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We realized that in a few years of renting inflatables the cost was the same as if we’d just bought our own bounce house except this way we have it year round for all our youth and children’s ministries.

Screen on the Green
Our outdoor movie nights have been a great success so far. Last Friday there were well over 100 people in attendance including quite a few visitors. I was even stopped walking down the street this week by someone who visited saying how they loved the event.

In case you don’t know we’ll have the moon bounce and a hot grill set up at 7:00 PM. All you need to bring is yourself, a friend, and some food. We’ll provide the popcorn and cold soda. Plan on sharing with some friends and it’ll be the easiest meal you do all week. Last week about 10 of you came for the cookout. I hope to see more of you this week. The time before hand is really a great time to hang out and chat. We’ll start the movie around dusk.

In case you’re wondering, you don’t need to have kids to come. This isn’t a kids event, it’s not even just a Faith Community Church event, it’s for our whole community. The movies are all great for young kids and adults so if you’re free come on out.

If anyone wants to help me setup come around 5 PM.

I was probably asked twice for every kid present during the time it took me to eat my burger when we’d light the sparklers. The kids were super excited. We went out on the back deck, I gave the kids instructions not to light each other on fire with them etc and started lighting them and handing them out. With six boxes we had plenty for each kid to have several sparklers each. They ran around having a blast.

After a while I got down to the last sparkler. I had 6 kids clustered around me all waiting for their next sparkler. I said “We only have one left, who wants it?” They all hopped up and down saying “I do, I do, I do!” They all really wanted that sparkler. I said “We only have one left so all of you can’t have it. Who’s willing to give it up so someone else can have it?” Instantly all six kids said “You can give it to someone else.” They elected to give the sparker to a 4 year old who was tottering around on the far side of the yard since he had only had one.

I was very proud. I think the future looks good.

I’m the father of two young kids (currently 5 and 6 years old). One of the things my wife and I are trying to do is build into our family life, right from the beginning, activities we can share with our kids for their whole lives. (I actually rode over 30 miles with my mom and dad a few weeks ago over Memorial Day weekend) I’m a bigger believer in quantity time over quality time. When my kids hit their teenage years I want there to be spaces in their lives they share with my wife and I that are just plain fun. So my kids are learning lots of outdoor activities – rock climbing, skiing and biking that they can share with my wife and I even when they’re older.

Most kids learn to ride a bike but in my days as a youth pastor I was increasingly surprised at how many kids today never actually learned. I’m going to give you instructions for teaching your kid to learn to ride a bike that border on the magical. If you learned to ride with your mom or dad running behind you holding the seat or if you’ve taught your kids that way the method I’m going to explain will make you want to go back in time and do it over again. It works incredibly well. My daughter learned when she was 4 years old and rode the 4 mile loop at Ridley Creek when she was 5.

Step One: Muscles
Get your kid a bike and have them ride it WITH training wheels for a month or two. This is just to develop some muscles for pedaling and some comfort with knowing how to steer the bike. Training wheels don’t actually teach you to ride. In fact they teach you poor technique because you don’t learn to balance. You actually learn to lean on the training wheels – the very thing you can’t do when they’re removed. If your kid is older or already has the hang of pedaling from a tricycle or big wheel you can skip step one.

Step Two: Balance
Now is time to learn balance. Take off the training wheels and lower the seat so that when your kid is sitting on it they can easily push themselves with their feet. The idea is that they can kind of scoot around while sitting and easily catch their balance by putting their feet down. Now comes the trick – take off the pedals. An adjustable wrench will take them off in about 30 seconds. This let’s them swing their feet to scoot without having to straddle around the pedals. Let them do this for a month until they can glide along with their feet up off the ground balancing on their own. What they’ll learn is to actually balance the bike using forward motion just like if they were riding except they can catch their balance very easily since they’re feet are hovering over the ground instead of on pedals. It helps to have a big open area to ride that’s safe from cars. The church parking lot is open all week to anyone who wants to use it.

Step Three: Riding
Now put the pedals back on and magically they’ll be able to ride. No running behind them holding on. No training wheels. Both my kids just instantly pedaled off and rode from that moment forward without any falling from lack of balance. They learned to pedal in step one and learned to balance in step two. Now they just put those two together. It’ll stun you if you’ve tried teaching a kid the old school way most of us learned.

Caution
Your kid should wear a helmet during every part of this training. Helmets are essential.

Don’t try any hills for a long time. I took my kids to Chester Park after a month or two of riding and foolishly let my son ride down a steep hill. I though he was ready because he could ride perfectly on flat land. He sped up down the hill, couldn’t stop, and had an epic parent heart attack inducing crash. Fortunately he was barely bruised but it could have been much worse.

Be super cautious of cars. This plan will teach your kid to balance but it won’t teach them to be aware of cars or to ride without weaving a bit. Again, having a large place to ride like a parking lot or bike trail will really help in the first month or two to teach them to ride in a straight line and to stop when they want.

I hope every kid in our church 5 years old and older is riding around like a maniac by the end of the Summer. Let’s do Saturday church family ride around the loop at Ridley this September. Have fun and be safe.

The Christian Coalition Against Violence of Chester and Vicinity will be leading the hot spot prayer walk on Friday, June 3, 2011 at 7:00 PM, starting at Freedom Baptist Church, Morton Avenue, Chester.

All who “are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” are invited to take part in this evangelistic outreach.

If you don’t already know, 18 people have been shot within 3 miles of our church since Christmas. Certainly one of the things Jesus would have us do about that tragedy is pray, especially with other Christians in our area. Click here to read the original article on Chester City Blog.

Mr. Harold Camping, a prominent Christian radio Bible teacher, has predicted the rapture of the church for last Saturday, May 21, 2011. His prediction has engendered a range of responses from atheist “rapture parties” http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015071658_rapture17m.html?prmid=obinsite to full scale preparation to meet the Lord http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-leaders-respond-to-campings-may-21-rapture-prediction-50275/. Since Mr. Camping’s influence is worldwide the media have given it some attention. If this weekend turns out to be news deprived there will most certainly be ample coverage of this non-event. Moreover, there are many who follow Mr. Camping locally. You may have an opportunity to speak about what you believe.

Do you know what the rapture is and how Bible believing Christians like us should respond to those who ask us? I thought it good to offer you a biblical perspective on rapture questions.

Does the Bible teach a “rapture?” Yes. We can affirm the Bible does teach a future rapture of the church before a time of worldwide tribulation. The English word “rapture” means “snatched up” or “caught up.” The word itself does not appear in English versions of the Bible. Instead it is a summary word describing what we read in John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. Not all Christians interpret these passages as a rapture (e.g. reformed denominations see this as part of the Second Coming) and among those who do, not all agree on the timing (e.g. there are pre-, mid-, and post-tribulation positions). But we believe the Scriptures teach a pre-tribulation rapture of believers.

What is the purpose of the rapture? The church has been specifically promised to be spared from God’s wrath because Christ already absorbed it for us on the cross (Rom 8:1; 1 Thess 1:10). God has not destined Christians for wrath but for salvation (1 Thess 5:9). Therefore, Paul made it clear it is inconsistent for Christians to be on the earth at the time God is judging it (1 Thess 4:13-5:10; c.f. Rev 3:10). This future tribulation is specifically meant for Israel and Gentiles alive at the end times. It’s variously called the “Day of the Lord,” the time of “Jacob’s trouble” (Jer 30:7), and time of God’s wrath. It is the subject of many Old Testament prophesies (Zeph 1:14-18; Joel 1:15; 2:2; Jer 23:20-21; 26:20-21; 34:1-3; Isa 13:6) and, of course, much of the book of Revelation. None of the tribulation passages in the New Testament mention the presence of the church and all the descriptions of that period are distinctly Jewish.

The rapture of the church seems also to be necessary in order to inaugurate the Tribulation. Since Scripture affirms that the Holy Spirit dwells within Christians, the removal of the church is a major factor in bringing about this period of judgment. The antichrist is unable to be revealed until “the restrainer” is taken away (2 Thess 2:6-7). It seems logical to conclude that only the Holy Spirit is adequate to restrain sin. Since the church receives special ministries of the Spirit and is indwelt by the Spirit it would appear logical to conclude Spirit-filled believers must be removed from the earth. That would mark the end of Gentile missionary work and commence the Jewish witness of the 144,000 in Revelation 14. Therefore, the rapture concludes the church age and God will resume his special dealing with Israel which stopped at the crucifixion of Jesus.

Is the rapture something new? No. There is biblical precedent for a rapture in the cases of Enoch (Gen 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). Both of these men were caught up to be with God without suffering death.

Will Christians know when the rapture will occur? No. Christians are taught to look for Christ – not signs. Therefore we watch for Jesus not knowing when he will come (1 Thess 1:10; 1 Cor 1:7; Phil 3:20-21; Heb 9:28; Jude 21). The church is never told to look for preceding signs.

This is different than what Christ told Israel to expect. Since Israel will go through the Tribulation they are told to look for the signs which Jesus described as wars, famines, and earthquakes (Matt 24:7-8). They will see the “abomination of desolation” (Matt 24:15; 2 Thess 2:4; Dan 9:27) and cosmic signs such as darkened sun, moon and falling stars (Matt 24:29). Israel is therefore to expect their Messiah after these signs at what is called the Second Coming of Christ. You can see the order of events in the diagram below.

The church will experience the rapture followed by the “marriage supper of the lamb” in heaven during the Tribulation on earth (Rev 19:1-10). This is a period of 7 years of celebration for Christians. The church will then return with Christ to earth to rule and reign with him for the millennial kingdom 1000 years (Rev 19:11-20:4).

If we understand our God at all we understand he takes pleasure in turning man’s weakness and failure to his advantage and glory. So do not be surprised if Mr. Camping’s debacle presents you with an opportunity to humbly explain the reason you have hope in Christ. Prepare an answer.

• We can affirm to skeptics that Jesus is indeed coming back for Christians. He has told us to expect Him and that expectation is one motivation to live a holy life so we are not ashamed at his appearing.

• Those who have set their hope in Mr. Camping’s prophecy may undergo discouragement and disillusionment with Christ, Christian teachers, or themselves. Be prepared to show disheartened followers of Mr. Camping that while people often fail, God does not. Christ is faithful and so are his promises. Point them to better teaching.

• In some families, one spouse is a follower of Mr. Camping and the other not. There may be a loss of confidence in the spouse with regard to spiritual leadership. This could adversely affect their marriage, parenting, or career. In this case it is necessary to help them love and respect each other even in the face of disappointment.

• Mr. Camping has presumed to be a teacher and he will therefore incur a stricter judgment (James 3:1). We, however, at this distance, should refrain from overreacting. Christians are humble, gracious people who often make mistakes. We are to love our enemies, deal gently with wayward sheep, and take a firm stand on truth.

May God give you wisdom, grace and boldness to face the opportunities he provides.

In Christian love,

Pastor Richard