James | 1:4-8

Yaawwwnnnnn.... Yikes I am tired.

Well we just straight back into James last night and walked through verses 4-8. It was quite an experience, wouldn't you say? We uncovered some truth about wisdom and realized that the condition of our hearts has a huge impact on the generosity of God's wisdom.

Sometimes that can be a little overwhelming considering the urgency in which we receive things here in America. The thought of my responsibility when receiving such things (as wisdom) can deter us from even asking. What a thought? I know that at our ripe ol' age of 14-18 you are not exactly on the forefront of gaining mass amounts of this so called Wisdom, considering it is for old people, but it can make a world of difference in our lives.

Take some time this week and read back over James 1:4-8 and listen to the podcast. Focus on what God has and is calling you to and move toward that goal. I love ya!!

James | 1:1-4

Good Morning Yardigans!!!!

I hope you all had a great weekend and CONGRATULATIONS to all our new graduates! We are so proud of you and so honored to have been able to be a part of your lives and I know that I am so encouraged by who you have become and what God is doing in your hearts.

A quick update from last night; we will be spending the summer in the book of James. We jumped straight in last night and covered all of 4 verses. Haha J James 1:1-4; WATCH OUT!!!

The theme from last night was “Joy in Trials”. I know at first glance this seems to be ironic to modern American thinking and reactions, but the truth is, it is completely biblical. God is not a evil deity in the sky loving to watch up squirm around from test and trial and smiling at us thinking, “where’s your joy, where’s your joy, little human thing”. No not at all. He is loving and knows that the testing of our faith serves 2 purposes, to test the authenticity of our faith and to grow us up in perseverance so that we will be complete and lacking in nothing. That is joy in trials.

I hope you take some time this week to read over James 1:1-4 and memorize it. I am not going to ask you to recite it or come up to me and tell it to me. I will ask through that you etch it on your heart and memorize it so it become a part of your faith, not just a quote to console your emotion.

I love you and hope you have a great first week of summer.

God is Good

I just wanted to update you on some things that we discussed @ The Yard and give you a few announcements.

#1. Friday June 5th from 7-9 pm we are having a Farewell Party for Ray Tang at 201 to celebrate his time here and thank him for his service to Chase Oaks. Feel free to just stop by or hang out the whole time.

#2. Camp money is due June 10th. So, if you have only put in our deposit then make sure you get that paid ASAP.

#3. If you are going to Mexico, we have our half day meeting on June 6th from 8:30-1:30 pm @ 201. Please Please Please be there!!! It is mandatory. I will assume you are coming unless you tell me otherwise.

#4. Please subscribe and listen to the Podcast this week. It was extremely encouraging

#5. Don't forget this Sunday night is the End of Year Bash. Bring as many friends as you can and we will have hamburgers, hotdogs, volleyball, flag football, basketball outside, dodge ball and much more. Hope to see you all.

Love you all very much. Have a great week.

Going Green | Prayer

Good Morning Yardigans,

First, let me start by saying that I was so excited to see you all last night. I know that it has only been a week, but I have really missed you all. I hope that school is not killing any of you and that you are all studying hard for the AP tests that have passed and the finals that are to come. You will be fine, just STUDY!!

Anyway, for a wrap up of last night...

We ended our series on the topic of prayer. I know that in our circles, or at least in the Christian circle we throw that word around a lot...I mean A LOT!! But how many of us actually pray for someone when we say we will. How many of us spend time specifically each day in prayer?

We answered 3 simple questions.

#1 What is prayer?

#2 How do we pray?

#3 Do I pray? (I didn't answer this one...you have to)

#1 Pray is the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made. Prayer is the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God. Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian. Prayer is the exercise of faith and hope. Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

What an idea? That prayer is our way to touch the heart of the Father. The reality is that it is just a conversation. It is simply the direct line we have with God. The hard part some times though, is that conversation requires 2 people communicating, that means 2 people talking back and forth. That is where I lose some of you. When I said this last night, I had so many faces giving me the same look I always get when I say listen for God's voice...(really Rocky, I have been a Christian "my whole life" and I have never heard God's voice..face). I know that you get tired of hearing that, but until you decide to really listen, don't tell me you can't hear him, that just doesn't make sense.

#2 How can I pray:

1. First you must start praying. (for those of you not here yet)

2. Find a time and stick to it. (if you hate mornings, don't choose morning time for prayer)

3. Pray out loud. (if will help you not daydream if you make yourself form complete sentences)

4. Make a list. (it is cool to see God start crossing stuff off your list)

5. Use a prayer journal. (and put your list in the journal)

6. Don't start with a novel, just a main idea.(you don't to write a prayer novel, just pray)

7. Use time that you would normally waste.(ie. time spent on Facebook, texting, so on)

8. ACTS.(Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.(look them up)

#3 Do you pray?

I know that seems a little weird to be asked a question when the pastor is supposed to do all the answering, but this one requires your input and your energy. You see I can give you tons of tips, and tons of ideas. I could write out a prayer for you to use as an example and you could have 10 pages of notes on prayer. But if you don’t pray then it is a waste of time.

So take some time this week, listen to the Podcast again and pray.....

Love you all...Peace

Going Green | Fasting

Last night one of our great interns Eric Torrence shared a message on Fasting. As we dug into the idea of hunger and not just the hunger for food, but the hunger God has put in us that desires Him more. We explored where this comes from and then even what to do with it.

Eric challenged us all to pray and to seek God, to see if He would have us fast in order to know him more. So this week, check out the podcast on itunes, spend some time in prayer and see what God might have you fast from; Facebook, texting, food, ipods? You never know how clear God's voice can be until you listen.

Love you and See you soon.

The Yard

Senior Banquet

Going Green | Stewardship

What up Yardigans,

Well last night we kicked off our new series "Going Green". This was part 1 in our 5 part series looking at some core spiritual disciplines in our lives.

We hit stewardship on 2 different levels last night. The stewardship of our stuff and the stewardship of our souls. I believe that one is just a litmus test for the other. If our stuff is not being stewarded well then I am not convinced that is the biggest red flag. I think it is simply a reality that the soul needs some work and the stuff is just revealing it.

You see stewardship is more that eco-friendly cars, using resources wisely, and a confident 10% each month. Not that I think any of those things are bad or unimportant but I do believe that if we choose to not steward our hearts then we will spend a lifetime adding adjustments to ease our symptoms and never really cure the sickness that dwells within our souls.

Be sure to check out our podcast on itunes and subscribe to it so that you get the full message. Also, in the message we watched a video and that is what is below.

Have a great week and talk to you soon. Peace.