Who do you pray for?

This story is about Mr K. He was the dean of students at my high school. His job was to discipline students. He told me one day that our school would be a better place if people like me would quit going to it.  He was really upset with me when he told me this because I started a food fight in our cafeteria that afternoon. He was put in authority over me. It was his job to keep the student body under control and I was making his day particularly difficult. I never prayed for Mr. K. when I was a student. Reflecting on this event I realize now how I treated Mr. K. was wrong and he certainly could have used the prayers. I often wonder whatever became of Mr. K. After reading Paul’s letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:1-8) I suddenly have an urge to pray for him and people that have jobs like him.

Have you ever thanked God for someone you do not know, or even someone you may not like, because God wants you to? In I Timothy 2:1, God says to pray for everyone. Now you can think that He can’t honestly expect you to pray for everyone. After all, it doesn’t make sense to pray for someone you do not even know or like. But it does! The rest of the Scripture lesson states that God wants all men to be saved and that Jesus died for everyone.

Consequently, we get to pray for people we don’t like and especially those in authority. So, next time you pray to God, pray not only for those people you know and like, but pray for everyone.

In the Grace of Christ,

Tad Schubring

Youth Education

Listen well. Love well.

In one well-documented statistic, twenty percent of Americans say they don’t know any Christians.  People become willing to consider Jesus when they like and trust the Christians they know.  People need to know us before they can trust us.  And they need to trust us before they’ll go to church with us.  

Who do you know who is far from Jesus?  Can you easily come up with their names?  If you are having trouble trying to identify a non-Christian friend, use this tool: 

Identify a non-Christian individual that you would like to connect with.  Talk to God about him or her on a daily basis.  Then ask God to give you an opportunity to connect.  When you do connect, ask good questions.  Ask about family, job, affinities (what they like to do.), etc.  These are all ways to listen to their hopes and dreams and get to know their story.  Then share your story and what Jesus has done for you.

Jesus had small conversations...on big subjects.  That’s where He earned people’s trust. That’s where we’ll earn it, too.  That's how trust is built.  Listen well.  Love well.  "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means some might be saved" (1 Corinthians 9:22).

I have a friend who I think might be looking at porn – what should I do (or not do)?

Talk to your friend about it. Tell the person why you suspect he or she might be viewing porn and make it clear you are concerned and want to help. Tell the person that he or she is forgiven through Christ. Recommend this website. Offer to be an accountability partner. Offer to help the person find the right people that can help him or her (pastors, Christian counselors, etc). Pray for your friend often.

Do not minimize or rationalize the sin. (If the person is in denial, help him or her understand how serious the sin is.) On the other hand, do not condemn the person. Do not act as if the sin is unforgivable or worse than all other sins that God detests (pride, selfishness, etc.).

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I found this helpful resource on the website Conquerors Through Christ. They have tons of great resources to help parents, friends, and family who are caught in pornography addiction. 

There is help and healing in Jesus,

Pastor Hansen

It's about time someone does something like this!

There has been a lot of excitement about a great new resource to start your day off right.

Our ministry partner, Time of Grace, has just launched a new online daily video devotion.

Your Time of Grace does an amazing job providing Moments of Focus & Christian Inspiration Every Weekday. Click the picture to see what I mean. 

You can subscribe on YouTube or Facebook to receive daily video devotions. 

I Love Being a Parent...But What Do I Do?

Your little 3-year-old gets into a box of packing peanuts, which you had told him was off-limits. You walk in only to find him joyfully playing in the box, packing peanuts everywhere, with a huge smile on his face.  You are angry, because you told him not to play in there, but at the same time, the joy on his face is contagious.  You start laughing when you're supposed to be disciplining him.  You think to yourself, "What did I just teach my kid?"

There's no doubt in my mind that being a parent is one of the greatest joys and biggest challenges all wrapped up into one.  As a father of four, believe me, I know.  There are times where we think to ourselves, "I love being a parent, but what do I do to help my kids grow up to be solid Christian adults?"

Good question.  We will answer that question, and other questions parents have, at our next "Love & Logic" Parent Seminar coming up on Sunday, March 20, 11am to 1pm in the lower level fellowship hall of our Green Bay site (1167 Kenwood, Green Bay).  Get together with other parents and learn from the experts in this proven form of rearing your kids!  The cost is $5 / parent, lunch and baby-sitting provided.  

For more information and to register, CLICK HERE.

Incidentally, if you, or someone you know, is in need of great Christian childcare, then check out Riverside Christian Childcare, a ministry of St. Mark by CLICKING HERE.

How To Calm a Troubled Conscience

When you become very aware of your sin or remember some great failing of yours in the past, you need to make sure that you don't allow that sin to ruin your conscience. If you do, it will lead you to despair and to an attitude that says, "I might as well just give up!" Rather, what you need to do is look to Jesus and pour your sin back on him to calm your troubled conscience.

Be careful you don't become like misguided people who allow their sin to bite at them and eat at their hearts. They try to rid themselves of guilt by running around doing "good" things they think will either earn their forgiveness or ease God's anger toward them. But the way to get rid of your guilt and sin is to throw them on Christ, firmly believing that it was Jesus' suffering and death that paid for your sins. As Isaiah said, "The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). Peter said Jesus himself "bore our sins in his body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24).  And Paul said, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

These verses will help you calm a troubled conscience. The more your conscience torments you, the more you need to rely on them! For if you don't do this and you try to quiet your conscience through being a "better" person or making some nice efforts to help others, you will never find peace of mind and will finally be full of fear and hopelessness in the end. But when you think of your sins as being on Christ and boldly believe that he conquered them through his death and resurrection, then they are dead and gone! Sin can't remain on Christ! His resurrection has swallowed up sin!

And that truth blesses you with a clean conscience.