Election Day

This morning I woke up and walked to a nearby recreation center with my wife to vote. As we walked to and from our polling place we talked politics and made sure we knew who we were voting for. Fortunately there was little to no wait time as we got in and filled out our ballots. As I was filling out the ballot I questioned whether or not I was making the right decisions on senators, judges, amendments and of course the presidential election. I began to worry about the economy and who has the best plan. I began to worry about moral issues and who has the most "Christian" perspective. Then God let me know that He wasn't worried. He's not going to be surprised by the outcome of today's election. He's not going to be slowed down by people that are or are not elected. He is, and always will be on His throne.
Obviously the election is very important and we need to take it seriously. But, we also need to put things into perspective. If God wants to move in the United States...He's going to move. He won't ask for the permission of the President, or the government. The God that we serve is so much bigger than that.
So tonight, no matter what the outcome of the election is...I will do two things. I will pray for the man elected as the next President of the United States and I will sleep well knowing God is in control.

YIELD

Tonight at youth group we're going to be talking about one of the more difficult concepts in life as well as on the road. That's right, the action of yielding. Many of us, including myself, struggle to put anything ahead of ourselves. From early on in life we all have the desire to be first. I think back to my kindergarten days when I got such a rush from being the "line leader" for the day. I got to be the first one to go to lunch, recess, bathroom breaks...etc. It carries over later into life as we want to be first in the grocery checkout line, or on the road when traffic is heavy. What is it about being first that is so important and consuming to us as humans? Maybe that's one reason that Christianity isn't all that appealing to a lot of people. If we are followers of Christ, we are called to yield to God and others. We're supposed to put our own desires on the back burner as we prioritize the greatest commandment that Jesus gave us in the sermon on the mount. This call is too much for some people. Maybe it's not attractive enough, maybe it's just too difficult.
It's my prayer that I could consistently yield every aspect of my life to Christ and prioritize Him and others. I also pray that for you. I think Christ knew what he was talking about when he commanded us to do this. I think He knows and wants what is best for us...after all, He created us.
See you tonight!

Ready Or Not...Here I come.

The title of this post brings me back to the good ol' days of Hide and Seek. But, that's not what I'm referring to today. I've been in my childhood stomping grounds (Hesston, KS) for the last few days and got to hear one of my good friends preach at my old Church this morning. He talked about being ready for the return of Christ. What stood out to me is that we aren't going to be ready. Jesus is not going to give us a shout of "Ready or not, here I come" before he comes back to take His Church. We won't have any time to get our life in order or do those things we promised Him we would do before His return. No, we're all going to be blindsided by this triumphant return. So I've been thinking, what does that mean for me? How should I live my life differently? Does it mean that I live my life in fear of this day?...or does it mean that I need to be serious about pursuing a passionate relationship with Christ each day of my life? I think I'll go with the second thought. Consistently following hard after Jesus is what it means to "be ready." I think God is asking me to take a look at the areas in my life where I'm not doing that very well. I think God is asking all of us to do that. He's not asking us to be perfect...He's asking us to be followers.

Don't Whine, Complain or Make Excuses

I'm sure the title of this post has all of you really excited to read it. I can imagine what you're thinking..."Oh great! Blake is going to tell us that we should obey our parents without whining and complaining." Well...since you brought it up, that's exactly right! But, that's not really what this post is about. So breathe easy and continue reading.
John Wooden is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. He coined the phrase..."don't whine, complain or make excuses" while coaching at UCLA. His teams at UCLA won 11 NCAA basketball championships, and an unheard of 7 in a row. Coach Wooden had a knack for getting the most out of his players through setting high expectations and communicating how much he cared for them.
As I've been preparing for Sunday morning, I've realized that Coach Wooden wasn't the first to use a phrase or philosophy like this. In the book of Philippians, Paul challenges believers to "do everything without complaining or arguing." Is it because Paul wanted the early church to mindlessly follow directions? Did he say this so he could flex his muscles as a leader and put the young believers in their place?...no, of course not! Paul goes on to explain to the Philippians that it's "so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation..." The Message paraphrases it by saying...go into the world as a breath of fresh air in this polluted society.
It's not about following a set of rules for the sake of doing what you're told. It's about something more that that. It's about putting yourself in a position to be used by God! I don't know about you, but that sounds a lot more attractive to me. There is purpose and meaning to this way of thinking and living. It's about being a part of something greater than yourself.
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you on Sunday. I can't wait to talk about how this passage applies to our lives and how it will change us!

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."
Philippians 1:3-5

John or Paul?

I'm not sure what the rest of you think, but I love the book of Philippians! As our Sr. High has been going through it, I've been so encouraged and challenged by Paul (the author). The thing that gets me is his unbelievable attitude and commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ...WHILE IN JAIL! He's ok with his crummy situation as long as the gospel is being preached and the Kingdom is being advanced. Is that true in my life?...is it true in yours? Sometimes the littlest things in life bother me to the point of extreme frustration with God. It's like I think God owes me this nice, clean and happy life without any problems. Sometimes I act a lot more like John the Baptist who while in jail questioned whether or not Jesus was the messiah because he didn't help him out like he thought he would. Don't get me wrong, John the Baptist was a great guy, who paved the way for Jesus' ministry. But, he didn't see the big picture like Paul did while sitting in his jail cell.
This week I'm praying that God will help give me the strength to see the big picture no matter what is going on in my life. That's also my prayer for you. Like a good friend once told me...God doesn't owe us anything. The cross is enough.

Something New

Hello faithful readers! (which is only me right now)
I wanted to create a blog so I can keep you updated on youth group happenings as well as my own life. Stay tuned for more entries in the near future!