Simple Thoughts

My youngest has woke up with his ear hurting. So as I set here with him I was thinking some simple thoughts and thought I would put them here:

1) I love being a dad and moments like this is one of the big reasons why
2) Why do little boys have to squirm so much in their sleep?
3) I love it when my children laugh in their sleep - I wonder what makes them laugh?
4) I finally got to watch a couple games of football this season
5) I'm enjoying the time away with Lisa's side of the family
6) I'm very thankful for a simple life

7) My son caught my wife and I praying together and told us.

I might try to do this more often and just post my simple thoughts. This should be interesting.

3 day spiritual/study retreat

Well after 3 years I was blessed by my wonderful wife and church to get away for a 3 day retreat. It wasn't a retreat that I would call spiritual in the since I just focused on God and my relationship (I did get a chance to do a simple labyrinth) but more a review of my studies, readings, and writings I have produced throughout this past year (2006-07). Below is a list of key words I made from this retreat. Each word has thoughts, comments, ideas, etc. on them for me to use as a usable resource for me to turn to in the future.

Anger, Authority, Believe (belief), Brakes, Choice(s), Community, Creative, Experience,

Fail(ure), Faith(fullness), Family (Parents), Fellowship, Grace,

Heal(ing), Hope, Humble (Humility), Joy, Love, Mercy, Morality, Mystery, Need(s), One, Others (Relationships), Prayer, Purpose, Responsibility, Restore, Simple, Stories, Success, Time, Trust (Truth), Wisdom, Word, Worship.

I hope each year to do the same thing and get better and more productive at this.

I'm recognized as a High School read

I made it as a High School level reading blog. Of course if I post much more on here it might change. Here is the link if you would like to know what level reading your blog is.



ht - Marko

Prayers this month - Oct 07

Another month of prayers that are wonderful to read and pray over. I hope to get a 3 day spiritual retreat in soon and my heart is to spend time on that retreat reading and praying these prayers again.

Lord, my I call out to you no matter where I'm at.

Lord, may I be willing to go and do what you call me to do the first time - not the second time like Jonah.

Lord, help me to humbly come to you and be in Your presents doing what You want me to do only.

Lord, may I change only to get better at bringing you glory and sharing your truth.

Lord, my I never be "a good smile and glib tongue" speaker that is focused on me and not you, EVER!

Lord, help me to humbly come to you and be in Your presents doing what You want me to do only.

Lord, your gospel message, your saving grace, your overwhelming love is what my hearts desires - keep it in front of me always, pls.

Open my eyes to more of your lists Lord so that I might live them out for You.

Lord, open my eyes to your Word in a way that I've never seen it before so that I might be the perfect Mark Eades you want for this time, pls.

Lord, thx for not becoming easily angry & yet you "never let the guilty go unpunished"

Lord, may I never go back to my old ways of sinning against you. May the things I do be honoring to you, always.

Lord, help me to be balanced and know what must be #1 in my life - to know and follow after You.

Lord, I'm confused, Your ways are so much greater than mine and yet when I see certain things happen it bothers me.

Lord help me to see what I need to see and be ok with that - I just want to bring you glory.
Father, I want to be your instrument to bring you glory - feel me with just enough knowledge to do only that and then no more.

LORD when you come may I be doing and being what you put me on this earth to do and be - help me LORD, pls.

Lord, again open my eyes to see what you want me to see in Your words.

Thx Jesus for taking the punishment we so deserve.

Lord, open my eyes to see what is wrong in my life so I might turn it over to you and ask for forgiveness.

Lord, my I honor you with my whole life.

Lord, open my eyes so that I might serve you completely.

Lord, my your comforting words be all over the place and may the people's hearts be open to hear it – including mine.

Lord, I know you love all and that you came to save the least of these... Help me understand this better so that I might share your truth better.

Lord, may you find me searching for you when the time comes for me to get “new clothes to wear.”

Lord, I need you more today than I have ever in my life. I know that I am corrupted with sin and that you are my only way out. Show me what I must do so that I might physically, spiritually, and mentally finish whatever amount of time I have left on this earth for You.

Lord, may I never ever stop listening to You - not only so my prayers can be heard but that I might give You and You alone maximum glory.

Hitting 40 is simply wonderful

Last Thursday (Nov 1st, 2007) I hit my 40th birthday. The day was simply wonderful with a long walk, some work done, and a chance to enjoy the day with just my family.

Today (Nov 3rd) my wife put on a wonderful party where so many people came to celebrate (and give me a hard time) my birthday. I really enjoyed the chance to share stories of my life (like getting hit with an arrow or watching our wedding video many times) with them. It's fun to be in my 40s now and I pray that it will just keep gettting better.

Book Report – Family-Based Youth Ministry

I’m not sure where I got this book or who recommended it but Mark DeVries book, “Family Based Youth Ministry” has been an excellent read and now a resource for me to turn to.

Mr. DeVries made this book not only something that is a great read but also the back half of the book has a lot of great recommendation on “How to” do family based ministry.

The two key ideas that I got from this book are the need for any youth ministry to be “under girded” by family based ministry and that we will never have the “perfect” ministry plan in place.

I’ve talked many times to middle school kids about the fact that we all must have a strong foundation in our lives if we are going to make it through life. That foundation has to be based on the Bible or everything on it will fall (foolish man). The Bible clearly communicates to us that we have to turn to it to build anything lasting (wise man). We have a great youth ministry here at NCBC and we need to keep building it on solid rock – the Bible. The Bible sometimes points us to family based ministry. As Mark puts it “effective youth ministry come in all kinds of packages, using all kinds of models. The secret is not what the program looks like, but what is strategically built beneath that program.” If we keep our focus on God and His Word the program we do will work because it isn’t about the program but about what the program points kids to… Jesus.

It’s interesting to me when people come up and say “I get it..” or “I don’t get it..” I always wonder what “it” is. One thing that I’ve realized is that I will never “get it” completely. Mark seems to agree with this when he says, “One of my foundational theological assumptions is that we never quite ‘get it right’ when it comes to God…No matter how well we understand God today, there is a fuller understanding still awaiting us.” For some reason this has always been easy for me to accept. Life isn’t easy, in fact it can be downright hard and mean, but I find hope in the fact that I don’t need to always “get it” to fulfill the purpose God has placed me here for. This also is a great tool to share with the kids that even if they don’t “get it” sometimes God knows that and He will still work with us.

In my mind family based youth ministry can be put into one word “relationship.” As Mark says, “The Christian faith becomes real to most teenagers not because of rational arguments for Christianity …, but because real people live out the gospel in what may seem like very insignificant ways.” I’ve been a part of family based youth ministry stuff and I really didn’t know it. I’ve had a group of sponsors (my adult volunteers) who have been mostly made up of parents of or former parents of middle school kids do what may seem insignificant, but really are making huge impacts on our kids lives. This group has been the back bone of our ministry way before I came to New Covenant Bible and I’m sure they will be here after I leave.