Owner: brianeberly.com URL:http://ipastor.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 10:23:20 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: The musings of but one Northwest Youth Pastor, trying to make a difference in this world. Join me in the journey. Site statistics:Click here
A View From The Ride 2008-03-02 17:36:00 One of my favorite things is worshiping with a group of people, especially our students. We have great worship in our two morning worship services, but there is always that constant tension of making sure the music connects with all the generations of our church; can't rock too hard or the older crowd may not like it, can't be too tame or the younger may not enjoy it. I think this is wise, and creates a valuable learning opportunity for showing grace toward others, and learning what it means to worship together in unity. Worship with our students though is a whole other matter.We have a great worship team led by Aaron, and they know how to bring it! Occasionally I play bass myself. I love to worship with the raw youthful energy that they put out. It's music that you not only hear, bu
A View From The Famine 2 2008-02-25 18:55:00 Our famine has come and gone but the change continues. Our 30 Hour Famine
weekend was incredible. Many thanks to all of you that prayed, as well as to those that gave financially. The money is still coming in, but to date we have raised roughly $5,300! That is enough to feed 15 children for an entire year. I couldn't be more proud of my students!Here are some of the highlights....Portland area rally. Once again I had the privilege of emceeing the rally this year. There were 41 churches represented with about 700 in attendance. It was a great time worship, laughs, and challenge.Serving at Northwest Children's Outreach. NCO is a ministry that takes in clothing, baby supplies, toys, and books, to distribute to different agencies in our area that are committed to ministering to the n
Good Bye Larry 2008-02-25 09:45:00 At 2:45 am Sunday morning the world lost a very special person. At the age of 60 Larry
Norman the one often regarded as the father of Christian rock, passed away.I have been a fan of Larry's for nearly 30 years. I have seen him play live several times, and have many of his albums, including "Only Visiting This Planet" which is regarded as one of the top Contemporary Christian albums of all time. Definitely one of my favorite.Larry and his life have always fascinated me, even to the point of making him the subject of one of my term papers in high school. He was never afraid the say things that he felt needed to be said, even if that meant his record sales would suffer. "Only Visiting This Planet" was even banned from Christian Bookstores for a time because Larry sang of things the Chr Read more:Good Bye
A View From The Famine 2008-02-23 09:26:00 We're 19.5 hours into our 30 Hour Famine
and having a great time. As you can see the auditorium at Beaverton Christian Church looked a little differently last night than it did two days ago!The rally went great! It is just so cool to see hundreds of students serious about seeking the heart of God, wanting to see the tide of poverty turned around.There are 50 of us in our group going through the weekend together. This morning we will gather for a worship time along with another youth group in town, as well as a group of men in our church that are engaging in the famine with us. After worship we head over to Northwest Children's Outreach to serve in their warehouse. Barring a breaking news story KATU is supposed to send a crew out to do a story on our famine. We're excited about that a
Spiritual Types 2008-02-22 13:04:00 What is your Spiritual Type? Go here to take a short quiz and find out. Kind of interesting because it pretty well pegged me.I'm a PROPHET. Here is what it said...You are a Prophet, a crusader with a kingdom spirituality. You experience God best through serving others. You value competence and knowledge, and are good at leading and influencing others. Prophets are devoted to their causes, often becoming assertive and aggressive as you implement a vision of the world as God's kingdom on earth. You are our heroic change agents and we admire you for that. Single-minded and deeply focused, you aren't content until society has been transformed. Prophets are the least represented spiritual type in the general population. You also are the hardest spiritual type to be around, mainly because you
A View From the Ride 2008-02-21 17:40:00 Just finished our run through for our 30 Hour Famine Rally over at Beaverton Christian Church and thought it was time for another installment of A View From The Ride.Took these standing on the stage looking at an empty auditorium thinking about the full house we will have tomorrow night for our rally. We are very excited about what God has for us tomorrow, as we come together as His people to catch a greater glimpse of His heart for the poor.Please join me in prayer asking God to do incredible things tomorrow night at the rally and throughout the course of our 30 Hour Famine weekend. Watch for more to come
Water = Hope 2008-02-20 16:28:00 I have written quite a bit about water lately. The fact that one-sixth of the world (1.1 billion people) does not have access to safe water is just beyond my comprehension. We have the resources to change this.World Vision is working tirelessly to address this problem. They have just released a video that must be seen. Please take the next four minutes and watch. You may see it here. Then take a few minutes to reflect on the life God has given you, along with all your resources, and consider what your role is in giving a cup of cold water to someone in need.Water = hope.
Think On This 2008-02-20 11:09:00 "God never threatens; the devil never warns."-Oswald Chambers
Confession 2008-02-17 18:35:00 How easy it for you to confess sin? It rarely is easy, yet it is what God calls us to do, and for good reason. Confessing to God is one thing, confessing to one another raises it to a whole new level, a level God calls us to. James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other so that we might experience healing.With sin there is consequence, but with confession there is great freedom and healing.One Texan youth pastor has realized this and has made a big confession. Read the story here. Despite the consequences, he made the right choice, and I believe God will use it in tremendous ways.He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13
Bottled Water Pt. 2 2008-02-16 15:15:00 While pursuing the referring web sites on my sitemeter (those sites that link to my blog) I saw that my previous Bottled
Water post had been published at bottledwatercomparisons.com. While there I discovered this little gem. Read more:Bottled Water
A Petition Worth Signing 2008-02-15 18:10:00 Today President Bush left for a six day trip to Africa. While there he will be visiting Rwanda, Ghana, Tanzania and Liberia, and will see the life saving results that the ONE Campaign has been lobbying so hard for.Much has been accomplished in the fight against extreme poverty since and because of Bush's last visit to Africa in 2003. We must not let this progress end.With Bush in Africa the ONE Campaign has put together a petition that will be given to all the presidential candidates. The idea is to urge all the candidates to prioritize the fight to end extreme poverty and global disease in Africa. The petition says: As a voter in the 2008 Presidential election, I'm asking you to pledge to visit Africa during your first term in office. It is my hope that your trip will increase U.S.-Afri Read more:Worth
Bottled Water 2008-02-12 09:30:00 In preparation for the 30 Hour Famine Rally I am leading next Friday, I have been doing a good deal of research on water. At the rally we will be focusing on the fact that while we Americans are consuming water at an alarming and costly rate, so many in the world don't even have access to safe drinking water.Did you know...• One-sixth of the world (1.1 billion people) does not have access to safe water and even more (2.6 billion) are without adequate sanitation.• The average American flushes 10 times more water daily than the average person in a developing country uses for a whole day's drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning.• Bottled
water can costs $7.50 to $11.00 per gallon in the supermarket yet tap water costs most customers only one-tenth of one cent per gallon.• A child Read more:Bottled Water
The Medium Is The Message 2008-02-06 16:08:00 The new World Vision magazine this month features a fascinating work of art by Minneapolis artist Phil Hansen.Phil Hansen chose to portray his sponsored child, Daudi Natiigo from Uganda on 44 Starbucks coffee cups. He states that there are a number of possible explanations. I like them all. One is that for the price of a cup of coffee each day it's possible to help a child in desperate need. Another is that some of the cups are upright and some upside down. Is this child's cup full, or is it empty?Hansen has raised $3,000 selling posters, postcards, and prints of the original work and is donating the money raised to Daudi's community to further World Vision's work there. Read more:Medium
, Message
San Clemente 2008-02-03 00:24:00 We've been enjoying a great time in California this last week, especially after all the wintery weather we have been having in Portland. For the last several days we have been in one of our favorite places, San Clemente.I am always taken back by the beauty of the place. The ocean, the sunsets, the pier, all so beautiful. It is especially fun seeing it all through the excited eyes of our three year old son and four year old nephew!Click image for larger view.
Life At Grace Point 2008-01-27 22:49:00 2007 was a great year for Grace
Point Community Church. To night was Primetime, our annual celebration of all that God has done, and continues to do. I feel blessed to be part of such a great community of people!Here is the slide show we played. It's 12 minutes in length, so if your interested, make yourself comfortable, grab your favorite beverage, and enjoy!
A View From The Ride 2008-01-23 09:50:00 My next installment of A View From The Ride comes from Mission Connexion Northwest. On Saturday night I had the privilege of helping my friend Jon lead a workshop at the conference that we entitled "When Slide Shows and Potlucks Don't Cut It." It was a workshop focused on igniting a heart for missions within your church. Jon opened the workshop with a talk on the importance of Kingdom living, and then had three from our church share how we have sought to live in such a way. I spoke to how I have done so in the context of our ministry to students.After the workshop we went to the last General Session of the weekend, and heard International Evangelist Luis Palau speak. It was a great session. One piece in particular really grabbed me. Palau shared how God moved him into the ministry
Breathtaking 2008-01-22 10:50:00 Yesterday we took 37 people up Mt Hood for a day of snow boarding, skiing, and tubing. It was a great day. It was both breathtakingly cold, and breathtakingly beautiful. At 16 degrees with a wind chill factor of 0, it was painfully cold, but it didn't stop us from having a great time. It was also incredibly beautiful! The sun was shining and the sky was clear!When you get to enjoy beauty like thisand smiles like this,you know you've had a great day!See more pics here.
On The Move 2008-01-20 16:16:00 The best word to best describe my son Benjamin is active. He is three years old and fast! Any time we are at church he can usually be seen darting around running through the crowds of people. It makes it very challenging to hold a conversation with someone while trying to keep an eye on him. To say, he thinks he owns the place, would be an understatement!I am currently in the process of putting together a media presentation to be shown at Primetime. Primetime is our church's annual business meeting, which is really more of a celebration of what God has done over the last year, and a look toward the year ahead. It's really a wonderful time, and very unlike your typical boring business meeting. For the presentation, I have asked all the different ministry leaders to give me pictures the
A View From The Ride 2008-01-17 23:45:00 The tag line of this blog is "...enjoying the ride." Life most definitely is a ride, an adventure. One that I enjoy and feel privileged to live.I recently got a new iPhone, and must say, I am enjoying it very much. It occurred to me that since I now have a pretty decent camera with me at all times, that I ought document the ride a bit. In that spirit I start a new series on my blog..."A View From The Ride." I will occasionally post pictures of life from my vantage point, as it happens. A view from the ride if you will.I start off with two pictures I took to night as I stood in front of my middle school students. I took them right before I began my talk on living an overflowing life. We have been in a series recently on having a life that overflows with God's love. See more here.Th
The Chair 2008-01-10 18:18:00 I have had many people sit across my desk in one or both of the two chairs that sit there. What a privilege it is to play such an instrumental role in the lives of people. Some of the conversations from those chairs have been very fun and enjoyable, others have been difficult. All important.Each year at the National Youth Worker's Convention I look forward to seeing The Skit Guys; two very funny guys with big hearts for youth workers. In this video they do a very funny skit highlighting all those that sit in "The Chair
." Prepare to laugh. It's hilarious!HT to elevating a generation.
A Funny Thing Happened 2008-01-08 11:09:00 You ever have one of those mornings that just gets off to a bad start? Who doesn't? Today was my turn. It all started at 5:45 am when my son decided it was time to get up and that everyone else should be up as well. He not only was up, he was off his game and not in a good mood. Needless to say that started the day off for all of us on the wrong foot. We were all pretty tired and pretty grumpy. As I drove into the office thinking of all the things on my plate to get done, coupled with the morning I had just had, I was not feeling all that excited.My routine in the morning is to get into the office, fire up the coffee, and then spend some time alone with God. Recently I have been working my way through 1 Samuel. I have been enjoying the incredible of journey of David, watching how G Read more:Funny
, Thing
30 Hour Famine 2008-01-08 10:30:00 This year's 30 Hour Famine
is quickly approaching. Happening February 22-23, the 30 Hour Famine is an international youth movement to fight world hunger. God calls us to care for the needs of the poor. The 30 Hour Famine is a great way for students to come together and follow God into that mission.As last year, I have the privilege once again of leading the Portland 30 Hour Famine Rally. We are expecting 1,000 students from all over the Portland area to join us as we come together to seek God's heart for the poor.Are you doing the famine this year? Have you done it in the past? I would love to hear about your experience. Please share your story in the comment section of this post. If you are considering doing the famine this year but have questions, let me know. I would be happy t
God In Control 2008-01-05 13:10:00 I love when in moments of hopelessness or in times in which we feel we have no control, God shows that His ways are always greater than man's.This video of Vertical Shift Records recording artist Rezound in Vietnam, is an awesome display of God showing His favor, and accomplishing what He desires.HT to Adam Read more:Control
Overflow 2008-01-02 23:46:00 This week I begin a new series with our middle school students entitled "Overflow." We will be taking a close look at how our lives should be overflowing with God's love. As a fountain overflows with water, so should our lives overflow with the love of Christ.Acts 1:6-11 will be the basis of the series as we look at how we can effectively overflow God's love into the lives of those close to us, those in our community, and those around the world.I appreciate the words from Chris Tomlin's song "Overflow" Like a waterfall You fill my heart and overflow Like a candle flame You light my way And lead me as I go Spirit overflow Let me overflowIt's my prayer that we make loving God our priority, and allow His love to flow from our lives, as opposed to memorizing bullet points, formulas, and
Grace and Truth 2008-03-11 09:35:00 I am about half way through Randy Alcorn's book The Grace
and Truth
Paradox. It is a short little book that packs quite a bunch. It deals with the apparent conflict that exists between grace and truth. He contends the conflict exists because we lack the perspective to resolve the conflict. Alcorn states, "We should never approach truth except in a spirit of grace, or grace except in a spirit to truth. Jesus wasn't 50 percent grace, 50 percent truth, but 100 percent grace, 100 percent truth." (John 1:14)Through an amazing analogy, Alcorn illustrates the power of God's grace.Imagine a great an generous king. In the midst of his benevolent reign, he hears that his subjects have revolted. He sends messengers to investigate. The rebels kill them. So he sends his own dear son, the princ
One Eighty In The News 2008-03-06 11:12:00 As stated in a previous post, 180 Student Ministries was featured on the news during our 30 Hour Famine event. KATU came and did a story on our service project at Northwest Children's Outreach. A lot more was said in the interview, but this is what they captured.
Hermeneutics Quiz 2008-03-05 11:16:00 Ever wonder how two people can interpret the same passage of Scripture differently? It all comes down to how you read and understand the Bible. Are we to take all Scripture literally, or is some only relevant within the historical context in which it was written? Where do you fall?Scot McKnight along with Christianity Today have but together the Hermeneutics Quiz to uncover and reveal people's bias to reading and interpreting Scripture. Take the quiz to see where you fall, Conservative, Moderate or Progressive. I landed in the Conservative camp by a small margin.Go here to take the quiz. Read McKnight's thinking behind the quiz here.Where do you land?
Awareness 2008-03-18 10:09:00 Life is busy. Life is too busy. I often feel like we get so drawn in by the business of life, and so focused on our worries, cares, and responsibilities, that we miss much of the beauty of life. There is much God has for us, and desires for us to notice and appreciate. One of the things I enjoy most about being the parent of a toddler is seeing life through his eyes.My three year old son doesn't seem to miss much. He never misses the beauty of a flower or a squirrel scurrying along the fence. He never fails to stop and enjoy a passing train, or an interesting rock on the ground. He appreciates the "little" things in life, the things of life that we are so prone to miss. He reminds me that I need to take the time to slow down and smell the roses once in a while.Watch this video and Read more:Awareness
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