Sherrell family, you will be missed, and we pray for God to bless you and your for your obedience.  Sometimes, we don’t understand God’s will for our lives and for those we love, and that is okay.  All we must understand is that He is God, we are not, and He is in control.  He knew before the dawn of time that this would happen and He also knows that He will receive all the glory from it.  We will see you in a few weeks, and are holding you to your offer of popcorn and drinks!  Oh, and you may have to provide the chairs, I don’t know if we will be able to fit them in the van!  Be blessed!

Head toward SCHS.  Turn right at the traffic signal in front of the high school (if coming from Sevierville, left if from Newport).  Go straight until you come to Thompson Carr Road, turn right on Thompson Carr.  Go straight until you come to a gate with lots of barb wire on it.  The gate should be open, if not Madison will be there to open for you when you arrive.  If you don’t see her, honk your horn really loud (as if you could control the volume) for 11.67 seconds, and she will appear to open the gate for you.  Once you pull in the gate someone will direct you as to where you should park.

Bring you own chair, bean bag, pillow, etc.  Popcorn and drinks will be provided, if you want any other MOVIE SNACK FOOD then you are on your own. Please bring an appropriate movie for us to choose from and remember to thank the Sherrell family for their hospitality.

If you have any questions, call or send me a Facebook message and I will try my best to answer.  Be blessed!

If you can wrap your arms around this, I mean really get it, then all of the garbage we focus on in our lives seems really pointless.  I have spent much of the last few weeks taking an inventory of what I do, how I spend my time, and am really trying to determine if it glorifies God.  Does watching TV for 6 hours glorify God?  Does playing modern warfare online glorify God?  Does hanging out with your friends all day glorify God?  Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying these things are all bad, God created them all and has allowed us access to them, so I am not saying that we are outside of His will if we watch TV or play video games.  What I am questioning is how we behave while doing it.

What are you watching on TV?  How are you talking, acting, thinking while playing video games online?  What are you talking about with your friends while you hang out?  Do you spend more time reading comic books or blogs online than you do your Bible?  Do you spend more time on your hair or more time in prayer?  Is reading your Bible more important to you than the outfit you are going to wear today?

If I have struck a nerve with anyone, then perhaps God is using these words to tell you something.  Perhaps the Holy Spirit is convicting you of your behavior right this second.  This is a cause to rejoice!!  If you aren’t questioning your behavior and motives right now, I pray that you will soon recognize the truth.  God wants us to live full lives and He wants us to have fun!  The only stipulation is that He receive the glory, and it is only fair because He is God and we are not!

Be blessed!

Most of you know that I have unplugged from the world (except for updating this blog occasionally and for work purposes), and it has been much more difficult than I ever thought it would be.  We often make statements like, ” I could go without that” or ” I could quit if I wanted to”, but as someone who has eliminated all TV, computer (for personal use), video games, music (other than to worship), movies and telephone (except for work), I encourage you to try!  The next time you think you could do without something, don’t just say it, actually try it.  While the past week or so of my life has been challenging, it has also been simple.  I have had more conversations with my wife and kids this week than I had last month combined!  I am reading more, journalling more, praying more, and realizing that I actually could do without all the distractions caused by modern technology and the conveniences it provides.

Since I am not watching movies right now, I decided this would be a good time to go through my movies and see what is worth keeping and what we need to get rid of.  I am currently looking at a stack of over 40 movies that I am taking out of my house because they aren’t in line with how I want to live my life. None of them are dirty by the standards of the world, but we who follow Jesus are called to a higher standard.  Do I want my children watching (or for that matter do I want to watch) the Terminator or Aliens, or Van Wilder? No, so the only way to ensure they don’t watch it here is to not have it here.

After going through my movies, i moved on to my music, and I have decided to get rid of all of my secular music.  If it does not glorify the name of our heavenly Father, then there is not point to, for we were not created to do anything other than that. So, Green Day, see you later, hopefully I will get to here you jam in heaven!  Eminem, dude, I pray God captures your heart because you could do so much for the Kingdom with the platform you have, and until that day, you have lost a listener.

The more I eliminate the world, the more I realize that the only thing that really matters is God, and my relationship with Him.  Be blessed!

The point is to simplify my life.  The goal is to focus less on the desires of the flesh (stuff) and more on the desires of my spirit.  God is calling me to a deeper relationship with Him, and to do that I need to eliminate distractions.  If I am watching TV then I am not spending time in the word of God.  If I am playing video games, then I am not praying.  If I am consumed with what I am wearing, then I am missing the point of my own existence.  I am here to serve and worship Him, not this world and all the distractions it offers.

I realize that this will not be easy.  I realize that I will have to lean heavily upon God to get through this, and that is exactly my point.  There is nothing this world has to offer that can even compare to the love shown to me by my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I will post updates daily, or as I am prompted to share what God is doing in my life. I ask that your prayers be with me and the students of 4:Twelve as we seek a deeper relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ.

What are you willing to give up for your God?  He gave His life for you, will you part with something for the month of August?

Be blessed!

Day one of my fast has been interesting so far.  I realized this morning that I have to buy a new toothbrush because I only have an electric one!  So, needless to say, don’t get too close to me until I have a chance to get to the store!!!

On another note, I am really sore this morning!  I think we chose the wrong people to play the demons in last night’s skit.  Dan, Jeff, and David, if I did anything to upset you, I am very sorry, you guys beat the tar outta me!!    I am going to work on getting the video on our facebook page later today, so if you missed last night, you need to check this video out.

That’s all for now, I gotta go help weed eat the church property.  I pray God will continue to use last nights service to speak to your hearts.  Be blessed!

it was an honor to share our service with some youth from other area churches.  We had a group from Eternal Life Harvest Center, and what a blessing it was to watch them on stage in the youth room!  We also had a few folks from the Summit church with us as well.  This is what it is all about, believers coming together in prayer, worship and fellowship, regardless of denomination or church membership.  We are honored that you chose to worship with us, thank you and God bless you!

Thanks again and have a blessed day!