Follower > Fan

Followers get in the game. Fans sit on the sideline and cheer. Which one are you?

Matthew 16: 24-25 says, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

A follower isn't a job for just anyone. It's difficult. In order to be a follower you must be willing to deny yourself, take up a cross, and lose your life. Doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun does it? However, Jesus says when we do this we will actually find our life. Not only will we be able to be with Him forever some day, we will also find satisfaction in who He is.

As I think of the Christmas season many followers come to my mind. When I think of sold out followers I think of people like Matt Chandler who in the midst of cancer said, "To live is Christ and to die is gain". Or Tim Tebow who makes God's name known whether he wins or loses, is bashed or praised, plays or doesn't play. Or the ministry leaders at some of the places we attended, whose name you may never know. These people are in the game.

When I look at the Christmas story in Scripture, there are also many followers. One that I never recognized as a follower before is Mary. Let's think about how crazy this time would be for Mary. She was young and a virgin. All of a sudden an angel appears to her and tells her she is going to get pregnant. From who? The Holy Spirit. Imagine this happening to you today. This is crazy!

I would have been running the other way, but check out what Mary says in Luke 1:38, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

I can't decide which statement is crazier? What the angel said or what Mary said. The implications of this meant that Mary would be divorced, shamed, and given up her dreams of ever marrying again or having children. And yet she says, I trust you God, let's do this.

She denied herself, took up her cross, and followed Christ in the midst of craziness! It ended up being the best decision she could have ever made. God Himself was born of Mary.

Mary was a follower, not a fan.

How can you be a follower this week?

Merry Christmas!

Team Charger Challenge

Wabanna!

This past weekend Team Charger Challenge and other volunteers traveled to Camp Wabanna for their winter retreat. The team filled many roles such as counseling, coordinating activities, kitchen crew, and so on.  We arrived Friday night where we entered right into high energy games in the gym where the kids were having a blast. There was a dance off and all kinds of crazy stuff going on.

Some of the highlights of the weekend included opportunities to be able to build relationships with some of the kids. We went ice skating Saturday afternoon, which was the first time for many. This was a great time not only to let loose and have a blast, but also get to know some of the kids. One of T.J.’s highlights was skating and talking with one of the campers named Austin. For several, this was the first time we hit the ice with a pair of skates. Some of us are still sore!

Later that night we enjoyed time together through fellowship at dinner and chapel. The night ended with a game of capture the leader and time by the fire. Brett told his infamous Sheetz story. You’ll have to ask him about that one!

The chapel speaker ended up getting sick and had to leave the camp so T.J. filled in on late notice. He got the kids excited by playing “Ooga Booga”. He shared his testimony and the importance of being a follower of Christ and not a fan. He shared out of Matthew 16: 24-26 says, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Overall, it was a great weekend of building relationships and having a blast. Directory of Ministry and Coordinating, Tim Ward said, “I am so grateful for an incredible group of volunteers that made the Winter Retreat happen this weekend and made it a huge success! Thank You! You all are awesome.

Find out more about Wabanna: campwabanna.org/

Have a fantastic holiday season!

Team Charger  Challenge

Just Remember…

Ever doubt that God can use you? I don’t just mean the norms and the ins and outs of every day. I mean things bigger than you could think or imagine. This is a nice thought, but sometimes we disqualify ourselves. This can be a result of sin, not measuring up to others, or the influence of others.

If this is you, there is good news. 1 Corinthians 1:27-30 says, “      But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Jesus isn’t looking to use the biggest and the best. In fact, he prefers to use the foolish (in the eyes of the world) and the weak so that His name would be given the most glory. Scripture also says that when we are weak, He is strong. He uses those who are weak and humble before Him.

This isn’t just with us. This is consistent throughout Scripture with who God chose to use.

So here is a little track record for you. Next time you think you can’t be used by God just remember…

Noah was a drunk.
Abraham was too old.
Isaac was a daydreamer.
Jacob was a liar.
Leah was ugly.
Joseph was abused.
Moses had a stuttering problem.
Gideon was afraid.
Sampson was a womanizer.
Rahab was a prostitute.
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young.
David had an affair and was a murderer.
Elijah was suicidal.
Isaiah preached naked.
Jonah ran from God.
Naomi was a widow.
Job went bankrupt.
John the Baptist ate locusts.
Peter denied Christ.
The Disciples fell asleep while praying.
Martha worried about everything.
The Samaritan woman was divorced.
Zacchaeus was too small.

Paul a persecutor of the faith.
Lazarus was dead.

Next time you think God can’t use you, think again. He actually says otherwise.

Ephesians 3:20 says, “He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us."

Team Charger Challenge

Consider It All Joy?

Really?

When you are sick, fail a test, lose a friend or family member, or experience any other type of trial, typically the last thing you want to do is count it as a joy. But that’s what scripture says. Doesn’t scripture seem to say some crazy things at times? For me, this is one of them.

As I’m writing this, I am sick. Yeah, not a whole lot of fun! But the reality is that God allows His people to go through trials because He has a bigger plan in mind. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it a great joy my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”

So the purpose of trials is to produce endurance, maturity, and completion. The purpose of endurance, maturity, and completion is to look more like Christ. The key to this is that we must allow ourselves to consider it all joy. Easy said than done right? The reality is that when a family member is diagnosed with cancer, you lose your job, or even experience a small inconvenience, we have the opportunity to become bitter or get better.

We don’t know why God chooses trials to look more like Him, but He does. Francis Chan helps us out here. In his book, Crazy Love, he says imagine for a second that God is the vastness of an ocean and your mind is a soda can. It would be foolish to say that we understand God fully because we can only scoop so much ocean water into our soda can.  There is so much more ocean out there. There is so much more to God.

So, the next time you go through a trial, it is okay to not understand why you are going through such a thing. But consider it all a joy. At the end of the day, it is for our good and God’s glory.

Enjoy the beginning of the holiday season!

Team Charger Challenge

Radical?

I did a word search on the word ‘radical’ just out of pure curiosity. The kind of words to describe radical were of the likes: far reaching, extreme, extraordinary, revolutionary, and so on.

Pastor and author, David Platt, wrote two books since 2012 called, Radical and Radical Together. The essence of both books is taking back our American faith and aligning it with what Jesus actually said. It is vital for us as believers to evaluate how much of Christianity today is American and how much is biblical. There is a big difference.

I was reading Radical when this quote stuck out to me: “ There is never going to be a day when I stand before God and He looks at me and says, 'I wish you would have kept more for yourself.' I'm confident that God will take care of me.” 

This statement is radical. This statement is also true. We will all stand before God someday. Romans 14:10 says, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

I agree with Platt and Scripture, there will never be a day when you stand before God and wish you would have kept more for yourself. Jesus’ whole life consisted of giving, all the way to the point where He gave His own life. How radical would it be if we lived selfless lives that worried more about the needs of others than ourselves all the time?

What can you give to bless others today? This is an investment you won’t regret.

Team Charger Challenge.

"Big Red"

When I was in high school I had a red Ford F150 truck. This truck soon got the nickname of “Big Red” so you know it was a pretty boss truck. When I first got it I was in love with it. I decked it out with car mats, cd holders, and cleaned the inside and outside all the time. All of my friends thought it was great so we took it everywhere. Overtime the truck became less exciting and things started to go wrong with it. It also had over 200,000 miles on it. One night I wrecked it and ruined the front of it. I got a replacement fender that was black so you can imagine it didn't match the red at all. It was actually pretty embarrassing. So eventually I went from loving the truck to pretty much not wanting to drive it anywhere.

Revelation 2:1-5 says, "I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars.  You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name and have not grown weary.  But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.  Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place — unless you repent.”

This is a sobering part of scripture because it looks like this church (Ephesus) has it all together. It starts of praising them saying they don't tolerate evil, their discerning, experienced persecution for Christ's sake and so on, but that they also lost their first love. This is a church that started off in love with Christ at first and then just like the truck, lost it over time because of let downs, difficulties, more appealing things, and just life in general. It's kind of crazy that they were still doing all these good things, but they lost their awe and love for Christ.

We all know how it felt when we first started following Christ or when we felt so in tune with him. I want to strive for that all the time. I know it's tough at times but I want Christ to renew himself to me so I can take it with me everywhere. I don't ever want my relationship with Christ to become like my truck!

In John 6:67, Jesus says to his disciples, "you don't want to leave too do you?". Their response is great - "to whom shall we go?" ...there's no better place to be!

Thanksgiving Edition

We all have a lot to be thankful for today. Not only today, but everyday. For many today was full (no pun intended) of family, friends, food, and football. If you haven't counted your blessings already today, I would encourage you to do that before the day is over. Chances are it will take you quite a while! Most importantly, let's stop to thank the One who allows us to have these blessings. Scripture says all good gifts come from the Father above. 

It is easy to get caught up with the festivities of the day to the point where we miss why this day exists. Here are some verses out of Psalms for you to meditate and think on. The reality is that this day is intended to be a day of worship. Let's start by thanking the creator of the day and all these good things. Share these blessings with others as well!

Psalm 31:19 

"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you."

Psalm 95:1-6 
"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."

Psalm 100 
"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

Psalm 107:1 
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Psalm 145:7 
They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Team Charger Challenge

Got Faith?

O

n Monday November 12, Team Charger Challenge traveled to Sellersville, Pennsylvania to visit Faith Christian Academy. It was a short, but great time with the students and faculty. We lead a twenty minute chapel, which brought about a lot of excitement for the school. This time allowed us to get acquainted with them and them with us. Eric Flick closed with a short challenge out of James 4:7. It says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Team Charger Challenge will be traveling back to Faith on January 7^th and 8^th for a segment of their spiritual emphasis week. We are excited about having a blast with this school, but also being real in a way that will glorify God.

You can find more out about faith: http://www.my-fca.com/

Until next time,

Team Charger Challenge

It is Tuesday afternoon and millions of people in 16 different states are still without power. Death tolls have reached the dozens and millions of people are suffering from loss of homes, property, vehicles, and much more. According to the Associated Press, damage was projected upwards of 20 billion dollars, meaning it could be one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. This is also the first time Wall Street has shut down for consecutive days since 1888. What do we even do with this? More than ever, we need to seek the author of our faith. 

In Psalm 121 we see the words of David:


I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

We don't know why things like Hurricane Sandy happen, but we do know we are in the hands of a sovereign God, a God who could shut Sandy down in a second or allow it to go on for days. At the end of the day, we also know that God is good. 

In Romans 8:16-18 Paul says, "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Later in chapter 8, Paul says, "All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes." It may not always mean life is going to be smooth sailing, but it does mean that it will be for the good of His people. God has a plan that is infinitely greater than ours.

Refreshing Mountain with Hanover Community!

It is retreat season again! Team Charger Challenge traveled to Refreshing Mountain in Lancaster County Pennsylvania where we joined Hanover Community Church to serve them in their weekend retreat. Both students and leaders were excited for a great weekend! We kicked off the night with pizza. One student named Alex amassed over ten slices!

Brett kicked off the weekend on Friday night with the first Be 4 Real lesson. This message covered authentic living before and after Christ. We parked in Matthew 11:28-30, which says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” After this time, students and leaders broke into small groups where they discussed what they just experienced. The night ended with games in the gym where students were free to release their energy!

On Saturday we led team building for the youth group, which consisted of many good and hilarious times! Still not sure who was more dominant Pepsi or Coke? Peanut butter or Jelly? One of the coolest parts about the weekend is that students were encouraged and even given time to have alone time with God. This time consisted of prayer, reading scripture, and just sitting silent before God.

Flick kicked off the second Be 4 Real message with a video from Matt Chandler. We then moved into ‘Walk the Line’, which was very powerful! God moved in amazing ways and knocked down doors for many students and leaders. One thing is for sure, Hanover Community Church has each other’s backs! We were encouraged all weekend by the quality of leaders and how much this team loved their students. Not to mention, the students were awesome! Small group time was next, which served to be one of the most valuable pieces of the weekend.

Up next: free time! Most of the students and leaders participated in a football game out on the field. Some of the leaders still might feel like they took a few years off their life! Saturday evening ended with T.J. sharing his life story and reality that God needs to be on the throne of our lives. Many times we can fill our “couch” with things such as school, sports, relationships, etc. These are all good things, until they become idols and place God on the backburner. The night ended with awesome community via small groups, bonfire, capture the leader, and other games!

Sunday morning was a time set aside for reflection. Many students shared commitments they made or how they were going to change. They also has the opportunity to thank those who had impacted them this weekend. Once again, it was awesome to see the love the students and leaders had for one another. This weekend we saw true community lived out!

Community in Action

On Thursday October 18^th and Friday October 19^th, we had the privilege of being a part of Mount Calvary Christian School’s Spiritual Emphasis days. For Flick, the trip to Mount Calvary provided an opportunity to build upon relationships he had formed with students and teachers during his student teaching and assistant coaching days at MCCS. As for T.J. and Brett, they looked forward to building some brand new relationships during our two days there. As we arrived on Thursday morning, we were excited about the opportunity to challenge students in a new way.

We kicked off our day with the 5^th through 8^th grade students. The beginning of our time with these students included some icebreakers and games. Many laughs were shared as students attempted to form various positions during a partner game, such as “toe to nose.” 

After a few more games, T.J. had the opportunity to share a challenge with the students. He started this challenge by having students describe and imitate a few “mood” faces. The final “mood” face was and angry face. He built off of this face during his message on Job. T.J. challenged the students in their reaction to unpleasant circumstances in their lives. Our natural and sinful reaction to when things are “taken” from us is to be angry or upset, just like the “mood” face. However, Job’s reaction was worship. He praised the Lord despite all of his loss. 

After the message with the 5^th-8^th grade students had come to an end, we spent some time playing a few more games with them before our time with them was up. We then had the opportunity to spend some time with the 9^th-12^th graders. Throughout our time with these students, we were able to enjoy some fun times through icebreakers, games, and team charades. 

The highlight of our time at Mount Calvary was seeing students being real with one another and watching the transformation within the student body. By revealing what was below their waterlines, sharing their own story with one another, and Walking the Line, students grew in unity and love for one another. This all culminated in one of the coolest scenes we have ever been a part of, a time of celebration! Mount Calvary students celebrated one another by cheering each other’s names, carrying students on their backs, dancing, etc. After that, the entire body of students came together for a unified cheer which ended in the singing of Silent Night, a song that is often sung at athletic events. This was quite a change from our first day with the students of MCCS.  

We were thankful to take part in MCCS’s Spiritual Emphasis days and we hope that the community that was created during out time there will carry on throughout the school year!