my good buddy, alex leo (spidey), has sent you guys another message.
i think this is a great message to read. so take a quick minute and check it out.
"And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." – 1 Corinthians 13:2
We often try to boil our faith down to a set of basic principles, a list of dos and don'ts. You can see it all around you. If you are a Christian, you will do X. If you follow Jesus you wouldn't do Y. What Would Jesus Do? These judgments may well be true, but we need to understand that our faith is so much richer than that!
Too frequently, we strive to do the right things, but for the wrong reasons. Its like we think that if we can only do enough good things, help enough people, or go to church enough, then other people will see us and think we are "good Christians." Then God will approve of us. But we know that this is not what God teaches us.
God has already poured out his love abundantly on us, so we don't have to earn it (nor can we earn it even if we tried)! He tells us that we are jars into which he fills us up with his love. We are to be so filled with his love that we overflow with it. It's got to spill over the edges, and all that overflowing love must be the motivation behind all that we do. As you go throughout your day, invite God to so pour out his love that you cannot help but spill that love over onto others.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
guys day out
was awesome.
check out a couple pictures.
we had a blast and i look forward to doing it again,
matt.
Monday, October 20, 2008
devotion from spidey
"Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord!" – Psalm 31: 24
It's no secret that we all have bad days. I think we forget that sometimes. It's okay to have a bad day. But what happens when we have two bad days in a row? Or three? Or thirty-three? Where is God in our times of distress?
We tend think that God is only there when things are going well in our lives. We might think that God has left us when we go through dark times, or we might even doubt that he was ever there in the first place. I know – I've been there. We all have. Even King David was there, the guy who God chose to lead all the people of Israel.
In Psalm 31, before David writes the last verses (check them out above), he cries out to God, saying, "Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress." David was at a dark time in his own life, and was close to losing hope. But one thing I love about David is that he always managed to turn his face back towards God…even when he felt like God wasn't there.
God is with us, and he hears our cries. Always. Even in the hardest times in our lives, we can trust in that. This is what David means when he tells us to "wait" on God. That doesn't mean that things will be easy, but it does mean that God will give us the strength we need to push through. So, as you're reading this, whether you find yourself on a mountain or in a valley, "be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!"
-Spidey (Alex Leo)
all you who wait for the Lord!" – Psalm 31: 24
It's no secret that we all have bad days. I think we forget that sometimes. It's okay to have a bad day. But what happens when we have two bad days in a row? Or three? Or thirty-three? Where is God in our times of distress?
We tend think that God is only there when things are going well in our lives. We might think that God has left us when we go through dark times, or we might even doubt that he was ever there in the first place. I know – I've been there. We all have. Even King David was there, the guy who God chose to lead all the people of Israel.
In Psalm 31, before David writes the last verses (check them out above), he cries out to God, saying, "Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress." David was at a dark time in his own life, and was close to losing hope. But one thing I love about David is that he always managed to turn his face back towards God…even when he felt like God wasn't there.
God is with us, and he hears our cries. Always. Even in the hardest times in our lives, we can trust in that. This is what David means when he tells us to "wait" on God. That doesn't mean that things will be easy, but it does mean that God will give us the strength we need to push through. So, as you're reading this, whether you find yourself on a mountain or in a valley, "be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!"
-Spidey (Alex Leo)
Thursday, October 16, 2008
hey guys, it's been a while
sorry it's been so long without a new post.
we've been having a blast, haven't we?
it's time to post some photos.
the top photo is a picture of worship at the Core.
the bottom photo is a picture of one of our small groups at Impact.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
upcoming information for september
starting september 11, 2008 we will have our "hangtime" program. This is for all junior high students who simply want to hang out at church. We will have leaders here from 5pm until the Core starts ready to hang out, play dodgeball, talk about life, and simply just supervise. We hope to see you starting at 5pm on all Core Thursdays ready for some "hangtime"
starting next week we will also be kicking off our new sermon series "old school good guys". We will learn lessons from five awesome doodes in the Old Testament. We will look at problems they faced and how they were able to choose God amidst troubles in their lives. This will be a very important series as you guys go back to school and face all sorts of new challenges and choices!
<><,
matt
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
beach tomorrow, core on thursday
tomorrow, we are having a junior high beach day.
come hang out at Huntington City Beach tower 7.
i will be there from 10am-4pm.
bring lunch or bring money for lunch.
don't forget your sunscreen.
this event is FREE and you should totally come hang out.
look for the green easy up and bright board shorts.
thursday night, we are having the core.
it's our "end of summer" core and we're gonna have a blast.
we will have rockin' worship, fun games, some snacks possibly, and some other suprises.
come hang out with us on thursday, from 7-8:30pm in cornerstone hall.
much love,
matt walker.
junior high pastor
come hang out at Huntington City Beach tower 7.
i will be there from 10am-4pm.
bring lunch or bring money for lunch.
don't forget your sunscreen.
this event is FREE and you should totally come hang out.
look for the green easy up and bright board shorts.
thursday night, we are having the core.
it's our "end of summer" core and we're gonna have a blast.
we will have rockin' worship, fun games, some snacks possibly, and some other suprises.
come hang out with us on thursday, from 7-8:30pm in cornerstone hall.
much love,
matt walker.
junior high pastor
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
quick devotion to check out.
Hebrews 12: 1-3
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Today’s devotion is simply a matter of reflection. Our challenge to you is to recognize not only the deed done for you by Christ, but also to recognize that you are not alone in this society as Christians. Verse 1 states that because we are not alone we must have the confidence to not be concerned with people, TV shows, videogames, internet websites, and music when it is these very things that may harm our relationship with God. Instead, be confident in your faith, and hold strong to the waves of sin that may crash against you in the future. The race in verse 2 reflects our race for God. It reflects our strive and desire to reach God and be Christ-like in all that we do. Keep in mind throughout your day that this race is not a sprint, but a marathon. Our goal is to continue the race, not to run until we cannot go on, but to continue until it is over. Jesus took the cross, a symbol that in His time represented death and torment, and He turned it into a symbol that we now look to for comfort. He defeated the cross, He defeated death, and He endured the torture so that we might benefit and have the chance to be with Him forever. So be confident in your faith. Be confident that no matter what your circumstance may be, you have the power to defeat sin because no matter how you feel God will be right there watching over you and protecting you.
-luke patrick
junior high leader
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Today’s devotion is simply a matter of reflection. Our challenge to you is to recognize not only the deed done for you by Christ, but also to recognize that you are not alone in this society as Christians. Verse 1 states that because we are not alone we must have the confidence to not be concerned with people, TV shows, videogames, internet websites, and music when it is these very things that may harm our relationship with God. Instead, be confident in your faith, and hold strong to the waves of sin that may crash against you in the future. The race in verse 2 reflects our race for God. It reflects our strive and desire to reach God and be Christ-like in all that we do. Keep in mind throughout your day that this race is not a sprint, but a marathon. Our goal is to continue the race, not to run until we cannot go on, but to continue until it is over. Jesus took the cross, a symbol that in His time represented death and torment, and He turned it into a symbol that we now look to for comfort. He defeated the cross, He defeated death, and He endured the torture so that we might benefit and have the chance to be with Him forever. So be confident in your faith. Be confident that no matter what your circumstance may be, you have the power to defeat sin because no matter how you feel God will be right there watching over you and protecting you.
-luke patrick
junior high leader
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
creekside logo
here is creekside's new logo for this summer.
again, it is going to be amazing.
as a junior high group, we will be going August 10-16.
more info to come.
106 days until creekside
it will be great.
they put up a highlight video recently.
pretty much stars all of us junior highers from last summer.
check it out.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Sunday Morning Impact
come check out Sunday morning IMPACT Bible study.
we meet in the chapel at first christian church at 9:00 or 10:30.
9am service always gets donuts.
we have worship.
we have discussion groups.
we play a gameshow.
we grow and learn and have a blast.
come check it out!
laser tag
laser tag was a great time.
all of us leaders hope you guys had an awesome time.
you guys were amazing and had some phenomenal scores!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
