Feb 3 2012 Infallibility Presentation
Here is the powerpoint from Friday's presentation on the infallibility of scripture.

Download

Jan 13 2012 How to be Blessed in the New Year
First some questions:
1. Write down three people whose love has meant something to you in your life. Where you think, 'wow, my life would really be different if I didn't have this person's love'.
2. Write down the ways that they have shown you that love.
3. Write down the ways that you show them love.
4. Do relationships work better when people are showing love? Think of an example of a way a relationship can suffer if love isn't shown.
5. Write down the ways God has shown you love.
6. Write down the ways that you show God love.
7. Are there any ways that you should be loving Him but you aren't? Write them down and pray about them.

In this new year we want to blessed. And God wants to bless us. But we should make sure we're doing life right so we get all the best of God's blessing. Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." The greatest command is to Love God with every part of us. What does scripture say about how we show God love?

1. 1 John 5:3 "In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,"
>>Obey (But you need to know what to obey, so be reading (and remembering) the Bible.)

2. Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"
>>Help the poor. God associates Himself with the poor.

3. John 15:15 "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."
How many of the people on your paper are friends? Note how you show friends you love them? Can you love God in these ways?
Luke 5:16 "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."
>>Jesus is our perfect example so we need to spend time with God (alone and with other Christians).
Eph. 3:17b-19 "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Sometimes love is easy and sometimes it's hard and we don't really 'feel' it. If we need help understanding 'how' we love, how we 'get there'. 1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us." We will grow in loving God and others if we get to know God more and sense His love for us - this happens as we do these same things, spending time with God, learning, really learning and praying about, what He has to say to us in scripture.

So do these things in greater amounts, and really applying yourself, so you will be blessed this year!

1. Obey what God says.
2. Help the poor.
3. Spend time with God (alone and with other Christians).

Dec 17 2011 3 Christmas Promises for All Year

1. God promised that Jesus would save us.
God's son was to be given the name 'Jesus' (in Hebrew, Joshua) meaning 'Yahweh saves'. The oppresser we are saved from is not Rome (what Israel felt they needed saving from), but sin - its penalty and power.
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Romans 6:6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

2. God promised that Jesus would be a good King.
Jesus was to be the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). A prince is royalty who stands for the King. A prince that is about peace is reassuring because it means He isn't harsh and over-bearing - even though we owe him our lives and full service, he is good to us and brings peace to our lives. He wouldn't bring about a physical kingdom (at least not yet) but he would be a good king in His spiritual kingdom - the kingdom in our hearts. Are you serving the king? Is your life honoring to Him in every way? Jesus also offered us the perfect example of how we should treat God as king and serve Him.
Phil 2:6-7 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

3. God promised that Jesus would be with us.
Another name given to Jesus is 'Immanuel', which literally means 'With-us God' (God is a 'with us' God). Jesus wants to be there for us to be our invisible (not imaginary) friend - so talk, pray, sing in your heart, give thanks to Him - all throughout your day. Note that just because Jesus is our friend and we are called to grow closer to Him, doesn't mean we shouldn't still honor Him as king and serve Him, after all, He gave us everything!
John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.


Why did He do all of this? Because He loves us so much!

Sep 16 2011 Soul Bacon
Our hearts are hungry. We have a deep desire for a fulfilled life. Jesus promises Fulness. (John 10:10)

So what is our path to take hold of this promise from the Lord?

Path: Is 55:2 "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. "

Richest of Fare. God wants to be an awesome meal to our hearts just as sweet as eating awesome fatty foods like cheescake or bacon. Do you know God that way? You can! Just follow Him the way He says to in the Bible.

Path Step 1: Listen (To Him)
Who? God (All His words: The Bible, Jesus, The Holy Spirit)
Why? Listen to know the truth, listen to remember (ps 103). To know what our master wants.

How else do we listen to God?
Devotions, Church, Youth, Prayer, Worship. Having a friendship with Him. (Moses Exo 33:11). Trust you can hear Him (John 10:1-6). God speaks in many ways (Job 33:14).

Remember there are no guarantees. (Mat 13:3-9) More than just listening is needed, we need to develop a deep respect for God and what He says. (Phil 2:12, Jn 10:10a)

Path Step 2: Eat (What is Good)
What is 'what is good'?
Jesus is the food. (Exodus 16. Jn 6:32-35.)
How do we eat Jesus??
6 ways:
Gather. Remember Israel and the Manna. God provided but they had to go and gather it. Don't be lazy with your devotion.
Relate. Have an attitude of prayer all the time. (1 Thes 5:17)
Protect. What are we doing with our heart? (Prov 4:23)
Humbly accept. Change comes when we trust simply in the truth and let that change our actions. (James 1:21, Rom 12:2)
Do. Don't just listen to God's words. (James 1:19-25)
Crave. We need to develop a craving for God, like our life depends on Him - it does. (1 Pet 2:2)

Don't give up. There will be dusty dry deserts - God wants to bring you through to the other side, but we can get stuck if we stop following Him the way He says we should. God is actually awesome and you will start to savour Him like soul bacon if you don't give up!

Mar 16 2011 Salt Factory
All of us have a hard enough time trying to find a few extra minutes in our day to spend with God. Let's face it... we all have a lot of different stuff going on that has the ability to consume almost all of our time. I am not saying this is right.... I think we all need to be finding time in our day to spend with God. But that is easier said than done.
Doug Fields, a Youth Pastor at a mega-church in the States wrote an article that really caught my attention. In this article he explained 4 different ways that you can spend time with God in your mornings without having to jugle around your schedule or get up earlier. These are 4 fantastic ideas that I will share with you.
1. First thing when you wake up, u hit the snooze or lay in bed for a few minutes, take that opportunity to acknowledge God. God loves it when you acknowlege Him. Thank him for your restful sleep, the warm sunshine seeping in through your curtains. Ask Him to be a part of your day. There is no better way to start your day than by asking God to be in it with you. ( Psalms 118:24)
2. Almost every youth jumps into the shower before they start their day ( at least I hope they do!). I love a hot shower.... it is very warming and soothing and feels just plain awesome. Well when you jump into that shower and feel the hot water hit you, use that as a reminder to focus on GOd's love for you. God is crazy in love with you.... and love has that ability to make you feel all warm inside. Spend a few moments in the shower remembering and thanking God for his unconditional love for you. (Psalms 31:21, 63:3)
3. Everyone should start their day off with a good wholesome breakfast. Food first thing in the morning will help you feel more awake, energized, and alert. It is important to feed your body. When you sit down to eat breakfast, feed your soul as well. Read a bible verse or two, and then spend a few moments meditating upon it and memorizing it. When we injest scripture into our bodies we are welcoming the very Word of God to dwell in us. Scripture will give your soul the nutrients it needs to get through your day. ( Psalm 119:105, 119:11)
4. You have to somehow get to school... whether it is by walking, getting a ride, or taking transit. You will normally have at lest a few moments here to offer up a prayer to God. Ask Him for the strength to get through the day. Ask Him to be a part of your day... or just plain talk to God. He wants us to communicate with Him. Just talk to God like He is a buddy walking to school with you. (Psalm 119:105 )
So without having to make a whole bunch more time in your mornings, use these four tools to help you connect with God everyday.

Mar 9 2011 Salt Factory
Are you ready to change? Looking back at your life, can you see areas in your life that you need to work on? Do you have problems that just will not go away? Is there sin in your life that seems to hold you down? Are you caught up in something?
There have been a few occasions in my life where I have evaluated where I was spiritually.... and most in not all of those times I have come out of that situation realizing that I need to change... that I am not growing where I need to, or applying the principles of God's Word like I need to , or displaying Christian character like I need to.
Becoming a disciple of Jesus is being set on not only on following Jesus, but becoming like Jesus. So where are you on that journey? What are your hang-ups?

Feb 23 2011 Salt Factory
Today we talked about time management. James 4:14 states "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
We very easily get caught up living this life we have been given for ourselves.... but we also very easily forget that our time here on earth is in fact, very short in coparison to eternity. So what exactly are you doing with the time that we have here on earth? Are we spending it wisely? Are we using it to glorify God? Are we using it to get to know God? Where are we spending our time?
Each student this week has been challenged to give something up.... something where they spend 'meaningless' time at.... and replace it with time spent with God.

Feb 16 2011 Salt Factory
Do we actually know what it is like not to be saved? When we went through Romans 5:6-10 there were five different words that stuck out to us that described people who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Those five words were POWERLESS, UNGODLY, SINNERS, ENEMIES, GOD'S WRATH. It certainly is not a very pleasant description of non-christians, but a closer look at this text will tell us that "when we were"(vs 6) ..... we all used to be described by these words, but by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour we 'now have been justified by His blood'.... Jesus removes us from these labels and we become children of God!
Think of all your non-christian friends, family,.... people on your sports team or in your choir.... if they have not been justified by the blood of Jesus they are in fact, God's enemies. God loves his enemies, and sent his son Jesus to die for them.... so where do you fit in to this?
We all have a responsibility to demonstrate God's love to everyone we meet. Be fearless and bold, tell your friends and family about Jesus, because without having Jesus in your life, those five words will forever be their label.
1. What is your initial thought when you picture an enemy of God? Have you ever thought of yourself as an enemy of God?
2. How does it make you feel when you are powerless? Does Jesus give you power?
3. What does God's wrath look like to you? How can you be saved from God's wrath?
4. How does this make you feel about your non-christian friends or family?

Jan 19 2011 Salt Factory
Families can be messy. Not every family is perfect.... every family will have problems, issues, highs and lows....that is just how it is. But remember that God created families, and God has a distinct set of guidelines that He wants families to operate under.
No matter what, you cannot control your family..... you make your own decision, just like your parents or your siblings, and everyday you have to make the decision to either be the problem in your family or be the solution to a problem in your family.
How can you be the solution to the problems in your family? I may not have the answer for this question, but the bible gives us some advice that can certainly help your family dynamic. Three words: love, honour, and respect.
You need to be intent on loving your family no matter what. Loving God is the greatest commandment, loving your neighbor is the second.(Mark 12:30-31) God views loving each other as incredibly important, and you need to love your family unconditionally.
What does it mean to honour your parents? There are many ways, but I thinki most of it simply comes down to obedience (Eph 6:1-2). When your parents ask you to do something, obey them. If your parents set out a rule for you, obey it. Understand that when you honour your parents you are in turn honouring God.
And respect.... young people we are asked to respect our parents (Lev 19:3). This means that when they give you a rule, dont argue. When they ask you to do something, do it cheerfully and with your whole heart.Your parents know best.... you may not want to hear it, but it is true. Respect them and their decisions.
1. In your opinion, what does it mean to honour your parents? What does it mean to love your family? What does it mean to respect your parents?
2. What can you practically do to show your family love, respect, and honour?

Jan 12 2011 2011 Salt Factory Kickoff
We all get into spiritual ruts.... you can expect to go through a few of them in your time. It can get very discouraging, frustrating, and lonely while stuck in a spiritual rut. It seems like God is so far away.... distant, you just cant hear Him or feel Him.... its not a fun time.
So what can we do when we are in a spiritual rut? How do we work our way out? Looking at the story of blind Bartimaeus from Mark 10:46-52 may give us some direction.
1. You are responsible for being in that rut.... it was you who got yourself into it, it is you who needs to work to get yourself out.
2. You need to believe that you can get our of this rut. If you feel defeated, discourages, or angry it will be very easy for you to give up the battle. Stay strong. Believe you can work your way out of this rut.
3. Ask God specifically for the tools to get out. Jesus knows why we are in this rut.... but he wants us to ask Him. (Matt 7:7)
4. Understand that the world will try to keep you in your rut. Satan wants nothing more than to damage and destroy your relationship with God. You will go through times when getting out of your rut may be very difficult. This is where you need to perservere and have endurance (James 1:2-4,12)
5. Now is the time to get out of the rut. Bartimaeus almost missed Jesus....the longer that you willingly choose to stay in a rut are precious moments that you could be spending with Jesus. Dont wait.
6. Shed the weights. Heb 12:1, What are the weights? What is keeping you from having Jesus as your #1 priority? What is keeping your from running to Jesus? What is keeping you from completely surrendering your life to Jesus? You need to identify and shed these weights.
7. Simply follow Jesus. Jesus leads us, and we are designed to follow. Its not easy to follow when we are stuck in a rut.
Think of times when you have been in a spiritual rut. How did you feel towards God? Why?
In what ways are weights keeping you in a spiritual rut?
While in a spiritual rut, have you been eager to get out of it? Did you find it easy to drift farther and farther from God?
What specific spiritual things do you want from God? Do you ask Him? Are you persistant?

Dec 15 2010 Salt Factory
What is hope? What does the world hope for? Good paying jobs, wealth, good health, material possessions, that special someone, travel to exotic places, the latest video game..... the world hopes for a lot of things, but there is absolutely no guarantee that any of these things that we hope for will ever come to be. It is useless to hope for things in which there is no assurance.
What are believers to hope for then? We are to put our hope into that which is a guarantee.... the love of God and the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Everything in this world will fail us.... but Jesus will not. We need to be focussed on what is real.... what is true.... what is eternal.... what is guaranteed.
1. What is the difference between biblical hope and worldly hope?
2. If, as Christians we are supposed to be obsessed with an eternal hope, why are we so quick to chase after earthly treasure?
3. What have you fixed your hope on? Has it changed who you are, what you value, and what you are doing with your life?

Dec 8 2010 Salt Factory
What is the true meaning of Christmas? Our culture has dictated that Christmas is a time of gifts, a time of family, food, more gifts..... its not really about Jesus anymore.
In fact there are major retail stores in America that have currently abandoned a warm "merry christmas" greeting for happy holidays in an attempt to be inclusive for all different religions during this time of the year. But the fact of the matter is that Christmas is in fact a time meant to remember and celebrate the birth of the Christ, Jesus, the Saviour of the World, and as the angel proclaimed in Luke 2:10, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people". Jesus is for all people.... Christmas is meant for all people to remember and celebrate that Jesus iis in fact the Lord, the Saviour of the Earth, and the One who brings us back to God.
Jesus is in fact the reason for the season, and this Christmas, dont fail to make Christ Jesus the center of the season. Remember Jesus this Christmas.
1. What is so special about the birth of Jesus?
2. What obstacles stand in the way of the true meaning of Christmas?
3. What seems to be the highest priorities at Christmas time?
4. How can you change your persepctive of what Christmas is really supposed to be?

Dec 1 2010 Salt Factory
What is our nature? We have two very different nature's that currently reside in us, and it is like a big ol' war of good against bad happining. We have this sinful nature in us.... we've had it since we were born, and everyone has it. When we invite Jesus into our hearts we also get a new nature.... a good nature that tries to lead us towards righteousness. The key word here is tries..... we have good in us and we also have bad in us.... and everyday there is a fight to see which will prevail, our good nature or our bad nature.
Below is a bunch of bible verses to sort through. Ex 15:22-25, 1 Thess 5:23, Gen 2:17, Ps 73:7, Rom 5:12, John 8:34, 2 Cor 5:17, Eph 2:10, Rom 12:2
1. What does it mean that we have died and have been raised with Christ?
2. Why shouldn't we just keep on sinning now that we have received grace?
3. What are some ways the old nature tries to rule you?
What can you do when your up against your old nature?
5. Talk about a time when you felt a desire to live according to the new nature.

Nov 17 2010 Salt Factory
What was the real reason why Jesus came to save us? Was God not wanting relationship with us? He sure was, and Jesus dying on the Cross was the only way that God could bridge the gap between us and Him.... more than anything God wants to have a relationship with us.
How about us? How badly do we desire to have relationship with God? There is an old saying, " you can tell what is important to a person by how much time they spend." Many of us would say that God is important and getting to know Him is important, but does how we spend our time reflect that? Do we really think that spending time with God is important?
Jesus was probably one of the busiest men of his time.... scriptures tell us just how busy he was.... but they also tell us that he put spending time with God as his highest priority ( Luke 5:15 ). We all have time in our day to spend with God, hence the one week "spend time with God" challenge. Spend 10 minutes with God this week in absolute silence. God will meet you there.
1. What does meaningful alone time with God look like?
2. What are you looking for in a personal relationship with God?
3. What is God looking for in a personal relationship with you?
4. What would you have to give up to make time for God?

Nov 10 2010 Salt Factory
Luke 6:27 "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you," What does it mean for us as Christians in our culture to love those who hate us? Remembrance Day has now come and gone and our country has again been reminded of the sacrifices that soldiers have made in past and present wars for the freedom that we now partake in. It seems that war and violence is not something that can be avoided.... it has seemingly always been around. But in our culture is it right for a believer to raise arms against another?
Would Jesus raise arms against another?
It is definately something that every Christian needs to wrestle with. The example that Jesus set out for us on the Cross was an example of sacrifice, and he did so without defence or raising arms against those who hated him so deeply. He set the example, and are we not to follow his example?
1. In what respect does Peter call us to imitate Jesus in 1 Peter 2:21-25?
2. What might be some biblical reasons defending Christian use of violence in defence of justice? What are biblical reasons against using violence in defence of justice?
3. If you as a follower of Jesus feel you cannot use violence in defence of justice, how does that affect your relation to the rest of society?
4. What are some non-violent ways you can work to make peace in Afghanistan? Your home? Your school?

Nov 3 2010 Salt Factory
Luke 10:3 "Behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves"
It is not an easy world out there for Christians nowadays. We can say that we are fortunate enough to live in a country where we have the freedom to worship God without having to do so in underground churches or the threat of imprisionment or death. And yes, there are places in the world where life for a Christian is like this....
But life for you as a Christian is not without its challenges. You see Satan is roaming throughout this world (Job 1:7)and he desparatley wants to destroy God's people. He will do just about anything to accomplish his task.
Satan is the cheif wolf that wants to devour us, but he also has other wolves that work for him...... materialism and greed, pre-marital sex, anger, lust, pornography, drugs, alcohol...... there are a lot of wolves. And these wolves have one sole purpose..... to separate us from God, and it pains me to say it but it seems like Satan and his wolves win more than they loose.
Remember, we have Jesus on our side, and through Jesus we have ultimate victory over sin, but we still have to battle the wolves that seek us out here today,.... and tomorrow.
1. Have there been times when you felt like you were surrounded by wolves? What did you do?
2. How does it make you feel knowing that Satan is strongly opposing your growth as a Christian?
3. How does it make you feel when someone defends you? Rescues you?
4. If you could thank Jesus for being your lawyer how would you do so?

Oct 27 2010 Salt Factory
God is so very creative. He has his hands in everything, and has since the beginning of time. Every delicate flower, every species of beetles,every bead of water, every star in the sky is made by God and shows the creativeness of God. Lets not forget us humans.... God created us to, and we are his finest creation. Take time to look again at this powerpoint and thank God for his creativity and how much it impacts us.
click here creativity power point


Oct 20 2010 Salt Factory
How good is God?
For the most part we can all say that God is good.... but how good? At different times we might think that the level of God's goodness changes. If you just lost a loved one you might not think that God is very good. If you just got a promotion at work you might think that God is very good. We have tendancies to allow our own judgement to determine at any given time how good we think God really is.
The Apostal Paul had a very distinct focus in his life as stated in 1 Cor 2:1-2, "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
Think of tunnel vision for a moment.... tunnel vision is the ability to focus on one thing without letting other things around you distract you from what you are determining to focus on. Paul was determined to focus only on Jesus Christ, and the more that Paul focused on Jesus the more he got to know who he was, and just how good he is.
We will always have distractions around us that will attempt to lure our focus from Jesus and his goodness, but sooner or later you will have to make a choice to focus on Jesus with unwavering tunnel vision. When you do that, you will get to know who Jesus is, and just how good he is.
When you focus on Jesus with everything you have, you will get to know him.... and when you know Jesus you will know just how good he is..... and you will see just how much goodness that Jesus has lavished upon us.
1. Have there been times when it has been hard to see God's goodness? Why?
2. Have you found it difficult to have tunnel vision to only focus on Jesus? Why is that?
3. What are some of the things that make God good? Do we always see these things?

Oct 13 2010 Salt Factory
How To Eat Media

How would you test whether an old yogurt was safe to eat?
How would you test if a certain piece of media was safe to watch/listen to?

Some Biblical tools to help you test:
1. It's not what goes in but what comes out.
Read Mark 7:1-23

2. Set no evil thing before your eyes.
Ps 101:3
I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.

Hab 1:13
Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor.

3. Be aware of temptation and the voice of God in your conscience.

James 1:14-15
but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Read Gen 3:5
Read Ps 101

Parental and Youth resources for christian media reviews
christianitytoday.com
focusonthefamily.com/entertainment
screenit.com

Oct 6 2010 Salt Factory
Pollution of the Heart
What are some examples of spiritual/heart pollution?
What are the effects of spiritual pollution?
How do we clean up pollution in our heart?
What are some ways we can safeguard ourselves from pollution in our hearts?
Is there any spiritual pollution in your life right now? What is it? How did it happen?
How have you cleaned up pollution in your heart in the past?
Download notes: Pollution Notes

Sep 29 2010 First Salt Night
Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
We often find ourselves looking at Jesus from a distance. Sure we could get to know a little of who Jesus is from a distance, but it's not the best way to get to know him. In order to get to know who Jesus is we need to get close to him..... really close.
It is easy to dscribe Jesus with such words as perfect, loving, incredible, sustaining, etc., but there are many times when we describe Jesus with such words as confusing, scary, unpredictable, or someone who places unreal expectations on us.... we can easily describe Jesus this way if we don't really know him.
The disciples had the same problem in John 14:4-9, and I think we are a lot like the disciples..... we really dont know who Jesus is.
Think of this statement, "Get to know Jesus well, because the more you know him, the more you'll love him, and the more you love him, the more you'll want to follow him, and the more you follow him, the more you'll become like him, and the more you become like him, the more you become yourself".
The more you get to know who Jesus is, the more you will become yourself...... makes sense.
Here are some questions for you to ponder.
1. Is it easy for you as a youth today to be distant from Jesus? Why?
2. What kind of perspective do your non-christian friends, family, etc, have of Jesus? Does it rub off on you?
3. How might getting closer to Jesus change your perspective on him?
4. What's good about getting closer to Jesus, and what is hard about getting closer to him?