The cameras are always rolling

The buzz word lately at my church is "naked". Everyone is busy getting ready to embrace the new series on authenticity as a Christ follower. It is exciting to see everyone working together for the purpose of helping others find truth. Unchurched to find Christ. It is exciting to know that God will reveal truth to all of us in a different way. Christian to stop playing church.

The question is, can we handle the truth? Are we willing to change to become more like Christ, the Real Christ, not the label of Christianity.

Being authentic in an image driven world isn't always easy. It definitely isnt the popular thing to be doing these days. We, especially in the Western world, are so captivated by reality TV, but in all reality most of it is edited to spin a perception of those the camera follows. I think that if we really knew the bare naked truth about some of the reality personalities, we wouldn't like it. We crave the producers spun image.

Why is it that we seem infatuated by the image of a person's life on camera. But when the truth is shared, we get upset or let down. We tend to like the image and label. We judge based on the media's interpretation by camera and editing to spin the personality to what brings the most drama. Even in real life we can tend to believe the perception and label before we ever try to find out the truth of the matter. The perception, deception is just juicier. Sometimes Truth is boring, but it is what is right and true. The enemy always deals in deception and does his best to keep us living the lie. He loves to spin the storyline.

Are we brave enough to be authentic with our relationships?

I have to give our lead Pastor, Troy Gramling props for allowing cameras into his home. I think I give his wife and kids even bigger props. It sounds like no editing will take place to create an image. That is brave. What you see is what you get. Can you handle it, no judging, no comparing. Those on the outside have an image, but God knows the heart. And if you listen carefully, you can hear it also. I am so glad God is the judge of our heart, the judge of my life. If you listen to Troy's heart, you can hear how he wants to use this series to help lead believers in being REAL and HONEST with themselves, their families and friends, and most importantly GOD. Truth sets them free to reach their God-potential.

The greatest relationship we can ever have is being totally intimate with our Maker, our Father. He knows us intimately, but He waits patiently for us to be willing to be truthful and real with Him. The cameras are always rolling, who are we trying to fool!

Sweet 16

Happy 16th Birthday Amber Rae! Your name alone was chosen before we knew you were our girl. It defines your beauty and the love we both share for sunsets!

You have such a heart of gold! You have taught me about unconditional love. You have shown me how to love the unlovable. You possess the gift of mercy and are so forgiving to friends that have hurt you. You reach out to those that others may not take the time to get to know. That is your soft side. You are never afraid to invite your unchurched friends into your world, you accept them for who they are, no judgement, and many have come to know Christ through your invites to camp.

You can also be very tough on the outside. You are outspoken and never hesitate to share your true feelings with me. You have very expensive taste and I pray daily for the man God will bring into your life. He needs to work hard, have a great job, and love to spoil you rotten. I think Dad set a high standard. He must also love Jesus Christ with all his heart. It is great to see you as you begin your lists of standards for your future. Know that your are worth it, make him woo you!

You always make me laugh, like tonight when you told me you declined the Naked Pastor as your friend on myspace because you thought it was a bad guy, a naked dude trying to become your friend. Then I explained it was Pastor Troy's myspace, your face was priceless. I am still laughing. You have always been an individual who chooses to lead than follow, stand up for those who don't always deserve it, and find the best in all people. Mean people hurt your feelings, they do mine too. You like scary movies, Corey and I both don't understand how and pray the Holy Spirit will convict you :-) We are more different than alike, but God knew your differences would teach me so much about myself and God Himself.

You turn 16 today...It is what I consider the true beginning of independence in your life. I have to start the letting go process. Decision making becomes more of your job now. I am all about guidance, with the keys to the car being held hostage at my discretion. You have already made your appointment on your own to get your driver's license tomorrow morning, that is due to your determination and perserverance. I must pray more than ever as a mother because I can not control all the steps you take, I just pray that I have given you a true and real example of loving others as Christ has done, being true to yourself, acting as a lady should, following God's way and not the world's and pursuing your greatest potential. I know you will. Your gifts have always been so evident from a young age, continue to rely on your strengths and improve your weaknesses. But know that truth will always set you free.

Happy Birthday! I love you, Mom!

Another life touched by Pete

It has been a week since Pete's graduation ceremony. It seems weird how life can just seem to get back to normal. For Holly things will never totally be the same. Time will help to heal, but there will always be something to trigger a memory or cause a tear to fall. Pete touched so many of our lives. His influence with students will last forever. At his graduation party last week, a mom of one of Pete's boys shared a part of the influence that Pete had on her son. Andy began 9th grade yesterday. He had been a part of Pete's table for the past couple of years. Andy is autistic. He doesn't always care for the music during worship, sometimes he has to move around or go to the back of the Student Building because the sounds can be overwhelming. Pete was always so patient with Andy and allowed him the freedom to move around during worship. He did not pass judgement and always tried to treat Andy like all the guys. Andy's mom shared how before he began attending the Middle School service on a regular basis that he would tell his mom that there was no God. He said he did not believe and he never would. She said that he did not want to attend church. Andy's mom explained that with his autism, so many things are black and white and if it can't be proven or seen, Andy had a hard time accepting salvation by faith alone. But, little did Andy know that God had Pete waiting for him at his Middle School table time. Andy's mom said that Pete was the tool that God used to reach Andy's heart and soul. Pete was truly God with skin on to Andy. Because of the relationship that Pete had with Andy, Andy did accept Christ and was able to have the faith to believe in a God he could not see. I asked Andy's mom to please write this all down in a letter to Holly so she can read this in some of the tough days ahead and be encouraged. Pete understood his purpose and potential. He knew that God had created him to reach middle school guys. He was always so confident in this role. God brought Andy's path across Pete's and Pete lived up to his calling, was obedient and God was able to use Pete to reach a young life that at one time adamantly was against God. Now, Andy tells him mom that he can not miss coming to Student Ministry. Andy now attends the High School service and he still moves about during the worship, but its all OK and God will use Andy also to reach his potential for the kingdom. If you pay close attention to Andy, you can see the influence of Pete, Andy will give you great big hugs. Pete always greeted me with a hug! Love ya, Pete. Praying for comfort for you Holly!

What makes a teen happy?

In honor of the First Day Back To School, I found this article on What makes a teen happy?. I know for my teen it wasnt the first day of 11th grade, or the fact that she went to an orthodonist appointment and they still wont let her know when the braces are coming off. She didn't hesitate to share her aggravation with me regarding the orthodontist and her new chemistry class. Believe it or not, the article shares how spending time with family is at the top of a teen's list of what makes them happy. Enjoy the article, and then enjoy some time with your teen listening to how their first day of school went. Despite the fact that they act like they don't want to hang with you, they really want to know that you are interested in their life and spending time listening!


MSNBC article:
Youths’ stuff of happiness may surprise parents
Poll finds family time, not money, is what makes folks 13 to 24 feel chipper


NEW YORK - So you’re between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy? A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs, a little rock ‘n’ roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys.
Turns out the real answer is quite different. Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive survey — more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13-24 — conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on the nature of happiness among America’s young people.
Next was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant other. And even better for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy.
“They’re my foundation,” says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in New York. “My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she’s still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed.”
Other results are more disconcerting. While most young people are happy overall with the way their lives are going, there are racial differences: The poll shows whites to be happier, across economic categories, than blacks and Hispanics. A lot of young people feel stress, particularly those from the middle class, and females more than males.
You might think money would be clearly tied to a general sense of happiness. But almost no one said “money” when asked what makes them happy, though people with the highest family incomes are generally happier with life. However, having highly educated parents is a stronger predictor of happiness than income.
And sex? Yes, we were getting to that. Being sexually active actually leads to less happiness among 13-17 year olds, according to the survey. If you’re 18 to 24, sex might lead to more happiness in the moment, but not in general.
From the body to the soul: Close to half say religion and spirituality are very important. And more than half say they believe there is a higher power that has an influence over things that make them happy. Beyond religion, simply belonging to an organized religious group makes people happier.
And parents, here’s some more for you: Most young people in school say it makes them happy. Overwhelmingly, young people think marriage would make them happy and want to be married some day. Most also want to have kids.
Finally, when asked to name their heroes, nearly half of respondents mentioned one or both of their parents. The winner, by a nose: Mom.
Happiness is ...“...two kinds of ice cream,” according to the song from “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” John Lennon, more darkly, described it as a warm gun. A much more typical description comes from Stacy Rosales, a 23-year-old recent college graduate, who calls it “just a general stress-free feeling where I’m not really worried about anything. THAT makes me happy.”
For Chad Fiedler, 17, it’s “just waking up in the morning and looking forward to what I’m going to be doing that day.” And for Eoshe Roland, a 14-year-old from Nashville, it’s “playing trumpet in my school band.”
However you express, define or feel it, 65 percent of those surveyed say they’re happy with the way things are going for them right now.