CYC '09 - Fellowship, Friends, and Fun

Christian Youth Conference is an annual event that takes place in Gatlinburg, TN put on by members of the churches of Christ.  This year was my first year attending CYC and the first year that the church at Waynesboro has ever sent a group, it will not be our last.  CYC was a positive and motivating experience for everyone who attended, not just the young people.  I highly recommend that you make plans now to attend next year.

Our trip afforded us with many opportunities I never imagined at first.  My first surprise was running into so many of you who are regular readers of this blog.  It was great to finally meet you all!  Blogging has added a new dimension to my ministry and has expanded my circle of friends (more about blogging in a few days).

We left Waynesboro on Thursday afternoon immediately following school, with the time change encountered as we hit east Tennessee is was past midnight when we finally got to our cabin.  This was the first "bonus" of the weekend, our cabin was awesome!  This thing was nice, it was big, and it had a pool table, air hockey, and foosball table; the kids (and some of the adults) kept those things hot all weekend!  Friday morning we all got ready and went to eat breakfast at the Log Cabin Restaurant (I recommend the Caribbean pancakes).  Following breakfast we went up the mountain to Ober Gatlinburg for some ice skating, we had a blast.  The rest of the day the kids and ladies all walked the streets of downtown Gatlinburg for the all important shopping session.  My friend, Sam Haines, and I hung out in lieu of shopping and just talked; we learned a lot about each other and became closer friends as a result.  Friday night was the first session of CYC and it started with a bang!  My favorite part was the singing, very moving!

Saturday was an early morning as we were in session by 8:00 AM for more motivational speakers and awesome singing until the lunch break at 11:30 AM.  We were so wore out from the day of travel on Thursday and our all day fun fest on Friday that we went back to the cabin, ordered pizza for lunch and basically "vegged out" the entire afternoon.  Saturday nights session of CYC was the best, more great singing capped off by a sermon by Lonnie Jones.  Lonnie is always great and this night he was exceptional.  I don't think I'll ever forget his story about the snake and the .45 pistol!  Hilarious! (Ask me or one of the others and we will be more than glad to share it with you.)  After the session we were invited to one of our Wayne County sister congregation's cabin for a devotional. (Collinwood's group was also invited.)  This was a great way to cap off the night, Clifton was a great host and this was a spectacular way of promoting unity within neighboring congregations.  I love all the brethren at Clifton and Collinwood, both congregations have been good to me and I always love speaking for them.  Hopefully, our efforts toward unity will continue and God will be glorified as a result.  Jake Wilbanks, one of Collinwood's teenagers and my cousin, spoke at the devotional.  I was taken aback by Jake's speaking ability!  He did an outstanding job and I pray that he continues to use his talents for the Lord.

Sunday Morning we again woke up early as we were hosting a worship service at our cabin.  Clifton's group came over to join us in worship as well as Will Tidwell and three students from Heritage Christian University.  Wes, one of the HCU students led singing for us, Jeff, another HCU student, led us in prayer, as well as Chad Love from Clifton.  I enjoyed speaking for the group in such a loving atmosphere.  We shared a meal and laughter before worship and the family feeling just seemed to carry over into the service.  It was great!

CYC provided an awesome opportunity for everyone involved to grow spiritually.  The structure of the conference provided the main spiritual food, however, the part I enjoyed the most was the fellowship with friends and learning more about my brothers and sisters in Christ.  If your congregation doesn't attend CYC then take it upon yourself to organize the trip next year, I guarantee it will be a huge success.  If you had the opportunity but didn't take it this year be sure not to miss it next year.  Just some "sage" advice from a one year CYC "veteran!"

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Circle of Protection

The Musk Ox seems to have more sense than God's family at times. When faced with danger, musk oxen form a circle with their heads and horns facing outward. In the center of this circle of protection, musk oxen place their young and weak. They gather for mutual protection rather that trying to go out on their own or running away. We can learn a lot from the Musk Ox. When things get tough, we have a tendency to withdraw from those who care for us the most. When trouble comes, instead of coming together to draw on our mutual strength, we stray from the pack and conjure up lame excuses to justify our actions.

We should all remember the old saying, "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." As long as we are on this earth, Christians will make mistakes. Sometimes these mistakes will be embarrassing, not only to the person themselves but also to the church. Our tendency in such cases is to distance ourselves from the situation. We leave the weak ones outside the circle of protection to fend for themselves. Scripture tells us that we have an obligation to our brothers and sisters in spiritual need. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:1, 2).

Young Christians are especially vulnerable to being abandoned in their time of need. Mature Christians should be the first to stand beside a fallen brother or sister. We need not be afraid to admit that we too have stood where they are standing. By doing so, we are not condoning their sin, but rather we are protecting them in a time of weakness. We are showing them that while perfection is not in our lot as humans, maturity is.

Jesus was not afraid to stand beside those who had fallen prey to temptation. In the case of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus stood beside her and became a one man "circle of protection." Not once did Jesus say her actions were acceptable, yet not once did Jesus act as if she was unworthy of his presence. On the contrary, once the protagonists had disappeared, those who delight in the fall of another, Jesus was able to show her the way to repentance. "Jesus declared.”Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11).

Helping God's children in their darkest time of need is as close to being Christ-like as one can get. It was for this purpose that Jesus came to earth, and it is because of our sin that he suffered death on the cross. "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (1 John 3:16).

Pride and Disappointment for the Lady Cats

The Waynesboro Middle School Lady Cats Basketball team finished their season this evening with pride and disappointment. At first thought these two emotions don't seem to go together, how can you take pride in disappointment?

The Lady Cats have a good team but, at the beginning of the season, no one expected too much from them. The problem was not a lack of athletes or even ability but one of age, the Lady Cats have only one 8th grader on the team making for a young, inexperienced team. They took a few lumps early on in the season but each game brought out their desire to win.

The Lady Cats finished the year strong and were invited to the two premier invitational state tournaments for middle schools. The first tournament was the James C. Haile State Invitational Tournament in Murfreesboro, TN where the Lady Cats took second place out of eleven teams. This week the Lady Cats played in the T-N-T Statewide Middle School Basketball Tournament (T-N-T stands for Tops 'N Tennessee) and concluded their apperance in this tournament tonight with a loss to Waverly but not until advancing to the Final Four.

It was a bitter loss for the girls and their coach (who happens to be my brother, Jeff), who had aspirations of winning this tournament after their strong appearance last week. Time will heal the wounds of disappointment and I have no doubt that already the girls and their parents are contemplating with pride how far they have come this year.

I can almost guarantee that the hope filled phrase common in sports has already rolled off the lips of more than one of the girls and their parents, "Just wait till next year!"

Girls, I'm proud of you and can't wait till next year! (We will miss you Kelsey.)

"The Golden Compass"

As a rule I'm not one to pass judgment on someone or something unless I am satisfied I have the facts. Too often people rush to judgment with little or no information to support their claim and this can lead to many problems and even undermine a persons credibility in the future, i.e. The Little Boy who Cried Wolf. That being said I want too inform you of the new children's movie The Golden Compass, while I haven't seen the movie (it opens this Friday, December 7th) or even plan to see it, I have done a fair bit of research on the trilogy of books upon which the movie is based.

The author of the trilogy His Dark Materials is Philip Pullman, a professed agnostic, atheist, and secular humanist. Pullman lives in England and the first book in his trilogy Northern Lights(released in the U.S. as The Golden Compass) is the basis for this movie. The second book in the trilogy is titled The Subtle Knife with the third named The Amber Spyglass. Concerning the underlying purpose for his trilogy, Pullman has stated "My books are about killing God" along with "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief."

The movie and the book which inspired it are reportedly the least offensive of the three in the trilogy, a design to get parents to let their guard down and allow their children to read the books. In The Golden Compass book, one character who is an ex-nun describes Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing mistake." In the last book The Amber Spyglass the two child heroes participate in the dissolution of a senile, pretender God who has falsely passed himself off as the creator of the universe.

I hope this is enough to convince parents that this movie and Pullman's books should be avoided but we should not ignore their existence. If your children are old enough you should discuss this movie/book with them because it is most certain that other children will see this movie and be talking about it.

You can read more on this for yourself by clicking here.

CSI: Waynesboro

CSI: Waynesboro is about to become a reality! No, it's not the latest extention of the popular TV series and no, it is not an addition to the Waynesboro Police Department. CSI: Waynesboro stands for Christian Service Institute - Waynesboro church of Christ.

CSI: Waynesboro is an afterschool program for students grades K-8 with High School students lending a hand helping others complete homework and other projects. The "investigations" will take place each Wednesday afternoon immediately after school. Waynesboro Elementary School students will be picked up from school in the church van and taken to the Christian Fellowship Center while Waynesboro Middle School students will walk to the Fellowship Center.

There will be plenty of activities that appeal to everyone. Snacks will be provided first thing after school followed by homework time(the last thing mom & dad want to worry about late Wednesday night is getting homework). There will be ample free play time as well as scheduled activities and competitions. Sometime during the afternoon we will have a devotional. Around 5:30 dinner is served! We will eat anything from hot dogs to pizza to hamburgers to sandwiches. Following dinner students are encouraged to stay and attend bible class. Bible classes are broken up into smaller age groups than CSI: Waynesboro so everyone will be receiving an age appropriate biblical education.

Each participant in CSI: Waynesboro will receive a free T-shirts which is their "price of admission" each week. Won't it be great to see all those students walking around the school wearing their CSI shirts!Plans are already in the works for CSI: Waynesboro to take a field trip! You don't want to miss out on the action that takes place each week.

For more information or to enroll your child just send me an email and I'll get in touch with you ASAP. You should receive an enrollment letter and form at your child's school registration.