The Altar and the Door Study

Today, we are looking at the song by Casting Crowns, The Altar and the Door.....

Ok, here is a video of The Altar and the Door, from a Casting Crowns concert, sorry, it is taken with a hand held camera and is a bit shaky, but a great song, and concert!!!!!!! I saw them in concert, great concert, although I cannot take credit for this video, found it on youtube......ROCK ON !!!!!!



Casting Crowns

The Altar And The Door lyrics

Careless, I am reckless
I'm a wrong-way-travelin'-slowly-unraveling shell of a man
Burnt out, I'm so numb now
That the fire's just an ember way down in the
corner of my cold, cold heart

Lord, this time I'll make it right, here
at the altar I lay my life
Your kingdom come but my will was done,
my heart is broken as I...

Cry, like so many times before
But my eyes are dry before I leave the floor, oh Lord
I try but this time, Jesus, how can I be sure I
will not lose my follow through
Between the altar and the door

Here at the altar, oh my world so black and white
How could I ever falter
What You've shown me to be right

I'm trying so hard to stop trying so hard
Just let You be who You are
Lord, who You are in me
Jesus, I'm trying so hard to stop trying so hard
Just let You be who You are
Lord, who You are in me

Oh Lord, I

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Message:
I can be happy when things are going well.

I can love others when they show love to me.

I can be nice to those who show me kindness.

I can forgive those that forgive me.

I can be fully devoted to the work of Christ…on Sunday mornings.

However…

Can I be happy in times of trouble?

Can I love those that are hateful toward me?

Can I be kind to those that spit in my face?

Can I forgive those that may never forgive me?

Can I be a Christian on fire for God on a Thursday morning?

It’s Sunday, but Monday’s coming
It is easy to serve God with utmost sincerity and devotion on Sunday mornings. I can feel something ignite inside of me when I hear a stirring sermon. I feel moved to be more committed to reaching out to those that need Christ. I feel like a Holy Saint of God on Sunday morning, but then…

Monday morning comes. I’m still a Christian, but the fire is gone. It is out. No flames. No heat. No passion to do the work of Christ. Why is there such a disconnect from one day to the next?

Jesus moves into the neighborhood
On Sundays we’re around “church people”. Everyone is there for worship, to sing the songs and listen to the pastor. Plus, God seems closer in church than anywhere else we could go during the week. We associate the church with the place where God hangs out. When we walk through those church doors we can leave Jesus behind. Apparently He is just too big to fit through that small of an opening.

The truth is Christ should be with us wherever we go. John 1:14 is an important verse for this very subject. The KJV says “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us”. The New Century Version says, “The Word became a human and lived among us”. While the “Message” interprets it as, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood”.

Mastering the Sunday/Monday transition
It doesn’t have to be this difficult. Christ has promised he’ll always be with us. We just tend to forget it. We need to:

- Stay in “constant” prayer. Don’t walk around with your eyes closed or you’ll run into something, but be in a constant mindset of prayer. Be aware of each situation and be prepared to seek God’s counsel.

- Read God’s word like you eat meals. I heard this from a wise (albeit pushy) man at Praise’s one day. For every meal you eat read at least one chapter of scripture. Remember that “..man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD”. Deuteronomy 8:3

- Be in fellowship with other believers. Whether it is friends from church, your spouse, or even a family member you need to have that connection. Hold each other accountable. Stoke each others spiritual fire so you don’t go from being Fired-up Frank on Sundays to Lukewarm Larry on Mondays.

The above lyrics sum it all up perfectly. Casting Crowns’ The Altar and the Door:

The above is from Bob's website, I take no credit for the message above, just thought it needed to be shared.


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The Refinery (Last Night)

We had a great study last night. Tried something new since we all seem to connect with music these days. Everyone in attendence agreed that music plays a huge part in their lives, and that they really enjoyed the message and study.

First we watched this video:



Then we went over the lyrics and what they meant to us, line by line.:

Casting Crowns: Slow fade

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see


Then we watched this video:



Then we read Psalm: 1: 1-3
BOOK I : Psalms 1-3
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

We had an awesome discussion afterwards, this was one of my favorite studies.

SR High Bible Study 9-17-08 @ the Youth House

We had a great discussion, on our Character, and the Refining process.

We learned that the dictionary defines "Refine" as the following:
-to reduce to a pure state as with sugar, metal, or oil
-to free from moral imperfection
-to improve by pruning or polishing
-to free from what is coarse, vulgar, or uncouth, as with a refined person

We also looked at what the bible says about refining:

Proverbs 17:3 (New Living Translation)
3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.

Malachi 3:2-4 (New Living Translation)
2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. 4 Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.

Zechariah 13:9 (New Living Translation)
9 I will bring that group through the fire
and make them pure.
I will refine them like silver
and purify them like gold.
They will call on my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘These are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

JR & SR HIGH POOL PARTY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

We will make another attempt at a back to School Pool Party, this time we will try it minus the hurricane, although, I was just watching the news, and there are 2 or 3 more storms lined up heading our way!!!! They should be gone in plenty of time for our party.

Where: Richard & Cheryl Archambault's House
(Call Jason for Directions 464-1556)
When: Saturday September 13th 1:00pm - 4:00pm
What: Pool Party and cook out
Who: All 6th-12th Grade Youth, that have turned in their medical treatment forms.
How: If you need a ride, call Jason @ 464-1556, we will work it out.

What do I need to bring?:
Bathing Suit
Towel
Signed & Notarized Medical Treatment form, if not already turned in. We will only need this once. It will be good for one year, so once we get it, you are good for all future activities.

See you Tuesday (Jr. High) or Wednesday (Sr. High)!

Jason

SR High Study RENEWAL Part 3

We had another great study, we finished the 3 part series on renewal. 7 Youth were in attendance. Here is some of the scripture we referenced.:

1 Samuel 12:21
21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.

Proverbs 28:19
19 He who works his land will have abundant food,
but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

Proverbs 12:12
12 The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
but the root of the righteous flourishes.

Kings 17:15
15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.

Exodus 34:6-7
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

Ephesians 6:10-18
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[b] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[c] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Sr. High Wednesday Night Bible Study 8-20-08 (Renewal Part 2 - Mind, Body & Spirit)

We had a great bible study last night! So good, that when we reached our stopping point, the youth wanted to continue on with the next section. So continue we did! (Sorry for the bad Yoda impersonation) :)

We are continuing our lesson on Renewing our relationship with God. This week, we looked at Mind, Body and Spirit.

We read from:
Proverbs 3:
13 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
the one who gains understanding.
14 For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
and her wages are better than gold.
15 Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 She offers you long life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left.
17 She will guide you down delightful paths;
all her ways are satisfying.

1 Corinthians 6:
19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

1 Corinthians 10:
31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Romans 12:
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Romans 12:
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Luke 21:
14 So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, 15 for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you! 16 Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you. 17 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.[d] 18 But not a hair of your head will perish! 19 By standing firm, you will win your souls.

Something came up about how to get to heaven, good discussion, then we read:

John 14:
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Overall a VERY GOOD STUDY! We then rocked to some Christian Rock, played pool and some foosball.

Sr. & Jr. High Canoe / Camping Trip Highlights

We all arrived back on Saturday safe and sound. We all had a great time! Thank you to Mr. mark for the Friday Night Campfire Devotional, and Mr. Spence for the slip n slide, always a hit!

We met at the church around 2:00pm Friday, and arrived back at approx. 2:30 or so, I was too tired to look at my watch! We were gone about 24 hours, and got about 2 hours sleep :) .But we had fun!

Sr. High FUN in the Youth House!

The Sr. High Youth met in the Youth House last night. We had 9 YOUTH PRESENT! What a blessing it was! Thanks to Cheryl R. and Carla for tidying up the place! Made a 100% difference!!!!

We got to know each other a little more with our Skittles ice breaker. Boy everyone LOVES skittles, if they only knew ahead of time.... :)

We went over the Rules of the Youth House, they are posted on the wall.

I had a form for all the youth to fill out, so I could get to know them all a little better.

Then we all sent Jabaris a text, telling him we missed him being in the group. (He just left for football camp at FAMU.)

We discussed our new prayer easel. At the start of our meeting all youth are welcome to write their prayer request and praises on this easel pad. It will be kept as a journal. We hope to look back throughout the year and see how a prayer request turns into a praise!

We then discussed a verse out of 1 Corinthians, we all learned something new from this reading, it was educating to all of us present.


Overall a great night was had by all! Looking forward to doing it again next week!

Jason

SR & JR High Canoe / Camping Trip Planned for Fri.-Sat. August 15th-16th

Who's ready for another Canoe and Camping trip down the Suwannee river? We plan on leaving the church around 2:00-2:15 on Friday afternoon the 15th, and returning back at the church around 12-1pm Saturday the 16th.

All JR and SR High students are invited, BRING A FRIEND!!!!!

What you need to bring:
Sleeping Bag
Pillow
Swimsuit
Change of Dry Clothes

We will supply:
Tents
Food
Canoe
Slip n Slide

Who's going? Click the comments button below and let me know.

See you there!

Jason