What would you do for a dollar?

On Tuesday night we had our first Teen Night Out for the summer. We had about 25 kids to show up. Zac Lambrecht from Grace Crossing Church was our speaker. He asked the kids what they would do for a dollar. To my surprise many people will do just about anything for a dollar including myself. The following tasks were done for a dollar: drink a 1/4 bottle of hotsauce, eat a mustard covered sardine, consume a spoonful of crushed garlic, shaving one armpit, and drinking a live goldfish. I will not tell you which one I did, but my underarm does itch today. Zac talked to us about the life of Solomon and discussed the vanity of material things. It was awesome to see that someone who had everything felt empty without God. I pray that I will live out that principle in my life.

Yesterday Michelle and I got the opportunity to meet with Candi Wood from Agape. Candi is the coordinator over the F.I.T. (Families in Transition) Program. This ministry provides housing and life skills training for homeless women with children. The women are able to live there for two years with the goal of them finding employment and sustaining their family on there own. Local congregations are able to adopt a family and help become a support system for them while they are in the program. This summer our youth group will go there to paint one of their houses and also have a carnival day for the children in the program. I am looking forward to working with this ministry.

Last night was the second meeting of my 'Every Man's Battle' class. This summer I am teaching about sexual purity for men 7th grade and up. There were 17 people present. I was nervous the first week, but the guys have been very encouraging so far. I am praying that this class will help some men become more honest about their spiritual struggles. I feel that I am growing some in this area already.

Well Michelle has been here for two weeks now and surprisingly no one has died yet. She has been doing an awesome job with the girls. It has been nice working with her because she is organized and has great ideas. I do enjoy picking on her because she ALWAYS has a smart comment to throw back in my face. The girls here seem to be taking to her pretty well. I feel fortunate that she is here and know that our youth group is being blessed by her presence.

Well this one was long today, but I had a lot to say. I hope everyone who is reading this has a blessed day.

Preparing for the battle

Starting this Wednesday night I will begin teaching a class called Every Man's Battle. The class material will come from the book called Every Man's Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker (what a coincidence). This book is designed to help men gain victory over sexual temptation. The class was originally intended for the teenage boys, but I decided to open it up to men of all ages. I think this class can be a powerful witness to the strength of sexual sin. I am really praying that some older men will come to the class because I know that will help the teens to see that they are not the only group of people who deal with this sin.

My family and I went to Arkabutla Lake today for a little relaxation. I am not what you call a water person, so I decided to lay on the beach while they went swimming. I wanted to read a couple chapters of my book to prepare for my class. As I sat in the sun women continued to walk by in their bikinis. So there I was trying to focus my attention on teaching sexual purity and at the same time trying to keep my eyes away from the constant "distractions". I am excited to say that I got two chapters read despite my environment. I should have known that a beach is not a good place to keep my eyes pure, but it helped me to realize even more that this battle with staying pure is something that will NEVER go away. I pray that something I teach this summer will help our young and older men to realize that God wants them to lead a pure life. I pray that I can continue to practice what I preach.