NorthsideMiddle Blog

Does the Bible speak about evolution?
No. The Bible speaks about God creating the universe. (Genesis 1:1) Evolution is only about 150 years old. And if you are super interested in whether or not science backs up the idea the God created the universe read the book The Case for a Creator Student Edition. It lays it out pretty well how evolution is a theory that just doesn’t match the facts.

Why did God give people the power to “see beyond” if he says not to listen to them?
I assume you’re talking about the ability to see into the future. First 99.9% of the time the people who claim that kind of stuff are frauds. I actually saw a really cool show on how these people hire other people to spy out what is happening and then feed them information so the can stage events that make it look like they are “reading the future.”

The .1% of the time that it might be true, it is probably demon inspired. There is a passage in the book of acts  (Acts 16:16-17) where a girl could see into the future because she was demon possessed. So this is definitely not from God. Basically God doesn’t give people this abilty and stay away from those who claim they have it.

How can I get involved in mission trips?
Easy. Every summer NorthsideMiddle goes on a summer mission trip. It’s a great trip to get started on trips with. There is also the Mexico family trip every summer that you can do with your family. To go on either of these trips sign up when the trips are announced. Sign ups are usually in the spring. If you have already been on those, ask Dustin or Jeromie about how to get involved in longer trips.

What will heaven be like?
We don’t know exactly. We do know that it will be greater than anything we can imagine. There are a lot of verses in the bible that talk about heaven. Go to biblegateway.com and type in heaven to see them all. A couple of things we do know. Heaven is a place where God is honored above all. Heaven is not a boring place where we just sit around all day. The easiest way to understand heaven is to think of what it is that makes you feel most alive. Maybe it’s playing the guitar or maybe it’s riding a four wheeler. Maybe it’s playing basketball. But whatever it is that makes you feel most alive multiply it by infinity and that is a glimpse of heaven.

Does God ever get new Angels?
Great Question.  We have no idea. Scripture doesn’t really talk about it.

If there were no sin, would there then be no death?
True. If there was no sin, there would be no death. (Romans 6:23) Sin is a rejection of God. God is true life. Sin is a rejection of true life. Therefore sin leads to death. And until this world is restored into right relationship with God there will continue to be death.

How did the world expand if the Bible never said that Adam and Eve had more Children besides Cain and Abel?
Actually the Bible talks about them having another son Seth. (Genesis 4:25) Also scripture often only mentions the son’s born to someone and not the daughters. Eve could have had several daughters and it simply not be recorded. But as far as how the world expanded, the people on earth would have intermarried and had children. It is kind of gross to think about. But that is the answer I have.

Does God ever make mistakes?
No. God is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4). This means he never does anything accidentally. It also means that he knows what all of his choices will lead to so he is never tricked into doing something dumb. So God always knows what the right choice is and makes it.

What does hell look like?
In a word, horrible. Hell was originally created for Satan and the angels who followed him. It was not created for people. People who reject God are rejecting heaven as well. That leaves hell as your other option. Jesus describes what the horribleness is like in Mark 9:48. Basically if God is everything good and you choose to reject God you are also rejecting everything that is good. What does that leave you with except everything that is bad. And such is hell.

Is there an unforgivable sin?
Yes. The rejection of God is an unforgivable sin.  (Mark 3:29) Basically what this means is that if you choose to spend your whole life following your ways instead of God’s ways you’ve rejected God. So when you die you’ve rejected God and committed the unforgivable sin.

Sometimes I fell like I only trust Jesus because I want to be saved from hell why?
This actually is pretty common. Here are a couple of reasons how this can happen.
•    If you’re not spending any time with Jesus, it gets hard to trust him.
•    If you’re not trusting Jesus for anything you can’t already do on your own, it’s hard to trust him.
•    If you keep rejecting what you know is right, it gets harder to trust Jesus.
•    If you are never around other Christians who are encouraging you, it gets harder to trust Jesus.
See if any of those apply to you and go from there.

Are there evil spirits or demons that can withstand the Holy Spirit?
There are no evil spirits that can withstand God. The Holy Spirit is a part of God. But the main thing is not to worry or obsess about evil spirits. The thing to remember is focus on God and your relationship with him. Everything else is a distraction even stuff like spirits, demons, angels, etc.

Sometimes I come to church I feel out of place.  Is church for me?
Yes church is for you. But feeling out of place happens a lot. Here are four ways to end the out of place feeling
Accept- Christ and others. Be someone who doesn’t judge others.
Engage-Sometimes you gotta start talking to people.
Contribute- Start serving somewhere and you’ll get connected with others who serve as well.
Continue- Even when it isn’t always fun or when something hurts your feelings. Don’t quit and keep     going on. Otherwise you will always be quiting things and drifting to places and feeling out of place.

Is prayer one of the strongest things you can do? If yes why?
Yes prayer is one of the strongest things you can do because when you pray you are talking to the creator of the universe. But don’t confuse prayer with some magic formula to get what you want out of God. That isn’t what prayer is for. Prayer is about deepening a relationship with God. The more you pray the more you understand God and God’s purposes for your life. Understanding more about God changes the way you think and act. Changing the way you think and act changes your whole life, which is a pretty powerful thing. But it isn’t a magic formula it’s a relationship. Remember that.

How can we help our friends if they hurt so much they want to die? What does God feel about this?
If one of your friends mentions dying to end the pain, tell a trusted adult immediately. That is one of the biggest things you can do to help. This is a no joke kind of thing. You need to tell someone. Don’t try and feel responsible for making them feel better. You can still be a good friend, but this is an issue that needs something bigger than just one person. As far as how God feels about it, it breaks his heart. Remember God views people as his children. Seeing one of them suffer makes him suffer as well.

What does God think about tattoos and piercing?
In the bible we read about people marking themselves to show their belonging to a false God so if that is the case it is for sure it is against God.  The bible also says that we belong to God.  So you have to ask the question does God really want me marking and piercing my body?  It is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to following God.  So just for the chance that God might disapprove maybe it isn’t a good idea.  But remember “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” Philippians 4:6

What’s up with all the crazy Old Testament laws?
God was trying to show the world through the nation of Israel that following God meant being different from the rest of the world. One of the easiest ways to show that is do things like eating, what you wear, how you dress, and what you do and don’t do. Basically, you have to remember that a lot of the world back then was psycho. I mean they offered child sacrifices and other crazy stuff. So God was showing people that they needed to be different and was giving them directions on how to do that in a way that honored God.

In the Old Testament God seems so cruel and mean, but in the New Testament God seems so loving. I thought God was unchanging?
Actually that is a common false impression. Read the following:

the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness Exodus 34:6

But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love Nehemiah 9:17

I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever Psalm 52:8

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing
Zephaniah 3:17

All of those verses are from the Old Testament. The same loving God in the Old Testament and the same loving God in the New Testament. Sometimes people think that God is crueler in the old testament because they read all the discipline God sends toward people. But remember that is over a 5,000 year period. The new testament covers about 100 years. So it looks like a lot more simply because is covers a much longer time period.

Why did God make us out of mud?
Good question. In Genesis 2:6-7 where this story takes place the Bible doesn’t give an easy answer. Here are a couple of thoughts though. God made us out of mud to show us what we are like without his love and mercy. Think about all of the horrible stuff in this world and all the people acting like dirt. If they followed Christ, I think there lives would look a lot different. It is Christ that brings about the good in this world.

Why do good things happen if this is Satan’s world?  Why aren’t more bad things happening?
Well good things happen because there is still good in this world. Every time someone chooses to love their neighbor or to love God then they help push back the evil of this world. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus tells people that this is part of their job while here on earth. And even though Satan might have a huge presence in this world, God is still in control of the big picture.

Another thing to remember is that here in the USA, we are super well off. Even the very poor in our country usually have a lot more than almost the entire rest of the world. There are tons of bad things happening, but we in America aren’t aware of or we don’t see the effects of most of them. And that is one reason why things like mission trips, compassion sponsorships, and getting involved are so important. They help stop the bad things of this world.

So I am really sad to see my middle school peeps leaving 8th grade and enter into the crazy world of high school.  But it really is a selfish sad.  I want kids to always be middle school students because I love middle school kids.  Deep down though I believe that it is important to grow up and start new seasons of life.  So to all you students who left us here in middle school land I want you to know that we will miss you and will always be here for you.

So we will be beginning a new season here at NorthsideMiddle.   I am excited because of all the new stuff that awaits us this next year.  The one thing I am most excited about are the new 6th graders God is sending our way.  I want their 6th grade to be the one that rocks their world Jesus style :).  What are you looking forward most to over the next year?   I can’t wait to see what God is going to do through us!

They rock because they know how to have fun wherever they go.  Post your comments about why middle schoolers rock.

Just wanting some feedback on the summer’s greatest movie and why.  Personally I think Indiana Jones is going to be a let down.

Have you ever wanted to go see a movie because of how safe everything was in it? No, no one does. No one ever says, “Man I am really glad everyone in that car chase drove only 45 miles an hour!” Or no one says, “Boy it’s a good thing that nothing exploded in that movie.”

People want action movies to be exciting. But why is it that people don’t want exciting lives? Oh i hear people say they want exciting lives, but they don’t really mean it. Because living an exciting life means that it isn’t all that safe. And I don’t mean safe from gun fire and explosions. Most of us are safe from that.

What I am talking about are people that play it safe with their relationship with Jesus. People that never reach out to help someone else or people that never serve never have to worry about getting made fun of. They never have to worry about people teasing them for being a Christian. People that never hang out with someone others make fun of don’t have to worry about losing friends.

But then again, those people have lives that in the end don’t make much of a difference. They never get to look at what they’ve done and see how others were impacted. They always played it safe and never got to do anything exciting.

Maybe you are someone who will one day go to Africa and help provide medicine to save hundreds of lives. Maybe you will be the person who is nice and talks to the school loser and they decide not to kill themselves that day (true story). Maybe you are the person who helps fixes a car for a single mom who can’t afford to pay for it. Maybe you are the person who volunteers in early childhood so that a mom can spend a few moments connecting with God. Maybe you are the person who gives up a dollar every week so you can give it to a compassion kid.

Or maybe your the person sitting in your safe easy room at home wondering why you are bored.
John 10:10 “I have come to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (not an easy life)

I don’t know if you pay any attention at all to what’s going on in the rest of the world. but if you do, there is a crazy situation going on in Myanmar. This huge cyclone (we call it a hurricane) hits the country and now thousands of people are dead with up to one million people without homes.

The reason that I mention this is that there are so many people out there with super real needs.
I don’t know what you want to do with your life or what is important to you, but if you ever wanted to make a huge difference, all you have to do is listen to what’s going on in the world for a few moments. You could have a different life long mission almost every day if you wanted.

My hope is that you will find something that you can be passionate about and start making a difference in this world. If you ever have any questions on what you can do, ask Dustin or myself and we will get you hooked up with something.

If you need further motivation, read Matthew 25:34-40.

Finally, these two quotes some up how I feel.

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one. ~Mother Teres

(come in and tell us about one of these blogs and get a free Jones soda)

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. ~Edward Everett Hale

What are you most proud of? Something that you look at from a distance or is it something that you are involved in? When I find out that a student falls away from their faith in Christ it breaks my heart. Here at NorthsideMiddle it is our desire to have students connected to Christ and one another. In the book of John (in the Bible) Jesus gives a great picture of what these relationships (these connections) are like.

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other. (John chapter 15 verses 5-17, in the Bible)

Jesus uses this picture of a living vine that we (the branches) are connected to. A vine is that it gives nourishement and strength to the branches. Those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior need to understand this idea that our faith in Him is living. We can’t just say we love Jesus, we must live we love Jesus. He gives two great commands on how to do that, “remain in my love’ and “Love each other”. In this picture of a vine and branches we can see that when we are connected to Jesus (the vine), we (the branches) are connected to each other.

Is your faith alive? Or are you a branch that is not connected to the vine or other branches anymore? If you want your faith in Jesus to be alive again call out to God for mercy, ask for help and then talk to a mature believer to help you connect back to the vine again. We are here for you.

Peace out!

Dustin

So who do you want to win the next Presidential election? Why do you want them to win? I was at dinner the other night with my wife’s family and we were talking about Obama, Clinton, and McCain (ya know having a good ole family argument about politics), when my brother-in-law starts brings up how frustrated he is that all Christians think that they have to be conservative (republican). He said that people should vote for a candidate based on how their values align. I thought that kind of made sense.

I started thinking though what makes a republican a republican and what makes a democrat a democrat? Because I am lazy I would love for someone to look those up and let me know. But it brought up a better question to me in my life and especially for middle school students. What makes a Christian a Christian? There are a lot of people and a lot of middle schoolers that say they are a Christian just like a lot of people say they are a republican or a democrat. So to kick off this new blog I want to get your brain working and I want you “the readers” to post some comments on what you think makes a Christian a Christian.

Peace out

Dustin