Jose Pablo and Christian

Abandoned to the streets as young boys, they suffered rejection and abuse, but the Lord has restored them to a life in Him and they are coming this Wednesday from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.!  Don’t miss hearing the testimonies of two young Colombian men – Christian and Jose Pablo!  Don’t forget to bring your friends.

 

Do Hard Things Countdown

Hey youth – Why not consider joining the fight against low expectations?  Join me beginning Monday, July 7th as I read through and comment on Alex and Brett Harris’ Do Hard Things. 

Join the conversation and the low expectations of society.  Contact me at jessewisnewski@perrow.org or call me at the office to find-out how you can purchase a copy for only $5 (for additional information please read my comment below).  Parents you are encouraged to join in and participate as well! 

A word from Zephaniah

I imagine that many are not familiar with Zephaniah.  Quite frankly I’m not either other than his prophesies were recorded sometime between 640-609 B.C. within the Old Testament and his name means “The LORD hides or protects.” 

What does Zephaniah have to do with anything?  Well, I’m glad you asked.  As I was listening to the song Amazed as sung by Lincoln Brewster (not to be mistake for Punky Brewster), the opening lyrics reminded me of a passage from the the book of Zephaniah in the Old Testament.  The open lyrics go something like this,

You dance over me, while I am unaware, you sing all around, but I never hear the sound.

Lord I’m amazed by you

Lord I’m amazed by you

Lord I’m amazed by you, and how you love me.

We read in Zephaniah 3.17,

The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

To “exult” as the LORD “exults” over us is the same as being very happy and joyous in something.  That something in particular are those who have called upon Jesus Christ to be saved.  It’s amazing thing to know that God is in our midst, that He is very happy and joyous with us, and that He rejoices with shouts of joy over us even when we are unaware and undeserving. 

May you be amazed in Him and His grace and mercy as I am!  For He is great and greatly to be praised!

Remember…

there is no Sunday School this coming Sunday.  Instead of class we will be gathering together with everyone else and eating a bunch of great breakfast food from 9:15 A.M. to 10:30 A.M.  We ask that everyone bring enough for themselves as well as enough to share.  If you don’t have the ability to bring anything, don’t sweat it!  You still need to come out and enjoy meeting some new people and eating some great food. 

LORD willing see you then.

Join the conversation beginning July 7th

Hey youth, do you consider yourself a rebel?  How about a rebel without a cause?  If so, why not consider rebelling against low expectations?  Join me, Jesse Wisnewski, beginning Monday, July 7th, as I read through and comment on Alex and Brett Harris’ Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations.  

If you would like to read along and join the conversation, contact me about purchasing a book for $5.*  All you need to do is e-mail me at jessewisnewski@perrow.org or call me at the office.  Parents, you are encouraged to join and read along as well! 

Here is an excerpt from the first paragraph,

Most people don’t expect you to understand what we’re going to tell you in this book.  And even if you understand, they don’t expect you to care.  And even if you care, they don’t expect you to do anything about it.  And even if you do something about it, they don’t expect it to last.  Well, we do!

 

 

 

For tonight…

we will be cooking some hot dogs over a fire beside the Picnic Shelter.  I just plan on picking-up some potato chips and miscellaneous condiments, so you may not want to come on a completely empty stomach.  Well, then again, you may want to fill-up on marshmallows?  My wife would probably be mad if she knew that I suggested the latter option.  

Anyways, major “kudos” to the Poole family for allowing us to ram-sack the freezer full of left over hot dogs from Anna’s b-day bash.  Thanks! 

Look forward to seeing all of you tonight. 

 

Role of parents and church in teaching children

At the moment I am working towards developing a “Family Worship Workshop.”  First, I have been studying the meaning of family in both the Old and New Testaments.  Next, I plan on taking a look at contemporary defintions of family.  In the meantime, here is a word from Andreas Kostenberger,

While there may be Christian Sunday school teachers and other significant teachers in a child’s life, parents must never go back on their God-given responsibility to be the primary source of religious instruction for their children.

For those of you that read this and are parents and/or guardians, I ask that you prayerfully consider how you are doing in passing on the faith to your children.  Simply dropping them off on Wednesday’s or Sunday’s will not do.  Our children must learn from our example in pursuing Jesus Christ.  We must step-up and incorporate the reading of God’s Word, prayer, service, and formal instruction in and through home.  If this means that extracurricular activities need to be cut, such as sports, and the calendar is cleared for certain day’s and times so that your family can gather together and worship God, then I encourage you to do it. 

If there is anything that I can help you with or pray with you about, please let me know. 

Remember, all that we do is by the grace of God and for the glory of God.

Appalachain Impact Update

This week we should have finalized the Appalachain Impact Trip!  We are still waiting to hear from a couple of people that may be interested in lending us their vehicle.  If you are, please let me know!  This week, hopefully by Wednesday, we will have all the information that you need to sign-up.

At the moment we have reserved 3 pontoon boats for our Thursday at the lake.  2 of the boats are double deckers that have slides on them. 

We will also have a special guest with us for the week.  None other than Joel Russel himself. 

I will get you more information when it is available.

this week…

we will be gathering together on Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. and not 6:30 P.M.  Beginning this Wednesday I plan on working through the topic of prayer.  We will be looking into why we pray.  Afterwards we are going to pray. 

Following this time of devotion and worship we will look to head outside for a game that is yet to be determined.  By the way, does anyone have any suggestions or ideas for Wednesday’s game?  Looking for something that is team building. 

Lord willing see you Wednesday!

it’s amazing how…

watching something such as the sun rising can remind you of God.  In the study of our house, the sole window peers out to the east.  During the early morning hours we have the opportunity to watch the sun rise over the Teays Valley landscape (even though we have to look through a myriad of trees). 

This morning I found myself reading in Isaiah 6.1 through 8.8 and 1 Corinthians 11.17 to 12.30.  Not only did I read these portions of Scripture, but I had the opportunity to read from Wayne Grudem’s Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith on The Character of God: “Incommunicable” Attributes.  Why I shared what I read this morning will make sense in a moment. 

Anyways, I was praying I could not help but to be blinded by the brightness of the sun emanating through my window.  As I sat in my sit rubbing my eyes, the LORD recalled to mind a portion of my reading from Isaiah 6.1-7. 

In this passage from Isaiah…