High School Ministry Guys

Freak Show!

2008-08-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

"Join the freak show!" was Pastor Dusty's call to you guys this past weekend. You can join the freak show by "offer[ing] your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God" (Romans 12:1). You give your body as a living sacrifices by what you say, what you touch, what you look at, where you go, and how and who you serve. So we simply offer our bodies through our actions. Actions that God has called us to do. And by doing this, we can join the freak show! Now that might seem like a bad thing. You might be thinking, "I don't want to be a freak!" But this is the kind of freak that you do want to be. A freak that is not following the norms of this world. A freak that stands up for their Christian beliefs. A freak that sacrifices their body as a living sacrifice for God. That is the kind of freak that all of us should be striving for.

Below is the music video for the ever so popular dc Talk song, Jesus Freak. Its an awesome song! It never gets old. And you got to love the 90's outfits they are wearing. Those were the good ol' days. =)

Phil Gabba Gabba!

2008-08-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

Yo! Gabba Gabba!

2008-08-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

2008-07-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

This past week Tim (myself) preached! He went over Romans Chapter 5 which talks about three basic promises. If we are justified through our faith then we are given the promise of Heaven, the promise of peace, and the promise of joy through suffering. But his main point was that none of these promises will happen, since we are justified through faith, if we do not have faith. Faith is not just believing in God or Jesus. James 2:26 says, "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." If our actions do not match our claim to Christianity then we really don't have faith. We claim to be a Christian but we aren't living it out. If you are not living it out then you do not have faith and your promise of Heaven, peace, and joy are gone. We as Christian need to live our lives with actions that show our faith in God. You claim it! Now live it!

2008-07-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

This past week Pastor Dusty dived into Chapter 3 of Romans. This chapter provides the first sign of hope in Romans. Chapters 1 and 2 show how we are all sinners and worthy of death. Then finally in chapter 3 we are shown that there is hope for righteousness. And "this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe" (Romans 3:22).
So then what is the point? Why point out for two full chapters of how there is no hope and then be like, "Just kidding! There actually is hope!" The point is, just as Pastor Dusty put it: Sin Separates...Faith Connects. Every time we sin we are puting more and more distance between ourselves and God. Buts its through faith that we can close this gap.

Romans 1

2008-07-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we started our new sermon series of Romans called Unashamed. This first week Dusty preached on Romans chapter 1. This chapter is about how all are sinners and many are blatantly living in opposition to God's truth. None are exempt from this. In Romans 1:28-31, Paul goes through the things that are not proper and from a deprived mind. Such things listed are: greed, envy, deceit, gossip, arrogance, boasting, and disobedience to parents. In verse 32 it reads "that those who practice such things are worthy of death." According to this scripture, WE ARE WORTH OF DEATH! I know that every one of us have done all those things and will continue to do them throughout our entire lives. Some sins seem like no big deal. A little white lie that gets you out of trouble or slight disobedience to your parents rules that they don’t even catch seem like no big deal. But according to this scripture, even those tiny (or what seem to be tiny) sins make you worthy of death. We don't disobey the big sins like adultery or murder so we consider ourselves pretty good Christians. But those that commit adultery and murder, in God's eyes, deserve the same punishment as telling a white lie: death. It is a scary thought to think that my "little sins" are worth of the same punishment as "big sins." So the next time you are thinking about committing a "little sin" that won't hurt anyone, remember that that "little sin" deserves the same punishment as "big sins."

Additional Safety Feature for New Cars

2008-07-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

2008-07-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

Read: Exodus 3:1-14 and Exodus 4:10-16

This is the famous bible story of Moses and the burning bush. Moses comes across this burning bush and the Lord speaks to him from within the bush. He tells Moses that he has heard the cries of His people and He is going to deliver them from the Egyptians. The Lord tells Moses that he is going to be His figurehead to Pharaoh and His people. In Exodus 4:10 Moses insists to the Lord that he cannot be the spokesperson since he is not a good speaker. “The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say’” (Exodus 4:11-12). The Lord tells Moses that He is going to speak through him yet Moses still insists He should find some else. So the Lord did! He chooses Aaron, Moses brother, to be the spokesperson. Moses’ actions changed what God had planned! The Lord fully intended for Moses to be the spokespersons but because Moses did not have the right faith, he gave the position away to Aaron.

Are you a person of action for the Lord? When you feel the Lord drawing you toward something do you tell yourself how you can’t do it? God can call us to do a variety of things. It’s not our job to asses whether we feel qualified or if we want to do it. We need to accept our callings and run for it. And keep in mind the entire time that God will give us the power and abilities we need to complete this task for Him. And if you will not fulfill His calling, He will just find someone else for the job. So look at your life. Where in your life are you avoiding something because you don’t feel qualified? How can you change yourself to make yourself more able to obey the Lord’s calling?

Questions???

2008-06-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Dusty and Phil answered questions that the students had. I realize that there was alot of questions that were texted in that they did have time to answer. If you have a spiritual question that you would like to have answered, just leave a comment to this blog and I will post a seperate post to answer each individual question. You will be left anonymous. Click on the "comment" link directly under this tab and put your question as a comment. Then select "anonymous" for you identity. So go ahead, ask away! =)

2008-06-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Two Little Boys

After a hardy rainstorm filled all the potholes in the streets and alleys,
a young mother watched her two little boys playing in the puddle through her kitchen window.
The older of the two, a five year old lad, grabbed his sibling by the back of his head and shoved his face into the water hole.
As the boy recovered and stood laughing and dripping, the mother runs to the yard in a panic.
'Why on earth did you do that to your little brother?!' she asks as she shook the older boy in anger.
'We were just playing 'church' mommy,' he said.
'And I was just baptizing him.....in the name of the Father, the Son and in...the hole-he-goes.'

2008-06-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Dusty and Phil spoke on how God calls us to give our lives and money. Tithing is always a hard thing to do. We live in a society that is money centered and not God centered. Our first inclination is going to be to hoard our money. That is what we see everyone around us do time and time again. But God calls us to a different standard. He commands us to give a tithe, to give offerings, and to even help the poor. We as Christian need to realize that we do not need money when we have God. All the money we do have is because God allowed us to have it; so it really isn't ours, it's His. We can stop stressing about money once we come to realize that God has all the money in the world! He controls where every cent and dollars goes. In Malachi 3:10, God tells us that He will greatly bless us if we bring a tithe and that we should test Him in this. God is actually telling you to test Him! So go ahead and test God; start tithing, start helping the poor, stop hoarding your money. And the Bible says that the Lord will "open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows" (Malachi 3:10b).

2008-06-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

Dusty's sermon this weekend was about looking at the Lord's relationship with believers and then applying that to our relationships amongst each other. Having strong Christian friendships will make our Christian walk so much easier. Sometimes, not doing something because it is a sin is not enough. Many times in my life I knew what I was going to do would be a sin, yet that thought did not stop me from sinning. Having strong Christian friends could be the accountability needed to stop a certain sin. We cannot handle sin on our own. The typical "church" answer for braking free of sin is to get closer to God and let Him change your life. But that is easier said then done. We want to obey the Lord but our earthly desires are too strong. All you might need is strong Christian friends or a Christian mentor to build into you and work through the sin with you. We are called to "share each other's troubles and problems," (Galatians 6:2a) so we should always be willing to help fellow brother through their sin; we might need the favor returned someday.

Music Videos

2008-06-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Just some cool Christian music =)

Classic Crime: The Fight

Run Kid Run: We've Only Just Begun

Family Force 5: Kountry Gentlemen

BITE BACK!

2008-05-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

One more opportunity for us to do something meaningful. Malaria is a tropical disease that kills over 750,000 children each year. That’s one child every 30 seconds. In Africa, mosquitoes make a huge difference in the lives of poor families and children. And it all starts with a tiny bite. This is your chance to Bite Back.

Ob Portu

2008-05-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

Definitely N.O.W!

Here’s a factoid for you: Back in the day, before modern harbors and engine powered speed boats, ships had to wait for the “flood tide” to carry them into port from the ocean. The Latin phrase “ob portu” referred to that single moment in time when the ‘flood tide” would reveal itself and the ships could catch it into shore. This is where we get our English word “opportunity!”

Call me simple minded, but I think there are basically two ways to go about life: survival mode or prayer mode. Survival mode is simply reacting to the circumstances around you, being tossed by every wave of life. It’s getting caught in the swell, and allowing the circumstance to pretty much dictate your response. Prayer mode, on the other hand, is pro-active not reactive. It puts you in the position to see the opportunities in the circumstances of life, and respond appropriately. This applies to even the extremely hard circumstances of life. Think about how Ester responded when she found out that King Xerxes was allowing the mass genocide of the Jews (her peeps) to take place (Read Ester 4:13-16 for the play by play). Mind you, historians are in consensus that Xerxes was impulsive and unpredictable. During his reign, Xerxes commissioned a bridge to be built, but during construction a huge storm came and destroyed everything. Xerxes ordered for the water to receive 300 lashes, and for ALL of the builders to be beheaded.

This guy was a nut case. Ester had to go to King Xerxes (something you just didn’t do, punishable by death) and convince him to not allow this genocide to take place. So what did she do before she went to see the King? What gave her the courage, and even the words to say? Prayer!

People who are in perpetual prayer mode simply see the world and the circumstances of life differently. In prayer mode prayer is a part of your daily life; your spiritual antenna is up and your radar is on. This gives new meaning to the phrase “prayer LIFE.” Do you go through the day in constant contact with God? Prayer does that. Do you desire to take advantage of more opportunities in your life? Prayer mode puts you in the position. Do you desire for God to show up and move in your life so that you can even see the OPPORTUNITY in even the hardest of circumstances like Ester did? A lifestyle of prayer is the answer. And let me encourage you if your prayer life has been none existent: Then start N.O.W (No Opportunity Wasted)!

“Ob Portu!"

-Byron Davis is Director of "Dream of Destiny" at Shepherd of the Hills.

LISTEN TO THIS

2008-04-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

There for Tomorrow is a group of boys from Orlando, FL (the best place to live on the planet). They just released their sophomore album. Well sort of, it's an EP with more to come soon. It's one of those albums where you don't have to skip to the good songs. They're all pretty strong. Right now they're touring all over the southeast, but that's the beauty of the internet. You can get their album right now. Give it a listen and let us know what you think.

ONE MIC - THIS SATURDAY

2008-04-08T16:55:00.001-07:00

this saturday directly after service (8:00) Join us for our first ever open mic night "one mic". We'll have a cafe set up with tables, chairs, a coffee shop and bakery. bring a friend and join us for this free event.

summer camp at UCYC

2008-04-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

we went on a scouting trip to check out the new camp that we'll be using this summer. It's an awesome place called UCYC in Prescott, Arizona. Here are some pics from our trip.

this is you if you break a camp rule (or a window in the girls dorms)

awesome hide out on the paintball course

old school games in the rec room

sweet paintball course

cafeteria

2008-04-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

As American christians, this quote is hard for us to understand. The christian life is difficult at times, but it’s not a bad life by any means. If Christ never returns and it’s all a hoax then the conclusion is this: you’ll miss out on some parties, some spring break trips and some substances. In return you get a good amount of support from church leaders, a nice trustworthy group of friends, and you’ll be known as a generally ‘good‘ person. So why this choice of words from Lewis? Or better yet why does Paul say, in one of the most pivitol books of the Bible for the young church, “And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world“ (1 Corinthians 15:18-20). Paul is basically saying that if the Bible is a hoax then we are the most unfortunate group of people on the planet. Why is it that these two speak in such extremities? If Christ is nothing then, yes, we’ve been fooled, but our lives are still good. Most of us would probably still come to church, and attend small groups, and maybe even sing worship songs together because if for nothing else it’s fun, right? So why then should we be pitied?

Logic would say that if we disagree with the conclusions of Paul and C.S. Lewis then we are not living the type of lives that they are speaking of. In fact, our lives are very different from what they are describing. Lewis goes on to say that if Christianity is true, then it is of “infinite importance”, and then he finishes with this, “The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

So according to Lewis the reason why we would not experience the disappointment that Paul describes, is because Christ is only moderately important to our lives. He is very near neutral. In other words He makes little to no difference in our lives. Therefore, if He does not exist then we can continue on in the life we have chosen as if nothing has changed. The only thing that would differ is our title.

If Christ is of importance to us like we say he is, then our lives should look so very different. We should look like the student who decides that acting is everything to them. Someone who decided along time ago that if their life is not spent as an actor then it is all a waste. We should look like the athlete who spends thousands of hours devoted to perfecting their skills, leaving aside time with friends, schoolwork and even family to pursue their goal. The conclusion looks something like this; if we’re not intending to be completely and fully devoted to making Christ everything, then there is no point in following Him. After all, this was Christ’s stance; “If any man would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

This leaves no room for mediocrity. It leaves no room for sometimes. There will always be grace for the times we fail, but Christ is all or nothing. So before we decide how much we want to apply this Bible to our lives, we first have to decide whether or not we believe that Jesus is who he says He is. Before we sing our favorite worship song, we have to decide if we fully trust who it is we’re singing to. Before we pray one more prayer, we have to decide if someone is even hearing it. We have to decide that He is everything that we need, because if He’s not, then we are “more to be pitied than anyone in the world."

2008-03-26T15:28:00.001-07:00

This Saturday night is the Prayer and Worship Night in the youth room. It will start after HSM Saturday Night Service around 8pm and go until about 9pm. Don't miss this opportunity to worship together and pray for each other.

Clothes That Matter

2008-03-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

Before you buy clothes for summer, please check here first. These shirts aren't just cool designs, they actually change people's lives. Let your money (or your parent's money) go to something more. Rosa Loves is a company that is making a huge impact, join them.

international pillow fight day

2008-03-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

sweet sweetness. i stumbled across this event on another blog and realized that to not share would be terribly selfish. TOMORROW is International Pillow Fight Day.
In Los Angeles the pillow fighting fiesta will begin at 3:00 in Pershing Square (downtown). For those of you not able to attend make plans to celebrate now! the weather should be lovely tomorrow so call your closest friends (or enemies if you're a serious pillow fighter) and have a backyard bash. please take pictures and share with the rest of us!

CLEAR

2008-03-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics from camp. Hope you all had an amazing time. Keep in touch with your new friends/snow ball throwing team! Weekend services and fratz are a great way to stay connected.

1950's dance party

2008-03-12T13:46:00.001-07:00

Having trouble figuring out what you're gonna wear to the 1950's dance party at camp? Here's an idea of what guys wore in the 1950's. Jeans, black shoes, white shirt, sweater....simple.

winter camp

2008-03-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

This is your last week to turn in your $ and permission slips for camp!

Bring your info to any service and give it to Dominique.

got questions? call 818:831:9333 and ask for Melissa

pornography

2008-03-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Porn. Porno. Pornography. Whatever you cal, it’s not sophisticated. Porn is cheap, relation-less, addictive and anti-family.

I grew up with HBO, Showtime and Cinemax piped right into my bedroom. Most of the shows after 8pm were what I call “pornography with a plot.” My first year in bible college, I lived at home and this viewing habit was still there. So, I told my dad about the kinds of shows I was watching and that I needed help. He had our subscription to those 3 channels cancelled the next day. This was my only consistent porn outlet growing up in the 1990’s. But, that’s all changed for you guys – the internet and other wireless devices, porn is just a button away.

Some background truth :: God has wired guys visually. We drink in experiences and certain images with our eyes. God made us that way to enjoy the beauty of our wives (ever read Song of Solomon?). However, the destruction that comes with premature “visual drinking-in” of images other than our spouse, holds life-long consequences…because those images and the sensations they cause do not linger temporarily; they rent space in our minds. And while God is in the business of spiritual healing – He does not perform mind exorcisms or I’d be first in line!

Take a stroll with me down information lane…and just for a half a block…
The porn industry world wide = $57 billion a year!
Porn revenue is larger than all combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises…it exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC.
Child pornography generates $3 billion annually.
Average age of first Internet exposure to porn = 11 years old.
Largest consumer of Internet porn = 12-17 boys.
8-16 year olds having viewed porn online = 90% (most while doing homework)
[for these and more stats, see www.xxxchurch.com/gethelp/index.php]

The debate between freedoms of press vs. family values is really a tangent to the facts. As you can see with the above information – pornography is drastically seeping into the lives and minds of young people, not to mention effecting millions of families.

1. Pornography destroys the image of God in people. Since every human is made in the image of God, every human is worthy of honor and respect (see Genesis 1:26-27).
2. Pornography is addictive. Pornography a drug for curiosity and lust. The drug supplies a temporary fix, but it leaves the user wanting more and more and of stronger dosages. The bible describes this process as “the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Ephesians 4:18-19).
3. Pornography is anti-Christian. Pornography openly mocks the most precious truths of the Christian faith: Jesus came to remind us of our worth as God most loved creation. He died that we might be saved from sin and that we could live life to the fullest. Pornography slaves people from doing just that. Pornography mocks and belittles marital faithfulness, morality, and commitment to family life. God abhors all that is immoral, idolatrous, sexually perverted and lustful. 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10, 13 say, Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers…will inherit the kingdom of God…the body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”
4. Pornography attacks woman and children. Pornography exploits and dehumanizes woman as rejectable tools for the satisfaction of (usually) male lust, and children are abused mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually to satisfy the hedonistic urges of abusers. Christianity has ascribed a special place of honor to women and children throughout the centuries when neither were looked upon with respect by a pagan society. God’s word gave them dignity and value. True followers of Jesus dare not turn their backs on such a destructive behavior.
5. Pornography and greed are partners in evil. The pornography industry takes advantage of people for personal gain, regardless of the destructive impact. 1 Peter 5:2 says that the opposite of being greedy for money is to be eager to serve.
6. Pornography destroys normal human relationships. Pornography says that a person’s own satisfaction is all that matters. I have actually listened to testimonies of women who’s husbands have wanted them to watch pornography with them before having sex—or worse than that, husbands who wanted their wives to have sex with other men. Pornography always has in its wake, victims. Victims of broken marriages, hurt and molested children, shattered young people and deterioration of neighborhoods.

If you are struggling with pornography or no someone that is – God’s prescription is confession. Psalm 32:3-5 says, When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’—and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Confessing to Lord is the beginning, but not the end. James 5:16 says, Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

I know of two ministry (inter-connected) who’s sole purpose is helping people who are struggling with porn addiction. They are www.xxxchurch.com and www.pureonline.com. Triple X church has taken a lot of heat and criticism both from Christians and non-Christians. While I don’t always like their tactics for t-shirts and other promotional tools – there is NO ministry out there doing more for this dilemma.

Last offer – I’ve dealt extensively with men and teenage boys concerning this issue and am available to meet and counsel with anyone who might need an advocate and friend.

leap day

2008-02-29T15:03:00.000-08:00

February 29 is a date that occurs only every four years, and is called leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365.000 days.

Folk tradition says that leap day is the only day which girls can ask for a guys hand in marriage and if he refuses she must be compensated with some type of gift...watch your back.

WELCOME!

2008-02-28T15:52:00.002-08:00

On this website you'll find weekly devotionals, info on upcoming events, polls, contests and more.

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we're glad you're here.

-the HSM staff