STIX 'N STONES

Amazing Teenagers

Too often when the word "teenager" is mentioned, it brings a negative response, almost like it's a "bad word."  That's why I want to take a moment to recognize some AMAZING TEENAGERS who are contributing, helping others, and living a life that pleases God.  

This week during Kidz Kaboom, there are around 70 teenagers who are serving hundreds of children on the campus of APC.   These teenagers arrive at 7:30am each morning to prepare themselves spiritually (through prayer and worship) and to prepare the facility for the day.  Their work is not completed until around 3pm.  They want to make sure the experience for the children is as fun, exciting, and life-changing as possible.  They do so many things such as: cleaning, leading songs, working with pre-schoolers, teaching basketball drills, praying with kids and much more. 

I am so proud of these teenagers!  They are truly AMAZING!  Thank you so much for all of your hard work and commitment to make this week possible.  You are doing a fantastic job!

Kidz Kaboom Rallies

We're into our 2nd day of Kidz Kaboom (a day camp for kids in elementary school).  We have 350-400 kids from the community taking part in this week's activities.  One of the primary parts of Kidz Kaboom is the rally that takes place each afternoon.  It's a time when everyone gathers together for creative Bible stories, fun, games, music, puppets and more.  Everything is communicated in a creative way using lighting, theatrical smoke, costumes, multi-media, dance, skits and amazing set designs.  Since the theme this year is "Wild West," everything is programmed with a western twist to it.  

One of my favorite parts is when the kids gather together at the front for worship .  It's a fantastic sight wathching hundreds of children lift their hands and worship Jesus.  Wow!  I'm so glad that my own children are being exposed to the presence of God and are able to worship in a corporate setting like this at such a young age. 

What Could Happen When Your GPS Is Wrong - Ouch!

Click here to see how a house was demolished because of wrong coordinates given by a GPS system.  Ouch!

 

Unlikely Basketball Hero

Someone sent me this link. I LOVE stories like this!

Fear, Trust & Freedom

What are you afraid of?  Most people are hesitant to admit their fears, but everyone has them.  Speaking in public ranks as one of the top fears.  I’m sure that the fear of heights is somewhere near the top, as well as the fear of failure.

 Fears can be paralyzing and will prevent us from reaching the full potential that Christ has for our lives.  The opposite of fear is trust.  When we let fear rule our lives, we are choosing not to trust in Christ.  The more we more we give place to fear, the more it grows.  Did you know that your greatest breakthroughs in life will often happen as you conquer your fears?  Our tendency is to run away from them, but God wants us to conquer them! 

 Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear. . .”  The power of Christ is greater than the power of fear.  What fears are holding you in bondage?  Let Jesus set you free today.  

 

Who's Fault Is It?

As long as we blame other people or other things for our poor spiritual condition, we will always live in defeat.  In Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  When God confronted them, Eve blamed the snake and Adam blamed Eve for what they had done.  No one took the responsibility for his/her own actions. 

 

It’s easy to blame other people and outside circumstances for the way that we’re currently living.  The truth is, however, nothing and no one can stand in the way of our relationship with Jesus.  We can’t control other people and we can’t always control the things that happen to us, but we do have a choice how we respond.  

 

Blaming others and/or situations for our inferior spiritual condition will only lead us further away from Christ.  Make the decision to take full responsibility for your relationship with Jesus no matter who or what seems to be standing in your way! 

 

The Valleys of Life

This morning I shared some thoughts on Psalm 84 with our MCM Ministry School students before our prayer time together.  Part of this passage of Scripture talks about passing through the Valley of Baca.  In Hebrew, the word "baca" means weeping or tears.  No doubt we will all pass through seasons and times of challenges in our life, but it is not meant for us to stay there.  The verse says that we will "pass through," not "take up residence" or "stay" in the valley.  Too often people decide to live in the Valley of Baca instead of passing through.  The pain, hurt and weeping can be so overwhelming that it may seem easier to live in that place. 

But if we keep our eyes on Jesus, Psalm 84 says that he can make our valleys a "place of springs."  We can go from "strength to strength," not from weeping to weeping or from struggle to struggle.  God has much different plans than for us to live a life of defeat.  We just need to believe that!  Many times our greatest breakthroughs will occur after we walk through a valley.  The key is that we must keep on walking and keep on believing.  Don't stay in the valleys of life.  Often we are so close to a major breakthrough, but fail to realize it because of how the valley (times of weeping) makes us feel.  Let God turn your times of weeping into times of refreshing.  Believe that your greatest breakthroughs are just around the corner! 

Feeding An Elephant

One of the unique experiences I had in Thailand was coming face to face with an elephant.  While I was having a meal in downtown Khon Kaen with a great missionary couple, Oskar and Rebecca, they noticed an elephant walking down the street.  (Some people walk their dogs and some people walk their elephants).  Since this isn't something that you see everyday in America, I decided to go take some pictures.  However, not only was I able to get some pics, but I was also able to feed the elephant.  I purchased some vegetables (cucumbers I think) and fed him right on the street. 

 

Behind The Scenes In Thailand

Although we're home from Thailand, there are still more stories to tell!  Over the next several days I'll highlight some things in my blog that I didn't get a chance to share. 

One of the things I'm very grateful for happens to be bathrooms in the U.S.!  You can see a picture of one of the bathrooms that we utilized in Thailand near the church that we were working with, Khon Kaen International Church.  It's a covered hole in the ground with no where to sit.  Your "balance" must be up to par when using this style of toilet, otherwise you could really face some challenges!  The "pool" of water beside the toilet is NOT for taking a bath. It's used for dipping water into the whole after business has been taken care of.  That's the way it's "flushed."

And finally, the toilet paper cannot be put in the hole.  The plumbing system cannot handle that.  You must place the toilet paper in a bucket located in the corner of the room.  As you can imagine, this allows for many strange smells to linger in the room. . .    

Some Great Baptisims

Tonight was a great night of baptisms at our Festival follow-up party.  Three of our team members (Alissa, Drew and Gilbert) baptized people who gave their lives to Jesus this week!