Wednesday is the early bird deadline for RETREAT registration!

As most of you know, our 2015 RETREAT is coming April 24-26.  The cost is $60 - but only for a few more days.

This Wednesday (April 1) is the last day you can register for $60.  After that the cost will go up to $70 per student.

To register you must have a permission slip on file and turn in your money.

Thanks!

We hope to see you this week at youth group!

-PT

The Greatest

In Matthew 18:1-6, Jesus answers a loaded question with a curious response.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  ⁵ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Talk about a stern response!  Not only does Jesus put the disciples in their place in regards to their question, he also turns the focus to children.

Jesus taught that we can learn from children and we should receive them in HIS name.  He also harshly warns us not to influence them toward sin.  Clearly Jesus cared much about children and held a high priority for them.

This goes against the grain of culture.  It goes against the grain of our nature.  Children are typically pushed aside, forgotten about or considered the least of all in our society.  They are the lowest because they are the youngest.  Too small, too young, too insignificant.

This is not the way that God intends it to be.  Jesus made that very obvious.

So how important are children in your culture?  How important are children in our church?  How important are children in your life? 

Are children around us considered the greatest?  Or are they the least of these?

You may or may not have children around you.  Or may not even have young children related to you.  But God’s word is very clear about the priority that children should have in our lives.  Whether they are in our family or not, Jesus strongly encourages us to make children the greatest!

-Pastor Tom

1 week left for discounted registration to our RETREAT

We have youth group tonight!  It's a good opportunity to sign up and register for the retreat.  There is 1 week left to register at the discounted rate of $60 per student.  Next week's youth group is the last time to sign up at that rate.  After that registration will be $70 per student.

To register for the retreat you must pay the fees, have a permission slip on file and register online with Wood Lake Bible Camp.

Hope to see you tonight!

-PT

Peace

Peace is out there.  It’s an achievable notion to strive for.  But in the uproar of the world we live in, we often are left empty searching for true peace.

True peace can only be found in Jesus Christ.  I was amazed at the peace of Jesus when reading the Bible this week.  In the story of Jesus calming a storm we learn about true peace.  It is found in Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:22-25.

It was fascinating to see the calm and peace that Jesus had during the storm.  So much so that he was sleeping through waves breaking in and water filling the boat – besides the commotion that was coming from the fearful men aboard!

After the men woke Jesus up – he immediately calmed the storm!  In an instant the waves and the wind were gone.

In life, storms are inevitable.  Wind and waves are constantly crashing around us.  What if we found true peace in Jesus Christ?  I believe in an instant it would calm the storm.

Mark 4:39, “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace!  Be still!’  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

The next time a storm arrives – I’m declaring “Peace!”  My faith is in Jesus Christ, the only one who gives true peace.

-Pastor Tom

Guys Night

Watching a movie...

The City on a Hill

Our family lives on the east side of Superior, right on the edge of Lake Superior.  We have a beautiful view of Barker’s Island Marina and the lake.  If you look north from our house you can see the hillside of Duluth, “The City on a Hill.”

At night we have a gorgeous view of the lights that are shining from throughout “The City on a Hill.”  Just the other day Sarah noticed how stunning the sun was as it reflected off the lights of the city in the morning.  Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and look out on our view of the city – and the lights are always on!  It is a striking reminder of the importance of light.

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about light.  You may be familiar with Matthew 5:14-16.   “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

I know firsthand that a city on a hill cannot be hidden.  I see it every night I look out my window.  It is constant.

And what about my light?  Can my light be hidden?  Does my light shine before others?  Is my light constant?

Jesus said we “are the light of the world.”  He encourages us to let our light shine before others.  God desires us to be a constant light for Him in this very dark world.

Is your light shining today?

-Pastor Tom

March MADNESS

It's March and that means March MADNESS!

Every year in March there is a college basketball tournament.  On Sunday they revealed the teams that will play and a bracket of who they play.  If you would like to join the challenge - every year our youth group has a bracket challenge to pick the teams you think will win.

It only takes about 5 minutes and you don't need to know ANYTHING about basketball - honestly!  My wife and kids do it!  Sarah is always better than me at it even though I watch way more basketball than her.  And sometimes my boys even do well.

So fill out a bracket and bring it to youth group on Wednesday.  Or I can give you one on Wednesday to fill out.  If you want to play the deadline is youth group this Wednesday night!

Let me know if you are in!

-PT

Lost?

And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”  Luke 2:49

I’m the youngest of four children and have two older brothers.  When I was a kid, I always wanted to be around my brothers.  For better or worse, no matter what my brothers were up to, I followed them everywhere they went.

When I was five years old my family moved to a new city and a new house.  On moving day we arrived at our new house and there were people everywhere!  Volunteers from the church flooded our new property to help the new pastor and his family move in.  What a blessing!  However, in all the commotion my brothers were able to get away with some people from the church that lived just down the street.  I missed out but asked my mom where they went.  So, when she told me I decided to walk down the street to find them. 

I had a nice walk going up and down our road looking for my brothers or their bikes, I just couldn’t find them.  I had gone the wrong direction down the street!  Meanwhile, as time went by my parents realized I was missing.  They frantically scoured our new house and property and truly started to panic.  A few minutes later I came meandering back onto the property much to my parent’s relief.  They made such a big deal about my return and talked about me being lost.  I wasn’t lost; I was just looking for my brothers.  I HAD to be with them.

In Luke chapter 2, Jesus’ parents lost their son.  We don’t know all the details but we do know that they searched for him for three days.  Scary!  My parents thought I was lost for 15 minutes and they were freaking out.  Could you imagine being Mary and Joseph in this situation? 

When they finally found Jesus in the temple, he had one curious response.  “Did you not know that I must be in my father’s house?”  I MUST be in my father’s house!  Jesus had such a great desire to be in his heavenly father’s house.  He wasn’t lost.  He just had to be there. 

What would it look like if we had the same desire to be with God our father in His house?  Are you lost in the distractions of this life and world?  Take time to be with God the father this week, and get to His house soon.

See you Sunday?  Or next Wednesday?

-Pastor Tom

youth group this Wednesday

Youth Group this week:

-free dinner at 5:45
-worship
-games
-quiz on music
-latest edition of the youth group newsletter will be released
-maybe more surprises

Whose Will?

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way”

“He’s very strong willed.”

“She has the will to win.”

“I can and I will!”

“Will” is an interesting thing.  It has many definitions both as a verb and a noun.  A quick look on www.dictionary.com shows these definitions for the noun version:

-the faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action

-the power of control the mind has over its own actions

-power of choosing one’s own actions

-the act or process of using or asserting one’s choice

-wish or desire

-purpose or determination, often hearty or stubborn determination

-the wish or purpose as carried out or to be carried out

As I read John 16-18 this week I was impressed with the “will” of Jesus Christ.  Well, I was impressed that his will was to follow someone else’s will – no matter what!  That doesn’t happen very often, if ever. 

We want to do OUR will.  I want to do MY will.  But Jesus was different.  Throughout John 16 and 17 he talks with his disciples about the will of his father.

As Jesus was being arrested in John 18, Peter started to resist and fight back.  He wanted to do HIS will.  But Jesus was different.  In verse 11 he tells Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

When Jesus stood before Pilate he likely could have talked his way out of his arrest and sentencing.  Pilate was almost asking him to do so.  Pilate was looking for any reason to let Jesus go.  But Jesus was different.  When Pilate asked Jesus if he were a king he responded in verse 37, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.”

Jesus was bent on fulfilling the will and purpose that God had given him.  Nothing and no one was going stop him from doing that.

All too often I am bent on doing what I want to do, when I want to do it, to fulfill myself and MY will.  But Jesus was different.

Whose will are you living for today?

-PT

Youth Group tonight!

Join us for youth group tonight.  Dinner is served at 5:45.  Little Caesar's Pizza!

Worship starts at 6:30pm.  Testimony will be from our Ukraine mission team.

Quiz on famous quotes.

Bible study on faith found in Barak.

Games included...

See you tonight!

-PT

Why?

Most of us have asked the question, “why,” haven’t we?  I know I have.  I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard people ask several forms of “why,” especially in regards to how God works.

Why did this person get cancer?

Why did I lose my job?

Why would God allow this to happen in my life?

Why did my loved one have to die?

Why was this man born blind?

John 9:1-3

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”³ Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

The disciples assumed that someone must have sinned in order for this man to be born blind. 

As humans we try to find a reason for everything – and many times we think there has to be something or someone to blame for everything.  That’s what we naturally look for!  But Jesus was different.  Jesus had his eyes on something else.

“…but that the works of God might be displayed…”

Too often we get our eyes focused on the wrong thing.  In times like this we need to “look up!”  Many times when we are busy trying to find a reason, God is busy trying to show us His works.

Take a moment today to stop and ask “why?”  Instead of looking for a reason, “look up” for where God is showing you His works!

-Pastor Tom