Party!!!

WOW!  Last night was A-mazing.  What a great time of celebration.  We had over 200 people at the youth building last night and had a great time of catching up and connecting.  We welcomed our new 6th graders in in typical Vibe style.  I am so excited that you guys are finally with us and I look forward to what God has in store for you.

Last night we talked about Jesus being the life of the party.  We read in John 2:1-11 that Jesus' first miracle was at...a party!  We learned that Jesus was the type of person you would want at your party, that He loved the type of people that were at parties and that life with Him is like a party.  Yet, we don't normally look at life with Him as a celebration.  John 10:10 states that one of the reasons that Jesus came was to give us life, here and in eternity, abundantly.  God's desire for us is that we would desire Him and pursue Him rather than feeling like we are obligated to do so.

At Vibe we hope that every Wednesday you would come and celebrate life in Christ with us.  That during Connection Groups on Wednesday you would engage and be a part of what God is doing that night.  That during Dgroups, or Discipleship Groups, on Sunday evenings you would come and deepen your relationship with Christ and others.  Our goal at Vibe is to connect Junior High students to a growing relationship in Jesus Christ.  We hope you will come and join us to do just that.  

In Christ,

Matt

Pondering Fatherhood

Did you ever wonder why your parents say things like,"just wait till you have kids?"  Don't you get tired of hearing it?  I did too when I was younger.  Everytime I broke a window "Just wait till you have kids, then you'll understand why I'm so mad!"  "Yeah, yeah" I used to think.  Notice that I said "used to think".  Having kids gives you a little clarity you know?  You can see your personality inside of them.  Don't get me wrong, so much of it is great!  

I can already see Kaiden, my son, starting to smile and laugh.  Sure, I like to think that's my contribution to the kid.  Let's hope he gets his mom's great looks and smarts though.  I can look at Savannah and see how much she just enjoys life.  It seems like she is always looking for a way to have as much fun in one day as she can possibly have.  Sure, I'd like to think that is something she got from her old man.  Okay, I'll give some credit to my wife ;)  

You see, whether you like it or not, you have a little bit of your parents inside of you too.  HEY, don't get mad at me, its just the way that it is.  It doesn't mean that you are going to be exactly like your parents because God has made you uniquely...YOU!  But you will in some way reflect your parents personality.  In a similar way, once you've given your life to Christ, you also begin to look like Him.  

In 1 John 3:9-11 a case is made that we can tell who we are children of by the way we act.  If we display self centered actions, we are a child of the Devil.  If we are others focused and spend our time dwelling on the things of God, we are children of God.  

I would challenge you this week to think about who your Daddy is.  Not your earthly daddy but your heavenly daddy.  If someone looked at your life from the outside and didn't know you at all, what would they think?  Who would they say your father was?  Take some time to think about different areas of your life where you have kept from your Heavenly Father and think about surrendering it to Him today.  Check you guys on Wednesday.  Laterz.

Matt