I didn’t really want to, but I did. Weeks ago I had committed to helping with HAFH devotionals on Sunday nights. After nearly two days in the sun, Show and Shine, Wednesday night at the Compassion Center and other activites I was driving over to Northwest Hills Apartments asking myself, “Why did I ever volunteer to do this?”

My life was changed an hour or so later. My eyes were opened and I now understand. I can’t tell you how many couches, beds and other furniture pieces I have moved up and down stairs. I’m not sure how many moves I’ve been a part of for HAFH, but it wasn’t until Sunday night, sitting in an apartment with three families, that I got it. We talked about illnesses, death, faith. There were some tears, but there was hope. Ultimately, I think my life was transformed more than theirs.

Our church family is doing a great thing with this HAFH ministry. We provide the closest thing to a home for those who spend a lot of time away from home. We provide home-cooked meals for those who come from hundreds of miles away for treatment that takes its toll on the body and is emotionally draining. We offer a time for people to come together and talk and pray — families who often feel alone because they are away from their church families and loved ones. So, the next time you have the chance to move furniture or cook a meal for HAFH I hope you’ll understand the difference you are making. I think it would be incredible for our families to find ways to offer encouragement and love for those we minister to who are hurting.

Additionally, we’re working hard to plan some ministry and family experiences. I can’t encourage you enough to take part in these as families. Our next ministry opportunity is Monday, July 14 with our Food Bank. Take the time and bring the entire family to support what we’re doing here. We’re going to try to play with kids, help serve dinner, hand out food boxes and maybe even take food to those for HAFH.

I’m working on a lesson for our Faith Decisions class that will meet this Sunday. I’d really appeciate your responses to the following question.

How would you respond to someone who says, “The church isn’t relevant to my life?”

The teens have been given the chance to ask questions about God, Christianity, the Church, faith — basically anything they really want to know. Based on their questions we have begun exploring the topic of heaven and hell. Two weeks ago, we explored Scripture’s depictions of heaven. Tonight, we are going to explore Scripture’s depiction of hell. Below is an outline of things we will discuss including the Scripture references. Take time to look over these and discuss them with your children at home.

Words for hell - I will point these out as they are used in Scripture to help the students develop a broader understanding of the nuances of each word.
Sheol
Hades
Gehenna
Lake of fire

New Testament descriptions of hellHell is depicted in terms of fire and burning.
The term Gehenna is derived from the valley of Gehenna south of Jerusalem where trash was constantly burned day and night.
Scripture references include Matthew 10: 26-30; 13:41-42, 47-50; 25:41-46; Mark 9:42-48

The New Testament describes hell as a place of intense mourning and the gnashing of teeth.

The New Testament describes hell as separation from God and everlasting destruction. (2 Thess. 1:6-9)

The New Testament depicts hell as a place of complete darkness (Matthew 8:11-12; 22:13)

Jesus tells us that it’s better to be maimed than go to hell (Mk. 9:42-48)

Conclusion:Some of the passages above are debated in how they’re interpreted; however they all help us better understand hell as a reality prepared by God for judgment.

Some questions to discuss with your children:
1. Why do you think we don’t discuss the reality of hell?
2. How does a deepening understanding of the reality of hell impact you right now?
3. Why do you think Scripture, especially Jesus, mention hell?

I have the following three quotes next to my desk in my office.

“When you welcome a child you welcome me.” - Jesus

“If you reach the family, you reach the world.” - Bill Bright

“The role of the Church is to mentor parents, the role of the parent is to mentor their children, and the legacy of faith continues to the next generation.” - Ed Cole

These quotes serve as daily reminders to me of what we are to be about as parents and a church family.

The first reminds me of my call to ministry and why I do what I do. Though I spend a lot of time teaching, explaining, giving advice, or offering guidance it is I who learn so much from our teens. I learn about Christ, God, real faith and many other things. I think in this way, I discover more about who Jesus is than in just about any other way.

The second reminds me that a family who loves the Lord deeply is one that can be agents of transformation. Your teens’ friends in your home, your relationships with your neighbors, your participation in your childrens’ schools are ways in which you can be salt and light in this community.

The third reminds me that we should raise our children in the community of faith. That’s the essence of what Moses shared with the Israelites just before they entered the Promise Land. His command was to remind the children of all God has done and to teach them how to follow him. The charge was to all of them. I want to be a part of a church family that encourages and supports us parents as we do our best to teach our children and disciple them.

That’s why I think last night was important. It’s all too easy to focus exclusively on youth events. It’s good to occasionally slow down, pause and remind ourselves and our children that the parents are the biggest spiritual influence in our children’s lives.

So, I want to say thanks for being at Refuge last night. What you saw is what we do every Wednesday night. We try to create a space for teens to feel safe, experience the love of Christ through one another, and slow down long enough to consider God and worship him. I’m so grateful you could be there last night.

What I want

In the movie Bruce Almighty, there’s a scene where Bruce is talking to God. God has given Bruce the job of being God for a short time. Bruce can’t handle all the prayer requests so he simply says yes to everyone’s request. Chaos and pandemonium is the result. In this scene Bruce tells God that he gave everyone what he wanted. God replies, “since when has anyone ever had a clue about what they really wanted?”

That movie scene keeps coming to mind as I consider the text our teens will look at in RAMP groups Sunday night. James 4:1-12 opens with James examining our motives for what we desire and the consequences. He challenges his readers to quit being so selfish. This text is on the heals of his challenge to seek godly wisdom. If you remember, godly wisdom is based on pure motives. It seeks the good of others first. So, in RAMP groups students will look at this text and ask some questions about what they desire and why they desire it. I encourage you to talk with your teen about submitting our desires to God’s desires for us. A couple of questions you could discuss include:

What does it mean to submit our desires to God?

How are we at putting the needs of others in our family before our own?