Vertical Blog

I've Got Questions: Why Suffering?

bens@cedarcreek.tv — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:06:52 GMT

Teaching Video 4.6.08 (Sam) from Verticallife.tv on Vimeo.

I've got Questions: Is there only ONE way?

bens@cedarcreek.tv — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:58:32 GMT

Teaching Video 3.30.08 (Ben) from Verticallife.tv on Vimeo.

students response to unplugged

bens@cedarcreek.tv — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:05:58 GMT

I was amazed at the number of students who engaged in the 21st century version of fasting.
They all admitted it was tougher than they thought.

Music was probably the hardest thing to unplug from - consensus = it is a blessing that we take for granted

Here were a few of the comments that I found profound:

1. One girl said her self esteem was higher because she didn't spend her time looking at other girls "pretty pictures" on myspace.

2. Many students realized they had much more time than they ever thought because they spend so much time just doing random things on the web/tv

3. A few families actually had conversations and interacted instead of sitting watching TV or in various rooms of the house "together" but not together.

4. One girl spent time reading each night - instead of myspace - and felt that it helped her stay grounded in Truth the next day instead of the lies that easily swept her away about her identity.

One of our students spent time reading this past week - and here was his summary of what he read.

Justin Walkup

Ephesians Summary

Paul is writing a letter to the Ephesians checking up on them but also giving them some much needed direction. In the beginning of the letter Paul reassures The Ephesians that God has saved them and not the other way around I think this is key. I believe early Christians have a tendency to give themselves credit for things. After Paul feels he has properly conveyed them enough about Gods grace and how God has saved them he gives them some much needed advice. I know when I was in the stage of immature Christianity I had a willing heart for God but didn’t really know what it entailed to live a life for Christ. I feel Paul wrote them to answer those questions like mine with things like obeying our parents, how to raise your children, wearing the full armor of God, sexual impurity, greed, and lust. These are all solid truths that we can find easily just by opening the bible and all Christians must daily strive to do. Paul was very strategic in writing this letter, by building a strong foundation of God and providing biblical truths I feel the Ephesians were effectively ministered to. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like without the bible to turn to whenever I have doubts, questions, or hardships. How much do we take the bible for granted? I think to truly appreciate the bible we must first put ourselves in the shoes of the Ephesians living in a very unaccepting pagan society with a desire to love God but not knowing how to live for him to be a servant, to not have all the answers right in front of you. I think until we can truly shift our paradigm to that of the Ephesians we cant truly appreciate the bible for what it is, Hope, Truth, Guidance, and Encouragement, the living word of God always relevant and always true. Then finally we can all become servants to the gospel and truly understand what it is to be a Christian.

unplugged

bens@cedarcreek.tv — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:03:57 GMT

The wave...

bens@cedarcreek.tv — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:20:32 GMT

Have you ever tried to start the wave at a game? The first few attempts seldom work. It takes a few goes to get it going. But, for those who have helped start one, it is a cool thing to see people you never met join with you in this silly hand-in-the-air gesture.

A few weeks ago at the MudHen's game Vertical attended - we met a young man who sold "schnacks" - that is what he called his various concessions he carried down each inning. His nickname is "Schnack Pack". Around the seventh inning he tried to get the wave going - and…well, the heat must have kept the fans from participating because it never made it around. A bit disappointing for Schnack Pack that night.

Last week we talked about the Cross. So many times we see them on necklaces, written on peoples notebooks, tattooed on backs and arms - and we asked the question: has it lost its meaning? The cross is THE event that separates Christianity from all other religions. It is the cross that moves Christianity out of the religious category and into a genre all its own. In the cross, God chose you significant enough to die for. It is the greatest act of love, surrender, and sacrifice that has ever been recorded - and the amazing thing is that you've done nothing. It was God's mission of rescue for our broken world.

If the action of the cross is true - it has great implication for our lives. If God himself chose us significant enough to send His only Son to forgive and rescue us from death and sin = we owe him! Big time! Most people respond one of two ways with the cross: Reject or Repay (aka religion). And that is their way of trying to "get off the hook".

Something powerful happens in our life the moment we realize the implication of God's great rescue mission. The moment we realize the depth and the significance of Jesus story - it overwhelms our heart…that God himself would go to such lengths to rescue us. There is only one suitable response: stop resisting him…and join His rescue team.

There are parts of Christianity that have long dark shadows that are often used to debunk the significance of the story. The truth is christians are the chosen people of God to bring faith, hope, love to a broken, fighting, selfish world. The cross represents the beginning of a wave of humanity sent and empowered by God to point to the greatest love story ever lived.

The wave is going - the question is will you join in?

- Ben

My favorite video...