GoodLife Student Ministry

Super Bowl

2012-01-30T16:11:00.001-05:00

This is more than a ball game. It is a time to hang out and build relationships. Our Super Bowl party has a purpose.
This year it is at the Youngs house. Starts at 5:30 and ends at 9. There will be a halftime raffle for a chance to win a great prize. There will be food and fun and much more!

Email me at Matt.sawyer@fbchollysprings.com if you have any questions.

Have a great week! Don't forget our students meet Wednesday nights from 6-7 and Sunday mornings at 9:30.

Peace!

New Year-New Opportunities!

2012-01-07T16:22:00.000-05:00

Here we go!!! It's 2012 and another year to serve Christ and grow closer to Him. God has given us some great opportunities to serve the area and get our hands dirty for Jesus.
There will also be some great relationship building events thrown in the mix.
Here are a few important dates to put on the calendar.

Jan. 15- Winter Jam @ Philips Arena. $10 at the door + food money. Leaving FBCHS @ 5:00pm
Jan. 18th- Small groups start back. Wednesday nights from 5:45-7pm
Jan. 19th - Church on the Street. Homeless ministry to Downtown Atl. A ministry of FBCW. Have go be at FBCW by 5:45.
February- Home Night TBD.

Reality check

2011-12-02T16:36:00.000-05:00

Me and three others from FBCHS were able to serve the homeless in downtown Atlanta last night. It was cold, fairly dark, busy, and a little scary. I am from the corn fields of Illinois and am not familiar with anything in downtown. It was a little uncomfortable.

It is easy to talk about serving and reaching out to those in need but do we take the time to actually do it? Through a ministry called "Church on the Street" it is very easy to take the step and get uncomfortable. What was amazing is that the majority of the group that went (around 40, at least half of these were in high school) have been involved for weeks or even years. They have built relationships with these men who are ready and waiting every Thursday night for the food and conversation.

As we helped here and there with the serving I couldn't help but think of how easy it is to forget about those who are, in societies eyes, considered untouchable, unlovable, and unimportant. I can get comfortable and lose sight of the mission.

These are the people that Jesus hung out with. He spent time with the people society didn't want to mess with. That's the heart of the Father.

One of the youth went last night and it really impacted him. He will be sharing a testimony about the experience Sunday morning and wants to keep going back. We will also be collecting items to deliver in January (list of items at end of page).

When we take the focus off of ourselves we will see these types of opportunities not only in downtown Atlanta, but also in our schools, neighborhoods, and local community. May God continue to mold our hearts. It's not about us. It's all about Him!

Don't forget to keep checking the upcoming events listed on the main blog page. A few things are coming up in December and January.
We will be going back downtown in January. We will post the date soon. In the meantime you can donate any warm items that may be unused.
-stocking caps
- gloves
- coats
- socks

Thanks and keep checking in!

About to get crazy

2011-11-10T10:42:00.000-05:00

We are approaching, if we're not there already, the crazy time of year! Family visits, traveling, shopping, etc.
Here at FBCHS we have some great things in store for the next two months.
Students in grades 6-12 are welcome and invited to join us as we watch The Grace Card. We will finish up the movie on Nov. 16 at 6pm.

In December our girls will be having a slumber party to celebrate their semester of going through His Girl by Vicki Courtney. Date to be announced soon!

Also in December we will have our student Christmas party. Get your gift ideas ready for dirty Santa gift game.

Through all of these fun things we can celebrate the fact that Jesus is why we do it all! He is why we invite our friends to these events. He is why we put others first and ourselves last. We want His name to be made famous...especially during the craziest season of the year.

Blessings!

LIFE Groups

2011-08-25T15:43:00.000-04:00

Starting Wednesday August 31 our students will be meeting in their LIFE groups! It is going to be a great semester of diving into relevant topics and discussions dealing with every day struggles.
Girls will be going through His Girl by Vicki Courtney. And the guys will be going through Guy Talk.
Get plugged in and join these LIFE Groups!

PARENTS!!! Drop your student off and plug into the adult study of World Religions!

Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Events and Such

2011-08-01T16:15:00.004-04:00
Hello Everyone!!! Summer has once again come to an end and oh so quickly. That means it is back to the routine. May this year be anything but routine. May it be an adventure of faith and devotion to Jesus Christ as we follow him more closely than we did last year! Hopefully you can get plugged into what will be happening at GoodLife Student Ministries this fall.
Here are some important upcoming dates to be aware of.

Aug 3 - Wednesday night GL service kicks off. How To Be Attractive: God's plan. 6pm GL student room. Bring somebody!!!

Aug 7 - Back to School Bash at the Bryson's. Call church office for details and if you plan on coming.

Aug 10,17,24 - Series on God's game plan for purity and relationships. Bring Somebody!!!

Aug 20 -Cookout/Swimming at the Bryson's 4-7pm.

Aug 31 - Kicking off LIFE Groups. 6pm

Student Life Camp

2011-07-10T18:48:00.000-04:00
Me and 12 others returned yesterday from Student Life camp at Lee University in Cleveland, TN.
What an amazing week. Camp is always busy and packed full of great stuff. But I am always blessed to have our church group time to unpack what God is doing in our midst.
There is no doubt that God was working in the lives of the students in our group and the others that were there.
We were honored to have Ed Newton (www.ednewton.org) be our camp pastor. Todd Agnew led worship (www.toddagnew.com).

As always, the amazing things at camp pump us up. Sure, the rockin' music and dynamic preaching are over but what happened in our lives does not go away. Or at least it shouldn't. Sadly, we fail to realize that God does not stay at camp but he comes with us back to reality and life. My prayer is that we don't look back and say we just had a mountaintop experience but that we got amped up, stoked up, and ramped up for the glory of God!

For those of us who are already followers of God, we came back challenged and ready to live more devoted Him. For one young man, he trusted Christ for salvation for the first time and is now beginning an incredible journey.

It really was an amazing time and I am excited to see what God does through these students!

Summer Insanity

2011-06-19T21:21:00.000-04:00
Have you had time to slow down or relax yet? Didn't think so. Schedules really don't slow down much in the Summer. It is just the same but hotter! We will be doing some things this Summer to hopefully help you slow down and soak in some hang out time with friends and family.

We will have some different day trips coming up and a few different weeks of service projects.

No matter what we have going on it is my desire that God would be honored and glorified in all that we do.

Coming up this Wednesday is Encounter. This will be an event that is designed to get the student community together and have an encounter with the God of the universe. There will be a time of worship and message and some hang out time. The event will be from 6-8pm at the downtown Canton Theater. Coffee, water, and soda will be available for a small fee.

Hope to see you there!

Summer Time

2011-05-23T10:00:00.000-04:00
School is almost done for another year! The year has flown by so fast. Now we prepare for all of the events of Summer. This year we are going to Student Life camp in Cleveland, TN. It is going to be a great time to get away and get focused on God. We had our first fundraiser yesterday after church and raised some money for camp. There will be more fundraisers to come.
VBS is only a few weeks away! Any student that can help please sign up online. www.fbchollysprings.com. It will be a great week ministering to and hanging out with children from the community.
Keep checking in for more updates and events for the Summer!

Cowboy Church

2011-05-02T15:39:00.000-04:00
It was great to see the children and teens from Cowboy Church. This is a ministry only 22 miles from FBC Holly Springs. Rebecca Hampton started this ministry 5 years ago and it has impacted many lives and is changing lives now.
This summer we will be having a week long mission project for HH Ranch in Jerusalem, GA. Make sure you mark your calendar for this great opportunity. July 18-22.

Summer Time

2011-04-25T11:04:00.000-04:00
The Summer months are rapidly approaching. There is a lot going on at FBC Holly Springs. VBS is June 13-17. Sign-up at www.fbchollysprings.com if you want to help in any way. Students will be going to Student Life camp July 5-9. Going to Cleveland TN, Lee University.
July 18-22 our church will be helping with some construction renovations at a nearby ranch. HH Ranch to be exact. A great ministry out in the mountains of North GA.

More information can be found at the above website. Make plans to join us this summer!

The Season

2011-04-25T10:56:00.000-04:00
How blessed and privileged we are to be able to celebrate Jesus' victory over death and the grave! That is what the Easter season is all about. Sadly, as it was for me in my childhood, it is nothing more than candy, bunnies, fancy clothes, and family meals. Nothing bad or wrong about any of these things. However, them being priority over a risen and ruling Savior is where things get shady. I pray that all the hype about what happened on Calvary and the victory three days later does not become a one weekend event out of the year. My desire is to have this joy and excitement all year. That it is a lifestyle.
Thank you Jesus for your death and resurrection! You are worthy!

Taking Refuge

2011-03-31T09:00:00.000-04:00
These last few weeks have been very busy and full of excitement. We had an amazing time at our Disciple Now weekend. The students enjoyed it and it was humbling to see God move in ways I didn't expect. Also, my wife and I are in the middle of moving into a new house. Full of excitement and all sorts of emotions all flowing at the same time. As it usually goes for me, after my head is spinning and I am trying to find which way is up, it is then that I try and take some time to put priorities in check.
I find myself giving advice all the time about managing time and keeping God as number one focus. I soon realize just how human I am and that I do not have control over the ups and downs of life. How often do I try and trust my own thoughts and feelings as if I know what is best. Proverbs 30:5 says "Every word of God is true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."
Wow!!! These few words pierced my heart as I thought of how I fail to simply take refuge in Him. His words can be trusted.
It is easy to slip into busyness that chokes out the precious time needed to sit and be still with the Father.
Thom Rainer said "The simple life demands that you focus. You must eliminate much of your busyness."
Sounds easy but it is a never ending battle. We must trust every word of God and keep him first....take refuge!

Purpose?

2011-02-28T16:13:00.003-05:00

What on earth am I here for?
This has probably crossed our minds at least once or twice. What is awesome is that God has given us insight into answering this question. What a privilege and undeserved blessing to be able to open up God's love letter and find what his purpose is for our lives.
Interestingly, we often find that God's ways are not our ways.

Over the next 6 weeks we will be challenged to dig deeper into God's word and see for ourselves just what he has to say on the subject of purpose in life.

The creator of everything desires to have a personal, meaningful relationship with us and give us a true purpose.

May we desire to live life on purpose!!!

Can God's Word Be Trusted?

2011-02-02T13:38:00.015-05:00
We are diving into a series of questions that our very own students have asked. Our first session (and possibly more) deals with trusting God's word. Can we rely on what the pages of scripture tell us? Are they just random made up stories that have been changed throughout the years? These and many other questions can cloud our minds from the truth. I have posted some videos by Josh McDowell. This is a series of videos defending the validity and authenticity of scripture.

I hope you will take the time to watch these videos.

Disciple-Now Weekend March 18-20

2011-01-24T09:49:00.006-05:00

I hope you are ready to have a great weekend at our Disciple Now! We are joining in with several area churches for the 2011 D-Now. This year's theme is Reveal.

Chad Logan will be speaking and there will be great worship at our main sessions.

It is $45/student. Our sign-up deadline is March 6. After March 6 the cost goes up $10.

Slip or No-Slip

2011-01-12T09:52:00.003-05:00
Being from IL I should be used to conditions like this. It has been a few years since I have been snowed and iced in. I have had plenty of time to reflect on things. As I gingerly walked across the ice rink of a parking lot at our apt. complex, I thought about how sometimes I slip and slide in my personal life because I fail to step on the solid and non-slip rock of Christ. Let's face it, things will get slippery at times in our life. We have the promise of Christ as our solid rock and foundation. What an amazing assurance during unsure times.
Little thoughts that help me look at the big picture through ordinary things.

I hope you all stay safe and warm during this winter weather craziness.

The New Year!

2011-01-06T15:33:00.003-05:00

January 16
Meeting at FBCHS in the afternoon to go down to Phillips Arena. Many vehicles are going from our church.

Make sure you let us know if you plan on going!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T11:36:00.002-05:00
I hope you all have a great Christmas with family and friends. It is probably one of the busiest times of the year for a lot of families. My desire is to not lose focus of what this time of year really means. It is a reminder of what God did for his creation. He put on flesh and stepped out of heaven to show what true love is. He was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind. This is why we should celebrate and be joyful this time of year. May it not only be a few weeks of focus but may it launch us with a passion for the souls of those who have never received the best gift of all time.

Merry Christmas!!!

Parent Follow-Up

2010-12-01T09:21:00.001-05:00
daily parenting devotional

Glorious Suffering

1 Peter 1:6-7: In this [hope] you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (NIV).

Because we know God's plan will lead us home to heaven, we can endure suffering along the way. In fact, if today's suffering is "achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Cor 4:17), we ought to be able to count suffering as a blessing instead of a curse. Nonbelievers do not have this perspective on suffering and must achieve their glory now, because their future is eternal suffering apart from God.

We don't know what it will be like in heaven, but we know that today's suffering is our training for an eternal future of ministry in the presence of the Father. Trials prepare us for that future-they are God's curriculum for eternity.

Treat your family's trials as opportunities to glorify the Father and as training for your future.

Visit us at parentingbydesign.com for more resources and updates to help you parent by God's perfect design.

For the Parents

2010-11-30T15:39:00.002-05:00
I know that I have a long way to go on the parenting thing. I love my daughter more than I can verbally describe but I fail a lot. I forget that God has given her to me for a period of time and I am to raise her in "the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph 6:4, ESV). How am I doing? This is the question I try to ask myself and meditate on consistently. It is easy to be busy about living life together and forget that one day she will be living life on her own and out of the care of her parents. Sure, it may be a years down the road (many, many, many years) but what my wife and I do now will have an impact on her life later.
Something that keeps me challenged and focused is getting a daily parenting devotional. I encourage you parents to go to http://parentingbydesign.com/signup.aspx?resource=edevo and sign up for e-devotions.

Just a little thought on such a great privilege and responsibility as parents. May God receive the glory as we instruct our children in His ways!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-18T15:44:00.002-05:00
Many students look forward to the week of Thanksgiving. No school, no crazy schedules, and good ole' turkey and dressing! Sadly, these things are the highlight of most breaks. Why is it that when we get a "break" we tend to put on the spiritual "brakes". The simple challenge for this Thanksgiving break is to not shut down on spiritual matters. This time of year should remind us of what we have to be thankful for. Our families, friends, freedom, and most of all our Savior. What an opportunity to share the love of Christ with our family and friends we will be around.

Gracious heavenly Father,
Thank you for your gift of salvation. You are worthy of all thanks and praise I have to give. Help me to share your love with my family members who do not know of your great love for them. Use me during this holiday season to truly live out what it means to be thankful. Help me to grow closer to you as I focus on all you have done for me despite my sin and failures. You are an awesome God! Thank you for loving me!
Amen.

Winter

2010-11-10T15:00:00.002-05:00
The winter months are approaching. Temps will dropping, leaves falling, and all will seem still. However, our schedule will be sizzlin' as we seek what God has planned for us. This year we will be attending the X-treme Winter Conference in Pigeon Forge. It will be a three day adventure filled with challenges from God's word and encouraging and spirit filled worship.
The Holiday season is one that gets very busy for a lot of families. Traveling, visiting, and eating. For many, this is done not just one time. It is easy to lose our focus of what this time of year really means.
I am challenged to be aware of the people around me. Not just family, but people I meet during an average day. They have a story. Some may be hurting or lonely. Some may not have a big family gathering to look forward to. Some don't know that God the Father loves them more than they can comprehend. Do our lives really communicate this love to others besides our family? What is it that we can do this season that will potentially change someones life? Only through obedience to the guiding of the Holy Spirit will we ever be able to see someone receive the greatest gift of all!
Gracious Heavenly Father,
Forgive me for being busy about my own agenda. I want you to fill me and for people to see You in my life. Help me to be Your hands, Your feet, Your mouthpiece, this Christmas season and this next year. I want to see you change the lives of those around me. Thank You for allowing me to be a part of Your kingdom work. Amen

Fear Factor/Faith Factor

2010-10-25T13:13:00.004-04:00
It is obvious that this "faith" thing is not easy to grasp all of the time. I remember when I first stepped out on faith and said yes to God calling me to have a personal relationship with himself.
There are many pressures and fears surrounding the decisions we make for Christ. "What will they say about me?". Questions like this cloud our minds when we know the Lord is leading us to step out and trust him. Fear of the unknown keeps us in our comfortable bubbles most of the time. Jesus challenges his followers to give everything up in order to follow him.
The Christian walk is not promised to be an easy one. Along the journey we have opportunities to follow Christ more closely and become more like him. This is where the Faith Factor is needed.
Do you trust Him?

This past Wednesday was a blast! I have never tried this before, but we did a Fear Factor night. Messy and somewhat disgusting games were played and we had first and second place winners. Mr. Danny Singleton came and gave a challenge from God's word as well.

Video will be posted on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=87500361&v=app_2392950137#!/video/video.php?v=509193825206¬if_t=video_processed

Great Challenge

2010-10-09T13:25:00.002-04:00
If you have the time check out www.Tonynolan.com/blog. Read the entry entitled "The most disgusting thing". What a great challenge.

Rafting Trip

2010-10-06T13:09:00.003-04:00
Our trip is on Monday October 11. Final sign-ups end on Oct 7. You can go to http://www.apprivers.com/App_Rivers_Waiver.pdf to print out the waiver.

Students can bring their $14 plus food money. Also, there are wetsuit rentals for $5 and water shoes for $3 if needed.

Challenging

2010-10-02T18:53:00.001-04:00
Stumbled upon this article and it really makes you think about some things. I hope you take the time to read it.

Your Kid’s an All Star? Wow! Someday He’ll Be Average Like the Rest of Us.

The church in America is puzzled. Young adults are leaving in droves. Magazines, books and blogs are wagging the finger of blame to point out who is responsible. Some say it is a failure of youth ministry, some point to church budgets and some nail the blame on outdated, unhip worship services. We parents are shocked that our kids just really aren’t all that into Jesus.

When I look for someone to blame I head into the restroom and look into a mirror. Yupp, there he is. I blame him. That parent looking back at me is where I have to start.

If you’re a parent, I’m might tick you off in this post. But, hear me out. I think that we, as parents are guilty of some things that make it easy for our kids to put faith low on their priority list.

Keys to Making Your Kids Apathetic About Faith

1) Put academic pursuits above faith-building activities. Encourage your child to put everything else aside for academic gain. Afterall, when they are 24 and not interested in faith and following Christ, you’ll still be thrilled that they got an A in pre-calculus, right? Instead of teaching them balance, teach them that all else comes second to academics. Quick … who graduated in the top 5 of your high school class? Unless you were one of them, I bet you have no idea. I don’t.

2) Chase the gold ball first and foremost. Afterall, your child is a star. Drive 400 miles so your child can play hockey but refuse to take them to a home group bible study because it’s 20 minutes away.

2b) Buy into the “select,” “elite,” “premier” titles for leagues that play outside of the school season and take pride in your kid wearing the label. Hey now, he’s an All-Star! No one would pay $1000 for their kid to join, “Bunch-of-kids-paying-to-play Team.” But, “Elite?!?” Boy, howdy! That’s the big time!

2c) Believe the school coach who tells you that your kid won’t play if he doesn’t play in the offseason. The truth is, if your kid really is a star, he could go to Disney for the first week of the season and come back and start for his school team. The determined coach might make him sit a whole game to teach him a lesson. But, trust me, if Julie can shoot the rock for 20 points a game, she’s in the lineup. I remember a stellar soccer athlete who played with my son in high school. Chris missed the entire preseason because of winning a national baseball championship. With no workouts, no double sessions, his first day back with the soccer team, he started and scored two goals. Several hard-working “premier” players sat on the bench and watched him do it. (Chris never played soccer outside the school season but was a perpetual district all-star selection.) The hard reality is, if your kid is not a star, an average of 3 new stars a year will play varsity as freshmen. That means there’s always 12 kids who are the top prospects. Swallow hard and encourage your kid to improve but be careful what you sacrifice to make him a star at little Podunk High here in Maine.

2d) By the way, just because your kid got a letter inviting him to attend a baseball camp in West Virginia does not mean he is being recruited. You’ll know when recruiting happens. Coaches start calling as regularly as telemarketers, they send your kid handwritten notes and they often bypass you to talk to your kid. A letter with a printed label from an athletic department is not recruitment. When a coach shows up to watch your kid play and then talks to you and your kid, that’s recruiting.

3) Teach your kid that the dollar is almighty. I see it all the time. Faith activities fly out the window when students say, “I’d like to, but I have to work.” Parents think jobs teach responsibility when, in reality, most students are merely accumulating wealth to buy the things they want. Our kids learn that faith activities should be put aside for the “responsibility” of holding a job. They will never again get to spend 100% of their paychecks on the stuff they want.

3b) Make them pay outright for faith activities like youth retreats and faith community activities while you support their sports, music, drama and endeavors with checks for camps and “select” groups and expensive equipment. This sends a loud and clear message of what you really want to see them involved in and what you value most. Complain loudly about how expensive a three-day youth event is but then don’t bat an eye when you pay four times that for a three-day sports camp.

4) Refuse to acknowledge that the primary motivating force in kids’ lives is relationship. Connections with others is what drives kids to be involved. It’s the reason that peer pressure is such a big deal in adolescence. Sending kids to bible classes and lectures is almost entirely ineffective apart from relationship and friendships that help them process what they learn. As kids share faith experiences like retreats, mission trips and student ministry fun, they build common bonds with one another that work as a glue to Christian community. In fact, a strong argument can be made that faith is designed to be lived in community with other believers. By doing all you can to keep your kids from experiencing the bonds of love in a Christian community, you help insure that they can easily walk away without feeling like they are missing anything. Kids build friendships with the kids they spend time with.

5) Model apathy in your own life. If following Jesus is only about sitting in a church service once a week and going to meetings, young adults opt out. Teenagers and young adults are looking for things that are worth their time. Authentic, genuine, relevant relationships where people are growing in relationship with Jesus is appealing. Meaningless duty and ritual holds no attraction.

There are no guarantees that your children will follow Christ even if you have a vibrant, purposeful relationship with Him. But, on the other hand, if we, as parents do not do all we can to help our children develop meaningful relationships in Jesus, we miss a major opportunity to lead them and show them the path worth walking.

I want my kids to see that their dad follows Jesus with everything. I want them to know that my greatest hope for them is that they follow Him too.

Mt. 6:33 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. (The Message)

On a personal note: I know the struggle. My wife and I have lived the struggle firsthand. My son was recruited by a few D1 NCAA schools for baseball and opted instead to attend a small D3 school. My daughter was recruited to play field hockey by a couple D2 programs and ended up playing D3 when the scholarship offer was not enough to make her top school affordable. Both played in “premier” leagues. Both got A’s in high school though we often told them not to stress out too much over it. Both are in honor societies in college and my son now has offers from UNC, Univ. of Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins and Weil Cornell for a Phd in Pharmacology. Neither ever missed a youth group retreat, conference or mission trip because of their sports or academic commitments. Both missed a game or two to attend faith-based activities. Both missed school for family vacations. Both held down part-time jobs in high school and learned to give employers advance notice for upcoming retreats. My son often changed into his baseball uniform at church to arrive in the third inning of Sunday games. Robin and I did all we could to make sure they connected in student ministry even when it meant driving straight from a tournament to a music festival at midnight so that they would not miss out. It was that important to us. My youngest, a culinary student, lost a restaurant job because he went on a mission trip. That’s fine. Thankfully, all 3 have strong faith walks today. That is due only to God’s grace. But, I do believe that our efforts and example helped them long for a community-based faith.

Use this post however you find helpful. Reprint, repost, link to it or whatever. A link back to http://scottlinscott.wordpress.com would be awesome.

God's Word

2010-09-29T10:44:00.001-04:00
Last eve I paused before a blacksmith's door and heard the anvil ring the vesper chime. And looking in, I saw old hammers on the floor, Worn by the beating years of time.

'How many anvils have you had," said I, 'To wear and batter all these hammers so?"'Just one," said he, then with a twinkle in his eyes, 'The anvil wears the hammers out you know."

And so I thought, the anvil of God's word, For ages skeptic blows have beat upon. Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard The anvil is unharmed,the hammers gone!

Source unknown

We need to trust God's word! It is alive and active!

Busy Schedule

2010-09-27T14:59:00.002-04:00
There is no doubt that times are crazy. We have a lot going on in the next few months here at FBC Holly Springs. Be sure to stay up on the deadlines for the upcoming student activities. Below are are list of upcoming events and deadlines. Yes, we are going to have fun and go on trips and hangouts. Above all, our mission is to be a light in the darkness and share the love of Christ.
Every week we have the privilege of getting together on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights to spend time together and dig into God's word.
Don't miss out!

Upcoming Events

2010-09-15T17:00:00.003-04:00
Here are some upcoming events!
October
2 - Autumn Fest in Barrett Park
11 - Rafting trip on the Nantahala
$14/person + food money. Deadline is Oct. 6 to sign-up. Adults welcome!
13 - Deadline for Xtreme winter conference deposit. $50
31 - Block Party @ FBC Holly Springs

More to come!

A New Season

2010-08-31T12:56:00.002-04:00
Fall is coming! Some may say Autumn, but you get the idea. I absolutely love this time of year. Cool weather, beautiful colors, and fireplace gathering. It just cannot come quick enough. Just as the seasons change, so does life. New school, new classmates, new schedule, new city, new family, and new challenges. The list goes on. Positive and negative things can come from any certain change in life. I have been reminded and challenged to not think so much on the circumstance but on the one who is in control, and that is God. Simply resting in Him. Trying to focus on who He is and not what I can do. Psalm 139 tells us that God is so in tune with everything about us. He cares! When you try and think about how much He loves us it can be overwhelming. It may get tough at times in our journey but we have the ultimate resource to get us through.

Father God, thank you for loving me beyond what I deserve. It is not always easy to trust you but I know you have a plan for my life. I want to live for you.

I pray that this is your desire. To live a life holy and pleasing to God. He is worth it!

In His Hands

2010-08-19T09:42:00.003-04:00
As I write this my wife and daughter are on a road trip back to Florida to visit family. I have struggled with this for a few days. Part of me is excited that they get to see family and friends that they haven't seen in a while. The other part of me is sad and does not want them to go. The only thing that has given me peace is the fact that God is in control. There is no way I can control the situation so why worry. It is during these moments in life I learn to let go and let God be God. It is not easy but I know that He is on His throne. "Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth". . ."God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne." Psalm 47:1-2,8

Upcoming Events

2010-08-16T09:20:00.002-04:00
The Fall and Winter months will be here soon! I am ready for some relief from the heat for sure. GoodLife will be attending the Xtreme Winter conference in Pigeon Forge, TN this year. Sign-ups have started and will end October 13th. A $50 non-refundable deposit is due by Oct. 13 to reserve your spot. More details to come! Also, the Gathering is coming up on Sept.12. Be praying over your friends that you need to invite to come and hang out with us.

Great Night!

2010-08-05T09:54:00.002-04:00
Last night was awesome! It was amazing to see some new faces and some familiar ones as well. I know God has some great things in store for us if we surrender all to him. Things may have been a little different but we will always dig into God's word and see how it can apply to our lives right now! I want to thank the students for hanging out and making my family and I feel welcome. We are truly excited to be here!

What is SWAT?

2010-08-02T15:39:00.003-04:00
SWAT stands for Student Worship Arts Training. It is our desire to utilize the gifts and abilities of our students to help lead their peers in a time of worship. It is a great privilege and honor to be able to lead others in a specific time of worship through song. SWAT is for students who can play an instrument already and want to be a part of a student worship band. Also, anyone who enjoys being in skits and could help in running sound and power point, is invited to attend our first meeting on Sunday August 8th. This meeting is at 4:30 and is for students and their parents. Additional information will be given at the meeting.

It's Go Time!

2010-08-01T20:04:00.004-04:00
Tomorrow is the day we have all waited for! Not really. There are mixed emotions for sure when school starts back. Schedules, practice, homework, the drama; it all hits at once and leaves our heads spinning. This morning in Bible study we looked at Mark 10. This chapter covers the story of the rich young ruler. The challenge from Jesus was to surrender all to follow him. Not surrender some but all. Coming off of our summer routine (if you want to call it that)can put us in a spiritual slump. There is an amazing opportunity to reach our friends this year! What is it that you need to surrender to be used by God? It's go time!

Dare 2 Share

2010-07-27T13:53:00.003-04:00

As we all well know school is starting very soon. What an amazing opportunity to be on the mission field right here in our own town. Next week we will be diving into the challenge of sharing Christ with our friends. Dare 2 Share ministries has a field guide that you can take with you. It is a resource that explains how to share Christ with friends that maybe have different beliefs or don't know much about Christ. What is your mission this year? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to reach your friends?

Thoughts

2010-07-23T14:07:00.002-04:00
We finally have the washer and dryer hooked up, the t.v. is up and running (with satellite of course) and all seems to be getting back to normal. It is sort of funny and kind of sad that the stuff we think we have to have makes us feel "normal". Unfortunately this stuff gets in our way of focusing on what God has in store for our lives. Sometimes it's good to do a little spiritual inventory and see if anything is in the way of what God wants us to do. There are opportunities right in front of us to be used by Him. Can we hear Him?

Back to School Bash!

2010-07-22T14:31:00.002-04:00
Next Wednesday is our Back to School bash! I know, you are all very excited. But hey, it will be a fun time. More info will be given on Sunday. Hope to see you there! I am excited at what God has in store for us this year. He wants to use you in the life of our friends! Are you ready?

School is coming!

2010-07-20T18:50:00.000-04:00
We had a great Bible study this morning at Ignition. It is almost time to be back in school with all of our friends. There are going to be opportunities to reach our friends who are in need of a Savior!
Starting August 4 we will be resuming a regular Wednesday night schedule. We will be having a time of worship before our Bible studies.

Any student who would like to help in leading worship, please see me (Pastor Matt).

Great days are ahead if we allow God to use us!

Whatever it takes!

Time to start packing!

2010-07-05T10:45:00.000-04:00
I started to pack some stuff yesterday afternoon and realized it is going to be a great task. We have been in our trailer for five years and "stuff" has accumulated. It all goes along with the territory I guess. Our air conditioner froze up too. Hopefully it will be working tomorrow so we can start digging in to the packing. This is an exciting time for my family and I. More updates to come!

The Adventure

2010-06-28T14:14:00.000-04:00
As I write this we are in the process of searching for a house in the Holly Springs area. It has been an exciting adventure thus far. God has shown us a lot in the past few weeks. We are learning to trust Him no matter what. We are excited to see what He has for our family. Hope to have a great update later this week on what we find.