Bible Drill (for Kids)

Most of you know that I participated in Bible Drill throughout my childhood and teenage years. From 4th-12th grade I was involved in some form of Bible Drill. It was one of those consistent features of my year. I quit organized sports in 6th grade, but Bible Drill carried me onward to graduation. I was privileged with the opportunity to go through Children's, Youth, and X-treme Bible Drill. I also participated in the Bible Drill Speaker's Tournament. But it was one of those things I had to eventually grow out of. It only carried me so far, and life began changing. I have not participated or helped with a form of Bible Drill in two years...

Until this summer... Christian Wee Learn. When I found out that this was the curriculum for the summer, I was excited. Bible Skills, Drills, & Thrills is the new format for 1st-3rd grade, something that was not available when I was that young. Now I have been able to teach one of my childhood passions to 20+ kids, and I have enjoyed every minute of that part of the summer. The days we spend in Bible Study and Bible Review have been great! The kids have impressed me, and I have been able to go back to all those years that I spent in Bible Drill.

This curriculum that LifeWay has developed is amazing! There are 36 lessons in each cycle. We have been using the Red Cycle (1 of 3 different cycles). There is plenty to do and learn. Each lesson introduces new (sometimes very simple) games to help reinforce the kids learning. It also includes a key verse, a passage for the Bible Story, a craft, and a service idea. All in all, the kids learn the books of the Bible, 8 memory verses, and 10 key passages. Each lesson will keep the children busy, and leaders will enjoy the time they spend with the kids.

Tomorrow is sadly our last day of Bible Study. We almost hit 30 of the 36 lessons this summer. Along the way, many of these kids have memorized all the information that was placed before them. I encourage anyone who works with kids at their church to purchase this material. Your kids will have fun, and so will you. I redeveloped some of the games they provided, and we play many of them everyday. These games have been the foundation of their memorization. The stories provide them with truths to carry on with them for the rest of their life. The Scripture will forever be instilled in their hearts and minds.

So if you have never had some type of curriculum for the younger kids of your church, go check this out. It could be the answer your church or your kids have been looking for. If done right, it can encourage young kids to study Scripture, providing them with a fun way of learning the Bible. I really hate to see this study coming to an end tomorrow. It has been an exciting experience.

Matt

Sigh of Relief

Gas prices are finally coming down. Who knows how long they will actually stay down. Over the past few months gas prices have begun to drop for once. After a hard spring of continuously rising gas prices, they now seem to be at least leveling off. Throughout the month of June gas remained in the $3.80-3.99 range in Martin. It never crossed over to that dreaded $4 mark (although $3.99 is actually right there). But July has brought a sense of hope to everyone. The past couple of weeks have shown a slight decline in the price of gas. Each day the national average has steadily dropped. Today gas dropped another $2.50 per barrel.

But is this going to last?

That seems to be the question now. How long will we see gas fall? I think that it depends on us. I heard a statistic this morning that said that American's drove over 40 billion less miles in the first 4 months of this year as compared to previous years. I think that the last 2-3 months has seen an even sharper cut. With people conserving fuel, carpooling, and using public transit, gas is making its way back down. If we will keep up with what he have started and not revert back to our old ways, gas may continue to fall. But if we take this price drop and use it as an excuse to waste gas again, I feel that gas will once again rise.

But what do I know? I am not an economic expert. I do not understand all of the ins and outs of the gas prices. Then again, who really does? Is there a real standard to how and why gas prices rise and fall? There are a lot of questions that it seems no one can answer. All I can say is that I am relieved that gas is making its way back down. It does not put quite as bad of a pinch on me. I only hope that it will continue to stay down. So if you are one of those who has changed your ways because of rising gas costs, do not stop now. We are all doing something right it seems, and we must keep at it.

Matt

Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

Today is one of the most exciting days in NASCAR. The biggest race of the year is always the Daytona 500, but the race at the Brickyard is huge! Pre-race is currently underway, and I will be sitting in front of this TV all afternoon watching the race. Why is this race so exciting? The main reason is that it is at Indianapolis. Home of the Indy 500, NASCAR has been coming to this track since 1994.

Jeff Gordon was the first to win at this track in '94. He was also the first to ever win twice, three times, and four times on this track. In the 14 previous races, he has won 4. Only a select few have been able to claim a victory at the famous Brickyard, and today someone else will claim that great win as they get an opportunity to "kiss the bricks."

I know many of you could probably care less about anything related to NASCAR. But if you were to watch just one race all season, this would be one of the more exciting. This is the one that every driver wants to win. They will do anything to get to the front. Strategy will be a key today, as drivers will take chances in the pits to get to the front.

You may not be interested, and I guess that is fine. But I can guarantee that this will be one of the best races of the season.

Matt

School Must Be Close

This was not a good week for the kids. We had more discipline problems this week than ever before. I was taking 2 or 3 kids downstairs to talk with another teacher Monday-Thursday. They would not listen. They would not learn. I would take one down one day, and the next day would be just as bad (with the same kids). It was total chaos, and I did not know what to do. The only positive about those 4 days was that they continued to listen well during our Bible story time. They paid attention, participated well, and were able to play many games. By the end of the week I was able to chart their progress to see where we need to focus on during this last week and a half of summer.

Another positive about this week is that Friday went well and we had only 1 problem with 1 kid all day! I hope that is a good sign for Monday.

I honestly believe that one of the main reasons that they have been so wild this week is because they know that school is almost here and summer is almost over. They all go back on August 7. It will not be long until some of the kids leave Christian Wee Learn for school. They will not be here for after school. However, others will be seeing us when they get out of school each day. Plus a whole new batch will show up. Those moving up into Kindergarten will be with us once school starts back. Lots of change is coming in the next few weeks. I just hope that this next week will go smoothly.

Also, I have been seeing how fast they can spout off the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is just like what we used to do in Bible Drill. I line them up, start with the first person, and they go down the line saying the books. I have now started timing the older group, and I challenged them to do it in less than a minute. After 4 tries, they did it! They can do it in 53.63 seconds. I was blown away.

So maybe some things are not going so well, and maybe they are excited about school. That does not excuse the way that they have acted, but I can understand they are anxious for school to start in some ways. But I am daily impressed by these kids when they are able to recall all the different information that we have learned this summer. It has been fun to watch.

Matt

Taking Time to Witness

Acts 8

Today's story at Christian Wee Learn was about Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. I read the story to the kids from Acts 8, and then we discussed why Philip witnessed to this man, and what he told him. We also discussed the importance of telling others who Jesus is and what He did for us on the cross. I drew their attention to Acts 1:8. That was Jesus' final charge to His disciples as He ascended into Heaven. It was a charge that the disciples held onto and carried out. They began in Jerusalem, and eventually moved to other parts of Judea (like we saw in today's story). Eventually, people such as Paul began spreading the Word to other countries. The early church had a drive to tell people the "Good News" or the Gospel. When they encountered someone, they shared their faith.

What about us? Do we take the time to tell someone about Jesus or do we just blow it off and walk the other way? Do we act on the Holy Spirit's prompting or do we ignore the Holy Spirit and pretend like it did not happen? I cannot answer this question for anyone but myself. I do not know which avenue you choose in life. I would hope you choose the first, but I know that we all mess up and at times neglect to share our faith with those around us.

After the story today I had a series of questions to ask the kids to spark some discussion. One of those questions asked if Philip was on the road because he was bored. The answer was no. He was prompted by God to travel in that direction for the sole purpose of meeting up with this man from Ethiopia. Another question asked if Philip neglected to share the Gospel with the man. Once again, the answer was no. Philip gladly told this man who Jesus was and how the passage from Isaiah connected with Jesus. Philip was not afraid to step out and share his faith. In fact, he was more than happy to have such an opportunity.

I encourage you today to not be afraid to step out and tell someone about your Savior. As I said earlier, we all fail. We all know of times when we could have told someone about Jesus but walked the other way. But despite what your past may or may not hold, look to the future. Start over and find someone who you think needs to hear about Jesus. Tell them about the difference He has made in your life. Be like Philip and follow the Lord's call. Do not be afraid to step out and take a chance. This is the most important decision someone could ever make.

Matt

Left Behind >The Kids<

This is where it all started for me. I had always been a somewhat avid reader as I was growing up. I am told that I began reading quite early. But I do not ever remember having a great love for reading until I came across this book. As I stated in a previous post about the Left Behind series, my grandmother began this craze in our family. And it was with this book that I began reading nonstop. I have not slowed down since.

..

The Vanishings was the first of the 40 book series known as Left Behind >The Kids<. It began with Judd Thompson Jr., Vicki Byrne, Lionel Washington, and Ryan Daley. These were four teenagers who woke up to a great catastrophe. Judd was running away from home, Vicki was returning from a late night party, Lionel found no one at home, and Ryan heard of his parents deaths that next morning (not because of the Rapture). Through various connections, they all ended up at New Hope Village Church where they met Bruce Barnes (a character from the adult series). From there, the drama unfolded. The kids formed a close group in order to watch after one another. They began school several months later and took their new faith to the hallways. As more natural disaster plagued the world, the small group began to grow, and more kids were coming to know Jesus. But along the way, there were deaths. In book 13, the most tragic death of the series occurred, putting a 12 year old kid to the point of tears as he read about the death of a young character from the book.

..

Throughout the series, the kids were split up across the world. They had to face the problems of being a teenager as they lived through the most tragic period the world had ever seen. They made friends, lost friends, and were separated from friends for extended periods of time. But through it all, they expressed their faith and dependence on Jesus Christ. They always looked forward to the day that He would return and win the battle of Armageddon.

..

It is hard for me to recommend these books to my readers because of your age. If you were 5-7 years younger I would encourage you to go out and read these books. Anyone from 10-16 would enjoy these books. But if you had not grown up with them, then it would be hard to start them after about 16. I began reading them at 9 or 10. They did not end until my junior or senior year of high school. I could not quit what I had started as a young kid, so I continued to read them. But our kids would love these books. This will definitely be one series that I will one day encourage my kids to read.

..

Matt

Not a Weekend of Rest

After a long week, the thing we all would like to do is rest during the weekend. But that is not always the case. At times, we have places that we need to or have to go. And then there are those times when unforeseen circumstances arrive, and we have to adapt our schedules to accommodate others. This weekend was one of those weekends.

My grandmother was put back in the hospital on Wednesday, and I had not yet had an opportunity to go visit her yet. We had thought about going on Saturday, but had to quickly change our plans to go visit her today. See, she and my mom decided to buy peas. Well when you buy peas from someone, you have to get them ready to put them into the freezer. So yesterday was a day of playing with peas. I am not complaining, that is something I have grown up doing, and I have very fond memories of doing that with my other grandmother before she passed away. But it takes a while to do, so we started yesterday.

On top of the peas, the Senior High Group is gone this week on their Mission Trip, so I also had to do Power Point for the 2nd service today. Again, I enjoy doing that, but it just all happened to fall on the same weekend. So after I got home from church, we went straight to Jackson to visit Grandma. But then, my grandfather began feeling worse, complaining with a stomach ache. So we had to hurry back home, find medicine and get him taken care of as well. And as you may guess, we still had peas to take care of once we got home. Thankfully, the peas are just about ready.

So I am really tired right now, and tomorrow starts another week with the kids (hopefully a good week). But forget about me, I will make it. I have been a lot worse off than this. Please pray for both of my grandparents who are recovering from different illnesses. May God give them strength to feel better. Also, continue to pray for my brother and the rest of the group as they spend the week in Ohio ministering to various families and churches. I am looking forward to another week. I have confidence that this will be a great week!

Matt

What About Favre?

Well many of you know that I am also one who loves to watch sports. Although I am not athletic, I do know the rules and enjoy watching sports on TV. Among my favorite sports are NASCAR, football, and basketball. NASCAR is a year long sport, which I enjoy every weekend! But football and basketball do not get started until the Fall. And football season is right around the corner once again. I cannot wait to turn the TV on and watching a good game of football, as long as it does not interfere with a race. But recently I have been following the news about Favre.

I am, and have always been, a huge Packers fan! My grandfather got me started on the Packers when I was little. So I grew up following the Packers, even if they were not on TV that much. Then, Chad Clifton was drafted to the Packers, and that made it even better! Now that we have 2 Martin natives in Wisconsin, I could never leave my Packers behind. So you can probably imagine that I did not want to hear the news that Favre had retired. That was a really sad day. But immediately people started speculating that he would soon want to be back on the team. And now that speculation has come true. The news has been covered with Favre's decision to come back to the NFL.

So what is the right decision for the Packers and for Favre? What should be done about his change of mind? I can see both sides of this situation. Maybe he made his decision to retire too quickly. Now he realizes his mistake, and he wants everyone to bring him back. I can see where he would be distressed and anxious to return to what has been his life for over 15 years. But is that fair to Rogers who has now become the starting quarterback? Should the Packers bump Favre back up to the #1 position? I do not know. Granted, I do not see it being fair to Rogers, but since I am such a fan of the Packers, something inside of me wants him to come back.

So I don't know. What do you think? Who is right in this situation or are both sides wrong?

Matt

Crazy, Fighting Kids

So Christian Wee Learn was getting better. And if I look at it from the perspective of what the kids have learned this summer, it far exceeds what I could have ever imagined. But the problem is that they are now getting wilder. The past two days (including today) have been horrible!! We have had more fighting and lying than we have had all summer. They will not listen, and it is stressing me out a little. But I know that things will get better. They do know how to listen, and have proven that to us before. So I am ask for prayer, not for me, but for the kids. I pray that something they have learned this summer will make an impact on their life. Maybe it will help them learn to listen and know why it is important to listen and respect authority. I pray that something will change that will help them in the long run, not just to help my summer be easier. I am praying for a life change in these kids.

Secondly, continue to pray for Phillip. He finally sat down and talked to me yesterday. He said that he did accept Christ into his heart that Monday night at Kids Kamp. I knew he was struggling, but he would not open up that night. I questioned what he did that night, and he knew what he was talking about. I think he does understand the Gospel. But remember, his mom is Catholic, and his dad is Baptist. So he is really struggling with what the differences are between the two. I told him that he needed to let his parents know the decision that he made at Kids Kamp. He said he was going to, but through the chaos of today, I never had a moment to talk to him alone. So I am shooting to do that tomorrow. Pray that he will have the courage to make known his decision, and pray for his growth in Christ in the days to come.

Finally, my brother will be involved in the Senior High Mission Trip to Toledo, Ohio next week. They leave on Saturday. Pray that God will do amazing things in Toledo. Seeds will be planted, and there could be harvest while they are there. I am praying that God will show up and work through the lives of these willing students.

Matt

1 Month to Go?

The word is that Union is now about 1 month from competing the 14 residential buildings (or dorms as we call them). The latest news that I heard was that Union is now projecting construction to be completed somewhere between August 1st and mid-August. Now anything could happen between now and then, but it appears to be great news! If things go well, that would put them right on target to let those who must return early to campus in the new dorms (I'm guessing). Also, we would not be far behind them. So after 5 long months of waiting, we may only have to wait 1 more. And in less than 2 months Fall 2008 will be in full swing.

But Summer 2008 is not over, and I am already looking ahead to the Fall Semester at Union. Let me back up and catch you up on life since Kids Kamp. We returned, and I was ever grateful for having the opportunity to serve on that trip. I was able to connect with some new kids and continue to build relationships with kids I already knew. God was with us on camp, and He is continuing to guide us now.

I am still at Christian Wee Learn, and we are about to wrap up all the information for the summer. They only have 3 more Key Passages to learn, out of 10. Many know all 9 of their memory verses, and all the kids know at least through 2 Corinthians (most are to the end already). They continue to surprise me each day and show me that they can learn these things. These verses will be with them for the rest of their life, and will pop up at random times. I hope that they can take away many of the truths that we have talked about this summer.

All in all, life is good. Despite me anxiously waiting to return to Union, I do not want to rush Summer away. It has been a great summer! I have learned a lot, reconnected with many friends, and enjoyed the various areas I have been privileged to serve in. I know that there are only greater things coming in the future, but I must remember to live in the present. Enjoy the here and now. So summer will continue to move along, and before long I will be living in a new place on some familiar grounds.

Matt

Exploring the Scriptures

I just finished this book today, and I must say that it is a very easy-to-read commentary. During this last school year, I was able to read parts of many different commentaries. Through writing various papers, I had to dig into the ideas of different authors to get their take on particular passages of Scripture. I have looked at the World Biblical Commentary series, the New American Commentary series, and the John MacArthur New Testament Commentary series (which I own). Through a gift from a church I have forgotten, Union students in the Christian Studies department, received many free books back in the spring. I grabbed about 5 books from this series, the John Phillips Commentary series. I had never heard of the man prior to that day. But it was an opportunity to get some free books, so I went ahead and grabbed them.

..

This book is a general overview of the Bible. It goes from Genesis to Revelation, summarizing the Bible in 250 pages. I have been really impressed with this book. I cannot rate it as compared to these other commentaries that I have read (or read parts of), but I can say that it would rank high on my list. Some others that I have read were really good, but they were sometimes written in such a way that they were a hard read. Although I gained a lot of insight, it took a while to work through the material. This book is different in that, it provides deep insight with an easy read. He does have many outstanding theological connections, but it was a much easier read. Once again, I cannot say that one is better than the other, but I did enjoy the easy read that Phillips provided.

..

Also, I enjoyed his outlines. For each book of Bible, he had a detailed outline. This helped divide each book up into its sections, showing the organization that many of these books truly have. One interesting thing I found was how he compared Isaiah's 66 chapters to the 66 books of the Bible. He also connected the books of Poetry and Wisdom to the Books of Law. There are 5 books in each section, and he made some interesting parallels. I guess that I am saying his craftiness was very clever, and he pointed out many ideas that I had never heard or thought of prior to reading this book.

..

I am currently trying to decide what to read next. I have some more of these books that I could read, but I am not sure if I want to right now. I did look ahead to his commentary on Genesis and was impressed with his 20+ page outline of the book. If that books is anything like this general overview, I am guessing that it too will be an easy read that is filled with deep theological ideas.

..

Overall, I would encourage anyone who is interested in digging a little deeper into Scripture to grab one of his books. I think it is great for thosewho are pursuing some type of ministry and for those who are just a student of the Word. He is an author who can really connect with all audiences.

..

So I may actually take a break from reading for the next couple of days. I have read several books this summer, and I think I am about caught up on my summer reading. I have 1.5 months left in summer, so I need to save something for the end. But do not worry, there will be more book reviews coming. There are still many books that I have read in the past that I can write about.

..

Matt

The Rain Has Come

It is amazing how weather changes from year to year. Last year there was not much severe weather during the spring. When summer arrived, we still did not get rain. There was a major drought in the Southeast. Furthermore, there was not a major hurricane to hit the United States. But 1 year later, there was a severe weather outbreak from February to June. Now it is summer, and although we have not received a lot of rain, there have been occasional showers. It is raining as I type this post.

Things are always changing in life. It is not just the weather that changes around us. Every 4 years, we go through a presidential election (like this year). The leader of the nation changes, as does our nation. We also have new TV shows coming on each season. In the world of sports, players are drafted, traded, hurt, and some retire. Things are never the same from one year to the other.

Even in our personal life, we encounter many different changes. There are times that we experience the death of a family member or the birth of a newborn. Kids grow up and move off, and they experience new things in life as they enter the different levels of school. If you catch my drift, things are always changing.

But there is one eternal truth that never changes:

God

That is pretty basic, but think about it. We are always surrounded by change in life. Nothing is ever the same, and we cannot do anything about it. But from the beginning of time, God has always been. He is the same God today as He was at creation.

Hebrews 13:8 says "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Keep that in mind in the midst of the changes our your life. No matter what happens, God is the same. He never changes, and He will be there for you.

Matt

Prayer for Phillip

I have had prayer requests in previous posts, but I have decided to start a new section of my blog. When I have an urgent prayer request(s), I will post them on here.

Please pray for Phillip. He is one of my kids at Christian Wee Learn. I have wondered about his salvation most of the summer. I became especially concerned when his mother told me that she was Catholic and her husband was Baptist. Phillip is a 9 year old boy who has never known where to go to church. His parents have not pushed him in either direction. And now he is beginning to question where he should go.

He told me at the beginning of the summer that he had never studied the Bible. But he has caught on very quickly, now knowing all of the books and several memory verses. Then came VBS, and there is always an evangelism day during VBS. I am not sure how that went with him, but I do know that he is now questioning those ideas. And I think that Kids Kamp has pushed him even further. On Monday night, Tobey was preaching, and he laid down a pretty heavy invitation. Phillip kept glancing my way, and he made eye contact with me. Then came the tears (or watery eyes). When I asked what was wrong afterwards, he told me he was just homesick. I asked him if he was sure, and he insisted that he was. So I left it at that, and decided to talk to him later.

Wednesday added another piece to this puzzle. His mom (who is Catholic) came up to me thanking me for teaching him at the church and going on Kids Kamp. She said that he has been struggling (confirming my suspicions). She then asked if I would sit down with him and talk to him about it. That is when she told me that she wanted to leave that decision completely up to him, without either of his parents pressuring him. So she opened up the door for me to tell him more about Christ.

My prayer is that the opportunity will arise that I can talk to him. I pray that he sees the truth, and that he will continue to question these ideas. Of course, he has to come the decision himself, and no one can make him believe. But now that the opportunity has fallen at my feet, I will soon be telling him more, one-on-one.

Phillip is a great kid that I have really connected with. Please pray for his salvation!

Matt

That Hideous Strength

Well this will be my first "negative" book review of the blog. I am shocked to report that I do not like or would not encourage someone to read one of C.S. Lewis' books. Every book that I have ever read by Lewis has challenged me, encouraged me, or made me think. This book however, has not grasped my imagination, held my interest, or made me sit on the edge of my seat. Instead I have found myself re-reading many different pages. It has taken me an extremely long time to finish this book (which never happens). And I have not really held to the story that easily.

..

That Hideous Strength is the 3rd part of the Space Trilogy. Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra are books 1 and 2, and I loved those books! They were great stories of this man traveling to distant planets meeting a new type of creature. They connected well, and Lewis capture my imagination once again. However, this 3rd book did not begin where the 2nd had ended. In fact, the major connector that connected this book to the trilogy did not occur until halfway through the novel (which is not a good idea in my opinion). But afterwards, the story did not seem to really connect well to its predecessors.

..

Furthermore, I found it to be a very hard read. I struggled through much of the terminology and explanations of various ideas and processes. I got lost in translation. There would be an explanation thrown into the middle of the plot, and the story would deviate from the plot. By the time the story picked up again, I had forgotten what had already happened. To me, this book did not flow well at all. Although it did connect back, and there were the same characters (eventually), I did not find this to be a good read. And I am sorry to break that to all of you Lewis fans out there (of which I am one).

..

I look forward to reading any of his books that I have not yet cracked open. This disappointing read will not discourage me from reading his other novels and nonfiction works, but I do not promote or encourage this book. It was too over the top for me, and I got lost way too easily. If you want to read it, I would say that you can see for yourself. But personally, I would just say skip it.

..

Matt

Time for Sleep

Kids Kamp 2008 at Potosi, Missouri is sadly over.

In many ways, I wish that it had been longer, but I am so tired right now. I do not know if I would have the energy to continue for another hot day at the lake. But despite all of the physical tiredness that came with this short trip, God showed up, and we all had a great time at camp!

We focused on the book of 1 John, and once again, the kids amazed me! The schedule was packed with activities. Between sessions, small groups, Bible Bowl, and free time, I do not know how they had time to soak in all that they learned. But they proved it to us time and time again through the Bible Bowl. Even when they told us that they had not studied, they would either find answers in the book of 1 John very quickly, or they would somehow come up with the correct answer on their own. It was good to see them diving into the Word (while having fun with it).
..

Our theme for the trip was "in the Light." We focused on the importance of living in God's light. Every aspect of our life should be defined by Him. His light should penetrate every corner of our life. Light pierces through darkness, and God's light can cut through our sin if we allow Him to work. Tobey and I tried to encourage the kids to focus on that light that God has given us. One of the main themes we tried to drill in their heads was love. Every chapter in 1 John alludes to the idea of love. We should love people enough that we would never lie to them (ch 1). We should love those same people enough to share God with them (ch 2). God loved us and that is a good enough reason for us to love others (ch 3-4).

I told the kids Monday morning that it is as simple as this:

God

Loves

Us...so...We

Love

Others

Think about that. Do you express God's love through your life? Are you living in the light daily? As Tobey said this morning, if you are in the light of God, then love for others will only be natural. It will flow right out of you into the lives of others. But it all begins with walking in the light.

Matt

Gone Again

Kids Kamp is almost here. I will be gone tomorrow through Tuesday to Missouri. Again, please pray for the kids that will be attending this week.

Also, I was in Jackson today, and it appears as if every dorm is now bricked. I saw my dorm, which was the last one built, and it is full bricked. So it appears as if they are all bricked. Now they are working on the inside and are finishing up the columns and staircases. It should not be long now.

See ya next week,
Matt

Kids Kamp on the Horizon

Well it is just a few days until I head off to Kids Kamp. Please be in prayer for the kids that will be attending this summer. Pray that God is able to do something amazing in the lives of these little kids. There are some going that do not know the Lord (I am thinking of one in particular that I work with at Christian Wee Learn). Pray that God will reveal Himself to those kids. Also pray for Tobey and myself as we deliver God's Word to these kids.

After Kids Kamp, I feel like I will finally be able to take a break. Today and tomorrow I will finish up reviewing for that. But after Kids Kamp I do not have any huge responsibilities left for the rest of the summer. I will still be working at Christian Wee Learn, and that will keep me busy enough. But despite all that I have been doing this summer, it has been fun. God has worked in amazing ways already.

As for Union, I do not know much right now. I have not been since we stopped by coming home on vacation (that was the beginning of June). I figure a lot more has been done since then. I may go down to Jackson tomorrow and check it out. But as far as I know, construction is moving right along. We have not had a lot of rain recently that would prevent them from working, so I assume that much more has been done.

Well that was a short little update. Summer is finally starting to slow down a little. I'll let you know how Kids Kamp goes.

Matt

Biblical Organization

Did you ever notice how well organized the Bible is? I mean, there are so many aspects of this book that are perfect (well every aspect). But it seems that the more I study the Bible, the more I discover. At times, these things are quite simple. It is something I have seen before, but now see in a new way.

Spending time with these kids each day has helped me see new things all the time. For instance, have you ever spent time just looking at the various descendants in the Bible. I mean we know the general genealogy such as Abraham, Isaac, etc. But what about others? These kids ask me questions all the time, encouraging me to dig deeper. So it has helped me search and search again.

What have I found?

Well here is one quick example. You can start counting the generations from Abraham to those who finally made it back to the Promised Land. There were at least 6 generations, if not more. The kids thought this was amazing, especially when I explained what a generation was. They saw how God kept His end of the covenant all those years.

And the Biblical story continues throughout all of Israel's history, showing various people and various covenants. But what amazed the kids even more was how the prophets connected back into the books of history.

Now these are just some of the things they ask and are curious about, and they are really very simple (especially to those of us who have been in church our whole life). We know these things, but it is always good to be reminded of what is in the Bible. We should ask questions constantly. Search the Word and see what else is in there. You will always find something new. Something different will strike you every time. And you will begin noticing bigger things than what was mentioned here.

So my challenge from this simple example is to make a decision to study hard. Search, look, and find.

Matt