TODAY'S CHURCH

Information used to double every 5 years! What is the rate of acceleration with respect to knowledge now? Check out this video! You will be asked what does it all mean? You have to filter this information with a Biblical worldview to not be frightend or overwhelmed. We might be suprised by this, but God is not!


Post your response now!

Check out this video by a 12 year old named Lia. Who says that preteens can't make a difference?! She recently decided to make a courageous stand in her school by giving a persuasive speech on the topic of abortion. Even when her teachers strongly encouraged her to choose a different topic, she decided to stick with what she felt passionate about.

She was motivated to take this stand after her mom attended a Lou [Engle] conference several years ago. The family made a covenant to pray for abortion to end…

• "As part of her class requirements, she needed to prepare a speech; however, the classroom presentations were also meant to enable the teacher to select the best speeches to go on to a more serious competition. As I mentioned, several teachers discouraged her from picking the topic of abortion; she was told it was “too big”, “too mature” and “too controversial”. She was also told that if she went ahead with that topic, she would not be allowed to continue on in the speech competition. Initially, I tried helping her find other topics to speak on, but, in the end, she was adamant. She just felt she wanted to continue with the topic of abortion. So she forfeited her chance to compete in order to speak on something she was passionate about. "

To help get the word out, the family would like you to visit the Think Fast campaign. EVERY FRIDAY Junior High and High School students in more than 900 schools FAST LUNCH and use that time to get with friends to PRAY FOR ABORTION TO END. You can join the movement now, and make a difference too.
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Lia’s teacher was so moved by her handing of the content that she decided to allow her to participate in the competition after all. THEN LIA WON for her class. Later the school principal and teachers all agreed that Lia’s speech before the entire school was the OBVIOUS WINNER. But the judges overall decided to disqualify her because of the topic and her position on abortion.

The family pondered how to proceed with how the school chose to handle Lia’s situation. the whole thing led to a big disagreement with the judges and one offended judge chose to step down. The other judges reversed their earlier decision, and Lia was declared the WINNER. Lia advanced to compete regionally and represent her school with this amazing message of LIFE. Lia then advanced to the next round of competition with her speech.

Lia did an outstanding job at this level of competition. "Her presentation was flawless and she was poised and passionate throughout." She did not win the competition however. Two teachers and others present felt that she was the strongest speaker and should have won, but they suspected that her topic of abortion is what kept her from winning. Read this excerpt from her mother’s email:

• Lia wasn’t really that upset though, especially when she considered that the only difference between winning the competition and not winning was having a couple extra pictures taken and being given a small trophy. Lia has a much bigger trophy – somebody commented to us on our YouTube account that her aunt watched Lia’s video and decided to NOT have an abortion because of it. Yay God! Others have commented that they either never thought of the issue before or were pro-choice – but now they have changed their opinions. So, having a life saved is the best trophy ever!

We’re thrilled with Lia’s courage and conviction. And YES, the best trophy is a life saved. Please join us in continuing to pray for her YouTube video to spread virally and impact countless lives. (this material is truncated & referenced from http://www.bound4life.com/)

When I was much younger, my dad would often wear a pair of fancy boots, jeans, and a cowboy hat. We was (and still is) about 5 foot 9. He spent most of his time in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex which was coincidentally the set of the famous TV show "Walker Texas Ranger". Oh and one more thing, he always wore a beard in those days. I don't know if you realized it or not, but I just described Chuck Norris. No Chuck Norris is not my dad, but lots of people thought my dad was Chuck Norris. Maybe he looked more like Chuck's caricature (see below), I can't be sure myself. Many times he would go to a restaurant and the waiter would inform him that the meal would be "on the house" because they were grateful that a celebrity with the fame and notoriety of Chuck Norris would choose to eat there. Of course, he would then have to tell them that he was not who they thought he was. (just his stunt double- jk -not even that. Chuck Norris always does his own stunts!)

I have known people who have met Chuck personally. I think 4 people have told me that they actually had conversations with him in person at least once and one who used to know him pretty well. I also know a lot of Chuck Norris jokes. here are some of my favorites:

• When the Bogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris!
• There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live!
• Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice!
• When Chuck Norris does a push up, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down!
• Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door!
• Chuck Norris ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one!
• Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas!
• if you have some favorites please post them to this blog!!

So I guess you could say I grew up in the shadow of Chuck Norris' shadow. But even still I would have to admit I didn't ever know Chuck Norris. I have seen lots of pictures of him. Heard people talk about him. I have even told some of the jokes I have heard about him. I have read about him. I have met people who knew him. There were even several weeks in a row where I tuned in to his program. Yet I never knew him.

There is a cultural danger in some circles of Christianity. People who look at their affiliation with God as a heritage, something that is passed on to them from their parents like their nationality. (You might hear someone say that they are Italian because their parents were Italian and grandparents were Italian too. Some might say well, my parents were Baptist and my grandparents were Baptist so I too am Baptist) There are people who are satisfied with hearing about Christ or reading about Him, even many who will attend religious ceremonies on a weekly basis but have never truly come to know Him in a personal way like he intended.

Matt. 7:21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!

Jesus wants us to know him! We must be careful to do the things that Jesus taught for they will help us to know Him better. Focus on his voice will allow us to become more attentive and obedient. Our obedience will help us to learn his character. But the first step to knowing Christ is knowing his forgiveness. Some think it is important to be obedient to God so that you can earn your way to heaven, but that is not it. It is out of gratitude for his forgiveness that one chooses to submit their life to Him. Ultimately knowing him will produce fruit in our life.

Kids understand and communicate love in a way that is unique to each child. Gary Chapman has categorized the ways that kids communicate love into five groups he has called "The Five Love Languages of Children". As a parent we should know how to best communicate to our kids that we care about them. Communication is about connecting the message to the receiver. That is the purpose of discovering and discerning what language your child speaks. If you are a small group leader it might not be as easy to decipher in the short time you are with your students. Chapman names the 5 languages in his book:

1. words of affirmation
2. quality time
3. acts of service
4. physical touch
5. gifts

Click here to print a quiz that will help you to determine what love language your children understand best. I challenge you to communicate in a way that your kids will understand what you are trying to convey- That they are loved!

This week in WRKIDZ huddle time we will unpack Phyisical Touch. What are the appropriate ways to communicate in this dialect as a small group leader? How do we protect the kids and the church from inappropriate touch? Learn about the H3 approach. If you are a parent interested in learning more please visit http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/. Please feel free to post anything you would like to share with other parents or small group leaders.

Coming April 17-18! SuperStart is a weekend event for preteens (grades 4,5,6) that tours the country. Your preteen will want to attend this Retreat! Check out this video:
Friday night includes an ice cream party and tons of fun. We will drive to Compass Christian Church in Colleyville Friday evening and come back to spend the night here at the the Ridge. Early Saturday we'll head back to CCC for breakfast and more fun. There will be a large group production "battle of the illusionist", excellent worship times, and small group break outs throughout the day. We will break from 10-1pm for lunch and lunar golf at Grapevine Mills Mall! All of this is included in the cost of registration. You will find the registration info very soon at http://www.walnutridgechurch.com/News_And_Events/
Early Registration will be $50. Late registration will begin after March 25 and will be $60, so register early for the best rate.