Scripture for Life - Anger IV

There is such a thing as righteous anger. And sometimes we need to talk about problems or deal with dangerous situations - but even/especially at those times, we must exercise self-control! Even so, most of the time, our anger is not righteous.

The Scripture for today is James 1:20
"for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."


For points, please post a comment; have you ever experienced a situation where "righteous anger" was warranted?

-Wes

Scripture for Life - Integrity

Today's scripture is on the subject of integrity - otherwise known as doing the right thing when no one is looking and during those times when you don't believe you'd be found out, even if you cheated.  Those with integrity do the right thing - because it's the right thing!  That's how God calls us to live, as described in this scripture verse:

Proverbs 10:9
"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out."

Here's a short story that I think provides a great description of integrity; and you can see how it makes those with integrity stand out from everyone else.

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A successful business man was  growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over  the business.

Instead of choosing one of his  Directors or his children, he decided to do something different.  He called all the young
executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down  and choose the next  CEO. I have decided to choose one of  you. "The young executives were Shocked, but the boss  continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very  special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come  back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I  have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and  the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named  Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went  home and excitedly, told his
 wife the story. She helped him get a pot,  soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water  it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three  weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about  their seeds and the plants that were beginning to  grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing  ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks  went by, still nothing.

By now, others  were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by --  still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his  seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had  nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however,  he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so  wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and  all the young executives of the company brought their plants  to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he  wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be  honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it  was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life,  but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty  pot to the board room. When Jim arrived,  he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other  executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes.  Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his  colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his  young executives.

Jim just tried to  hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers  you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO  spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He  ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front.  Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure!  Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to  the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed -  Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone  to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced  to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive  Officer!

His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in  this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not  possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it.  Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

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Do you see any similarities between this story and the life we're called to live by God? 

-Wes

Scripture for Life - Anger III

Here's a scripture regarding Anger, but viewing it from the opposite perspective of Joy.

Proverbs 12: 19-21
"Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.  (20) There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace. (21) No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble."


For points:
post a comment that includes the text of another verse from Provers 12.  This entire chapter is about joy, righteous living, and avoiding cruelty and anger.

-Wes

Scripture for Life - Anger II

Here's the second scripture this week on the topic of Anger;

Proverbs 22:  24-25
"Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, (25) Or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared."

For points - post a reply;
Can you recall a time when you were really angry and acting out - usually referred to as throwing a temper tantrum or a fit - when other people began to avoid you and stay away?  Do you like to be around people when they're that way, or, do you know anyone who is that way all the time?  Those kind of people are usually referred to as a hot-head or something like that.  Do you see how it's' not pleasant to be around people like that?  That's what God is telling us through this scripture.

-Wes

Pizza Delivery...Fail

Since the topic this week is Anger, it might be fun to watch some videos that might cause that very emotion.

Check it out - this is a Pizza Delivery Fail

Scripture for Life - Anger I

The topic of study next week is Anger.

I will make various posts this week on that subject.

The first scripture is Psalm 14:29
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.


For points, please post a comment and re-phrase this scripture verse using other terms, your own words.

-Wes

Scripture for Life - Acceptance IV (Closing thoughts)

I hope you all enjoyed the discussion on Acceptance at group tonight.

Here's a closing scripture on the topic;
Romans 5: 6-8
"(6) You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  (7) Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  (8) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

This scripture tells us that no matter how lonely, out of place or rejected we might feel in the world from time to time, God always accepts us.  This is proven by the ultimate symbol of acceptance, even in our fallen sinful state, Christ died for our sins.

For points, please post a reference to another scripture, any one you like, that tells of God's enduring love for us.

-Wes

My First Computer

In addition to today's scripture (in the post below) I'm posting this for the "Fun" page, it will archive there.

I thought you might find this interesting, just to put things into perspective for you and how good we have it for communications these days , and how much things change.-

Believe it or not, this was my first computer, I actually had one of these, a "Commodore Vic 20"

The "hard drive" was a cassette tape deck.
The monitor was a 13" black & white tv (yes, they really did exist)
Software?  What's that?  For "Programs" you had to buy a separate book of code and type it in to write the 'program' yourself.

They said you could get the thing to play space invaders - like you see in the pictures - but the code you had to type for that 'program' was about 20 pages long; I could never make it work...

When?  It was about 1980 when I had one.
(hey, that's only 31 years ago!)

This was the hard drive...

I posted this for fun, but also to make a point. 

Things change, drastically and quickly, but not with regard to God. He is the same, now, and forever.  The God that we worship today is the same God that spoke to Moses through the burning bush, that told Noah to build an ark, and that sent His Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior to die for our sins - over 2,000 years ago!   

Everything we have in this world; everything that we work for day in and day out, that we see on the web and on TV and decide that we must have to be happy - it's all going to fade away in the end. 

Not too long from now people will look at pictures of our stuff, like my Commodore Vic 20 here, and wonder what we were thinking. 

It's our relationships with each other and with God that will last, that's all we really have.  God calls us to accept each other and to love each other more than we love ourselves - or material things. 

Food for thought - what is the most important thing in your life? 

What is it that you spend more time thinking about than anything else?  

The answer to the second question answers the first!  

...God want's it to be Him!  

-Wes

Scripture for Life - Acceptance - III

Today's verse is from the book of Romans.

Romans 15: 5-7
"(5)May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, (6)so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (7)Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."

For points, please post an answer to this question:
How does accepting one another, as instructed in this scripture verse, bring praise to God?

-Wes

Scriputre for Life - Acceptance II

Please read Matthew 10:40

What does Jesus tell us will happen to those that receive (accept) us?

For points, post the answer/comments below.

-Wes
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Here's a video response, submitted by Christa S.  - thanks!
Wes

Scripture for Life - Acceptance...

More on the topic of Acceptance -

1 Samuel 16:7
"God judges persons differently than humans do.  Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart."


For points - post the name of a movie or a play you've seen where the story involves acceptance of someone who is an outcast, misfit, or otherwise unacceptable to the main group but is accepted anyway.  

-Wes

Video Repose to "Acceptance" Scripture entry

Submitted by Christa S.
-This is an awesome video, thanks!

-Wes

Scripture for Life - Acceptance...

The weekly lesson we will discuss this Wednesday is on ACCEPTANCE.

Scripture postings this week will focus on that concept leading up to our meeting on Wednesday.

The Scripture for today on this topic is:

Romans 12:9
"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good."


Here's a fun video about Acceptance.  For points, post a comment and tell us about a time when you were accepted by someone else or a group - when you could have been embarrassed or shunned and made fun of.

-Wes

Scripture for Life - Mercy...

Consider this:
The concept of JUSTICE is directed towards a victim, one who is harmed by an action of another.
Whereas MERCY is for an offender,
The heart of the Lord is Mercy.

We are all guilty sinners in the eyes of God.
But, in his Mercy, by Grace through Christ Jesus, we are reconciled to God and can once again join in a relationship with God.

The scripture for today is Matthew 9:10-13;
"It happened as he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.  11 When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  12 When Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.  13 But you go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. "

For points, post a reference to another scripture describing God's Mercy towards us.

-Wes

Video - Escalator

Here's a video that shows the need for - widsom...

If we're lost and simply don't know what to do - scripture tells us to ask God;


James 1:5 ESV
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."


*For points, post a link to another scripture verse about this subject - wisdom and/or turning to God when we need guidance and direction. 


-Wes

Historical Footnote - Grape Juice and the Methodist Church

He's a little-known story of how one devoted Methodist turned a disappointment into a success, working throughout to serve God.

Thomas Bramwell Welch was born in Glastonbury, England. He came to the United States when his father emigrated in 1834. He attended public schools in Watertown, New York.  At age 17, Thomas Welch joined the Wesleyan Methodist Connexion, founded the same year (1843).

From its beginning, the Wesleyan Methodist Connexion strongly opposed (1) the "manufacturing, buying, selling, or using intoxicating liquors", and (2) "slaveholding, buying, or selling" of slaves.

With the first edition of their Discipline, the Wesleyan Methodists expressly required for the Lord's Supper that "unfermented wine only should be used at the sacrament."  This requirement was about 25 years before Welch used pasteurization. So it is clearly evident that pasteurization was not the only method used to prepare it unfermented. There were traditional methods to prepare unfermented wine (juice) for use at any time during the year, e.g. to reconstitute concentrated grape juice, or to boil raisins, or to add preservatives that prevent juice from fermenting and souring.

Throughout his late teens, Welch was active in the Underground Railroad that transported escaped slaves from the south into Canada.  In fact, he was not the only Wesleyan Methodist connected to the "Underground Railroad."

By age 19, he graduated from Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary and became an ordained Wesleyan Methodist minister.  He ministered first in Poundridge, in Westchester County, New York, then in Herkimer County, New York.

While in Herkimer County, he married Miss Lucy Hult and they would eventually have seven children.
While he continued to work in ministry he and Lucy felt called to venture off into the Mission Field and travel the world evangelizing for Christ.  This would prove to be impossible, however, due to medical complications - his voice failed him - and he was obliged to direct his attention to other pursuits.

He then attended New York Central Medical College (Syracuse campus), becoming a physician in Penn Yan, New York.  Welch then relocated to Winona, Minnesota in 1856 and changed his profession to dentistry.

In 1864, the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church expressly recommended that "in all cases the pure juice of the grape be used in the celebration of the Lord's Supper."  In 1865, Welch relocated to Vineland, New Jersey, where a sister already resided. Then in 1869, Welch discovered a method of pasteurizing grape juice so that fermentation was stopped, and the drink was non-alcoholic. He persuaded local churches to adopt this non-alcoholic "wine" for communion services, calling it "Dr. Welch's Unfermented Wine."

That became the birth of the Welch's Juice Company, what is now a household name.

This is a success story of one man's determination and steadfast devotion to Godly principles.  It also demonstrates how we can't always determine what we'll do in life or where it will take us, but if we remain focused on God at all times, we will inevitably succeed and further the Kingdom of God in the process.

-Wes
source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bramwell_Welch

Here's a traditional song for you, done powerfully by a fairly new musical group called Il Divo; this group was actually assembled by Simon Cowell of American Idol.

Please take a moment to enjoy this powerful performance of what is perhaps the greatest Christian song of all time...

Here's a link to the story of John Newton, the author of "Amazing Grace."  John Newton was the Captain of a slave trading ship, his is a very interesting story and powerful story of God's grace!

-Wes

Music Video - Il Divo; "Amazing Grace"

Here's a traditional song for you, done powerfully by a fairly new musical group called Il Divo; this group was actually assembled by Simon Cowell of American Idol.

Please take a moment to enjoy this powerful performance of what is perhaps the greatest Christian song of all time...

Here's a link to the story of John Newton, the author of "Amazing Grace."  John Newton was the Captain of a slave trading ship, his is a very interesting story and powerful story of God's grace!

-Wes

Scripture for Life...02/11/2011

Here is a scripture verse to consider for the weekend.  Of all the ways we have to affect those around us, what we say is perhaps one of the most powerful. We have the ability to lift up others and edify them, or to tear them down and even cause permanent damage - with only our words!


Proverbs 21:23
"He who guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself from calamity."

Scripture for Life...02/09/2011

Our Youth Group meeting was cancelled today due to bad weather, I look forward to meeting with you all again next week.

Next week we will spend some time going over plans for the group, meeting structure, etc., and as part of that we need to put together a calendar for the year, we can post that on the wall in the Youth Basement and it will mirror what's posted on the calendar here on the website.

Instead of our meeting this week, please take a little time to read through this scripture:


Psalm 69:5-6
"You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you. 
May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel!"

It would be great if you would take the time to read all of Psalm 69, paying particular attention to the verses above, then consider this question:

Why are you a Christian?

I'm very interested to read any thoughts or comments you have, please post them as a comment to this entry below.

In Christ,
Wes


moment to think on the question and scripture below.  I'd very much

Video - The Band is City Harmonic, song title is "Manifesto"

Listen to the lyrics of this song, it's simple but powerful!

-Wes

Scripture Project of the week

This is worth 1 additional participation point;

Read Ephesians 2:10 -
What are we referred to as?  There is a one-word answer that you can use to reply to this question.

Please text or email me the answer before our Group meeting on Wednesday.

In Christ,
Wes

"Angel Flight" music video

Christ calls us to serve others, as we read in Scripture;
Matthew 20:26-28:  "...Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

We should always remember those in our military who selflessly serve all of us, some of them making the ultimate sacrifice in service to others - to us...

This video is dedicated to them and it provides a good opportunity to reflect on the service of the men and women who serve in the military, but also to think on how each of us can be of service to our fellow man, just as we are directed to do by Christ himself.

-Wes

911...Fail

Flying Squirrel - Fail...

Scripture for Life...02/03/2011

"He who guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself from calamity."

Proverbs 21:23 NIV

Video for Fun - Please don't do this...

They played this video during Winter Blitz 2011, between acts, too funny, but please don't do this...

Scripture for Life...02/01/2011

"Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
"I find no pleasure in them"- "

Ecclesiastes 12:1 NIV

The Band from Winter Blitz - Abandon - video of "Hold On"

-Do you recognize these guys???