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A man by the name of Polycarp was arrested by Roman officials after having served as Bishop of Smyrna for many decades. When the Roman guards ordered him to declare that "Caesar is Lord" and to curse Christ, the elderly Polycarp refused, saying, "Eighty-six years I have served him and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King, who saved me?" Polycarp was sentenced to death by fire, but the flames miraculously stood like a wall around him and he was not burned. The executioner then stabbed him in the heart, which issued such an abundance of blood that the fire was quenched.

Join me today in proclaiming boldly "Jesus is Lord! No matter the cost..."
"For to live is Christ and to die is Gain." Phillipians 1:21

You call this light?

For the last couple of days I have been wrestling with a passage in 2nd Corinthians 4:17 which says "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look NOT to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen..." My first response was..."WHAT? You calling my affliction Light and Momentary?"

I even studied this passage in its original language hoping that I would get more understanding and to my dismay I found the words "immediate" and "insignificant" which if anything are even MORE harsh! So Paul, are you saying that all the distress and affliction we experience on this earth is simply immediate and insignificant?

What about divorce?
What about persecution?
What about death? (All things I have experienced firsthand...)
Are these Light (immediate) and Momentary(insignificant) too?

In comparison to the great divorce between God and lost souls, the persecution Jesus experienced by His own people, and the death he endured carrying the sins of this world on His back...Our affliction IS pretty light and momentary:) Not to mention we are rewarded for it! This passage tells us when we endure this "affliction" (on earth) which is by definition light and momentary, it prepares for us a eternal weight of glory (in heaven)... I'll take that:)

Completely, Correctly and Compassionately!

Lately, I've been using a book called Handbook of Prayer to help me begin praying through scripture. The premise is to guide one through a biblical perspective on the fundamental issues of life..."Who am I?' "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" "Where am I going?"

During this intimate prayer time, I get a chance to review God's perspective on my faith, my identity, my purpose and my hope. This morning a passage that I have read time and time again stood out to me.

Matthew 22:37, 39 which says, "You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. Verse 39 says, "And the second is like the first: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."


Our purpose in life is simply this...Love GOD Completely, Love SELF Correctly and love OTHERS Compassionately!

Lord help me to do this well today!

Teaching Schedule

January 2012
January 8th- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)
January 15th- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)
January 22nd- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)

February 2012
February 4th- Parenting @ IBC Seminar
February 5th- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)
February 12th- Irving BIble Church (Youth Service)
February 19th- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)
February 24-26th- Disciple Now Conference 2012 Fort Worth, TX

March 2012
March 11th- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)
March 16th- Boys Retreat
March 25th- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)

April 2012
April 1st- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)
April 15th- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)
April 21st- One Church (Singles Conference) Allen. TX
April 22nd- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)
April 29th- Irving Bible Church (Youth Service)

This morning, while on the elliptical machine...

As some of you may know, my wife gave birth to our first child almost 2 months ago. His name is Mason Knox Grant and he is a looker!(Just like his daddy;)

Anyways, every since I found out that I was going to be a father, I began down this road of discovering the biblical principles that my wife and I would use to raise our son. I began reading books, going to seminars, taking seminary classes on the subject.




My professor, in his book "Age of Opportunity" teaches that one of the primary roles of a parent is to place in the heart of our child "the awe of God," in order to influence the way they see life (read Psalm 145, Deuteronomy 6:20).

How do we do this? By pointing out and showing them how God is connected to all things, science, trees, stars, thunder, man etc.

This morning, while on the elliptical machine at the gym I was listening to the great hymn "How great thou art..."

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made.

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee:

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

after hearing that song I thought...I can't wait to teach this song to my son...

Join our middle school ministry in participating in this weeks challenge...


WEEK Four: No Parents/ No Eating Out.
Parents I already know what you are thinking...No Parents...Trey, have you lost your mind?"...Before you say anything, just read. This may be a life changing challenge for your family!

Children all over the world carry the responsibilities of being an adult everyday. Even toddlers are living on their own, fending for themselves on dangerous streets and back alleys. Their struggles involve scavenging for food, shelter, water and clothing, and often fighting off would be attackers. Many of them live this way not by choice, but because they were either abandoned or their parents have died. Estimates are that over 100 million children live in this desperate situation everyday.

Today you're going to experience life in their shoes by depending solely upon your-self. Today you will live as if you have no parents. You will cook the food you eat clean the home you live in, find your own transportation, wake yourself up for school, do your own laundry, and find solutions for any problems or struggles you face. You'll do all these things without the help of any adult, because for today, you are the adult!

Read
Deuteronomy 24:17-22
1. What three groups of people does God mention in these verses? Why do you suppose God points out these three groups of people?


2. What actions does God command his people to take regarding these groups of people? Why are these actions important?


REFLECT
1. What was the most challenging part of the day for you? Did you ever want to ask for help?


2. Do the three groups mentioned in the verse still exist today? Do you know anyone from one of the three groups?


RESPOND
1. How can you help those who are homeless, orphans, widows or refugees?

This weeks challenge...

As you may know our middle school ministry at Irving bible Church is in week 3 of our Journey to Awareness challenge. The journey to Awareness CHALLENGE was created to help students avoid the trap of tame and stagnant lifestyles which are becoming so prevalent in the United States.

Over the 5 week series students will spend time quite differently from their normal lifestyle, with the hope God will probe their heart and teach them. These few weeks will be like none they've ever experienced before in their life.

During the 5 weeks students are asked to fast from everyday things to help them become more aware of what living in poverty is all about, Many of the things they'll be asked to fast from are to us necessities, but to people in poverty, they are luxuries. Here is what we talked about this Sunday...

Luke 18:18–30

“A certain ruler asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’

‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’

‘All these I have kept since I was a boy,’ he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’”

—Luke 18:18–25

Jesus was calling him to sacrifice his wealth and make God number one in his life.

Jesus was asking this man to identify with poverty so that he could identify with God.

For if God is a God who identifies with poverty, then we would do well to follow his lead.

Statistics say that the average American is wealthier than 75% of the rest of the world.

This weeks challenge is to sacrifice your wealth in some way...

-Whether it be give $5.00 to someone who doesn’t have anything to eat at school.

-Or give away your chocolate chip cookie to a friend at school who doesn’t have any dessert.

-Give up a meal.

-Maybe it’s stand outside and wait for the garbage man to come pick up your trash and hand him/her a warm cup of hot chocolate...

-Maybe help someone have a happy thanksgiving...

This one is open for you to interpret however you want...

Whatever it may be, sacrifice your wealth in some way...