Ramblings

Remember this famous quote from the Wizard of Oz?
"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

As a Midwestern transplant to the Phoenix melting pot, I can relate to Dorothy's comment.  Sitting at a stop light recently,   I started smelling skunk.  I mean, an all-out, in-your-face blast of an unlovely stench.  My first reaction, from years of living in the country, was to wonder, "Now where's that skunk?"  But then I remembered:  We're not in Kansas anymore, and there's only one explanation for this.  My passenger and I looked over at the car beside us.  Joint in hand, stereo blaring, we saw the culprit; my air conditioner had done the rest of the work in sending the scent our way.

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I was teaching my class of 8-12 year old's on Sunday; for a bit of perspective, only one student has parents who regularly bring him to church.  The others are given a ride by the church.  Somehow the lesson bunny-trailed to having respect for police offers and government leaders, because (in my words), "They are there to protect us and keep order in our country".  One student immediately said, "I don't like the police.  They came to my house and took my daddy away!"  While I don't know the details of that encounter (or perhaps multiple encounters), I am sure that young girl's pain is real, and those memories won't simply fade quickly.

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"Do you know where I can get a job?  I've got like....10 misdemeanors....and 2 warrants...maybe."


I gave the person a suggestion of an employer that could possibly work with a situation like that.

"Do you think they would drug test me?  Because then I'd have to wait 30 days."

This is where the fun's at....

The place where 50 cents is still enough to buy yourself an after-school snack.

The place where smiles aren't hard to find.

The place where fine art is created on a weekly basis.

The place where you can be loved and relax with a friend.

Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53 from buckheadchurch on Vimeo.

Spring 2014 Newsletter

Aim Right Ministries' Spring 2014 Newsletter by AimRightMinistries

God's Masterpiece

At a recent Teen Night, Colby and Darius presented a skit called "God's Masterpiece." based on Ephesians 2:10:

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

In the skit, Darius didn't like the painful chiseling that God (Colby) was doing, until he realized that it was part of molding him into God's masterpiece.

 

Kids Club Easter

Interns organized a skit, put together treat bags for each child, and planned special activities. The older classes dyed eggs, while the younger classes made little baskets and planted grass seeds inside them.

Teen Night

On a typical Teen Night, there's a bit of hang-out time prior to going inside for the teaching session. Our basketball court is a big attraction for teens on a Friday night (almost any night, really!), so there's usually a game in session when it's announced, "Time to go inside!"

At a recent Teen Night, someone must have grumbled about this because Caleb reminded the group: "You all know that this is what we do at Teen Night...food, teaching, basketball, and plenty of time to hang out."

For some, taking that step inside a church is much more uncomfortable than they'd probably like to admit. The call comes to go inside, and they scatter instead. Others follow the crowd of usual attenders and venture in.

In JB Phillips' paraphrase of the New Testament, he translates Romans 12:1-2 in this way: "Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within."

"...but let God."

There's the victory for each teen who's looking for direction and hope: letting God do His work.