Monday, December 29, 2008

Prayer & Praise (Dec 28 - Jan 3)

- Praise God for the five Christmas Party Clubs we had in December at daycares around the city! (I plan to have pictures, stories, & statistics from the clubs in my next newsletter.) We are continuing with a monthly party club at one of the locations.

- On Saturday, Jan 3, I am meeting with past/present/future Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) team leaders to discuss our vision for CYIA. Please pray for a lot of great input and discussion! We are going to think through some ways to make CYIA an even more powerful experience for our summer missionaries and an even more effective ministry in reaching the children of our city for Jesus.

- Continue to pray that I could make good connections with families, individuals, and churches as I seek to raise the $3,910/month I need for doing ministry with CEF in Denver.

- Praise God for the restful & relaxing Christmas I got to share with my family last week! I hope all of you had an enjoyable celebration as well.

Blessings on your New Year!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!!!

I wanted to let you know about a change I have just made to the blog. If you look to the right side of your screen and scroll down a bit, you will see that I have added a place where you can subscribe to this blog. This enables you to receive and view the latest posts in your feed reader of choice.

I post prayer requests & praise reports every Monday morning. If you use these to pray for the ministry of CEF of Denver, I think the subscription option will be especially useful to you.

Thanks so much! Blessings on you and your family as we celebrate the birth of Jesus our Lord!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Prayer & Praise (Dec 14-20)

- On Tuesday (Dec 16), Sarah, Philip, and Lauren are teaching a Christmas Party Club at a daycare in southwest Denver. On Thursday (Dec 18), Larea, Lauren, and I are teaching a Christmas Party Club at a daycare out in east Denver. Pray for us to make good connections with the kids and for the gospel to be heard clearly and grasped deeply!

- Last week I finished my first semester as a part-time student at Metro State (after spending the past two years as a full-time student at Calvary Bible College). I have six weeks off before my first class in January! I look forward to getting a lot of work done for both CEF and the young adult community at my church. Please pray that I would use the extra time wisely and also get appropriate rest, relaxation, and time with family & friends.

- Continue to pray that I could make good connections with families, individuals, and churches as I seek to raise the $3,910/month I need for doing ministry with CEF in Denver.

- During Dec & Jan, I am building our Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) leadership team for Summer 2009. Please pray for wisdom and guidance as I seek to get the right people on the bus.

Thanks so much for your prayers. Blessings on your celebration of the gospel this Christmas season!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

1 Peter 4:12-19

We have been studying 1 Peter at Regeneration, the young adult community at Bear Valley Church. This past Sunday (Dec 7), I taught on 1 Peter 4:12-19.

One of Peter’s primary purposes in his letter is to help his readers navigate the tension that comes from being both “in Christ” and “in culture.”

Culture is constantly writing what psychologists call social scripts: scripts telling us how to think and feel and act in any conceivable situation. The problem is that some of these social scripts do not honor God. What do we do when Christ calls us to live holy lives as aliens and strangers in this world, but culture continually says, “Stick to the script”?

As sinful and destructive social scripts intensify and dominate our culture, the danger is that we would look at culture, despair, and lose our joy. Peter’s text is instructive for us. In 1 Peter 4:12-19, we learn that suffering should not rob us of our joy. Furthermore, Peter tells us how we can find the strength to go on day after day by finding our joy in Christ, not in culture.

Click here to view the sermon notes.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Prayer Requests (Dec 7-13)

- On Friday (Dec 12), Emanuel, Erica, and I are teaching a Christmas Party Club at a Salvation Army location in Denver. Pray for us to make good connections with the kids and for the gospel to be heard.

- This is finals week at Metro State. I am thankful for this semester and hope to finish strong. (I also look forward to having a few weeks off before next semester begins!)

- Two weeks ago I wrote about my journey of raising financial support for the ministry of CEF in Denver. In addition to contacting families and individuals about financial support, I also plan to contact several churches in the Denver area. Currently my home church supports me out of its missions budget, and I am looking to secure the support of two additional churches. Please pray that the first steps of this application process in Dec & Jan (for the fiscal year beginning July 1) would go well.

Thanks! Blessings on your holiday season and your celebration of the incarnation.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Prayer Requests (Nov 30 - Dec 6)

- On Tuesday (Dec 2), Hannah, Larea, & Philip are teaching a Christmas Party Club at a daycare in Aurora. On Friday (Dec 5), Hannah, Lauren, & Anthony are teaching a Christmas Party Club at a daycare in Lakewood. Pray that they would make good connections with the kids and that the gospel would be heard loud and clear!

- Praise Report: Our trip to Allenspark, CO (by Rocky Mountain National Park) last week to check out a potential location for summer ministry training was very fruitful! Debbie took pictures and I took notes, and we e-mailed our report to Bill (the State Director for CEF of Colorado). The camp was absolutely beautiful; I think it will make for a great week if we end up going there.

- As we pursue our vision for Christian Youth In Action (CYIA), I am looking to hire five new staff to coordinate church partnerships, student recruitment, club scheduling, and student mentoring relationships in the NW, NE, SE, SW, and central regions of the Denver metro area. Please pray for me in this early stage as I lay the groundwork for these new positions, draft job descriptions, etc.

Thanks for your prayers!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Prayer Requests (Nov 23-29)



- Christmas Party Clubs begin next week! We are returning to five daycares where we taught clubs this past summer; the clubs are scheduled for Dec 2, 5, 12, 16, & 18. We will be playing fun games with the kids, telling a compelling story about the true meaning of Christmas, helping the kids memorize 2 Cor 9:15, and serving a great snack for Jesus’ birthday. Please pray that (1) the gospel would come through loud and clear, and (2) the kids would feel the love of God as we connect with them.

- This Wednesday (Nov 26) I am traveling to Allenspark, CO with two other CEF of Colorado staff to scope out a potential location for our summer ministry training in June 2009. Please pray for a fruitful visit!

- One of my main responsibilities with CEF in 2008-09 is to secure financial support. I need to raise $3,910/month for my salary, benefits, and ministry expenses. Right now I am at about 24% support. This week I am finalizing a rigorous plan to raise the remainder of the funds between Dec 1 and Aug 1. I believe that God has called certain individuals, families, and churches to support me for the ministry of CEF in Denver; it is simply my responsibility to make connections with them. Please pray for fruitful efforts and good relationships with my supporters.

Thanks so much! Blessings,

Andrew

Monday, November 17, 2008

Change of Address

UPDATED 03-23-12: We have moved offices. Here is our new address:

Child Evangelism Fellowship
3110 S Wadsworth Blvd, Suite #305
Denver, CO 80227

If you would like to support CEF, you can set up a recurring monthly donation here:


Monday, November 3, 2008

Andrew Goes to College

I have been at college out-of-state the past two years, but I am back home now and a lot of people have been asking what I am doing school-wise. I though I would just post a quick update summarizing where I am at in my education.

Earlier this year I received an A.A. in Children’s Ministry from Calvary Bible College in Kansas City, MO. This fall I transferred to Metro State here in Denver, where I am studying for a B.A. in Speech Communication.

According to the college catalog, “The Communication Program at Metro State prepares students to be effective in communicating in a diverse and technological world. Students are grounded in theoretical understanding of communication, engaged in practical application, and encouraged to develop competencies in intra, inter, group, and organizational contexts.”

Specifically, I am pursuing a concentration in Rhetoric and Public Address. According to the college catalog, “Graduates in Rhetoric and Public Address have achieved success in law, industrial and organizational communication, educational administration, public relations, speech writing for political figures, teaching, public relations and theology.”

As a result of my studies at Metro State, I hope to develop my communication skills for preaching and teaching. (I am planning to then go to seminary for graduate school.)

Communication is an increasingly valuable resource in our world today. The ability to inform, persuade, entertain, etc. is the driving force behind many new social movements. Therefore, it is be valuable for God's people to be able to articulate, proclaim, and appropriately contextualize the good news of Jesus in a wise, winsome, and compelling manner.

Communication is key for the mission of God in this world, whether it takes place through moving people to collective action through rousing sermons or helping someone who does not belong to Jesus come to grips with the gospel through interpersonal conversations.

Communication—in all its forms—is the currency of the future, and the gospel has always been a message to be proclaimed. This is the motivation behind my current studies at school. I have really enjoyed this first semester so far, and I am looking forward to my studies in the future.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Prayer Requests (Oct 19-25)

- This December we are having Christmas Party Clubs at several of the daycare locations we worked with this summer. The clubs will be taught by our summer missionaries during after-school hours. Pray that we are able to just love the kids and tell them the truth about Jesus!

- This year we joined the regional training camp in Wyoming for our summer ministry training. We were planning to do the same thing next year in 2009 and then find our own facility for a Colorado state training camp in 2010. However, we recently learned that the regional event will not be held next year; each state will be having their own training. This means we have to find our own facility a year earlier than planned. Please pray for Bill Raymer, the state director for CEF of Colorado, as he researches potential locations.

- The CEF office is moving. This past week we moved all of our stuff out of the building at Mississippi & Kalamath in Denver. We will be moving into a new building at Wadsworth & Jewell in Lakewood. It was a carpet company's warehouse until recently, so we have a lot of work to do in converting it to office space. Pray that the construction and transition go smoothly over these next few weeks!

- Margaret Goldberg (our Good News Club coordinator for the NE Denver metro area) and I have been teaching a club at Centennial K-8 school in Denver this semester. The club is growing larger each week, and we are starting to get to know the kids a lot better. Praise God for the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with them from the Scriptures! Pray that we would be faithful in ministry and love the kids well.

Thanks so much for praying! Be blessed.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

On Economic Crises



I am taking a composition class at MSCD this semester. In light of the current economic crisis, I decided to write one of my papers on a past economic crisis: the Great Depression.

In the paper, I present the perspectives of four authors on the causes of the Great Depression and act as a "moderator" of sorts, letting the authors' ideas interact with one another.

It was an interesting and intensive project, and I probably didn't do a very good job, but I sure learned a lot.

P.S. If you are interested in reading the paper, you can take a look at it here.

Monday, September 29, 2008

CEF Update - Good News Clubs

The 2008-2009 school year is our first year to officially have Good News Clubs (GNCs) in the Denver Public School (DPS) system! However, we are experiencing a few road bumps along the way.

Sabin International School (an ECE-5 DPS school) granted us the use of their facilities for an after-school Bible club, but prohibited us from doing any sort of advertising. Well, we can't have a club unless kids come!

We prayed about the situation at our weekly staff metting. Larea Harris, our GNC coordinator for the city/county of Denver, contacted the lawyer for DPS. He reviewed the relevant case law and agreed that CEF should be allowed to advertise the club. Praise God for this answer to prayer! We are excited about building relationships with kids in DPS schools and introducing them to Jesus through the Scriptures.

Pray that churches in the city/county of Denver would partner with CEF to minister to the children of their communities by "adopting" schools and starting GNCs there.

We currently have two GNC coordinators serving on staff: Larea Harris for the city/county of Denver, and Margaret Goldberg for the NE metro area. We are looking to hire three more coordinators so that we can more effectively partner with churches in the NW, SE, and SW regions of the metro area. Please pray for these new staff.

Thanks so much! We are excited about the year of ministry ahead.

Monday, September 15, 2008

The Events at Caesarea Philippi (Part III)

We have now wrapped our three-part series at Regeneration (http://www.bvchurch.org/regeneration) about the pivotal events at Caesarea Philippi in Matthew 16. We began this series by asking two questions: Who is Jesus? And what are the implications of his identity for us as his followers?

The answer to the first question is that Jesus is the Messiah. In fact, he is the Messiah who wants to build a messianic community around himself called the church. But he is not the Messiah of Jewish expectations. He did not come in the first century to overthrow Rome, restore Israel to her former glory, and set up the kingdom of God on earth. He did not come to change Israel’s circumstances. He came to change people’s hearts. He came to give Jews and Gentiles alike new life through his suffering-death-resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In Matthew 16, Jesus predicts his suffering-death-resurrection for the very first time. Peter is horrified and rebukes Jesus. In reply, Jesus says that Peter is not thinking the things of God, but the things of men.

Jesus is the Messiah, a suffering servant who came to give new life to Jews and Gentiles alike. What about our second question? What are the implications of his identity for us as his followers?

In vv. 24-28, Jesus speaks honestly about the cost of discipleship.

What does he say? (1) Deny yourself, (2) pick up your cross, and (3) follow me. This is hard teaching. Jesus is calling his followers to be self-abandoned, not self-absorbed.

If you want to be a part of Jesus’ legacy, you must make a change of course—no matter what the cost—and follow him. And you must follow him daily. Being a disciple is about staying the course.

By charting this new course in life (and staying the course), you will take part in Jesus’ mission of seeking first the kingdom of God: a realm where God is rightly worshipped, neighbors rightly loved, and the earth rightly ruled and cared for.

Here are my notes: http://www.xtreak.com/go/spinwizard/133802/matt_ch16_vv24-28.pdf

Monday, September 8, 2008

The Events at Caesarea Philippi (Part II)

Sometimes God intervenes in our circumstances in miraculous ways. But sometimes he doesn’t. Does he just love some people more than others? Do we just not have enough faith sometimes? I guess the real question is, what exactly is God interested in doing in our lives and our world? Is there some rhyme or reason to his ways?

Last week at Regeneration (http://www.bvchurch.org/regeneration) we began a trek through Matthew 16:13-28. In vv. 13-20, Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah. For Peter, the Messiah was a conquering king who would overthrow Rome and restore Israel to her former glory. In reply, Jesus taught his disciples that he wants to build a messianic community called the church.

This week, in vv. 21-23, we find that Jesus’ own ideas about the Messiah are very different from Peter’s ideas. For Jesus, the Messiah is a suffering servant (cf. Isaiah 52:13-53:12). This is the first time in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus predicts his suffering-death-resurrection.

Living under the thumb of the Roman Empire, Peter was looking for a Messiah who would change his circumstances. But Jesus did not come to change Peter’s circumstances. He came to give Peter new life.

What does Jesus’ suffering-death-resurrection have to do with our lives today? Simply put, Jesus did not suffer-die-resurrect so that he can intervene in your circumstances at your every whim. He did not suffer-die-resurrect so that any unfavorable circumstances outside of your control can be changed in your favor. He suffered-died-resurrected in order to give you new life.

God has not promised to always change your circumstances. But he has promised to give you new life in Jesus so that you can worship him rightly, love your neighbor rightly, and rule over the earth rightly. And he has promised to give you grace and mercy in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Sometimes God does intervene in our circumstances in miraculous ways. When that happens, we should be overjoyed and praise him and tell the story. But THE GOSPEL is the good news of the Messiah doing what he came to do. It is the good new that Jesus is a suffering servant who suffered-died-resurrected in order to give us new life. In the future, Jesus will come again: this time as a conquering king. He will come as the Messiah who changes our circumstances: there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:1-5).

Right here, right now, God is not always interested in changing your circumstances; he is interested in changing you.

Here is a link to my notes: http://www.xtreak.com/go/spinwizard/133254/matt_ch16_vv21-23.pdf

Thursday, September 4, 2008

2008 DNC

The historic 2008 Democratic National Convention was held last week right here in Denver. My church (http://www.bvchurch.org) partnered with Riverside Baptist and thirty other churches from the Denver area to minister to the security personnel at the DNC.

We served bottled water, Gatorade, hot meals, and sandwhiches to the police officers, firefighters, EMTs, Secret Service, Homeland Security, and ATF personnel who worked the convention. Food was prepared at Riverside Baptist, loaded into cargo supply vans, and delivered to sites all across the downtown area where officers could come take a break from their twelve hour shift and get some cold water and a hot meal. Our motto was, "Serving a cup of cold water in Jesus' name."

Here are some stats I got in an e-mail today:

- 647 volunteers from 32 churches served and ministered to the security personnel at the DNC
- 50,500 meals were served over the course of the week . . . how many each day? A lot! You can do the math.
- 1,750 New Testaments were given away and 147 individuals made professions of new faith in Jesus

I had the incredible opportunity to be a driver for this event. I delivered food and beverages to many different sites around the city. It was a great experience just getting to see everything happening downtown! And it was a sheer blessing just getting to love my city.

Thanks to everyone at Riverside and Bear Valley and the other churches for making this happen. It was the experience of a lifetime.

Monday, September 1, 2008

The Events at Caesarea Philippi (Part I)

Jesus is the greatest leader that the world has ever seen or ever will see. But who is Jesus? We need to know, because his identity has implications for us as his followers. It impacts whether we decide to follow him at all. In fact, we make decisions about any leader based on two things: their identity and their ideas.

So who is Jesus? What is his identity? And what are the implications of his identity for us today?

In Matthew 16:13-20, we find out that Jesus is the Messiah, and he wants to build a messianic community called the church. Preaching-teaching-healing is Jesus’ life. The church is Jesus’ legacy. The church is people. It is a community of people who have been given new life in Christ. They are committed to his leadership and work to carry out his mission.

So Jesus wants to build the church. What is the implication for us? Loving the Messiah means loving his legacy. Simply put, loving Jesus means loving the church.

Here are my notes: http://www.xtreak.com/go/spinwizard/132631/matt_ch16_vv13-20.pdf

Leviticus - Don't Undo What God Has Done



Well, we have just wrapped up our summer study of Leviticus for the Sunday night service at my church (http://www.bvchurch.org/regeneration). Leviticus 25–27 covers a range of topics: Ch. 25 is about the jubilee year. Ch. 26 is about blessings for obedience (covenant-keeping) and judgment for disobedience (covenant-breaking). Ch. 27 is about the regulations for dedication and redemption of persons, animals, houses, land, and tithes.

By studying the story of YHWH and Israel, we learn that God has given us a dwelling place and a covenant relationship with himself. What is the big idea in these final chapters of Leviticus? Don’t undo what God has done!

God has given us a dwelling place (the earth) and put us in charge. But it’s a stewardship, not an ownership. We must not undo what God has done by acting like we own the place.

God has given us a covenant relationship with himself through the person and work of Jesus. In our relationships, we are to extend the same goodness and generosity to others that God extends to us in our covenant relationship with him. We must not undo what God has done by looking out for number one when we ought rather to be loving our neighbor.

Here is a link to my notes: http://www.xtreak.com/go/spinwizard/132630/jubilee_teaching_outline.pdf

This has been a great study! Leviticus is one of the most frequently avoided books in the Bible, but this summer I think we have seen that, indeed, all Scripture is profitable.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Prayer Requests (August 10-16)

- This fall I will be working to raise the financial support for my position with CEF. Pray that I will be able to build good relationships with new supporters and nuture my relationships with existing supporters.

- This fall I will also be drafting a 5-year plan for our Christian Youth In Action program here in Denver (CEF's summertime ministry). Pray that I would stick close to Jesus and pay attention to the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit in this process.

- My grandpa passed away several weeks ago. This weekend my family and I are flying to Arizona for the memorial service. Pray for comfort and healing, especially for my grandma.

- Pray for victory over sin and, again, that I would stick close to Jesus day by day.

- Praise God for his goodness to us (you, me, everyone). He is good, isn't he? If you are like me, you don't think about this often enough.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Leviticus - The Priesthood



A couple weeks ago I gave a talk about Leviticus 8-10 for the Sunday night service at BVC (http://www.bvchurch.org/regeneration). These chapters comprise one of the few narrative portions of Leviticus.

The big idea is that God wants to dwell with his people, but in order for this to happen, his people must distinguish between the holy and the common, the unclean and the clean. We cannot behave as if God is not with us. We must behave differently as a result of his presence.

Here are my notes: http://www.xtreak.com/go/spinwizard/130141/priesthood_teaching_outline.pdf

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Prayer Requests (July 14-18)

Hey everyone! Sorry I have been away from the blog for a while. If you would like, here are some things to pray for this week:

- We have five teams out this week (instead of our usual four). This means that some of our younger, less experienced team members are having to step into leadership roles. Pray that God would give them all of the wisdom and strength they need for their new responsibilities. They are doing a great job so far!

- Here is a breakdown of where our teams are teaching this week: (1) Hannah's team is teaching kids' Bible clubs at homes in Thornton and Brighton. (2) Jessica's team is teaching at a several homes and one daycare in Thornton. (3) Kayla's team is teaching at a daycare in Arvada. (4) Sarah's team is teaching at two church programs and one Salvation Army day camp in inner city Denver. (5) Tessa's team is teaching at a daycare in Wheat Ridge and a home in Morrison.

- Pray for lots of team unity, so that we can minister effectively to the children.

- On a personal note, my grandfather passed away this weekend. Your prayers are appreciated. My dad is flying down to Arizona this week for the burial, then my whole family and I are flying down in August for the memorial service.

Thanks so much!!! I hope you are having a great summer loving God and loving people. Stay in touch!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Hickenlooper's "State of the City" Address



Mayor of Denver John Hickenlooper delivered his annual "State of the City" address yesterday in the atrium of the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building. I decided to travel downtown and listen to him live and in person. I'm the guy in the photo above with his foot sticking out into the center aisle (it was cramped, okay?).

You can view a complete transcript of the speech here: http://www.movedigital.com/go/spinwizard/127057/2008_state_of_the_city.pdf

I am learning that in order to minister in the city—to love and serve the city, and introduce people to Jesus—you must know the city. Admittedly, in an address such as Hickenlooper’s the city is putting its best foot forward, but I still think listening in can be a helpful way to learn.

Hickenlooper spoke briefly (but emphatically) about public safety, explaining the measures that have been taken to make Denver a safe city. He then moved to talking about education, saying of several educational programs, "These programs represent the priceless currency of opportunity."

In recent weeks, I have been listening to some of Barack Obama's more important speeches from the campaign trail, and this seems to be a common thread. Education means opportunity. Education means a better city. Education means a better America.

But does it? What if an individual has a great education but poor moral values? Will we have a better city?

We need education infused with virtue. This, to me, is a more complete picture than education alone (though it is still not the whole picture).

Hickenlooper spent the greater portion of his address talking about how Denver is going green (and particularly how these efforts intersect with economic interests). "Sustainability has come to mean the strategies that promote economic development while also protecting our environment and improving our quality of life. Some would suggest that these goals are in conflict. In truth they are inseparable," he said.

A few highlights: RTD's FasTracks program is bringing 122 miles of new light rail/commuter rail to the area, as well as adding over 21,000 new parking spaces at existing transit Park-n-Rides. Denver's bicycle system is being expanded both in Denver proper and in its northern suburbs. With respect to sustainable green building and development practices, the city government is going to lead by example: any and all new municipal construction projects will be pursued according to green building standards (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19). A forthcoming solar plant at DIA will generate 3.5 million kilowatt hours of clean electricity per year. Hickenlooper proudly reported: "Denver was recently selected by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of 12 Solar Cities nationwide." Finally, Hickenlooper described how, currently, a commercial building can have a certified energy audit; then he asked: "Why couldn't a similar program be created for people's homes?"

When all was said and done, Hickenlooper did not introduce any new initiatives (and this is not a bad thing: there is plenty going on already, and the city should not bite off more than it can chew). I think he puts too much hope in education. Education alone will not give us a better city. We need our young people to receive a great education and be infused with virtue (which really means we need Jesus). I found his talk about going green to be encouraging, overall.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

To Whom It May Concern...

Pictures from the first week of CYIA training are up on facebook.

Edit: pictures from the second week are now up too.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Leviticus - The Grain Offering



We are just two weeks into our study of the book of Leviticus at Regeneration (http://www.bvchurch.org/regeneration). I preached Sunday night on Leviticus 2, 6:14-23.

This is a text written for a worshipping community—the camp of Israel. It basically lays the groundwork for a grain offering where the worshipper and the worshipping community thank YHWH for (1) delivering them from Egypt, (2) entering into a covenant relationship with them, and (3) forgiving them of sin (in the burnt offering, which we studied last week). The worshipper and worshipping community demonstrate commitment to the covenant relationship. For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, whether in sickness or in health, they are committed to YHWH (who is already committed to them).

It also lays the groundwork for the camp of Israel to be a place where each member of the camp was involved in meeting the needs of the other members. The priests mediated between the worshipping community and YHWH. They met the people's need for worship. The worshipping community, in turn, met the priests' need for daily bread. It is a beautiful picture.

Here are the notes I used: http://www.movedigital.com/go/spinwizard/126419/grain_offering_teaching_outline.pdf. They were thrown together rather hastily, but hopefully you can still get the idea.

And here are my PowerPoint slides, if you're into that sort of thing: http://www.movedigital.com/go/spinwizard/126420/lev_ch2_ch6vv14-23.pdf

That's all folks!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

CYIA Training



Whew! We just completed our two weeks of summer ministry training. I operated on little sleep and lots of caffeine, but hey, it's only for two weeks out of the year and it is totally worth it! Pictured above is our group of kids who are teaching this summer, along with the four team leaders - Hannah, Jessica, Sarah, and myself (click on the picture for a larger image). They are so much fun to work with/hang out with and each have such a unique personality. What a great group!

For the first week, we joined the regional training camp up in Wyoming for classes, study time, and spiritual formation. The second week we returned to Denver and conducted training in our local office (near Santa Fe & Mississippi), with each team working hard to practice and flesh out the concepts we studied the first week.

Starting Monday (June 23), we are sending out four teams to teach kids' Bible clubs around the city. For the first week, my team is going to a daycare in the morning (in Arvada) and a trailer park in the afternoon (in Broomfield). If you would like, please pray that we would teach effectively and build meaningful relationships with the children.

(Note to self: I love my job.)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Getting to Know the City



We have a brand new urban ministry track at CYIA training this year. I am teaching a session called, "Urban 5-Day Clubs: Getting to Know the City."

In my research this week, I have been heavily consulting an article by Tim Keller (pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and author of the recent book, The Reason for God) called, "Advancing the Gospel into the 21st Century: City-Focused Strategy." It is absolutely fantastic.

If you are a Christian and you live in the city, read this article! It can be found here: http://theresurgence.com/tim_keller_2004-02_advancing_the_gospel_into_the_21st_century_part_4

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Chapel Sermon

I had the opportunity to preach for Student Senate Chapel during the Spring 2008 semester at Calvary Bible College (Kansas City, MO). I thought I would make the sermon available for download for anyone who might be interested:

http://www.movedigital.com/go/spinwizard/123945/2-01_The_Events_At_Caesarea_Philippi.m4a

In the sermon, I basically work through the text of Matt 16:13-28, which asks and answers two questions: (1) Who is Jesus? (2) What does it mean to follow Him?

If it sounds like I am rushing through the second half of the text, it's because I am. I probably had enough material prepared for two sermons! :-)

You can follow along on the PowerPoint slides here:

http://www.movedigital.com/go/spinwizard/123946/chapel_slides.pdf

If you have a chance, spend some time in Matt 16:13-28. There were a lot of great themes that I didn't have time to explore. It is such a rich text of Holy Scripture!

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Prayer Requests

Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) training is being held June 8-20. Young people from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming will be coming to study and prepare for their respective summer ministries. It will be held at the facilities of Frontier School of the Bible (in LaGrange, Wyoming) for the first week and in each team’s local area for the second week.

Please pray that the youth will work hard, learn all of their Bible lessons and missionary stories for the summer, gain God’s heart for the children, build new friendships, and grow in Christ. Pray that the staff will have wisdom, be united, and teach effectively.

I am teaching two classes at the training camp: one on Bible lesson preparation and presentation, the other on urban ministry. I am really excited about the urban ministry class! (It is one that I have not taught before.)

The people of the world are moving to the cities of the world like never before. According to a 2005 report by the U.N. Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 50% of the world’s population and 80% of the U.S. population lives in the city (http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WUP2005/2005WUPHighlights_Final_Report.pdf, accessed April 19, 2008). In 1950, there were only two cities in the world with a population of 10 million or more: New York City and Tokyo. Today, there are twenty cities in the world with a population of 10 million or more.

According to research from CEF Headquarters, there are 372,039 children between the ages of 5-14 in the Denver-Boulder-Greeley area. This is our mission field for the summer. CYIA training will be followed by five weeks of teaching kids’ Bible clubs around the city. Pray that this ministry will be fruitful.

Thanks so much!

The World Needs Jesus

Xenophobia in South Africa: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/25/southafrica1

Monday, May 26, 2008

Grand Opening

Welcome! If you came here from the blurb in my CEF newsletter, it's great to have you. This blog is going to serve as a place for posting updates on the ministry of CEF in Denver, prayer requests, pictures, sermon notes (from http://www.bvchurch.org/regeneration), book reviews, humor, theological musings, thoughts on life, etc.

Thanks for reading! I am new to this whole blogging thing, but I am looking forward to it.