Ten things a great small group leader does for kids…

1. Another caring adult is cheering them on.
2. Encouragement to grow spiritually on their own.
3. Support during difficult times in their life.
4. Presence at their sporting events.
5. Someone who is excited to see them at church.
6. Someone they are excited to see when they arrive at church.
7. Someone who leaves them voice messages "just because I was thinking of you."
8. A caring adult who doesn’t freak-out over bad grades–they’re capable of being neutral.
9. Someone who is a "safe" person to talk to.
10. A person who is tender, yet truthful when my kids need a little correcting.

1:27AM

Love is a verb, a choice. But when you really know something, then you really love it? If i really know God, who He is, his whole character [or at least try to], i will be overwhelmed in love for Him? For how can anyone not love God once you get to know Him right? Same as fashion, i have to love what i do, and by being the best, knowing fashion is the way to achieve that, because to have a ministry in this, i have to be the best.

Personal Checkup

Spiritual:

• I’m spending time daily with my heavenly Father in prayer.
• I’m making time to read and study his Word.
• I try to confess my sins and repent of them regularly.
• I remember to thank God for what he has done and to praise him for who he is.

Physical:

• I’m getting proper nutrition.
• I’m getting adequate amounts of sleep.
• I get enough exercise.
• I take time to relax and play and enjoy fun times.

Mental:

• I frequently remind myself what I’ve learned about God, his ways, and his promises.
• I celebrate what God is doing around me and in me.
• I am honest with God, myself and others, sharing my experiences, thoughts, and feelings.
• I remember that (and act as if) I am part of a team and not responsible for everything.

Time Management:

• I know my priorities and sometimes even keep them straight.
• I regularly evaluate whether I should drop some responsibilities.
• I keep “wide margins” in my calendar, so as not to be spread too thin.

Relational:

• I believe and act toward others as if people are more important than programs.

From Elohim to Abba : the intimate names of God

Students long for community and intimacy. And they have little interest in a lofty, distant God. Yet if you ask students about God, most admit to thinking of God as largely unknowable, uncaring, angry or distant. Those of us who long to bring students to faith in Christ often wonder just how we can best present God as he really is. Understanding the names of God—expressions of his nature as found in the Bible—can help.

There are many ways we could portray God in order to get people to like him. We could portray God as a faithful companion and a true friend. We could emphasize Bible texts showing that God could be one’s Best Buddy. We could choose worship songs that make us think of God as warm and fuzzy, close and cuddly.

But we must not create a God in our own image, or in the image desired by the people around us. Instead, it is essential to present God as he revealed himself in scripture, whether our listeners want that kind of God or not. After all, as God told Moses, “I am who I am.”

So how should we portray God? The Bible is our authoritative source for knowing God as he is. Does the Bible truly portray a God who desires intimacy or is this an inappropriate question to ask?

The study of God’s revelation of himself is rich with a variety of names of God. Let’s take a look at the main ones in both Testaments. (Although God’s nature encompasses the fullness of both the masculine and feminine, the Bible tends to use more masculine allusions to reveal God’s person. This is true of his biblical names as well. For the purposes of this article I’ll use masculine pronouns.)
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1:51AM

People doing things that…

• Go against the grain of culture or their peers. (Character)
• Go beyond what is required or expected. (Competence)
• Are very difficult or outside their comfort zone. (Courage)
• Cannot be accomplished alone. (Collaboration)
• Pay off later rather than now. (Commitment)

4:16PM

1. “Love God with all your Heart”: You were planned for God’s pleasure, so your purpose is to love God through worship.
2. “Love your neighbor as yourself”: You were shaped for serving, so your purpose is to show love for others through ministry.
3. “Go and make disciples”: You were made for a mission, so your purpose is to share God’s message through evangelism.
4. “Baptize them into…”: You were formed for God’s family, so your purpose is to identify with his church through fellowship.
5. “Teach them to do all things…”: You were created to become like Christ, so your purpose is to grow to maturity through discipleship (all emphases his).
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1:14PM

"Like an astute coach or a gifted teacher, God prepares his saints for the tasks to which he has appointed them before he uses them. Moses, for example, spent forty years in the desert, herding sheep, before God called him to lead his people out of Egypt. What better preparation in patience could there have been for his assignment of leading an equally stubborn flock of people through wilderness for forty years? Similarly, David learned courage from his own experience as a shepherd. Later the one who had learned how to take on wild animals in the defense of his flock would be called upon to take on the biggest wild animal of all, mighty Goliath, in the defense of God’s flock. God knows how to prepare his people for the tasks to which they are assigned" (from Living in the Gap Between Promise and Reality by Iain M. Duiguid).

My ugly blind spot

If you know me any bit, you’d know that i have this look. This look that expresses all the disgust and anger and utter disappointment i can muster into just one look. Yeah i know, my face is pretty expressive that way. Really good in a way. I like being such a chameleon and being able to express what i feel so clearly. My Sunday School teacher used to say he can see all i’m feeling on my face. Today i read this article, on the left, titled my ugly blind spot. Have a read and see. Yes yes i know what it says. So with such a flexible face i should be able to maintain a reasonably pleasant face even when i’m not particularly overflowing with joy with something or someone. Because it would serve my brother or sister. But here’s a question. But what if i keep a good happy face on, even if its a form of encouragement, and my brother or sister just keeps on assuming that cos i seem fine, nothing is wrong? I think the right way to go about it is to tell the other person something’s up. Hmm, easier said than done. I mentioned a few posts before that i can choose how to react. Well, it gets better with practice. The more i choose to reflect Christ in my facial features, the easier it gets to truly reflect the God bits in me. I just have to keep in mind, the imago Dei.

imago Dei

You think you’re gorgeous?
You think you have a fantastic fashion sense?
You think you’re unique?
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For Men Part Two

I’m Just Not Attracted To Her Part Two
by Michael Lawrence

Guys, I need to let you in on a little secret. You’re not an independent thinker when it comes to beauty and attraction to women. You may pride yourself on your superior judgment and taste. But the fact is, other people have already decided for you the range of who’s beautiful and who’s not. The only decision you make as you choose a girlfriend or a wife is where you’re willing or able to settle in that range.

Now before you reject the idea of settling and before you women object to the notion of a "beauty scale," let me explain what I mean. There has never been a day in your life when you woke up and consciously decided what makes someone beautiful. Instead, long before you reach puberty, you just know. How do you know? Because you’ve adopted the prevailing standards of beauty in your culture or sub-culture.
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