Hello friends, one and all

What an amazingly incredible past few weeks this has been.  We've taken 50 people to CCC and seen God do miracles right and left this summer.  We didn't just hear about these things: we got to experience them first hand.  For many, faith in Christ moved from something they were told they SHOULD do to something they actually experienced.  The Christian life isn't meant to only be heard about at church: it's meant to be experienced and LIVED.  Thank God that at CCC many of us got to live it out!

Let's keep living it out tomorrow night at Jeff & Casey's house.  Christian fellowship is integral (vitally important) to spiritual growth.  You can't follow Jesus alone! $3 for dinner.  Fun times and good food.  6-9pm.  1828 Hunters Forest Dr - WS NC.  All ages.

+ We're going to Emerald Pointe!  Next Wednesday July 28th.  Cost is $30.  Bring $$ for food.  You MUST register here by THIS SUNDAY: 

http://www.clemmonsone.com/water


Lastly, our first regular Clemmons:One of the summer is this coming Sunday night!  We'll watch lengthy clips of a popular movie and have a Bible study based on that movie.  This week's movie:  Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone.  Ooooooo.... 5-7pm.  $3 for dinner.

love grace peace to you

Clark

Derek Fisher is the point guard for the LA Lakers, who are currently in the NBA finals.  Derek is a NBA superstar, has millions of dollars, and he is grounded in the Lord.  He gives God all the credit, and is still a passionate competitor and has a great work ethic.  What a great testimony.

Can you imagine a football coach who doesn't require his team to come to practice, and when they do, says "Thanks for coming, hope you can make it next time!"  For one, you would say this team is a joke.  Secondly, the team would be guaranteed to lose, and three, no one would even want to be on that team.  Everyone knows that without sacrifice and commitment, its impossible to achieve anything worthwhile.  It would be an unorganized and chaotic "team" that would accomplish nothing.

It seems that church gets the same treatment sometimes (and to be fair, the American church structure has created this ultra-nice form of discipleship).  If you claim to be a Christian, it requires discipline.  It requires weekly and consistent attendance at small groups or youth groups or church services.   Coming and being involved when it's "convenient" or "when you feel like it" just isn't enough.  Christ calls for complete and total commitment from those who claim to be His followers.

In terms of caring for you soul, what is more important?  Money?  Friends?  Trips?  Career?  Being in a serious dating relationship?  What good is it if you gain all these "things" you desire, and yet you lose your soul?

If you give God your leftovers, then you can expect very little for your investment.  You reap what you sow.  You get out what you put in.

All of the "things" listed above are important and necessary at times, but the Lord makes it clear its all about priority:  if you seek God FIRST, you will find the things and desires that you hunger for, and they'll be even more fulfilling, because you're following Christ first, and God will give you a peace and a joy because you're doing what Christ commands.  When you act on your faith, it comes alive.  Seek God first, and everything else you need (or think you need) will fall into place (check out Matthew 6:33)

You see, we can't make ourselves truly joyful, so the answer isn't only "working harder".  Therefore, the answer isn't only attending church and being more committed: it's letting your love for God drive your desire.  Put Christ first because you love Him, not just because someone told you to do so.  It's a relationship, not a religion.

Only Christ can give you the joy and contentment that you seek.  Jesus makes it clear that only He can give true life (read John 14:6).  When we put Christ as anything but first on our list of priorities in life, it isn't long before He sinks lower and lower on that list.  Oh, and how we justify it!  "I'll get to church next week."  "I'll get to it later"  "I'll do it when I have time"  But for many, more excuses are created in order to cover up old excuses as we seek to disguise the shame and guilt we feel for neglecting our relationship with God.  "I believe in God", you may think, "but I"ve crowded Him out.  How could I return?"

Christ will always welcome you with open arms, just as you are.  Let God take your mess, your problems, your insecurities, your addictions, even your anger.  Give them all to God, and let God mold you into the person He desires for you to be (and stop trying to mold yourself - its frustrating and counterproductive!)

The Bible says that today is the day of salvation.  Now is the time to decide who is first in your life.

I know that many of you reading this definitely do love God, and you want to know more about Christ.  I encourage you to stay close to God right now in your young lives, because anything and everything is trying to pull you away from the faith that you profess.  I encourage you to be at church every week, attend youth group, serve in the life of the church, and more.  Don't miss a week, because quite honestly (and in the grand order of reality), nothing is more important than your soul.  Do not neglect its care.  We are not guaranteed another day on this earth.  Make today count.

I encourage you because if you fail to make Christ your priority (and thus back it up with your actions), then something else will come to fill that void in an instant.

We love you.  Email us with any prayer requests for you or for friends.

Grace and peace to you

All this week, I have felt a burden to pray for many of you.  Specifically, that you would have opportunities/conversations this week with friends, co-workers, classmates and then invite them to Clemmons:One this Sunday night. 
I know what you're thinking: "Looks like the youth pastor wants to bump his attendance numbers."  You know we never focus on that.  If something is healthy, it will grow. 
I simply feel that God truly wants specific people there this Sunday, people you may talk to & have the potential to invite. You have the opportunity to be the answer to someone's prayer this week.  I pray you'll be available and listening to others.

The topic(s) this Sunday night are some of the most complex, most important, most powerful questions I have ever read.  I ask for your prayers for ME as I prepare.

We're going to cover things like:
- Haiti: why does God allow such devastation?
- Creation & Resurrection
- the morality/ethics of homosexual marriage & abortion
- in seeing so much hypocrisy ("fake" Christians), what does it mean to really be a Christian?
- and more

Wow.  We'll cover it honestly and fairly as possible with respect to time.  Like the last time we met, please arrive at 5:00, as we'll be kicking things off earlier. 

NEWSBITS
- we need everyone to sign up to help with the March 14th Talent Show this Sunday.  Come prepared to put your name down. Helping gets your a $79 deduction off your overall summer mission trip cost!  IF YOU CAN'T BE AT THE TALENT SHOW, HELP SELL TICKETS THE NEXT TWO SUNDAY MORNINGS.  That counts.  Talk to Casey.

- CCC (rising 9th & above) & SpiritUs (rising 7-8 grade) signups are going on now.  $79 deposit.  scholarships available.  Truly, do not miss these trips.  You will miss many a inside joke.  Invite friends. 

love to all

Clark

Don't waste your life. Where does your treasure lie: with yourself or with others?

Get started by signing up for CCC (high school June 27-July3) & SpiritUs (middle school Aug. 14-17) RIGHT NOW! $79 deposit is all it takes!

What's up everybody!

This month of February we continue with My Big Question, covering questions you the student have sent in.  make every effort to attend on Sunday nights to hear these topics.  They are issues you and your friends have asked for!

In March we'll launch into Dangerous Wonder.  Many times church or faith or Jesus can become something we just do, almost like a label we stick on ourselves.  God doesn't want it to be this way!  God wants to infuse  your life with HIS life, His spirit, to fuel your faith and journey through life with Christ.  God wants you to be so in love with Him that you are constantly awed, amazed, in wonder of who God is and what God does. If this isn't happening in your life, it can!

Remember when you were little, and everything seemed new?  Everything gave you this sense of wonder?  As we grow older, our selfish endeavors, outside pressures from friends, general busyness - all these things can steal our wonder and our joy of who God is.  Join us on Sunday nights in March as we rediscover the wonder and awe of God!

Lastly, a few important reminders:

+ The Core meets every Wed. night from 6:30-7:30.  It is a time of prayer and spiritual growth that doesn't just talk about Jesus and the Bible, but we seek to literally experience it. If you love attending Sunday nights, this is the next step for you!

+ CCC summer missions money is due Sunday Feb. 28th.  The initial deposit is $79.  If you are in high school, this is THE TRIP of the year.  Don't miss it!  Scholarships available.  Likewise, the $79 deposit for the middle school missions trip is due April 11th (or before).  Don't miss this either!

+ Bagels & Brew Fridays - we meet every Friday morning at Bagels and Brew from 8:00-8:30.  End your week with some Christian fellowship.

Love you guys!

Clark

This past Sunday was our Winter kickoff, and what a crowd!  Thanks to all who came out.  We began the "what do you believe?" series, discussing the difficulty in believing in Jesus as the only way to salvation in the midst of a very pluralistic world that says anything but.  What do YOU believe?  Jesus says he is the way, the truth and the life.  Do you believe this?

This Sunday we will continue our "What do you believe?" series, embarking on the 2012/end of the world fiasco we constantly hear about. And unfortunately, it will reach a fever pitch up until Dec. 21st, 2012.  So we need to have solid reasoning and faith on our side in an incredibly paranoid and confused world.

We will cover a lot of interesting information, so come ready to listen and learn.  Seriously, this is one visiting friends will want to check out, because everyone is interested in this topic.  Invite someone!

I've been working hard on the message, so I hope it will be worth it!

In the meantime, check out these great links from NASA's website regarding this topic.  Very informative.  See you Sunday at 5pm!

NASA - End or beginning?

NASA - the great doomsday scare

No one likes change.

Seriously, they don't.  If Facebook changes their format or home screen, people join a group to "Change Facebook back to what it was", complaing for weeks on end.

It's funny.  We hate change, yet without, we would die.  How horrible would life be if we never grew stronger, wiser, or older?

The last thing we want to think about is handing ourselves over to Christ to change our lives.  So many teenagers are too busy or preoccupied with themselves to think about this, this ultimate change. And left to ourselves, we cannot change the way we want to.  People constantly try to change themselves, but it never satisfies or sticks.

CS Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia) wrote:

The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand your whole self - all your wishes and precautions - to Christ.

But it is far easier that what we are trying to do instead.  For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call "ourselves", to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be "good".  We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way - centered on money or pleasure or ambition - and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastely and humbly.

And that is exactly what Christ warned us you could not do.  As He said, a thorn cannot produce figs.  If am a field that contains nothing but grass seed, I cannot produce wheat.  Cutting the grass may keep it short; but I shall still produce grass and no wheat.  If I want to produce wheat, the change must go deeper than the surface.  I must be ploughed up and resown.

The human race is rebellious towards God.  We are like spiritual amnesiacs who have forgotten where we have come from, who we are, and where we're going.  Much like grass seed that wishes we could produce wheat, left to ourselves, the human race cannot produce the change it wants to produce.

But then, there is Christ.

Christ can produce the change you want in life, but it might not be what you expect.  God is loving, kind, and even dangerous...but he's good.

Give your life to Christ today and find the real change, the spiritual change, the lasting change, you've been searching for.

Who is your neighbor?

Up until the popular advent of television, neighborhoods were much more social.  People visited each other on their front porches, stopped in for a visit at random times. Before the age of in-home entertainment, forms of entertainment were found in other people: story telling, jokes and the like.

Now the traditional ways of being a neighbor have been challenged, usually by marketing or our fear of crime.  Now we may greet the door bell ringing with a bit of suspicion.  In this age of telemarketing, the home phone ringing is greeted as an assault (Who is it?  check the caller ID!).  Worse yet is when a telemarketer calls your cell phone, which is the ultimate offense.

Don't mistake me: some of these fears can be justified considering the changes in our culture.  They are responses to the environments we have been placed.

Americans in this day and age are a bit more guarded toward who we let into our inner circle, into who we let be our "neighbor".  Right or wrong, we may have become insulated towards the people who may indeed be our neighbors. Very few of us know are immediate neighbors in our own neighborhoods, and perhaps some of those neighbors want to be left alone!

I have friends that, when I email or text them, will immediately call me instead.  I like this idea.  They don't hate email necessarily, they just see the value of having human interaction, and they aren't afraid to be a bit counter-cultural by replying with a *gasp* phone call.

The irony is that we are made for relationship: with God and with other people.  We are created to know and be known.  So while we may push away human contact more than we used to, we crave it more than ever.  Online social networking, Ustream video casting, email, text messaging - all are not actual human interaction but they still scream the same timeless message "I am here!  Notice me!"  Facebook is a valid, quite revolutionary form of communication, but when it supplants actual people then we have entered into a dangerous place where we rule over as kings or queens over an empty kingdom, where everything is filtered to suit our own tastes.

This is the paradox of the postmodern mind: we crave relationship, but we tend to push it away.  We crave God, but we don't want to find God in church (with other people).  We crave neighbors, but only at a safe distance.  We're afraid of being open and vulnerable. I realize I'm speaking in generalities (which thus aren't completely true) but many can relate.

In Mark 12:30-31, Jesus states that you can summarize the 10 Commandments down into two: love God (firstly), and then love your neighbor as yourself. These two ideas are intrinsically connected.  Do you say you love God?  Then you must be willing to break our of your electronic shell and engage in life with other people and love them as yourself.  If Jesus decides to amend the 10 Commandments, it's worth listening to, as these two ideas are the absolute cornerstone to living a godly and meaningful existence.

These two statements of love God and love your neighbor are a foretaste of the new world to come.  The Bible is clear that one day the entire earth will be redeemed, and God will literally dwell with his people (those who are in Christ), on earth, for quite some time.  This certainly sounds like "heaven" to me.  And in that place, we will love God and love each other in the most perfect sense of the word.

Let us get started now.  Today.  You and me.

I'll call you about it.

Clark

The past few weeks, I can't get enough of this video.  The first time I watched it, it cut deep with me on a personal level: before I was a Christian, I certainly was a lot lilke "Ryan".  Am I all perfect now, with all the answers?  Good heavens, no.  But now, after my own conversion experience (at the age of 20), I do realize and see the enormous value of the term "born again".

How many of us pay "lip service" to God/church/Jesus on Sunday and then live our lives every other day as if God isn't even real in our lives? Amongst many church-goers, young and old, you could argue that there are many who have little devotion in their lives, or little sense that their religion is a relationship between them and God that moves and fuels all they do.

In some ways, I can't blame them.  Perhaps many have never met or seen an actual Christian?  Perhaps many are following an example that they have seen their whole lives, thinking that sporadically attending church is enough?  At an earlier age (18-22), I was thoroughly confused about the church:  why should I go?  what do I do?  In many ways, attending church felt like another obligation, like a civic club or a board meeting.

Preachers/youth pastors shouting down to other people that they need to "repent" be "born again", is not necessarily the answer.  Forcing, or even worse, shaming people, into church attendance is certainly not the answer. That attitude has been part of the problem for millennia.  One answer is for ministers to admit that they're no better than anyone else.

The main answer (utilizing a Sunday school answer) is simply: Jesus.

When we are in love with everything else but Jesus, of course everything else comes first.  We attend to that which is important to us.  When we love Jesus first, everything else comes second.

When Jesus said "you must be born again", he wasn't insinuating that you  must be born again just so you can attend church, be at youth group, make a good show.  A born again person becomes a new creature with different values, perceptions, and ideals.  The Bible says it is like a veil being lifted, or a fog dissipating in the morning light.  Christians have always been seen as rather strange, and well we should.

The born again Christian walks the walk (however imperfectly and with humility) and puts Christ first in all aspects of life.  "Ryan" in the video is a rather sad character, because he thinks the more he does, out of obedience, then he's walking the straight and narrow.  But clearly it isn't working, because his life is falling apart.  I believe that many people today have this same story, and they see religion as worthless because it has no tangible affect on their lives.

I agree.  Religion is worthless.  But a born again relationship with God is everlasting and it will have a tangible affect on your life.

But for the born again Christian, you realize it is God that does it all: God does the saving, God does the rebirthing, God directs the life.  This is what is called "grace" or "mercy".  God's gift of love and power is underserved and unmerited, because we are moral foul-ups who can't get the whole God thing straight on our own.

But the born again...they realize they can't do it on their own, so they ask God for help...and God responds, every time.

There is no other experience that is more humbling and yet more uplifting.  When we have a relationship with God and are being directed by God's spirt, we are free to live God's life through us.  The kingdom of God comes literally into our lives.  We become vessels, or carriers, of the Christ life.  All of this can be yours, for free, if you simply pray and ask Christ into your life as Lord.  Praying a humble prayer of confession releases your control over your life, and gives that control back to God; control that should have relinquished to God the whole time.

We do none of this new work, Christ does it all.  Continue to submit to Christ in all your ways, and live a life where God directs your paths (which means you have to pray and listen often).  Doing that, life becomes more freeing that you could have ever known.  You'll see Jesus as he is meant to be seen: dangerous, recklessly loving, good, kind, powerful, limitless, undefeated, humble, healing, eternal.  You know, qualities that a real Jesus should have. A Jesus that matters.  A Jesus that does actually exist, here and now, forever.

And your Jesus won't be plastic: he'll be real.

This Sunday is student Sunday!  and everyone said "WOOOOOO!!!!"

We'll sing fun songs, share about our summer, and have a good time.  Dozens of students will fill the choir loft as we praise God for all God has done this summer!  We have had an INCREDIBLE time this summer as 56 middle/high school students were the hands and feet of Christ across the state of North Carolina!  And now it's time to celebrate!

So make sure and join us this Sunday!

In other news, a water park trip is planned for this coming Tuesday.  So that will be awesome.  Sign up NOW if you still want to go ($25). 10:30-3:30.

And looking a few weeks ahead, our Fall kickoff is Sunday, September 13th!  A lot of exciting changes will take place as we tweak our program, implement some live worship music, and some crazy surprises.  Please: invite some friends on this night!  Let God use you as you love your friends and include them with what's happening at Clemmons:One!

A lot has happened since my last post:

• I went to Colorado for a youth ministry summit with 20 other youth ministers.  Doug Fields was there (Rick Warren's youth pastor), and he was just one of the guys.  I was honored to even be asked to attend, let alone actually attend and get more youth ministry training than I've ever received. And the Rocky Mountains didn't hurt either.  The theme of the event was "equipping volunteers to do ministry".  We have an amazing, and growing, group of student ministry volunteers, and I'm currently in the process of meeting with many of them as we continue to grow our student ministry team.  We're also planning a Fall volunteer training weekend, so watch out!
• I went on vacation to Virginia.  My brother lives there, and his wife, and my super cute nephew James (1 year old).  Along the way we went sailing with my father in law, visited DC, Monticello, Charlottesville, and the Natural Bridge (a tad overpriced, but worth the sight).
• We had a cookout at my house, and 20 kids came over.  It was a great night.  Another cookout is coming up at Jeff and Casey's - check it out on the calendar.  All are invited.
• I helped with VBS.  Many of the students from Clemmons:One helped lead small groups during VBS, and they all did a wonderful job.  I was so proud of them.  We encourage our youth to serve in the life of the church, and they were doing just that.  At the close of the week, the kids performed during the 11:15 service, and many of their parents attended.  A great day.
• Each Sunday the 11:15 service continues to roll on, and it's already been one of the greatest blessings of my entire life.  I am humbled and honored to be a part of it each week.
• We mailed our summer edition of the parents newsletter.  If you want to join the mailing list, let us know.
• I just (today) returned from Mt Shepherd with 15 of the most amazing middle school students EVER.  We had a blast together and served an impoverished area of High Point, along with a Methodist church that serves food and clothes to that same area.  We did landscaping, painting, cleaning, mulching, laughing, picture taking, swing building, late night hiking, slide riding (at the lake), truly silly skits that our kids were HILARIOUS at.  Pictures forthcoming.
• This week we're having a fun night at Jimmy Macs putt putt and golf range on Wednesday night.  $5 6-8pm.  All invited.
• We're starting a new movie based teaching/Bible study series this summer.  Tomorrow we'll touch on Superman Returns, the next week is Mean Girls.  Should be a good time!  Sunday school (which is now called ONE:AM) will correspond with the same theme.  Join us!
• Lastly, we'll be going to CCC in two weeks!  52 individuals will descend on Camp McCall and Joshua Youth Camp with the intent to change the world for the better.  As we seek to live like Jesus, we find out our identity and others are healed.  Please be in prayer for this trip.

Phew!  Thanks for all the love and support!  Let us all thank God for all he has done this past month, and let us continue to seek God in all we do.  What we are hungry for is a movement of God in the lives of our students and of our church.  The more we seek to live like Jesus, the closer that will become a reality.  Love you all.

Christ in Us!

Clark

Clemmons:One will NOT be shutting down over the summer: we will be doing a lot of fun activities.

The main one is this coming June 14th from 5-7.  It will essentially be a giant party involving water slides, food, cool crazy people, and good times.  We want to see EVERYONE there to start the summer, if you can make it.  Do you realize that if everyone who has ever come to any of our ministry events came to one thing, at one time, we would have over 60 students in attendance?  Wouldn't that be fun?

But let me clarify.  The goal isn't a big group, alrhough that does make it easier for people to feel comfortable, which is good.  The goal is ultimately to give you, the student, opportunities to live like Jesus.

Yes, I said it.  What any of us really want is to know God, and see some tangible evidence of that in our lives.  We really do want to be "spiritual".  and when we live more like Jesus, we find our purpose.  We find our identity.  We find out more about who we're meant to be. Jesus not only gives you a new name and identity, he also gives your life purpose and focus.

I KNOW these are questions you as a teenager wrestle with.  Make attending Clemmons:One a priority this summer and fall.  Not just to be a number, but to know that you are loved, that you are a part of a wonderful community, and that we are all messy, mistake-prone works in progress that just want to love Jesus and be more like him.

The community on June 14th is not just about having fun, but its also about knowing and giving love in community, and we all want that.  SO QUIT MAKING EXCUSES AND JOIN US THIS SUMMER! I guarantee you'll have fun (and hopefully become more like Jesus).

Clark

This coming Sunday we'll wrap up our month of discussing spiritual gifts (skillz).  Everyone has a gift, some THING to offer for the good of others, something good and natural and pure that comes out who we are: of how God has made us.

Your gift can even be something vocational.  It can even be....dodgeball.

This Sunday night we'll even pass out a gifts assessment sheet so you can get a better idea of what your gifts are and thus how you can use them for the good of others.  We'll also provide ways for you to be involved with the life of the church, using your gifts for the good of the church.  What a 1-2 punch! POW!

We encourage you to come and be a part of Clemmons:One this summer...we have a TON of amazing events planned for the summer, events that won't be the same without YOU.  Make sure and check out the calendar here online or the 411 board(s) at the church with the full run down.

xoxoxoxox in Christ,

Clark

The Lockout was the bomb.

A little over 40 students converged at Clemmons UMC last weekend.  We played some fun games and listened to little ol' me talk about LOVE.  We all want love.  It's the basic thing in life we all live for, hope for, and search for.  And the only way to experience LOVE is (gasp) in relationship: with God and with others.

Put simply, we need people in order to know love.

So the idea of the lockout was not just for kids to go crazy, drink Red Bull, run through an inflatable obstacle course, and possibly sleep on a sidewalk (what?):

it was to know love.  specifically, God's love.

I could feel God's love around us all night.  Laughter between friends, encouraging words spoken when someone won a prize (Criston won the Wii, btw. sweetness), all of these things and more said LOVE to me.

Love was in the air, and it isn't stopping there.  As God loves on us, as He always is, we in turn must love others in the same way.  Christians are people of compassion.  People of mercy.  People of love. People who forgive much and see the best in people, who see people's potential - that's how God sees us.

So this summer, at Mt. Shepherd or CCC, we will show people love.  Crazy, house busting, over the top love.  Because it is only in relationships we can know and GIVE love.

Each week at Clemmons:One, we will show love to one another, pray for each other, even show love to skater kids who show up in the parking lot (we gave them some ice cream this past Sunday - shout out to Blaine, Evan, and Ann Marie for doing so).

But hey, be looking for the Lockout again next year, bigger and better and stronger.  It was the tops.

Clark