Faith Tabernacle

FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! The alarm sounds and as I have done for half of my life I run into the fire and put it out. I never go alone, we always travel in at least teams of two. There is safety in numbers. We are trust each other, we guide and encourage each other and no matter what are differences we totally rely on each other. We would probably never use these words but it is a lot like love. At our fire department we are known as the Bad Boys of Burton.

Lately God has been sounding the alarm in my spirit and the alarm sounds like this LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! So, I have been talking to the students about love, love for one another. The Bible says in the Book of John that they (people) will know us by our love for one another. In the other three Gospels, Jesus answers a question concerning the greatest commandments and his answer each time is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. This has been my focus.

Wow, what an exciting year it has been so far. We are focusing our efforts on a couple of key themes this year and I want you to know what they are. We want the students to really take ownership of their faith, meaning they can’t just rely on you, me or Pastor Ben for their faith. They need to find the truth and get entangled with Jesus for themselves. This means they have to encounter God on their own.

One of the ways we are setting students up to encounter God on their own is through journaling. Pastor Ben has taught us leaders to do a study method called “10-10-10” where you spend ten minutes reading a small portion of Scripture, ten minutes journaling about what God spoke to you through the passage. The final ten minutes is spent sharing with someone else what you wrote down. We’re teaching this method to the students and they are really getting into it. Our hope is that they will practice it daily on their own. To encourage and equip students we’ve provided free journals for all of them and we’ve ordered some solid (age specific) Bibles that are available for them to purchase in the bookstore. They would make great Christmas presents. (hint, hint)

Lastly, if you want to help us equip and inspire your students please send them prepared on Wednesdays and Sundays. Make sure they grab their Bible and journal and bring it with them. We use them every week and we need your help to keep the students coming and coming prepared. Thank you for trusting us and sharing your wonderful student with us! They are a highlight to my week.

Summer! Hurray for summer! We are really looking forward to summer. We have many things planned. First we are closing the chapter on our first year with Vertical. We have taken notes on what works and what doesn't and are looking forward to the new year with familiar and new faces. Our goal for the next year is Biblical literacy.

This summer we start with a Bible Study at our home with a time for games, swimming and a method that will teach the students to read and divide God's word for themselves. The method is from Kay Arthur, a predominant christian leader. Look for details at the Youth Booth. Enough about Vertical.