The Rock Junior High

I am the Eggman, They are the Eggmen, I am the Church - Goo Goo G'joob

Er... are you reading the title of this post and wondering if I'm heavily medicated this week?  Nope, not medicated - just realizing how confusing some of the stuff in the Bible can seem if we don't take a second to think about what the writers were really trying to say...

So - in case you don't already know, there's a Beattle's song (speaking of heavily medicated), "I am the Walrus".  Now, this song has some super-interesting lyrics in it... at one point the singer is "sitting on a cornflake", then he sings about "elementary penguins" but my favorite part is, "I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the Walrus - goo goo g'joob."  Seriously... he's the eggman.   I'm not sure what that means (other than John Lennon was getting cranky about hearing other people decide what his songs meant) and it made me wonder if you guys would get what I meant when we talk about the idea that "I am the church" this Sunday?

When you think about the word "church", what kind of a picture do you get in your mind?  A  little building with a steeple?   A bunch of people dressed in suits and dresses with big hats in neat rows?  Getting out of bed early on a weekend morning?  That's not what we're supposed to see!  The church is us!  Don't quite get it?  Show up this Sunday - we'll chat about it!

PS - Come in your Halloween costume this Sunday if it makes you happy!

Reading is good for you...
Monday - Ephesians 1:22-23 | Tuesday - Luke 24:13-32 | Wednesday - Luke 24:33-49 | Thursday - Romans 10:9-15 | Friday - Matthew 28:18-20 | Saturday - Philippians 2:3-5

Mean People Suck - But Who Cares?

People can be pretty cruel to each other, huh?  Junior High students can be especially cruel... take a look around at school sometime.  Chances are - there's some kid there who you know is just heinously mean and people just try to stay off of their radar so they don't become the next target for public ridicule.  True?  Now, remember - we've talked about this before.  People like that almost ALWAYS act that way because they are dealing with a lot of private pain themselves - but that's not what this post is about. This post is about knowing that you have immeasurable worth as a person, even when sucky mean people are running around being jerkfaces!

The way other people treat us can sometimes leave us feeling worthless and unwanted, but that's just not true!  Take a second to think about this, if you really believe there is a God, and you really believe that the Bible is what He told other people to write down - listen to what he says about you!

Even before He made the world, God loved us... God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family...  (see Ephesians chapter 1).

God loves you.  God considers you a member of his family.  Even though it hurts when some other person makes fun of you for something, or acts like you don't exist - it doesn't mean they somehow know that you deserve to be treated that way!  It just means that they're selfish and mean and hurting and don't know what to do about it!  You are incredibly important to God - don't let anybody else tell you, or make you feel different!

PS - We'll build on this idea next week - and talk about the "so what?" - why it matters!

Reading...
Wednesday - Ephesians 1:3-8 | Thursday - Ephesians  1:9-14 | Friday -  Romans 8:15-25 | Saturday  - Romans 8: 26-31

Still Sorry...? Here's the Reading Schedule at Least!

So... still no word what our topic for next Sunday will be (we want to teach on the same topic as the rest of the church) so I'll give you a reading schedule here that will be helpful (I hope) regardless of what we talk about this Sunday!  How about a few select passages about patience!

Wednesday - Proverbs 25:14-16 (also fun and practical advice about honey!)

Thursday - Ecclesiastes 7:5-9 (if you've never read anything in Ecclesiastes before, yes - most of it does sound like it was written by a grumpy [but smart] old man...)

Friday - Galatians 5:16-26 (OK - this isn't strictly about patience...)

Saturday - Colossians 3:5-14 (See - Friday.)

Holy Sweet Mother of Giant Blue Elephants!!!

In case you haven't heard already - church is going to be a little different this Sunday.  The Rock is participating in National Porn Sunday!  Long story short is this, back in the day, a couple of guys got together and decided that it sucked that the church was too embarrassed to talk about the problems that people have with and because of porn...  They started a website called XXXchurch.com that tries to help EVERYONE affected by porn - people with sexual addictions, people who get hurt because their spouses choose porn over their marriage, porn stars, people that produce porn - EVERYONE! 

This Sunday, churches all over the US will be talking about porn, some of the problems it can cause, and how people who want to stop messing with porn can get help!  In GforJesus this week - we'll be doing things a little different as well - we'll split our group up (in keeping with the girls/guys night out on the 6th BTW - don't forget!) and talk about... porn.

Reading...

Monday - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 | Tuesday - 1 John 2:1-6 | Wednesday - 1 John 2:7-11 | Thursday - 1 John 2:12-17 | Friday - Matthew 5:13-20 | Saturday - Matthew 5:21-28

Teeth Without Toothpaste

So... I'm a little worried that noone will read this because this picture is too gross - but if you can make it stay with me!

Teeth without toothpaste - gross, right?  Your teeth will die and fall right out of your head if you don't take care of them!  That sucks...  Teeth without toothpaste - it's no good.  Also on the list of things that are no good - faith without works.  Maybe you've heard that phrase ("faith without works") before - take a second to think about what it means.  Saying you love God, that you're a Chrisitan - but never doing anything about it.  Saying that you believe the stuff that Jesus Christ taught - but acting every day like every second of your time should be spent on your own amusement.

Nobody likes the idea of all their teeth falling out, eh?  That's why we brush our teeth... that, and nasty breath.  So... what are the consequences when we have faith without works - when we say we're Christians, but we don't act like it?

Come on Sunday and find out... or - read below if your antsy...

Tuesday - James 2:1-7 | Wednesday - James 2:8-13 | Thursday - James 2:14-17 | Friday - James 2:18-20 | Saturday - James 2:21-26

What Makes YOU Angry Makes me Angry!

Before I even get started, let me just say that it's hard to find an "angry Jesus" picture online...  In most pictures he just looks like he's bored -or like in this one to the left, like he's trying to see the hidden picture inside one of those irritating posters at the mall...

It makes sense though, it's much nicer to think of Him as "Dear Lord Baby Jesus"  (think: Talladega Nights) rather than, all-powerful angry Diety Who has been known to turn people into piles of salt (easily one of the strangest stories in the Bible - you've been warned.)  Whether it's nice to think about or not, the point's pretty clear - God gets angry!

One of the things I think we can agree He gets angry about is the sex trafficking industry.  To give you an idea of how big this problem is, the US Department of Justice estimates that 600,000 - 800,000 people (70% female and 50% are children) are trafficked (sold) every year. To put that number in perspective for you those people could fill all of the seats in Safeco Field between 13-17 times.

Here's the good news, somebody's doing something about it - and in a small way, we can help!  Drop Dead Gorgeous is an organization that provides hygiene and beauty supplies to people rescued from the sex trafficking industry.  Can we make a point over then next two weeks to bring in supplies that we can mail to their distribution center in Georgia?  It won't take much effort - just take a look at the Drop Dead Gorgeous beauty kit list (Download ddg_list.pdf)   and grab one or two things to bring in on Sunday.  It's a small gesture, but an important one!

This Sunday - we're talking about what makes Jesus angry, and what we should do about it!

I'll post something a bit more light-hearted next week...

Read...
Monday: Ephesians 2:8-10 | Tuesday: Galatians 2:16 | Wednesday: James 2:1-7 | Thursday: James 2:8-13 | Friday: James 2:14-19 | Saturday: James 2:20-26  (If you get confused about who  Abraham and Rahab are - give me a call!)

When Bananas Attack!!!

What could possibly have made this poorly drawn banana so angry?!  Is it the injustice of the gargantuan success of the cavendish banana in North America over the equally tasty plantain?  Is it the only surviving banana from a family bunch that was ripped apart, crushed into pulp, and baked at 350 degrees until it became banana bread?  Has it's tree been invaded by half-starved banana-crazed monkeys? 

Poorly Drawn Angry Banana, I have some advice for you...  take it easy!  From personal experience, I can tell you, we sometimes get upset over things that just don't matter.  Not that getting angry is always wrong... it's just that most of the time, we direct our anger at the wrong things!  We get mad when a friend forgets to call us back - but  couldn't care less about it when someone in our group puts down/humiliates the dorky, lonely kid that nobody talks to at lunch.  We get mad when our parents won't let us go somewhere fun, but look the other way if a friend shoplifts something small from the store.

The bottom line is: most of the time when I get mad, it's because something I don't like happened to ME!  Someone offended ME!  Someone hurt MY feelings!  ME ME ME ME ME!!!  Imagine the person you could be if you were so unselfish that you only ever got mad at the rotten stuff that happened to other people!  Would you even recognize yourself?!  I know I wouldn't recognize me!  What does the angry banana have to do with any of this?  Nothing.  I just liked the picture.

Reading Your Bible is Good for You:

Monday: Mark 3:1-6 | Tuesday: Hebrews 12:1-3 | Wednesday: Hebrews 12:4-11 | Thursday: Hebrews 12:12-15 | Friday: Romans 12:9-21 | Saturday: Philippians 2:1-8 

Christians and Poop

This Sunday - we're watching a movie... not just any movie, a movie about Christians and poop.  "A Man Called Norman" is a movie about a weird old man, that lives in a weird old house, that all the nice normal Christian people in his hometown treat like poop.

Reading this week, as you may have guessed, is about not being one of those nice normal Christian people that treat people who have nothing to offer them... like poop.

Does the Bible really say, "Don't treat people like poop?"  It goes even further!!!  The Bible says that the rotten stuff we do to people, is like doing rotten stuff to Jesus Christ!  The good news is, the good stuff we do for people, is like doing good stuff for Jesus Christ...  it's in there - take a look...

Thursday - Matthew 25:31-40 | Friday - Matthew 25:41-46 | Saturday - James 4:17

PS - Sorry I'm so late with the reading schedule - work has been insane this week (Had to work Monday,  left the office at 11:45 last night...blah-blah-blah.  I am sorry though!!!

What Are You Doing!?!

So - I admit, starting out a posting about our reading schedule/focus for Sunday with a beer commercial is a little odd... but it is the title of our lesson...  Chandra's teaching this Sunday about accountability.

What is accountability you wonder?  It has two parts... (1) Being obliged to answer for your actions; and (2) Answering to an authority that may impose penalty for failure.  I'm not sure if it seems like it to you at first, but this has everything to do with being a Christian!  The Bible teaches that we are accountable to God for our actions - it also teaches that we as Christians have a responsibility to help each other live like we should!

This week, take a step back and think about what you're doing...  Is there stuff you're happy you're doing?  Is there stuff your hiding and ashamed of?  For me, at least, it's a mix of both...  Rather than look around at other people, let's take the more difficult road and use the time we spend with God this week and our time together this Sunday to give ourselves an honest answer to the question,"What am I doing?"

Reading:
Monday: Romans 14:1-6 | Tuesday: Romans 14:7-13 | Wednesday: Romans 14:14-23 (chewy - give yourself more time on this one!) | Thursday: Galatians 6:1-7 | Friday: Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 | Saturday: Matthew 12:33-37

Me | Me | Me | Me

A few years back, I was talking to a therapist in order to get treatment for depression.  Some of the best advice that she gave me was to make a point once every day of doing something just because I enjoy it.  Taking her advice (along with a little Wellbutrin...) did a lot to help me get through a difficult time. 

I did find one thing that helped me even more though - focusing on how I could help other people.  Seriously, the days that I made a point of doing one thing, just to help another person enjoy life more - I felt so much better!

I'm not sure why I'm so surprised.   The Bible is full of these types of instructions for living...   Philippians 2 tells us we should make a point to think about the needs of others, in Matthew 6, Jesus says that if we take care of what God asks us to do (1 - Love God and 2 - Love Others [Mark 12]), God will handle the rest of the details...  God gave us these instructions to make our lives better - not because He has nothing better to do than make up pointless rules!

This week, we're talking about how to feel about ourselves - a discussion that is always more productive when we think about how God asks us to feel about others...  See you Sunday!

Reading:

Monday - Mark 12:28-31 | Tuesday - John 13:34-35 | Wednesday - Matthew 6:25-34 | Thursday - Philippians 2:1-4 | Friday - Psalm 139: 1-6 | Saturday - Psalm 139: 7-18