After a long wait, I finally have posted a new message that I gave for CCV's high school ministry.
The message was on the idea of temptation, and how David was tempted by Bathsheba. You can find it on the Right Pane of my Blog. You can also find it Here.
Temptation 2/22/09
Disclaimer
- Remember you are listening to a message for HIGH SCHOOLERS. What you find appropriate and what a 15-18 year old finds appropriate are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
- Telling the kids to "FART" is not quite what you think.
- Glorifying sex AFTER marriage is a new idea for teens and should be embraced.
- I'm sorry for how many times the word boob is said in my message... but every time was for a reason though! Enjoy.
The Perfect Weekend Part 2
And so the endless night begins;
1:45 a.m. - Meliss falls asleep after playing board games with my family in my living room. I play regular Nintendo because there was no way I was getting sleep.
3:45 - After rolling around nonstop for about an hour, I told myself that I definitely was not going to be getting any sleep. I got up a little early and packed up the car with a tarp, lots of blankets and my blue blanket. I then woke up Melissa and told her the car was packed and started. Get ready, dress warm and get in the car.
4:20 - I did what any man does who will be on the road for more than an hour, I hit Wawa. I grabbed myself a 5 hour energy shot, a soft pretzel and hit the road bound for Ocean City New Jersey.
4:21 - Meliss fell asleep in the car... already.
5:50 - Meliss wakes up only to discover that we are at the beach! At this time it is extremely cold, but we brought a ton of blankets. We park at 11th street and make our way over to the beach. We get there and are obviously the only ones on the beach. We set up camp and tried to warm up a little. The sun at this time was just a little bit brighter on the horizon.
6:25 - The sky is beginning to turn several shades of pink, and sea gulls are starting to come out in mass numbers making that wonderful noise. I am starting to get nervous knowing that the sun will be coming up at exactly 6:50 (because I checked the weather channel like 4830803 times to double check)
6:50 - The sun finally peaks over the water. It is so quiet outside. All we can really hear is the sound of the waves and of course a couple of gulls. The sky is a million shades of pink. It was the third most beautiful thing I saw that morning. (obviously after Meliss and the ridiculously awesome ring) I am starting to sweat bullets. None of you guys who haven't been engaged quite understand how nerve wrecking that is.
6:52 - The sun is completely over the horizon, so I turn over to face Meliss and say the following: Meliss... I brought you here to tell you 4 special things about our relationship. (Meliss found this odd, because I always give points in sets of 3) The first thing is that there are going to be times like right now, when we are seemingly completely alone, and all we will have to depend on is each other. The second thing is that we must always chase what we love. We love Ocean City so much, it has a huge piece of our heart. I don't want my life to be about resumes or money. I want to spend my whole life doing things and going to places that I love. The third thing is that in our relationship we must always be reminded of the presence of God. When I look up at that sunrise, I can't stop thinking about how I don't understand how some people can see it and not believe that something bigger is out there. I want to be constantly reminded of the one who brings that amazing sight up every morning. And the fourth and final thing is the most important reason why I brought you here today... I have a very special gift for you. ( I was almost shaking... I pull out a felt black box and sit it on her knee.
She looked me in the eye and said "I'm scared." To ease the tension, I made a classic Adam move. I then proceeded to tell her to not be scared, it's just got a little note in it that says "GOT CHA!" hah. She slowly opened the box. I then said, Melissa, will you except my gift... the gift of forever. Melissa then said, "ADAM! Say the official version!. I then said Melissa Jaworski will you marry me? She then kissed me and then tackled me. I then slipped it on her finger. We packed up our stuff because I had to get to church because I work there. Meliss called people the whole way back and couldn't stop looking at the ring.
That is how I asked the girl of my dreams to marry me.
1:45 a.m. - Meliss falls asleep after playing board games with my family in my living room. I play regular Nintendo because there was no way I was getting sleep.
3:45 - After rolling around nonstop for about an hour, I told myself that I definitely was not going to be getting any sleep. I got up a little early and packed up the car with a tarp, lots of blankets and my blue blanket. I then woke up Melissa and told her the car was packed and started. Get ready, dress warm and get in the car.
4:20 - I did what any man does who will be on the road for more than an hour, I hit Wawa. I grabbed myself a 5 hour energy shot, a soft pretzel and hit the road bound for Ocean City New Jersey.4:21 - Meliss fell asleep in the car... already.
5:50 - Meliss wakes up only to discover that we are at the beach! At this time it is extremely cold, but we brought a ton of blankets. We park at 11th street and make our way over to the beach. We get there and are obviously the only ones on the beach. We set up camp and tried to warm up a little. The sun at this time was just a little bit brighter on the horizon.
6:25 - The sky is beginning to turn several shades of pink, and sea gulls are starting to come out in mass numbers making that wonderful noise. I am starting to get nervous knowing that the sun will be coming up at exactly 6:50 (because I checked the weather channel like 4830803 times to double check)
6:50 - The sun finally peaks over the water. It is so quiet outside. All we can really hear is the sound of the waves and of course a couple of gulls. The sky is a million shades of pink. It was the third most beautiful thing I saw that morning. (obviously after Meliss and the ridiculously awesome ring) I am starting to sweat bullets. None of you guys who haven't been engaged quite understand how nerve wrecking that is.
6:52 - The sun is completely over the horizon, so I turn over to face Meliss and say the following: Meliss... I brought you here to tell you 4 special things about our relationship. (Meliss found this odd, because I always give points in sets of 3) The first thing is that there are going to be times like right now, when we are seemingly completely alone, and all we will have to depend on is each other. The second thing is that we must always chase what we love. We love Ocean City so much, it has a huge piece of our heart. I don't want my life to be about resumes or money. I want to spend my whole life doing things and going to places that I love. The third thing is that in our relationship we must always be reminded of the presence of God. When I look up at that sunrise, I can't stop thinking about how I don't understand how some people can see it and not believe that something bigger is out there. I want to be constantly reminded of the one who brings that amazing sight up every morning. And the fourth and final thing is the most important reason why I brought you here today... I have a very special gift for you. ( I was almost shaking... I pull out a felt black box and sit it on her knee.
She looked me in the eye and said "I'm scared." To ease the tension, I made a classic Adam move. I then proceeded to tell her to not be scared, it's just got a little note in it that says "GOT CHA!" hah. She slowly opened the box. I then said, Melissa, will you except my gift... the gift of forever. Melissa then said, "ADAM! Say the official version!. I then said Melissa Jaworski will you marry me? She then kissed me and then tackled me. I then slipped it on her finger. We packed up our stuff because I had to get to church because I work there. Meliss called people the whole way back and couldn't stop looking at the ring.That is how I asked the girl of my dreams to marry me.
The Perfect Weekend PART 1
I have some great news... Melissa and I are no longer dating. That is because she is now my fiance instead! I know. I can't wrap my mind around it either! So since I keep getting asked a million questions about it. I figures I mine as well Just give you guys the play by play!
It all started on Saturday, February 14th. I know what you are all saying... Valentines day, how cliche. But something else you need to remember is that February 14th is more importantly my birthday! This year we had agreed to celebrate my birthday as opposed to V-Day, because we never have before. So Melissa picked me up at 2pm Saturday and brought me to a location on the Perkiomen Trail with mountain bikes. She said, this date will point at three aspects of your life, and will have 3 different aspects.... the first is Adventure. We ended up taking a 15 mile bike ride down the trail. It was super muddy, but we had an awesome time. We got to chat the whole entire time. By the time we got back to her house, we were whooped.
So anyway, we got back in the truck and she drove us over to her mom's house. At that time we got showers. She got hers and then I got mine. When I got out of the shower her mom told me Meliss had gone out to do some stuff. 45 minutes go
by, no Melissa. So finally her mom hands me a note and a blindfold! She drove me to our next location. I get there and remove the blindfold. I was in a saloon. Melissa had brought me to get a professional 1 hour massage! She has learned how to do it from the owner and was going to do it herself! I was amazed! Usually when I ask Meliss for a massage, she gives up 3 minutes later from hurt hands, so it was incredible. That part of my life represented Relaxation.
So at that time it was snowing outside pretty hard, so I drove. She told me to head toward King of Prussia, so I did. We ended up pulling in at Kildares. It was awesome. We had some authentic Irish dining. We were right next to a fireplace and it was snowing outside. It's hard to have a better dining experience then that! This part of my life represented Travel. The last thing we did was go back to my house and play board games with my family. I got second. Not bad... Shortly after that, Meliss fell asleep... and this is where part 2 starts! COMING SOON.
It all started on Saturday, February 14th. I know what you are all saying... Valentines day, how cliche. But something else you need to remember is that February 14th is more importantly my birthday! This year we had agreed to celebrate my birthday as opposed to V-Day, because we never have before. So Melissa picked me up at 2pm Saturday and brought me to a location on the Perkiomen Trail with mountain bikes. She said, this date will point at three aspects of your life, and will have 3 different aspects.... the first is Adventure. We ended up taking a 15 mile bike ride down the trail. It was super muddy, but we had an awesome time. We got to chat the whole entire time. By the time we got back to her house, we were whooped.So anyway, we got back in the truck and she drove us over to her mom's house. At that time we got showers. She got hers and then I got mine. When I got out of the shower her mom told me Meliss had gone out to do some stuff. 45 minutes go
by, no Melissa. So finally her mom hands me a note and a blindfold! She drove me to our next location. I get there and remove the blindfold. I was in a saloon. Melissa had brought me to get a professional 1 hour massage! She has learned how to do it from the owner and was going to do it herself! I was amazed! Usually when I ask Meliss for a massage, she gives up 3 minutes later from hurt hands, so it was incredible. That part of my life represented Relaxation.
So at that time it was snowing outside pretty hard, so I drove. She told me to head toward King of Prussia, so I did. We ended up pulling in at Kildares. It was awesome. We had some authentic Irish dining. We were right next to a fireplace and it was snowing outside. It's hard to have a better dining experience then that! This part of my life represented Travel. The last thing we did was go back to my house and play board games with my family. I got second. Not bad... Shortly after that, Meliss fell asleep... and this is where part 2 starts! COMING SOON.
Yet Another Sleepless Night
So here I sit, almost 3 in the morning, and I can't sleep.This is a common occurrence with me. I will lay down to sleep, and even if I am tired my thoughts will run wild preventing me from sleep. I will toss and turn relentlessly. It's not always bad thoughts, or thoughts about things I need to do the next day. It's thoughts on sermon ideas, relationships in my life, things I want to do better, things I don't want to do again... you know... everything. Many times the best ideas and most improvement I have done in my life have been thought up while rolling around under those blankets. I just wish I could do that some other time. So what I want to do is something very personal with you out there in blog land... When I can't sleep, many times I have to get up, turn on the lights, and pray to God. Pray for peace, so I can sleep, and wake up to serve him. I have not yet done that prayer tonight. I want to do that now, and I want to share it with you.
May I ask you respectfully read, or instead just switch to another web page, I'm sure there is something good on YouTube. Thank you.
Another Sleepless Prayer
Dad,
Here I sit with a million thoughts going on in my head. I am so jealous of all of the people I know who can just lay down and minutes later be snoring away. Their mind must be so calm, so at peace. I'm not sure yet if this is a huge blessing, but it feels more like a curse. I lay down and I think of the many ways that I might be able to help our ministry better. I think of all of the mistakes I have made in the last day or so. Although I know I have your forgiveness, I want to be better for you. I read a book tonight. The book nearly made me cry. The book talked about how people outside of the Christian faith look at Christians. It really made me think and ask the very hard question, am I at fault? That is a question I have been wondering about for a long time really. Also, I have been wondering where I will end up this summer, or beyond graduation. It effects so much of what I do right now... God, as you can see my thoughts are very scattered. I trust in you, I have such faith that I am willing follow you wherever that may be. I have already let you take the drivers seat and I have moved to the back seat... Yet I can't sleep. I humbly ask for some peace for my mind and heart. Take away my worries of this world. Give me strength to empty my mind. Please continue to watch over my family, Melissa, my friends, my church, my enemies, those who I haven't met yet and those in pain... I am so blessed beyond what any man deserves. Thank you for that. I will follow you regardless.
In love,
Your Son
Why Teenagers Think They Know Everything
I know most of you are probably saying in your head right now... "Wasn't Adam a teenager just a couple of years ago?" And the answer to that is yes. I want to tell you why that benefits me:1 - Because it wasn't that long ago, I can resonate with teens a little easier. Being a teen is still pretty fresh in my mind.
2 - Through working doing youth ministry for the last couple of years I have been able to see not only the lives of teenagers, but the view of youth worker, and just how much they are about these kids.
So whether you have a teenager, you have had a teenager in the past or if you have had any interaction with this interesting species of human over the past couple of years, it is not hard to see that teenagers for the most part think that they know everything. The even funnier thing is... a big part of me can't blame them. Let me explain.
I have this strong belief that teens work through the science of "cause and effect." Yes, it is one of the few times you can ever say that teenagers are a science of any sort, but let me explain. Many times we have several burnt out leaders and youth pastors because the majority of their time dealing with teens is seeing the effects from the many "causes" they have had in their life. When a student comes in, and is breaking every rule that I lay down, it's not for no particular reason 99% of the time. This is a serious "effect" to a really nasty "cause" in their life. I want to take this and apply it to the concept of teenagers thinking they know everything.
I believe the majority of teens think they know everything because most of them feel that they have to.
The reason to teens feeling they have to know everything can be attributed to several things. The biggest reason being they haven't had much help putting the right "causes" in their life. The majority of the students I see on a Sunday night are either from families with divorce, single mothers, foster children and families that simply do not get involved in their students lives enough. The family is meant to be a child's main support system until they are able to get strong enough wings to drop from the nest. What is the teen supposed to do when that support system falls apart? What do you do when there aren't grandparents to share wisdom? What do you do when there's not a man telling your son how to treat a girl? What do you do when there is no positive mentors in your kids life? What do you do when you have no real roll model to emulate?
As a teenager, I will tell you what you do. You try to learn it all yourself. You will learn from the biggest stars in hollywood or music. You will learn from the things you read in magazines. You will learn from the movies. You will learn from myspace and the internet. You will try to learn from your LIMITED PERSONAL EXPERIENCES and most likely you will learn from your friends. Why? Because there is usually no better person or place to learn from.
I want to finish this post with a command and a call:
1 - I am in no way excusing the behavior of any teen using just the excuse that they didn't have good roll models. Many people have overcome such terrible conditions to be strong and capable people. There is still a sense of right and wrong in every human, and that is still an important factor. If you are a teen and reading this, then you will just have to take my word on this. You really don't know it all. I thought I did when I was 17, I didn't know it all, I promise. A real sign of maturity is when you are ready to sit down, admit you don't really know a whole lot of anything and listen to someone who has been there before. There will also be a whole bunch of teens who have great mentors and families that still think they know everything. That is mostly attributed to the fact that teens know more now than they ever have before. They just still think it's more than it actually is.
2 - I am calling for all of you parents and wise people of faith out there to do something about it. Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Teens are nothing to be scared of. The world needs more wisdom to be passed on. Nothing can replace years of experience. I will be the first one to admit that. I learn something every day from someone with more years under their belt. Imagine what a group of moms, dads, grandparents and mentors who are willing to pull up their sleeves and get dirty can accomplish. It is a force of good to be reckoned with... There are so many hands out there looking for answers. Grab one and help it go the right direction.
When Superman Can't Walk
If you have had any conversations with me recently, you have probably heard me jokingly say... "don't worry about, I'm superman!" I say this because I am constantly on the run trying to do it all, and barely ever taking a rest. (Which is not a good thing by the way) Well the unfortunate thing is Superman is going to have to take a break whether he likes it or not. Last night at my hockey game I was tripped and I messed up my ankle pretty badly.From the first second I tried to "do it all" after I messed up my ankle, I knew that I wouldn't be able to. This is when I was reminded of a song I used to listen to by Good Charlotte called "When Superman Can't Walk."
So today after finally swallowing my pride I made my way to the doctors office who then quickly made me an appointment down at the local hospital to get an x-ray. It was actually the first time
I have been in a hospital in over 10 years. (I am either extremely blessed or extremely lucky) Anyway, I find out tomorrow if I just have a stretched out tendon, torn tendon or a fracture. A fracture would be my worst case scenario. If that were the case, I would be down and out for quite some time. Hopefully it isn't that bad. All I could think about was the millions of things that I normally do that I would not be able to do; hockey, all the traveling, going on runs etc...Something else that I was reminded about was my man Paul from the Word. This is the part that gave me a little more confidence. Paul's main objective was to spread the "Good News" regardless of whatever situation he was in. I get this image in my head of Paul getting arrested and being under close watch in prison. Security was so tight that they had his hand cuffed to a security guard or two for a little while. To any other person, this would have been seen as a huge road block from him sharing the Gospel... But in Paul's eyes, it was just another opportunity! He starts up a little conversation, and before you know it, he is trying to convince these security guards of the transforming message of Christ!
Then it hit me... I am such a wuss!
I really need to view whatever time I am out of commission (which is hopefully very, very short) as an opportunity to get creative and try some things I may not have tried before. There is always more than one way to do something. As for me, I'll retire the cape for a week or so... But I'll be back again soon... ((followed by awesome superhero stance and light breeze))
CHECK OUT GOOD CHARLOTTE'S "WHEN SUPERMAN CAN'T WALK HERE!
