The Many Perils of Traveling to Camp: Camp Unleashed 2006

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This is as good as a picture of the van as I could find. It was being used for our Border Patrol Ministry here.

This week I'm going to tell you about all the crazy camp trips we've embarked on. Pretty much every year something insane happened. It should be noted, everyone made it out of these situations alive and healthy.

Though we went to camp in 2005, I don't remember anything too eventful happening. So, I'll start with Camp Unleashed.

The year was 2006. We had the privilege of bringing a small group to camp with Forestville Baptist Church. It was going to be an experience like we'd never had before. Student's would be rocked and the trajectory of many lives would be changed. Camp Unleashed was great.

We had a church death trap van. It was a modified '82 Dodge 15 passenger van that a gracious church had given to us a few years early. It was modified to fit inside the confines of the law. Around that time a law was passed that wouldn't allow any more than 12 passengers on a formerly 15 passenger van. Blah, blah, blah, something about them not being safe, blah, blah, blah. Really, nothing too important.

Dwayne Humphrey was the name of our driver. He had the task of getting us to and from camp safely. We were on our way to camp. We were just at the point where we were leaving the highway and entering onto the interstate. While Dwayne was accelerating up to interstate speed a rear tire exploded. I was driving a mini-van in front of him. I remember looking back at his van in the rearview mirror, and seeing whole van rock form the explosion. In an attempt to get everything under control Mr. Humphrey compensated by swerving all over the road. The front left bumper of the van dipped to the ground as if to catch itself, the back end rocked like a boat in rough waters, and panic was on the face of every passenger. I sincerely thought it was over. The van was going to flip, and I was scared for the lives of everyone along for the ride.

By the grace of God the van never flipped and Dwayne was able to get it under control, slow it down, and pull off the road. We replaced the blown tire with the spare and continued our trip to camp without any more incidents.

On the way home, Pastor Trey was driving this time, ANOTHER tire blew. We didn't have a spare because we had already used it. We ended up being stuck in Walterboro, SC for about 3 hours. We threw all the luggage out of the van and laid on it out in the grass while we waited on the van to be repaired. For one of the first times in camp history I used a now infamous line, "We're just making memories guys."

We DID make it home safe and no animals or students were hurt in the writing of this blogpost.

Oh yeah, and this is just the tip of the iceberg that is our trips to summer camp.

Oceanside's Youth Group Needs Some Help

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The Students on this board are the ones you need to pray for.

Yesterday was Reality Youth's big back to school push. We call it Back to Cool. I know it's a way dorky name, but that is kind of the point. It was the most successful Back to Cool party we've ever had. We fit 37 students and workers in our little building. Praise God!

Playing an Icebreaker Game...

So, you may ask, how did we get them their? We lured them in with money and movie tickets. Before you freak out it is a Biblical model. Luke 14 tells us to, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. The understanding of, "Compel"is by any legal means. The Message says it this way, Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full! In other words do whatever you can legally do to get them under the preaching of the Gospel. That is what we did.

Playing More Games...

With the help of some great volunteer staff we pulled off games, food, and a gospel presentation where almost half the students raised their hands for salvation. We had all kinds of students at church: profest atheists, Christians, nominal-Christians, non-believers, and students with lots of needs. I'm so proud of our students!

Here is the Problem:
I told the students that I would give the one who brought the most friends a $50 gift card to Town Centre. I honored that and had that ready to go. I also said I would give all the friends of the winning student a free movie pass. The winning student brought 11 friends! I was only prepared for at most 5.

We Need Your Help:
We need 6 people to give $10 to help cover the costs of the tickets we didn't have the money for.

You can send your gifts through the mail to (Please get it in before next Wednesday):
1728 Rifle Range Rd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

or give online at this link ONLINE GIVING. Please, memo it for the Youth Group. Thank you for your help. When you give you're impacting the lives of students who may never hear the gospel any other way.

Find Out Why I'm So Happy I Got a $300 ticket! :-D

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Getting Ready to Leave for New York

Sorry I didn't blog last week. I was on a little thing I like to call vacation. I vacated to the metropolis of New York City. What an amazing city with incredible wonders. Time square, Freedom Tower, Toys R Us, and the Statue of Liberty are only some of the amazing sites I was able to see. All those things were great, but I was treated to the real New York experience. I had my car towed.

Me in front of Freedom Tower Which is on the WTC site

I can read. In fact you may say I'm quite good at reading. So when a sign says, "No Parking" I read it and know not to park there. But when a sign says, "No Standing" I figure it means not to stand there. HA! Was I wrong.

That is exactly what the sign said...

What I found was No Standing is actually a more severe warning than No Parking. It basically means that no body, car, or thing can be standing still in this area at anytime or it will be towed and ticketed. I parked my car in a No Standing zone at 10:45 PM and it was towed by 12:15 AM, barely an hour later. It was an expensive lesson that cost me an entire day of my vacation and $300. I'll never park in a No Standing zone EVER again. And I'll never forget the experience.

I was reminded in all this that even in the most annoying situations I should stay joyful. James explains it to us this way, Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.


This is another Biblical paradox. We are supposed to be happy when times are most sad. We rejoice in the trials of life not because it's fun, but because God is making us into the people He wants us to be. After we face a trial, if we react to it the right way by counting it all joy, we are closer to that final product that God wants us to be.

So what difficulty are you going through right now (If you're not going through anything yet, hang on, it's coming)? Stare it down and tell it that it's not going to get the best of you. Because you understand this challenge is only making you stronger and more like Christ. What an amazing thing it is when we can take the terrible events of our life, as minor or major as they might be, and put it in the joy column because we know God has it under control.

In Closing:
Halloween Scare House: As Halloween jets towards us we are working hard at getting our scary house together. We need help, your help. We need people to help build sets, props, sue costumes, and paint makeup. There will be another interest meeting this Sunday morning after church.

Oceanside Saturday Night: We have a mission at Oceanside to reach every man, woman, and child in our 2 mile radius. So in order to reach a new demographic we're going to start a Saturday night service. It will be very similar to the Sunday morning service except more technology driven (Twitter, Four-Square, Facebook, and so much more). We think it will appeal to a those who have challenging schedules, like to sleep, single, young & married, or all the above. Beta Service September 17th 8PM.

You and Captain America Were Made For More Than This

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Captain America

This past week was my birthday and I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes. It was great and now that I'm 26 I feel so much older. After my party Allie and I escaped to the movie theater to watch the all new Captain America movie. We were on the edge of our seats the entire time. Explosions, excitement, and even emotion (something not too often seen in summer blockbusters) had us captured for the entire hour and a half.

Most of the movie takes place during World War II. It follows a very slight man named Steve Rogers who gets turned into a super soldier to fight for the U.S. Army. This scrawny man with a huge heart turns into a beast of a man with a huge heart that can out run a car and pickup a motorcycle. It's pretty fantastic.

Steve in the USO

Steve Rogers wants to fight on the front lines. Steve wants to serve his country. He wants to be a real hero. But the Army sees him as an experiment that needs to stay in a lab and be tested, and the politicians see him as a way to sell war bonds and build morale. Neither of those things are his dream.

The conversation that changed everything.

Depressed and ready to give up a woman sits down and talks to Steve. She tells him that he is made for more than just the USO. He is made to fight for his country. That sparks a flame in Steve's head. He puts on a helmet, his leather jacket, and uses his USO shield to storm a Nazi base. Single handedly he rescues 400 men. The Army realizes that he is more than an experiment and the politicians realize he is more than a showman. He is Captain America.

Captain America suited up.

This set off a spark in my mind too. We were made for more than the mundane life. We were made for more than just 70+ years and then dead. We were made for eternal life and made to lead others into that eternal life. That pang you get in your heart that says, "This can't be all there is" has been designed by God. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart. Yes, you were made for more than this. God made you for Heaven.

It's when we start living and thinking about our ultimate goal, Heaven, that we start living differently. Suffering for Christ on Earth isn't just something we put up with anymore, it becomes a joy. We don't make more money for the sake of getting more stuff. We make more money to give it away. We don't schedule our day for our own good, but we schedule our day for God's good. The list of things that change could go on. Paul says in Philippians 3:7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Everything changes when Christ enters the pictures.

Let me encourage you this week. Stop living like this is all there is. You were made for more than the mundane you were made for the extraordinary! God hasn't saved you so you could attend Oceanside on a Sunday morning. He saved you so you could serve Him and he would reward you greater than you can even imagine in Heaven. Take charge, break into satan's strong hold, and make him sweat! Satan hates it when you start living like you have a purpose. #KSITT

Converted Into The Church of the Juicer!!

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Could you wait just a second while I finish my Nutty Buddy Bar? ........

Thanks. Allie and I watched a very interesting documentary last week called Fat, Sick, And Nearly Dead. The documentary followed a guy named Joe who was over weight and quite sick. He had to lose weight. Joe decided, with some help from his doctors, to go on a 60 day juice fast. He drank every kind of fruit/vegetable juice I'd ever seen. All of it was fresh produce and juiced by him. He lost over 100 lbs. and felt better than he had in years. And then he kept the weight off. It was a fascinating documentary.

Joe talking to a tourist

Joe would walk up to people on the street, at gas stations, and even very unhealthy restaurants to discuss a healthy life. People would talk to him while they were huffing down their hotdogs and fried doughnut burgers. It was interesting to watch people get very emotional about the way they eat. Some wanted to change their habits and others didn't.

Finally he met up with a truck driver named Phil that was over 400 lbs. Phil had an auto immune disease that can often be helped by losing weight. Phil wasn't a believer at first but Joe left his phone number with him and told Phil that if he was ever interested in starting this juice fast give him a call. A couple of months later Phil gave him the call. 

Joe on the left and Phil on the right.

Phil started the fast, and a camera crew followed him as he was shedding the weight. People started to notice Phil was losing weight. Phil, because of the success the juice was having in his life, started to tell people about it. He eventually started a, "Juicing church" (My term not theirs). It was a group of people who came together weekly to support each other. They would give, "Testimonies" (My term not theirs) about how the juice fast was helping them. Phil would end off the meetings by giving his testimony and showing how many bowling balls he had lost. It was inspirational.

Then, it hit me like a 400 pound fat man. Phil was able to tell his friends about juicing and get them excited enough to join him weekly. He didn't have a five step plan. He didn't know six different ways to lead someone to juicing. He wasn’t dressed in a tie. He didn't even carry any pamphlets. He just told people about what juicing had done for him. They could look at Phil and see the difference it had made in his life. They saw his genuine concern for their health and saw that he had a solution.

So proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit. Just keep it simple.

2 Timothy 4:2 

Telling people about Jesus isn't a five step plan, something preachers do, or a special secret method. It's all about talking to them about the difference Christ has made in your life. When they look at you and can see real change. Then they see their need for a savior. Step 1) Start talking to people Step 2) invite them to our weekly meetings. Be real. Be Changed. Be bold.

Ps> It was so inspirational that Allie and I did a five day reboot express juice fast... We fell off the bandwagon on day three. And I can’t help thinking that we may have made it two more days with a little support.

I Wander What To Do... (This week it is a play on words)

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The family and I went on an epic journey this past Sunday after church. I'm a bit of an explorer at heart, and I saw a bridge. It wasn't just any bridge, but a bridge to nowhere. This was a big bridge the kind that  could be driven over. When I looked it up on Google it led to a little island that was completely uninhabited. The explorer in me wanted to see what was on this small island and why there was a bridge leading to it.

The "Bridge to Nowhere"

So we packed some water, grabbed the stroller, and commenced the journey in ninety degree weather. Along the way we made some stops and a few wrong turns. What I had told Allie was going to be a one and a half mile trip turned into a five mile trek. Two hours in and we had not made it to the elusive bridge to nowhere. We could see it but we couldn't figure out how to get there. Creeks and miles still separated us. Quentin was getting grumpy, Maggie was getting loopy, and Allie was losing the italian explorer within. We decided to turn back and try again another day. Hopefully a little more experienced and a lot more prepared.

While walking miles in that heat I could not help but think of the Israelites wandering in the desert for forty years! I was losing hope after only two hours. I never lost faith in God in those two hours, but I was able to glimpse how quickly you could. You start to feel like you're never going to make it to the promised land.

We had the choice to turn around and head home, but imagine being Moses and having to convince the people that wandering the desert was God's plan. It's difficult for me to comprehend following for only one year, but can you imagine forty years of wandering?! It took a huge amount of faith for Moses to continue. Hebrews 11 pummels us with the words "By faith Moses..." I encourage you to head over to Hebrews and read the whole chapter on faith. It will encourage you that our God is faithful.

Lego Moses... I thought that was really cool.

My walk illustrated two things to me. 1) I have far too little faith. Moses' faith was beyond what I'll probably ever achieve. 2) I'm not thankful enough for what God has provided. We look down on those Israelites as they complained and questioned, but I guarantee most of us would join them.

Let's learn to be thankful for what we have. Let's learn to trust God in the tough times, and not forget Him on the good days. Let's learn to, by faith, follow God even if it's into the fire. Let's back up what we say by actually living it out.

Please share this post with someone that needs it and hit the +1 below. THANKS!

10 Things I'm Grateful For

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We should be more grateful.

Today I had the privilege of watching Steven Furtick, pastor and Monks Corner native, on Seacoast's stream of their staff meeting. He is now a Pastor in Charlotte of Elevation Church. Really cool guy. He talked about being grateful to God for what he has given. It would be really difficult for me to summarize the sermon. Hopefully when Seacoast gets it up on Vimeo I'll post the link here. It was a great message that I encourage you to watch. Here are the 10 things I'm grateful for.

10 things I'm Grateful for

1. My wife who puts up with my crazy dreaming.
2. My kids who put up with my need to irritate and wrestle.
3. My church who offers me pay to do what I'm compelled to do. Don't tell them, but I'd do it for free.
4. My second job that helps me have a little financial breathing room.
5. My car that despite its age keeps going.
6. My sweet gadgets that keep me connected, but are totally not needed.
7. My dad and mom who give advice and wisdom yet still support even when I do things that may not be exactly what they said to do...
8. All four of my parents who give, and give, give.
9. My God who puts up with my crazy doubts and questions.
10. My ability to enjoy, play, sing, and stumble through music.

I could keep going but I'm getting a little overwhelmed.

What are you grateful to God for? Please list some in the comments below. With your permission I'd love to read some of these in church this Sunday.

The End of the World. Save the Date.

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I thought you might want to know. It’s the end of the world. Yeah, I’m hearing it all over the place. Save the date. Harold Camping tells us that Jesus is coming back May 21. The Mayan calendar ends next year. So if Jesus doesn’t come back May 21, 2011, “2012” will surely get us. The government tells us that if we don’t raise the debt ceiling it’s going to be the end of the world. The Middle East is on fire, and joblessness is the highest it has been in a long time. The world is a crazy place.

Harold Camping will be wrong about when Jesus is coming back. He may come back today before you finish reading this blog post, but He won’t be coming back on May 21.

Camping has predicted these events before in 1994. He was wrong then. The Bible tells us that prophets must always be right. The fact that a Camping was ever wrong in a prediction identifies that he’s as a false prophet (See Deuteronomy 18:21-22). Harold Camping is a false prophet. So stop worrying about the Mayan calendar, May 21, the debt ceiling, or high gas prices.

Luke 12:25 tells us, “Can any of you add a cubit to his height by worrying?” In case you are wondering, the answer is no. You have no control over any of the events I listed above. If they happen, they do, if they don’t they don’t. Stop worrying and start praying more (see Philippians 4:6). God is the only one who can change those events anyway.

A date you might want to think about is, well, today. You have control over you. The decisions you make today will affect you for the rest of your life. No, Jesus isn’t coming to see you May 21, but you may be going to see Him. No one is promised to wake up alive tomorrow (See Proverbs 27:1; James 4:13-15). So instead of waiting to get your life right before 5/21/11 you might want to check yourself and get your life right today.

Simply admit you’ve done wrong things that the Bible calls sin. Ask for forgiveness for those sins. Believe that Jesus died for your sins, and rose again after three days to conquer them. Turn away from all the bad stuff you’re doing and follow Jesus with all your heart, and do it today.

Is everything right between you and God?

5 Steps to Save a Mormon

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I compiled this list because I see Mormons all over Mt. Pleasant. They’re riding their bikes from house to house and sharing their faith. The sad part is they do not have the truth. Here are 5 steps to saving a Mormon.

1. Live out Christ in front of them- When you see them around town or when they come to your door. Don’t treat them like dirt. Respect, serve, and love them like Christ does.

2. Pray for them- Prayer is powerful. It has the ability to move mountains and change hearts.

3. Don’t argue- It only creates a rift between you and them. Bring your Bible out and witness to them. Let them see their sin and their need for a savior.

4. Be consistent- Mormons don’t like people who only act like Christians sometimes. They want to see sincerity and genuineness in your life. If you are a follower of Christ act like one no matter what the situation.

5. Talk to them about Christ- Tell them about the hope that is found in Christ. Don’t worry about offending them. Their souls are at stake here! You tell them and let the Holy Spirit do His work.

You may have read that list and thought, “Those are the 5 steps? That sounds like how I’d witness to anyone.” To that I say, exactly. I titled this article “The 5 Steps to Save a Mormon,” but it could have been titled “5 Powerful Witnessing Tools.” You probably wouldn’t have wanted to read it as much then. Use the steps with anyone: Atheists, Wiccans, Jehovah's Witnesses, your mom, and/or your neighbors. I encourage you to go out and tell the world.

In John 15:5 Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” So what is your best witnessing tool? Having the God of the universe on your side.

-Ivey Rhodes

Ravi Zacharias on the Issue of Sexuality

Tweet In light of my post from earlier today someone sent me this video from Youtube. I think it's very interesting and decided to pass it on to you guys.

-Ivey Rhodes

Camp Creation 2010 Info

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Where will Oceanside’s youth camp be this year?
Camp will be held on Agape Farms Mt. Union, PA. I know it’s longer then we’ve ever been before but I believe it will be well worth the distance. The trip will be around 11 and  1/2 hours away.

The actually camp is going to be happening with a Christian music festival. Rest assured this is not like a Woodstock type event in respect to what will go on. There are absolutely no alcohol or drugs permitted into the camp.

Beyond just the music there great and there will be many awesome speakers that will talk directly to your students needs. The opportunity for life altering things to happen will be greater than it’s ever been before.

Why are we going to so far away?
First, distance can often help students. In my experience most of the greatest single events in my life happened away from home.

Will this be run like Oceanside’s camps in the past?
Yes, for the most part. We’re still going to have all the great games and fun as before, but this time some of your students favorite bands will be there. That absolutely ramps up camp to a level it has never been at before!

Is it safe?
Yes. The camping facility on Agape Farms has it’s own small hospital if anything did go wrong. At Oceanside we promise to never put your student in a situation that we do not believe is safe. You can read more about the medical facilities on Agape Farms at this website: http://www.creationfest.com/ne/details.php

What are the Dates?
We will be leaving on June 29th and arriving back home on July 4th. The festival last from June 30th-July 3rd. June 29th and July 4th will be travel days.

What are the Accommodations?
This year, for the first time ever, we’re truly breaking out of our comfort zones. We’ll be sleeping in tents on the camp grounds. That is something I’m excited about. The tents will be separated into to camps: guys and girls. The camps will not be too far apart but will have the proper amount of camp counselors for the corresponding gender. If you have tents that we could borrow that would help tremendously.

Oceanside Camp 2008

What’s the Cost?
We try to make our camps affordable. This year is no different. Many camps don’t offer what Oceanside’s camp does and they cost twice as much. Camp will cost $250.00. Those cost include the renting of the camp ground, food, t-shirts, speakers, bands, and games.

Fund Raisers:
This year we’re offering more fundraisers than ever before to cope with the price being  a little more than previous years.

• May 15th: Bike-a-thon: This is an Oceanside classic where we earn money biking around.

(CLICK HERE FOR AN EXTRA Bike-A-Thon Form)

• June 19th: Potato Bar: Invite friends and family to stuff their potatoes to the brim and enjoy entertainment and family fun at Oceanside.

Fund raisers such as the Potato Bar and the Squeegee day will only benefit those who show up and participate.

Payment Dates:

• March 31st: We’re asking for a $50.00 deposit for each student to hold their space.
• April 28th: payment of $50.00
• May 6th is the deadline for having at least $100.00 on your account. You will not go to camp if I do not have that amount by the 6th.
• May 26th: Payment of $100.00
• June 23rd: Final payment of $50.00

Look for more info to come in the near future

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to email me:
Ivey@myoceansidechurch.com

God Bless,
Rev. Ivey Rhodes

Controversial Church coming to the Lowcountry

Tweet Westboro Baptist Church is coming to the Lowcountry to picket and spew hateful speech all around. Pastor Trey, my pastor, has a very helpful blog about it. I encourage you to check it out below. I will say that they are not Christian, Baptist, or even a church. Pastor Trey goes much deeper and has a lot more to say about it. It's awesome.

Pastor Trey's blog

You can also listen to his sermon where he talks about it.

-Pastor Ivey Rhodes

Quentin is Almost Here!

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Allie and I are very excited about Quentin coming soon. Allie went in for her weekly doctors appointment and all is well. We're just over 3 weeks away from the due date now and I can tell you Allie is ready (and me too)! I feel God has this amazing thing built into women. Just a few weeks ago Allie was really nervous about the delivery. Yesterday she said, "I'm ready for this to happen!" The bigger women get the more accepting they become of the painful contractions to come. It's kind of like getting a spanking. Let's just get it over with.

The doctor says it's any day now so we're packing our bags tonight to prepare. If you would lift up Allie as she is determined not to take any pain meds. When I say no pain meds I mean, like, not any Tylenol. Yeah, she's crazy like that. As for me I'll be taking plenty of Tylenol and maybe getting a spinal tap. I have to deal with Allie's hand squeeze of death again [Tongue in cheek].

Maggie and me waiting in the car for mom to finish with her doctor's checkup. Those are some killer blue eyes.

Maggie in our Walmart brand paper towel fort. It was awesome.

One interesting thing that has happened, that I only assume will increase, is the time I've gotten to spend with Maggie recently. As she gets older she has become more fun. She even plays some video games with me, and wakes me up so I'll go turn on the Wii. Good times.

-Ivey

40 Days of Love... Let's do it.

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We're learning to be first class lovers! That phrase makes me laugh, but it's true. Learning takes listening and action. This past week and a half has been helpful and challenging. In this weeks Small Group lesson Pastor Trey challenged us to love those who hard to love. He asked us to show patience to that person who grits our nerves, and he asked us to affirm someone with low self-worth. That last one was a challenge for me. Not because I can't affirm people but I had a hard time thinking of someone with low self-worth. After I prayed about it for a minute the Lord gave me a student at Reality. God then worked it out where I could offer this student a gift and affirm her. It was amazing to see her eyes light up when I gave her some iPod headphones after her's broke. A simple gesture. That same night a middle school student came up to me at Reality and told me how she struggled to be nice to a hard to love person, but this week she has been making an extra effort. She's even gone as far as buying this person's their favorite cookie and giving it to them at lunch. I was impressed. And that's where this 40 day journey makes a difference. We have to take action. I encourage you to take action the day after your small group, because it's fresh on your heart. Offer that person forgiveness, demonstrate trust to someone, affirm another, and accept those her are not accepted by most. Yes, it takes effort, but loving like Jesus loved will be impossible. It's our job to take the steps we need to get there. James 1:22 tells us, "Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!"


Below is Pastor Trey's message from Sunday on the Father's love. It's a good one! Don't miss it.

And this is the video we showed that's in the podcast, but you can actually watch it. Pastor Trey conducted the interviews. Thanks to everyone who participated. Enjoy :)

-Pastor Ivey

Sir, I need a Christian Music Comparison Chart!

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All the time I have people come up to me and say something along the lines of, "I'm looking for some good Christ-centered music, but I don't know where or how to start. Can you help?" Well yes I can. Finding good Christian music really isn't all that hard. Just like with anything there is good and bad. I'm sure you want to dodge the bad. Below I'm going to post some link to a few great webpages that give comparison charts for Christian music.

Christian Music Comparison Chart
Another Chart
Look for music by genre

I hope those link are helpful. They should give anyone a place to start. After finding some bands you are interested in I recommend going to iTunes and just giving the bands a 30 second test listen. You will definitely be able to find some great Christ-centered music.

In Christ,
Ivey

A Day of Waiting

Tweet Wow, what a day. Have you ever had those days where it seems like you were running as hard as possible but doing it in waist deep water. No matter how hard you go you never cover as much ground as you wish you would. Frustrating, really. Today I've been working on the 40 Days of Love DVD videos, and I'm here to tell you Satan does not want me to finish these things. Everything that could go wrong is going wrong. There has been improper formatting, corruption, harddrive crashes, and computer freezes. Not such a good day at work. Good news is, I've found a way around it all and now I'm finally on track. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Below is a pictorial illustration of my day :)

How have I had time to do a blog post... I've been waiting on my computer all day. I'm trying to do something constructive with my time.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

Can't worry about tomorrow... just need to take care of today to the best of my abilities.

-P. Iv

The Job at Oceanside is Getting Done!

Tweet Amazingly Oceanside is finally on its way to finishing our building. Just a few weeks ago Mt. Pleasant gave us approval! The deck outside is well on the way to being done. Thanks to Kevin for working his head off trying to get it done (through rain and cold). Below I have some pictures of the deck. It's still a work in progress.

50% of deck is done. That's Kev there picking up heavy wood while I watch.

This is from the other side of the deck... and Kevin still working hard while I watch.

And now a verse to leave you with-

For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

-Psalm 37:9 HCSB

-Ivey