Tips for Ending a Disagreement

Good Evening Everyone,

The past few weeks we have been studying out of the book of Philippians on Wednesday night in our teen Bible class here in Pearland. Tonight we began Chapter 4 and as I was preparing I realized that the Apostle was teaching us how to end a disagreement.

Philippians 4
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.

I don’t know who these two ladies are, I don’t know if they were related and I don’t know what they were arguing about but it must have been pretty bad. Paul is writing this in chains and he takes time to address these two ladies so I guess it must have been more than a small disagreement. The ingenious thing that Paul (directed by the Holy Spirit) did was to teach all of us how to deal with a disagreement.


Philippians 4:4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

It is pretty difficult to be mad at someone if you are living your life rejoicing in the Lord. It is even more difficult if you are rejoicing along side the person who you might disagree with.

Philippians 4:5-7
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

To the non-believer your gentleness might be the only gentleness they see. When you are living a gentle life then it is difficult to get into arguments and you will not be as anxious of a person. I don’t listen or do this one very well. I’m a pretty anxious person but I am working on it.

Philippians 4:8-9
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

If you are focusing on these things then getting into an argument will be increasingly difficult. Paul knew what it meant to live in peace with everyone and he has shared most of what we need to know about getting along in these 5 verses. The challenge for us is to apply this to our lives and make a concentrated effort to live like God wants us to. I believe you can do it if you are faithful to our faithful God.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Benin West Africa

Good Evening Everyone,

Tonight I spent several hours listening to a man named George Akpabli. George is a preacher in Benin West Africa, but more than that, George is equipping men to preach the Gospel. George is one of the missionaries we support here in Pearland and tonight was the first time I had really had the opportunity to sit and visit with him.

As I sat and listened to George talk about what these men have to go through just to be able to preach the Gospel I became very aware of how blessed I really am. These men study for three years to receive their training. In the time they are studying they leave their families and live onsite at the school in Benin. After three years of being away from their families they then go out to preach the Gospel with no promise of any support financially. Thanks to the school in Benin they learn some farming skills and many of them raise a crop to help support themselves. These men will never preach in a congregation with a nice building, most of them are lucky to have a roof over their heads, and their support will more than likely always be dependent on what they can do but these men are happy.

I think about all of this as I sit in my air-conditioned office situated in our comfortable building. I know that I will not have to go out and work in a garden so I can feed my family, in fact, I don’t even have to go to the bank thanks to the blessing of direct deposit and yet I still find ways to complain. I was humbled tonight and I hope that I can learn to be happy with what I have and be thankful for all of God’s blessings. I hope that you may read this and examine how you look at life. Maybe we could all use a little time in the garden.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Blog Roundup

Good Morning Everyone,

One thing that has really encouraged me to begin blogging more is that I tend to read a lot of blogs. When I say a lot I mean a lot, to be more specific, I am currently subscribed to 78 different blogs. Some of them post more than others, some of them are deeper than others but all in all I read them because they encourage me in some way. Today I am going to share with you four blogs that I really enjoy. Let me add this disclaimer; if you are a friend of mine who blogs and yours isn’t on here please do not get offended. Like I said I subscribe to 78 blogs so someone is going to have to get left out. That being said, let’s press on.

#1 Mcakenzie’s Meandering-Robbie Mackenzie is the youth minister at the Main Street Church of Christ in Springfield Tennessee. Robbie is extremely engaging and is not afraid to tackle tough subjects in Christianity as well as youth ministry. Robbie also hosts a vlog that never disappoints. Keep up the good work Robbie!

#2 A Place For The God Hungry-Jim Martin is the preaching minister for the Crestview Church of Christ in Waco Texas. Jim’s writing is easy to read but never ceases to challenge. If you are looking for a better understanding of Christian living then I would have no trouble recommending this blog for you.

#3 The Kingdom, The Kids & The Cowboys-Alan Stanglin is the preaching minister for the Central Church of Christ in Amarillo Texas. Alan most recently was the pulpit minister at the Legacy Church of Christ in the Dallas area but he has had an interesting and varied career in and out of ministry. Alan is a wonderful equipper and encourager. If you are looking for someone to help you live a stronger Christian life and be a better minister then Alan is your man!

#4 Marathon Bird-Holly Shaw has been a good friend of mine for longer than either one of us probably want to admit. Holly is a wonderful Christian woman, wife, mother and servant of the Kingdom. Holly is also an excellent student of the human condition and shows us what life looks like through her eyes. Many of Holly’s writings focus on her life as a parent and as a woman. As a new parent I find Holly’s insight of great value and I think you will too. Thanks Holly for doing such a great job!

Well there are four blogs that will bless you if you give them a read. Thanks to all of you bloggers and readers out there. I would love to hear what all of you are reading blog wise so feel free to drop me a line. I hope this blog blesses all of you today as much as all of you bless me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Did You Hear There Was an Earthquake Yesterday?

Good Afternoon Everyone,
I think the title says it all. I grew up in South Texas so earthquakes are not a phenomenon I am all that familiar with. I have lived through one before. My sophomore year at Harding I felt an earthquake, I didn’t realize it until chapel the next day, I honestly thought my neighbor just had his stereo up really loud. Watching the news yesterday I was struck by what God can do through earthquakes and other acts of nature. It made me think about one of my favorite stories from 1 Kings.

1 Kings 19:9-18New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

I love this story because it shows that God can reveal himself in any way that he chooses. Elijah was expecting to see God in some grand display but at the end of the day God came to Elijah in a gentle whisper.

As I see it there are two things to consider. First, God is not going to grab you by the scruff of the neck and make face to face contact with you in some grand display. God has already given us a grand display in the life, death and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ. Second, we should always recognize God in all aspects of life. I applaud Elijah for looking for God in all of the displays of nature.

Where do you see God? I would love to hear where he reveals himself to you. I hope you are all blessed by these words today. Thank you all for blessing me.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

School Year Goals

School Year Goals

Good Morning Everyone,

If you count my interning years then I am coming up on my tenth year in ministry. I have learned many things in these ten years but the one thing that stands out the most is this. When you are in youth ministry you begin to look at a year differently. For the average person the New Year begins on January 1^st but for a youth minister you really think of years in terms of school years. So if one is to follow this line of reasoning then the first day of a year in the life of a youth minister is the first day of school, which for me, was yesterday.

I’m not a New Year’s resolution type of guy because I never seem to follow through on them but I do find goal setting an effective way of gauging progress. Today I want to share with you some personal goals that I have for this new school year. These

are not ministry goals per say (we will save those for another blog) but they are goals for my personal life and therefore will have some effect on my ministry. So without further a due here they are!

#1 Better Personal Bible Study-As a minister you are constantly in the word preparing for the next Bible class, sermon, or tracking down the answer to the question someone has asked you, but sometimes that gets in the way of a real study. To accomplish this goal I am reading the Bible in chronological order. I will probably have some thoughts to share with you from this study at some point.

#2 Write at least 3 blog posts per week-My good friend Ryan Parsons is a social media guru. The man is more plugged in that anyone I know and he does all of these different social media outlets to help further the cause of Christ. I have this great venue to share things about God and ministry but I don’t use it nearly enough. To that end I am going to attempt three blog posts a week. (This makes number two for this week. But who’s couting J)

#3 Write at least 3 encouraging texts to my teens per week-One of the teenagers from the last place I worked began sending out encouraging text messages to his youth group. Like any good minister I plan on stealing this idea. Some days it may be a scripture to think about, some days it may be an encouraging word, and who knows, maybe I will even tell a joke or two. Our teens live in a digital world and we need to cash in on that.

#4 Lead/Participate in a small group Bible study-It is my hope to begin studying with some friends of ours with some material I have written. I will let you know how it goes

#5 Reading/Listening to ministry resources-There are so many good books, blogs, vlogs, podcasts and other resources dedicated to ministry right now. As a minister it is not very often that I get to sit in on a Bible class so I am hoping to build myself up by being fed by others.

Well there you have my five goals for the new school year. The only thing keeping me from accomplishing all of these is myself. God is faithful and I believe he will help me to accomplish these things if I devote my life more and more to him each day.

How about you? What goals are you working on right now? I would love to hear about what you are doing and help you in any way that I can. I hope you are all as blessed by me today as I am by all of you.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Back To School

Good Morning Everyone,

Today is that day that you always dreaded as child, the first day back to school. For me this day was always a pretty dreadful experience. I loved summers growing up in Texas. Whether it was going to church camp, area wide devotionals, or spending time on the family cattle ranch I loved every aspect of summer. The first day of school always loomed like a dark cloud on the horizon of my life. The first day of school meant getting up early and not staying up late hanging out with my friends, it meant that I had homework, it meant I had to take tests and it also meant my spirituality was going to be challenged.

The last aspect of my spirituality being challenged was one that I was always aware of, but now that I look back I realize that more often than not I failed. I listened to and told jokes that I shouldn't have been a part of, I gossiped, I made fun of people and in general didn't give much regard to my spiritual appearance. I think it is this part of my spiritual journey that lead me to ministry, specifically, youth ministry.

In my works with teens I see that not really much has changed in schools. Our youth group summers are great! Every Monday night we have a big group of kids that make it out to the area wides, our camps and Bible classes are well attended and the overall spiritual health of the teens is great. Then the first day of school roles around and my teenagers, my babies, are thrown back into a world that could care less about spirituality. So today I want to leave all of you with a few scriptures to help you and help your teens live a spiritual life in an unspiritual world.

1 Corinthians 15:33
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

1 Peter 5:8
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Deuteronomy 31:6
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God's will help you and your teenagers navigate the unspiritual world of Junior High and High School. As always I offer myself as a resource. I hope I have blessed all of you today as much as all of you have blessed me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Anchor Points

Good Evening Everyone,

I know I usually try to write articles on this blog that are purely religious in nature but tonight I thought I would try something a little different. While there will be a religious spin on this article my hope is to , as my good friend Troy Albers would say, wax philosophical. So that being said sit back and enjoy.

When I was in the 11th grade I was offered a position singing with the chamber choir at my high school. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement! I spent the next two years learning how to sing and making a lot of friendships. I think back on this and at that time of my life it was a turning point. Learning to sing in an ensemble teaches you a lot about what life is all about. You learn all about teamwork, camaraderie, and relying on the people you work with.

While joining the chamber choir was a turning point in my life as a junior in high school it now serves as an anchor point in my life. I believe we all have these anchor points in our lives that help make us the people we are today. These anchor points take different forms for different people. For some people it might be a place, or a sight or even a smell. For me the anchor point of my chamber choir experience is in the form of the song "That Lonesome Road" by James Taylor. This was the first song we learned in our group and the words have always stuck with me. Take a look and see for yourself what they say.

"That Lonesome Road" by James Taylor

Walk down that lonesome road all by yourself
Don't turn your head back over your shoulder
And only stop to rest yourself when the silver moon
Is shining high above the trees

If I had stopped to listen once or twice
If I had closed my mouth and opened my eyes
If I had cooled my head and warmed my heart
I'd not be on this road tonight
Carry on
Never mind feeling sorry for yourself
It doesn't save you from your troubled mind
Walk down that lonesome road all by yourself
Don't turn your head back over your shoulder
And only stop to rest yourself when the silver moon

Is shining high above the trees

Like I said, I love this song, I often times find myself humming or singing this song to myself. The song serves as a reminder of what your life can be like if you don't slow down and think about your actions and that ultimately you may find yourself walking down a lonesome road if you don't.

This song anchors me because I know I don't have to walk down a lonesome road. I have a heavenly father that never leaves my side. I have a family that loves and cares about me and eleven months ago today we added our little Emma to our walk down life's road.

I don't know what your anchor points are in your life but I hope that you're not making decisions that will force you to walk down a lonesome road all by yourself. What are your anchor points? I'd love to hear what helps keep you grounded and what helps to make you the person you are today. I hope you are blessed today.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

p.s. Here is a really cool video of James Taylor singing this song I hope you enjoy it

Godly Friendship

Good Afternoon Everyone,

This is a sermon I preached this past Sunday on the topic of Godly Friendship taken from 1 Samuel 20. I hope you all enjoy this and get something out of it.-Paul

Godly Friendship from Paul Cartwright on Vimeo.