Merry Christmas

Friday is Christmas Day.  The day we celebrate the birth of small baby boy born in a stable and placed in manager. The day we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Putting aside all the classic nativity scenes, the crazy last minute grocery store stops, the panic of whether or not the perfect gift is going to make it in time, the holiday lights and festivities, favorite foods and traditions, family pressures, and presents for just a moment, let us remember what this holiday is truly all about.

Our God.

We often think only of Jesus' birth at this time of year, but today I want us to think about God the Father.  The Father, giving up his holy son, for you and me.  I would gladly lay down my life for a friend and sacrifice my life to save another human being, but the thought of laying down my son's life, being separated from him while he died on a cross, and watching the mocking and pain thrown upon him by those He was sacrificed to save... This thought is almost too much to bear. Yet God the Father did this for us.  He sent His beloved son away from Him to save us.

So this Christmas as we enjoy all the great things about this time of year, let us not only celebrate the birth of our Savior but let us also remember the Great, Mighty, Holy, Awesome, Loving, Compassionate, Powerful Father God who gave us the opportunity for unity with Him through His son, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Update

Although Skate & Rec Night is taking a break for awhile, the ministry has not gone completely dormant.  We had our quarterly board meeting on October 21st to discuss what has happened, what we are doing now and where we are going from here.

As of right now, we don't know what is going to happen with MAD Skates & Rec Center or really where we are going from here.  For now, the ministry is mostly resting.  A lot of the skate ramps and other equipment has been donated or sold.  There are still several Freshpark ramps and one grind rail available, so if you know of someone looking to buy a ramp or rail, have them contact Brett - 206-423-0813. We are also able to donate equipment to non-profit organizations, so if you know of a non-profit looking for this type of equipment, please send them to Brett.

In other news, Brett continues to be in contact with several Skate & Rec Night kids and families and is ministering to them as much as she can.  Feel free to contact her via her personal Facebook (FB) page "Brett Elizabeth Spore" or via text or email.  Please be patient as she is very busy with family and medical issues right now.  She is also working with a small group of skaters in Nebraska where she is ministering via FB.

Our next board meeting is scheduled for early January.  Please be in prayer for God's guidance and planning.  Thank you.

The End of A Season

It is with a sad heart that I announce that our season at Bethany Bible Church (now The Vine Church) has come to an end.

If you feel led to do so, please send a thank you card or letter to Pastor Scott Ritter thanking him for entrusting us with the facility.  A special shout out to John Bennett, Larry Holland, and Lanelle Beaulieu for helping us walk through the doors initially and resolving any issues that came up over the years.

The Vine Church
6214 NE Bothell Way
Kenmore, WA 98028

It has been a beautiful thing watching Skate & Rec Night grow and change over the years.  Seeing kids come in and grow up and move on to high school and college as young men and women has been a life changing experience.  Watching our volunteer staff tirelessly dedicating their time and hearts to these kids is inspiring.

For those who wonder, "What's next?" I do not know.  God has a plan and we have to keep watching and waiting for that plan to unfold.

Stay tuned & God bless.

MAD Skates Update

MAD Skates and Rec Center will not be reopening Skate & Rec Night this Fall.  Due to me needing to step down from most of my key leadership positions, we do not have the staffing to effectively run the ministry this Fall.  We are hopeful to find additional leadership who can take over and bring Skate & Rec Night back stronger than ever this winter.

Here are our staffing needs:

1.       General Manager/Overseer – Someone to make sure everyone is doing their jobs.

2.       Dinner Organizer – Someone to plan dinners for the kids each week.  Can be as simple as ordering pizza and pop each week, or it can be lining up dinners to be brought in.  I have done it both ways.

3.       Volunteer Organizer – Someone to keep track of which volunteers are working which nights and making sure all vacations and illnesses are covered. As well as running background checks and checking references for new volunteers.

4.       Fundraiser – Someone to raise funds for the ministry. Grant writing.  Gathering items for raffles. Connecting with Taco Time and other local businesses for fundraising opportunities.

5.       Lead for Skate & Rec Night – Someone to be in charge on Monday nights.  Jeremy is willing to be the Lead every other week, so we can either get someone to be the Lead every week or every other week.

Thank you for being a part of this ministry.  We look forward to serving you and our community for many more years to come.  

5-18-15 Jeremy Drew - Samson

Who is the strongest?
Each kid was given either an 8 pound or 15 pound medicine ball.  They had to hold the ball at arms length while standing with their back and heels against the wall.  Whoever held it the longest was declared the strongest!

Strength:

Judges 13:1-5
Samson - dedicated to the Lord from before he was born.

Judges 14:5-6
Samson's strength is shown in tearing up a lion.

Judges 16:4-22
Delilah is bribed to capture Samson.  Delilah & Samson's cat & mouse game begins.  Samson finally gives away his secret and Delilah captures him.

Did Samson use his gifts wisely as he was supposed?

It's important for us to use our gifts when we discover what they are AND we are to use them for God's glory not our own benefit only.

4-27-15 Notes from Guest Speaker Karina Woodruff

Icebreaker: Karina started by asking the students to tell her something good that happened this weekend or today. The students shared their stories in 30 seconds or less.

Lesson:
Background information: The Tribe of Israel were known as "God's people."  All throughout the Old Testament they flip flop back and forth from following God then falling away.  Eventually they ask for a King to lead them. They have good kings and bad kings, and at the point where we join the story they have King Saul.  Due to Saul's bad behavior, God rejects Saul.  Samuel is the prophet during this time, and it is his job to find and anoint the new king.

Bible Passage Read Aloud: I Samuel 16

All of Jesse' sons are brought before Samuel starting with the eldest brother.  None are accepted, and then Samuel asks if there are any more sons of Jesse.  There is only one, but he is a stinky shepherd out with the sheep and the youngest of all the brothers.  Samuel tells them to go get him.  God chose him, David, the "least of these," because God saw that David's heart was good.

Game: 3 random kids were chosen to pick from 3 gifts with different wrappings sitting on the floor.  They then talked about why they chose the gift they chose.  Then they opened their gifts.  The least desirable gifts were wrapped in the best wrappings, but the best gift was wrapped in paper towels.  The point was that just like these gifts, people aren't always in the best wrapping - outward appearance - but what's inside is what counts.

Karina works with homeless youth who say "The only thing I want from people is for people to look me in the eye."

Karina then had students share their own experiences of when they had misjudged someone.  Several students shared.

God does not look at the outward appearance but He looks at the heart.
I Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or this height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Matthew 23:25-28 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee!  First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
 
Karina encouraged the students to look beyond the outward appearance and look at people's hearts as well as making sure our own hearts are in the right place.

4/20/15 Notes From Jeremy Drew's Review

Last week Jeremy Drew did a review of the lessons he has taught since the start of the school year last September.  The students looked up verses as clues to try to figure out what was taught each week if they could not remember it.  Here is what they have learned from Jeremy so far this school year.

OCTOBER
Clue 1: Amos 3:3
Clue 2: Matthew 18:19-20
Topic: Being United.  United with God. United together as a church

JANUARY
Clue 1: Philippians 4:19
Clue 2: Jeremiah 29:11
Clue 3: Proverbs 3:5-6
Topic: God's Plan.  God's plan for your life. God knows the plan for your life better than you.

FEBRUARY
Clue 1: Philippians 4:6
Clue 2: I Thessalonians 5:16-18
Clue 3: Matthew 28:18-20
Topic: God's will.  God's specific will for your life.  God's will for ALL Christians.

MARCH (The students remembered this one, so no clues were given.)
Topic: 3 Properties of God
Omniscience - Jeremiah 1:5 - All knowing
Omnipresence - Proverbs 15:3 - All present, everywhere, all seeing
Omnipotent - Matthew 19:26 - All powerful

Bible Session Notes from Guest Speaker Rob Wagy - 4-6-15

What Type of Character Will You Be?

Rob Wagy – Guest Speaker

Who are the Characters?

        Daniel AKA Beltshazzar (Beltis protect the king!,)

1. King Nebuchadnezzar (Grandpa) meaning (O god Nabu, preserve/defend my firstborn son". Nabu, He is also known as Bakhat Nasar, which means "winner of the fate", or literally, "fate winner".^{[citation needed])}) Son of Nebuchadnezzar

First Part means O god preserve/defend my firstborn son  Second Part means: winner of the fate

King Nabonidus  Not mentioned   Could mean (O god Nabu, preserve/defend my firstborn son".

2. King Belshazzar  (Grand Kid)  (Bel, protect the king", sometimes called Balthazar)

Hananiah he called Shadrach,

Mishael he called Meshach,

Azariah he called Abednego

The Story of two men with a similar name meaning protect the KING.   As we look into the lives of these two men, there are other characters that play into the story, let’s see how it all plays out.

The starting of the story we see that Daniel and his three friends who are so devoted to the Hebrew God.  That they won’t eat food that may have been prepared for Idols first.

Let’s read what the Bible says.

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine; so he asked the palace master to allow him not to defile himself. ⁹ Now God allowed Daniel to receive favor and compassion from the palace master. ¹⁰ The palace master said to Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king; he has appointed your food and your drink. If he should see you in poorer condition than the other young men of your own age, you would endanger my head with the king." ¹¹ Then Daniel asked the guard whom the palace master had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: ¹² "Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe." ¹⁴ So he agreed to this proposal and tested them for ten days. ¹⁵ At the end of ten days it was observed that they appeared better and fatter than all the young men who had been eating the royal rations. ¹⁶ So the guard continued to withdraw their royal rations and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

So God provided a Miracle to prove a point.  That it was God will keep those that keep themselves for Him.

Then because he needed somebody to help guide the Kings… he allowed them to be smarter that the other diviners.

So we can see Daniel (Beltshazzar) put himself into a place he could live up to his name.  It too was a sacrifice to be there, but we see how God equips Daniel for the next steps coming in life.

Here is how Scripture puts it.

To these four young men God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom; Daniel also had insight into all visions and dreams. ¹⁸ At the end of the time that the king had set for them to be brought in, the palace master brought them into the presence of Nebuchadnezzar, ¹⁹ and the king spoke with them. And among them all, no one was found to compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they were stationed in the king's court. ²⁰ In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. ²¹ And Daniel continued there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Daniel 2:25-30 Da’ DREAM

King Neby can’t sleep and is creeped out and is looking for help.  When nobody can he wants to kill ALL the “wise Men”

But one of the consultants to the King Arioch Reminds the King of Daniel.

Let’s see how Scripture places that out.

²⁵ Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him: "I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who can tell the king the interpretation." ²⁶ The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to tell me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?" ²⁷ Daniel answered the king, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners can show to the king the mystery that the king is asking, ²⁸ but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has disclosed to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen at the end of days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed were these: ²⁹ To you, O king, as you lay in bed, came thoughts of what would be hereafter, and the revealer of mysteries disclosed to you what is to be. ³⁰ But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me because of any wisdom that I have more than any other living being, but in order that the interpretation may be known to the king and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

Again in scripture we see Daniel say wait don’t kill anybody.   Let me see if God can tell me.

To give you the shortened version, he predicts King Neby spends time as an Animal cause of his hard heartedness.

What is going to happen after word?

For time we need to jump down to the person who is named to be the protector of the King.

We will see that he choose much different actions… and we see a very different outcome and the kingdom becomes compromised cause of his decisions.

All he wanted to do was have a little fun with his friends. Hey the stuff his dad took wasn’t being used let’s bring out the finest.

Would you, if you were trying to impress your friends?

Changing Characters

DA PARTY CHAPTER 5

King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.

WARNING… when you hear somebody talk about being under the influence of wine or anything… let be a WARNING… most times nothing good comes from it.  Maybe some funny stories…but there was an expensive lesson to be learned from the story and happy nobody was seriously hurt.

Who wouldn’t want the BIGGEST and BEST New Year’s party EVER?

² Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. ³ So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver ₁ that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
Before we get into the next part what does this tell us about his character?
What does it say about learning from the mistake of his elders?  That was one thing my mom tried to instill in me.  Let somebody else learn the hard way… and try to choose not to make the same mistake… I think she had some wised.  Too bad Belszer didn’t have someone speaking wisdom to him.

THE Hand Writing

Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. ⁶ Then the king's face turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. ⁷ The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners; and the king said to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever can read this writing and tell me its interpretation shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around his neck, and rank third in the kingdom." ⁸ Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king the interpretation. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar became greatly terrified and his face turned pale, and his lords were perplexed.

The Wrap up

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered in the presence of the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else! Nevertheless I will read the writing to the king and let him know the interpretation.

Side Note:

So, again Daniel wouldn’t let himself be defiled with wrong gifts.

What does this tell us about Daniel??

He had a higher purpose.  He had others speaking words of life into him.  So, he had what it took to make right choices.

¹⁸ O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar kingship, greatness, glory, and majesty. ¹⁹ And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed those he wanted to kill, kept alive those he wanted to keep alive, honored those he wanted to honor, and degraded those he wanted to degrade. ²⁰ But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he acted proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his glory was stripped from him. ²¹ He was driven from human society, and his mind was made like that of an animal. His dwelling was with the wild asses, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and sets over it whomever he will. ²² And you, Belshazzar his son, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this! ²³ You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven! The vessels of his temple have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know; but the God in whose power is your very breath, and to whom belong all your ways, you have not honored. 

CHAP 5:26  THE JUDGEMENT

This is the interpretation of the matter: mene, God has numbered the days of ₅ your kingdom and brought it to an end; ²⁷ tekel, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; ²⁸ peres, ₆ your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." 

Pretty harsh ending. While he was partying the enemy was infiltrating

the Palace. When the writing was on the wall.

Some Historians say

It was said that during the Party the Persia had tunneled under and throw the wall. Attacked at the end of the party.

That was how the kingdom was then given over to the Persians.

Sidenote about how we know.

Evidence that Belshazzar held the title of king, beyond the evidence given in the Book of Daniel, comes from a cuneiform tablet called “The Verse Account of Nabonidus,” where it is said that Nabonidus “entrusted the kingship” to his oldest son before leaving on his pilgrimage to Tema.^[3] Also, in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia (4.6.3), Xenophon refers to a son of the Babylonian king whom he also calls a king, and this son/king was reigning in Babylon when Cyrus was preparing his army to advance against the city. Xenophon, without giving his name, also repeatedly refers to the "king" that was slain when Babylon fell to the army of Cyrus. Xenophon, in agreement with Herodotus (I.292), says that the combined Median and Persian army entered the city via the channel of the Euphrates River, the river having been diverted into trenches that Cyrus had dug for the purpose, and that the city was unprepared because of a great festival that was being observed.^[4]

Bible Session 3-30-15 James Starlin

Here are my notes from our guest speaker - James Starlin.

James introduced his friends - Paul, Tim & Taylor and then opened in prayer.

He then shared a little about his life.

• He is 27 years old.
• He started chasing God in 2008 when he really gave his life to Christ.
• At 20, he had everything he wanted.  
• When he came to Christ, it was like a revelation - an epiphany.
• He grew up hearing God's word in church but he didn't actually have a relationship with God.
• God gave us a choice.

He talked about his "Crazy & Lazy" season.

• He became a Christian and really had a relationship with Christ.
• He felt like he knew something others did not know, but he wasn't sharing that information with anyone.

Then he decided to start showing people God's love and not just talking about it. He gave us a cool picture on canvas that he had done of our logo, and told us how it was a token of his love - an example of showing God's love to others by what we do, say, give, listen, etc.

"It's not always easy following God, but it's rewarding."  I thought this was a great quote.  He went on to say following God has given him the confidence to come and speak to us.

In Junior High he started asking, "What is my identity?"

James came tonight to express...

You are the light of the world.  You are a city on a hill. (Matthew 5:14)

God made you perfect.  Exactly the way He wanted you.  Like an artist putting every effort into making a work of art, God made you exactly the way you were meant to be.

Favorite Scripture:

Philippians 4:4-9 - Do not be anxious about anything. Pray about everything. EVERYTHING! And HE will give you peace.  His peace guards your heart.

Kids Are Cooking photos from last night