Are you on Facebook? Join 3,000 others, Feb. 1-14, for an online missions trip!

Designed with teenagers in mind, but an excellent idea for the rest of us, too! Check out Tim's website for how to get started.
~Terry

From the trip coordinator, Tim Schmoyer:

For several months now I've been planning an outreach campaign for my own youth group and am excited to have other youth groups join us! The best part is that it's completely FREE! We'll be going all over the world, sharing the gospel with friends both in our local neighborhoods and friends far away. It's an online missions trip, a 'missions trip to Facebook', if you will.

The Internet has never made it so easy to share Christ with those all over the world! Teenagers spend a crazy amount of hours talking with friends on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, World of Warcraft and other such social hangouts online about things that don't really matter in light of eternity, let's train them to share their faith and push them to do it online. The Online Missions Trip is a 2-week campaign to empower them to use social media to share Christ with their friends who don't yet know Him.

The structure looks like this:

January whatever-31, 2009
Pre-trip training. Use youth group meetings to train kids how to share their faith, think through the Online Missions Trip concept, and start praying for unsaved friends.

February 1-14, 2009
Online Missions Trip! During these two weeks teens and youth leaders are engaging in spiritual conversations with unsaved friends online. They're uploading videos, photos, posting links, using status updates to share what God's doing in their lives, writing notes, sending messages, posting on blogs, creating event invites to youth group, and anything else that will bring God up in a conversation that starts online and hopefully spreads to a face-to-face discussion.

February 15-whenever, 2009
Outreach event/series and new-believer follow-up starts. Follow-up on this missions trip with a series that helps the new teens in your ministry either investigate Christianity a bit closer or start growing in their new faith. Be sure to follow-up one-on-one with new converts, as well.

To learn more about this trip, visit OnlineMissionsTrip.com. There are many ideas, free resources and tools, a 24/7 Prayer Room, a Facebook app you can use, and more. It also has a video of me explaining the trip in more detail.

While you're there, join the OnlineMissionsTrip.com Facebook Group and meet some of the other teens and youth leaders who will be attending this missions trip with you in February.

Website:
www.OnlineMissionsTrip.com

A Day in the Life Of...

It just didn't feel right to Pam that she and Dan would spend Christmas morning alone, just the two of them. So she decided to do something about it.

A few days before Christmas, she spoke to the director of Dosher Hospital and explained her idea. On Christmas morning, Dan and Pam went from room to room, handing out her yummy truffles, singing requested Christmas carols and praying for those who desired it.

One patient asked in pleased amazement, "How long have you been doing this?!"

Pam still chuckles when she recalls her answer, "Since yesterday!"

They were able to continue serving the following day as well. A patient needed a few things from his apartment and they were more than willing to help!

Pam and Dan, thank you for your wonderful example of service, compassion, faithfulness...and even bravery! :-) May we all be encouraged and "stirred up to love and good works!"

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There was a time when I would wake up each morning and ask God to give me someone to witness to that day.  Somewhere along the way, I stopped asking. Even so, almost every time I'm out and about, God gives me opportunities to share the Gospel.  Such was the case the other day at Walmart.

I was browsing in the card section when I glanced up, saw an old acquaintance, made eye contact, and heard a familiar-to-me Walmart greeting...."Heyyyyyyy, how's it going? I haven't seen you in ages!"

Somewhere in the midst of the "how's the kids, how's life, etc..." I began to purposefully turn the conversation to spiritual things. This time, it was by asking if he was going to church anywhere. He said he'd tried this-and-that religion, but that it had been years since he'd been in a church. We talked for a long time and by the end of the conversation he had agreed to read the entire Gospel of John AND First John every day! The coolest thing was, he concluded his farewell with, "I'm going to do this and the next time I see you in Walmart I'll tell you what I think!"

Pray that God will give Jim eyes that can see, ears that can hear, and a heart that can understand.

~Terry

Check out this website for training on how to share your faith: www.fishwithtrish.com/women.php

Be sure to watch the video: "Hell's Best Kept Secret"

It's Coming...

Click here to view the 2009 Missions Conference schedule

Discipleship and Tinfoil hats

Last week's sermon was about Discipleship and was based on Luke 14:25-35. I've always wondered about verse 26 because on the surface it sounds like it contradicts Jesus' teachings on "love your neighbor as yourself" and also doesn't reflect His tenderness in making sure that someone cared for His mother while He was tortuously hanging on the cross dying for us. Sadly, I've never really jumped deeper into the passage other than shrugging it off as another one of those things Jesus will explain to me when I get to Heaven, so Sunday's sermon really stimulated me. I'm sharing the major points of the sermon, but a lot of this are things I'm thinking about so don't hold it against Pastor Paul if you see something you don't agree with. Feel free to share your thoughts too!

Luke 14:26-27 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. "

(Click to read the passage in full:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2014:25-35&version=31)

1. Loving Less Than
First off, we learned that the original Greek word "hate" better translates "Loving less than". So a better way to read this verse is "If anyone comes to me and does not love his father and mother less than me".... Basically, love Jesus more than anyone. Seek first the kingdom of God, love the Lord your God with all your heart, and have no other gods before Him.

2. v. 27 "Carry his cross..."
This isn't necessarily a literal cross, though some of our Christian siblings overseas are physically suffering for Christ even as I write this. (See http://www.persecution.com/) We need to be willing to follow the Lord despite the consequences.
I don't know about the rest of you, but this verse is a whole lot easier to follow during a crisis. Daily sacrifice feels more "expensive" without racing adrenaline to help us get things done.

3. Count the Cost v. 28-33
Pastor Paul gave the story of having to carry a calculator in Ecuador to figure out how much things cost b/c the rate of exchange varied sometimes daily when Ecuador used the Sucre. I lived in Ecuador for a couple of months and I remember that well. Pastor Paul advised not to "count the cost on the run". We need to sit down and count the cost before we jump in to a situation. I often fail to do this or I do my counting with a broken calculator that only guesstimates.
A couple of years ago I got this cool laser level to hang the curtain rods with in my new house. I was so proud of that little gadget! After I got the curtains hung, I noticed they were all slightly crooked on the right side. My laser level was not level. I found out later that my toddlers had also loved the little gadget - especially when the laser beam bounced around every time it was dropped. How many of us measure our lives with broken gadgets? We don't accurately count the cost of serving, recklessly rush in and then give up when it gets too hard. We also measure success according to worldly standards and not the Lord's. How many churches have you visited that bragged about numbers and statistics but didn't really seem to be open about what was happening deep below the surface? It's like the modern goal is to get people saved and baptized and then our job is done like, "Ta-da ! we've "fulfilled" the Great Commission. "

4. v. 33 "give up everything he has..."
This verse is oft used as an excuse for cults and communist-like truth twisting. To follow that reasoning robs one of learning a deeper truth.
a. Don't be possessive and hoard our "things". These are tangible things we have a hard time letting go of.
b. This is also intangible things. If you're serious about being discipled or discipling others, it will take a major sacrifice of time.
Time seems like the greatest sacrifice these days. Lately I've noticed that Christians seem more and more willing to give money for an outreach than they are willing to give their time. Giving money hurts; giving time hurts way more. Some people give their time but not always happily. "God loves a cheerful giver". It's difficult to give your time cheerfully, sacrifice your privacy, and be selfless in a "me" driven society.
Pastor Paul urged us to take the time to memorize scripture, study, be discipled, and disciple others. Last night I was really struck by this as I thought about the sermon again. I used to be in Bible Quizzing as a teen. Why does Bible quizzing stop when you grow up? Why aren't adults urged and cheered for memorizing scripture the same way we encourage children to? Where are the "Awana for adults" type programs?
c. Give up Privacy
Discipling is not something that can be done as a "Lone Ranger". Even if you're not the type of person with your heart on your sleeve, you have to be willing to open yourself up to be a disciple and to disciple. Pastor Paul shared about his own accountability partner. I confess I was jealous about that. How different would Christ's bride in 2009 be if every Christian had a steadfast accountability partner?
Another thing about being accountable to someone else is that we have to be willing for people to tell us when we're wrong. Ouch! My generation hates that. We like to justify everything with truth being relative to particular situations or overall ends justifying the means. If people get too close, our feathers get ruffled and we fly. (If you feel your blood pressure escalating, don't think I'm pointing that comment at anyone in particular. I've "been there, done that" myself. Yesterday, actually.)

d. Talent
We have to be willing to give our talents to the Lord.
Sometimes I think that means not using them, which I know sounds crazy. Being a type A /firstborn chic /recovering work-a-holic, I'm always trying to restrain myself from chasing every "great idea" that flies through my imagination.
I also think this is a great point for people with serious insecurities. If your insecurities are keeping you from doing what God has given you the talent to do, then your insecurity has become a stumbling block in your path of following after Jesus.

In summary because you are probably crossed eyed at this point, within the sermon was a challenge to be discipled and to disciple others. Read the scripture for yourself and pray about it. I am. It was definitely one of those sermons that left me squirming in my seat. In fact, the last two messages seemed like they were written for me so I'm entertaining the idea of wearing a tinfoil hat in my house b/c Pastor Paul is obviously tapping into my thoughts somehow. =) Maybe that will be a great craft project for Family Group one Sunday?

I should probably also add that these are my opinions and not necessarily those of Cape Fear Alliance or the denomination. =)

Read the Luke 14: 25-35 passage of scripture and share how it affects you! Better yet, go and memorize it.

-Alicia