Spy vs. Spy

Spy vs. Spy, an Area Bible Church youth event is coming up this Friday night, April 28th, from 7-11 p.m. We will be leaving the church at 5:45 p.m. and probably be back around 11:45 p.m.

You should wear long sleeves and long pants and make sure you have a pocket. You will be sneaking around in the dark so it would be good to wear camoflauge or dark clothing. And you will be carrying around your "life" in your pocket, so that is very important. You can also bring a flashlight - but not too big. A small flashlight is best. And bring a lawn or camping chair with you unless you like to sit on the ground. If you want wear or bring bug spray. And don't forget $5 to participate.

It should be a lot of fun and we will also have snacks and drinks for you there. Hope you can come and make sure I know your coming as soon as you know your coming. That would really help out. See you Friday.

Not to be pitied...

As we celebrate this weekend, we remember the crucifixion of Christ for MY sin! But we wouldn't remember Christ's death if Christ was not raised. Because if Christ had not risen, he would be no different from any other human who has died.

So we remember Christ's death and we celebrate His resurrection. Because Christ IS alive! He lives today, and because He has been raised we also have the hope of one day being raised and changed to receive new bodies and serve Him forever. That's no fairy tale; that is truth that a believer stands on!

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul tells us how important the resurrection is to the believer. Because if there is no resurrection our faith is in vain, we are still in our sins because they have not been paid for, and believers are most to be pitied. But he goes on to say, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead". Our faith is NOT in vain, we are NOT still in our sins, we are NOT to be pitied. Jesus Christ is ALIVE! Don't let this be just another Easter story that we have grown less than excited about. This is the most exciting thing to ever happen. Christ paid for my sins to give me new life and then after His death He arose. HE AROSE, HE AROSE, HALLELUJAH, CHRIST AROSE!

Locked Out!?

Have you ever had a bad day? Of course you have; everyone has. Well, I would not say Wednesday was a bad day, but I did have a few bad hours during that day.

Wednesday afternoon I left the church heading home and just needed to make a quick stop at the post office on the way. So I pull into my parking spot and I notice in my rear view mirror that a big van is about to pull in next to me on the driver's side. So I wait to get out, so as not to get my door taken off.

So the van pulls in leaving me about 2 feet to open my door and squeeze out. When I opened my door, my wallet fell out onto the parking lot. So I squeezed out, picked up my wallet, locked my doors, closed them, and took off into the post office just happy I was able to get out of my car and retrieve my wallet. Then as I am walking into the post office, I notice my pocket seems a little lighter than usual. So I reach into my pocket to find...NOTHING! Yep, I had locked my keys in my car. And that isn't the worst of it. The car is still running. Not only did I lock the keys in the car, they were in the ignition and my car was still running.

So I called my wife, who called a locksmith to come and open my car (because I do not have a spare key to my car...yet). But then I began watching the clock. I had gotten to the post office at 4:50 and didn't get all the calls made until a little after 5. And I needed to be at church at 6 for JV. So Brit came to the post office to keep me company. The Locksmith had said 30 minutes at the most. So 30 minutes came and went...no locksmith. So we called again. And apparently whoever had told us 30 minutes was also having a bad day because it was more like another hour. By now it is 6pm. And it is going to be another hour! So I told Brit to leave to go to Awana and I would come when the car got unlocked.

So I am standing outside the post office...waiting. And of course thinking...and of course praying. Only in a bind I have the tendency to pray selfishly. Like "Lord, please let the Locksmith come early". And of course I was thinking how stupid I was for locking my keys in the car...and how stupider since the car was still running. But then I thought...hey, there is nothing I can do about this now. I made a mistake. I can either get frustrated and mad or I can just say "thank you" Lord because you are in control. So I really started praying as I watched car after car come in carrying people who wanted to get their mail. And I thought of the fact that I am never locked out of God's presence. I can't get in my car, but I can come before the throne of the Creator of the universe and the throne of my Savior and talk to Him. For the child of God, we will never be locked out. And many times we act as if we are. We don't take advantage of the open line of communication we have. I am so thankful for that open line by which I can talk to God whenever I want. That is awesome.

So to finish the story...the locksmith finally did come around 7pm. And it took all of five seconds for him to unlock my door. It took longer to get my credit card info. And then I got in my car and headed to JV, still feeling a bit stupid. But as soon as I walked into JV, our JV girls shouted "Aaron" and ran over and laughed and giggled (like JV girls do) and didn't make fun of me for locking my keys in my car. They were just glad I was there in time for games on Oreo Night. And it was FUN!! Thanks JVers, you are the best!

Slacker...

Sorry that I have been such a slacker at keeping up with my blog. What can I say? I guess I am not blogger material. But I will try to focus a little more on updating it and sharing some thoughts with you (don't expect a new post every day though).

By the way...I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having in Aurora this week. So nice and warm. And the sun is here, and the grass is turning green. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that SPRING has finally arrived. I am a little scared to get my hopes up though.

Enjoy your day and praise the Lord in it!