Solid Foundation

Today I was reading in Luke 6 and how Jesus taught about the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders.

46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

I began to think to myself about things in this world that don't have a strong foundation. I read an article about the Tower of Pisa and how it is leaning because the builders only gave this 183 foot tower a 3 foot deep foundation. On top of that the word "Pisa" means marshy land.

As Christians it is so important that we have a strong foundation! We have to be in the Word so that we can know what it is we are supposed to do, and then we need to do it.

Francis Chan had an analogy once about how if a father told his daughter to go clean her room and she went and came back and said, "dad I memorized what you said...go clean your room...go clean your room."

The father would be upset because his daughter did not do what he told her to do. Sure she memorized it and she knew what she was to do, but she didn't do it. The father then tells his daughter to go and clean her room.

She goes into her room and comes back and says, "dad I have learned how to say clean your room in Hebrew, Greek and some crazy African dialect with tongue clacks and everything. (I added that last one)

The father was even more upset because he daughter was not doing what he told her to do. This is such a mirror to our lives sometimes. We know what we are supposed to do but we don't.

God calls us to do these things so we can build a solid foundation of our faith. So that when the storms of this life come and try to pull us away, we stand firm on what we know to be true...that is Jesus is Lord.

When we are obedient in the small things we have a solid foundation to be obedient when the big storms come around.

Not Just a Fan

This post is gonna have to do with Sports and Facebook! I am a huge fan of sports, even though this year all my teams have let me down I am still a fan. I also enjoy Facebook, but I am not really the one who plays all of those games like Yoville or whatever other games there are.

On Tuesday I took my Dad to a Minnesota Twins game at the new Target Field. My Dad had never been there and so my wife and I said we would buy tickets for my dad for fathers day. I know it was a little late but oh well.

I went onto StubHub to look at the prices on tickets and I found seats on the third base line that are normally $36 tickets and got it for less then half of that. For those of you who are not following the Twins, they are 55 and 71. They have not had the season that all the fans were hoping for.

I began to think about how I got these tickets so discounted and tried to apply it to life. Sometimes in our world today I think that we have a lot of fans of Jesus. When things are going good they are all about going out to the field and wearing their jerseys and shirts about how Jesus is their homeboy. But when the going gets a little tough we sell off our tickets as cheap as we can.

In the same way on Facebook it is simple to put the Bible in your book interests on your "about me" page. You can become a fan of Jesus Christ on Facebook. I took the liberty to look up Jesus Christ on Facebook as a public figure and there were 3 million people who have "liked" Jesus.

While I think this is all good to be open on Facebook about your faith, I see at times where this boldness does not translate over into our real life. Now I don't want you all to think that I am just bashing on people, because I am writing this to myself probably more then anyone else. I am a pastor, on my Facebook page it says Youth Director at Hope Fellowship, and yet I find myself just being a fan of Jesus.

I think that if Jesus were to come back today he would be saying, "hey guys I don't just want fans, I want followers."

Matthew 16:24-26

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. ²⁵ If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. ²⁶ And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?^[l] Is anything worth more than your soul?

In my life I don't want to be just another fan of Jesus on Facebook or one who only goes to the games when the team is good. I want to be a totally sold out follower of Jesus Christ! I know that means that I need to give up my own life to serve Jesus whole-hearted! What good is a life of just being a fairweather fan, what do we have to gain? I want to follow Christ and lose my life so that Christ can give me life! Who is with me?

Bible Character Fantasy Draft

Hey all I am back! I want to have something deep and spiritual to say to you all but for some reason God has me in a goofy mood today. Hey I have an excuse to be goofy, I am a Youth Pastor.

On Thursday I am going to be doing a Fantasy Football Draft! This will be my 6th year doing fantasy football, the 3rd with this league. I enjoy fantasy football, all the trading and drafting and dropping injured players. I like to think those who can't do play fantasy football.

As I was doing my devotions this morning I was reading a little in John and then reading some in Judges. I don't know if many of you have read Judges, but if you have you know that these people were like, beastly. Sure they have their flaws. Samson had a weakness for the ladies, Ehud jumped kings on the john (Okay that is actually kinda cool), Othniel married his cousin. But the judges and many other biblical characters were totally bad to the bone...in a good kinda bad way? Nevermind.

So I began to think, "what if we did Bible Character Fantasy Drafts?" Pretty sweet huh? I think if we were to do that it would look a little something like this...

(Cue Music!)

Commissioner: Okay quiet quiet. I would like to welcome you all to the 5th Annual Bible Character Fantasy Draft. Let's get started, first a few rules. Please don't pray that God will smite the person who takes the pick you wanted. Other than that you are good.

Team FirenBrimstone: With the first pick in this years draft the FirenBrimstone draft The Judge Samson.

Team DudeswithLongHair: No way we named our team after him! (Starts to Pray)

Commissioner: Ahahah no smite prayers remember.

Team Shalom: With the second pick the peacemakers draft Solomon.

Team FirenBrimstone: Good pick he may not be the most fit but that guy is smart.

Team Agape: With the third pick in the draft Agape drafts Jesus.

Team Shalom: Whoa Whoa I don't want cause any problems but no one said you can draft diety?

Team FirenBrimstone: Yea if the Son of God can be drafted we might as well mail in the season its over. If a guy can defeat death we are royally dominated!

Team LastShallBeFirst: I call God, I call God.

Team Agape: You can't draft God we have Jesus, they are one in the same!

Team GhostHunters: We call the Holy Ghost.

Team Agape: Seriously? Come on!

Commissioner: Hey guys this is a draft not a theological debate.

Team Lukewarm: We draft Lucifer.

Team FirenBrimstone: Not cool dude, not cool.

(Some time passes)

Commissioner: Alright we are almost done with this years draft. Only one Bible Character left. Who wants Judas?

Team FirenBrimstone: No way I am good.

Team Agape: Pass.

Team Shalom: While I just want to make peace with this situation I must decline.

Team DudeswithLongHair: Hair is to short.

Team LastShallBeFirst: Is that my mom calling?

Team GhostHunters: No thanks!

Team Lukewarm: Sure why not...

Commisioner: Awkward...

Maybe we should leave the Fantasy Drafts to football??

Spring Blitz!!

Today is gonna be a short post cause we are going to Spring Blitz this weekend! I and 11 of my awesome leaders will be taking 37 students up to Duluth MN.

This is mine and Laura's first major trip with our Youth Group! We are super pumped, it has been a bit of a stress filled week leading up to it, but it is gonna be awesome!

I think part of the stress is because Satan's minions are at work, and they don't want this to be the awesome weekend that God has planned!

Please be in prayer for the hearts of the students, that they would be open to what God has in store.

Please pray for the leaders that will be going that they can just love on the kids!

And Please Pray that Satan has no lying, deceiving ways this weekend with this conference!

God is Good! And this will be a great weekend! See ya'll Sunday!!

Check Check Test 1-2

I love music. I love listening to music from big bands and small bands. I love going to concerts. This may sound kinda funny but one thing I find interesting at concerts are the people that test the mics. Check Check Check Check Check Test Test Test 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. If you have ever been to a concert you know what I am talking about.

I began to think to myself, "how often do we as Christians check our mics?" Or do we even care if our mics are on?

As Christians we are called to go into the world and make disciples! (Matthew 28) We are called to be ambassadors! (2nd Corinthians 5:20) But at times I find myself being OK with not speaking out.

"Oh I don't want to cause an argument." Or, "I don't think it is gonna make a difference." Well if I truly believe that the gospel is so life changing why am I afraid to step up to the mic?

2nd Timothy 1:7a

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power...

The Holy Spirit gives us the strength, power and the words to say! We just have to step up to the microphone! Speak out be bold. Tell people about the life changing Jesus. Tell them how he changed your own life, and that he can change theirs!!

In Acts 4 a number of the early Christians were just arrested and commanded not to preach the gospel of Jesus again or they could be jailed or killed. They were scared out of their pants. Their lives had been changed by Jesus. They spent 3 years with him for Pete's sake! Yet they were told they could not talk about Jesus! You know what they did? They fell to their knees in prayer. Then after they had prayed it said that the place they were in shook! Then they went out and preached the gospel!! Talk about boldness!

Prayer shakes our lives and the places we are and the people around us!

Dependent prayer is essential in stepping up to the mic!

So how bout you? Is your mic on? Are you bold in speaking out the gospel to all of those around you?

Maybe you are saying Tyler I don't know I am just not that kinda person? I would say we all are those kind of people! 2nd Corinthians 5:17-19 talks about how we are made new in Christ!

You are not the person you were before Christ! So be BOLD! When you don't feel bold, pray that God will make you Bold!

We do not have the spirit of fear but the Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead! When we pray dependently on God, HE MOVES!!

Check Check is your mic on??

We All Make Mistakes

Wow I have not blogged for a while! I am not making excuses except that I have been really busy. On Friday my youth group and I are heading up to Duluth Minnesota for the District Blitz Conference.

I have been to this conference at least 4 times! But this is my first year as the Youth Pastor going up! I have even more respect my old youth pastor Mark! You do not realize how much work goes into these events until you are in the trenches!

One of the biggest things I did not want to do was make a mistake! To bad that did not happen!! I met with one of the other Youth Pastors in my area to talk about going up to Blitz. As we were going over numbers and money I realized that I only counted one night for our hotel!! We went from having a little extra money to cover some costs to help send a few kids on the trip to being 250 dollars short!! YIKES!!

I called up one of my youth leaders and was like, "I AM FREAKING OUT MAN! WE ARE SHORT AND I DON"T HAVE THE MONEY TO SEND THE KIDS WITH THE SCHOLARSHIPS!" He just responded calmly, Tyler relax it will all work out.

Well that night I just put down my books and calculator and cried out to God. "God I screwed up, and I need your help. We are short money and I want everyone to be able to go who I said can have a scholarship. God I know that you are in control, your will be done!"

You know what!? God showed up!!

Today I was sitting in my office at Church and a woman I don't even know, that I had never even seen her before gave me money for students who could not afford it! I was blown away! I never even told anyone except a few of my leaders!

In my mistake God makes himself known!

In our mistakes God makes himself known to us! This is the same in every part of our lives!

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

We all make mistakes it is called sin. And we deserve to suffer for those mistakes! But God showed up! In the form of a baby!

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are only 150 dollars short for our trip now! God is awesome!

When God's people pray dependently and humbly God shows up!

I am blown away by God's amazingness! I am humbled that he cares for me and provides for me even in my mistakes! We serve an awesome God!

Can I get an AMEN??

NOW IS THE TIME!!

I don't know if you guys realize this, but our world is messed up! Everything we know is backwards! I believe that the Bible is the PERFECT word of God! I believe that everything in it is 100% true! It gives us the guidelines and the examples to live by so that we can have a good, not always easy, but good life. A life filled with purpose and meaning!



But here is the rub. People are not living by the Bible. You could be saying that well that is because people don't believe it is true! Yes you are correct, but even the people in our churches are not living as the Bible says!



I am not saying that you are this terrible person when ever you sin or mess up. What I am saying is that when you are sinning and don't care we have a problem! I am writing this to myself just as much as you!



I had a night a few nights ago that I had to drop to my knees and just pour my heart out to God!



"God I am so sorry for living this apathetic life! I am sorry I tried to legitimize these things that your word is very clear that I should not do! Father forgive me I screwed up! Help me to not just pray this pray and go back to my ways!"



What is it that you find yourself trying to legitimize?



Maybe your ways are poor speech!

James 3:10

¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

Maybe it is that you are engaging in pornography or other sexual sins? Or that's what she said jokes!!!

Ephesians 5:3-4
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Maybe you struggle with talking behind peoples back! (This is rampant in the church)

1st Thessalonians 5:11b
¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point! I am convinced that God is doing something awesome in this generation, but we must be committed to living that holy life! So here is what I want to say to you all!



Now is the time! We cannot say oh I will live better when I am older, or when I slow down! I have heard it to much, "I am young and I just want to live it up!" Live what up? Your life? What a waste! Don't waste your life people!! NOW IS THE TIME TO LIVE FOR CHRIST!



You wanna feel alive? Try Jesus! Talk about an adventure, my life before Christ was pointless and boring! After Christ my life has been filled with meaning. Even at the times when life sucks I know God is in control! There are times when I am not drawing close too Christ and I can feel it in my life!



CHURCH!! NOW IS THE TIME!! WAKE UP!!



We cannot be the church and be engaging in the things of this world! You wanna indulge yourselves in the ways of this world then don't call yourselves the church! You cannot serve two masters! NOW IS THE TIME TO DECIDE!!



The World or God? You cannot have both!



I wanna leave you with this passage!

1st Corinthians 16:13-14
¹³ Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. ¹⁴ Do everything in love.