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Coffee Break – 10.1.2012

Coffee Break

Welcome to Coffee Break!

Once a week, I will post a brief list of five or six things I found around the web over the previous week. Some will be lighthearted and fun; others will be inspirational. Some will challenge your thinking; others will give your brain a break.

So go ahead, pour a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Good Coffee, Good Gear – Dear Coffee, I Love You has posted a video from Coffee Circle that simply captivates. The main idea behind the video is this: the best coffee comes from using the best gear. With a Hario kettle, a V60 dripper, and a Chemex in my arsenal, I fully agree.

DIY Nutella – My kids love Nutella, that chocolate-hazelnut flavored peanut butter replacement. I’m not as big of a fan, but if we can make our own, it may be more fun and taste better too! I think we just might give it a shot.

Symmetrical Procedures – Judith Ann Braun creates some very unique art. Her rules are simple: symmetry, abstraction, and a carbon medium. With only those boundaries, her art is fascinating to look at, and borders on creative genius.

Amazing Macro Photos of Morning Dew On Insects – David Chambon has an excellent series of macro photographs of insects. What most people see as ugly and disgusting, he reveals as beauty. This series of shots has been compiled on WhereCoolThingsHappen.com, but you can see much more at Chambon’s website.

5 Reasons To Consider Writing A Book – Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes. While I tend to be primarily visually oriented, as with my love of nature and landscape photography, I also enjoy creating using the written word. An overwhelmingly large percentage of the population believes that they have a book in them, but few ever write it. Michael Hyatt, who used to be the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers explains five reasons you should consider writing that book.

You Need An Inner Strength Reminder – Check out the Time With Tracy blog for some great insights in surviving a chaotic life. In this particular post, she writes about the need to stop and take a breather in order to refocus our energy more effectively. She has a visual reminder in her life to do this: a certain coffee cup. For me, it’s a keychain tag with the GPS coordinates of a certain peaceful location in the mountains of Colorado.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle

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Memorize Scripture – Week 39

A lot of times I hear people complain that the New Testament writers seem to be at odds with one another; that James doesn’t agree with Paul.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The New Testament is extremely cohesive, and this week’s passage reinforces that idea.

Take a look at Romans 10:9-10:

Romans 10:9-10

Paul explains here that our salvation isn’t simply a matter of faith. To be sure, God justifies us by his grace, based on our faith.

But what comes next is action: we confess with our mouths.

It seems to me that this is the natural flow of things, anyway. If something as incredible as God’s intervention happens in my life, the natural inclination is to shout about it. Our next instinct is not to shut our mouths, but to open them.

So let’s speak up!

Confessing Christ can be difficult at times. When do you struggle with this/ When do you find it easy to accomplish? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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7 Advantages Of Starting A New Youth Ministry

This post is part of the Foundations Of Youth Ministry series. Check out the rest of the series!

Just over four months ago, I moved my family from the middle of the United States to the Gulf coast of central Florida in order to accept a new youth ministry position.

It’s been a crazy transition. We have five kids, with one one the way, so that means a lot of stuff to move. We’ve never moved this far before either, which made things even crazier.

And to top it all off, we moved out of the Bible belt of southern Missouri. The culture shock has been pretty significant. But we are adjusting nicely. The kids are building new friendships, and so are my wife and I.

New Sprout

But for the past few months, I’ve been the “new guy” in the area.

One one hand, that means that I may get lost trying to find someone’s house, or even the local Wal-Mart, but on the other hand, I’ve noticed some great advantages to being the new guy.

I have the opportunity to build this ministry the way I want

When we moved to Brooksville, I was told that this youth ministry had experienced some struggles. As a result, I have the opportunity to build this ministry from the ground up.

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Memorize Scripture – Week 38

Romans is a pretty deep letter in the New Testament. While it is perhaps Paul’s most theological writing, it is also at times some of his simplest.

This week’s destination on the Romans Road is a perfect example. You can find it in Romans 6:23:

Romans 6:23

Paul describes vividly and succinctly our spiritual bankruptcy. We are sinners. And the consequences of sin is death. But because of what God did on our behalf, through Christ’s death on the cross, we can experience eternal life instead.

That is truly an amazing gift!

Have you thanked God yet today for this incredible gift? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Believing In Miracles

We started a new series this week in our youth ministry. Over the next few weeks, we are taking a look at several of the miracles that Jesus performed during his time on this earth.

As I read through many of the miracles found in the Gospels, I started asking myself several questions.

Water To Wine

I’ve read each of these accounts before. In fact, using the Bible Reading System I’m currently experimenting with, I’ve read them several times this year alone.

But reading them all together has allowed me to see them a bit differently.

And it brought to mind some hard questions.

Have you ever seen a miracle?

I’m not talking “natural” miracles, like sunsets or butterflies or newborns. We tend to overuse the word, throwing it around everywhere, effectively neutralizing its real definition. No, I’m talking about the real thing. I’m talking about a miracle like Jesus performed. Water turned into wine. A storm calmed. Blind eyes opened. The dead raised.

I know these things still happen. I know God is still working powerfully. I just don’t think we see them as often as we used to. At least here in America, that is.

I have a few friends who are missionaries. One is in China. Another is in Africa. The stories I hear from them give me chills. People are experiencing miracles like crazy, and it sound very New Testament-ish.

But I don’t see that happening as much here in America. And I’m asking myself why.

I think I may have the answer, or part of the answer, at least.