NTBC - Student Ministries Blog

There is no way that you will want to miss this!  Last year we came together, we worshipped together, we learned together, and we sweated together!  Again, we will be returning to Southwind Camp for the weekend of May 8-10.  If you missed it last year, mark these dates now and plan to join us.  Here are a few pictures that will show you what to expect:

Hope to see you there!  More details will be coming soon! 

One of the highlights of every year in our teen ministry is teen camp and we now have our dates set for 2009!  Camp will again be held at Southwind in Ocklawaha, FL and the dates are June 6-9.  If you missed out last year, here are a few photos to show you what you missed and to give you a little taste of what to expect this coming year.

Don’t miss out in 2009!  It will be a week that could change your life!  For more information, contact Pastor Mark at 352-572-6838.

Psalm 37:7  Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:  fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

The Field of Student Ministries 

Over six years ago, God gave me vision and insight for our student ministries at NTBC.   Each year we have had a theme that corresponds to a farmer who is preparing a field for a crop.  It has been incredible to see the Lord’s hand in this ministry over the past six years as each year’s theme has unfolded.

• 2002-03     Prepare the Field
• 2003-04     Plow the Field
• 2004-05     Plant the Seed
• 2005-06     Pray for Rain
• 2006-07     Pull the Weeds

• 2007-08     Pick the Fruit

Resting in the Lord

Several weeks ago, the Lord added a new theme for 2008-09, “Pause for Rest”, as I read Leviticus 25:1-7:

Leviticus 25:1¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.  3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.  5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.  6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, 7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.

Over the past several weeks, the Lord has taught me much about resting in him:

• Resting in the Lord does not involve laziness, idleness, or procrastination, but there are times when we need to be still, be quiet, and be humble (get low) so we can adequately get rest in him.
• The Christian life is absolutely impossible to live (without the Lord that is) and we will wear ourselves out trying to perform it.  The Lord tells those who are trying to do it on their own to “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:  and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, adn my burden is light.”
• Unbelief, or lack of faith, and resting in the Lord do not mix.  When you stagger at the promises of God, you will not find rest in him (Hebrews 4:1-11).
• Rest in the Lord is found in the Lord himself because he is the believer’s rest (Psalm 62).
• Interruptions in rest (like spiritual insomnia or sleep apnea) will keep us from resting in the Lord.  Sin is always the cause of interruptions in our spiritual rest in the Lord.  Sadly, many Christians learn to live with these “spiritual sleep disorders” and consider it a normal thing to always be spiritually “tired”.  Jacob had to have an all-night wrestling match with God (which he lost, of course) to finally realize that he needed to quit running from God and actually rest in him (Genesis 32).
• Finally, we also learned that many of us have poor sustainability when it comes to our rest in the Lord because we get restless very quickly and have a difficult time maintaining consistency.  Sin leads to restlessness and restlessness leads to more sin.  Moses was a great example of sustained and prolonged rest in the Lord when he spent 40 days and 40 nights on mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24-34).

 As we trust the Lord in 2008-09 to give us rest in him, I am also excited and have growing anticipation for all that we will learn about our God as we rest and “wait patiently for him”!

Mark Schaffer                                                                                                                                                                                   Pastor of Student Ministries

There is something about bonfires that inspires me.  Sitting and staring into a fire as it consumes the wood that fuels it is both peaceful and challenging.  It is peaceful to hear the crackling of the twigs and bark of the wood as it consumes away in the fire.  What a great picture of the life of an individual who is consumed in the “fire” of God, yielding every piece and part of their lives to the Lord’s will.  There is great peace in that!  But it is also challenging to watch the fire consume away the wood, knowing that soon, if not dealt with, the fire will completely consume the wood and will die out.  When this happens, the light and warmth that the fire put out dwindles and eventually dies.  The challenge for us is that we would never let the “light” and “warmth” of God go out, but that we would be in constant pursuit of others to be thrown onto the fire to be consumed by our God with us!

This Saturday, November 1st we will gather at the home of Myron and Cindy Bowlin (10800 SE 95th Terrace) for our annual harvest party.  This gathering has a dual purpose for us.  First, we will find rest and encouragement through fellowship with one another as believers in Jesus Christ.  Second, and maybe more importantly, we will be challenged to reach out to bring others into that same relationship with our God.  We have these types of events with that purpose in mind - to invite friends and reach out with the love of God.

Whether you have had a relationship with the Lord for a long time, a short time, or not yet at all, we invite you to join us from 6-10 pm.  There will be food, so bring $5 to help us cover the costs.  We look forward to spending some time around the bonfire with you! 

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