Friday, November 30, 2007

No condemnation!!

Romans 8:1-4

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit."

I have started a small study in Romans 8 and these four verses have been something I have really been chewing on the last couple of days. To believe that I have NO CONDEMNATION before Christ is a really hard thing to believe. So often, I don't really believe that Christ could love me enough to die for me and become a sin offering on my behalf. The truth is that Christ was completely sinless and a perfect representation of the law and took on my sin and condemned it so that I could have life. Now instead of living in sin, I live according to the Spirit. I like Jesus!

Monday, November 26, 2007

American Justice

Last night at youth group, (which I thoroughly enjoyed thanks to awesome students and the musical genius of Ian Driver) I mentioned a movie that Ian and I did for a Campus Outreach meeting and I wanted to post it. This is Ian at his very finest playing out the role of "funniest man in Campus Outreach" perfectly. Enjoy.


Monday, November 19, 2007

NYWC

Emily and I spent this last weekend at the National Youth Workers Convention in Atlanta. Besides the fact that we had to drive into downtown Atlanta and traverse the largest building in the world (Georgia World Congress Center) we had a really good time. It is a really cool conference because we were in a place where 5,500 people had the same passions as us and we could all relate to many of the same struggles.

I feel like I am walking away with a lot of things to think through and be challenged by but there were a couple of really cool things that were worth noting:
  1. Joe Castillo- An awesome artist that tells the story of Christ through this weird sand art. It is really hard to describe but go to www.sandstory.com or check out a clip here.
  2. Walt Mueller- He is a youth culture guru that really challenged me on being up with the culture in order to better serve the youth in Gainesville. I am currently reading Engaging the Soul of the Youth Culture and thoroughly enjoying. A must for all youth leaders and parents of teens.
  3. Shane and Shane's song "Burn Us Up"- I love the story of Shadrach, Meshac, and Abednego and they performed a song they wrote about it. It is so sexy! Go to their myspace page and listen.
  4. Doug Fields-Secretly I have always hated Doug Fields for that mustache/soul patch combo that he rocked but he turned out to be a really funny and compelling speaker (plus he shaved). Him and his wife's Q & A about marriage and ministry was the most helpful seminar Emily and I went to.
  5. Shane Claiborne- He was a speaker for one of the general session and he got up did a fire breathing routine then read the Sermon on the Mount and then walked off. It was really weird but it made a cool statement.

Overall, it was a great learning experience and there was the best of the best as far as christian music and entertainment go (no offense Slaten I will take you over Tomlin any day of the week).

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Awesome video

I found this today and loved it! It is a bullet in slow motion going through different things. My fav is the water bottle. Which do you like best?


Add to My Profile More Videos

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Community



On Sunday, I met a guy who has been a part of the Catholic Worker Movement. This is a movement of christians who live in community together in voluntary poverty with the goal of trying to make an impact on poverty and consumerism in the US. While I don't necessarily agree with all of their methodology, I was struck by their view of community. Here are people that live together in relative poverty and share most everything they have with each other and those around them.

It was really a wake up call to me to think about how I am living out community. I live in a condominium that shares a wall with a family and the most interaction that happens is when we happen to be in the driveway at the same time or when our cat goes on their porch and bothers them. I work in a church and yet at times feel incredibly disconnected with most of our members. I am dropping the ball in this area of community.

How should Christian community play out? I don't really have the answer but I do know it has something to do with us as christians learning how to live life together and engage in the culture around us.

Here is sarcastic blog post with a list of ways to avoid community and for more info on the catholic workers movement's aims and means go here (again we disagree a little here).

Monday, November 12, 2007

Halloween costume


I dressed up as Dwight from the office and though it is a little late I promised some that I would put up a picture. The hair is a little long but you can't beat the tie shirt combo

#1 All Time

While I generally think that 98% of what is on Youtube is stupid and/or innapropriate, I did come across the most watched video of all time on Youtube today and thought I would share. If you have never seen it enjoy!! If you have seen it enjoy it again!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

So True...

Here is a post from a girl in our ministry who has a great view on sex, sexuality, and modesty. Thanks for your faithfulness Hayden!

my fellow female peers

You might think that, if you're easy or "experienced", you're more appealing to guys. The truth is our culture is sending out the messages that influence the way we feel about love or sex. Girls feel so much pressure from guys and girls alike to show off our bodies and act a certain way. It's time now to ignore the criticism and to stop listening to those people that taunt you everyday for not having a boyfriend,or not giving a guy want he wants,or believing that sex is meant for marriage.Here's my point,one day you will find someone that says "it" can wait. And that will be the true definition of love.

~Hayden Couch

Friday, November 2, 2007

A message from the wife...

I am the wife of the wonderful man who started this blog. I've never been much of a blogger, but since it's the new cool thing for youth pastors to have a blog, I am jumping on board too
so here goes nothin...,

Andy and I moved to Gainesville about 4 months ago, and not before that our lives had looked very different. Looking back, I realized that we were about to make some huge life changes, but no part of me understood what this would look like. Now we're living in a new town, with new jobs, a new marriage, and an additional member of our new family, Winefred, or "Winnie" Nelson (who is our lovely cat, most of the time.) A lot of days I wonder how we got here, but then through all the changes, the Lord teaches me new lessons every day.

Acts 17: 26-27 says, "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." I know God has called Andy and I to Gainesville, Ga. and Westminster Church for a reason, and I just pray that we can serve him wholeheartedly through being a part of so many different lives. I love to think about this verse and how God has specifically designed this time for each of us to be a part of....now we just need to ask what we can do in it to make a radical difference for him!

Lack of Judgement

"But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints." Ephesians 5:3


In placing a video clip that had a direct sexual reference in it, I realize I could be sending a message that would be confusing to somebody. I stand for the highest level of purity in my life and in the lives of those that the Lord has called me to pastor; therefore, I have taken down the clip.

In a world filled with confusing messages about sex and sexuality, we must stand for purity in our lives and the lives of our Christian brothers and sisters. We are bombarded with images and ideas about how the world views sex on television, in movies, and in print. "The Office" is a show that I watch and enjoy, but that doesn't guarantee that it is free from this worldly perspective on sex. God calls us to be wise and discerning in all we watch, say, read, and do. We need to be very careful about what we are hearing and ultimately how we translate these worldy messages into our own lives.

I pray for Godly wisdom and discerment in every area of my life and thank the Lord for a brother in Christ that loves me enough to exhort me and push me toward love and good deeds (Heb 10:24).