Sunday Equip U

Hey students....
this Sunday, July 3rd, there will not be any Equip U classes in the youth area upstairs.  We encourage you to go to church with your family.  Have a great holiday weekend!

Would You Say Yes? - Jon Miller

On April 20th, 1999, 2 students entered Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado with shotguns and handguns and started shooting their classmates and teachers. They killed 12 students, 1 teacher, and themselves. They also wounded 24 others. The attack was the 4th deadliest school massacre in U.S. history.
One of the victims was 17 year old Cassie Bernall. She was in the library when the shooters found her. Before being shot she was asked by the attackers, "Do you believe in God?" Cassie knew there was only one answer. She answered yes knowing full well that it would cost her her life.

3 days ago I had the opportunity to go to the Columbine memorial in Littleton, Colorado. It was sunny outside, with a light breeze. At the memorial, there were about 100 people, many of them good friends of mine. No one spoke a word. On a granite slab 13 names were engraved, along with testimonies of their life. Something that stuck out to me was that almost all of the victims were Christ followers. They were known for their love for others and Christ. They may have lost their lives that day, but their legacy lives on. I couldn't stop thinking as I stood on a hill looking down at the school, would I have said yes? I hope I would.

Chances are none of us will find ourselves in a life or death situation like Cassie's. But her story is a stark reminder that we need to be completely sold out to Christ. If He is not our everything, If our lives are not built around him and him alone, we will fall apart in a situation like this. So my question for you is this.

Would you say yes?

-Jon Miller


Matthew 10:32
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, 

I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven."

      Photo Credit: Jon Miller

Packing List for Miami!

The Power of Singing by Jillian Schmid

The Power of Singing

                Have you ever wondered why we sing in church?  To some, it may seem as a waste of time, but to others, it is one of the most intimate ways of worshiping God. Ephesians 5:19 says, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” I think that sometimes I forget how powerful the experience that comes with worshiping God can be, because occasionally I find myself distracted or not in the mood to sing, which is kind of upsetting because I am then missing out on a great opportunity to feel connected with the Holy Spirit. I also think that sometimes I tend to be more distracted depending on who is around me during worship, or I get these silly thoughts in my head like “what will this person think of me if they see me lift up my hands during worship?” I have found that some of the best worship experiences in my life have been times when I’m at vespers alone or somewhere without people to distract me.

                1 Corinthians 14:15 says, “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.” I think this is a good verse for me to reflect back on because it reminds me to be not just singing with my mouth, but to actually have meaning behind it. A problem that I have sometimes is that I like songs for their beat or lyrics, but I fail to actually pay attention to the meaning behind them and that means I’m missing out on the whole purpose in worshiping. Psalm 95:2 says “Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” I think this verse helps summarize the ultimate purpose behind worshiping and it encourages me to strive to be worshiping the way God intended it to be.