Church, Jesus, Tolerance, and Internet Addiction

I decided not to call this Get Linked Up anymore.  It sounded kind of weird.  Here's 4 links that got my brain churning..

The first row of google images when I typed in the title of this post...

Today millions of people need their church staff to not start planning CHURCH next Sunday until they show them CHURCH today. I hope you never feel like this at CCC, but I'm also realistic enough to know that it happens.  Seriously, give us a call and let us know when we can walk with you through anything.

Missing the Guy in the Empty Chair A lot of us know the nuts and bolts of faith, but the idea of a relationship with a guy who isn't here on earth... difficult.  This article offers up a fresh idea for your time with God.

Why tolerance should never be practiced Remember Dave Kibler who spoke during our recent revival?  He blogs too!  I was worried when I read his title, but as usual, some thought provoking words from Dave.

The Chemicals of Internet Addiction I'm a nerd that loves when science and theology collide.  Some really great new studies coming out about our brains and internet addiction.  The problem?  I would guess that this is a much bigger problem than we realize.

Have articles that you feel make an impact?  Send them Blake's way.

Have a great weekend and see you back on the blog Monday.

Taking Root,
Blake

You Get 2 Things...

On Facebook I recently saw a good family friend and father of 2 boys make a comment about the way they've handled kids extracurricular activities:

"You Get 2 Things"

This isn't necessarily the small clubs or the groups that meet on occasion.  Instead, it's the more involved activities that require practices or a continued in-depth commitment.

Let me start by admitting, I have never been good about following this advice in my own life.  However, as I peer into the future of my own children's lives, I'm starting to consider if this is chocked full of wisdom.

What is it that drives us to be involved in numerous activities?  Do we do it simply for application filler?  If so, would a scholarship committee or college still be impressed if we did a few things well instead of being over-committed?  Is it a result of our children's desire to be recognized and needed?  If so, are we doing our role as a parent to meet that desire?  Is it parent's living vicariously through their children?

As evidenced by the previous paragraph, I have more questions than answers.  I know that the answers for each are unique.  There are some over-arching ideas, however, that I think should play into how you answer the question of, "To do or not to do?"

1. Is this healthy for our family?  Physically, emotionally, AND spiritually, is participating in this going to be a healthy option for EACH member of the home?  There are times when we have to make sacrifices, but take time to consider if this is asking too much of any one member or the whole family unit.
   
2. Does this nurture or utilize my child's giftedness? As children reach their pre-teen and teen years, you can really start to identify the gifts and abilities that God has given them.  Will the activity they are interested in help grow and use what God has blessed them with?
   
3. What will this teach my child about priorities? I believe that priorities is the #1 thing that is caught not taught to our children.  The way we live our lives and the things we choose to do will impact how your children make decisions forever.  What will joining this team or leading this club teach your kid about the priorities in their life?  Also, are you willing to live out the same priorities that you expect your kids to have?

I'm really interested to hear back from you as I prepare for the onslaught of sign-ups, permission slips, and registration fees!  I'm a young dad in need of your help:

Is the "Rule of 2" a good one?

Is the "Rule of 2" practical or possible?

Comment below!

Taking Root,

Blake

What's Up Wednesday

New Series in FUEL: Masks

Tonight we finish up our current series, Logos.  After fall break we return for a 3 week series entitled Masks.  We'll spend a week each digging into these 3 concepts:

1. Masks Hide who Christ intended for us to be.
2. Masks Change our thoughts about ourself.
3. Masks can be Removed.

The 3rd week (Oct. 24) will be a big night as we challenge students to take their masks off!  This night will also be a great night to invite friends to as we plan to present the gospel in a really clear way.

Fall Break Events

The next 2 Sunday nights are different because of Fall Break.

September 30 - Trip to Heavenly Haven Farm
October 7 - Fall Festival at CCC

Taking Root,
Blake

Taking a Deeper Look: Study

Over the next 6 weeks, I plan to take a deeper look at our 6 areas of growth from Rooted in God's Love.  I'll clarify it's biblical basis, discuss the progression of growth we have developed in the formational goals, and provide some self-evaluation questions for you to gauge your strength in that particular growth area.  Hope you use this to grow!

This Week's Wins

Another week of being part of God's Story!  Here's some of the chapters that were written at CCC...

I am probably enjoying our Logos series in FUEL too much!  It has challenged me even in teaching it.  Here was a video we used this week, that pushed me to reach deeper in my devotion to Him!

Our Junior High ministry is rocking!  Special thanks to all the adults who chaperoned the trip to Elizabethtown for the concert, and to the Burton's who organized it!  Also, pretty awesome to have 31 in Sunday school this week!  We are building a GREAT team of volunteers in our Middle school ministry and are looking/needing to expand.  Ask God in your prayer time if he wants to use you to minister to this special age and then call me if he says yes!

For more pictures from the concert, click here!

Check out www.rodneybooe.com for more on the Ordination yesterday!  Here's my pic:

4 New Deacons being prayed over Sunday

Always exciting to look over and see youth leaders building relationships!  These 2 guys were rocking it last Wednesday night during the meal! 

A Picture of Discipleship

Taking Root,

Blake

A Day on the Farm!

Coming up Sunday, September 30, we're planning on spending an afternoon hanging out at the farm!

We will caravan out to the farm and spend time enjoying the hayride, pumpkin patch, corn maze, petting zoo, weinie roast, holy cow... wait not holy cows.. HOLY COW!  There's a lot to do, so come enjoy the fun!  Cost is $5 per person, under 4 free!

Taking Root,

Blake

See You At The Pole September 26!

See You At The Pole is always an encouraging event!

Events have been scheduled at both high schools at 7:30 am, September 26.

Maybe you can be the leader of a similar event at your school or workplace..

Taking Root,
Blake

What's Up Wednesday!

Wee Worship

Our little ones have been studying the story of Joseph this month!  Follow up by talking about the highly recognizable coat Joe wore or take a few minutes to talk about 1 good thing that Joseph did when he was alive.

Sunday Night Devotions

Our kids have done an excellent job of working on memory verses from Psalm 1.  They should be working on Psalm 1:4 for this Sunday Night.  Just as a heads up as you work on them at home; October 28 will be a night where we try to do all of Psalm 1 at once!

Middle School Trip

Several of our middle schoolers are headed to E-town Friday for a concert! Departure time is 4:30! You should have gotten something in the mail if you have signed up. If not, contact myself or Mike Burton.

High School Sunday School

Our high school Sunday school class is still chugging through 1 Corinthians!  There has been some great discussion as we cover some edgy topics.  This week we jump into marriage (no rings involved I promise...) as we study 1 Corinthians 7!

Status of Small Group Locations

I want to continue to communicate our home sites for youth small groups on Sunday nights:

Middle School Girls:  The Haley's, 955 Woodhill Rd

Middle School Guys: The Turpins, 230 Wedgewood Dr

High School: Currently, The Agathen's, 820 Forest Hills Dr.  

Will also meet at The Cox's, 827 W Main St.

12 Ways to Take Root at CCC

Looking for an option that isn't "just another class"?  

Here's 12 things you can do to get involved in serving and connect to others in our church.  Beware, these might require levels of commitment!  (In parenthesis I'll list what area of Rooted this activity could cause growth in!)

1. Commit to praying for someone outside of your usual circle everyday for a month. (Prayer)
2. Help host our quick meal on Wednesday nights. (Service)
3. Read John 15 everyday for a week and log what God reveals to you. (Study)
4. Take 1 hour to reevaluate your budget and determine what percentage of your pre-tax income is headed back to God. (Stewardship)
5. Host a night out on the town or in your home for a class or group. (Community)
6. Invite someone younger to help you with whatever kind of service you regularly do.  You'd be surprised at just how young people can: set out donuts, serve communion, clean up tables and chairs, teach children, etc.  It may seem inconvenient at times, but its biblical to pour into others through mentoring relationships! (Discipleship)
7. Buy This Book: Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God's Word and take time in the next month to digest it. (Study)
8. Consider leading a group from CCC on a mission trip. (Service)
9. Start your day by praying Psalm 139:23-24 for the next week. (Prayer)
10. Reclaim your time with God by writing it into your calendar. (Stewardship)
11. Set a goal for greeting a certain number of people that you don't usually talk to on Sunday. (Community)
12. Disciple your children by having a time where you ask the question, "What did I learn about God today?"  Adults answer too! (Discipleship)

Choose just 1. Choose all 12.  Choose an area that you know you need growth in.  Just accept the challenge and choose to Take Root..

Taking Root,

Blake

This Week's Wins

It was another great week here at CCC!  A few highlights in my eyes..

Spontaneous Reports of Growth! 

Whether it was hearing about the change seen in a family or certain individuals who were stretching themselves to think of others, I received at least 5 reports of people who were digging deep and growing! That is awesome and a credit to what God is doing in our church!

We have some kids ROCKING Scripture Memory!

Our Sunday Night Devotions have been walking through the verse of Psalm 1.  Last week was verse 3 (Check out the pictures of our Pin the Leaf on the Tree here), and more than 50% of the kids nailed it!  This week we talked about Psalm 1:4 as they work on that verse for next week.  Ask them what we did with these:

The Parable in Luke 12 Challenged Me.

As a young whipper-snapper, I haven't had to worry about building too many extra barns to this point, but it really challenged me yesterday as I looked to the future.  I wonder, "Can I save as much as I want as long as I'm generous?"  "Is there a limit to how much I should save?"  Love to hear some of your wisdom in the comments...

Rolf is almost to $10,000!

Great strides have been made to support this friend of McCall Turpin's in Haiti!  The goal is $15,000, so jump on over and help us get the rest of the way there!  www.crowdrise.com/rolf

Macy McAnelly is 1 Smart Cookie!

As we kicked off our new Logos series in FUEL, we had a friendly competition to see who new their cookie logos best.  Macy ran away with the victory and some Famous Amos cookies!  I have got to get some pictures from FUEL!  Any of you leaders who snap some, please share!

Our Kids are Really Developing a Servant's Heart!

Tables and chairs in the FLC went down in record time when I turned these kiddos loose!  Awesome!

Interested in Eastern KY Mission Work?

This past spring a group from our church here in Campbellsville responded to devastations from a tornado that ravaged part of Eastern Kentucky.  We went through an organization known as Teen Mission.  Teen Mission has been organizing mission work for a long time, and they've served up a couple of opportunities this fall in Campton, Kentucky.

For more info on these trips, click here.

If anyone age 12+ has interest in attending these trips, please comment below or contact me personally.

Taking Root,

Blake

What's the Big Deal about Calvinism?

I'm a little confused too...

Maybe this word hasn't even entered your vocabulary yet.

Maybe you have heard it, but have no idea what it is about.

Either way, the "C" word has been oozing into society at a rather steady pace recently.

This post isn't to explain Calvinism in great detail or to explain why you should or shouldn't uphold these beliefs (I'm not a Calvinist, in case you wanted to know my slant..), instead it simply offers up some links and ideas to help grow your knowledge and understanding of one of the big theological discussions of our day.  You could say we're starting a conversation...

A Brief Introduction

Calvinism has been around for quite some time as it was based on the teaching of John Calvin (1509-1564).  Recently, it has become a much more prevalent theological discussion with one of the leaders being the president of nearby Southern Seminary in Louisville, Al Mohler.  While there is obviously a LOT more involved, the value that Calvinism holds to is that God has predestined who will and will not be saved.  The basic tenets of Calvin's teachings are held together in the acrostic TULIP.

For much more on John Calvin, his ideas, and Calvinism in general, check out this link:  Calvinism

Recently on youthmin.org, complimentary posts were written that discussed the effect that one's view of salvation had on the ministry that occurred.  One was written by a minister who has accepted Calvinism as a belief system the other by a friend of mine, Keith Parker, who holds to the opposing viewpoint known as Arminianism.  I encourage you to check out both!

Calvinism and Student Ministry
Arminianism and Student Ministry

Really a BRIEF intro to this idea that is causing a lot of confusion in today's churches; I would love to have a discussion with you about these ideas, so comment below or contact me personally.

Taking Root,
Blake

What's Up Wednesday

Teaching

Our teens start a new series this week in FUEL called Logos!  

I'm excited to get this series underway as we will talk about the Greek word logos, how Jesus became flesh, and how God's Word is revealed to us today through the Bible.  We will take 3 weeks to look at how God shapes his word through the gospels, the book of Acts, and the letters to the church!

Elementary Kids are Abiding in Exodus

I love when we have the opportunity to spend extra time in one section of God's Word!  Our elementary students are doing just that as they talk about the 10 Commandments in Root 2:52 and the story of the Exodus on Sunday mornings!

Building Dedication

Our building has grown!

I need to emphasize that our building dedication Sunday at 10 am is for ALL ages.  No Sunday school classes will meet.  Come for an expanded breakfast (YUM...), and a time to give God glory for the work he is preparing for our new space!

Taking Root,

Blake

Choosing to Remember

This morning my twitter feed has been bombarded with tweets about 9/11 and remembering those who serve.

One from Louie Giglio in particular caught my attention:

 @louiegiglio: out of the ashes #remembering

He included a picture of the tower.  Before seeing that picture, my mind recalled this one:

9/11 was a sobering day.  It made the world real again.  It put our beloved America in a state of panic and concern.  It brought many who had never been there to their knees.

In the Bible, ashes were often a symbol of one's recognition of their humiliation in a situation and the realization that we are finite beings in God's greater world.

And so today, I do remember and hope that America is truly rising from the ashes.  My prayer is that our country would be rising back not to national pride or arrogance, but rising back to a love and respect for the God who is greater.  In doing that, it is not my responsibility to point the figure at political or even spiritual figureheads in our country, but the responsibility of rising out of the ashes to return to a right relationship with God begins with me.

Will I remember that God is greater?

Will I live with pride and arrogance or with humility and grace?

How will you choose to remember?

This Week's Wins

A Tree Planted by a Stream

Sunday night at Children's Devotions, we worked on our memory verses by playing a little pin the leaf on the tree!  Every leaf was unique!

Getting Rooted in Stewardship

God owns Everything.  Period.  A great starting point for our new series on stewardship.  I scribbled down some notes of application that led me to asking this question:

Since God owns my ________ (car, house, tv, computer, iPhone, etc.), what does he want me to do with it?  

Challenge yourself to think about how you can use your "stuff" to bring honor to God!  I know it challenged me!

Help Support Rolf

Incredibly moved by McCall's efforts for a boy named Rolf.  Check out this site to learn more and give life to this young Haitian Boy:

www.crowdrise.com/rolf

One Couple Gets Rooted

In our formational goals I find this goal for rooted Adults:  I am generous with my time and treasures.

Special shout out to the Turpins who started living this out this week, hosting our newest youth small group!

Annual Meeting

While some cringe at the thought, the meeting brought a lot of excitement and encouragement for the year to come here at CCC!  Make sure to pick up a copy of the annual report and see what has happened here in the last year.

Taking Root,

Blake

Some Changes for This Coming Sunday at CCC

We had a good problem.

When we started small groups for our student ministry this fall, we didn't know what to expect.  I asked 2 families to be EXTRA brave and open their homes up to TEENAGERS.  Don't laugh at them for accepting!

The 1st night our middle school home had 27 students.

I don't wish 27 middle school students on anyone's home every Sunday night.

Because of that, I sought out a new home for our middle school guys.  Joey & Sheri Turpin have agreed to host our guys with Andy & Seth continuing to lead.  Everything else remains the same, and their house is on the way to the Haley's, so transportation should be ok!

The Turpin's live at 230 Wedgewood Drive, just behind Forest Hills.  If you have questions, please contact Blake.

Youth Band Time Change

Our Annual meeting is this Sunday at 5:30.  Because of that, youth band practice will meet at 4:30 pm instead of 5.  Be there or be square!  

Taking Root,

Blake

Will You Remain?

We finished up our Rooted in God's Love series last night with a simple challenge from John 15:

REMAIN

If you want to be Rooted in God's Love, you have to Remain.

One of the simple ways we encouraged students to start that process was to read the text from John 15:1-17 each day for the next week.  For anyone who takes this challenge, I'd love to hear in the comments the new things that God shows you in the text this week.  If you're a parent reading this, maybe each person in your family could take this on for a week.

We closed with the story of Cassie Bernall, who when faced with death during the tragic event of Columbine chose to REMAIN true to her relationship with Jesus.  Below is the song that honors her life that was Rooted in God's Love.

Taking Root,

Blake