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The Best Sex Ever: God's Word on Sex

We continued with our latest series called "The Best Sex Ever" last Wednesday at FUEL. The topic for the week was "God's Word on Sex". We looked at many passages that discuss sexual impurity and sexual immorality while using passages that discussed obedience to God and the protection of our bodies. We studied how sex was created by God to be great, not just good and that sex is not just an urge, but a real temptation for people. We also looked at how sex is not just physical, like the world says, but that it is fully spiritual. God's Word is clear to present the pain and consequences that come from pre-marital sex or adultery within marriage. Our beliefs influence our behavior when it comes to our sexul decisions. The question is... do we rely on culture/society, feelings/emotions, or God's Word/standards for making our sexual decisions. God wants sex to be a great thing for us but within the context of marriage between a man and woman. He created it just like He created us. We need to be obedient to our Father in all things, including sexual decisions.

The Best Sex Ever: Created in God's Image

Last Wednesday night we began our 4 week series on "The Best Sex Ever" with our student ministry. The first week was about being created in God's image. We discussed how culture and society influence us wrongly about sex, what the differences between guys and girls are, and how these things need to be embraced by teenagers. The overall theme for this week was about how God loves us no matter what and how each of us is unique in our own way. We have been given wrong information by friends and culture about what real love and sex are. Students today assume that love=sex which is incorrect and sets these kids on the wrong path. TV, movies, music, magazines, etc. cause mass confusion which leads to confusing thinking, and then confusing actions. This week's purpose was to lay a solid foundation for how God created us and what He had in mind for sex to be. I have a question box that allows students to ask questions they have about sex which could make for some interesting weeks to come!

Check this book out... "A Certain Risk"

Paul was born and raised in a village carved out of the jungle in Dutch New Guinea, where his parents were missionaries. With a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in educational leadership, Richardson is part of a group creating a network of state-of-the-art Christian schools in some of the most impoverished environments on earth. Richardson lives in southeast Asia with his wife, Cyndi, and their three children.

Paul served as an elder at Mosaic before moving back to Southeast Asia. His father Don Richardson is the author of "Peace Child."

In his memoir, A Certain Risk: Living Your Faith at the Edge, Paul will inspire you to engage the complexities of your world with creative solutions-with creativity that comes straight from the heart of the Creator. Drawing on stories from his life as a change specialist in the world's largest Muslim country, Richardson explores what causes you to be pinned down under personal apathy and disappointment, and he helps you seek the Spirit-fueled life that can set you free.


- Posted from Scott Huff's iPhone

Peace, Patience, and Self Control

These past few weeks in FUEL we discussed 3 of the "fruits" to finish the four part series on God's Extreme Makeover. We used Galatians 5 and the "fruits of the Spirit" to kick-off each message.
Peace is a good foundation for many of the other fruits. We need to maintain the peace that God offers us. We struggle to do this because of the "enemies of peace" that we have in our lives. These include: noise, fear, anger, information overload, and myself. We react on these enemies by worry, consumption, procrastination, and etc. God wants us to have a peace that would blow us away. It's a peace that can takeover our lives if we can just get our own selfish desires out of the way and allow for God's will to run our lives.
Patience is something we could all use a little more of in life. God teaches us patience through various ways such as the timing of events or answered prayers. God asks us to be patient so that He may accomplish His will. We need to keep our own desires and motivations out of His way. Quit pushing the issue in life and rely on God that He will succeed.
Self control allows us to see God's will come into fulfillment. We can't have self control on our own. It must be led by the Holy Spirit. We need to replace our kingdom with God's so that He can work in our lives. Self control keeps us from giving into temptation and will ultimately allow us find the available hope and love that God offers us. This topic wrapped up our series and is a great beginning to our next topic.

God's Extreme Makeover

We began a new series at FUEL this past week called God's Extreme Makeover. During our time of worship the Chic-fil-a cow showed up to celebrate my birthday with our youth group. It was a fun time and our youth enjoyed it too. We began by discussing the fruits of the Spirit and how they are free gifts from God that we can have if we are filled with the Holy Spirit. God makes these things available to us for free as long as we are relying on Him for the sanctification of our bodies. We all need and desire an extreme makeover. But, most all of us try to do this by changing our outside, appearance, and cosmetics. For a true transformation we need to begin on the inside because this is where it counts in the eyes of God. I am so looking forward to the coming weeks while we investigate what it means to go through a true "extreme makeover". Galatians 5 is what we are using as the main scripture passage for this study. It will be lasting 4 total weeks. We will be looking at 3 specific fruits of the Spirit: peace, patience, and self-control.


- Posted from Scott Huff's iPhone

"Man vs. Wild" Series: Part 3

We finished up our "Man vs. Wild" series last night at FUEL. It was great to walk through the story of Jesus in the wilderness and to see the tempations He faced. The 3rd temptation that we covered was idol worship. Satan tells Jesus He can have all that He sees if He would bow down and worship him. Jesus denies Satan while saying, "Fear the Lord your God, and serve Him only" which comes from Deuteronomy 6:13. We looked at the issues of the idols in our lives; the things we put before our relationship with God. This can include money, power, fame, possessions, etc. I encouraged the (40+) students to spend their time focusing on God rather than on earthly, temporary things. We all want more of the things we do/don't have, but we struggle to want more of God. We fear Satan because of what he can do, but we don't fear God the one who has defeated Satan. Why do we do this? Why do we worry about what people think more than what God thinks? The only thing that matter for eternity is our relationship status with God. The things of this world make no difference in our eternal life. We must seek after the God who loves us and desires for us to be with Him once we depart from this place. "No one can serve 2 masters" (Matthew 6:24) and we must choose between God and the "junk" of this earth. What will you choose?

"Man vs. Wild" Series: Part 2

We addressed the 2 temptation of Matthew 4:1-11 this week in FUEL. This temptation was to make God resuce Him. Jesus was asked to throw Himself off of the pinnacle of the temple and to make God save Him. Satan quoted that God would not allow Him to be harmed by sending His angels to protect Him from harm. Jesus then quotes Deuteronomy 6:16, "you shall not put the Lord your God to the test." This part of the series focused on not testing God but simply relying on Him through our faith to protect us and guide us in all of situations that come in life. We all come from different life circumstances but we all must rely on God because of what He has done for us and what He promises to do through us. He doesn't need us but we definitely need Him. He does want us because we are His children and He desires a deeper relationship with each of us. His sovereignty is what makes it possible for us to follow Him through each adn every situation because we know He is in charge and in control of all things that happen here on earth. He is our God whose authority is unquestionable and unchallengeable beause He is the Creator and Sustainer of the entire world.

Strength To Stand Conference in Pigeon Forge, TN

I am still tired from one of the best weekends yet in the life of our student minstry. We took 38 students, 2 children, and 10 adults to the Strength to Stand Conference in Pigeon Forge, TN on 1/16-1/18 which is organized by the Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association. This was a great weekend filled with great worship led by Rush of Fools and preaching by Jay Strack, Jared Herd, Scott Dawson, and David Nasser. The theme this year was "STIR" based on 2 Timothy 1:6. We are called to stir the gift and stir the world as followers of Christ. The most exciting part of the weekend came when 3 of our students accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This came on Sunday night when Scott Dawson presented the Gospel to 7200+ students and adults. I had the privilege of leading our students in their decision during this time. There were tears and hugs and smile galore as these students made the greatest life-changing decision ever. We also had several students recommit their lives to Jesus Christ as they had fallen away from His authority in their lives recently. I will be praying for these students and their new-found faith in our Lord!

"Man vs. Wild" Series: Part 1

In FUEL this week, we began our new series called "Man vs. Wild". This is going to be a 3 part series detailing Jesus in the wilderness and will include "survival" games. We played a game of who could eat the raw fish (sushi) faster this week. In part 1, we addressed His forst temptation: Hunger. We looked at how Jesus did not give into Satan's temptation of turing stones into bread so that He would not be hungry anymore. We analyzed how Satan would have ruined God's plan for a sinless Savior and thereby eliminating our ability to gain access to heaven. This is an event where Jesus was able to demonstrate His trust in God's provision and ultimately God purpose for Jesus and all of mankind. Jesus also demonstrated waiting on God's timing for things to happen. We often struggle with this and we want to push the envelope ourselves and make things happen. God has a perfect timing for everything and we have to trust in that because He is God.

Where Do I Find Truth?

We had a great night at FUEL this week. We had 40 students show up for a normal Wednesday night service. The atmosphere was great with some great praise songs led by a student, Kelli Crawford, who did a wonderful job. The feeling in the room was awesome with the students watching and listening with great intent. I shared with the students about "Where Can You Find Absolute Truth?" We looked at several passages of Scripture regarding the Word of God. I used 2 Peter 1:12-15 as the main passage to show how Peter had such a great desire for people to read God's Word even up until his impending death. I shared my personal experiences with the Bible and how it is life-changing, transforming, and encouraging. I explained how the we, as believers, need to get alone and in silence with the Word of God. The Words will come to life and we should tremble at His Words (Isaiah 66:2). I pray that we all learned how we need to be alone with God so that He can transform our lives. I also pray that we have a passion for each other to grow in the Lord. We need to have an accountability to one another for us all to be like Christ.

New Year's Revolutions

The last night of FUEL for 2009 was a great night. We had a great time of worship and I spoke on spiritual disciplines as a means of change for 2010. These New Year's revolutions are vital to a believer and what better time to recommit your life to them than at the beginning of a new year. The revolutions consisted of 1. Read the Bible, 2. Pray to God, 3. Give to God, 4. Go to Church, and 5. Serve Others. These 5 spiritual disciplines are things we do but may not actually commit ourselves to. My challenge to our students was to make a commitment to doing these things more, more effectively, or even just to start doing them in general. The reasons behind these disciplines is because God commands us and expects us to do these things. God has done His part by revealing Himself through Scipture and we can follow that with praying returning favor to Him, meeting with a body of believers, and serving those in need. I pray I can make the same transformation for this coming year to improve my walk with Christ by doing these things better.

Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Wins #2000 And I Was There!

Monday night, December 21st at 7 pm the Kentucky Wildcats started a game against Drexel University at Rupp Arena. I was in attendance with my wife, Lori, and sitting in section 230 row FF seats 5 and 6. The game was a blowout with UK winning 88-44. Demarcuse Cousins and Patrick Patterson led the team in scoring with 18 points a piece and John Wall had 16 points along with 7 assists. Cousins also led the way with 13 rebounds in the rout. #3 ranked Kentucky improved to 12-0 on the season with historical win #2000. Immediately after the game, confetti and streamers filled the air of Rupp Arena and the crowd stayed standing in their places. No one was leaving early from this celebration. After the game Coach John Calipari and his team came to center court with a microphone. He addressed the crowd about how this team has only had a small part in the wins at Kentucky but that the fans have been here the entire time. Calipari said, "People have a pride in their Commonwealth's team and it means something to them." He also handed the microphone to Coach Adolph Rupp's son who told of how proud his father would have been. Former coach, Joe B. Hall, and former players (Jamal Mashburn, Kenny "Sky" Walker, etc.) were all in attendance for the momentous occasion. The evening was great and I look forward to #3000 but first a National Championship is in order - maybe the 2010 one? :)

Went to NYC to Watch the CATS Play UConn

I was in New York City last week from Wednesday 12/9 to Saturday 12/12. Lori and I went to Madison Square Garden to watch the Kentucky Wildcats beat the UConn Huskies 64-61! The game was great as it came down to the wire with the CATS pulling it out. I made a sign and took it with me... it read "The Great Wall of Kentucky Stretches from Lexington to NYC". It was so good that it got me on ESPN several times. I got texts throughout the game from friends and family saying they saw me on TV. It made the game that much more fun! We also toured Yankee Stadium and saw the restaurant used in Seinfeld. We went to a Broadway show called "Memphis" which was also very good. We had a great time in NYC with Lori's friend Tashena who lives there. It made for a great trip and some wonderful memories!

Days Divide Performs at FUEL

Last night at FUEL we replaced our typical Wednesday night with an acoustic concert by the Christian rock band DAYS DIVIDE. It was a great night where we had 50 people in attendance to hear some great music. Days Divide played their acoustic versions of their rock songs. The students absolutely loved it. They got so caught up in the atmosphere with jumping around, clapping to the beat, singing along, and dancing... no, make that interpretive movement! :) It was a great night put on by some great Christian men who have brought their love for music and God to a whole new level. I am thankful for their ministry and I pray that God will continue to bless these guys! Check out their website http://www.myspace.com/daysdividemusic

Will Media and Technology Save the Church?

I recently read an article by Scott McClellan on Collide Magazine's Blog entitled "Will Media and Technology Save the Church?." I agree with Mr. McClellan that media and technology will not save the church because the church does not need saving. The church of Jesus Christ is made to outlast all things and at no point will it need to be saved. Media and technology are great compliments to the work of the church but nothing will ever overtake the Gospel as the priority of the local church. We are called to make disciples of all nations, not to entertain them with flashing lights, smoke machines, and great animated powerpoint presentations. Those are things are not bad in themselves, but if they becaome the priority of the church then we have taken a serious misstep and we must go back and correct that. I believe these things truly enhance worship of our Lord and Savior but, like Mr. McClellan, they will never fill the enormous shoes of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Listen, Receive, and Do God's Word

In FUEL last night we studied James 1:19-25 which is about listening, receiving, and doing God's Word. We have to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger when it comes to listening to God's Word. We often hear God's Word but don't often "hear" it. We have too much other junk in our lives that interferes with our listening to His Holy Word. We are commanded to receive God's Word upon listening to it. But often we are consumed with moral filth and evil that take up our heart and mind. But we must remove all that filth from our lives so that we can grow spiritually and take in more of God's Word. The process of spiritual growth begins at the salvation experience and then the sanctification process of removing the bad and filling it with the goodness of God. Once we listen and receive God's Word, we then must do God's Word. The doing is the part we all struggle with because we often "forget" what we have just heard or learned just like "a man who forgets what he looks like just after looking in the mirror"(v. 22-23). We need to remove the nastiness in our lives and replace it with the joy and greatness of Jesus Christ. Don't be angry and grumpy, but be joyful because of your Savior!

The Source of Temptation

This week's FUEL study was on "The Source of Temptation". We continued in our study on James by looking at 1:13-18. In this passage we read the God does not tempt anyone and He is not capable of tempting anyone. So, where does all the evil in the world come from? This passage explains that temptation/sin come from our own evil desires and the work of Satan in our lives. We are fallen, sinful people and Satan uses our inner evil desires to help us sin. He caters to our evil desires by dropping hints and making suggestions for us to give into. So, if you have an evil desire to be rich then Satan will provide opportunities where it seems you may become rich by doing something evil. He may provide an opportunity for you to hurt someone in order to gain money. It may look appealing because of the financial gain but sin will occur because of giving into the temptation. What we need to do is grow spiritually in life where we can flee from our evil desires and pursue after the One and only righteous God of the universe. We must rely on Him and His desire for our lives because this life is not our own but it belongs to Him, as we are His followers and have been redeemed by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

The Testing of Faith

The testing of our faith is evident by James 1:2-12. We will be tested with the goal being that we pass the test. Not only should we pass the test but we should persevere through the trial by relying on our faith. Our faith should be strong enough to be confident in what God can do and then expect Him to deliver us through each and every situation. God allows for us to be tested in "many ways" because He needs to see that our faith is not merely spoken but acted out when the time comes. James tells us to "consider it pure joy" when we face trials because it will develop the persistence of our faith. The reason behond the trials is to be able to present the believer as "mature and complete". We will need wisdom from God to encounter trials and defeat them successfully. Verse 12 says, "blessed are those who persevere under trial." We will be rewarded for persevering through trials from within (tempatation of sin) and without (persecution). You can only receive the prize if you have entered the competition of a life with Jesus Christ. We will all struggle but only those who have Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and are able to persevere to the end will receive the "crown of life".

Fear of Commitment

Last night in FUEL we discussed the "Fear of Commitment". We all struggle with committing to things, either too many commitments or too few. The question we must ask ourselves, is are we committed to the right things? What do your commitments involve? Are you committed to things you don't really care about or want to put your time and effort into? Are you committed to the things that you value and are most passionate about? You must first realize what you value so that you may make the appropriate commitments towards it. My passions and values are in who God is and what He has done so I make commitments that allow me to work towards God and put my energy and efforts towards Him. So ask yourself, am I committed to the God who created me, the one who sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross for me? OR am I committed to the meaningless things of this earth that are insignificant in the grand scheme of eternity? I pray that you will commit yourself to God and to Him alone becuase He provides the greatest benefits and none of the costs. After all, what do you have to lose?