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Spare Change February 2018

Do you ever wish that you would find an old dingy oil lamp at a garage sale or flea market?  Then when you brought it home and started polishing it a genie floated out from among a cloud of blue smoke.  Maybe he sounds like Robin Williams, maybe he doesn’t, the point is he offers you three wishes.  You can’t believe your luck.  These wishes will transform your life; that is until you realize that you can’t wish for infinite wishes…bummer.  But three is still good, right?

At the end of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka asked Charlie, “Do you know what happened to the boy that suddenly got everything he ever wanted?...He lived   happily ever after.”  But is it good to get everything we want?  Wouldn’t life be easier, won’t we all be happier if we got everything we wanted?  I propose to you that it would indeed not be better.  I propose that the struggle in life actually makes life better.  I understand that all trials and struggles are not the same, but generally when we have to strive to gain things in this life, isn’t it better?  It certainly makes those things seem more valuable.

I can tell you that a few weeks after Christmas the gifts my children received are not valued as much.  They are tired of them and some of them are even broken, but I have seen where my oldest child has earned money for babysitting and she values that money and if she buys something with it, that possession is prized.  I also know I have a couple of pieces of paper on the wall in my office that took a lot of time and energy to earn.  No one handed me my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I had to put in long hours of study, class time, writing   papers, and taking tests to earn them.  They are two of the most valuable pieces of paper I own.

The same is true for trials in our life.  When we struggle we are made spiritually stronger.  James says in James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.   And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”   James  encourages us to change our perspective on struggles.  To not think of them as burdens but as blessings that help us to grow stronger.  We are to look upon them with joy!  And after we have strived and strained with our various trials we can look at our life and realize that we made it by the grace and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in turn has produced a spiritual strength, wisdom, and perseverance in us.

Now I realize that this is easier said than done; but if we begin to simply pray and ask God to help us change our perspective, He will.  We also need to start with looking at the small stuff.  Maybe you had a flat tire and were late to work but in that you were able to spend a few extra minutes with the kids or you were able to interact with someone that helped you change a tire.  Maybe you’re sitting in the hospital getting a treatment and your attitude and faith is an encouragement and inspiration to the nurses.  Maybe you’ve just had a long day and all you want to do it veg out in front of the TV but instead you stay on your feet to serve your spouse who has also had a long day.  These examples may not seem like very big things but often the little trials will prepare us for the big trials in life.

One last thought I will leave you with.  A few years ago, I visited a butterfly display at a zoo.  The zoo keeper there was showing us how the butterflies came out of their cocoon.  He stressed the point to the kids in the group to never help a butterfly out of its cocoon.  We might look at them and think they need our help.  We can ease their struggle by just opening that cocoon for them, but what we don’t realize is that the struggle to get out of the cocoon is what helps the butterfly get its strength to fly.  If you “helped” it, then its wings would wilt, and it would quickly die.  It is in the   struggle the butterfly finds its strength.  The same is true for us, we find our strength in Jesus when we trust Him through the struggle.  So the next time you come up against a trial, start with prayer and ask Jesus to help you use it to grow for His glory.

Student Ministry February 2018

Dear Church Family,

The Student Ministry has been gearing up for the Spring and Summer by planning for events and putting dates on the calendar. We are really excited for this year’s line-up of things to do together with friends and the rest or our Student Ministry family. It is going to be full of fun times, encouraging fellowship, and spiritual growth. These events are going to be great! But with all that said, I believe there is a danger that we can easily ignore. If we aren’t careful, we will look forward to these events and forget about the essential week-by-week fellowship and worship that we all need. It can be very tempting as believers to operate from one spiritual “high” to another and neglect walking together with Christ. But the Bible doesn’t describe the Christian life as a sprint, but as a faithful and persevering walk with Christ. It is a hike that goes from mountaintops to valleys, from deserts to grassy plains. And we need each other regularly in our lives to keep us looking to Christ no matter what the terrain is.

The reason I say all of that is to mention that it would be a shame for us to make it to all the church events (which would be great!) but miss out on the weekly fellowship and worship that is so important for our Christian walk. While the Student Ministry events will be major  factors in students’ lives, Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night church will be even more influential over time. Missing these regular times to worship, fellowship, and grow together even though you’re making it to all the events would be like only drinking water once a month. It’s simply unhealthy. 

Spiritual health can hardly be overrated, therefore, the Student Ministry is a place where building close, genuine relationships and growing together in Christ is a major priority. And the best way to build relationships is regular, frequent time together. That is why I want to encourage all of us to prioritize the weekly times that we have at our church to fellowship and worship. This is how we build lasting friendships and grow in our faith. My hope for students is that they will enjoy time with their friends as well as build new genuine friendships. My prayer is that they will be growing in their faith in Christ and love for one another simultaneously. But I have no reason to expect those things to happen if we are not gathering together regularly for fellowship and worship. God works miracles sometimes, but very often He works through the most mundane things in life to bring about amazing results. I am praying for Him to do both.

My hope is that the students of Oakhill Baptist Church and their friends from school and elsewhere would come to all of the events we have planned and experience the love and life-changing grace of God in the gospel of Christ. My prayer is that they will also make it a priority like never before to gather together regularly at church to hangout and have fun      together while growing in their faith in Christ. Will you pray for these things with me? Will you pray for these things in your own life and for the rest of our church? We are doing a series on Wednesday nights that will help students know how to defend their faith and have courage sharing the gospel. We will investigate many of the questions that students and even adults have about Christianity. If you have a child or grandchild in the Student Ministry, would you encourage them to come regularly? Come, let us walk together with Christ, from mountaintops to valleys, from deserts to grassy plains.

Sincerely,

Brian Van Doren