Christmas Tree – A Concise History

I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this e-mail message I received from my sister, but this is a fascinating story behind the Christmas tree. Feel free to correct any of mis-information here. Enjoy!

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     Nothing says Christmas like an evergreen tree. Of all the symbols of the holiday, it is the one we see most often. The story of the tree is one we should not just know but also share. Without this understanding, putting up the tree might just become another unwelcome chore rather than an exercise in love and faith. For your holidays to be full, rich, and rewarding, you need to shine a new light on your tree....

      Long ago evergreens were held in awe by Viking warriors. These powerful men knew winters that were long and harsh, in which many living things did not survive. During these bleak days, almost all plant life ceased to exist, and many animals starved to death. Stranded outdoors, a man could freeze to death. Yet in these horrid conditions, the evergreen not only survived; it thrived. Its vitality was so great, it seemed nothing could harm it. Because of that unique strength, the tree was seen as a source of mystery and power. Vikings prayed to their gods that they could be as strong and resilient as the fir tree.
When early Christian missionaries began explaining faith to these feared warriors, they used the evergreen as an example of God's undying love. They told the Vikings that even in their bleakest and darkest days, Christ would be with them. Their faith, like the evergreen, would survive every test. By putting this Christian lesson into a visible context, the missionaries helped thousands understand the love of God and the sacrifice of his Son. Yet the symbol of the evergreen and its tie to faith were not limited to Scandinavia.

     In the seventh century Saint Boniface, an English missionary, came across a trio of men gathered around a huge oak tree in central Europe. One man was holding a small boy who had been chosen as a sacrifice to the god Thor. Boniface raced up to the old tree and struck the trunk with his fist. The mighty oak shuddered and fell to the ground. As the dust settled, a tiny fir tree became visible just behind where the oak had stood. Boniface pointed to that little sprout and explained that the evergreen was the Tree of Life and stood for the eternal salvation offered by Christ. He also pointed to the triangular shape of the fir tree and explained that the three points represented the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Over the centuries, Boniface's "sermon" would be used thousands of times by missionaries all over the world. Long before the printing press was invented, the evergreen became the first Christian "tract" used in witnessing....

     Knowing the way the evergreen was used to help lead the lost to faith can help keep your focus on the real reason why we celebrate Christmas. Every Christmas tree you see will be a reminder of the power of faith. That alone should make viewing Christmas trees a much more moving experience. Through sharing this story with your family and friends, you will spread the special, original meaning of the Christmas tree, which is the evergreen's connection to missionary work and reaching out to others. In fact, if your tree becomes a symbol of a love that will not die, it can be one of the greatest reminders of the gift God gave us in that humble manger. Furthermore, this understanding will create a door to sharing that good news with others....

To get the most out of your Christmas tree, don't look at it as a sideshow; see it as a treasure with special meaning for the season. Let the trimming of the tree open the vault to stories of past holidays. Create new memories that will live on for future generations. You might even sing a verse of the wonderful old carol about this great holiday tradition.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy leaves are green forever.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy beauty leaves thee never.
Thy leaves are green in summer's prime,
Thy leaves are green at Christmas time.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy leaves are green forever.

Source: Unknown

The Potter Works Only with Soft Clay!

It has been a while since I updated this blog the last time, and many events has transpired in my life. However, I came across this delicious piece that I couldn’t resist sharing with you from a special edition of the Gospel for Asia News Magazine. This piece was written by K.P. Yohannan, the Editor-in-Chief. Enjoy, and be refreshed!

When I was a boy, growing up in India, I often went to a potter’s house near my high school. I was fascinated to watch him make clay vessels. During those visits, I never saw the potter take a hardened lump of clay and put it on his wheel to make something out of it. He, just like every other potter in the world, used only soft and tender clay to work with. So does God!

The prophet Jeremiah tells us that God is like a potter and His people are the clay He wants to form into a beautiful vessel. In order to accomplish this, God looks for soft and pliable hearts.

Man measures the quality and usefulness of a person by his education, ability and expertise. Yet God determines his true value by the condition of his heart: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

What happens if the Clay Is Hard?

If the clay is hard, the potter will spend days pouring water on it and pounding it thoroughly until it becomes soft. It took God 20 long years of “pouring and pounding” until Jacob’s heart became soft enough. Moses needed 40 years of desert life to become the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3) who could lead Israel out of Egypt.

The Bible warns us not to harden our hearts: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15).

It is possible for us as believers to have a tender heart for a season, but then when God speaks to us about an issue, to choose not to humble ourselves but rather to harden our hearts. This is not a good place for us to be, because the Bible declares: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

The Lord will not let us go. He will allow circumstances to pound us so our hearts will once again become soft and pliable. The people of Israel are the perfect example of this. Just think of how many times God allowed them to face famines, hardships, oppression, defeat, and captivity in order to soften their hearts and help them return to Him!

What Causes Our Hearts to Become Hard?

Being poisoned by negative talk. One person in a church or ministry is dissatisfied, bitter, critical and unwilling to change. He starts to talk negatively and poisons others. Soon the atmosphere of love among the brothers and sisters is replaced by disunity, anger and hardness of heart toward each other and the Lord.

An elevated view of ourselves. We feel important because we do something significant for God’s Kingdom, and we don’t recognize that our hearts is filled with pride, arrogance and an exalted view of ourselves. Often the symptoms don’t show up until years later when our heart is no longer soft in the Potter’s hand.

Rebellion. Any form of rebellion is like a tiny seed that, if not dealt with, will grow and eventually harden our heart and bring destruction. It begins with a tiny issue or a thought like this one: “Who does he think he is to tell me what to do? My life is none of his business!” – and it ultimately ends in death.

What Should We Do to Keep Our Hearts Soft?

Don’t take God’s grace for granted. Grace is given to those who are humble, not to those who are right or feel indispensable.

Watch over your heart (Proverbs 4:23). Don’t keep company with those who spread negative talk, sow disunity or have a rebellious spirit. Love them and pray for them, but have no part with them. Believe me, you and I are not strong enough to withstand the poison they spread. It’s in the atmosphere, and we breathe it in whether we intend to or not.

Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21). Don’t fight for your rights. Be willing to give up something. Learn to let it be.

Don’t think of yourself more highly than you should (Romans 12:3). Remember that all the gifts, talents and ministry you have are given to you by the Lord. Nothing is of yourself. It’s all God’s grace.

Be careful from whom you receive your counsel. That’s especially important when you are disappointed because your expectations are not met. Don’t go to a brother or sister who is not mature in the Lord and who sympathizes and agrees with your complaints and tears. Instead, go to someone who is mature and who can help you see the hand of God and His purpose behind the things you face.

Repent and run to the cross. If need be, do this a thousand times a day to maintain the tenderness of your heart. Whenever you seek the limelight, want to take credit, get hurt or when your expectations are not fulfilled and your plan don’t work out, don’t fight; go to the cross.

God always seek to do one thing with us on the Potter’s wheel – not to make us more powerful and famous, but to make us more like HIs Son, the Lord Jesus.

www.gfa.org/5minutes

Atheists' Holy Day: April 1st

I received this story through an e-mail forward message, and it was too good to let it pass! Enjoy!

In Florida , an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case Against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days. The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring,"Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah,yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."

Our Situation - from Ransomed Heart

Let me say this again: the story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it. I hope you are beginning to see that more clearly now. Otherwise, much of the Bible will not make sense to you. Much of your life will not make sense to you.

I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. (Isa. 45:2–3)

Doesn’t the language of the Bible sometimes sound . . . overblown? Really now—God is going to level mountains for us? We’d be happy if he just helped us get through the week. What’s all that about breaking down gates of bronze and cutting through bars of iron? I mean, it sounds heroic, but, well, who’s really in need of that? This isn’t ancient Samaria. We’d settle for a parking place at the mall.

If we are in an epic battle, then the language of the Bible fits perfectly. Things are not what they seem. We are at war. That war is against your heart, your glory. Once more, look at Isaiah 61:1:

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners.

(Waking the Dead , 149–50)

(www.ransomedheart.org)

Resolved by the grace of God

The 2009 crystal ball of the Times Square will fall in a little over twenty- four hours, and American citizens will say good bye to 2008 and ring in 2009. When we welcome the new year with party and fun, we also make personal resolutions to achieve in 2009.

I pledge to lose 15 pounds... I hope I will be able to eat less chocolate... I intend on developing a better relationship with my co-workers.

Don't get me wrong here - most of the resolutions we create are well-intentioned. It is great for people to establish a year-long manifestos to aim for, but is it biblical to make resolutions? In other words, does the Bible encourage us to make our own resolutions?

While reading Tabletalk, a publication of Ligonier Ministries and R.C. Sproul (a year-long subscription gift for Christmas from my parents), Burk Parsons does a super-b job of examining the theology of making resolutions and whether it is biblical-based. I was reminded (and surprised) with the references he provide in his essay.

Let's look at Daniel: "But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's foods or with the wine that he drank." (Daniel 1:8)

And Joseph: "And her [Mary's] husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly." (Matthew 1:19)

Even Paul made many resolutions (1 Corinthians 10:14-32; Colossians 3:12-17), but I'll cite one here from 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12: "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Bottom line: the Bible not only gives us permission to make resolutions, but also gives us several examples of various godly men who resolved to live for Him in a particular manner for a particular reason.

Jonathan Edwards, a famous Puritan pastor and philosopher who lived during the eighteenth century in colonial America, made seventy resolutions in his so-called "Resolutions," and his work was commenced with a simple introduction:

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake.

Jonathan Edwards' simplicity impresses me because at a mere age of nineteen (only a few years younger than me), he already knew his weaknesses (do we?) and the destructive nature of his sins, so he made a simple resolution to glorify God and pursue holiness; we should draw from his example to make our own resolutions. First, he had to be reasonable when he makes his resolutions. Second, he needed God's help in keeping his resolutions because he was weak. Third, he had to humble himself and recognize that he cannot do it alone. Finally, his resolutions must be made for Christ's sake (or within God's will) so that He may be glorified. In essence, he is a young man pursuing the heart of God, and wants to glorify Him through every word, deed, and thought he makes - which includes his resolutions.

May we learn from Jonathan Edwards' simple words filled with wisdom on resolution-making for 2009 and beyond!

Prayer for the USA

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.  We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.  We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.  We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.  We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.  We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. 

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!

~Billy Graham

Pearls Before Breakfast

I ran across this fascinating story of an acclaimed violist named John Bell who played in DC Metro at L'Enfant Plaza for free - all a part of an experiment by Washington Post to see if anyone appreciates music in midst of a rush hour traffic. Although this story is a bit long and is written like a novel, this is worth the read. Here's the link:

John Bell's performance at L'Enfant Plaza

This story reminded me of how people acted two thousand years ago during Christmas when Jesus - Israel's long-awaited Messiah - arrived as an infant. Only few people noticed; many probably walked past the stable because they were too busy. May we not become too busy and walk by Jesus' birthday without pausing and admiring the arrival of our King!

Render to Obama all things that are Obama's

"Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." ~Matthew 22:21

Since Barack Hussein Obama was elected as a president, a friend of mine mentioned this verse to me, and I've been meditating on it for well over four days. To be honest, the election results was a bit disappointing for me because I wanted McCain to win, in addition to my distrust for Obama due to his questionable history and associations with a few radical individuals.

What exactly does "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's," and what implications it has to my own spiritual life?

Jesus was discussing the importance of paying taxes to Caesar and giving God our "first fruits" in terms of time, talent, and treasure, but this verse also has an important degree to the current selection of the successor for President Bush.

Although Obama claimed that he would reduce taxes for 95% of the middle-class Americans who earns less than $250,000 per annum (that number has been muddied recently - $120,000 according to Gov. Richardson of New Mexico), I have a strong feeling that our taxes will be increased once Obama takes the presidency. And when taxes increases, people will be more tempted to evade taxes. When people evades taxes, the IRS will be hot on their tails to throw them in the slammer. You know, IRS probably would swallow the key and leave those people to rot until they pay their taxes.

"Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." ~Romans 13:7

Render unto Caesar all the taxes.

Render unto Caesar all the revenue.

Render unto Caesar all respect.

Render unto Caesar all deserved honor.

Replace the term "Caesar" with "Obama," and you still have the same meaning within this context. Paul encourages us to pay all applicable taxes, report all revenues, give respect and honor to government officials. In fact, it was God who established the government to maintain law and order in this fallen world (Romans 13). God commands us to honor our governmental officials and follow the law of the land, as long as they do not violate God's commandments.

Many of you probably are disappointed with the results of the election, and wish that it would have turned out differently. I share the same sentiments with you, but the American people have spoken on November 4th, 2008. As God's people, we must pray for our nation and the president-elect so that he may successfully lead our nation. We will disagree with some of his decisions, and maybe even become angry with what he does. But do not lose hope, for God is in control here and He has our best interest in His mind.

Remember, my friends: our God is sovereign, and whatever happens in the future is a part of His plan. He will rise up godly and ungodly leaders to lead a nation (look at the Israeli kings throughout 1 and 2 Kings for evidence) in order to accomplish His divine purpose. Barack Hussein Obama was already predestinated by God to lead this nation, and we who profess Christ as our savior and lord of life must give Obama all respect and honor he deserves, and pay our taxes if he demands for money. The money we have are not ours, for they belong to God alone - he just "loaned" them to us to use for His kingdom.

Render unto Obama all things that are Obama's, and to God all things that are His. AMEN.

Election 2008

At 8:01 am, I used the right endowed by the Creator to cast my first ballot for the 2008 Presidential Election. I voted for the following items:

- McCain/Palin as the next president for United States of America (this is is a better alternative than Obama/Biden)

- Roscoe Bartlett as a representative for District 6 of Maryland

- Fischer and Hartings for the Washington County school board

- "No" on Amendment 1 to allow for early voting

- "No" on Amendment 2 to allow video gambling in Maryland

I'm hoping that the following items will be put on the ballot for decision in the future elections:

- Amendment to define marriage between one man and one woman

- Amendment to ban stem cell research on embryos and supporting research on adult stem cell - a more ethical alternative

Tonight after my meeting with a mentor, I will be hunkering at my home to watch the election coverage on Fox News, the most fair news station on the cable.

No matter what happens, God's sovereign will will be accomplished - no president can change his predestinated plans!

Fall into Grace

This weekend I got a new take on an old phrase. I had the privilege of being at a church that was born out of failure. Its pastor had a fall from grace forcing him to lose his high position as heir apparent to a 6,000-member congregation and requiring him to give back a very lucrative book deal, but out of the broken pieces of his life, a new thing has begun. I had the opportunity to participate in the new thing that now has gained a level of legitimacy as a new congregation about ready to move into its first building, and it was an eye-opener.

As a result of its unique beginning, this church has attracted people whose life histories have not exactly followed the good Christian housekeeping seal of approval. They are, many of them, rejects from other churches – dropouts due to their own falls from grace.

And as I pondered this, I wondered why it was the exception to the rule to have a church full of broken people. What are churches supposed to be anyway if not communities of those who need Jesus on a regular basis? Unfortunately in many places, church has become more like a group of people who are all fixed up instead of those who are broken. At least that's what we try to be… The First Church of All the Fixed Up People.

The problem with supposedly being fixed is that you have to do something with the knowledge that deep down inside, you know that you are not – that not everybody is telling the truth about themselves, yourself included, but because we are all "fixed," we can't face the truth. In this light, a fall isn't the worst thing that could happen. If it brings you in touch with the real truth about yourself, and a true understanding of God's grace because you need it so much, it could be the best thing that could ever happen to you.

All I can say is, the place where this pastor has fallen to is a much better place than where he was before he fell. And the more I think about this, the more I am convinced that we have the phrase all wrong. You don't fall from grace; you fall into grace. Grace is not up; grace is down. Grace is what you finally understand when you fall. In fact, until you're down and broken, you can't even know what grace is. Oh you may be able to define it, and illustrate it so that it sounds like you know what you're talking about, but you never know grace until it reaches you personally in the depths of your own brokenness. Thus a fall into grace is really a fall into your salvation.

Fall from grace? Impossible. Grace is already down. Grace is what catches you. You can't fall from grace because there's nowhere else to fall. You're already in the arms of God.

                                            ~John Fischer (emphasis mine)

DTQuest's 10/20 Monday Memo Devotional

Part II - Practical Application

"There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:4-5)

Paul was explicitly clear about oneness (unity) - one body... one Spirit... one hope... one Lord... one faith... one baptism... one God and Father of all - so we cannot neglect the importance of being unified. What are some of the ways by which DTQ can work with church-based youth ministries? Here are some do-able and useful suggestions:

• Sign up for an account through National Network for Youth Ministries (if you have not done so already, here's the link: www.nnym.org) and join Deaf Teen Ministry affinity network (www.deafministry.org). Encourage the churches with Deaf ministry to join as well! This is one of the main tools I've used this as a youth worker to communicate with various ministries across this region, and this is also the main venue by which we plan our retreats, our second one coming up in January. Very beneficial if everyone's committed to it!
• Actively seek out churches with Deaf ministries. Look up on the yellow pages, Google them up, check out their websites, and even go up to Deaf people to see if they know any! The churches won't come to parachurch ministries for help (except for a few rare cases), so you will have to reach out to those people. Many churches are willing to collaborate with other ministries and missionary organizations because they want people to know Christ. So, be the initiator!
• Connect with Deaf ministry program leaders who are passionate about the youth, and tell them what your vision is all about. Maintaining a regular contact with the church about DTQuest events is also important. Encourage the churches to support your local YFC DTQuest chapter (like ours for YFC-CM DTQuest program) either financially or by providing the usage of facilities. Want to go an extra mile? Set aside an hour for each church every month to sit down and develop or maintain a relationship - a major plus!
• Communicate clearly, communicate well, and communicate often - the churches need to know what you are doing with your ministries! First, tell them your vision using crystal-clear terms! If the churches know exactly what you envision - clear communication - they will be more willing to lend a helping hand either financially or materially. Second, choose several vehicles of communication in order to maximize your message delivery to the churches. Use e-mail newsletters, written letters, catchy flyers, announcement boards, church brochures, a biplane with a sign trailing on its back on Sunday mornings - use whatever it requires for you to inform all the churches about your needs - thus communicating well! Finally, make a mental commitment to keep churches posted about how God has been working in your personal lives and ministries - hence communicating often. The church leadership will appreciate it and might even be willing to invest more into your ministries! All you have to do is tell! Ask, seek, and knock... sounds familiar?
• Pray - this is the most crucial aspect of all ministries! Pray that the One who promises unity will bring local churches together to be the brilliant light of the world. Pray that a true and lasting unity will permeate both your and the church ministries to be an excellent example to the world. Pray for His guidance and wisdom daily. Be honest about your needs. Samuel Chadwick writes: "The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He laughs at our toil, mocks our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." Never underestimate the power of a praying saint!

Of course, our ministries' context will differ from region to region, and from individual to individual. Those suggestions are meant to encourage you to seek support from a church (don't limit yourself to only one - be bold), and to give you some tools by which you can experience unity. A final word here: unity is not easy. That's why Jesus prayed for it before he died on the Cross. Paul knew the difficulty of this, and exhorts the early church to pursue this. But the good news is this: unity is made possible through the indwelling Holy Spirit that lives in each one of us! AMEN

You Have Our Attention, Lord

Our friends lost their house
The co-worker lost her job
The couple next door lost their retirement
It seems that everyone is losing their footing
This scares us. This bailout with billions.
These rumblings of depression.
These headlines: ominous, thunderous -
“Going Broke!” “Going Down!” “Going Under!” “What's Next?”

What is next?

We’re listening. And we’re admitting: You were right.
You told us this would happen.

You shot straight about loving stuff and worshipping money.
Greed will break your heart, You warned.
Money will love you and leave you.
Don’t put your hope in riches that are so uncertain.
You were right. Money is a fickle lover and we just got dumped.

We were wrong to spend what we didn’t have.
Wrong to neglect prayer and ignore the poor.
Wrong to think we ever earned a dime. We didn’t. You gave it. And now, tell us Father, are You taking it

We’re listening. And we’re praying.
Could you make something good out of this mess?

Of course You can. You always have.
You led slaves out of slavery,
Built temples out of ruins,
Turned stormy waves into a glassy pond and water into sweet wine.

This disorder awaits your order. So do we.

Through Christ,
Amen

God will always give what is right to His people who cry to Him night and day, and He will not be slow to answer them. (Luke 18:7 NCV)

~Max Lucado

DTQuest's 10/13 Monday Memo Devotional

"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me." (John 17:20-23)

Jesus, in his famous prayer before he was arrested, prayed specifically for a lasting, unbreakable unity among all believers who profess Christ as Savior and Lord. Jesus knew that unity would not come naturally for humans. It is a great thing to actualize in principle, but it can only be achieved with the presence of Holy Spirit in our lives, bridging whatever our differences are to bring us together with a common mission.

As a friend of YFC DTQuest and a leader for a church-based youth ministry, I would like to delve into a question that has been asked by many of you: How can a DTQuest and church-based Deaf youth ministry work together to reach our teenagers for Christ?

First and foremost, all believers within DTQ and the Church (I am not referring the "Church" as an institution, but as a group of people who declared Christ at their savior and lord of their lives) must have a firm grasp on the core doctrines taught by Jesus Christ. Christ died for us because He loves us and wants us to be one with our Father. It is essential for all believers to believe that we are only saved only by Grace through Christ's death on the cross. That is the fundamental Truth we all must share to be able to reach our teenagers for Christ. If a church or a ministry doesn't share basic biblical truth about Jesus Christ, then unity will never be achieved.

Second, it is important to recognize that DTQuest is an "outreach arm" of the church. I won't deny that it is crucial for teenagers to be with a group of like-minded peers - one of the hallmarks of DTQuest's GROWgroups - but the Bible also teaches and shows us (most clearly in Acts) the important role of the church in the lives of all believers. Only in the context of a local church will people grow closer to Christ. Teenagers won't stay teenagers forever; there will come a time when teenagers will need to become plugged into a local Body of Christ.

DTQuest is part of the fulfillment of the Great Commission that Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 28; the Church also has a commandment to encourage, support, and challenge all people to know God and to fall madly in love with their Creator. AMEN

Freebies!!!

I just LOVE free stuff... who doesn't??? Here's a list of links for free stuff... some are great for sermon series, other for media, and a few will require some digging for some nuggets. All in all, they will empower your ministry and save your money in the long run!

http://vineresources.com/swag
http://www.muddyrivermedia.org/
http://www.openresources.org/
http://open.lifechurch.tv/
http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/freebies.html
http://content.simplyyouthministry.com/ffa08/
http://www.crazychurch.com/
http://www.newspringonline.com/
http://www.pastor2youth.com/
http://www.thesource4ym.com/
http://www.youthministry.com/?q=freebie-library/popularity/
http://www.youthspecialties.com/freeresources/articles/
http://www.dare2share.org/
http://timschmoyer.com/category/friday-freebie/
http://studentministryresources.com/

Enjoy the dibs... share any free links you frequent in the comments section!

Credits goes to www.youthministrygeek.com!

Pray for Sara Palin's Church

I received this e-mail message from a dear friend of mine today, and wanted to share it with you, since some of the readers are Christians and have great interest in politics. It is important for us to pray for our politicians, especially Sarah Palin, who is being unfairly attacked by the liberal media for non-essential reasons. This e-mail message reminded me that Sarah's life is not only influenced by her choice - the people who knows her at some level will be questioned by the media with a goal of finding subtle mistakes, if any, that might influence Sarah's shot at her VP bid during this election season. Moreover, if there is any flaws found within the church that she attended, the very vitality of the Body of Christ will be affected in that community.

---

Greetings to all!

Our pastor here in Bigfork, Montana, Hal Curtis, is friends with the pastor of Sarah Palin's pastor in Wasilla, Alaska. His name is David Pepper and the church is Full Gospel Church of Wasilla, AK.

Three days before Gov. Palin was announced by John McCain as his choice for VP, she came before her pastor to be anointed and prayed over for service to God. She didn't tell the church what was going on....just that she needed their prayer support. During the mere days since the announcement, the pastor and the church have been bombarded with questions from the media. They are trying to get the word out to Christians all over the nation to pray for God's protection of Sarah Palin and of their church. They suspect that the treatment of Jeremiah Wright will pale in comparison to what is coming their way as a conservative Christian body.

When the little Down's Syndrome baby of Todd and Sarah Palin was dedicated a few months ago, their statement to the congregation was 'This little boy is my pro-life statement.' According to David Pepper, Todd and Sarah are very strong in their faith in Jesus Christ and believe God has put them in this position to serve Him.

Let's remember to pray for Gov. Palin and her family as they walk through this very trying time! Thank you so much!

Vicky Creamer

p.s. Please pass this request on to other prayer warriors!

An Enslaved Freedman

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." (Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776)

Hailed as one of the greatest philosophical documents ever written, Thomas Jefferson (along with the help from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin) wrote the Declaration of Independence and made a bold move against the British Empire to dissolve the colonies' relationship with the Crown. Colonists were fed up with paying taxes, dealing with ignorant Parliament who believes that England is entitled to world dominion, and religious intolerance - expressed through the now infamous Boston Tea Party and witnessed through the mass migration of Puritans. After the submission of this Declaration to the British Parliament, the American Revolution did not conclude until the Treaty of Paris was formally ratified and exchanged by the British and United States parties on May 12, 1784 in France. It required America eight additional years after the signing of the Declaration until she was fully emancipated from England. The effect of the Revolution can still be felt not only in America, but all over the world.

I am eternally thankful for the liberties I enjoy in America. We have achieved a great amount of equality in many ways, let it be racial, economical opportunity, and equal employment opportunity. We are allowed to practice whatever belief system we want to without being threatened by our government. We can bear arms in our houses and use it to defend ourselves against people who intend to do harm toward us. We do not have to fear any unwarranted searches and seizures of our personal property. An impartial jury, by principle, is guaranteed to any of us who have been accused of any wrongdoings, and we are presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty. There are enumerated powers assigned separately for the federal and state governments; no single governmental agency in America has the right or power to usurp the powers reserved for a lesser government. You can say that I am free in America, and I won't deny that. There are many people in the world who are hungry, oppressed, and shackled in a society. I'm grateful for the utterly high price our soldiers who fought in all wars to defend our freedom and perished.

Yet the more I thought about my liberty, the more I realized that it was temporal, only to be enjoyed in this lifetime. Although it makes me feel elated to be blessed in such a way, I realized something crucial: I was still a miserable prisoner. After I take my last breath, what will my liberties meant to me? I cannot bring the freedom I have here into my death. I was still controlled by Death.

In other words, I was a prisoner of hate, greed, jealousy, lust, desires, fear, material items, and fruitless dreams. I was set on pursuing the American dream, to become wealthy and enjoy my life to its fullest. However, I finally realized something: no matter what I do, I cannot get rid of my nagging sense of despair and hopelessness. There was a void in my heart that I cannot fill by things found in this world; this hole, I realized later, was a God-sized one.

I am an enslaved freedman. Although free, my heart is held captive to a higher principle that is apart from this transient world. Just when I thought that the cold iron shackles of slavery would burden me when I sworn my allegiance to God, the freedom I found greeted me like a dear friend. I am not bound to any laws, but to the Law that is characterized by a mind-boggling Grace and unconditional Love. As a captive, I am free to shout. I am free to run. I am free to dance. I am free to live my life aiming to honor, praise, and glorify my King: Christ Jesus, my Lord, Savior, and Friend.

And here's why: my King laid down all the splendor and glory of his God-ship only to come here on Earth as a lowly human, a man who was tempted and tried in every possible way, yet never sinned. He was born under the law, lived for thirty-three years under the law, and died uneventfully under the law. My King was able to heal the sick, make the lame walk, restore the blind's sight, and make the dead walk again. He was arrested, accused and convicted; He suffered unimaginable agony and pain, all while hanging on an accursed tree, the cross, like a common criminal, as a completely innocent man. He did no crime, except for this: He brought forth true freedom into this world. He makes this freedom available to all who choose to believe, receive, and declare Him as their personal savior.

As I meditated on what Christ did, I am reminded that only true freedom can be found in Christ alone. No governments of this world can offer us this assertion. No kings that has lived, is living, and will come in the future can give people a 100% certainty on their freedom. Even the founding Fathers who boldly wrote the Declaration cannot - only Christ can. Apostle Paul sums it up:

"[W]here the Spirit of Lord is, there is liberty. " (2 Corinthians 3:17)

"For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave." (2 Corinthians 7:22)

I have sworn allegiance to my King, and a Declaration of Independence has already been written, ratified, and sealed with my name through the blood of Christ. Will I find your name among the signers?

Reclaim the Prize: The Call to Overcome our Sex-Saturated Culture

Disclaimer: the ladies that I currently work with in youth ministry are those who I place high respect for their personal conduct and moral standards. As a result of my respect for them, I feel free to talk about this, and am open to any opposing point of views here. I am just speaking here as a youth leader involved in youth ministry concerned with the changing set of values in our culture that impacts not only Deaf teen ministry, but teen ministries everywhere. This article is also written out of my concern for the general welfare of our adolescence.

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Known simply as "The Kiss," Madonna and Brittany Spears participated in an open-mouthed expression of affection on Music Television (MTV), and people say, "Oh, that's just a kiss... that means nothing."

Perfume and make-up ads (such as one to the left) are notorious for showing expression-less faces of young women or women barely dressed posed in a sensuous way that causes women to think, "Oh, this perfume will make men want me. I want to be sexy - ONLY those perfumes and make-ups can do it."

Advertisements by jean companies, especially designer ones, often show a girl and boy rolling half-naked in the ebbing flows of the ocean in passionate embrace. Simple observers will think, "Oh, it is normal to feel that way, especially when wearing that pair of jeans. There's nothing wrong with an expression of love."

Liquor ads, such as those by Budweiser and Miller Lite, often show girls with little clothing being showcased with a bottle. Sex sells, indeed, especially when it comes to beer commercials.

The above examples are just a cursory glance of what our society throws at us on a daily basis, let it be on television, magazine, or billboards. However, I must mention this as well: our teenagers see those images, and more, on a daily basis just like we did. They are led to believe in those messages shown by the media to be the truth.

And they are nothing but lies. Plain and simple.

Today in my Psychology of Adolescence, we watched a video based on the book, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, written by Mary Pipher, an adolescent psychologist/therapist. After a bit of research on this book from Amazon.com, I must admit that it was published quite a while ago - 1994. However, much of the information covered in the film was relevant to the predicament faced by our adolescent, especially those of the female sex.

While I watched the video, I became infuriated when I saw a parade of images featuring girls in suggestive clothing peppered with sex-charged comments on magazine covers, in addition to many video clips of 5'11"-and-110-pounds-girls-with-pearly-white-teeth seem happy to hop in a bed with a well-tanned and muscular guy. As many are aware of, the girls are being pressurized to bring the waist line of their jeans lower, their shirt sleeves must be made of as little fabric as possible, their shirt neck line brought down to a revealing cleavage, and the boundaries of what defines an underwear and a pair of shorts become blurred.

The media has sexualized our culture so much that it begins to negatively influence our teenagers and disturbs people like myself who work with the youth, if not only the parents. They continue to bombard our youth with images that only entails them to lower their moral standards, become more "loose" and risky in their behavior, make poor decisions, and succumb to peer pressure that the society puts on them. Interestingly enough, the video pointed out (paraphrased):

The more girls spend their time consuming media, the more likely it is for them to engage in risky behavior (such as alcohol, drugs, sex, to name a few).

Here's a very shocking statistic that I found online that I thought should be shared. Although this does not explicitly state how the media influences our teenagers, the end results of such an influence, among other factors, are startling:

Every day in America, 1,106 teenagers have abortions; 1,295 teenagers give birth; and 7,742 teens become sexually active. (Source: Children's Defense Fund)

Moreover, the level of peer pressure is so great that they are expected to conform with the physical beauty portrayed in the media, and will be ridiculed by their peers for not wearing designer jeans or even the right hair style. If they do not par up to the society's expectations of what beauty is defined as, they are sucked in the morass of depression, eating disorders, and thoughts, if not the deed, of suicide. Even more sadly,

Every day in America, 6 teenagers commit suicide. (Source: Children's Defense Fund)

If this statistic is correct, let's put things in perspective: 42 teens die on a weekly basis, 180 monthly, and 2,190 yearly! If this doesn't cause you to boil with righteous indignation, it should!

The girls are not the only victims here to the influence of the media; our guys are beset with the incessant bombardment of negative influence that gives rise to a whole horde of destructive behaviors. Our men are taught to treat women like objects, something to be exploited. Pornography, sexual addiction, and disrespect runs rampant in the male portion of our society. Women, according to the media, are something that is ready to obey whatever men bid them to do. A terrible thing to say, indeed, but that's what many psychologists and counselors, less youth workers, have observed over the recent decades.

In summation: our adolescence are lacking a sense of self-identity and self-worth. Without those attributes, our adolescents are stuck in a great emotional turmoil; a sense of hopelessness and despair; and may even be forced to compromise their moral standards for temporal happiness.

As a youth worker involved with Deaf teenagers, it is easy for me to say, "All the talk about how much the media influences our students - they don't apply to our teenagers because the research is mainly aimed at those who can hear." However, this line of thinking is flawed because Deaf people are very visual (their brains, according to research, will compensate one's visual abilities to compensate for the unused auditory part of the brain - interesting!) and do readily obtain information. And that made me wonder (and I ask you this question too): how can we effectively minister to our students in this sex-saturated culture?

First, we need to love our students unconditionally, just like God loves us. Our students need to know that they are loved just the way they are. They do not need to be skinny, beautiful, or even a blonde! They need to know that regardless of their race, sex, national origin, sex, and religious beliefs, they are loved! They need to know that they are valued for who they are, not for what the society tells them to be!

Second, our students need to be given a safe, nurturing place where they can freely express their feelings, thoughts, and troubles to a group of believers who will support and encourage them to be the men/women that God intends them to be. This is the key to build a community of believers that truly reflects His Church.

Finally, in order to know how to effectively minister to our teenagers, let them be Deaf or hearing, we must be knowledgeable about our culture's current trends and inclinations by staying up-to-date. We need to know the major movers and pushers in the media that potentially can shape our teenagers' lives, and offer a counter response to them.

There is another important lesson worthy of note that I have  learned: the parents of our youth, not their friends or even us, are the primary youth workers. They interact with their children all the time, both inside and outside their homes, and imparts the most influence on their lives. Youth workers (such as myself) only have a secondary role in teenagers' lives, and we can help our parents do a better job by keeping them up-to-date with the youth culture's ever-shifting landscape. Quite a challenging task, I must admit, but a honorable one nonetheless. I consider it a great honor when the parents of our youth entrusts their lives in our hands and empowers us to help their teenagers mature to become godly people.

Above all things, no matter what happens, no matter how bad things might seem to get, let it be with our media or culture, Jesus reminds us:

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33 NIV)

Regardless of what message our media feeds our teenagers, what our culture forces our kids, I challenge you: be a revolutionary and overcome our culture with the message of Hope! Help our teenagers reclaim the prize stolen under our teenagers' noses: the sense of and the pride for selfhood. Once done that, also remind them that the God of redeeming love and grace can heal and restore them from the hurts inflicted by our culture, and usher them into a lifestyle characterized by His Love.