Despising the shame

How many things do you despise? Foolishness, immorality, or cruelty? How about despising shame?  Do you hate shame with a passion, and fight it with every ounce of strength you have, especially pertaining to your spiritual life? If we are to be victorious as a Christian, we must learn how to rid our lives of every ounce of shameful behavior. We will look at Jesus, the ultimate example of a shame-despiser, and discover the secret of His ability to avoid surrendering to his flesh.

The phrase "despising the shame" comes from Hebrews 12:2, which says, "Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." The Greek definition of this word "despise" literally means to scorn or disdain, or to think little of something. When Jesus endured the suffering and pain of dying for our sins and being humiliated as the sinless Son of God, he scorned the shamefulness of his position. He was willing to have His dignity and status lowered to accomplish His task.

This begs the question: what was the secret of His motivation to sacrifice his personal reputation for the sake of His goal? I believe the answer to this question is found in John 6:38-39. Listen closely to the words that Jesus uses in these verses. "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him That sent Me. And this is the Father's will Which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." Now, let's take a look at what Jesus says in John 5:30. "I can of Mine own Self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father Which hath sent Me." This is a theme that occurs over and over again throughout the book of John. Jesus knew that His purpose on earth was to do His Father's will, even above His own will. This is further revealed through Jesus prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Despite His preferences, He wanted His Father's will to be done more than His personal will.

Now, how can we learn to submit to the will of God with our lives? In order to grasp this fully, we must understand several important concepts. First, God's intentions for our lives as Christians are never detrimental. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Second, we learn obedience as Christ did: through suffering. "Though He [Christ] were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered;" (Heb. 5:8) Third, we must always keep our end result in mind. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus endured the cross for us "for the joy that was set before Him." He valued the eternal rewards of His obedience far more than momentary physical pleasure. Finally, we must remember that we can do nothing apart from Jesus. (John 15:5)

Learning to overcome shame is a task that must be undertaken daily. I write this as an imperfect human who has by no means perfected this principle; yet, by God's grace, I am learning how to live a life of submission to my Master. If you feel that you have failed in this area, don't be discouraged: simply ask God for mercy as well as for the grace to try again. Accept, as your motto, the words of Paul in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek." In closing, let us remember the words of Hebrews 11:16, "But now they [God's people] desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city." If God was not ashamed to be called their God, may we resolve, by God's grace, to never be ashamed to be called one of His children.

Compassion

As some of you may already know, God has given me the privilege of being able to serve as a camp counselor this summer. After about a week and a half of training, the camp season began with a teen camp. I am writing this on a Wednesday, our off day between camps. Tomorrow, we are expecting campers for one of the junior camps this summer.

During my time here, I have experienced tremendous spiritual growth. God has given me a glimpse of what these campers experience in their everyday lives, as well as the change that can occur in a few short days. However, I would like to focus on one thing that has tremendously impacted my time spent here at camp: the word compassion.

Compassion is different from empathy, which is simply sensing the emotions of others. Compassion goes beyond seeing the pain, and gets involved in the pain. It shares in the suffering and lets others know that there are people that care and that are hurting with them.

The importance of compassion in ministry cannot be overstated. This is because the driving force of ministry is compassion coupled with God's power. Compassion recognizes the needs in the lives of others and moves people to work to meet those needs. It drives people to evangelize and to serve others.

However, compassion is not just a motivator for action; it is also an expression of love. This can be revealed by praying with someone, putting an arm around someone that is hurting, or just telling them that you really care. It is a powerful unifying force in any team, whether it is your family, your coworkers, or your ministry partners. Compassion allows people to overlook the theological and physical differences of others and unify with them in genuine love.

Compassion is a characteristic of God. Psalm 86:15 says, "But Thou, Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." Additionally, I John 3:17 says, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" This verse basically says, "If you don't have compassion, how can you say that God's love lives in you?"

It takes courage and discernment to show compassion. Rejection may occur, and people may act as if nothing is wrong. However, this must not discourage us from showing compassion regularly. Remember the words of I Peter 3:8, "Finally be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren..."

Reflect

For me, this time of year has been one of reflection. Reflection on the sacrifice of Christ, as well as reflection on my life.  I find that reflection is an indicator of where we are, as well as who we are.. It is a method by which we discover why we do what we do, and who we are doing it for. Furthermore, it is a way of remembering all that we have been given, which I was doing Sunday morning in church.

Yesterday, our Sunday School class was studying a portion of Colossians 3. While I tremendously enjoyed the study, a small phrase in verse 13 caught my attention. It says, "Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." Think about what a blessing it is to be able to truly forgive an offender! It is an exhibition of God's grace and power, as well as a demonstration of a life that is fully submitted to Him.

That morning, we also sang several songs about the suffering of Christ. One song was entitled "Ten Thousand Angels." The chorus of the song states how Christ could have called ten thousand angels to liberate himself and annihilate the world. However, He turned down the option of escape, and chose to die for everyone, including those who had rejected His message and opposed His ministry. I was so blessed to think of all that Christ suffered for my sake.

Also, one of our pastors preached a message entitled "Which Crowd?" In it, he talked about several different groups of people that Jesus faced around the time of Palm Sunday. There was the crowd crying for Him to be crucified, the crowd who welcomed Him into Jerusalem, and the crowd of soldiers that mocked and abused Him, to name a few. The challenge was, and still is, to be loyal to Christ regardless of the cost.

When is the last time you reflected on where you are in life, who you are associating yourself with, and what your goals are? When have you last considered the direction your life is going? Please, take the time to reflect on your past. Learn from your mistakes, and rejoice in your blessings. Evaluate the things you do, and compare them with God's word. Most important, remember what God has done for you, and what He has promised He will do. This, quite possibly, is the most important aspect of reflection.

Exhortation from the life of Adoniram Judson

Several days ago, I began to read a biography of the life of Adoniram Judson. I say began, because it is a thick book, and I have by no means finished it! However, I want to share with you an exerpt from a letter he wrote to his is wife before they were married.

"Of how much real happiness we cheat our souls by preferring a trifle to God! We have a general intention of living religion; but we intend to begin to-morrow or next year. The present moment we prefer giving to the world. 'A little more sleep, a little more slumber.' Well, a little more sleep, and we shall sleep in the grave. A few more days, and our work will be done. And when it is once done, it is done to all eternity., A life once spent is irrevocable. It will remain to be contemplated through eternity. If it be marked with sins, the marks will be indelible. If it has been a useless life, it can never be improved. Such it will stand forever and ever. The same may be said of each day. When it is once past, it is gone forever. All the marks which we put upon it, it will exhibit forever. It will never become less true that such a day was spent in such a manner. Each day will not only be a witness of our conduct, but will affect our everlasting destiny. No day will lose its share of influence in determining where shall be our seat in heaven. How shall we then wish to see each day marked with usefulness! It will then be too late to mend its appearance. It is too late to mend the days that are past. The future is in our power. Let us, then, each morning, resolve to send the day into eternity in such a garb as we shall wish it to wear forever. And at night let us reflect that one more day is irrevocably gone, indelibly marked."

This was a tremendous challenge to me to manage the time I still have and redeem it, "because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16) Time is one of the most precious resources God has given to us. Indeed, time is so precious that no amount of money can buy so much as one second of it. No amount of worldly power can increase the amount of time we receive each day. Everyone who lives through a day has had access to the same amount of time. How will yours be marked for eternity?

Remembrance

Lately I have been thinking a lot about remembrance. Some of this has been ignited by a Sunday School discussion at our church a few weeks ago, but it was most recently impressed upon me yesterday morning. I was visiting a dear friend of mine in southern Pennsylvania, and went to church with him Sunday morning. The Sunday school lesson text was I Corinthians 10:1-15. The first several verses of the chapter discuss how the Israelites all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual meat, etc. However, verse five says, "But with many of them [the Israelites] God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness." Verses six through ten illustrate why God was not pleased with them. There are five things that are highlighted in these verses: lusting after evil things, idolatry, fornication, tempting Christ, and murmuring. During the class, the teacher asked us a question about why the Israelites failed. This sparked my thinking and caused me to wonder, Why did the Israelites fail so often? After all, they had witnessed ten amazing wonders that God had done to Egypt. They had seen their enemies drown in the Red Sea, and had a daily provision of food. What caused them to fail? As I thought about this, the subject of remembrance came to mind. I believe that Israel failed because they did not remember all the good things that God had done for them! In Psalm 106, it says multiple times that the Israelites did not remember. Verse 13 says, "They [the Israelites] soon forgot His works; they waited not for His counsel:" Although God had done many wonders to save and preserve His people, they did not deem them important enough to remember.

What is the lesson that we can learn from the Israelites? Remember, remember, remember! Remember the things that God has done for you. Remember the times that you have failed, and the consequences that came from your failure. Remember the times that you were feeling discouraged and overwhelmed, and God sent someone to comfort and encourage you. Psalm 42:6 says, "O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember Thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar." The Psalmist decided to remember God because his soul was cast down. Apparently, this was how he dealt with feelings of depression. When you are feeling discouraged and defeated, remember the times that God has won victories in your life! Remembering great things that God has done gives us hope, because we know that He has done them, and that He is capable of doing them.

How do we remember these things? First of all, we need to know firsthand that God is capable of doing great things on our behalf. So, we should have examples of times when He has shown His power. These examples can come from scripture, from our own lives, or from the lives of others. Reading history is a great way to discover times and ways in which God demonstrated His power. Whatever the source, these can serve as reference points for us to look to when we are feeling discouraged or rejected.

Another practical way to remember great things that God has done is to write them down. More specifically, journal about the great things that God has done for you. Not only that, but tell others about the great things that God has done in your life. This allows Him to receive glory for these things.

I know that I personally have not done very well in journaling, but by God's grace I will change that. I would encourage every one of you to keep a journal full of victories that God has helped you to win, rehmas that God has shown to you, and instances where God has demonstrated His power on your behalf. 

 If I am wrong about something, or if I said something wrong, please let me know. God bless!

Meet My Family!

So, I decided to introduce all of you readers that don't already know my family to these wonderful folks below.

Our family in August of 2012. From left to right: Jon, Marissa, Wesley, Mom, myself, Dad, Sarah Elizabeth, Jordan, and Lawrence. A big thank you to my cousin Chels for the photo!

I will start with my parents, Jim and Sarah. They have been married for twenty-five years, and are still in love with each other. Dad works as a motion controls engineer for Corning Inc. He enjoys computers and almost everything that pertains to technology. Mom works hard to care for the home, as well as escorting oversize loads for Wood-Tex Products, a local building construction company. Cooking, sewing, scrapbooking, and gardening are several of her hobbies.

Jordan, my oldest brother, lives in northwestern Ontario where he serves as an aviation mechanic to a local mission. He enjoys reading, aviation, and playing guitar, among other things.

Marissa, my older sister, was married this past December to a wonderful man named Jon Loewen. They currently make their home in Manitoba. Marissa enjoys playing piano, and music in general. Additionally, she is a wonderful cook and homemaker.

Wesley, my older brother, lives at home. He works as a salesman for Wood-Tex Products. Wesley is an accomplished guitarist, and enjoys sports as well.

Lawrence, my younger brother, is currently being homeschooled with my younger sister. He enjoys creative things, and is an excellent artist. Some of his hobbies are shooting his dart gun, swimming, and spending time with his dog Reese.

Sarah Eliz, my younger sister, is our little songbird. She enjoys singing, playing harp, playing with her dolls, playing with her friends, and reading.

I am thankful to live in a family where:
- my parents are still together.
-my parents are godly spiritual and physical mentors.
-my siblings and I are able to do things together.
-music is commonly enjoyed by all.
-I am free to practice Christianity.

All Because We Do Not Love Them

I was leafing through a songbook this evening, and this song caught my attention. I thought I would share it with you. It is called "All Because We Do Not Love Them."

Many souls today are dying,
Sin and sorrow is their lot;
Darkness shrouds them with its mantle,
All because we love them not

Chorus
All because we do not love them,
Millions fill the heathen grave;
Brother, can you see them perish,
When a little love would save?

 Brother, can we guiltless linger,
When to us the truth is giv'n?
Tearless, see the heathen dying,
Without God or hope of heav'n?

Love bro't Jesus down from glory,
On the cruel cross to die;
Can we say we love the heathen,
If we turn away their cry?

Love undying, love eternal--
Love will send us o'er the wave,
Will impel us to our duty,
Helpless heathen souls to save.

Jesus said, "Go teach all nations";
They are lost if we delay.
Can we face Him at the judgment
If His Word we disobey? 

Folks, what is keeping us from sharing the gospel? People are dying around us, and going to hell! Are your feelings or your reputation more important to you than the soul of one sinner? Is looking "normal" more valuable to you than knowing that one person is on their way to heaven in part because you took the time to tell them about the love of Christ? If we do not love sinners enough to tell them the gospel, we do not truly love them.

From what I gathered online, about 1.8 people die every second. That means that every minute 108 people die. Multiply that by sixty, and you have 6,480 deaths every hour. According to these statistics, then, roughly 155,520 people die every day.With an estimated 33% of the world's population being considered "Christian," every day, an average of 103,680 people go to hell. To illustrate just how large this number is, at this rate, it would take about an hour to wipe out my hometown of Dundee, NY. The city of Boston, MA itself would be eliminated in a little over six days. Huge masses of people are on their way to an eternity separated from God.

Please, have compassion on the dying sinners. Ask the Lord to show you how you can reach out to them with the gospel, and then do so. It can be handing out tracts, personal evangelism, children's ministries, discipleship programs, or just talking to people. I am speaking just as much or more to myself as I am to anyone reading this, because I have done very poorly in this area. However, this is an area where God can demonstrate His power. He is looking throughout the whole earth for an opportunity to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards Him. (II Chronicles 16:9) Will you be willing to allow Him to work through you?

Bible Bee 2012 recap

So, as of November 17, Bible Bee 2012 is history. For me, it was a bittersweet year. On the one hand, I was glad to be able to make it to Nationals, yet knowing it was my last year as a competitor added a different twist.  However, through it all, God has been teaching me lessons about humility and trials.
So, what is the Bible Bee? The Bible Bee is a competition that is run by the Shelby Kennedy Foundation. Started in 2009, the competition was inspired by the life of Shelby Kennedy, a young woman who died at the age of 23 from cancer. She was known as an incredible Christian who loved serving others, and studying the word of God. Every year, people across the nation sign up to be Local Competition Hosts. Their responsibilities are to oversee a Local Bible Bee Competition, which is basically a preliminary for the National Competition. Typically beginning April 1st, contestants register for the National competition. Each contestant must be from 7-18 years of age at the time of the National Competition as well as a legal U.S. citizen.
For me, the Bible Bee season began back in the spring when we registered for the competition. Contestant registration began April 1st and continued to the end of May. On the first of June, the study materials were released. Each contestant was given twenty-five memory verse cards with passages that ranged in length from one to nine verses. Additionally, each contestant was given a study guide for the book of II Timothy, which was our study book for the summer.
All summer, I studied the verses and II Timothy. Studies for the verses included memorizing and reciting them, looking up the context of the chapter they were in, and, for the verses in the New Testament, looking up Old Testament quotations in the verses. As for the book, studies included reading the book as a whole, investigating the various people mentioned in the book as well as geographic locations, studying Greek words and cross references, learning about history over the time the book was likely written, and more.
Finally, August 25 arrived, and I went to my Local Competition in Hamburg, NY. After registering, we had a general assembly, from which we were dismissed to do our testing. First, we did our written test, which is a 200 question multiple-choice test to be completed in one hour. We were tested on how well we knew the book, general Bible knowledge, as well as questions pertaining to the verses we memorized. After that, we went to the chapel to wait for our Oral Test. When it was time for me to go, a runner came and escorted me to the testing room. Here, I was given ten minutes to recite up to twenty of the passages that I had learned over the summer. It was difficult in the sense that you did not want to go to slowly or you might run out of time; yet if you went too fast, the tendency to error was much higher. Thankfully, the Lord enabled me to pace myself with the help of a clock in the room, and I was able to recite my passages without too much trouble.

Me waiting for Locals to start.

After both tests were completed, the contestants and their families took a lunch break while the tests were scored. After lunch, we gathered for an awards ceremony, where each contestant in each division was recognized for participating in the local Bee. Also, the contestants in each division were ranked from 5th to 1st. First they called out the names from the Primary division, and then the Juniors. Finally, it was time for the Senior Division. Heart pounding, I waited while the names were called. First fifth, then fourth, and all the way down to second. Then, they announced that the first place winner was Thomas Youngman! The adrenaline and emotions that I was feeling at that time are almost impossible to describe! I did not really know how well I placed in comparison to the other Senior contestants, so it was a little unexpected! Praise the Lord!
After the Bible Bee was over, I received my score from my host. However, I did not know how I was ranked in relation to the other contestants nationally, as this information was not released until the following Wednesday. Finally, Wednesday rolled around. At a certain time, the scores and rankings from each of the contestants were released. I sat down at the computer, and found the rankings for the contestants. I began to scan my way down the contestants. Then, I saw "Dundee, NY"! Praise the Lord! I was thrilled! I have had the privilage to participate  the past two years, but it was still a joy to be able to qualify again. I was also happy to see that Hannah Messerschmidt and Hannah Leary, two of the other contestants from my local bee,  qualified as well.
Well, now that I was a National contestant, I had a LOT of work ahead! During the next months and days, I studied hard. Each Senior contestant was given an additional 600 memory verses, and the book of I Timothy to study, all in addition to the materials we received over the summer. By the grace of God, I made it through the weeks from Locals to Nationals. Along the way, I learned many interesting things from the word of God.
Early on the morning of November 14, Dad and I left for Sevierville, TN. Contestant registration was from 2-5pm, with a later registration for contestants who were delayed. After registration, we went to a photo booth and got our pictures taken. The evening was spent relaxing and settling in.
Thursday morning, the Senior contestants were scheduled to begin testing at 10:00. We were escorted into a large room where we took our written test. Like the Locals test, it was a 200 question multiple-choice test to be completed in one hour. Talk about challenging!We had about eighteen seconds to read the question, choose the answer, and fill it in on the bubble sheet. It was difficult, but I did my best, and left the rest up to the Lord.

Waiting for Orals!

After lunch, we assembled while we were waiting to be called for our Oral Testing rounds. Starting with the beginning of the alphabet, the contestants were called in groups and ushered to their testing booths. We were seated in alphabetical order by our last names, so I was the last of the contestants. After waiting for a bit, myself and the remaining contestants were escorted out of the room. Finally, Dad and I were escorted to a testing booth. My oral judge was a man that I had met before, so it was nice to have him as my judge. After a bit, we began the test. It was more challenging than I anticipated, so I had to recite quickly. However, the Lord helped me to get through them all, and I felt satisfied with how I did.
In the evening, we went to the opening ceremony and processional. All the contestants met in the room where we assembled for our Oral Rounds for the processional. The Senior division went first, then the Juniors, and then the Primaries. Each contestant went up onstage, where they were given a medal, and then had their picture taken. In addition, several of the contestants were honored by the AWANA program, and Professor Grant Horner from The Master's College spoke to the group. Also, Mr. James Kenniv organized a choir open for anyone interested in joining. The selections were arrangements of songs that were already written, or new songs that Mr. Kenniv had written. It was a wonderful experience, and very uplifting!

The seniors on their way to receive medals. I am in the middle.

Here is a shot of most of the Seniors.

Finally, they began to announce the Semi-finalists. My heart was racing, and the adrenaline was flowing! One after another, the names were called. Finally, they reached the last name. I listened in suspense, waiting for the name to be announced. It was not my name, which was a bit disappointing. However, my cousin Taylor qualified as a semi-finalist, as well as my friends Jimmy Waters, Ryan Sinni, and Nathan Tappendorf.

The semi-finalists! Taylor is second from right on the first row.

Now that I knew I was not a semi-finalist, the pressure was off, and I could relax. Friday, every division had their semi-final rounds, first the Primaries, then the Juniors, and then the Seniors. One at a time, each contestant advanced to the mic and was given a passage to recite. Any error eliminated the contestant from further participation. After all fifteen had recited, the second round of recitations began. Each division went thirteen or more rounds before they ended. It was an exciting day for Taylor, as we discovered that he was one of the five Primary finalists!

The Primary semi-finalists. Taylor is second from left on the front row.

Taylor competing on-stage.

The five Primary finalists: Forrest Yang, Olivia Davis, Andrew Berry, Taylor Bontrager, and Rebecca French.

The Junior Semi-finalists. The empty chair was for Everett Chew, who was reciting at the time of the picture.

The five Junior finalists: Phillip Anderson, Hannah del Toro, Rionna Flynn, Abigail Sutton, and Kyle Tappendorf.

The Senior semi-finalists with Roy Patterson speaking.

Ryan at the microphone.

Nathan Tappendorf speaking.

Jimmy Waters quoting.

The five Senior finalists: Lucy Alessio, Anna Floyd, Rachel Gosz, Sophie Haire, and Bethany Lee.

Saturday was Finals for all three divisions. Each of the contestants recited passage after passage. We listened to each passage quoted, and then waited for the moderator to announce whether the recitation was correct or incorrect. Emotions were high as the day progressed. There was sympathy felt for those who made errors, as well as joy for those who recited correctly.

Taylor on stage as a finalist.

The Primary finalists with Mark McMahan, CEO of the Shelby Kennedy Foundation, and Roger Patterson from Answers in Genesis. From left to right: Forest Yang, 5th place; Rebecca French, 4th place, Taylor Bontrager, 2nd place; Andrew Berry, 3rd place; and Olivia Davis, 1st place.

The Junior finalists with Mark McMahan and David Waller from Institute in Basic Life Principles. Shown left to right are Hannah del Toro, 5th place; Kyle Tappendorf, 4th place, Abigail Sutton, 3rd place, Phillip Anderson, 2nd place; and Rionna Flynn, 1st place.

After the Junior Finals, we went to a lunch event with Ray Comfort as our speaker.

The Senior finalists. From left to right: Lucy Alessio, 4th place, Anna Floyd, 2nd place; Rachel Gosz, 3rd place; Sophie Haire, 1st place; and Bethany Lee, 5th place.

After finals was ended, Dad and I attended an "Around the World Dinner," with buffets from America as well as several other countries. The food and fellowship were wonderful!
That evening, we attended the Celebration Ceremony. Here, we celebrated with the other families the wonderful time we had at Nationals, as well as recognized the staff of the Shelby Kennedy Foundation, and other volunteers that made the Bee possible. Also, the Chairman's Oratory Award (given to a contestant who recites God's word with meaning), the Host of the Year award, as well as an award given to a contestant or family that has overcome great difficulties and still managed to do well during the Bible Bee season. Also, Ray Comfort from Living Waters Ministries gave a provoking devotional about soul-winning.

On our way from the Celebration Ceremony to the Desert reception.

After the ceremony, we were ushered out to a desert reception following the Ceremony. Here, we fellowshipped with other families, ate desert, and just had a generally good time. Following this, I stayed up talking to other people, and being encouraged. As a whole, the competition was a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. All in all, the time and money spent at Nationals was WELL WORTH IT!
So, why would I encourage others to get involved? Perhaps you might think, "600 verses? There's no way I could ever memorize that much!" Perhaps you don't have hours and hours each day to spend memorizing and studying God's word. That's okay! Even if you spend as little as five or ten minutes a day in the word of God, that is five or ten minutes more of spiritual growth for you. As to memorizing huge amounts of scripture, it is an incredible way for God to demonstrate His power through you. II Chronicles 16:9a says, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." Folks, God is longing for a chance to demonstrate His power. He is looking throughout the whole earth for a chance to show Himself strong. The Bible Bee is a wonderful opportunity for Him to do that through your life.
Spiritually, God has done so much in my life the past three years, and I credit at least part of this to the time spent memorizing and studying God's word through the Bible Bee. The verses that I have memorized are always with me whenever I need them. Through the book study, I have come to have a deeper appreciation for the scriptures studied. Also, I believe that the competition has given me a deeper appreciation and love for God's word. It is so precious, and so powerful!
Additionally, I have met some wonderful people through the Bible Bee competition. These friends have encouraged me in my Christian walk, as well as given me a different perspective on the Christian life.
If you think that this is something you would like to do, or if you want more information, please go to http://www.biblebee.org/. Registration for hosting a Bible Bee is open right now, and is scheduled to close March 31st. Contestant registration typically runs from April 1st to May 31st. Doesn't work to be a contestant or host? Consider volunteering at a Local or National Bible Bee. Many volunteers are required to make the competition successful: runners, judges, scorers, etc. If you would rather make a monetary commitment, feel free to do so. Finally, if nothing else, please pray for the competition and the Shelby Kennedy Foundation staff. It takes a lot of work to plan and run a competition like the National Bible Bee.
I realize that this was a long blog post, but I trust you were encouraged by it. Thanks for stopping by, and God bless!

Introduction to Thomas's blog

Hello everyone! Thanks for visiting this site. I am a young man who knows the truth and, by God's grace, will pursue and share the truth with those I come in contact with. My goal for this website is to allow God to provoke your thinking, as well as challenge, convict, and encourage you in your Christian life. God bless!