Fighting an inferiority complex

As I prepare to teach this Friday night’s lesson, I want to address a need that many young people seem to have in our day and age. It is not a new problem. It is something that people have struggled with all throughout the ages. The problem is a feeling of inferiority. Most teens at one time or another suffer from this complex. I would like to give a Biblical answer to our struggles with inferiority.

Be a grateful teenager (Matthew 11:25-30)

I am preparing to teach at the youth group this week. Since this Sunday we are celebrating the fall harvest with a service of thanksgiving, I would like to use the youth message to teach about being grateful/thankful. The title of the message is the title of this article. The Gospel teaches us how to be thankful/grateful no matter what our age is but I really believe that teens need to be taught how to be grateful so that they can remain that way the rest of their lives. Many times, we assume that children will just inherit common sense. They will not. They must be taught. There is a passage in the Gospel of Matthew that teaches about an encounter with Jesus and His Father, God. Jesus shows us a picture of gratefulness, specifically, what a grateful child looks like.

A summer full of ministry

I am so glad to be able to write to you about the summer I have had. That is part of the reason why I have not been very active on my blog. I have not been home much and I have not had much access to the internet over the past 2 1/2 months.

Day camps begin today!

This summer, we have planned to lead 10 day camps in 5 weeks. If you do the math, that means 2 per week. Our desire is to reach close to 1,000 kids with the Gospel over the next 5 weeks. We have 2 teams going out per week. Most of the camps will be in villages. I will be leading one in the city next week. Three of the ten camps will be baseball/softball camps so please pray that God will hold off the rain over the next 3 weeks. I am excited about teaching God and baseball to the next generation. Please pray for us, our teams, and the children who will hear the Gospel. We have already had threats from the Mayor of one of the villages. We know that God is in control and will work all things for our good. Please pray for the Mayor of the village of Bacioi.

Biblical Engagement

I am officiating my first “engagement” today. In order to brush up on the process and think through the Biblical steps, I would like to write a post on what the Bible says about the act of “engagement”. The word is found in the Old Testament in the book of Deuteronomy.

Suicide: Steps to prevention

Tonight I am going to teach a much needed study at the youth group, the title of this article. Working with youth and young adults, I realize that many of them deal with suicide issues (either their own or their friends). The Bible is useful for every aspect of life and suicide prevention is no exception. I want to teach what the Bible says about the subject, and most important, how to prevent it from happening. Have you ever confronted suicidal thoughts? Have you ever known friends who threatened suicide? If you did not know how to respond then I pray that this lesson will help prepare you for the next time.

A New Year: A New Beginning

I am preparing to teach a lesson this Friday night at the youth group. The theme is: A New Year: A New Beginning. I chose this theme since we have just begun 2012 and we are making plans to accomplish throughout this year. I want to challenge the young people to plan big and be victorious in what they do (as God desires for all of His children). I want to take a walk through the Scriptures and see what the Bible teaches on being victorious in new endeavors.

Still don’t think homosexuality is dangerous?

I just found some new info on the dangers of homosexuality. There are many who say that this is a harmless, alternative lifestyle that should be promoted just like heterosexuality. I could not disagree more. I have written much on this subject but I have to continue because the evidence continues to mount against homosexuality. It is dangerous for children to be around homosexuals. Read why here. Homosexuals are targeting children. See how here. They want to teach children in the public schools. HIV/AIDS is an epidemic among homosexuals in the USA. 

The dangers of witchcraft (black and white magic)

I am preparing to teach this Friday night’s lesson for the youth meeting. I have a request to teach on the dangers of black magic (witchcraft, fortune-telling, tarot cards, horoscope, etc). I want to present the information to you so that I can think through the subject myself. I would love to hear what you think. I hope this lesson will be good for those who call themselves “Christian” yet live by pagan practices (and may not even know it). We will take a look at both the Old and New Testaments to see what the Word of God teaches on this subject. In Moldova, where over 90% of the population claims to be “Christian” many, many people turn to fortune-tellers, tarot cards, and horoscopes to lean what their future holds. Some say that it is just simple fun to read your horoscope on a daily basis. Just remember, what gets into your mind can linger for much longer that you ever planned.

Homosexuals and child molestation

I have had the privilege this past week of spending a few days with Dr. Paul Cameron and his wife as they have been sharing with the citizens of Moldova about the dangers of homosexuality, especially to our children. Based on the arguments shared by Mr. Cameron, I want to preach a sermon this Sunday morning at the church. I was not surprised to see the results of Mr. Cameron’s research. I would like to share the sermon here with you in article form. (check out his info at the Family Research Institute website)

I. Homosexuality promises financial prosperity. We live in a material world where people will literally sell their souls in order to gain the world. The motto of the day is “live for the here and now and do not worry about tomorrow”. The idea of accepting homosexuality is promoted left and right, but of course, the negative consequences are avoided and the “benefits” (usually in the financial form) are promoted. This is nothing new. This happened in the very beginning.

And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) Genesis 13:10