CHRONICLES OF SHEGZ

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2012-01-24T14:03:00.001-08:00

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2011-10-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

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2011-10-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

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2011-10-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

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"We Are the World" + Haiti Remix = Awesome!!!

2010-02-13T06:02:00.000-08:00

Just had a chance to preview the remix of the iconic 80's hit - "we are the world", and wow! Loved every minute of it; for some weird reason though, what really stuck out at me was the little kid in the blue shirt dancing on a roof at the beginning of the video (despite all the devastation around him).

It is incredibly hard to kill the human spirit if it can sense even a small glimmer of hope. So please if you haven't or still have more to spare, find an organization working in Haiti and give to the needs of our brothers and sisters!

I had a chance to give through Samaritan's Purse, click here to give through them.

If you're really jonsing for it, below is the original video, enjoy!

Getting Saved on my Own?

2010-02-08T09:31:00.001-08:00

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:20)

One truth that will never change is this, not a single good deed of my own doing will ever make me right before God. I could be as caring as mother Teresa, or be as generous as Oprah. I can be as inspirational as Mahatma Gandhi or be as happy as Joel Osteen - none of it inches me a foot closer to God.

Not that it were possible, but even if by some chance I was able to live the rest of my life observing and obeying all the laws even that supposed righteousness would still not make me appear faultless before God. This so because obedience to the law was never intended to save anyone, if anything at all it was intended to reveal to us our desperate need for God. It serves as a constant checklist and reminder of the areas of God’s commands that I am severely lacking in (verse 20).

The good news however is that “…a righteousness from God, apart from the law has been made known” (3:21). It makes sense doesn’t it? The one whose approval we all desperately seek (whether we are aware of it or not) should be the one who would set the standard for how we should approach him, right?

And the means God has chosen for us to appear sinless before him is through faith in his son Jesus Christ, that’s what Paul means when he says in verse 22 “…This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Later on in verse 24, Paul is going to say we are “…justified (declared sinless) freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”.

I think that’s the part of the gospel that causes many people to stumble when it comes to trusting in Christ alone for their salvation, it seems too easy! I guess it doesn’t help that they are bombarded by tele-evangelist and over enthusiastic Christians who tell them that “God loves you so much and wants the best for you and your family, trusting in him is soooo easy and doesn’t cost you anything”

While I agree with that message (on some levels) and admire the evangelistic zeal of those who preach it, it sounds a little incomplete. Truth is, trusting in Jesus Christ does come at a cost; it came at a cost to God and will cost you something. First, you; it comes at a cost to you because it requires a total submission on your part to God and an ongoing surrender of your old behaviors and attitudes. Though God declares you sinless (Justification) at the point of salvation and you are secure for all eternity in him, the fact is, you will have a long journey of growth (sanctification) ahead of you that might include spiritual opposition from Satan and his hoards, and intense periods of persecution. The fact is, “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12)

So that’s some of the cost to you, but what about God? What did it cost him? Well, verse 25 says in the process of trying to reconcile us to himself, “God presented him (his son Jesus) as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood”. To fully appreciate that text, you’ll have to understand that way back in Leviticus 16, God gave his people some incredibly specific directions as to how they were to approach him in the earthly Tabernacle his presence dwelt in.

To sum it up, it required the high priest, to take lots of showers, put on some very specific garments in a very specific order, and most of all bring with him the blood of slain animals, and lots of it. If he didn’t do it right and approached God, he would die! (Leviticus 16:1-2). Later on in the book of Hebrews 9:22, we come to understand that all that bloodshed was required because the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness – hint, hint: someone always has to pay for sin!

But once again, just like obeying the law was incapable of saving anyone, so in the same way the animal sacrifices that people brought to the temple each year never really saved them, it couldn’t because it was an imperfect sacrifice. Instead, those bloody animal sacrifices were an annual reminder that death was what each one of them (and each one of us) deserve for our sins. If the deaths of the animals could have wiped away their sins, then they would have stopped sacrificing after year one, but it didn’t because they returned each year.

Though all that “blood-talk” sounds gross to our modern ears and the animal rights activists reading this are prepping for a protest outside my office, it’s important to know that those sacrifices were a visual illustration of the perfect sacrifice that God would someday make and has ultimately made in Christ (Hebrews 9:8-10).

Now, back to my original point in verse 25 where it says “…God presented him (his son Jesus) as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood”. That language, and that imagery is intended to remind us of those yearly temple sacrifices, but in this case – the sacrifice is a person, a God-man who would take upon his shoulders all the sin of the world (John 1:29).

So rather than use an animal (which was an imperfect sacrifice), God himself put to death on the cross his son Jesus Christ as a perfect sacrifice to atone for all our sins, once and for all (Hebrews 11:26).

So picture this if you can, out there somewhere in space is a list of all the sins you have ever committed (Colossians 2:13-14), every single one of it, secret and public, and that list continues to grow each day with each new sin you commit. If you were to die today and stand before God, that list would testify against you and you would end up suffering in hell and burning forever and ever in the lake of fire (sorry, there is no other nice way to put such harsh reality). But, if at some point, you respond to God’s leading and you place your faith in Jesus Christ, in that moment, God miraculously grabs that list from space and nails it to the cross of Jesus Christ and declares you COMPLETELY FORGIVEN!!

We really should pause here and let the profundity of that statement hit us… because it means that ALL, ALL OF OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN, every single last bit of it, past, present, and sins to come. Can I get an amen!!!

They are forgiven because Jesus took our place as a substitute, the punishment and suffering that should have been ours was his, the wrath he endured should have been ours – and the salvation he secured is now ours, through faith in Him!!

I love the way “the message” translation of the bible sums up the last five verses of chapter, here are some snapshots “… What we've learned is this: God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does. We've finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade…..God sets right all who welcome his action and enter into it, both those who follow our religious system and those who have never heard of our religion.”

The scriptures declare that we are only saved by the grace of God through faith in his son Jesus Christ. How have you responded to that message? Have you fallen on your knees in humility before him and surrendered your life to him? Or are you still trying to approach him with your own set of plans and agenda?

Sleepwalking in bed?

2009-12-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

Couldn't resist this amazing video of a girl sleep walking in bed. Phenomenal photo tricks! The song is titled "Her Morning Elegance" by Oren Lavie (who??).

So that must be why I wake up with a messy bed every morning!

Dust off your Resume!

2009-09-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I've had the chance to blog any interesting thoughts (too much going on in my head); however I found this article worthwhile and interesting. Read up on how you can impress your new boss with a bangin' resume: Check out this excerpt:

"The average recruiter sees 5,000 resumes a year. Any legitimate reason she finds to make one disappear makes her life that much easier,......"Phrases like 'managed a budget of $500,000' or 'led a team of two' might catch my eye in a bad way," warns Olaf Weckesser, a former recruiter for McKinsey & Co. Better to spin it as "managed company's largest budget."

Read the rest of the article HERE:

The Perfect Wedding Day?

2009-07-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that our culture is a little infatuated with wedding days; if your surf basic cable anytime between 7 and 10p.m, you’re bound to catch at least one show that has one thing or another to do with having the PERFECT WEDDING DAY, and the madness that goes into achieving such a day!

So this all had me thinking, especially in light of our series "Great Dates, Bad Mates, $ Soulmates" - what in the world does the PERFECT WEDDING DAY look like? It’s a pertinent question especially because that seems to be the goal for many brides who have been preparing for this day since birth! So ladies, this is for your benefit – I present you the perfect wedding day!

You wake up that morning to the perfect sunrise with blue jay birds singing “I’ll always love you” outside your window. Your father meets you in the hallway after your shower and presents you with a stunningly beautiful 20 karat diamond necklace passed down from his grandmother; it’s his first gift to you among many yet to come! You put on your dolce and Gabanna white wedding dress and your bridesmaids start crying because you’re so beautiful it hurts!

As you make your way to the church, a close friend of yours put in a call to the police and they have blocked off every major highway leading to the church so that your limo gets there on time! As you walk down the aisle with your father, you notice that your husband to be looks as handsome as ever (there’s almost a angelic glow about him today); as you’re staring at him – you notice that the pastor doing the wedding is pastor Rick Warren (author of purpose driven life); he just so happened to be in town that weekend and has decided to do your wedding as a favor to your dad.

He preaches such a powerful sermon and everyone at the ceremony gets saved. He pronounces you man and wife, and as you both share your first kiss, you discover your husband has the spiritual gift of kissing and is in fact the best kisser ever!

When you get to the reception, everyone is on time eagerly awaiting your arrival. When you walk into the reception hall, you’re tingled by the smell of the food and you find out that the catering has been done by Emeril Lagasse himself (another favor to your dad), The band starts playing and you realize your brother called in a last minute favor and the Dave Matthews Band just so happened to be performing that day in the same hotel and have agreed to do your music for the reception.

As you, your husband and all your guests eat and dance your way into the night, every single person is filled with so much joy because they have never seen or been to a more perfect wedding.

You and your husband were initially planning to check into the Radisson hotel that night before you left for your honeymoon, but your uncle from out of town has a surprise gift for you. He has booked both of you the luxurious honeymoon suite in the Waldorf Astoria in New York for two nights and the limo is waiting to take you straight there.

You arrive at your hotel after a fun day of celebration at 9:30P.M on the dot, after taking a hot shower, you both have the best sex ever known to man, and you eventually fall asleep in each other’s arms. And as you both sleep away into the night,
Everyone else in the hotel hears a voice from heaven saying, “With this new couple I am well pleased, they are my good and faithful servants!”

And from that point on, you both live happily ever after!!

YEAH RIGHT!! No such wedding exists! this was intended to be a humourous intro to my message on the ridiculous expectations some brides put on their families and friend for this day - so don't go planning your wedding day based on this story!.. and especially don't say you heard it from me!!

CLICK HERE to listen to a message on the kind of wedding day God desires for you to have (it's titled "I DO"). It's an indepth look through the lens of Song of Songs about the qualities that mark the kind of wedding that God truly blesses.

What Women Want?

2009-07-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

During last weekend's message, I shared some data I gathered from a very unscientific survey I carried out on facebook. I sent out a message to 100 single women I knew overseas and in the states, and I asked them to answer concisely and honestly three questions, here were the questions. What’s your idea of the perfect guy? What 2 non-negotiable qualities do you look for in a guy? And what do you wish single Christian men would do more of or become better at?

Well here are the answers I recieved, I took all their answers and I looked for recurring themes and three jumped out. Actually before I give you those answers, here is an interesting detail about their responses; almost none of the responses said anything about physical beauty or features (Except for one or two who expressed a desire for someone who takes showers and cleans himself)

So here are their responses, starting with #3, the ladies expressed the desire to be with a GODLY MAN who wasn’t creepy or a weirdo about his life and faith. There were lots of emphasis in their responses about the need for Christian men who weren’t TIMID about expressing their faith in public and living it in private. Some mentioned that they found attractive men who weren't afriad to express their love for Jesus.

#2 – almost consistently in all the response, the ladies expressed the desire to be with a godly man who knew how to COMMUNICATE! ( …to listen attentive and respond intelligently). Fellas, we gotta "up"our skills in this area. I know it's much easier to keep it all locked up in the dome, but leaving it in storage doesn't foster intimacy with the girl in your life.

And the most important quality that almost every response had was this, #3 – the ladies expressed the desire for a godly man who would TAKE MORE INITIATIVE in the relationship. That includes manning up to ask her out, manning up to take lead in the relationship and manning up to see your promises through.

Almost every response I received had SOME FORM OF THAT LAST ANSWER; it was a little eye opening because these ladies were in essence echoing what the bible already says God has created men to do in relationships – TAKE THE INITIATIVE AND LEAD!! If you recall, when God created Eve from Adam, he didn’t create her from his head so she could rule over him; that would be feminism. He didn’t create her from his feet so he could dominate and trample over her; that would be chauvinism. He fearfully and wonderfully created her from his side to be equal with him; protected by him; and loved by him. But, within the context of that relationship, GOD has entrusted men with the role of initiating and leading.

The apostle Paul draws a comparison between the role men should be playing in a relationship and the role in which Jesus serves the church. He says in EPHESIANS 2:25-27 “…Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ”

Do you hear the call for men to STEP UP and lead in those verses? Here is the reality; masculine initiative is the foundation of a biblical marriage (your role doesn’t end when you get married either – it’s a lifelong commitment to the girl in your life!). So, in light of all of that, "fellas, if you want to be married, then pursue godliness in your life, find a godly gal, treat her right and communicate in a way that makes her feel loved, talk to her parents, pop the question, tie the knot, and start making babies!!" (Keving DeYoung - "Just Do Something")

Amen!

When Babies Rule the World!

2009-07-09T09:01:00.001-07:00

Ok, I just couldn't resist! this was too awesome! I am soooo going shopping for some Evian water this weekend! :)

Where art thou, my Love?

2009-07-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

I was reflecting with my wife earlier this week on Sunday’s message, and she brought up an observation about the message I preached. She said “…it sounded like you were speaking mostly to people who were already in relationships, but most remix peeps are still single and are wondering where and if they’ll ever find someone to share all this insight with”

As I thought through the message, I realized she was right! My sermon prep didn't start out as that, but as I worked through the passage in Song of Songs, I discovered the text was leaning more towards people already in relationships (even though the message was titled "finding the one" - oops, sorry!). Anyway, my rationalization with Sunday’s message was that most of you will eventually meet someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. So rather than focus on the “where & how”, I chose instead to focus on preparing YOU for that moment.

Having said all that, the option of where you meet “the one” is totally up to you, I think there’s definitely the need to pray about it and ask for God’s guidance, but there’s also the need for some initiative on your part (especially you guys). Let me put it this way, you’re probably not going to meet “the one” if you’re hanging out in your apartment every weekend with a bowl of popcorn and ice cream! (I know a few guys in College who did that, thinking “...Oh, God will bring her to my door steps! After all, he did it for Adam!” :)

I have to say, I think that last part is only applicable if you wake up one morning and you are the last guy on earth, and by some chance there is another hottie named Evelyn next to you – in that case, you can just sit and wait till she falls in love with you (odds are in your favor!). But since that hasn’t happened yet (and will never happen), get out there and mingle with some friends, join a club, or go on a mission trip with a church (that’s how I met my wife)!

I love this quote from Ben Young; Ben is the pastor of one the largest singles ministries in Houston, Texas and has co-authored an excellent book called “the 10 commandments of dating” he writes this “....if you don’t’ have a life of your own, you won’t be happy even if you date, fall in love, and get married. Why? Because you will have nothing to give to the relationship, and you will drain your partner completely dry... Inevitably you will put extraordinary expectations on the other person to fulfill you, complete you, entertain you and soothe you. No created thing - certainly no human - can perform up to those outlandish expectations. Only the creator who made you can do that, and he made you to…GET A LIFE!”

Get the point? I wholeheartedly believe there’s the need to seek God’s approval and trust his timing, but he’s also given you a good amount of freedom to operate within his will and his word; he’s also blessed you with some natural abilities, talents, and skills that you thrive in, so act on them and pursue your hobbies (you might find the one along the way).

As you pursue your passions, I think it’ll be incredibly helpful in your journey if you follow the guidelines we spoke of during this weekend’s message at REMIX (part 1 – “finding the one”); those truths are straight from the word of God and will make it easier for you to identify the one you think would be a good fit for you.

There was one last issue that also came up and that was the issue of “online dating”; is it a go or no-go zone for Christians? I have my opinion on it, but Rick Holland from Grace Community church in California has written a great article that captures my view on the issue. Here is a little excerpt from his excerpt:

“…online dating is essentially accountability-free. Time on a computer is almost always spent in isolation, making it impossible for pastors, parents, or peers to watch the relationship develop. A sense of anonymity gives the heart a greater sense of freedom in expressing that which might not be said in real life.….. On balance, the Christian single who is renewing his or her mind through the Scriptures, and seeking to live in a way that honors Christ through the power of the Spirit, can certainly navigate the electronic waters of online dating with purity and integrity…." (Read more here)

In other words, I'm pro online dating, just be careful and guard your heart! This weekend, we’ll be talking about the roles of guys and girls in a dating relationship that ends in a lifelong marriage, hope to see you on Sunday at REMIX (http://remixnj.com/)

2009-06-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

The bible talks a lot about “the day of the Lord”; for followers of Jesus Christ, it will be a day of rejoicing and rewards (2 Timothy 4:8), but for everyone who has delayed or rejected Christ, Romans 2:5 is clear that “that day” will be the saddest moment in their eternal existence

Not the most encouraging way to start a blog right?

This chapter is particularly prevalent this morning because a great artist I revered as a kid passed on late last week, yap I was once a huge fan of the gloved one – Michael Jackson. I obviously disagree with a lot of the choices he made later in his life, but seeing this African American dude back in the day (when he was still black) perform live on stage gave me my first glimpse into what I could someday strive to become (ok so I ended up in ministry, but I wanted to be a musician for the longest time).

Anyway, all of that is side note to what I really want to say. There’s been a lot of talk lately about how nice a guy he was and how much he cared for the “unfortunates” in the world (I believe he did), but then the commentators have also been adding how great his “afterlife” must be right now because of his “goodness” in life.

As much as I loved M.J, I can’t help but wonder what he’s experiencing right now.

Sure he was larger than life and he rose to great heights in fame, but God is no respecter of man and he does not show favoritism (Romans 2:11); everyone who passes from this life must and will ultimately stand before him and God himself will judge their secrets through another great man and divine being who once lived on the earth – JESUS CHRIST (Romans 2:16).

I don’t know what M.J believed about Jesus Christ or even if he did believe in Jesus Christ as his savior, but when someone you admired as a kid passes from this life, you have to ask those difficult questions (I wrestled and prayed through the same questions when my father passed away last year).

One thing I know for sure is that “being good” does not guarantee you eternal life (Ephesians 2:8), following every letter of the law does not save either (Romans 2:12-15). The only thing that can save anyone from the wrath of God is a righteousness (right living) that comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). For it is truly by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ that any of us are saved (that’s why it’s called a gift); not by doing good works otherwise we would have reason to boast when we stand before God.

So M.J, oh I hope you were reconciled with Jesus Christ before you took your last breath because I would love to someday meet you in heaven and have you teach me how to do the moonwalk!

The other option if you didn’t? Not so pretty!

The Potential of God's word in my Life

2009-06-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

Read Romans 1 and Psalm 1 this morning, still in search of the power of the cross that brings forth life. Verse 4 & 16 are good reminders that the power that raised Christ from the dead ("the spirit of holiness") lives within me, not only is it alive and well within me, but the gospel of Jesus Christ (when combined with faith) carries within it the power of God to completely change lives.

In verses 18-19, 21,28, & 32 - Paul brings to light the fact that God's truth (and power) is innate in and around each one of us, and that most people actually have to work hard to "suppress" this truth from coming to light. In other words, what may be known of God has already been made plain to them (either through natural or special revelation), unfortunately, out of the need to satisfy their own desires, they have refused to retain God's revealed truth - hence God has given them over to the natural consequences of their sinful actions.

Psalm 1:2 & 3 - If my greatest delight and greatest Joy is to meet with the Lord in HIS WORD on a regular basis, and if I allow those words to stew in my heart during the day and at night, then all the things I lay my hands on will prosper and the extent of my influence and impact will reach beyond what I could have imagined. Lord let my heart delight in yoru word day and night so that my life may produce spiritual fruit that will have eternal significance.

Drawing Close to the Heart of God

2009-06-24T12:49:00.001-07:00

The Reading Journey Begins!

Something deep within me says I need to re-experience the power of the cross in my life again; I get the sense that I've lost touch with the "dunamis" cross and have been running on spiritual fumes! I haven't lost faith nor am I even in a spiritual desert - it's just that I sense that God wants to display more of his power in my life than I'm allowing him to (which probably explains my spiritual restlessness).

Anyway, I feel inclined to spend the next few months learning more about David's love for the Lord and Paul's instructions on the power of the cross in our lives.

Looking forward to meeting with the Lord in these books!

A REMIX PRAYER

2009-06-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

Lord Jesus,

I thank you so much for all you've done in this ministry thus far, for giving us a foundation in YOU on which to build it, I pray that you would take us much further in impact and influence than what any of us could have hoped for or imagined. I also pray for the young adults you've been bringing out and are yet to bring out and I ask that you would accomplish two things in their lives.

I pray first that you would help every young adult who walks through our doors connect relationally with other believers in the ministry. I pray that they would find in remix a community of believers who love you and care deeply about them. I pray that you would stir the hearts of your people currently here to be on the continual lookout for those who feel alone and abandoned, and they would lovingly be your hands and heart to them. I pray for authenticity and vulnerability in the relationships that grow from this ministry, that young adults would feel free to open their hearts to one another and do life together genuinely. I ask God that you would bring healing into broken relationships that might already exist within the ministry. I also pray for all the small groups meeting (and future ones) that they would be communities of love, patience, joy, and acceptance. Please help the world around us see YOU in our behavior and how we relate with one another.

Father, I also pray that the young adults you've been bringing out and are yet to bring out would ultimately MEET WITH YOU in a very real way. I pray that no life would remain the same after hearing from your word and interacting with your people here at remix. I pray for those who have been broken and need healing or encouragement, I pray that through the times of worship that they would feel your loving comfort and be drawn closer to you. I pray for those who have hardened their hearts and I ask that through the power of your your word preached, that those walls they've built up would come tumbling down - so they might experience your love. I pray that you would convict and challenege those of us who need to change certain mindsets and behaviors in our lives and I pray that we would partner with your holy spirit and respond obediently to you in every way.

I ask that you would grant the young adults who walk through our doors a vision for their lives, that you would give each one of them their calling and the desire and motivation to pursue it wholeheartedly. For those whom you've already called and begun leading, I pray father that you would give them continual clarity on where and what you want of them, and that you would give them the passion to pursue your vision and stay the course (through the tough times and easy times).

Lord Jesus, Please hear my prayers today. I desperately long for us to be a ministry where people really like and care for one another and are solely devoted and LOYAL TO YOU in every area of their lives. Please meet with us in this prayer Lord and do such a mighty work in the lives of your people at REMIX that the world around us would be utterly astounded.

I commit my prayers to you Now....... and now, to HIM who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, TO HIM BE GLORY in the church (REMIX) and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever,

Amen!

Who are the "De-churched"

2009-06-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

You've probably heard a lot of talk about the terms "the unchurched" and the "de-churched". Heck we even use it in explaining the remix strategy of reaching those far from God. The term "unchurched" seems simple enough, it means those who are not part of a church. However the term "de-churched" is a little weird.

Well Matt Chandler (pastor of the Village Church) does a phenomenal job in the above video explaining who they are.

I guess a more important question is, what do we do to get them churched again? (after all we are encouraged not to forsake the gathering of the saints); or better yet, how do we help them experience a real relationship with Jesus Christ that's based on grace and love not man-made laws?

Still thinking through this one!

Why a series on Relationships?

2009-06-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

When we launched remix a few years ago, there were a couple of things I pushed really hard to avoid. One, I did not want remix to be a meat market for singles! I felt what needed to draw us together was our desire to love the lord and reach the lost, not the need to find "the one"

Secondly, I was adamant about avoiding messages about dating (for fear of attracting "shoppers"), for almost a year I tried as much as possible to dig into the word with remix peeps (especially the Pauline epistles); heck I even attempted to teach through romans verse by verse before I even fully understood what it was talking about. I stuck with that plan pretty well for about a year and a half until the need to address dating quickly arose, hence the series "Single, Waiting, Dating" a little while back. And that was it,... but here we are again!

So why NOW do a series on dating, love, sex, and marriage?

Well for one, I'm all grown up! (wooohooo!). Two, I found (or rather The Lord) brought me a mate and I'm happily married - so I'm in a better position to address the issue with a little more insight than I would have way back when. I've also picked up some very practical relationship lessons along the way during my singles days that I believe will come in handy. Though I've never been a big believer in "SOULMATES", I'm convinced that's exactly what my wife and I are, and I'm convinced our coming together was a well orchestrated plan put together by God himself (I kid you not! I knew the first moment when I saw my wife that I would spend the rest of my life with her! ...sort of!). Read my story HERE.

Oh there's also the biblical factor, I have a better understanding of what the Songs of Solomon is actually talking about, I used to think the statement in chapter 4 about his wife's teeth looking like a goat's was an insult; (Song of Songs 4:2), well apparently not! ...man she had some clean teeth! don't worry, that statement will make sense during the series! promise!

Most of all, I want to do this series now because I would like to see young adult christians become more intentional about pursuing relationships in their lives. I'd like for christian men (and that's what you are!) to become more bold and begin taking initiative in pursuing the woman they're convinced they want to spend the rest of their lives with! Guys, Be friggin clear up front about where you want the relationship to go and stop dragging her heart all around if you ain't got a plan!... so have a plan!!!

For the ladies, I'd like for you to stop settling for less than God's best for you! Stop dating the wrong boys (and that's what they are if they aren't being up front with you!) because you fear you might never find the right guy! I'd also like for YOU to learn to be up front with your feelings when a guy asks you out; don't lead him on if you're not interested; politely and respectfully turn him down. If you are interested, sure it might be fun to make him work for you a little, but don't drag it on too long, otherwise he might misread your reaction and find another "the one".

knowattamsaying??

I probably have a lot more thoughts to share, but I'll save it for the series! it starts on July 5th and its gonna be awesome, insightful, and most of all - Biblical. If I didn't mention it already, we're basically gonna be making our way through the songs of songs!

see ya then!

Gay PRIDE??

2009-06-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

In recent preparations for our blockbuster summer message series “GREAT DATES, BAD MATES, & SOULMATES” – I’ve been reading up a lot on the social commentary on sexuality in our culture today. One particular article by one of my favorite writers Al Mohler (president of Southern Baptist theological seminary) caught my attention.

He writes about the nature of homosexuality in our culture, and a recent proclamation made by president Obama on this issue. While he diligently upholds the bible’s view on homosexuality and pride as SIN, he also imparts born again believers with a healthy dose of reality check.

He writes “…. Evangelical Christians dare not respond (to the gay community) with a claim of moral superiority as if we are not ourselves sinners. But we must be clear that we cannot find pride in sin, whether these are our own sins or those of others. The Gospel of Christ simply does not allow us to see sin -- any sin -- as a matter of pride.”

Click here to read the full article and the president’s proclamation.

The God who cures Hiccups!

2009-06-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, this was too awesome not to share! I've been at my desk all day working on this Sunday's message (Pt.3 of MADE) and about 20 minutes ago, I had a hiccup-attack! At first I tried drinking a bottle of water, but it kept coming, then I tried the infinite wisdom of google.com to see if I could find cures online, still nothing!

after the headaches began to kick in from the hiccups, I decided it might be time to call on some supernatural healing (seriously!). So I placed my hand on my chest and prayed "Lord Jesus, you are the God who heals all my diseases, and you take away all my pain, even the smallest ones. I ask now that you would look favorably upon me and take away this hiccup; and open up my passage ways (hiccup!) so I can breathe better. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray that you would heal my cold, my headache, and especially my hiccup! In Jesus name I pray"

And so, I waited. 2 seconds (no hiccup), 10 seconds (no hiccup), 1 minute (no hiccup)! it's been about 35 minutes now and no more annoying hiccup! woooooohooooooo! I have just been healed of my hiccups! WOW! My God truly is mighty to save, in the greatest of storms and in the simplest of hurts - he is consistently a good God who cares for his people!

thanks Jesus!

REMIX SUMMER SMALL GROUPS

2009-06-04T06:24:00.001-07:00

Please Contact Group leaders before Showing up!

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VOLLEYBALL GROUP: (Leisure Activity Group - Open to all)

Group meets on Wednesday nights @ 6:00P.M to play volleyball
Location: Sand courts at Horseshoe Lake, Eyland avenue, Roxbury.

Group leader: Patti Olenick & Frank Eisbacher

Contact Info: remixministrynj@yahoo.com

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Marriage Builders in Action : (Engaged couples & Newlyweds)

Group meets on Sunday Mornings @ 9:45A.M
Location: Grace Church - (Whitehouse basement )

Group leader: Brad & Shirley Wagner

Contact Info: shirley@gracechurchnj.org

Click here to Find out more about this group.

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The Life & Times of the Apostle PAUL - (OPEN to All)

Group meets on Monday nights @ 7:30P.M
Location: Grace Church (meeting in Room 103)

Group Leader: Elizabeth Meade

Contact info: morewaxandwicks@gmail.com

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Beth Moore's "Breaking Free"

Bringing Beauty from Ashes (Ladies Only)

Group meets on Thursday nights @ 7:00P.M - (THIS GROUP IS FULL).
Location: Home in Chester (contact group leader to get connected)

Group Leader: Renee Riley

Contact info: yourlovesecuresme@yahoo.com

Click here to Read more about this study.

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END TIMES BIBLE STUDY: Have you been Left Behind?- (OPEN to All)

Group meets on Monday nights @ 7:00P.M
Location: Grace church (meeting in Room 105)

Group Leader: Walter Stout

Contact info: walter.e.stout@gmail.com

Click here to Read more about this study.

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NITE OUT @ CLIFF'S ICE CREAM: (Leisure Activity Group - Open to all)

Group meets on Thursday nights @ 9:00P.M (Rain or Shine)
Location: Cliffs Homemade Ice Cream, 1475 US Highway 46, Ledgewood, NJ 07852

Group Leader: Kevin Dube & Margie Varella

Contact info: kervonno@hotmail.com

PURPOSE: It's a good break from an already busy week, besides who doesn't like ice-cream socials?!?

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YOUR HEART, YOUR GOD, YOUR LUST (COLLEGE STUDENTS/MEN ONLY)

Group meets on Monday nights @ 7:00P.M
Location: Home in Flanders (contact group leader to get connected)

Group Leader: Tyler Flynn

Contact info: Tflynn@liberty.edu
Click here to read more about this Study.

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BOOK OF ESTHER – IT’S TOUGH BEING A WOMAN (WOMEN ONLY)

Group meets on Monday nights @ 7:00P.M
Location: Panera Bread, Ledgewood mall. Route 10 East

Group Leader: Kim Gould

Contact info: kg828@eagle.pbu.edu
Click HERE to read more about this Study.

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SERMON BASED SMALL GROUP: (OPEN TO ALL) - Starting JULY 9th

Group meets on Thursday nights @ 7:00P.M
Location: Grace the Church on the Mount – Room 100

Group Leader: Segun Aiyegbusi

Contact info: remixministrynj@yahoo.com

The Best Volunteer team in the World!

2009-06-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Wanna know what it look like when 25 young adults decide they wanna help others experience the love of Jesus Christ through their acts of service? Check out the pictures:

Oh the wonders of REMIX PEEPS!! - Shoutout and Madd Luv to Colleen, Heather, Lisa, Frank, Clint, Cef, Karen, Angela, Diana, Melissa W, Dupe -(wifey :), Geoff W, Geoff B, Sharon, Ryan M, Kevin, Andrew, Brian, Beth, Michelle, Jesse (Andrew's bro), Jeff B, Jamie, Margie, Faith, Renee, Patti, Gabe, and Lindsey!

REMIX & GRACE CHURCH

2009-05-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

Recently, our Snr. Pastor Armin asked me to put together a little blurb explaining how THE REMIX vision fit into what Grace church was doing. We had talked about it in the past, but he encouraged me to put it on paper so I could always have something ready to share with curious minds. So below is our reasoning and methodology for why we do what we do and how it merges with the Grace church vision which is to "Raise up a generation of Families that are Built to Last".

REMIX: The college/post college years are such formative years in the life of a young adult that if not properly grounded in biblical community, one can easilly stray from faith in Christ. REMIX serves as a gathering place not only for young adults at Grace but also regional young adults from different backgrounds and denominations.

Our goal is to help them grow in intimacy with Christ, experience fellowship with one another, and intentionally influence the people in their lives for Jesus Christ.

HOW DOES THIS FIT THE GRACE VISION:

Remix is a PREPARING ministry (not a singles ministry!). We encounter many young adults who are all over the chart spiritually, emotionally, and mentally (they sometimes come to us hurting), our goal is to meet them where they are, guide them onto the right path and calling in Christ, and unleash them to wherever God might be leading them next! hence the "preparing" terminology.

It fits into grace's vision because we are preparing young adults to enagage in healthy relationships at every level of their lives. whether its marriage, a new job, a mission trip, or the launching of a new business. In so doing, we are raising up a new generation of adults who will play key roles in families that are built to last!

Boooooyaaaaahhhh!

No, Mr. President

2009-05-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

If you've never heard a sermon from John Piper, the above video is a taste of his hard hitting, biblically based truth. (click here) to read the full sermon.

I haven't had the chance to thoroughly reflect on what he said, but my initial reaction was so strong that I had to post it on my blog. Off the top though, I am a little concerned about some of our president's decisions to "be all things to all people" - if not careful, he can end up being on the side of NOBODY!

That probably didn't make much sense, it's late and I should probably go to bed and think through this tommorow.

7 A's of Confession

2009-05-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

ONE: WHEN CONFESSING - ADDRESS EVERYONE INVOLVED!
As a general rule, whenever you confess a wrongdoing, you should confess it to EVERY PERSON who was DIRECTLY AFFECTED by your actions. Since all sins offend God anyway, you should always start by first confessing to him in prayer.

Now what you do next depends on whether the sin was a “social sin” or a “heart sin”. A heart sin is a reference to spiteful thought patterns you’ve had towards someone else that was never vocalized or acted upon. Since it all happened in the heart and does not directly affect others, you need only to confess it to God. A social sin on the other hand involves actions or words that actually affected other people, in which case you would need to physically go before the specific individual or group of people to admit your wrongdoing.

Now I said “physically go to them” on purpose because we are in a technological age, and most people live online! Write this down if you have to, DO NOT RESOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS OVER EMAIL OR THROUGH TEXT MESSAGING OR OVER THE PHONE FOR THAT MATTER! That is the worst thing you can do because some people talk better than they write; besides body language is like 90% of communication. GO IN PERSON TO ADDRESS THE PEOPLE OR PERSON INVOLVED! (Now there are obviously exception like if it’s a life might be endangered by being alone or if it’s just impossible to meet face to face).

TWO: WHEN CONFESSING - AVOID IF, BUT, & MAYBE!
The best way to ruin a confession is to use words that SHIFT THE BLAME to other or that appear to minimize or excuse your guilt. Listen to these statements and see how you would feel had you been offended:
- “I’m sorry I lost my temper, BUT you made me so angry”
- “I’m sorry IF I’ve done something to offend you”
- “MAYBE I could try harder”

Those words completely ruin a confession because they imply that you don’t know whether or not you did wrong. Not only that, the word “but” is especially harmful because it has the strange ability to cancel all the words that precede it. “I know I was wrong, BUT so were you!”

If you truly want to reconcile a relationship with someone, you should make it a point to strike those words from your vocabulary anytime you need to make a confession.

THREE: WHEN CONFESSING - ADMIT SPECIFICALLY!
The more detailed and specific you are when making a confession, the more like you are to receive a positive response. Many times when we confess, we’ll say things like “I’m sorry I was such a jerk!” now that sounds genuine right? Especially because we demeaned ourselves, well that’s not as effective as saying “hey I am sorry I laughed at your suggestion in front of everyone, it was disrespectful, it was inconsiderate of your feelings” (now if you were the offended, which would you prefer to hear?)

You know what a detailed confession like that does? It shows the other party that you’re not simply trying to make the problem go away, but you have thought through your actions in light of the kind of person God’s called you to be, and you want to make amends.

Address everyone involved, avoid, if, but(s), and maybes; admit specifically, and…

FOUR: WHEN CONFESSING - ACKNOWLEDGE THE HURT!
You’ve heard the expression “sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words will never hurt me” – how has that worked out in your life? But I’ve healed up really well from some fights, but I can still remember some hurtful words that people spoke to me when I was 9! If you truly want to reconcile a relationship with someone you’ve done wrong against, then you need to understand clearly the damage your hurtful words might have done.

The simplest way is to ask how he/she felt as a result of your behavior, whatever you do, don’t play down the impact of your words or actions by saying things like “oh that’s not what I meant” or “it wasn’t that bad!”. You don’t know what kinds of emotional baggage people are carrying and what “power-words” might set them off! It might seem simple to you, but for them, you probably made the exact comment that they associate with a very dark period in their lives.

Let them know that you recognize that you might have done some damage; it will go a long way to reconciling your relationship with them.

FIVE: WHEN CONFESSING - ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES:
This isn’t the time to try and make your case for why you did or said what you did, but it’s the time to admit and take OWNERSHIP of your wrongdoing.

Sometimes the people we have offended might very well want to dish out punishment; it could be as simple as them choosing to not talk to us anymore, or as serious as them wanting to bring a lawsuit against us. This is where many people fall of the wagon, “oh I’m sorry for what I did, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to do what they’re asking!”

If you have evaluated your role in the conflict and concluded that you were at fault, explicitly accepting the consequences will go a long way to show that you are truly repentant for what you did. It’s not always easy, but that’s the nature of humility.

SIX: ALTER YOUR BEHAVIOR:
There is nothing worse than to have a dramatic apology, only to return back to the same behavior a few weeks later. This one many of us really struggle with because we are creatures of habit. That’s why whenever I apply this in my life, I always ask the other person to please be patient with me as I make every effort to alter my behavior.

It’s always good in a confession to explain to the other person some very practical action steps you have put in place. Perhaps you’ve gotten rid of some of the things in your life that trigger a behavior, or you’ve made an appointment to meet regularly with a counselor. These practical changes show the other person that you are genuine about having peace in your relationship.

Last but not least,
SEVEN: ASK FOR FORGIVENESS & ALLOW TIME
If you follow these six steps we just discussed, most people will readily extend forgiveness, especially if no emotional or relational damage has been done. But on some occasions, when the hurt has gone to deep, they will withhold forgiveness from you, no matter how hard you plead.

In those situations, it will be incredibly helpful to take a step back and give them space. Remember that is part of accepting the consequences, sometimes you will need to allow them time to process your confession. However in humbly confessing your sin and asking for forgiveness, you have now shifted the next move to the other person.

Sometimes it’s ok to acknowledge that you understand that you hurt them deeply, and you’re willing to wait it out however long it will take for them to forgive you.

Now I’m not naïve, by no means is any of this easy, nor our apologies ever this smooth, however our motivation once again should be the name of Jesus Christ. The bible says in Romans 12:18 that “if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone".

That means that regardless of who’s at fault in this conflict, I make every effort to reconcile broken relationships because I might very well be the means through which God will draw them near. Jesus himself said “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

7 A'S courtesy of PEACEMAKER MINISTRIES (Book: The Peacemaker by Ken Sande)

Praying Big Prayers!

2009-05-08T20:20:00.001-07:00

I was perusing the North Point community church website last night and listened to one of Andy Stanley’s messages. Now I generally have a preference for expository messages that dig incredibly deep into the word, but for some reason I couldn’t draw myself away from this particular message. The series was titled “Q3” and the particular message I listened to had to do with “asking/praying BIG PRAYERS”.

The questions Andy posed struck a chord in my heart. He asked “what big things do you have going on in your life?” beyond the everyday requests we make of God to protect us, provide for us, watch over us – what big requests have you been trusting God for?

I loved the illustration he used, he said (and I’m paraphrasing) “if we piled up all the small requests we make of God in one year, and God never did anything about them, wouldn’t they work themselves out anyway?”

In other words, if God doesn’t show up today,
That headache you’ve been praying about will eventually go away
You’ll probably get through that exam driving you nuts
You’ll probably find that phone you’re looking for
You’ll probably end up dating and marrying that special someone

SMALL PRAYERS!!

Is there something grander? Bigger? Larger than life prayer that you can begin asking? Prayers so huge that unless God shows up IN POWER, it ain’t gonna get answered?

That had me thinking, in fact it got me excited because if there’s one thing I’m guilty of, it’s for sometimes thinking too big or trying to bite off more than I can chew. What really had me excited though was the vision that had been stewing in my heart for years about REMIX. I felt like his message finally gave me permission to re-open that pot and taste the stew all over again (yeah I know; cheesy word picture!)

Let me come right out and share with you the big prayer that has been on my heart for this ministry; it’s my desire to see REMIX become a visible and influential presence on all 19 community college campuses in New Jersey! Booooyah!! How’s that for BIG?? Wow, just thinking of it again scares me a little, not in a terrifying way, but in an anxious exciting way; it definitely is a plan that will require relentless diligence, a whole-lotta fasting and prayer, and a super-empowering of the HOLY SPIRIT!

Incredibly enough this vision has been on my heart long before we even launched REMIX in 05. Though I’ve on occasion found myself distracted by other ministry ideas, this particular missionary endeavor has remained constant. You might observe that I said “community colleges”, and not just regular 4-year college campuses. I think it initially began as desire to go on large 4-year college campuses, but intervarsity fellowship and campus crusade already seem to be doing a good job reaching and equipping those audiences. Besides, over the years, I feel like God has been shifting my focus to go on those smaller colleges where the gospel hasn’t yet permeated the campus. I get the sense that God is calling us to go to them because they are such transient communities where commitments are low, and for the most part the church hasn’t been actively involved. In a few visits to local college campuses, Paul’s words and desire in Romans 15:20 has continually popped in my mind “….It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.”

I confess I don’t even know where to start with this vision, I tried forcing it a few months back when I interacted with a few Christian leaders at the local community college, but that plan fell on its head. So I’ve found myself asking on a few occasions if it’s a calling from God that I’m trying to accomplish in my own strength or if it’s just my own personal agenda? Perhaps it’s a venture that will happen much later in ministry when REMIX has gained more momentum?

One thing I do know is that our vision accurately reflects this missionary venture: “to raise up a passionate gathering of believers who in turn influence the people in their lives for Christ”. I look forward to a time when we begin training leaders who are sold out for the gospel and will make these campuses their missions field. A little while back when these thoughts resurfaced on my heart, I came up with a list of “pros” as to why we it would be a great idea to follow through on this plan:

1. By going specifically to community college campuses, we would be a pioneering New Testament church at the very heart of where the lost are (hence truly living out our vision statement)

2. We would have ongoing opportunities to reach out to non-Christian 20somethings (the very age group we exist to reach); and we would have the opportunity to be a positive influence in the lives of young adults during a very transformative period in their lives

3. We would have a wider audience of talent to pull from to create powerful and experiential worship gatherings. While this might sound a little selfish, it will be in reality an opportunity for many creative young adults to use their gifts and talents.

4. We would be able to identify and develop Christian leaders already on campus who could potentially lead and influence their fellow students for Christ.

5. We would offer spiritual support and counsel to the staff as well as students (thereby influencing leaders)

6. It would be a great opportunity for many of our current remixers and leaders to use their gifts as well as take a risk for their faith

7. Our location would no longer one church building one night a week, but it’s in the community

Oh yeah, definitely a big prayer!

New Message Series:

2009-04-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

New Message Series: PAUSE

2009-04-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

Have you had a hard time “turning the other cheek” lately? Yeah, us too! The Christian life is not a call to passivity; yes there are times when you will need step back and let things slide, but there’s also a time to stand your ground for what you’re convinced is right.

Discerning when and how to go about those two actions will depend on your willingness to do four things. Join us beginning on 04.26.2209 as we pick up some sweet fighting skills from the scriptures!

The Road of Life

2009-04-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

As much as I'd like to take credit for the beautiful words you're about to read, I can't! I used to have this article posted on my dorm wall in college and recently found it on my hard drive. Reading it again brought a smile to my face and I thought it'd be cool to share it with ya. enjoy!

"At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there, sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn't know Him.

But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike. and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal.

I don't know just when it was that He suggested we changed places, but life has not been the same since. When I had control. I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable...It was the shortest distance between two points. But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds, it was all I could do to hang on!! Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!"

I worried and was anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?" He laughed and didn't answer, and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure. And when I'd say, "I'm scared," He'd lean back and touch my hand. He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. They gave me their gifts to take on my journey, my Lord's and mine. And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away; they're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light. d the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away."

I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He'd wreck it; but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, jumps to clear high rocks, fly to shorten scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I'm beginning to enjoy the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Christ. And when I'm sure I just can't do anymore, He just smiles and says..."Pedal."

History of The Bible

2008-12-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

The multi media dudes at Northeast Christian church in Louisville, KY have done it again. I've heard a ton of sermons on the history of the bible and how it came together, and none of them ever stuck to mind. But this video has finally done the history of the sciptures Justice!

Enjoy!

The Ugly side of Lagos/Nigeria.

2008-11-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

A Friend recently sent me this youtube video of the population explosion in Lagos (my home city in Nigeria). Man, how times have changed. Some of the circumstances in this news report existed when I was growing up, but not to the extent its become now.

Not quite sure what to make of it, I say so because there is a whole other world in the same city that looks absolutely nothing like that.

Dr King's Vision of Barack Obama

2008-11-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

The above speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was given on April 3, 1968 to a packed room of civil rights supporters and striking sanitation workers at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. In it, he spoke of being to a mountaintop and seeing the promised land where racism was a thing of the past (remniscent of Moses seeing, but not entering the promised land -Deutoronomy 34:1-4). Here are the words from his speech:

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

The next day, Dr. King was assasinated.

I've heard that speech more than a dozen times and been moved to tears consistently because I've longed for the day when his "moutaintop dream" would come true (last night, it did). Regardless of my feelings about his political views, the sight of president elect Barack Obama walking up to the podium to give his victory speech stirred in me a strong sense of pride and joy as an african american. I can't begin to express in words how proud I felt to see Him, his wife Michelle, and their two daugthers Sasha and Malia gracefully step into this role.

I know there's a lot of theological debate about whether the saints in heaven witness the events on earth; well in my current state of euphoria, I'd like to think "yes" and I'd like to think that Dr. King must have been having a blast in heaven last night as he heard the phrase "yes we can" come to life! Perhaps what he saw when looked over the mountaintop on the evening of April 3rd, 1968 was actually a video footage of Barack giving his speech last night? wouldn't that be something!

I am under no illusion that the road ahead will be easy. This article by J.D Greear (lead Pastor at the Summit Church of Raleigh-Durham) sums up some of my concerns as a christian about Obama. Greear is much smarter than I am and does a better job of expressing those concerns: ("My Thoughts on the election").

But instead of spending the rest of this post defending his new role as president, his ability to lead, or those ridicoulous emails I recieved all week about his association with known terrorists organizations - I would rather encourage us to be obedient to the words of scripture. The apostle Peter writes this in 1 Peter 2:13-15, he says "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish
men”

As Christians, (and now that the elections are over), we have a biblical mandate to be respectful and obedient to those whom God has placed in positions of authority over us (democrat or republican), and that includes being careful and thoughtful about the words we choose to describe them (remember, the unbelieving world is always watching how we treat those around us). Besides, at the end of the day, true (life) change in our communities and in the culture overall will onlybegin to happen when you and I begin living Christ centered lives in such a way that our friends and neigbors take notice and are drawn to God through our loving caring attitudes.

Hymn: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

2008-10-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

I was scanning the Mars Hills church website when I came accross this Video. It's the story of 18th century Methodist pastor and hymnist Robert Robinson (he penned the words to the hymn in the title). It's always amazing to hear the stories of men and women God used to accomplish great things, and always delightful to know that often times, they weren't much different than you and me.

I am reminded of the words of James 5:17-18 "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."

If you've been feeling "unuseable" by God lately, find comfort in that verse and in Robinson's story. Hope it blesses yah!

Check out the performance below by Jars of Clay:

LYRICS:
1. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise his name! I’m fixed upon it,
Name of God's redeeming love.

3.O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

How to Save $8,919.45 a Year...

2008-10-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

In light of the current schizophrenic economic crisis (and after making it halfway through a financial management class), I've become extra conscious about my finances. That, and the fact that Jesus' words in Luke 16:10-12 keep popping up everywhere I turn. (It's the story where Jesus speaks of being a trustworthy manager of the resources entrusted to us by God).

Keeping in that spirit, I have been looking for little ways to save money whenever and wherever I can (it's amazing how much change you'll end up with in a week when you make your own slamming tuna sandwich from home!). I'm sure you've experienced the same.

Well, while browsing the news headlines today, I came accross an interesting web article titled "How to Save $8,919.45 a Year"... turns out, the author actually has some good saving tips. In my opinion, nothing dramatically insightful; you more than likely are already applying these insights to your spending, but it never hurts to return to the basics.

Check out this excerpt:

"Everyone knows that carrying a credit card balance can be costly. But if paying off that balance isn't in the cards, even the smallest change can pay huge dividends. Instead of buying a soda from the vending machine, Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com, recommends putting that dollar toward your credit card balance.For example, if you typically pay $100 a month on a $5,000 balance with a 14% APR, try upping that payment by just a dollar a day. By paying an extra $30 a month, you'll pay off your balance in 52 months rather than 76 months, or cut your payments by two years. And you'll save $874 in interest payments"

Late Night Sessions - Part One

2008-10-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Its 11:50P.M and my mind won’t shut down! I’ve been lying in bed for a long while now and there’s no hope of sleep in sight! I know what’s going on though, it’s happened a bunch of times before – I am in “Visionizing Mode”. My mind is on overdrive, and I keep thinking about what we (REMIX) should be doing as a ministry, what risks we might be afraid of taking and how to best leverage the skills and talents we currently have to reach the widest audience of young adults possible.

Oh well, now that I’m up (and already grabbed a bowl of friendly’s French vanilla ice cream – yeah yeah I know it’s late… blah blah blah!), I might as well pour out all that’s on my mind.

In recent times, I’ve come to the conclusion that ministry is all about life on life. Incidentally enough, in seminary I often found myself bored with churches that talked a lot about counseling and emotional health; my preference was for churches that were innovating with technology and were cutting edge in the way they communicated the gospel. But I gotta tell you, it is hard to think about creating a cool video with adobe after effects, when you have a 20something year old guy balling his eyes out in front of you because he hates who he’s become!

I’m pretty sure the "coolness" level of my next series image is not high on his list of concerns at the moment. I guess it’s good that I’ve recently been encountering people with real problems because I feel like God’s been giving me some clarity (more like convictions) on how to truly guide young adults in becoming emotionally healthy followers of Jesus Christ.

Every time a new ministry thought enters my mind, I always try to filter it through the vision I believe God initially gave us “To raise up a passionate gathering of believers who in turn influence the people in their lives for Jesus Christ”. Well the question has always been, how are we gonna do that? The blog entry below is a layout of what’s been keeping me up at Night.

Late Night Sessions - Part Two

2008-10-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

First we need to REACH – the “dechurched” and “unchurched” young adults where they are. Those two terms refer to young adults who were either once part of a worshipping community of Christians and got jaded, or were never a part of a church. When I look at the life of the early Christians, these dudes were all initiators and innovators; they always found a creative way to engage the unchurched folks in their cities with the gospel (at whatever cost!).

Then we need to CONNECT - them into life-giving communities with other young adults. It’s been said that this generation is looking to “belong” before they’ll “believe”. Is it possible then for us to create small groups where young adults can easily get connected into? Groups where they can experience the power and love of God through the fellowship of believers?

Once connected, then we PREPARE – them to engage in healthy relationships at every level of their lives. Those healthy relationships include their bosses, friends, future spouse, non-Christians in their lives and ultimately their relationship with Jesus Christ. For the most part, we have focused in on this area on our Sunday evening gatherings and the small groups we’ve had. We can however be a lot more intentional by developing more leaders who’ll be able to teach, and raising the expectation level for what’s expected from each person.

Last but not least, we want to SEND – them back into the community to serve and influence people for Jesus Christ. We want them to be the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus Christ to a doubting generation. Through their compassionate acts of service and caring attitude, our desire is that the unchurched and dechurched young adults they encounter would be drawn to Jesus Christ, and ultimately put their faith in him.

Putting it on paper is the easy part, now comes the hard and exciting work of actually doing it.

Wanna be a part of this mission to reach young adults in Northern New Jersey? Shoot me an email at remixministrynj@yahoo.com and let’s put it to action over some coffee (or ice cream at friendly’s).

The Story of Us

2008-10-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

On a weekly basis, I have the awesome priviledge of creating the sermon graphics for our sunday morning and remix worship service experiences. There is nothing more exciting than to find an image that matches the theme of the message being taught.

In the past, I've used pre-created templates from website like "powerpointsermons.com", and on other occasions, I've totally ripped a concept off another church website with a funky idea. But for this upcoming message series at Grace church (titled: The Story of Us) - the concept for this image is totally original!.

I think it's the image I'm most proud of creating up to date (forgive my pride, I'm just so excited about it). I took the picture of the church myself, and faded in the great commission and greatest commandment at the top. The little funky design at the bottom left came from istockphoto.com and I made a few adjustments to it - Booyaah!

This message series starts on October 26th and you should totally come out and hear it if you're looking to be a part of something great!! Armin is gonna be sharing with the the church how we intend to influence the watching community through familes. Can't wait!

2008 REMIX BAPTISMS!

2008-10-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

In 2005, a few months after we had launched REMIX, I remember praying for a day when we would have our own worship service, with our own rocking worship team – but most of all, an evening where young adults could share their story of faith through baptism.

Well, this past Sunday (October 12, 2008) God honored that prayer and we had the awesome experience of baptizing 4 of our own peeps! Pictured from left to right - Beth, Angela, Me, Renee, and Jeff. Having already made a prior commitment to trust in Jesus Christ, they each decided to go public with it on that evening and each clearly articulated what Christ had done in and through their lives.

One of the exciting things about baptism is that it tells the story of the gospel all over again; Every time a Christian gets baptized, they aren’t getting saved all over again, instead they are visually sharing the gospel because baptism it protrays the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When a Christian is dipped under water, it is a visual picture of one’s identification with the death & burial of Jesus Christ. Through the shedding of his blood on the cross and his death, Jesus Christ accomplished what neither you nor I could have ever done on our own. This means when you put your trust and your faith in Jesus Christ, death no longer carries the fear it once had over you. That’s what 1 Corinthians 15:55 means when it says "O death where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" In other words I no longer have to fear what might happen to me when I die, because Jesus Christ already paid all my debt before I ever have to plead my case before God.

When the Christian being baptized is lifted out of water, it also is a beautiful picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ because it visually portrays our resurrection to a new life. That’s what the apostle Paul is speaking of in Romans 6:3-4 when he says “Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father; we too may live a new life”

When Beth, Angela, Renee, and Jeff got baptized this past Sunday, they made it loud and clear in their stories that they belonged to Jesus Christ and are new creations in him. I couldn’t have been more proud!

Looking at Porn ...Again?

2008-10-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

This must be a sign!.. Last week, I was invited to speak at the Intervarsity christian fellowship of my alma Alma mater - William Paterson University. I had been invited in the past to speak about manhood, and so this time I was hoping their theme would be something similar, maybe a talk on leadership or even missions, but whaddayaknow! .. they wanted me to speak about PORN!

Well I did and they peaked in attendance that evening (who knew talking about porn and masturbation would draw a crowd??). Well it's almost a week later now and I was checking out the Resurgence website with Pastor Mark Driscoll's, and whaddayaknow again? he's talking about Porn too!

He's released a book called "PORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS" and he's offering it free online to dudes! I know that this is an issue we rarely like to talk because it's kinda uncomfortable, but the truth is that it is possibly the most prevalent sin among christians and get this ...even among pastors too!

The more we keep it a secret, the more it has control over our lives and sucks the joy out of our relationship with God. Fellas, please take advantage of this free online resource and let's begin addressing this issue of porn and masturbation in our lives.

Here is the link:

http://relit.org/porn_again_christian/

Check out 1 Corinthians 6:16-17 (The Message)

“There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much a spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two will become one flesh." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never "become one."

Rent August Rush Today!

2008-10-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

WOW! Ok so I just finished watching the movie "August Rush" and man oh man, you have to rent this movie! Now I'm not usually one to reccomend a tear jerker (personally I have a preference for movies that start with "Bourne"), but this movie had me at "Hello".

The young kid (Freddie Higmore) playing the main character is incredibly believable as an orphan trying to unite his parents through music; my man Terrence Howard delivers another heart warming performance as a child services counselor, Robin Williams does a good job of convincing us to hate him, the soundtrack is a delightful surprise, and the ending is what great movies are all about!

I was tempted to pull out my bass and start jamming again after I saw this movie, but decided to do the world a favor by sticking to preaching!

I'll tell you what though, it did have me thinking deeply about the power and influence of music. We can all probably think of a handful of times when a song (christian or secular) has stirred us to tears or even to action. Interestingly enough, along with the word of God (bible) and people, music seems to be the one activity we'll continue to participate in when we get to heaven.

Perhaps those moments when out hearts are stirred deeply by music are moments intended by God to be a playful foretaste of the joy and satisfaction that heaven holds for us.

O how I long for that day!

Finding "The One"

2008-10-01T09:10:00.001-07:00

For the longest time, I held to the understanding that there was no such thing as finding “the one”. My argument went something like this “it is ridiculous to expect that there is one perfect soul mate waiting out there to be found. Logistically it doesn’t even make sense, if there were truly one perfect person out there for each of us, then all it would take to throw everyone off is for one person to pick the wrong soul mate – then we’d all be screwed!”

Instead I rationalized that when it comes to relationships, it takes a little bit of effort. You meet someone you like and are attracted to, get to know them, grow to love one another, and continually work on fanning the flame of your relationship. At least that’s the belief I held to until God smacked me in the face with “the one!”

The truth is, behind my hard stance on finding one’s soul mate, I always secretly prayed and hoped that I would “just know” when I finally met her. I probably adopted that other attitude because I was tired of continually meeting the “wrong” person and being dumped (ouch!).

Looking back at the stories in the bible, it’s no wonder my heart was always drawn to the story of Isaac and Rebecca (Genesis 24). Their story reads like love at first sight. I appreciated Abraham’s quest to find a wife for his son, the servant’s journey back to his master’s land, and the discovery of the incredibly beautiful and hardworking Rebecca.

In Genesis 24:57-67, their love story plays out for us like a scene from a romantic movie. Long before she ever laid eyes on him, Rebecca had already committed her heart to Isaac. On her way to be delivered to him, she sees him from afar and her hearts begins to beat really fast wondering “who’s that young man over there?” Isaac on the other hand is possibly still mourning the loss of his mother (Genesis 23:1-2). One afternoon he decides to go for a walk, possibly to think about what God has planned for him next. During that walk and time of meditation, God brings to his doorstep the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen, and verse 67 reads (possibly after a time of introductions and discussions) “Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebecca. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.”

HE FOUND THE ONE! ....Awwww.

Despite every belief I held about finding “the one”, the truth is that the first time I laid eyes on Dupe (my fiancé) I had a strong sense that this was the girl I would spend the rest of my life with (yeah I know it sounds a little impulsive, so let me explain). Every other relationship I had been in up to this point always felt “wrong”; there was nothing wrong with the girls I dated, in fact many of them were godly women. But in each one of those relationships, I felt God impress on my heart over and over that I wasn’t to move any further with them, in fact on occasion, the girls themselves would call a “meeting” and tell me they felt God was calling us to call it quits (I kid you not!!)

So in every relationship I had been in over the last 10 years, I always felt like God had put a “block” on me, sort of like the block cablevision puts on your T.V when they don’t want you to see HBO for free!

Well when I was in Nigeria for a leadership conference and I walked into that lobby and saw Dupe, for the first time in 10 years - I couldn’t feel the block. As I served closely with her during my time there and observed her devotion to God and diligent work attitude, I not only didn’t experience the “block” – but I felt an overwhelming sense of freedom and encouragement from God to pursue her heart (plus I was incredibly attracted to her).

Despite the fact that “I knew”, I still had to work to win her over. A few days after I arrived back in the states, I spent a few days fasting and asking God if the freedom I was experiencing was truly from him or if I was just being impulsive. God answered that prayer in two ways, one he made that sense of freedom to pursue her even stronger, and he stirred her heart to get in contact with me. Our conversation flowed so freely that you would think we’d been dating our whole lives.

Dating internationally has not been easy, but incidentally enough, we have grown incredibly closer than either of us could have imagined. We chat almost three times a week, we do our marriage counseling via webcam and sometimes on the phone; I’ve had the chance to revisit her in Nigeria (yeah we had our first kiss), and also received her parents (and mine’s) blessing over our marriage. Obviously living together will be a whole different experience than just chatting on the phone, but we have definitely learnt to communicate on a whole different level without confusing it with all the sexual temptations we would have if we were together.

So. In light of my personal experience (and very very very limited marriage experience), I am inclined to say “meeting the one” is not the issue as much as what you do after you meet them. Relationships take work and it requires a lot of love and respect from both parties during the good days and the bad days. I am under no illusion that all my days with Dupe will be “oh-so-dreamy”, but I believe we are currently building a foundation of friendship and trust that we can build the rest of our marriage on. We both love Jesus Christ and surrender to him first before we can willfully care for each other’s need.

So if there is someone out there you really like or feel is “the one” – ask God to either give you an overwhelming sense of freedom to pursue them, or to put a cable block on you!

Oh for the sake of my buddies who’ve asked how I proposed, I did it in two stages. The first time I mentioned it was on the phone and I told her that I was excited about the great things God was doing in my life and the awesome story he was writing through it, and then I told her that I wanted her to be a part of my story. She got the message, and asked if I wanted her to play a small role or a major role – I responded “A MAJOR ROLE”. That is Nigerian for “will you marry me?” – “yes I will” :)

Then when I went back to visit this year, I got down on one knee after church (at her place) and pulled out the bling!

Do they Run when they see you coming?

2008-09-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Through a series of news links, I came accross this article about an "undiscovered tribe" in the remote Amazon rainforest near Peru. The article is not written by a christian nor is it intended to speak to christians, however the insight it presents raises the question of how the non-christians in our lives react when they see us coming. Are they turned off by what they've experienced in the past? Is there anything we could begin doing today to become a more positive influence in the lives of the non-christians around us? Here's a short excerpt from the article:

"The crucial issue raised by these photos of a remote group isolated from our society is not whether, in an age of worldwide connectivity, surveillance satellites, and explosive population growth, we might still have undiscovered neighbors on a shrinking globe — we don't. ..... In truth, our reactions to and perceptions of these people reveal far more about us than about them. We easily believe that a band of hostile Indians confronting an airplane from a clearing do so out of
ignorance and fear. But the likely truth is harder to face: The tribe might have threatened the observers precisely because they had encountered some of the worst aspects of our culture before, and suffered grievously. These images of a people courageously standing against us are not symbols of their ignorance, but of ours."
Read the full article here at Seed Magazine.

A Hunger for God.

2008-09-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

I found myself recently thinking about how our appetites sometimes control us. By Appetites, I'm reffering not only to the cravings of our stomachs, but also to the craving for more possessions, power, prestige, or simply the insatiable longing for companionship. Our appetites (if not kept in check) can take over and set the direction for our lives. Here is a little scary insight, what we hunger for the most is what we will spend our lives pursuing and is inevitably what we will worship! (ok, I totally stole that line from John Piper - but it is true!!) Depending on what you hunger for the most, you could either be headed down a path of fulfillment or a lifetime of pain.

God has placed in each one of us an appetite for him, but unfortunately many of us (including myself) have stuffed that appetite with the small dreams and small promises of this world, and there is no longer any room for the great things God desires for us. I HOWEVER BELIEVE THAT GOD-GIVEN APPETITE CAN BE AWAKENED. Incidentally enough it doesn’t come about by consuming more Christian knowledge, but by starving the desires that we’ve become accustomed to through a physically draining but spiritual reviving activity called FASTING.

“Fasting is the voluntary abstinence from food for the greater purpose of seeking God’s will through prayer.”

Fasting is not primarily about getting what I want from God, nor is it even totally about giving up food. Fasting is about desiring God’s will to be fulfilled in our lives above every other desire that competes for our attention! …or as John Piper says “it is the hunger of a homesickness for God”

Some situations in our lives that might neccesitate fasting include but are not limited to:
* Fear of Impending danger or need for God’s protection.
* Repentance & forgiveness.
* Spiritual attack or opposition
* Launching into a new venture
* Special revelation or direction
* Physical healing

The reality is that between temptations from Satan and our own sinful desires, our appetites have the ability to control and determine the direction of our lives. However fasting allows us to actively engage those appetites in battle because it’s an invitation to God through the power of the Holy Spirit to have his way in our lives.

Not only that, but when we enter into those focused times of prayer where we voluntarily abstain from food to seek God’s will for our lives – the satanic forces that war against our lives in those three areas are dealt a mighty blow because we are saying NO MORE!

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith…” 1 Peter 5:8

The Best Newscasters Ever!

2008-09-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

As much as I enjoy keeping up with the news on CNN and MSNBC, nothing compares to the reports these two phenomenal gentlemen bring each weeknight. Infused with humor and suprising insight, John Stewart and Stephen Colbert "bring it" each night on their respective shows when it comes to keeping young America in touch with the political scene.

In one of the best Emmy moments ever, they both united to present an award and their dialouge once again earns them the "Best News Hosts on the Planet" Award!

A thing of Beauty - Psalm 139

2008-09-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

For all the philosophers and theorists who say we came into existence simply by chance, or simply by a bunch of atoms rubbing up against each other for long periods of time, this biblical text (Psalm 139) begs to differ.

According to the scriptures, you & I came into existence by an intricate design put in place by the God of heaven and earth. The period in history you were born, time and place you were born, the family you were born into, certain character qualities about you, and some physical features you posses were given to you by the loving will and creative design of God.

When the bible says "God fearfully and wonderfully created the very essence of who you are, even while you were in the womb", it is saying even before the point of your conception, God pre-loved you as you were, he had a detailed plan of what you would look like, how much you would weigh, how tall you would be, the shape of your face, how long or short your hair would be, and even the tone of your skin. He took great delight, great joy and great care in putting you together and HE was already celebrating your birth even before you mum gave your dad the good news.

Now notice for the most part that those things I mentioned are the unchangeables about you, and so when you look in the mirror and you see that person God created staring back at you and the negative self-talk begins. I want you to think of that person you’re looking at in the mirror in light of the loving care and detailed planning it too for God to place you there.

When you BEGIN COMPARING THAT PERSON IN THE MIRROR to God’s intentional loving design, then you can find peace and contentment in the way you look – because care and detail was taken to put you together.

I think the problem often comes when we compare the person in the mirror to our sometimes warped idea of what beauty should be or the problems come when we compare it to our culture’s idea of what beauty should be; if and when you do that, you will always be dissatisfied and will be in a heck of trouble because culture’s expectation is not realistic.

I was on YouTube a little while ago and I came across this short video that really uncovers the lie many of us have bought into about our culture’s perception of beauty.

Unfortunately, the finished product is what many people compare themselves to, so they end up holding themselves up to a standard that’s not realistic! The bible says you were created in the image of God, not in PHOTOSHOP! Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them”

Celebrate the the complex work that God put into making you YOU!

FREE Ice Cream Alert!!!

2008-09-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

In my efforts to keep remix peeps (and all young adults in New Jersey) posted on all free food, I just discovered that COLD STONE CREAMERY will be hosting the “World’s Largest Ice Cream Social” – and they have invited everyone in town. So last night I drove up to their shop on Route 10 in Succasunna to investigate and it’s totally true! Show up between 5:00P.M-8:00P.M (today) and you can enjoy a free helping of a new flavor created by a Make-A-Wish kid.

My fellow young adult-ites, it would be an incredible shame if we didn’t show up to support our community by eating all this free food! The flavors include "marshmallow ice cream with Oreo cookies, chocolate chips and fudge" and "Nutter Butter ice cream with white chocolate chips, Kit Kat and yellow cake."

I plan to go there to show my love and support (for free food) at 6:00P.M today (September 25, 2008) see you on the line!

Small Groups @ REMIX!!

2008-09-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

Between the worship band, biblical teaching and insane time of volleyball, our Sunday evening worship experiences can be a lot of fun and energizing (nothing like applying the biblical truths you just learned about anger during volleyball! :)

During those evenings, there are a few dozen people, good food & music, cool relaxed atmosphere, and laughter. But sometimes all those people having fun and chitchatting with each other can just be downright intimidating!

Perhaps you can identify with these thoughts:
• Everyone else is comfortable and I am uncomfortable
• Everyone else is here with a friend, and I don’t know anyone here
• Everyone else is talking to someone, and I’m talking to myself
• I wish I had a group of people like me I could sit with or hang out with

Well we’ve come up with a solution to help resolve that issue, and on TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 7th @ 7:00P.M, we will be putting that solution in play. On that evening we will be launching our first ever remix small group connection.

The goal is to get young adults connected to smaller groups within remix where they can Experience Spiritual Care, Deeper friendships, and establish venues for Accountability with each other.

If you were to use the analogy of a house and the different functions of each room, Our Sunday evening would be our living room where you can relax, hang out and chill), and these small groups would be our kitchen (a place where you share life together, and talk about personal issues) … I guess the bedroom would have been the best analogy, but I didn’t really wanna go there!

Our game plan for those groups is to connect young adults into same sex groups with three other young adults. These groups are called (respectively) “Men of Iron” and “Women of Distinction” groups. The way the groups work is that each person in the group gets a curriculum and study the same biblical text all week jotting down biblical insights and practical life applications. Those insights are then shared together when the groups meet (which will be decided before hand by the team leader of each group).

I’ve had the privilege of being connected to one of these groups for the past year with three of my buddies (Frank E, Kevin D, & Andrew M); I have to say, I have grown more in my faith with these group of guys than I ever have in other co-ed small groups I’ve been connected to, so I highly recommend it.

The connection meeting will take place on Tuesday evening, October 7th @ 7:00P.M and it is open to all young adults who would love to grow in their faith with other Christians.

Hope to see you then!

Make me like Mary.. with a little bit of Martha though.

2008-09-24T20:35:00.001-07:00

Anyone’s who’s ever read the account of Jesus’ visit to Mary & Martha’s house (Luke 10:38-42) has probably found themselves in the dilemma of having to pick sides; we generally find ourselves identifying with one of the sisters more than the other.

When you read the account, Mary often comes across as the sweet younger sister who longs to know Jesus more and Martha comes across as the grouchy older sister who wants to make sure everything is perfect. I have often felt plenty of sympathy for Martha because she was simply trying to be an excellent host. If ancient Israelite culture is anything like my Nigerian culture (yeah I know it’s a stretch); then hosting important guests in your home was no joke! (Especially someone as prominent as Jesus). So I can identify with Martha’s need to get things ready (you’ve probably already guessed whom I’m most like).

However I took some time in recent days to look at this story again (after spending all week acting like Martha) and I learnt something interesting. When the text says “Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made (V.40)” - the word for distracted in that passage is the word “perispao” and man did this word open my eyes! In its simplest definition, it means to be to draw away, or to be anxious… but in light of the way Jesus rebukes Martha a verse later “"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things (V.41)” – that word implies that Martha had taken preparation to a whole other level. One lexicon translates the word as “to be driven around mentally”.

All the different translations of the word imply one thing; in her (genuine) efforts to welcome Jesus into her home and make sure he felt comfortable; she had somehow worked her nerves into a frenzy. It’s highly likely that she was so busy trying to entertain Jesus that she forgot about Jesus himself; the task of serving became an end in itself. One author suggests that she was rebuked because she was too busy fussing about details that were unnecessarily elaborate.

Awww, poor Martha! Poor me!

This re-reading has forced me to ask some difficult questions of myself. Questions like “have I been spending too much time worrying about what God’s already promised to me? would it be possible for me to just relax and trust God completely for some upcoming ventures in my life? What role do I play in that plan and how much initiative should I take in preparing for it?”

God, I want to hunger for you as much as Mary did, and I want to be able to rest easy at your feet trusting you for all my needs as she did. However I need your wisdom to discern when I need to get off my seat and act because I fear that sitting patiently doing nothing might be tantamount to being lazy. Please grant me the insight to know when to sit still and trust, and when to get up and initiate action.

Josh Groban Rocks the Emmys!

2008-09-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge Groban fan, but I couldn't help but smile (and applaud) as he performed an amazing medley of T.V theme songs at the 2008 Emmys. I love when he got to the theme song for "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and he feigns panic, saying "oh oh.." Sweet!

Go Josh! you got madd skillz baby!

REMIX Goes to Town!

2008-09-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'm still a little wiped from yesterday's full day of activity, but its the good kind of "wiped" - we handed out over 90 gift bags to young adults in our town and gave away three cases of water for free, not to mention a handful of indepth conversations about Jesus Christ!

all in all, this event was an awesome event and I'm so pumped we could be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to folks in our town in the simplest of ways!

Below are pictures from the event (and our Billboard on Route 46 east in Netcong). woooohooo!

INSIDE LOOK AT REMIX PEEPS - Clint

2008-08-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

NAME: Clint Frutchey
AGE: 22
BORN: (Morristown, NJ)

One T.V Show I can't live without: Bobby's World
Favorite College Course: SLEEP 101

My Most Exciting Memory: Winning the 2008 REMIX Volleyball Tournament
My Dream Job or Pet: Pro Snowboarder (a scropion)
Bible Passage that guided my Life:
(1). Romans 6:23 (2). John 3:3 (3). John 14:6 (4). Romans 10:9 (5). 2 Corinthians 5:15 (6). Revelations 3:20

What I like most about REMIX? It's a great place to hang out with other christians, learn about God, and play some hardcore volleyball.

Three words my friends would use to describe me? Personable, Caring, and Menace.

New Message Series: The Office

2008-08-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Maaaaannnnnn! I am so pumped about this new series coming up! aside of the fact that I am a huge "The Office" fan, I've been waiting for the opportunity to do a message series where I get to interact with a very popular show in pop culture.

This series is definitely intended to speak to people in every stage in their spiritual Journey, that means if you are a christian, it will be relevant, if you are curious about spirituality, it will be relevant, and even if you don't believe in God (and have a Job), it will speak to you!

Lemme give you a little layout of what the messages will address.

The first week we will talk about how to navigate through the differerent personalities you have to deal with at work (message title "Office Space"). The second week will help you figure out what to do with yourself at a job you just don't care about (message title "Madd Skillz & No Glory"). The third message is self explanatory (message title "You're Fired") - what do you do when it all comes crashing down?. Week four will tell the story from the boss' perspective (message title "The Corner Office Sucks!"). Then we'll close it off in week five with an honest look at what to do when you sense a higher calling (message title "Head Hunters.com").

My intention is to look into different stories in the bible and discover how the men and women in those stories dealt with everyday problems at work. I will also be looking at different movies, and songs in pop culture that tell the same story. Our desire is that through it all, we would have a clearer sense of purpose in whatever job situation we currently find ourselves in.

So come out in full force on the 7th of Sept, invite a co-worker or a close friend to come on this workplace journey with you, and if you dare - INVITE YOUR BOSS! It just might be the greatest gift you'll give to him.

can't wait for the 7th!

INSIDE LOOK AT REMIX PEEPS - Amy

2008-08-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

NAME: Amy Ortiz
AGE: 25.
BORN: Texas, but was raised all over the country (I’m an Army brat).

The One T.V show I can’t live without: HEROES.
If I could hang out with any celebrity: Topher Grace from “That 70’s Show”
Favorite course in College: Interpersonal Communications with Professor Mark Morman (awesome time!!)

Most exciting memory: almost every memory I have is exciting! It's just exciting to remember things at all!!
My first kiss: ….umm... too long ago to recall.

Bible passage that’s played a big role in my life? Jeremiah 17:14 "Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed, save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise."

What I like most about REMIX: The people (especially Segun!)…by the way, Segun did not pay her to say this!!

Three words my closest friends would use to describe me: Energetic, Hyper, Joyful

To my Bride: P:S "I Love You"

2008-08-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

I don't recall where I first heard the suggestion, but at some point during my college years, I put together a list of qualities I was looking for in my future wife. However, over the next few years and as I matured in my faith, I came to realize (looking back on that list) that what I really needed was Jesus Christ, and not a wife! ... no one could have lived up to some of the ridiculous expectations I put on that list. Fortunately that list went through some serious modifications as God worked out the glitches in my own life; I'm obviously not perfected yet, But I'm in a much better place emotionally and spiritually than I was years ago when I put "the list" together.

Having said that, I am so grateful to God for leading me and helping me fall head over heels for the girl who would become my wife. Dupe is beautiful in every way imaginable, and when I say beautiful, I'm not simply speaking of her drop dead gorgeous look, but I'm talking about a beauty that transcends her physical presence. It's the kind of beauty that generates a lot of positive buzz among people of faith, its the kind of beauty that brings a smile to your heart when you hear her voice (even if its thousands of miles accross the atlantic Ocean), its the kind of beauty that stirs a guys heart to settle down and start a family, and most of all its the kind of beauty that I had asked for in my college list!!

Dupe (pronounced "Doo-Pay") is everything I've ever wanted in a wife, and so for the benefit of all the peeps who've prayed for me during my single days and other folks looking to find "The One" - I am putting on my blog the top 10 things I love about my sweetheart wife-to-be:

#1. She believes in the power of prayer, has a prayer life of her own, and enjoys praying with me.

#2. She likes to Dance and can sometimes be very playful.

#3. She not only loves me, but she actually likes me! (yeah I know this one is weird, but believe it or not, it was on my list.. lol)

#4. She gets along with my family (did I mention that she shares the same first name with my mum and sister? sweeeett!!)

#5 . She has a close and loving relationship with her family (always a good sign!)

#6. Did I mention that I think she's the most beautiful girl in Nigeria? (..oh and she said "YES" when I asked her to marry me ....boooyaah!).

#7. She thinks I look good in Pink (ok that one wasn't really on my list, but she still thought I looked hott!). By the way, that picture was taken during the leadership conference trip where I first met her, she was still playing "hard-to-get".

#8. She's a very patient and understanding girl, I'm always amazed at her ability to humbly navigate her way through the rough waters (and personailities)that come her way.

#9. She truly has a servant's heart and is always willing to lend a hand.

#10. There are a ton of other reasons why I love my girl and there were a few other items on my list (I'll save those for another post), but the main reason why I Love Dupe so much is because SHE LOVES JESUS! ...and that dwarfs everything else on my list.

#11. Yeah yeah, I know I said 10, but it's my blog so I can do whatever I want!.. lol... anyway, number 11 reason I love her so much is because we take some "smokin hott" pictures together. (I'm pretty sure any Nigerian reading this blog will tell you I'm wearing that hat wrong!).. lol.

Faith to Move Mountains

2008-08-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

(JESUS & The Centurion) Luke 7:1-10 - When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

As I sat in my car in the lower level parking lot during my lunch break, I had to fight back the tears. This was a prayer request that had been on my heart for years, and there wasn’t a passing week that I hadn’t brought it before God, but still, No answer.

It had apparently begun to take an emotional toll on me, and I could sense doubt slowly creeping its way into my heart. This wasn’t the first time I had experienced this, but when it happened those other times, I had fought the feelings back and reassured myself that my God in heaven knows my needs. For some reason today, the uncertainty was even greater and all kinds of questions kept running through my mind.

I don’t recall why, perhaps to drown out the quiet whispers of fear and doubt, I turned on the radio; and as if on cue, these words came out in sweet melody over my speakers:

Oh what I would do to have

The kind of strength it takes

to stand before a giant

With just a sling and a stone

Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth

Looking at my watch, I knew my lunch break was over and it was time to go back to my desk, I had a choice to make:

· Continue to kindle the doubt and fear in my heart about God’s faithfulness?

· Or choose to listen and believe the voice of truth of Jesus Christ?

I made the decision to go with option two.

Now I realize at this point, many would like to hear how the peace of God suddenly fell upon my heart (which it did), and how a few days or weeks later I received the answer to my prayer.

Actually, its been three years later and I still haven’t received the answer to my prayer, and in all honesty there are days when those questions and doubts find their way back into my heart.

There are days when I wish I had a faith that was more consistent, and there are days when I wish I had faith like the centurion in this story; faith so great that it amazed and moved the very Son of God himself.

Ever since I was a little boy, I have read and reread the account of this soldier and his servant, and each time, the level of faith in his heart never fails to moves me.

Oh what I would do to have
the kind of strength it takes
to stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone

Before I jump into this story though, I cannot help but draw a strong correlation between the last words spoken by Christ in the previous chapter and the story in this chapter.

In the last paragraph of chapter six, Jesus teaches about the man who built his home on a rock and the man who built his home on sand. When the storms and the torrents came, the one whose house was on a rock remains and the one whose house was built on sand is completely washed away. He likens the man who builds his house on a rock to one who hears the word of God, receives it into his heart and puts it into practice. Then he likens the man who builds his house on the sand to one who hears the word, but never lives it out in his life – his destruction is complete.

All indication point to the fact that the centurion in this story heard the word of God (v.3) believed in it and put it into practice (v.7-8). Ultimately, God was the one drawing him into a saving relationship with himself (John 6:44).

THE POWER OF LOVE. (Verse 1-6a)

The first thing that strikes me about this man is his growing love for God and for his love for those around him.

It was generally understood that interaction between Jews and Romans were minimal, talk less of interaction with a roman soldier. Jewish tradition held that one would become ceremonially unclean if they entered into a gentile’s house (non-Jews). Despite that, we find that this man had some form of continual interaction with the Jews. The Jewish elders themselves testify that this man “loves our nation and has built our synagogue”.

It appears that as God softened his heart, it reflected in his lifestyle.

· He cared deeply for a lowly servant in his household (v.2), something that was uncommon among Roman men of power.

· He also recognized God’s sovereignty in choosing the Jews as his special people and loved them,

· He showed his faith in their God by being diligent in helping them build their synagogue.

I think its safe to say that everything this centurion did for the Jews stemmed from his “relationship” with God.

I think there is a strong message there for each one of us: A saving relationship with Jesus Christ in our lives should produce continual change, especially in the area of love for God and love for others.

Recognizing his grace over our lives, (despite residual sin -Romans 5:8), should humble us to the point of heartfelt devotion.

ANYONE? HUMBLE PIE? (Verse 6b-7a)

I also can’t help but be moved by this man’s humility as he approaches Jesus. He knows the Jewish tradition that prevents a Jew from entering his home, and so to save Jesus the trouble of offending his people, he sends intermediaries to intercept Christ.

At first he sends the Jewish elders, whose attitudes by the way, reflect a certain level of arrogance. They approached Jesus insisting that he had to come because the centurion “deserved” to be helped.

Compare that attitude with the humility of this soldier, who realized that he was not worthy to have the very Son of God under his roof, (1 Peter 5:6). Interestingly enough, Jesus (who knew the true heart of the man he was going to meet) decides to go anyway. (O, The great love of God for us will make him do things that seem completely untraditional to us).

The centurion recognizes that Jesus is coming to his home and sends out a second party to intercept him with these words: (Verse 6b-7) "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.”

Are you getting a picture in your minds eye of what true humility looks like? I mean, that’s some humble pie for you right there!!

I have been part of some very (and I mean “VERY”) traditional and hierarchy structured churches where pride was almost embraced. The idea of humility sounded like complete weakness and you could see week in and week out, pride personified!

Ironically enough, pride is root of the first recorded sin we find in the scriptures (Ezekiel 28:17)

You know, I think one of the greatest problems with man (and woman) today is that we do not recognize the seriousness of our sins. It’s often played down, or put on scale of seriousness.

The really bad ones are the ones that upset God, the small ones? Well, he lets those ones go.

Here is something I was thinking of this week that might jolt you a little. If you take into consideration the sin Adam and Eve committed in the garden, from the outset, it would seem that it really wasn’t that big a deal (compared to what some other humans have done).

I mean after all, it wasn’t some gruesome sin like Eve mutilating Adam, or Adam raping eve. According to our standards today, had something vicious like that happened, then yes, they definitely deserved to be punished.

But once again, and this is according to many views today – some would say that Adam and Eve’s sin on a scale of seriousness, was not that bad. I mean after all, all they did was eat one lousy fruit they were asked not to.

But think of the consequences. Because of that one “small” sin, all of mankind has fallen and followed into that spiral of sin. To make matters worse, the consequence of that sin has led many not only to a physical death, but also to a spiritual death that separates man from God eternally in hell (Matthew 10:28).

Before God, Sin is sin, and the price of sin is always death (Romans 6:23).

However, God always makes a way out. Even from the very beginning (Genesis 3:15), God provided an option, he provided a means for mankind to escape this second death – and that means is through trusting and believing in Jesus Christ.

Back to our story, it clearly appears that the centurion recognized that something was drastically wrong in his life; he recognized that apart from God’s divine intervention, he was headed to an eternity without God.

I say so first off because it seems his desire to help the Jews build their synagogue (who he understood were God’s chosen people) reflects a yearning to want to reconcile his broken relationship with God.

Secondly, The level of faith and humility reflected in his actions and statement also reflect a heart that is genuinely being drawn to God the father through Jesus Christ the son.

And so in meekness, when the answer (Jesus Christ) comes on the scene, the centurion humbly comes to him recognizing that his answer lies with this man. “I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.” V.6b… “But I hope in your mercy, you will” (addition mine).

I think we could eat a little from this man’s pie (Humble pie that is!) – James 4:10.

AMAZING FAITH. (Verse 7b-8a)

I often assumed that being a man with such great power and authority would make it hard for the centurion to humbly come before Christ. But to the contrary, his authority and power actually helped him recognize the superior power and divinity of Jesus Christ.

But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." (V.7b-8)

I’ve put myself in this soldiers shoe before and I’ve tried to imagine having a sick and close friend in the hospital slowly dying. I’ve imagined walking up to Christ, and in my creativity, I pictured myself saying the same words – “Lord, you don’t have to come to the hospital, just speak the words and my buddy will be healed”.

I would like to think that that’s what I would have said. But when I look at how much faith I sometimes hold on to his words and promises in the bible, I am more prone to think I would have said something like:

“Yeah Lord, I know your words are powerful and my friend can be healed by you merely speaking it, but I would feel so much better if we called a cab and you came with me!”

As you can tell, I still have a lot of maturing in the faith to do.

But oh, how I pray that I would have faith like this soldier, how I pray that I would have faith to move mountains, how I pray that I would have the faith to say:

“God, your word says you are faithful, and you said while you were on earth that you would never leave or forsake us. I believe those words with all my heart. In this moment in my time of great need, would you show yourself mightily by answering my prayer, and would you give me the peace to rest in you and the answer you choose to give.”

I don’t know if the centurion in this story thought through all I just said, but I do know that he had a faith that was so amazing, that even the very Son of God commented and said: “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."

That is the kind of faith that I want to have,

· A faith that moves the very heart of God.

· A faith that moves me to pray for God’s will for my life

· A faith that trusts in the power of God to bring healing in the lives of the broken around me

· A faith that calls on God to bring revival starting in my neighborhood and extending all the way to Nigeria.

· A faith that is built on the promises revealed in the word of God.

God, help me have such faith in my life. Help the readers of this article be stirred by your holy spirit to the core of their being with such great faith.

THE REST OF THE STORY. (Verse 8b)

I find it interesting that Jesus never has contact with this man, but yet had the ability to simply speak divine healing into existence (which reflects the omnipotence of God reflected in the son).

But I wonder where the centurion was at the exact moment when Jesus spoke these words. Now the account in Matthew 8:13 says that Jesus actually spoke to the centurion in person and at first glance, it seems like contradicting accounts.

Considering the humility of this soldier and the statements he himself makes about his unworthiness for Jesus to come in his home – it seems more likely that Luke’s account is more accurate.

Whatever the case is, the words are spoken and something dramatic happens. "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would."

Verse 8 in Luke’s account simply says, “Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well”.

I can only imagine this soldier sitting at the bedside of his servant, perhaps kneeling in expectant faith. Possibly, at the same time Jesus speaks those healing words to the intermediaries, the centurion suddenly sees the body of his dying servant jerk, perhaps this servant’s face starts to gain a little more color.

Maybe the servant lying in bed begins to get up, looks around a little confused trying to figure why everyone is staring at him funny.

“Why are you all looking at me as if I am dead?!?!?”

And maybe, the centurion stands up and yells out an order that someone bring his dear servant a jar of water, and possibly hugs his servant and welcomes him back to life?

And perhaps the soldier turns to the east, at the direction where he can hear his servant intermediaries returning from Jesus.

And maybe at that moment, he wipes the tears off his face before anyone else can see him and quietly prays in his heart, thanking God for this mighty miracle.

I don’t know, I’m imagining all of this. One thing I do know is this: this centurion had just been touched by the grace of God and his life would never be the same again.

INSIDE LOOK AT REMIX PEEPS - Jeff

2008-07-31T06:47:00.000-07:00

NAME: Jeff Busch
AGE: 29
WHERE ARE YOU FROM: Jefferson, N.J

One T.V Show I can't Live without: A-Team
If I could have Lunch with any Celebrity: George Washington
My Favorite College Course: Classical Mechanics

My Most Exciting Memory: Being Born
My Dream job or Pet: Lottery Winner
Bible Passage that's guided my Life: PSALM 91 (all of it!)

What I like the most about REMIX: The Awesome Worship

Three words my friends would use to describe me: Loud, Soft, Melow.

They're called Teenagers! - Pt 1

2008-07-31T06:17:00.000-07:00

TEENAGERS!
They’re everywhere you look,
They’re hidden in our schools and our malls.
They come in a variety, some of them loud and obnoxious,
others quiet and shy, But don’t be deceived - They’re teenagers!

You might have some of them in your homes,
Disguised as your siblings, nieces, nephews, or nice cuddly kids,
Don’t fall for it – They’re Teenagers!
They wear the strangest clothes,
The male likes to wear his pants halfway down his butt,
Study has shown its some sort of secret identification for his kind.
He loves his music loud, and he’s drawn to every
music you don’t like.
Everything he wears is oversized,
Making him look like an overgrown gummi-bear with clothes,
looking all nice and cute, DON’T BUY IT – He’s a Teenager!

These "teens" also move in packs!
Him and his friends will take over your house,
They’ll eat your groceries, swim in your pool, watch your cable,
and drive your car,Then they’ll tax you weekly for it
they call it “Allowance”.
Whatever you do, hide your cereal, cause they’re mysteriously drawn to it.

TEENAGERS!
Some of these “male teens" have piercings all over their body.
They give no regard to their hair-look,
Some have it spiked, some puffed, and others gel’d,
Their hair color comes in every shade of green, red, blue, and purple.
They’re teenagers!

They wear T-shirts that say things like:
“Bite me!”“People hate me!”
“Maybe the hokey-pokey is really what its all about!”
“I’m with stupid!”

Despite their lack of fashion sense,
For some strange reason,
they want very expensive sneakers.
I guarantee you won’t find these “males” growing on the walls of any PAYLESS shoe stores!

Their female counter-parts? Well, that’s a whole other story!...

TO BE CONTINUED:

INSIDE LOOK AT REMIX PEEPS - Karen

2008-07-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

NAME: Karen Denner
AGE: 26
WHERE ARE YOU FROM: Jersey.

One T.V Show you can't live without? Dancing with the Stars.
If you could date a celebrity? who? Bond... James Bond (aka Pierce Brosnan).
Favorite College Course? Quantitative Analysis....don't ask, I'm weird.

Most exciting memory? too many to pick just one! performing at Carnegie Hall, riding a camel, lazer tag at FunPlex with friends from Remix...
First Kiss?? I was 14, he was a punk kid I dated for about a month

Bible Passage that's guided you? (Phillipians 1:6) 'be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion untiol the day of Christ Jesus'

What you like most about REMIX? It's helped me grow in my faith and provided a community of caring christians I can interact with.

Three words your closest friends would use to describe you? engouraging, full of joy, leader

Worship Uncensored

2008-06-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

In Luke 7, we are introduced to a woman who expressed her worship in a manner that made some of the religous leaders somewhat uncomfortable. In that account, Jesus had been invited over for a meal by one of the Pharisees named Simon, in attendance were a few other of his religous leader friends. While they're enjoying their meal, a teary eyed woman carrying a large jar of expensive perfume suddenly burst in uninvited. Now, verse 37 of that chapter indicates that this particular woman was known as having lived a sinful lifestyle in that town. I could go into detail about what that means, but the simplest explanation is that she was a prostitute.

Now in case you aren’t familiar with bible stories, Pharisees and prostitutes don’t mix, they make for a really volatile combination. The last time this religious bunch caught a woman in adultery, they were about to stone her to death before Jesus interceded; if they would consider stoning a woman caught in adultery, you can imagine they’d do much worse to a prostitute.

So this woman showing up on the scene at a Pharisee's house was perhaps not the smartest move, infact it was sort of a risky thing to do; but that all that didn't matter to this chick. Her heart was so overwhelmed with gratitude and a longing for Jesus Christ that she was willing to lay her life on the line if only to get a few minute with him. Anyway, she interrupts this dinner gathering, and after listening to Jesus for a few minutes, she audaciously (in the presence of all the dignitaries), kneels and wets his feet with her tears. When his feet are nice and wet, she wipes it dry with her hair and then pours her very expensive perfume on it.

Reading that account from our perspective today might not say much about the depth of this woman’s worship, but there are a few details about this woman's actions that deserve our attention... (as it pertains to worship).

ONE: the task that she did was often reserved for the lowliest of servants. People wore sandals back in those days and the roads were dusty, so the washing of someone’s feet was an incredibly humbling act.

TWO: In light of the fact that this woman was a prostitute, the tools of her trade was primarily her body. She would more than likely have invested a lot of income in some very expensive fragrances and care in maintaining her hair (to keep her male customers coming). Those two items (her scent and her hair) would have been invaluable to her; but at some point she had heard the teachings of Jesus and desperately longed for the kind of life & forgiveness he offered. So after many days of searching, she found him and out of everything she could have presented to him in her gratitude, she brought the two most precious possessions in her life to him in complete surrender.

When she came to Jesus, even though she recognized that her sins had separated her from God; she didn’t waste time looking for water to wash his feet; instead she wet his feet with her tears (which would have messed up her makeup, a no-no for prostitutes). Instead of looking for a towel to wipe it dry, she used her hair to clean it, (another major no no for someone in her line of work); and finally she took perhaps her most prized possession, her jar of perfume and blessed his feet with him.

When all was said and done, Jesus sent this lady back with an encouraging life giving promise, he said to her "your sins are forgiven,.. and your faith has saved you; go in peace!".

Wow! talk about laying your burdens at the feet of Jesus Christ. She came to him overwhelmed, guilt ridden, feeling far from her creator, and she left with a newfound faith, peace and hope in Jesus Christ.

I can't help but wonder what my life would look like if I approached God with that kind of attitude in my everday life. What kind of transformation and breakthroughs might I begin experiencing in my life?

What if YOU adopted that kind of attitude even today as you read this piece? What kind of transformation and breakthroughs might you begin experiencing this week if you truly surrendered your best to Jesus Christ?

Solid Foundations?

2008-03-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

During one of his teaching sessions, Jesus Christ tells the story of two men who began a building project. The one guy spent a lot of time looking for the right solid concrete foundation that he could build his house on, and when he found it, he built a beautiful home on it. The other guy didn’t spend as much time, he found some random beach front property that didn’t have a solid foundation, it was mostly soft mud, but the view looked good. And so this guy builds a beautiful home on that unstable foundation.

Jesus then goes on to describe a crazy storm cycle that blows through the town causing an amazing amount of flood. The guy whose house was built on the solid foundation withstood the storm, but as expected, the guy with the house built on sand lost everything he had invested in.

For many of us, we’ve unconsciously built our lives on the wrong foundations, and the storms are gathering. If you look at the story Jesus tells in Matthew 7:24-27, the issue is not "if" storms come, the issue is what kind of foundations your life has been built on "when" those storms come.

For the next four weeks at REMIX, we will be walking through four unstable foundations many of us have unconsiously built our lives on.

For some of us, we’ve unconsciously built our lives on the foundation of “RELATIONSHIPS” …. But what happens when that important person disappears from your life… when the admiring crowds vanish and the group you once trusted turns their back on you… who are you when the only person you have left is you?

Next week, we will talk about “APPEARANCES” For some of us, we feel if only we could be thinner, fitter, handsomer, curlier, more muscular, or prettier, then our craving for acceptance would be satisfied. But would it? We’ll see what scripture has to say about that next week.

Then we’ll talk about those of us who have built our lives on the foundation of “SUCCESS” No one argues with the fact that making the most of your life is good. But when the all consuming pursuit of the corner office, the trophy, or applause becomes your identity, it can and does wreck lives, relationships, and even one's very soul... some of us might be closer to this point than we think.

And then lastly in this series, we will talk about foundations that have been built on “THE PAST” Whether through parental judgments, painful experiences, or our own past behaviors that have resulted in shame or guilt, the past can keep you from knowing and enjoying your true identity. How do you break free?

I invite you to join us for each one of those messages, if you have a friend, a close or distant relative, or even a co-worker whom you feel might benefit from these message – we encourage you to please invite them out to Sunday evenings. Who knows, this might be the turning point they’ve been looking for.

The idea for this 4-part message series came from a book I read by Mike Breaux titled "Identity Theft" -An interesting read. However, the messages themselves will be looking at specific biblical text from the bible.

Guess who's Back?

2008-02-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

January 13th Baaabbbyyy!!

2007-12-01T09:24:00.000-08:00

Before I share with you the exciting plans we have in store for THE REMIX, let me give you a little background on how we got here. Back in March 2007, while our senior pastor Armin was preparing to come back to Grace, I had been in conversations with him about the future of REMIX and where we sensed God leading us. He was really excited about what God had already been doing here and how far we had come in the last few years. Those conversations have continued up to recent months and have revolved around the idea of leveraging what God was already doing at REMIX, (by "leveraging", I mean maximizing or investing wisely the things God has entrusted us with).

In this case, God has entrusted us with an awesome gathering of young adults, and the vision he has given us is to invest in their lives spiritually so that you in turn influence the people in their lives for Jesus Christ. During my conversations with Senior pastor Armin, we were contantly asking the questions:

"how can we best leverage this ministry we’ve been entrusted with to get the greatest impact? what can we do as a ministry to see the most amount of people experience the compassion of God?"

Those Holy-Spirit-directed conversations is what led us to the conclusion that we needed to transition REMIX from a college and twentysomething ministry to an actual worship gathering on Sunday evenings. We truly believe this is the direction God's spirit is moving us in and want to be right in the middle of his plans. With all that said, there are two strategic priorities that we need to have in place in order to effectively accomplish this shift to an actual worship service.

1. WE NEED TO TAKE DOWN THE 20SOMETHING AGE BARRIER.

Currently, we gear our ministry for only young adults in college and in their twenties. When you hit age 29, the plan is to have a sit down with you and discuss finding another ministry where you can get connected. As much as I hate to do so, in the next 5 or so years, I’m going to have to have that conversation with most of you. Well, we don’t want to do that anymore. I would hate to have spent five or more years pouring into your life, then suddenly have to ask you to leave because you were no longer the right age. The fact is, life goes on after 29 – and REMIX is getting older (...sorry).

In light of that, we want to open our worship gatherings to folks out of their twenties (and beyond) so we can continue doing life together. The themes and design of our worship services will continue to be geared for the 20something & 30something emerging generation (both married and single people), but we want anyone in any age who feels comfortable to come out and worship with us.

2. WE NEED TO MOVE TO SUNDAY EVENINGS.

I don’t know if you are aware of this, but Tuesday evening is the most forgettable night of the week, in fact our initial reason for choosing to meet on that night was because it was the only time slot available for us to use the church. Add to that the fact that Tuesday is mid-week and people are at work all day. Most people get back around 5pm and are tired by the time REMIX starts. For those who brave it out, most have to rush right out as soon as we're done so they can be in bed in time to get up for work the next day... (thereby missing out on some great fellowship....darn Tuesdays!!!). Every other weeknight is the same experience, and Fridays and Saturdays are just out of the question (Party nights!). Naturally, that leaves us with Sunday evenings, and that is the evening we want to launch our evening services ON - starting at 6:00P.M.

Moving it to Sundays also allows us to have a wider impact because most people already associate Sundays with church. A good number of people who work Sunday mornings will have a chance to attend, and most people’s schedules are open on those evenings anyway.

Target date: JANUARY 13, 2008.

These evenings will look somewhat similar to what our Tuesday nights already look like, with a few differences. We will meet upstairs in the sanctuary instead of in the basement. The entire youthroom will now be used as a coffeehouse where you can hang out and meet people before and after the service. The evenings will still include a time of worship, teaching, and prayer. We'll also still keep our volleyball time (it might be a little later when people have cleared out).

Our vision is to raise up a passionate gathering of believers who in turn influence the people in their lives for Jesus Christ. In everything we do, we want to make sure that we are continually growing closer to God, and our hearts are continually overflowing with his compassion for those around us who need to know him more. We invite you to join us on January 13, 2008 as we launch this new worship gathering, come out and be a part of the beggining of a great work God has already begun doing in Netcong, New Jersey.

Looking forward to meeting you.

The Aftermath ....of Tuesday's Message...

2007-11-29T14:32:00.000-08:00

If you were at REMIX this past Tuesday (Nov 26th), you heard the message I taught on Acts 12 and how the early church responded with prayer to a church threatening crisis. We saw how the church came together by faith praying boldly and believing greatly that God would bust Peter out of prison. Indeed, we saw God work miraculosuly by sending an angel to release Peter from his captors, and I had a little sweet quote:

"...note that it was the angel that fetched Peter out of prison, but it was the prayers of the saints that fetched the angel"

(...I get goose-bumps just thinking about that statement). Throughout the message, I continually challenged us all to stop praying cowardly, safe, cute little prayers - and to BEGIN PRAYING BOLDLY & BELIEVING GREATLY! I stood before you all and I painted a picture of what could be if each one of us adopted this new attitude in our prayers lives.

Well, I think God has a sense of humor (which I'm not finding very funny at the moment). I say so because in his wisdom, he has decided to put my faith to the test with the same message I challeneged each one of you with on Tuesday.

I just found out today that my car insurance was cancelled because of non-payment (totally forgot!). after a few calls and brown-nosing, it turns out Statefarm is willing to write me a new insurance at a much cheaper rate.... Amen and praise God right? well yes, and ooops! ...oops because I have $3.25 in my bank account and I don't carry a credit card. Apparently, without cash you can't get insurance, which means i can't drive, and i have two important meetings I have to be at tommorow morning at 10:30am.

So I'm faced with two options, call some of my already broke friends (or some well connected ones in the upper echelons of the corporate world) to try and smooch off $287, or put into practice the God centered, mountain moving, life trasforming faith that I claim is availaible to each one of us in Christ (Ephesians 1:19). Well, being the strong man of faith that I am, I impulsively opted for option one and called two friends I trusted and respected for a loan; both, in turn turned me down by faith! (...one wasn't in the office, and the other didn't have a credit card).

By God's sovereign design, I had chosen to work from home today, so I felt very comfortable storming up and down my apartment trying to figure out if God really expected me to trust him by faith that he'd provide me with the cash I needed before 10:30am tommorow. After bringing to my recollection how passionate I was about telling other people about trusting him with radical faith, I decided to put into practice what I had preached. and so I prayed,...and waited, ...battled doubt, ...prayed again, ...waited some more, ...arm wrestled doubt,..prayed some more. Finally, at around 5:00pm - THERE WAS A RING AT MY DOOR!.... (no one ever visits me at that time). I open the door and its Dewey Macdonald (one of the guys from the elder board at church). I'm thinking "ching-ching hallelujah" ....but then he hands me three bowls of lasagna, smiles and leaves! (someone from church had promised me a free meal and Dewey was delivering it). after looking in the Lasagna to make sure there weren't any dollar bills in it, i was back to my "faith-wait".... and thats what I was doing when i thought of re-posting stuff on my blog.

I was thinking again about that story in the book of Acts and was wondering if any of the folks who were praying in the churches feared that their prayers might not be answered. According to Acts 12:4-5, it appears that Peter was held in prison for about 7 days before he was to come to trial before Herod. That gave the church plenty of time to pray, ...wait, ...trust ,...doubt? I wonder if there were any guys like me in the church who had previously talked a good game about mountain moving faith, but were faced with the realization that their deadline was drawing near and their prayers had not yet been answered. consider that the church had very likely been praying all week, but nothing really happened till the night right before he was to go to trial... were there any 30 year old dudes (..ok, 31!) worrying that they had been praying for seven days but seen no impact? was anyone scared that their faith might not be strong enough to hold through till Peter got delivered? did anyone think about attempting to "assist" God in rescuing Peter instead of waiting by faith? (maybe its just me?)

I'm not looking for reasons to justify my doubt (nor do I believe the early church was full of doubters), i just really feel like crap right now because my life is not reflecting what my heart and mind believes with a passion. I know that God is more than able to do immeasurably more than all I could ask or imagine; recently I came accross and was blown away by some eye-popping pictures of other humongous solar systems that totally dwarf ours (which leads me to believe three hundred bucks is not much of a challenge for God).... But I'm really struggling to reconcile my theological understanding of his power with the lady on the phone at statefarm insurance!

it's 6:17 p.m right now and I'm still trusting by faith that God will provide for my needs. I'm not quite sure why I'm posting these thoughts on my blog, I guess its a way for me to process my fears... which seems to be working because I actually feel better about my situation.

If any of you heard the message I preached on Tuesday "PRAY BOLDY, BELIEVE GREATLY" and find yourself still wrestling with fear about God's power and faithfulness to us, I invite you to stand with me on the promises of God in his living word:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the almighty....a thousand may fall at my side, ten thousand at my right hand, but none of it will come near me...for he will command his angels concerning me, to guard me in all my ways.... "because he loves me" says the Lord, I will rescue him and I will protect him because he acknowledges my name! - Psalm 91:1,7,11,14 "

Touched by His Grace - Part 2

2007-08-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Think for a second what kind of risk these men took.

Now I am not an “ancient times homes expert”, but I would imagine it is never ever cool to dig a big hole in someone’s roof, I don’t care what culture you live in, that is just plain annoying (Lord knows you don’t want to tick Peter off, especially at this point when Christ is still working on his heart).

But these men were willing to take such a risk. You see, when plan A didn’t work, they didn’t give up, the simply switched to plan B. (get the shovels, we are going to the roof!).

LOVE IS IN THE AIR...

2007-08-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about the summer, but everytime this season comes around, I get in a really weird romantic mode. My mind is continually filled with really fun romantic suprises I'd like to give to my wife....ordinarilly, that would be great news for her, but just one small problem... I'm not married!

I really should catalog all those ideas and launch a website where I could sell them for 5 bucks a thought! I have to imagine that there's a target audience of men out there who lack the "flavor of love" my website would provide!..lol

Ok that was a totally unneccesary intro for what I really want to say, but since I have you in the "love" mode, you should know that starting on August 7th, we (REMIX) will be launching into a brand new message series titled "SINGLE, WAITING, & DATING"

This series will look a number of questions the young adult christian often asks before they take the big dive towards marriage. questions like:

How do I find THE ONE?

How do I know if I'm called to be single?

Oh crap! what if I'm called to be single?

How long must I wait?

Is looking at porn the same as having sex?

Check out the titles of some of the messages:

August 7th - Solitaire on Saturday nite

August 14th - The Art of Attraction

August 21st - How Long O Lord?

August 28th - Let's talk about Sex Baby!

September 4th - But I already ate the apple.

September 11th - Singleness: a high calling.

By the way, that last message will be preached by our senior pastor (Armin Sommer), so you will want to be around on that night, actually you'll want to be a part of each one of those evenings. If you know a friend who has had their fair share of bad choices in relationships, then you might want to invite them out also because I truly believe they will benefit greatly from this series.

hope to see you all there as we open our bibles and discover what God has to say about getting started right in relationships.

Classic Nigerian Worship Song

2007-07-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

I recently figured out how to embed YouTube videos on a web page and decided I would launch it on this blog by introducing ya'll to a classic Nigerian worship song. Interestingly enough, it's being performed by a very "non-nigerian" woman (pay attention to the Nigerian crowd reaction as soon as they hear her sing in the local language).... you gotta give her maddd props!!

The Lyrics roughly translate to: "what is impossible for you O my God? what is impossible?"... or better said "there is nothing impossible for you O my God, NOTHING!"....and it's basically being sung over and over.

The popularity of this song in Nigeria is equivalent to the popularity of "Shout to the Lord" here in the states. enjoy it!

INSIDE LOOK AT REMIX PEEPS - 1

2007-07-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

If you've ever dropped in on a Tuesday night, you know that REMIX is a thriving community of really interesting and diverse young adults. They come from different walks of life and bring with them a diversity of talents and appeal. So, I thought it would be really cool to create a section in this blog where I get to highlight some of the awesome folks who bring the ministry to life on a weekly basis.

My goal each month is to feature two new people. You get to see and read about what makes them laugh, what makes them cry, and why they keep coming back on Tuesday nites to hang out at REMIX.

Welcome to our "INSIDE LOOK AT REMIX PEEPS".

When anger serves you well.

2007-07-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

Is anger ever a good thing? Possibly.

I have read the story of David and Goliath a million times, and each time I go through that account, something different stands out......what captured my attention this time around (1 Samuel 17) is the sense of holy discontent, or holy anger in young Dave. When he sees Goliath mocking the armies of God, and he sees the Israelites cowering in fear, something deep inside him is stirred. Listen to his rising anger.... "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (v.26)

For David, Goliath's insults were not simply against the Israelites, but against God himself - and HE WOULD NOT STAND FOR THAT!! (By the way, when a Jew calls you "uncircumcised", it's not a compliment!)

David loved God so much that it hurt him deeply to hear his Lord (and his people) mocked,...so he gears up to kick some giant butt! What I found really awesome was David's mindset before approaching Goliath. He wasn't going into this fight with blind faith, he had seen God deliver him in past situations with bullies and he was confident that God would do so again.....Saul (the soon to be ousted King) wanted to give David all the right tools and weapons to beat Goliath, but David needed one thing.... "But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (v.34-37)

Man, it is so imporatnt to remember past "God-Victories" in our lives. There will be days when our situations will overwhelm our faith, and in those moments, we need to dig deep and remember the past victories God has accomplished in our lives. The joy and hope we recieved from those "God -victories" should serve as fuel for our faith as we face coming trials. David had battled lions and bears (giant bullies), and God had fought for him, Goliath was just another animal on the list. and God would give him that same victory again.

David's faith is truly something we should try and emulate. Holy anger can be a good thing if it causes us to hunger for God's power and presence in our lives.

By the way, David totally kicked Goliath's giant butt! (v.48-49)

Touched by his Grace - Part 1

2007-07-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I began working on a series of stories about men and women in the bible who were touched by God's grace. Somehow my schedule took over and I haven't been able to get back to them. Well, since I have a blog now, it's seems a great place to share the stories with you. My goal is to publish one story a month, so please feel free to check back regularly to see who's being touched by God's Grace.

Here is the link to the first story I wrote.
A LATE NIGHT SURPISE.

Here is story of how it all began:
The story of Touched By His Grace.

The Brilliance of Jeff B.

2007-07-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Our awesome Multimedia guru (JEFF-O-MANIA) apparently has a lot of time on his hands! ...lol

Actually, I thought this was really brilliant.
Jeff usually oversees everything multimedia related for our Tuesday nite meetings, he also oversees the recording of the sermons. Anyway, he sent me an mp3 file of some sound effects that I apparently use during my messages!

he's compiled all the random sayings, whistlings, and ramblings that I usually go through while I'm preaching and he's made them into a classic REMIX soundtrack. click on the link below and you'll hear what I'm talking about.

http://remixnj.com/audio/SegunSoundsMedley.mp3

gotta love jeff!

REMIX Recap - July 17th.

2007-07-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Last nite's message was a really hard one to preach, I know this not only because I read mostly from my notes through the sermon, but because I was sweating like an arminian on jugdment day (yeah yeah I know it's a bad example, but I'm still amp'd with G-forces from Dorney park today, so I'm not a hundred percent on the humor!!).

I was really nervous during the message, which is somewhat understandable...after all, I only completed it 2 hours before the night started and barely had a chance to run through it. I went straight from raw scripture exegesis to presentation. Interestingly enough, Dave came up to me later on and said the sermon hit him like a brick (I think that's a good thing?). gotta get better at finishing the messages on mondays so I can spend Tuesdays refining it.

everything else last nite was great! Andrew's parents came to worship with us and his pops totally rocked the bass. Jeff was on point with the multimedia as always, Diana and Sarah were faithfully overseeing their areas too (best team in the world!!). I have to say, The worship team sounded really awesome (welcome back Nancy!). We had a new visitor tonight who really sounded excited about getting connected (shows a lot of leadership potential too). Miss K locked her keys in the car and had to call triple A, but as always, REMIX peeps used it as an excuse to throw a little waiting party in the parking lot till triple A arrived. Man, I love this ministry....any excuse to party!...woooohooo!!

Dorney Park will improve your self image!!

2007-07-18T18:21:00.001-07:00

Today was my day off, but instead of taking the day off and chillaxing, I decided to tag along with 45 junior high kids (youth ministry) and headed to Dorney Park. Other than the usual A.D.D and candy high 14 years olds suffer from, the day was pretty nice. However, what really caught my attention was the different shapes and sizes of people at the park, more importantly, the comfort level most of them had with their bodies!!

If you've met me, you know that I find great joy in showing folks at REMIX my new bulging belly, but that show is pretty much reserved for REMIX peeps, I usually keep the tummy under wraps in public. So naturally when we arrived at the water park, I had my shirt buttoned to the collar. But after walking around for about 15 minutes and seeing at least three or four 300-plus pounders walking around half naked with all the confidence and comfort in the world, I had a moment of epiphany. I realized that I had been depriving the rest of the world from seeing (and experiencing) the wonder that is my new awesome bulging belly, and so I instantly ripped my shirt off and walked around half naked (no shirt) for the rest of the day with my new found friends.

I have to say, being in the park today made me feel good about my body. I totally realize that it's a negative way to evaluate one's self, but if you've just ridden STEEL FORCE 6 times in a row with 30 junior kids screaming "we're all going to die" - then you'll know that my equilibrium is totally off balance and I don't really care what you think! ....lol

anyway, the moral of the story is this, if you ever struggle with insecurity about your body, take a trip to Dorney Park and enjoy the wonderful freedom of expressing the beauty of your wondrous body with like minded brethren and sisthren!!