Youth Service in Azle

The Azle Youth Service

            The youth service last Thursday night in Azle was an awesome one. We had a great turnout, and I know for a fact that we had a very successful night in terms of running the service. The singers- Chasity, Alaina, Natalie, Elizabeth, and Nathaniel did an awesome job! The music- Jonathan on the drums, Alaina, Elizabeth, and Nathaniel on the piano sounded amazing the ENTIRE night! Dillion, Jonathan and myself (Bradley) did a great job speaking in front of the full crowd!      

 

            You could really feel the presence of God in that service. I know for a fact that God was in every part of that service, giving us strength and urging us to do our best and worship Him with all of our hearts. That service wasn’t just a “Let’s let the youth run it just so they can” service. I believe that that opportunity was from God for all of us to get experience doing things that we will be doing later on in life in ministry. I am EXTREMELY thankful that God put this in Bro. Crawford’s heart to let us do this. Don’t take it lightly that we got to run the service. Think of it as God allowing you to “practice” or get experience working in ministry. As Bro. Crawford said “We all have to start somewhere”: he was exactly right. You can’t just jump into doing big things in ministry. That service was a chance for all of us to get to work in ministry, and we should all be grateful that we got the chance to do so- no matter how little you think your part was. I believe that that service was a building block in God’s will for all of our lives- meaning that He is taking us to higher and higher places not only in life, but in ministry also. That was the will of God for us to run the service that Thursday night; it couldn’t have gone that well without it being His will.

 

            I am really glad that most of our youth could make it! Not only were we getting practice in ministry, but we were helping build up another youth group. The fact that it was their FIRST youth service and it went THAT WELL- that’s a blessing in itself. I believe that God has big things in store for Azle; not just for the adults, but the youth and children also. We were doing the work of God that night! Most of the kid’s there at the service had only been there a couple times, or it was their first time there! It makes you feel pretty good that you not only got to perform the will of God in your life, but you got to reach lost souls while doing it! I loved the fact that we got to talk to the kids after the service to get to know them; it not only reminds me of blessed I am to be there but it shows me how effectively we can reach people at such a young age. If you didn’t do anything, please jump in and help any way that you feel like you need to! Seek the will of God and then do it!

 

            Don’t slow down your pace in doing the work of God. Remember to pray for God’s will to be done no matter what. Again, don’t forsake God or put Him second to other things. Sure, you might want to work for God and do His will, but as long as you are chasing things of the world for the wrong reasons (a certain car to look cool) you are going to slow yourself down. It’s like every time you put God second or forget your real purpose in life, you put a ball and chain around your ankle while trying to run a marathon for God. First of all, your not only hurting yourself, but your forsaking God and it’s like your telling God “Your not important as this”. Back to the ball and chain- while your trying to run and make it look like you “have it all together” you end up embarrassing yourself and showing people that you don’t want to- or can’t, depending on what else you love in life- do the work of God and succeed. Just imagine someone with only one ball and chain on them and trying to run- or even walk. It looks like one leg works, and the other is a stick. Chasing after things and putting God second in life is a HUGE handicap! Are you really going to forfeit God’s calling, will, and blessings on your life just so you can have a bunch of things that don’t last? If you chase things that are empty and don’t matter, THAT’S WHAT YOUR LIFE WILL BECOME. I’ve seen it happen! Live a life that is devoted to God and that people will remember when you leave this earth!

 

            Just a side note- don’t think that you are too young to do ANYTHING that God has set upon your heart to do. I think youth as a whole struggle with this question: “Am I old enough to do this?” Its like we’ve been always restricted before from things in life since we were young kids like riding a bike, staying home alone, getting a job, and driving, just by our age. When it comes to the Kingdom of God, age doesn’t matter at all! Look, here’s some proof!

 

            Jeremiah 1:4-8

⁴ Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” ⁷ But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
⁸ Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.”

When your in the will of God, YOU CAN’T LOSE NO MATTER WHAT! Look at David! Was he used of God? When? When he was 40 years old? No! He was in his youth! He slayed a GIANT IN HIS YOUTH! It was because his life was devoted and revolved around ONE thing: GOD AND GOD ALONE! God already has your life planned out. All you have to do is to seek His will and DO IT.

Jeremiah 29: 10-14

¹⁰ “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. ¹¹For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare^[b] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Just ask God for His will to be done, for He knows what happened, what’s happening, and what’s going to happen! When God is the center of your life, His will blooms like a flower and He shows you how your life will unfold and grow. Don’t put things before God. That’s the enemy trying to poison your life and make it not only worthless, but grow farther and farther away from God and His will, which will lead only to destruction

The service in Azle was amazing! I think Bro. and Sis. Crawford want to have another youth service soon, so be ready and get comfortable doing the will of God!

By Bradley Reid

Released by Connor Brantley

Released

Luke 23:18-19, 24-25 (ESV)- “But they all cried together, ‘Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas’- a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. He (Pontius Pilate) released the man who had been thrown into prison, for whom they asked, but he released Jesus over to their will.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)- “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

 

The day started like any other day I had spent in that God-forsaken place. The guards threw a dried chunk of bread into my cell for breakfast. For the hundredth time, I retraced my steps to the door slowly and painfully. The chains and shackles nearly dragged me down as I reached for the bread. Then I gnawed on what was edible and helped myself to the dripping trickle of water on the wall. After that, I sat down on my straw bed once more, stared at the ceiling, and waited,and remembered. Remembered why I had been thrown into this hole. Remembered the riot I had caused in the Temple compound. Remembered how zealously I yelled about freeing Jerusalem from pagan influences. I remembered the chaos of anger and rage that was unleashed afterwards. The rest of what I could recall came in short flashes. The mounted soldiers, the terrified people trampled underfoot, the lifted fists, and then the stone that had struck and killed the centurions’ captain.

I was to be put on trial before the governor following the Passover. The charges being levied against me were insurrection and murder. I knew I did not stand much of a chance. At best, I would be scourged; at worst, I would be crucified. I prayed daily that Yahweh would protect my soon-to-be widow and fatherless children. The few pennies from my wages that were left after taxes had been just enough to get us by. With myself gone, I could imagine themstarving, homeless, and begging on the streets. The masses continued by with a cold shoulder and an evil eye. I could just hear their thoughts: We will have nothing to do with the wife of Barabbas. You are outcasts. Your husband started the mess we are in. You have no one but yourself and your husband to thank for the situation you are in.

But that was before I was released. Voices echoed down the hall that day, louder than usual. I heardshort bits and pieces of the guards’ conversation as they went by. From what I could gather, Jesus of Nazareth was on trial before Pilate. I had never cared much for his teachings. Though he had preached peace, loving your enemies, and turning the other cheek, they were definitely not the methods to drive Romans out of Israel. However, for him to be tried and possibly executed? That was unfathomable. The rabbi had not done anything worthy of death. Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps boomed throughout the dungeon. Two guards appeared at my door, unlocked the door, and took off my chains. They told me to get up and come with them. I was confused. My trial was not until the end of the week. Surely I was not being released? Up the winding stairs we went, passing the cell doors where each prisoner was standing there with an astonished look on their faces. I was the last person who should have been taken out of that prison. Maybe the soldiers had been ordered to execute me without the people’s knowledge. Whatever I was thinking, it was completely different from what happened next.

I was totally unprepared for the scene set before me. We had arrived at the top level of the fortress and were standing on the large patio in front. Pontius Pilate, the governor, stood away from us with arms lifted in exasperation. The columns towered high above us while large steps descended into the courtyard. At the bottom, it was filled to the brim with an angry mob. I could not at first make out what they were chanting and screaming. Then I felt my heart drop into my stomach and my mouth spread wide open. They were yelling, “Release to us Barabbas. Away with this man to crucifixion!” I couldn’t believe my ears. They wanted to set me free! I had been picked as part of a Passover custom performed each year. The citizens of Jerusalem would choose one prisoner that was in the fortress, and the governor would clear all charges laid against him. I was so excited, until I saw the man who was to take my place. It was Jesus, the teacher. He had been beaten into a bloody pulp. A battered, torn robe of purple barelycovered his broken skin. Circling his head, a makeshift crown fashioned out of long thorns had been pounded into his brow. Enormous pools of blood collected at his feet. Only one thought passed through my head: No. I can’t do this. I can’t let him be killed. He doesn’t deserve this!

Before I knew what was happening, the guards shoved me forward and I fell down the steps. I slowly rose up and looked at Jesus, the man who was to sacrifice himself for me. The only thing I could notice was his eyes: his deep, dark, piercing, loving, compassionate, and merciful eyes. Eyes that drew you in; eyes that were saying, “All is forgiven. You are completely and utterly forgiven.” And then the slightest smile of love. It was too much. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I stumbled down the stairs and ran through the parted crowd. All I could think was that he was going to be killed for me and my wrongs. I had been released, and I would never forget the one who had bought my life with his own blood.

 

Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)- “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person- though perhaps for a good person one would even dare to die- but God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

 

By Connor Brantley

Glow Meeting November 2012

 

For those of you that weren't able to be at Glow this november here's what you missed!

 

"How to create a Godly Woman"

 

      The holidays are just around the corner, and food is on the brain. Most of us have familiarized ourselves with the recipes from popular cook books such as: Betty Crocker, Better Homes and even Hersheys HOLIDAY EDITION! Each of these contains several wonderful recipes, but there's one book out there that's recipes are better than all the rest. You can find it almost anywhere. Maybe you've heard of it before? It's entitled "The Bible"

    Shocked? You shouldn't be. The Bible has some wonderful recipes in it. Let's see, there are recipes on forgiveness, recipes for eternal life, recipes that have to do with peace and even some that deal with wealth. Today however, we're going to look at the recipe for "A Godly Woman". The ingredients are as follows:

   

½ cup of kindness

1/3 cup of care

1TBS of truthfulness

2 sticks of love

1 cup of faithfulness

1/4 cup of responsibility

2 cups of prayer

And 4 spoonfulls of patience

     Once we gather all the ingredients needed to create a Godly woman, what do we do next? We don't just throw them all into a pan and place them in the oven hoping for the best!No, the next step is to "combine the ingredients". We must stir them all together in order for them to create the correct "chemical reaction" needed. God is our spoon (or for those of you that are more techniologically advanced, God is our Kitchen Aid.) We can read our bible, and we can have all the ingredients to create a Godly woman, but the one thing we need most in order for all of it to come together the way that it should is Him. We need God to combine all of these ingredients in our life so that they can come together to help create the final product, a Godly woman. (You'll also find that once combine, the ingredients with stand the heat of the oven and come out smelling... better than a rose.)

-amanda Y

 

(Photos By Karen P.)