Temptations are just obstacles that hinder you from God.
12/4/09
10/15/09
10/9/09
9/17/09
What Time Is It?
God is moving by His Spirit, and we can reach our schools now if and only if you are in the right position and at the right time!
9/10/09
Passion - "See Ya There
Your Passion mixed with a Plan, wrapped in the Power of God will result in your campus hearing the Gospel of Hope, which is Jesus Christ.
9/3/09
8/27/09
8/20/09
8/13/09
8/6/09
The Making of a Movement
Movement - A strategic, organized, and empowered effort toward a common goal.
7/30/09
7/23/09
Wakeup and Worship
Decide to follow Christ every morning you wake up. Discipline yourself with your decisions. Dwell on pure things.
7/16/09
6/25/09
Time Part 1— Past
Part one of our three part series TIME. Remember where you came from. Learn from others past.
Take your experience of the past to impact someone's in the future.
Take your experience of the past to impact someone's in the future.
6/3/09
5/27/09
5/20/09
5/13/09
4/29/09
4/22/09
4/1/09
3/26/09
3/18/09
3/11/09
3/4/09
2/26/09
2/11/09
2/4/09
1/28/09
The Way I See It Part One
Your vision of who you are matters more than you think.
www.debgraper.blogspot.com
1/8/09
12/18/08
Looking Back/Looking Forward
A time of reflection over what God has done in 2008 and what He will do in 2009! www.debgraper.blogspot.com
12/13/08
Get Vision
The value we place on something is shown by what punishment or pain we are willing to go through for it. That’s a beautiful quote..... What are those things in your life that you would fight tooth and nail for? What is it that you so passionately believe in that as soon as it gets mentioned – your mind and your body jump alive? We should have those things in our lives that we love so much that we would climb through glass to get them. But every now and then you meet someone different; when they speak to you about what it is that they love and are passionate about – it makes you homesick for the same emotions. You even find yourself getting excited about the thing that they love even if you haven’t been personally invested in it up to that point. But their words and passion excites you. There is something so amazing about a person who is sold out; driven, unmovable and unstoppable in their pursuits. What do you love like that? Me personally I feel that way for my family and I also feel that way for the young people that I minister to today. In leading CYM; there have been some choices and decisions that we have made that others didn’t understand - but we made a choice early on that the thing that we believe most in; the message of Jesus Christ will not stop. Our message of loving Jesus and others around us with our entire hearts will never be snuffed out. It may be hard to take if you don’t feel the same way but truthfully we really don’t give it much thought. There’s much more work to be done than worrying if we are offending people with the message that offended people for generations. Time is short and only getting shorter. If you are new to CYM we welcome you. Our hope is that you would see that this isn’t about church as much as it is about being part of a bigger thing; a group that truly loves and cares for each other and loves and cares about Jesus. I have two huge binders of visitors who have come into CYM. Some have walked in and turned around and walked right out, others have walked in and stuck around for a short time and then left, and still others who have come in and stayed for years and have gone on to become leaders and helpers here and then of course over time some have moved on to different things. Sadly, I know of at least one who came in and walked out and a few short years later died at the young age of 16 in a car crash. Over the years I’ve had people walk into my office and they see the stack of visitors who’ve came and they act like we’ve really done something. Me, all I see is that they didn’t stay… they didn’t change their lives, and they might not EVER come to being a true follower of Christ. To some of you; we might just look like another youth group but what I see on a daily basis and what I know is that this is a family that is led by a group of followers of Jesus Christ who give up their time, their money and their own comforts, so that others might have lives that change. I say all that to give you vision. Of what we are right now; but also what we will always be if I have anything to say about it. What we are doing has a great affect on the world around us. There is nothing more amazing than to watch a young person come into this ministry with a disconnected view of the God who created them and watch them as they begin to see that they personally mattered to the Creator of the Heaven and Earth and that He died for them. If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed. Proverbs 29:18 The Message. I have been so privileged to see people get direction and determination where there used to be stumbling. What’s your vision? Do you have anything like that? Do you feel as if you matter to this world? That people actually care about you? I hope so. CYM stands for Chosen Youth Ministries. A long time ago this ministry was perfectly named from a scripture reference in 1 Peter 2:9 by a woman named Jen who felt as if it captured the people who belonged to it. The day I walked in I had the opportunity to change it if I wanted. There was absolutely no way that I could. My vision was the same as hers and it fit with what God was saying to me. But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. 1 Peter 2:9 The Message. Over and over again; throughout the years I’ve been told by people who were around me that God wanted me to know that this group was filled with people who would change this world; and I believe it with all of my heart. Some have already moved on, some are still here today and some haven’t yet walked through our doors. But when they do they will be welcomed with open arms and cared for up close. They will be spoken to and told that they matter to us and to the most beautiful man who ever walked this earth.
There are so many people just going through life, coasting on autopilot and they are thrown around every which way and are at the mercy of all the people who surround them.
On June 3rd of this year it will be 7 years of leading CYM. It came from humble beginnings in a small room with white walls and a drop ceiling. We had about 12 chairs in a circle that we hoped against hope we would fill on a night. Over time we grew; we’re still not a mega ministry but those who come are here because they share the same mindset and they work hard for what we do and what we stand for.
12/12/08
12/4/08
Pattern Yourself
Pattern Yourself
Imitate and Emulate! Pattern Yourself after Christ and others who are worthy of imitation.
1 Corinthians 11:1 (Amplified bible) - PATTERN YOURSELVES after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ. Good old Paul again in the bible… tells people to imitate him as he too is imitating Christ. That takes some confidence. How many of you could say the same thing; how many of you could with good faith tell those around you to imitate you? For Paul to be able to comfortably say this – he obviously had to be living what he was telling them to live like. He had to be walking the walk and not just talking the talk. Paul was willing to be their teacher – and I've told you before teachers will be judged even more strictly because of the influence they have on their students. To be the teacher that God requires you to be, you need to live what it is that you pattern for others. People MUST be able to see Christ in us; not just by us saying Christ lives in us but proving it through our behavior on a daily basis. And let me say that if you constantly have to point out the fact that you are a real Christian constantly to the people around you …. Maybe you might not be the person that you think you are. If you have to prove it with your words than maybe your persona is a bit weak. Because it's so much more than just simple words….it's much more important than that. To pattern yourself after someone – you imitate them – you make them your role model. A role model is a person who serves as a model in a particular behavioral or social role for another person to imitate. How many of you can be truly comfortable in that role? Not just in certain parts of your life – but in ALL AREAS? How many of you think about what kind of person you are when you are around others – young and old alike? We tend to pick role models that possess the qualities that we ourselves would like to have and choose people who have affected us in a way that makes us want to be better people. HOPEFULLY! The bible makes it clear to us is that we are like little bitty babies when we first come to believe in Christ as Savior; but from then on there's supposed to be a growing up that takes place. Over time we are called to mature and we are supposed to switch from those who need to be fed to those who now feed others. But it's what we are feeding others that can be the problem.To do this in the way that God intended we can see that through the bible He tells us that we are to imitate, pattern ourselves, have role models and mimic certain people who have been put into our lives, from The Word and also in our lives. Think! Right now! It is important for you to think about whom it is that you have in your lives as your role models. Who are you patterning yourself after? Who is it that you are imitating? I've told you before that I imitate Paul…besides imitating Jesus Christ Himself. I also pattern myself after people who are living a life of dedication and devotion to Jesus on a daily basis that have the same mindset on ministry and loving others like Paul Scanlon of Abundant life church in England and Mark Batterson pastor for National Community Church in Washington, DC. And then throughout reading God's word I've come across others who have jumped off the pages that I think – "yes, I want to be like that!" Like Nehemiah who I am going to talk to you about next week. Tonight though with Paul – he sees that everyone is watching him- to either imitate him or criticize him so he tells these people and other people throughout the bible: 2 Thessalonians 3:7 for you know that you ought to follow our example. We were never lazy when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it; we worked hard day and night so that we would not be a burden to any of you. Philippians 4:9 keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing and the God of Peace will be with you. This wasn't pride… but simple truth. Like I said we have to live what we teach. And Paul was living it… and IF you are teaching – you had better be living it too. People are natural imitators. We are just like sheep we follow others all the time – some that we admire for the right reasons and some we shouldn't admire for some bad reasons. We learn by observing. We learn more and we learn quicker from observing than we do just from listening.That is why it is so much more important that you see Christianity lived out on a daily basis than just having someone just tell you about it or read it. Observance has the power of influence. We are influenced by what we see. What we see on a daily basis influences our thoughts; whether it is in television, at the movies or around family and friends, classmates or coworkers. We tend to imitate and pick up what others do around us. Even when we DON'T actually act in the same way; we can become numb to it because it becomes NORMAL over time. The continual seeing of something goes on to create greater and greater acceptance i.e..The more we see violence in media the less we become jarred by it. The more we see vulgar humor the more it becomes "not that bad." That's why it's important to listen to Paul in Philippians 4:8 when we says whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. We then influence others by the way that we act. We tend to pick up mannerisms and behaviors of the people that we are around. This is true with: Kids and their parents, husbands and wives, bosses and their staffs. People are always watching…and they will be influenced by what they see. The more people value us – the more the more they will imitate us. Let's hope they value us for the good reasons. Children especially will imitate just about all that they see. When the dad talks ignorantly to the mom – the kids will talk ignorantly to the mom. If dad comes home and kicks the dog – the kids will eventually kick the dog. There is a saying "children have never been very good at listening to their elders but they never fail at imitating them." Ephesian 5:1, 2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. It cannot be do as I say and not what I do. Not in Christianity it can't!!!! It is a life that we are supposed to share with each other; it's personal and not private it's vulnerable and not guarded and it's extravagant and not stingy. Paul made his life an example for others to follow.He preached and taught well but more importantly he modeled Christianity for all to see it well too. And because of his past – can't you just imagine that he had many doubters and detractors. When we look at him we can see what a true disciple of Christ is supposed to look like. Changed.Forgiven.Imperfect – but driven to succeed. Willing to fight the good fight. He obviously wasn't perfect at the beginning and he still made mistakes but his life pointed people to Christ, and caused those who believed to be stronger.Each one of us today has people watching us. Paul says that we are to be like Christ so that others will learn from us. This should be your goal. If we pattern ourselves after Godly people we will be godlier. If we pattern ourselves after ungodly people we will become more ungodly. If we choose to do the right thing over and over again it will become part of our being – it will be woven into who we are. Being a Christian is a high calling… it will take you great places and it will lead others to great places. Philippians 4:9 keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing and the God of Peace will be with you. Paul is talking about a way of life.If there are things in our lives that we wouldn't want people to copy then we need to quit them. Romans 14:13 NLT So let's stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.Are you living a life worthy of imitation? Would you want the people around you to pick up your attitudes and mindsets and behaviors? Would they see Christ in you? I can tell you – not out of pride… imitate me. I love Jesus with all my heart. I am forever changed by what he did for me and want to point others to the same freedom and life he gave to me….but I'd like to have you take it one step further…I'd like to ask you to not only imitate me but emulate me. Emulate by definition means to strive to equal or excel especially through imitation. That means do what I do but do it even better!This is a life worth imitating. Live in a way to let others see what Christ is all about. Amen.
11/20/08
Enthusiasm
There's more to enthusiasm then meets the eye!
Enthusiasm! It's like 180 degrees the opposite direction from meh; whereas meh is lukewarm…enthusiasm is scalding hot!!! The book I'm reading; The Gospel according to Starbucks talks about how coffee from Starbucks is so experiential that they actually give you a thermal jacket to protect your hands from the scalding hot liquid. This comes out of the fact that McDonalds got sued after a woman's lap was scalded after it spilled on her. They chose then to down the heat, and paid out big bucks in damages and made apologies; whereas Starbucks chose to instead pass out thermal jackets holders and mark their cups with the notice…EXTREMELY HOT! It's been said that nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm! Enthusiasm has kind of become cliché. It has way more to do with than just the jumping up and down, whooping and hollering kind of thing. There's nothing wrong with getting and being excited, but sometimes it has given enthusiasm a bad reputation; because even the best conditioned person cannot sustain excitement over an extended period of time unless there's something more. Enthusiasm is simply an outward expression of our feelings that we have inside. You don't have to be loud or boisterous, but you do have to have a willingness to show something on the outside that truly lives on the inside. Did you know that originally an enthusiast was a person possessed by a god? Several Protestant sects of the 16th and 17th centuries were called enthusiastic. During the 18th century, popular Methodists such as John Wesley and George Whitefield were accused of blind enthusiasm (or fanaticism). During the years immediately following the Glorious Revolution, "enthusiasm" was a derogatory term that was used for advocating any political or religious cause while in public. The Royal Society bylaws stipulated at that time that any person discussing religion or politics at a Society meeting was to be kicked out for being an "enthusiast." In our time, enthusiasm has obviously lost its religious significance. Enthusiasm now signifies instead a whole-hearted devotion to an ideal, cause, study or pursuit, or what I just spoke about earlier just being visibly excited about what one's doing.There's obviously more to it than that. Enthusiasm goes deeper; it's the energy, the fuel that brings about a visible result. A famous writer once said that nothing great has ever happened without enthusiasm. If you want to accomplish great things; if you want to realize great goals; if you want to live a great life, then you absolutely must possess enthusiasm for what it is that you believe in and do. The reason it is so important: is that the difference between success and failure is often minute. Two people with virtually the same amount of skills and talents can differ greatly in the amount of success that they achieve; and it lies in their enthusiasm. It's said that enthusiasm changes a dead pan salesman into a producer; a pessimist into an optimist and a loafer into a go getter. Have you ever heard of Kirby vacuum cleaners? If you have never heard of them it's a company that sells vacuums door to door. These vacuums cost about $2,000 and they have been around for about 90 years and have a very interesting business model. They never advertise on T.V., in Newspapers, or anywhere… The only way to purchase a Kirby is from a door to door salesman. There's a saying at Kirby, "people don't buy the Kirby, they buy you". That couldn't be truer. Just like with marketing, or whatever it is that you do, you have to realize that people are first buying you. Paul definitely realized that when it came to people following Jesus… and that is why he wrote in Romans 12:11 never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord. He knew that the biggest draw in people accepting Jesus was an enthusiasm that was planted firmly within each of their own hearts. That IF there was this fire burning within their own hearts; a driving force propelling them that people would "buy this message."It's because enthusiasm immediately captures the attention of others it pulls people in; those who are on the fringe of a group come closer and those walking by will be compelled to stop and take a second look. Luke 19:1-6 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax collecting business, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zaccheaus and called him by name. "Zaccheaus!" He said, "Quick, come down, for I must be a guest in your home today!" Zaccheaus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. Zacchaeus had enthusiasm AND JESUS noticed Zaccheaus didn't have a meh attitude – if he did he wouldn't have ran ahead and climb a sycamore tree! Enthusiasm is a magnet… it pulls God to us and it pulls people to us. If we have enthusiasm we should thank God for it and if we don't we should drop to our knees and ask God for it. Because out of all the things that there is to be enthusiastic about – NOTHING is more exciting than the knowledge of having what He gives us.
· Eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ.
· That Holy Spirit living inside of us….?? That fire burning within us… maybe what you should pray for is the Holy Spirit to live and be comfortable within your hearts.
· The bible….what an amazing gift He's given us. He gave us a manual to read on how to live in an alien land and also a personal letter to remind us every day of how much He loves us.
· When we accept Him as Savior – we become the sons and daughters of God – the one who created the heaven and earth.
· He knows us by name. (Zacchaeus)
· He listens to and answers our prayers. We actually communicate with Jesus Himself.
· He protects us from the danger and harm that the devil wants to throw at us.
· He provides for us daily.
· We can expect great things for our lives when He is involved!
Right? Expectation brings enthusiasm! Think about that if that isn't true… a good show that you go to will warm up the crowd and bring expectation of what is to come. It will have upbeat music, warm lighting, and great atmosphere.
What can people expect when they spend time with us as Christians leading them to Jesus?
· Do we warm them up for the headliner (Jesus)?
· Are we upbeat? Do we look as if we are forgiven and have a great future OR do we look as if we are just "holding on and just trying to make it through…?
· Do we put off good atmosphere?
Remember – just like those Kirby's – they first buy us!
The hostile world that we live in continually tries to squash us… just like it did to the disciples; the people threatened the followers by putting them in jail, beating them, stoning them and killing them. But it didn't work because their energy had a divine source. The Spirit of God lived inside of them. They had enthusiasm!
True followers of Christ will have to have the same things.
They will have enthusiasm to speak.
These disciples spoke – they didn't just sit at a church taking it all in – they were new to all this but they began to show enthusiasm. They truly valued the gift that they were given; they believed in their product and they understood that it's hard to sell something to someone that you yourself don't find value in.
They will have enthusiasm to act.
The world's full of people who can talk the talk – but can't walk the walk.
There are a lot of armchair quarterbacks. Those who know who should have been played in what position on the field and in what quarter. There are those politicians who have never run for office but know just how to run the country.
And there are many Christians who have NEVER gotten off their duffs to try to save anyone but love to tell people just how to do it.
We need to learn some lessons from David on this one…
1 Samuel 17:36 David tells King Saul that he himself a small boy will go and kill the Philistine giant because of the fact that he has defied the armies of the Living God! And then in 41-48 the story continues with – Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy faced boy. "Am I a dog, he roared at David that you come at me with a stick?" And he cursed David by the names of his gods, "Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals", Goliath yelled. David shouted in reply, "You come to me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty- the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. Today the Lord will conquer you and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals and the whole world will know that there is a god in Israel. And everyone will know that the Lord does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle not ours. The Lord will give you to us." As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.
David didn't just speak the words but he put them into action.
They will have enthusiasm to tell others.
We talked about speaking… but that doesn't necessarily cover witnessing. It is past time for the people of God to be telling others of what God has done for them. You don't have to make it difficult – just tell them of what God has done to personally change your life.
They will have enthusiasm for His Word.
When you begin to read and fall in love with His word; that's when it really begins to be sold on your face to others.
There is life here, hope here, comfort here, correction, help in all times and joy. And we also get to see that eventually it will all work out; Jesus wins.
They will have enthusiasm to change.
Changing every day and for the long haul and do it daily – think about your choices. Make corrections in your coordinates. A small correction in them might not seem like a big change if you're just crossing the street but when you are on a life journey you'll end up in an entirely different place.
It isn't and doesn't happen on its own. You have to do it. No one can hold your hand! Your family members cannot change you. And remember… what true repentance (change) actually means – it means that you turn 180 degrees from your old decisions which were leading you away from God… true repentance means that you are now going towards HIM.
They will have enthusiasm for prayer.
A person who loves God will want to communicate with Him on a daily basis. They will desire to become closer to Him. Listen to Him. Speak to Him. Cry out to Him. And because their faith is real – they believe and know that He hears their words and hearts.
They will have enthusiasm for the church.
When you realize that God lives in the heart of His true followers – we can see that the church is nothing more than a body of believers. It isn't a building; it isn't made of stone, wood and concrete – its flesh and blood and sinew.
And true believers and followers of God will desire to be among each other, helping each other out, working together to reach others and praising God together.
There will be an expectancy when you come because you've read in His word that when 2 or more of His followers are together – that He is there in their midst.
So do you have enthusiasm?
Do you have enthusiasm for the things that really matter?
Mark Twain: Let us endeavor to live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
Enthusiasm is a draw to people… it pulls them to you; to those who hunger for God – people will hunger for Him more just by being in your presence. For those who aren't looking for Him – your enthusiasm will most likely make them angry…. BUT I beg of you please MAKE THEM ANGRY!!!!!
So you learned tonight that the word enthusiasm has much more to do about God than you realized. It's changed in our society….Remember what I told you earlier about what the definition today is of enthusiasm … a bunch of jumping up and down, whooping and hollering kind of thing. There are some of those who do a lot of that but they aren't truly doing the things that I just got done telling you. They don't have the enthusiasm to do the things that God desires.
Vince Lombardi: If you aren't fired with enthusiasm; you will be fired with enthusiasm. This leads me to:
Matthew 7:21-23 not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as Lord, but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they OBEY my Father in Heaven. On Judgment Day many will tell me, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name, but I will reply – I never knew you. God away; the things you did were unauthorized.
I think it's going to take real enthusiasm!
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