pics from Genesis

Man Fest

another video from a video from a video at Pilgrimage

From Pilgrimage 2008

Pilgrimage 2008

A Video from Friday Night

Pics from Pilgrimage!

A Strange Thing at Genesis...

Recent Youth Photos

Recent Youth Sitings

Youth Group Promotional Video!

District Youth Rally!

Lazy Boy

Make sure to save Jennings lazy boy before it's too late! Why would anyone want a perfectly good lazy boy to be wasted?

Concert

Hey everyone, make sure to go see the youth band play at church on Sunday night (the 12th). They play some great music and have a speaker, I think it's Evan. They will also have some testimonials. Stay tuned for Sunday.

Thrive Youth Group 9-28-08

Hebrews 9

“Once for All”

Hebrews 9:11-28

CHRIST = HIGH PRIEST

How did Christ enter the Most Holy Place Differently?

His own Blood not the Blood of sacrifice

Not once a year but ONCE for all forever (eternal redemption)

Example Cleanliness- When I was in college there was this running joke that I did not take a lot of showers. I did triathlons so I usually worked out twice a day and by the time I took a shower I would just be sweating again. The emphasis on cleanliness is huge in our society. My dad was a bit of a germ-a-phobe. Maybe that is why I had a sort of rebellious 5 second rule type attitude in College. I remember at a young age if my hands got dirty they actually would feel dirty. There was nothing physically on them but I would feel like they were still dirty like I needed to wash them.

Sometimes we feel like this after sinning. We feel guilty. We feel like we need to be cleaned.

Old way is external cleanliness

New way is internal (cleanse our consciences so that we can serve the living God!)

Vs. 15—Shift from Priest to Prophet

Christ as Prophet – Covenant Mediator

WHY BLOOD???

Blood = Life

To loose your Blood = Death

Our choice to sin ultimately leads to death, the consequence of Sin is Death. All of us here will Die, all of us basically have Blood on our hands.

How do we get rid of Sin? Death- How does Christ get rid of our Sin? - Death Ultimately his Blood was a sacrifice for our Sin and a payment for our death.

Giving up a life to gain something better EX:

Marriage- my choice to buy a new road bike is greatly effected by being married

Having Children Your Parents have made a huge sacrifice to have you

Christ- Eternity

Giving up our Lives for Christ= True Freedom

If we give our lives for Christ is we “Die to Ourselves”

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.^[d] 20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. Philipians 4:18-26

Social Suicide- Dying in popularity, no longer putting others down so that you might be exalted. A friend comes up to you and is making fun of a classmate because they are fat, or ugly, or stupid or something else and you instead of laughing say “that is not cool” what do you think will happen?

How many here would be willing to do that? You as Chapel Hill students live in a difficult environment to share your faith. Your faith is credited as stupid simply because someone says it is. How many of you here would be willing to face social suicide for your savior? How many of you would be willing to lose your friends for Christ? We fear what is unknown, we fear that we will not have any friends if we do this we fear that we will be loosers. Why? Why do we compromise? Why do our friends come before our savior? We are so blessed that Christ did not do for us as we so often do for Him. Why do we compromise?

Why do we do this?

Why do we: Holding on to Our lives, our social status, our popularity, our material possessions, our fashion, our girlfriends or boyfriends who want to just have sex, why do we hold on to these things? Why do we cheat on a test so that one day we may go to College?

Genesis Youth Group 9-28-08

Is God There?

With all this injustice why has God not stepped in and stopped it?

What is your response?

In Christianity who has dealt with injustice? How?

Jesus, Cross, injustice main theme throughout OT too! Widows, orphans, strangers. Early Christianity sick outcast downtrodden. Ray’s sermon this morning was all about how you can help with injustice!!

LOGIC TIME

“If God does not exist, then justice does not exist (we said justice is something that has been given to all of us and we all expect everyone else to display some type of justice)” “Without God we have no ultimate standard maker—We have no straight to measure the crooked. Crooked only makes sense when it’s compared to straight.”

“when someone says God cannot exist because God isn’t as just as she’d like him to be, she’s using justice to say the Giver of justice is unjust.”

Question for a doubter: “Where did you get that idea of justice, and why do you expect everyone else to understand it?”

Many things in our world break down with out justice our very way we live life with oaths, covenants, laws etc. all have to do with justice which comes from God

“if God is not allowed into promises, covenants, and oaths—if God is not permitted to be an explanation for justice—then we would have no reason to suppress evil in our world. Who decides what is evil or good? It becomes a fight for power without any ultimate standard.

Next Time: thinking about our Purpose in life and how that points to the existence of God!

Genesis Youth Group 9-21-08

Here is what we talked about last night in Genesis Youth Group!

Is God There?—Part 2: Justice

September 21^st 2008

Review from Last Week

Empiricism

God is…

What about the Size of the Universe????

How would you respond to the comment:

“We shouldn’t consider ourselves too important to God because he made us so small and surrounded us with a universe so big.”

Romans 11:33-36

How do you respond to this verse? Circle One

Comfort Uneasy Other ______________

If God exists we expect Him to be Spiritual, Smart, & Strong.

Is Justice Real??

Examples

Line Cutting & Scenario in a Coffee Shop

Is this scenario unjust? What would an empiricist say? Can only speak to emotions – not good or evil but pleasant or unpleasant.

Unpleasant feelings are “often a thermometer for something deeper going on”

“the guy in the coffee shop didn’t insult me. He said nothing about me. My feelings were not hurt. Yet something has gone WRONG.”

Is justice just a feeling? Where does this justice come from?

Martin Luther King Jr.

Feelings vs. Justice

If we say racism is wrong then we must say there is justice and injustice in this world. There must be good and evil.

Justice is usually against society, and changes society ex: Jesus, MLK jr. etc.

Justice is closer than what we can detect with our senses (outside) it is something we can detect on our inside.

So where does this SENSE of Justice come from??????

Options

A Justice Giver

We invented it- why would we expect it of others?

We Discovered it- ex: Cheating hurts others, corrupts society, and even makes us feel guilty. When we see someone else cheating we usually don’t think about how it would hurt society we just say that is wrong.

We expect those around us to live a certain way. We expect people not to take our save seats, we expect people

We expect people not to cut in line at lunch at school, we expect our friends not to gossip badly about us, we expect our girl friends or boy friends to be loyal to us and not cheat on us. We expect governments not to cause genocide and wipe out millions of people, we expect people to take care of the environment, on and on…

We expect it because we expect other people to have discovered the same justice that we have.

If there is a moral law that is pressing on everyone, then where does it come from?

Notes from Living with Questions by Dale Fincher

Thrive Youth Group 9-21-08

This week at Thrive HS youth we did a review of where we have been in the book of Hebrews this summer.

The Review can be found by Clicking Below
HEBREW SUMMARY NOTES FROM 9-21-08

Also we talked briefly about Hebrews 9:1-10 and the tabernacle. Here are the notes from that discussion...

Hebrews 9: 1-10 Explanation of Earthly Tabernacle

First Covenant – had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary

Holy Place --> Most Holy Place

Only the High Priest was allowed in Most Holy Place Only Once a Year Must Have Blood (for himself and the sins of the people)

Holy Spirit--> “the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning”

These original sacrifices could not clear the conscious of the Sinner/Offender

Simply “ceremonial washings” a covering until something better

Our New Home

Youth Group Pics 9-18

Sunday Night Youth Group September 14th!!!

Genesis MS Youth

Is God Religious?

Initial Thought… Yes No Maybe

What is your Darkness in your life?

Empiricism says that you the 5 senses is how you determine what is real

Do you think this empiricism is True to reality?

Yes No

God is
1) Not Bound by Place

2) Not Bound by Time

3) God is Spiritual

4) God is Stong & Smart

Do you feel like you have experienced God?

How?

Do you think it is possible to prove God’s existence?

What questions do you have about the existence of God?

Thrive HS Youth Group

Hebrews 8

“A New Covenant”

Review of Genesis 15:17

Genesis 14:17-20

Melchizedek is a priest in a different order,

Not a priest because of descendant but a Priest by Character. In the same way Christ is a Priest for us.

“Different Order”

Jesus’ Character 7:22-28

Lives forever, permanent priesthood, vs. 26, vs. 27 Does not need to offer sacrifices,

Chapter 8

All of Chapter 7 author is explaining the type of Priest now for the Main Point

Do you know how you know it is the MAIN POINT?

“we do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.”

What was the point of a High Priest? What was there job?

To offer gifts and sacrifices

So Jesus as a High Priest also must have something to offer.

A Sacrifice of a Different Order

Vs. 1-2 A Tabernacle Set up by God Not by Man

EXAMPLE Building Project at Orange

A Sanctuary of A DIFFERENT ORDER

Vs. 5-6

Jesus’ covenant is superior

Offers at a superior Sanctuary

Christ Serves in the True Sanctuary not a shadow of the True Sanctuary

Covenant with better promises

A prophecy of a DIFFERENT ORDER

Vs. 6- Leaves behind idea of priesthood, sanctuary and sacrifice for Mediator. History of the Bible and Covenant Lawsuit/Mediator form

vs. 8-12

Founded on Better promises Jeremiah 31:31-34

Why was a new Covenant Needed? Who was at Fault????

Who were to blame? – People

HISTORY:

Jeremiah wrote during the time of the Babylonian Exile- Exile was the result of people’s rejection of God—Fault was found with the people at this point and a promise of a NEW covenant was necessary

From Jeremiah’s Promise we see that EVERYONE from the least to the greatest falling under this new covenant would know their God directly

Vs. 12 “FOR I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

PROMISE OF RESTORATION

ASSURANCE

Hebrews Chapters 9-10 Show us that Jesus Sacrifice achieves this

The need for Priesthood, Sacrifices, and a Sanctuary are now Removed and opens up every “race and culture to draw near to God through Jesus.”

The New Covenant is “obsolete” and will soon disappear.

A Covenant of a DIFFERENT ORDER

So What?

Because of Jesus became a Perfect Priest of a Different Order and a Perfect Sacrifice of a Different Order we no longer need the Old Covenant of Sacrifice to atone for our Sins. Today we no longer see this.

Coincidence?? AD 70 end of the Sacrificial System. Jesus died in 33ish AD. Since the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD it has never been rebuilt nor have Sacrifices been brought back Despite the fact that most Jewish do not recognize Jesus as their savior???? How do you explain this phenomenon?

This New Covenant is now in effect and it can be seen in history!!!!!!!!!!

Because Jesus was a Priest of a Different Order we see the promise from Jeremiah coming about. Now we have access to God. He is in our Hearts and Minds!

We no longer need a sacrifice or a Priest to communicate with Him. Now we can talk to him at school or on the toilet or wherever! This is the most beautiful thing ever

We worship a living God.

Sunday Youth Group September 7th

If you missed youth group this past Sunday here are a few things we talked about...

Genesis Middle School...

Veracious Authority vs. Imperial Authority

Which Type of Authority would you be more likely to follow?

Which Type of Authority do you See God has in your Life?

How can what Holds Truth over your life Affect how you live?

Thrive High School...

We looked again at Hebrews in Chapter 7. We talked Jesus being the perfect sacrifice for our sins and how no other sacrifice before Jesus could atone for us. Sacrifices were always offered by imperfect priests from imperfect people. Ultimately we needed a perfect sacrifice to find attonement. This is found with a Priest that is "PERFECT in the order of Melchizedek"

We also looked at Genesis 15 and the Covenant that God originally "cut" with Abraham. This covenant is amazing because God (the king) not Abram (the servant) basically said if You Abram ever do not follow this covenant than let me be the one to be punished. God knew that we as humans could never follow a covenant so he put his own "life" on the line to back it up. In this light the sacrifice of Jesus is amazing!

If you missed this week you should ask some friends what you missed! It was a great topic.

God, School and Hard Times

Ahhh... School time, meeting teachers, buying supplies, having work to do. Oh wait I forgot I can't stand that. School certainly isn't my favorite place to spend my time but I have to do it anyway. School can be great for some people. It can be a place to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. School can be a terrible place for others. It can be a place where you are daily faced with challenges and the focal point of your stress. I know I face most of my hardest challenges of faith at school. Some people are even out to get you just because you believe in Jesus. I remember back when everyone did the youth Sunday and the topic was about staying with God even in hard times. This can be a very difficult thing to do. It makes since to say "Since I am a child of God, I should get preferential treatment".

Have you ever read the book of Job? Well either way Job was a man thousands of years ago that had a great life, huge property, much money, and his faith in God was great. So what happened next? He lost it all! His faith was shaken in God, and he was angry. He believed that he seemed to do nothing wrong that it was God's fault.

This is where we come back into play. As stated earlier, school can be a very tough place to be a Christian. No matter what goes on, you can't blame God for it because it will only make it worse. Everyone goes through hard times on Earth, no one gets a free pass. But, Jesus says clearly in the Bible that he will never put too much weight on you.You want to know what happened to Job? He realized what he was doing wrong and asked for forgiveness.

I know we have some problems in our lives but think about how great we really have it. The ability to have the basic necessities 24/7, go to great schools and have friends. I know everyone can have really hard times that challenge their faith, I have had them too. But we have to remember to never blame God for bad things and think that we have it worse than everyone.

Think about the things we complain about these days. We say we have too much work, and have it so hard. Still think you have it so bad? Ok, think about how much Jesus suffered. He died on the cross to forgive the sins of those who still wrong him today. Everyone goes through suffering, even He did. So let's remember how good we have it.

Food Party

All the OUMC Youth beat up Jennings and took the van keys. Then they collected a bunch of food and pigged out! It was a great time of fellowship!

Homeowners' Banquet

Last night the homeowners came to eat dinner with us! The youth served them and the youth leaders. Some of the owners stuck around for the worship service.

A visit to Mammoth Cave

On Thursday we visited Mammoth Cave! It was a spectacular place. The Park Rangers only got mad at us twice :-)

Work almost done

Getting near the end our projects are coming to completion!

Here is what we did on Tuesday...

A Sleeping Story

A couple of pics

Here is a friend we found at the work site and a pic of the roof we are working on.

Some of the site directors

A Break at the Work Site

Early Monday

Here is Britt doing some remote work so he can be with us!

Roof Work

Here is Brian working on shingles.

Odom's Good Morning Pep Talk

We made it to KY!

Safe in KY at Eastwood Baptist! Tonight we had worship, dinner, split into our work crews for the week, and had an ice cream social! We are ready to start our week bright and early in the morning. There are 85 people here this week serving the Kentucky Heartland! More to come tomorrow...

A quick stop in Athens, Greece

J/K Here we are we at the downtown park in Nashville! We stopped to stretch our legs and eat snow cones! In the background is Parthanon.

KY Middle School Retreat Begins

Here are a few pictures from our travels to KY

Being left out (my first blog)

Ever feel like you are left out? I know I do. A few months ago, I went to a World Hunger event with my Youth Group and there were many bands from a couple of churches there. About half way through, I saw one band from another Youth Group setting up their instruments and there was only one person left sitting where the group was. How awful that must have felt, just sitting there by yourself watching everybody else have all of the fun. Just so you readers know, I am not a very popular person at my school, so I always wonder what it's like to be somebody very popular. At all school it's easy to be put into groups by the way you look or the way you dress. I always see that one kid that is at all peoples school, the kid who just sits at a table by himself. I'm not that unpopular, but I always wonder what it's like to be that kid.It's these outsiders that Jesus came to help the most. Luke 4: 18-21 says that " The Spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, He sent me to proclaim the captives will be released, the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come. He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. "The scripture you have just heard has been fulfilled this very day"It's outsiders like at schools, or homeless people that need to hear about God and His Son. I encourage you to help them out. If you see your friends making fun of an outsider, don't be like them! Help him out, try to make some friendly conversation, and if they don't want to talk to you, just walk away. Don't force them to make you their friend, it's them who will be sorry. If you do get along, that's great. If you become friends, that's even better. Invite them to your church or youth group. It's one of the best things in your life to help change someone's life, and you can be sure that God will always remember that you did this.So basically, help the people in need around you. I have tried more recently, not with much success, but I keep trying. I try to help my friends be better people to each other and well, other people. I know I don't always follow this guideline that I am trying to get others to follow. It's very easy to pass a poor person by and ignore them. But you don't have to give them money if it's hard for you, a simple hello or picking up something they dropped goes a long way. - N/A

Brian's comments about Boston...

The Boston Project was awesome and it was a very learning and moving experience. All the staff was awesome and so were the other kids.

Evan's Thoughts

The Boston Project was a great experience. It was a great time to grow in my faith of God. The staff taught us some great lessons in life. It's an amazing opportunity for kids next year to grow closer to God. I would like to come back next year. I had lots of fun interactions with the other groups. It was also fun to go into the city. All in all, it was a great experience for me and I hope that we can do it again next year.

The Trip According to Jimmy

MEATSACK-MEATSACK! Meatsack, I think the Boston Project and the people I've met, experiences I've had and the closeness I feel to God have all changed my life and who I want to be as a person. I know I wasn't always serious or "good" but I really tried to be a good leader. This trip really affected me.

Reflections by Emily!!!

It was great serving alongside the youth and watching God work in them. My most memorable experience would have to be when the youth were put into groups, given a Ziplock bag with a worship booklet, Bible, and told they could use $5- then sent to different areas around Boston Common and instructed to "spread the Good News." The group I was with had a difficult time. They were turned away, cursed at and money was snatched from their hands. It was a great reminder of how we reject God and how Jesus must have felt as he was shunned.

The week was filled with great morning challenges, eye-opening service projects, amazing debriefing sessions, and evening worship. It was a learning experience for all of us. Hearing the youth speak about what they learned each day and how they saw God working in debriefing was one of my favorite parts of the day. The Boston Project was an amazing experience for all of us.