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Yesterday our Sr. Pastor, along with our Associate Pastor, were both away at a conference and our Youth Pastor preached the sermon. To give a little background, he's only been on staff for a couple of months but has been a youth/Student Pastor for about 6-7 years at a couple different churches. Our oldest son (age 13) has gotten latched on pretty good with the youth group since we've started attending this local church (another longer story) and has really connected with Pastor B. He has an awesome way of reaching out to the kids, grabbing their attention, infusing them with God's word, and equipping them for personal growth and to witness to their world. His excitement and enthusiasm for the kids is palpable and this Sunday's sermon just makes it clearer why my boy has latched onto him so well.

Picture a 3 ft boulder up on the platform (foam prop for our upcoming Easter play) and his sermon title "What's up with that rock?" Starting in 1 Peter 2, and walking back through scripture to Joshua 4 to bring out the message of Christ's atoning sacrifice in our stead that by His grace, through faith we are saved to be lively stones to be built up firmly grounded on our living cornerstone- Christ Jesus. More than that, we ought to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us "What's up with that rock?" (or more aptly "What's up with that guy?") for the hope that is in us.

He also gave every excuse under the sun that a guy could use to get out ... and then like any good pastor used scripture to show why there is no excuse. <Gotta love a guy who knows the word of God and 'taint afraid to use it ) Good message for kid and adult alike and even plenty of splinters left from the whack upside my noggin' by one of those Holy Spirit special 2x4's. Sometimes I'm just caught up waiting for "just the right timing" to witness to someone - friend & stranger alike. Unfortunately, that "right timing" is my own "wrong timing" that just doesn't fit in with God's timing. Ouch, another splinter.

So, what's your story? What's up with your rock? You ready?

stinkin' splinters.
ouch! there's another one ...
ooooch! another ...
looks like it was a fine sermon, well-propped.

amen

wannatikka,

It would be hard to find someone who knows me who doesn't know me as a Christian. I constantly try to find something in common with folks I encounter to build a little repore. Once that is established, I take every oportunity to bring up God or His Word. And example is,

One day at work a coworker and I were measuing a piece of board to verify a machine setup. I told him, "If you told Adam of Adam and Eve fame what an inch is he would tell you this board is thirteen point seven five inches wide without using any measuring device. You see, if man can make an optical scanner, God already did in Adam." He responded, "You're preachin' all the time aren't ya!?"