Face Off: White House vs Northside

Well not really but it sounded like a cool title!

This afternoon Northside made the trek up to White House for a little face off in volleyball that started out as WH vs NS but by the second game was definitely a blend of the two. Throw in a frisbee and a reenactment of John 6, youth style, and you've got a great afternoon. Jack Bauer led us in a few songs and Chris and Nixon led a devotional that held a lot of great reminders as the kids get ready to go back to school from Spring Break. Christianity is not always easy and it may not always be the coolest but the reward is bigger than we can ever imagine. It's never going to be easy but we have a pretty awesome God who has our back.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. Then they asked him, "What must we do to the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. " - John 6: 25-29

Thanks to all those who came big and small and made yesterday afternoon a lot of fun!

the new day

as i was thinking about the look of this blog, i concluded that i wanted you to always have an image that in your mind signified your faith. the typical look that a Christian based site goes for is something along the lines of a cross. while i have nothing at all against that, it's important that we remember that the cross wasn't the end for Jesus. what set Jesus apart wasn't the death on the cross, it was the resurrection. this is where the victory was won.

so whenever you come here, you'll see a picture of a sunrise. this signifies the new day. in matthew 28 it talks about the marys going to visit the tomb "as the new day was dawning" (nlt). there are so many times in life that we'll feel knocked down, bruised, broken, shattered.. defeated. but when all hope seems to be lost, the new day dawns. and just like that our sorrow is turned to joy.

imagine for a moment the way the marys felt. they loved Jesus so much, and watched him suffer, bleed, and die unjustly. in their sorrow they went to see his body only to find it was no longer there, and that he was back. how quickly did their sorrow turn to joy? how quickly did they go from mourning to celebrating the life that they thought was lost?

in this way we should feel excited in our hard times to know that the new day is dawning. so as you come to this blog to see some of the latest happenings of the white house youth group, be encouraged about the life you have in Christ and in knowing that hope is always on the horizon.