Jesus darkest moment

Coming out of Easter, many thoughts tend to flow as we reflect on what Jesus did on and through the cross, how he conquered death and the final results of restoring the relationship of God and man. As I have thought over the years, I have encouraged people that Jesus knows what it is like to be a human. His birth put him at the lowest of the low. Jesus was royalty but he was not born into it from a human perspective. He knows what it was like to be hungry. How do I know? The Bible tells us (Mark 11:12)! He got tired and needed sleep (Mark 4:38). He experienced the loss of a friend (John 11:35). It is not in the Bible, but I imagine that when Jesus was growing up, he fell and skinned a knee from time to time. He knows what it is like to be human.

Jesus' humanity leading up to his death is magnified in the Gospels. The focus of the last meal and his last time of hanging with his friends. Think about a prisoner who is on death rows and their last meal. They are not sharing with the closest of friends and I don't think a last meal is a time to be excited for. Jesus valued his disciples and saw the importance of spending a meal with them. In the garden, the sweat, the tears, the blood, the pain of talking with Father about his will. The kiss of betrayal. Many of us know how it feels to be betrayed by a friend or family member. It's tough, it hurts! The whips that pulled flesh from his body, the pulling of his beard, the insults, people gambling for his clothes, the nails in his hand and feet, a crown of thorns on his brow and being put on display.

Leading up to this point, I am sure that we as humans can relate with at least one thing if not many of the things that Jesus lived through. Granted, we are still not at Jesus' darkest moment! The pain, the loneliness and the rejection of man; but then came the darkest moment, the rejection of the Father. God being a holy God, cannot be part of sin and Jesus took the sins of the world on him separating him from the Father. Flesh being pulled off his body was minor compared to the relationship of the Father being separated from the Son. Jesus did this for me! He experienced a dark, lonely place that was without God; how in the world would I ever choose to reject God and want to ever experience hell! Jesus went through his darkest moment to give me an opportunity to have a relationship with the Father that I could have never obtained.

Ga Ga Ball

My second attempt at a Ga Ga Pit! This one turned out way better than the previous... 

I recruited Jeff and he brought along his father. 

Inviting South Haven Kids for the opportunity to be the first to use it!

Importance of a church in it's community?

Yesterday, I was out shopping at Home Depot planning the next big children ministry exciting moment (details coming soon), when I recognized one of the employees. I had that moment where I was trying to remember where I knew the individual from and couldn’t recall. She knew me! Come to find out she was one of our winners from our Trunk or Treat event. She would go on to actually invite my cashier to church; to which I would find out that she knew the Klein’s which led to talking about how Alan played an amazing part of our Upward Sports program. As these conversations continue; we have to think, how important is it for a church to be out in the community? Certainty, this conversation would have not happened if it were not for South Haven’s decision to be active in the community.

Each person has a total of 168 hours a week. No more and no less. What we do with that time matters! Each kid that is in my ministry has 168 hours a week and I have come to realize I only have about two hours to impact their lives. So it has been my ministry goal to make the most of these two hours and invest in the lives of kids within my reach.

As a parent, this way of thinking has changed. As I read the Bible, I find that the main people that should be impacting kids for Jesus and equipping them in the faith are the parents. Yes, I am still called to reach kids within my two hours with my specific ministry calling, but I am also called as a parent to raise Nathaniel in Jesus. I won't be satisfied with the two blue dots for Nathaniel, I need to use many of those green dots as a parent to reflect Jesus!

Parents, it is so important to pray with your children, to read devotions with your children, to model a Christ-like picture for your children and to look for times to point your kids to Jesus. You, over the church, will always have more of an impact in showing Jesus to them. The church is just your partner in helping you raise your children in Jesus. Look for ways this week to model, to teach and to show God to your children!

Tebow and thoughts on A Night to Shine

Tebow...The Gator quarterback, not a fan. And the Denver Broncos draft Tim Tebow, oh man, I guess I will have to start liking him? As I watched, heard his testimony, seeing his on and off the field character, the td pass to Thomas in OT against the Steelers! I cheered for him, I was disappointed when he left Denver, where will he play? I respected that he gave glory to God, but if he could not play in the NFL will he still give God the glory? I Google him often just to see what he is up to. Oh, he is sportscasting, playing for the Mets, teaming up with Chip and Joanna Gaines, and putting on a variety of charities. On a night like tonight where he will impact almost 100,000 people!

Tonight, he has partnered with churches across the country as they invest in friends. The event is called "A Night to Shine" and is in its fourth year. A Night to Shine is a special prom night event for those who have special needs. This is what Tebow has to say about this special night:

“It’s my favorite night of the year and we get to change so many lives,” Tebow said in a video promoting the event. “Honestly, it’s not just the night of their life where they get to dance, and they get to have fun. They get to ride in limos, they get to walk down red carpets." He added: "It’s so much more than life, because maybe for the first time, they realize that they’re worth it. They realize that they’re special. They realize that they’re loved. There’s not much more important than that.”

The event is now shared by 540 churches in 16 countries with 175,000 volunteers. When the guests arrive, there are tuxedos and shoe shine stations for the guys and hair, makeup and dresses or the ladies. They then get to walk the red carpet, and participate in dancing and karaoke. Tebow will make special appearances at a variety of locations tonight. He continues to show great character, invest in people that many might not take time to get to know, and continues to give God glory. With all the athletes that are out there; Tebow has never made me regret pointing young people towards him. His character and integrity are to be admired; his love for Jesus is encouraging that no matter how hard sports are to you, you can still give God the glory. Thanks Tebow and to the 175,000 volunteers that invested and impacted lives tonight.