oceans - Where feet may fail". I can't get enough of it. This song is beautiful and upon reading about the song and how it came to be I couldn't help but think about the story of Peter and Jesus, on the water. You see, Jesus had told the disciples to go out into the boat and head out and that he would come to them. I'm sure they hadn't truly thought about how Jesus would get to them, they just went as they were told. Well, after the wind began to pick up and the boat started to be thrown to and fro, they looked out on the sea and the waves and they saw a man walking on the water. They thought it was a ghost at first and then realized that it was Jesus and he was walking on top of the water, a miracle. They were amazed and frightened, as I'm sure many of us would.
This is where it gets good. Peter, full of faith, yelled out to Jesus, "Jesus, if that's you, tell me to come out onto the water with you." And sure enough, Jesus told him to come out to him. So Peter, full of faith, stepped out of the boat and began to walk to Jesus, on the water. Everything was great until one thing, Peter's flesh began to take hold of him and his faith began to waiver. He began to look at the waves and the water and began to doubt. It's then that he took his eyes off of Jesus and put his hope and trust in his own being. Because of this, he began to sink and drown and he called out to Jesus, who upon Peter's request and cries for help, reached down and pulled him out of the water.
What I take from this story in the Bible is just how important it is to fix our eyes on Jesus. So many times in life, we take our eyes off of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, our comforter and we trust in our own abilities. We put our eyes on the waves of life, the struggles and the problems we face all the time and because our trust isn't in Jesus, we feel overwhelmed, to the point of drowning. It's when we fix our eyes on Jesus that our problems and struggles are placed under our feet and we walk on our problems, victorious!
Be encouraged today that we serve a good God, one that loves us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins and to raise from the grave and give us victory over sin and death. Stand upon your waves today in victory, clinging to the hope of salvation that we have received freely by Jesus' death on the cross and the hope of life we have in his victory over death. God bless.
- Nathan Hellrung
Youth Pastor - IGNITE Student Ministries
Beltline Christian Center COG - Alton, IL
bccignite@outlook.com
facebook.com/nathan.hellrung
twitter.com/nathanhellrung
facebook.com/ignite.bcc
twitter.com/bcc_ignite
This is where it gets good. Peter, full of faith, yelled out to Jesus, "Jesus, if that's you, tell me to come out onto the water with you." And sure enough, Jesus told him to come out to him. So Peter, full of faith, stepped out of the boat and began to walk to Jesus, on the water. Everything was great until one thing, Peter's flesh began to take hold of him and his faith began to waiver. He began to look at the waves and the water and began to doubt. It's then that he took his eyes off of Jesus and put his hope and trust in his own being. Because of this, he began to sink and drown and he called out to Jesus, who upon Peter's request and cries for help, reached down and pulled him out of the water.
What I take from this story in the Bible is just how important it is to fix our eyes on Jesus. So many times in life, we take our eyes off of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, our comforter and we trust in our own abilities. We put our eyes on the waves of life, the struggles and the problems we face all the time and because our trust isn't in Jesus, we feel overwhelmed, to the point of drowning. It's when we fix our eyes on Jesus that our problems and struggles are placed under our feet and we walk on our problems, victorious!
Be encouraged today that we serve a good God, one that loves us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins and to raise from the grave and give us victory over sin and death. Stand upon your waves today in victory, clinging to the hope of salvation that we have received freely by Jesus' death on the cross and the hope of life we have in his victory over death. God bless.
- Nathan Hellrung
Youth Pastor - IGNITE Student Ministries
Beltline Christian Center COG - Alton, IL
bccignite@outlook.com
facebook.com/nathan.hellrung
twitter.com/nathanhellrung
facebook.com/ignite.bcc
twitter.com/bcc_ignite
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