We have been doing youth house church ministry for over four years now. It's been quite a ride. There have been many moments in the past when I concluded that this is not going to work. It's not worth it. It's too hard on the kids, parents, village leaders, and me. But we're still doing it because I believe it's worth it. Here's why. Recently, a ninth grade student shared her testimony with me. I had asked her to answer some questions for me because she wanted to be baptized. After answering those questions, she added a personal note. In it, she shared about her journey from being an unbeliever from an unchurched family to the Christ follower she ...

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This past Sunday, our youth group partnered with Emmanuel Baptist Church to host their Fall Festival. The weather was gorgeous, the game booths and attractions were really fun, and there were tons of people from the surrounding community who came and had a great time. But as I walked around and saw all that was going on, the one thing that stuck out to me was how much of a blessing it was for us to serve in that way. Over and over again, different leaders from Emmanuel came up to me, thanking me and our church for what we did for them. And over and over again, my reply was that we were the ones who were getting blessed the most for having this ...

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I can’t believe how quickly time is passing by. Our little tomato (he’s more like a butternut squash now) is already four months old! As parents, Gina and I are always looking for signs of healthy development, commonly known as milestones, and this past Friday marked a huge milestone for our son George. While Gina was playing with him, she discovered a way to make him giggle for the first time! I’ve heard other babies giggle and it’s really cute, but when it’s your own child and he’s giggling for the first time, it’s the sweetest sound in the world. Fortunately, Gina recorded that moment on video and as we watched it over and over ...

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Have you ever seen the movie, "Rudy"? It's a really inspiring true story of a man named Rudy Ruettiger, who despite all the odds against him, played football for the University of Notre Dame. You should really watch it, but to sum it up, Rudy would not have been able to fulfill his dream to play for Notre Dame if it were not for his relentless determination to get into at least one game. This was one guy who would not be satisfied while staying on the sidelines. This month is our Ministry Rush Month and I'm so thankful for all of you who are involved in our student ministry. There's no way we could do anything without you guys! But there are ...

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Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) If you have a heart to serve special needs children and you can make a weekly commitment, you have an opportunity to live this verse out right here at SBC. The children’s ministry is looking for volunteers who will regularly serve as assistants for their special needs children. Many of these special needs children have been diagnosed with autism, which requires a lot of individual attention and love. The ideal candidate is someone who has had “CIA” experience at Camp Barnabas pretty recently, but if you have the heart and ...

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It happened again. I got to the point where I looked at myself in the mirror and said to my reflection, “I have to do something about this weight!” I can’t remember how many times I’ve done this in my life. On some occasions, I actually went through with it and saw incredible results. But usually, it would be a temporary moment of frustration followed by more unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise. Well, this time around, I’m doing okay at least when it comes to eating better. Yes, it’s only been a week, but hey, that’s progress. I’ve decided for now to cut out the big three C’s for me: Chips, Cookies, and Cola. I’m ...

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