New Year!

Hello there!

So, it is a new year already! As most of you know, we did not make it back home to Texas due to the 15 inches of snow that they received.... that's right people: 15 inches!!! Delivered on Christmas Eve. So, Shaun and I stayed here and actually got some rest. That was nice!

Now we are back to the grind stone like everyone else. Looking back over the last year, I am overwhelmed by all that we have been through and all that has been accomplished. more importantly, I am exctied to see what the new year will bring. We have started a series in Mo Kdis called Step It Up! This is going to affect the entire ministry as we try to step it up in all areas to bring the very best that God has planned for His Kids and for those who are blessed enough to serve them. My hope is that this will embed itself into the dna of my life as well.

Less is more. We're fond of saying that around here. And much of the time, we're more effective living by it. But sometimes MORE is more. Want a voluminous vocabulary? Read more. Want to nail the lines for your part in a sketch? Rehearse more. Want to master the "Cha Cha Slide"? Practice more. You get the drift. And just like you need to lift more if you want bigger biceps, you need to do some things more if you want to know God better, like:

Read His Book. Can you think of a more foundational, first-step way to get to know Him? Plus, "God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right" (2 Timothy 3:16, NIrV). What better example of the importance of engaging in God's Word than Jesus as a 12-year-old in the temple?

Remember His words. "By using Scripture, a man of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing" (2 Timothy 3:17, NIrV). Jesus showed us (particularly that time He was tempted in the wilderness) we not only need to read God's Word, we need to memorize it, internalize it, and take it to heart so that we'll be ready for whatever comes our way.

Talk to Him. "Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him" (Philippians 4:6, NIrV). To get to know someone and to strengthen your relationship with that person, you have to talk him or her, right? It's the same way with God. You gotta talk to Him. We will help kids better understand Jesus' answer when one of the disciples asked Him how to pray.

Talk about Him with your friends. "I pray that you will be active in sharing what you believe. Then you will completely understand every good thing we have in Christ" (Philemon 1:6, NIrV). Saying what you believe out loud helps solidify your beliefs. Could this be one reason Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do YOU say I am?"

Make Him more important than anything. "Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve" (Deuteronomy 6:13a, NIrV). We will be taking a look at what Jesus said about "the widow's mite" and how it helps us to worship the only one we should serve.

These are all priorities and habits -- disciplines -- that can help us get to know God better and grow stronger. Kids need to understand that they don't have to wait till they're older to get to know God; God wants them to start now. He's ready to help them, every step of the way, RIGHT NOW.

So this year, join with me to see how discipline, which is doing what you need to do now so you can grow stronger, can help strengthen their relationship with God.

What comes to mind when you think of discipline? “No pain, no gain”? “This hurts me a lot more than it hurts you”? If so, it’s no wonder—people have hated discipline since, well, since before Bible times: “‘How I hated discipline!’” (Proverbs 5:12, NIV) “You rebuke and discipline men for their sin” (Psalm 39:11, NIV). “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful” (Hebrews 12:11a, NIV).

Discipline may conjure images of sweat and tears (especially when people misuse it), but that’s not what it’s about. Instead, discipline should produce “a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11b, NIV). Essentially, discipline is: doing what you need to do now so you can grow stronger and Jesus is our ultimate role model of discipline.

Speaking of discipline, check out this video about families and raising kiddos to know Him. My prayer is that our families will latch on to the concept that they are responsible for teaching their children and partner with me so that they can learn how to fulfill their God designed role.

That's all for now... gotta get back to work... it's a discipline you know! :-)