August 25 devotion - Passing on The Faith

1 Kings 19:19           So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.

            At this time of year, both of our Middle School and Senior High Youth groups lead the worship service. They present to the congregation their own music choices, their own prayers, and their own messages. Their words are always wonderful and their enthusiasm is inspiring. They are confident about their Christian faith and they are very effective with their combined witness. It is always amazing to see the level of Christian maturity that they have, so my heart bursts with joy each time they do this.

            Over the years, our wee church has heavily invested in the life and faith of our young people. Through our Planet Worship programs on Sundays, they get to know the rubrics of worship, so they always feel connected to God when we sing, pray, and glorify Him. With our Creative Expression’s ministries, we build up their confidence for public speaking, singing, and acting. And with the faithfulness, reliability, and leadership of our Youth Director, we have grown a superb bunch of church kids who are now becoming spiritual leaders to their own peers. It has been a long process, but the fruits that they are bearing are worth all of the time, effort, and resources that we’ve used to get them this far in faith.

            As I was reading today’s Old Testament passage (1 Kings 19:19-21) concerning Elijah’s appointment of Elisha as his successor, I could not help but think about the mantel of Christian faith that our church has placed over our young people. The experiences that they have had in the past will bear a lot of fruit in the years to come. Wherever they go, I think that they will remain strongly connected through the faith events that they have shared together. The Church is in good hands, so my hope and prayer for them is simple: “Lord Jesus, bless them all.”

Questions for personal reflection

Do I have any special faith-forming memories from my youth? How can I encourage the youth in my church?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, thank You for Your message which still continues to inspire people from one generation to the next. Thank You also for the future of faith among our young people and the tasks that You are going to set them. Bless them for the many ministries and missions which they will undertake, accomplish, and fulfill. Be with them and help them to boldly take our faith to new heights and ways. In Your Holy Name, we thankfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s psalm drawings. It depicts a verse from Psalm 67. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Psalm 67.

Youth Group devotion: Passing On The Faith - 1 Kings 19:19

1 Kings 19:19           So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.

            Yesterday, both of our Middle School and Senior High Youth groups led the worship service. They presented to the congregation their own music choices, their own prayers, and their own messages. Their words were wonderful and their enthusiasm was inspiring. They were confident about their Christian faith and they were effective with their combined witness. It was amazing to see the level of Christian maturity that they all have, so my heart was almost bursting with the joy I was feeling.

            Over the years, our wee church has heavily invested in the life and faith of our young people. Through our Planet Worship programs on Sundays, they get to know the rubrics of worship, so they always feel connected to God when we sing, pray, and glorify Him. With our Creative Expression’s ministries, we build up their confidence for public speaking, singing, and acting. And with the faithfulness, reliability, and leadership of our Youth Director, we have grown a superb bunch of church kids who are now becoming spiritual leaders to their own peers. It has been a long process, but the fruits that they are bearing are worth all of the time, effort, and resources that we’ve used to get them this far in faith.

            As I was reading today’s Old Testament passage (1 Kings 19:19-21) concerning Elijah’s appointment of Elisha as his successor, I could not help but thinking about the mantel of Christian faith that our church has placed over our young people. The experiences that they have had in the past will bear a lot of fruit in the years to come. Wherever they go, I think that they will remain strongly connected through the faith events that they have shared together. The Church is in good hands, so my hope and prayer for them is simple: “Lord Jesus, bless them all.”

Questions for personal reflection

Do I have any special faith-forming memories from my youth? How can I encourage the youth in my church?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, thank You for Your message which still continues to inspire people from one generation to the next. Thank You also for the future of faith among our young people and the tasks that You are going to set them. Bless them for the many ministries and missions which they will undertake, accomplish, and fulfill. Be with them and help them to boldly take our faith to new heights and ways. In Your Holy Name, we thankfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s psalm drawings. It depicts a verse from Psalm 67. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Psalm 67.

Christmas devotions: Double Decker Deliverance - Psalm 119:65-72

Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. 

 

Believe it or not, Psalm 119:65-72 is my favorite scripture from the Old Testament. When I first became a Christian in 1977, this passage had a wonderful affect on me and I have never forgotten what it meant for my life.

I was sitting on the top of a double decker bus at the front seat. It was my favorite position on the bus because I always enjoyed the view it gave me of the city of Glasgow. As I journeyed into work, which took about 25 minutes, I sometimes read from my Gideon’s pocket edition of the Bible. These used to be given out to 5^th grade classes in elementary school to every student before the days of political correctness and atheistic militantism.

Anyway, I was reading through the psalms consecutively and reached Psalm 119. I didn’t know that it had all those verses in it, so I read it slowly section by section. When I reached verses 65-72, I felt as though God was speaking to my spirit, especially verse 67: Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. 

You see, I knew that I had gone astray in my teenage life and had rejected God. It was only when He afflicted my soul and constantly pestered me spiritually that my life began to turn around completely. When I read those words for the first time, I wanted to weep and laugh out loud at the same time, but being on a bus full of Glaswegians during the morning rush hour stopped me in my tracks. Instead, I underlined those verses in my Bible and have kept them written in my heart ever since.

We all wander from God at times and wonder how we’ll ever get back to being in a daily relationship with Him. God may afflict our conscience or our spirit relentlessly until we have no choice but to totally surrender to Him. From experience, let me tell you that it is both humbling and wonderful to finally let God be God in life. He changed mine in absolutely amazing ways; if you let Him, I know that He can do the same for you.

Prayer:                        O Lord, there are times when we wander from Your words and allow ourselves to be sinfully led astray from Your Son. We seem to separate our souls from Your Presence and distance our spirits from Your influence. But You relentlessly pursue us and afflict us constantly with Your loving, patient ways. Grant us the courage and the will to turn back to Your Son and be restored to Your everlasting love. In Christ’s Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, or if you have questions, please send John an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings called “Broadway Lights.” It depicts a busy night-time scene from New York City. You can view a larger version of the drawing here:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5090/5239799418_a5ec22450b_b.jpg

(John has a limited number(25) of signed and matted prints of this drawing available. The cost is only $20. If you would like one, please email him at the same address as above)

Heath Ledger - A Talented Tragedy

I liked Heath Ledger. I think he was a highly talented actor who had a lot of potential of becoming the superstar of his generation. I first saw him in “A Knight’s Tale,” which is a terrific movie. He played a young English lad who wanted to become a gallant knight. It was a wonderful story and Heath played his part perfectly.

Podcast version here

The next time I saw him was in Mel Gibson’s epic “The Patriot.” Heath played Gibson’s eldest son, bravely fighting for American Independence against the British troops. Once again, Heath’s acting was tremendous and along with Gibson, he carried the movie.

I didn’t see him in “Brokeback Mountain,” because I wasn’t interested in the movie. My family tells me that he played his character well and that he should have received the Oscar. I was so looking forward to seeing him play the Joker in the next Batman movie. It will be so hard to watch him on the silver screen and realize that he is dead.

I can’t believe that such a talented young man no longer exists. He had the world at his feet and should have accomplished so much more. He could have been the next Marlon Brando, Lord Olivier, or Clark Gable all rolled into one. Instead, he’s destined to become this generation’s James Dean, with just a few movies to his credit.

In Knoxville, we’re also mourning the untimely death of Brad Renfro, a local boy who could have become a talented actor. Sadly, he also died young and leaves behind grieving family and friends. I wish that things could have turned out better for both Renfro and Ledger. They could have become examples of gifted, successful actors to their peers; now they will just become cinematic memories.



Joel 2:28 And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.


O how I wish that the Spirit would pour over this young generation to produce young adults who will prophesy and young men who will have visions for a better world! As an old man, I dream of a new people and new world full of Christians who are committed to the Lord and zealous for His ways. I pray that one day I will see them emerge and be able to encourage them to lives their lives for Christ, His Commission, and Kingdom.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, walk among the young people of our world and please touch their hearts. Move their spirits and inspire them to work for a better world and a happier earth. Raise up leaders among them who are strong and focused, determined and committed to You. Bless this generation to be the best Christians that the World and the Church have ever known. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.