What an amazing night!  We had more than 200 people show up for Regenerate, and we had a great time of ministry!  Dozens of volunteers made the event run wonderfully.  Bobby Bishop spit rhymes and proclaimed the good news of Jesus’ salvation.  Laura shared her testimony of God’s regeneration of her life.  The Patrick Lynch Band led us in worshipping our Savior.  Tom spoke of God’s faithfulness and saving grace through his and Amy’s story.  Eighteen people responded to Tom’s invitation to trust in Jesus!  Thank you, God!

God is always working.  He had been working in the hearts of those eighteen for years leading up to this point.  He will continue working in their hearts, drawing them to Himself and shaping them to look more like Christ.  The Holy Spirit is continuing to work in the hearts of those who did not physically respond to Tom’s invitation.  He is even working in the hearts of those who will attend our next event, Overtime!

As we look forward to whatever project or adventure is next on the horizon, we can go forward with confidence that God is with us and has prepared the way for us.  All of the work we did, all of the hundreds of hours of labor and planning, don’t compare with the miraculous work of salvation from sins that God was working there tonight.  He is on the move, and we are excited to tag along for the ride.

There are a thousand other thoughts and praises that I would love to write of, but I must cut this devo short.  Just let me finally say that we at faith2faith are so honored and privileged and blessed to have been chosen by God to be His adopted children and to join Him in His massive, marvelous work of regeneration in the lives of people.  We are delighted to give God the praise He deserves.  Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God!” (Romans 5:1-2)

Dave White

I’m finally home!  After nine weeks of wonderful ministry in the Adirondacks, it’s good to be back in Willimantic.  I have seen God do some amazing things recently, and I am so excited for what He has in store in the coming week!  For years, I have had the privilege of serving faith2faith in its ministry to teens all over the place; but now, f2fmi is partnering with the people of my community to bring the Good News to our youth!  Did you know that some folks up at the Willimantic Camp Meeting Association have been praying for this for three years?!  This is gonna be great!

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)

Though I’ve been up in the mountains, our team has been preparing for this event all summer long.  The churches of our region are coming together in unity and prayer.  Our hosts have been praying for us for three years.  Many of you have been praying with us for several weeks.  The Holy Spirit has already begun working in the hearts of everyone who will attend Regenerate this weekend.  He has been planning this and praying for this long before we even thought of the event.  He is with us.  We are with Him.  We are eager to see what He’s going to do.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  (Romans 8:28)

What could be more good than people coming to know Christ?!  And that is our goal!  We believe that we are called for this purpose.  As in every event, there are still some things to iron out; and everything might not go according to (our) plan; but God will work everything together for the good.  We are so excited to partner with Christ Jesus and His Bride, the Church, in their mission…

“…to proclaim good news to the poor… liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  (Luke 4:18b-19)

Please, please, join us in prayer for this event!  God delights in working through the prayers of His people.  He has proven Himself to be faithful, time and time again.  Please pray for many young people to come.  Pray for the musical artists who will be painting God’s love and holiness through song.  Pray for the staff, those who will make this event logistically possible.  And above all, pray for people to be drawn to Christ and that His Name will be glorified in Northeastern Connecticut!

Dave White

I had a very sobering experience recently.  I’ve been a Christian as long as I can remember, and the Christians I’ve spent time with have been, for the most part, genuine and effective ambassadors of Christ Jesus.  But when I attended a religious service a couple days ago, I was shown an example of why people can be so turned off by “organized religion.”  It broke my heart to see people who proclaimed Christ but did not show His love.

“If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.   Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to look after orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:26-27)

It has become popular in some Christian circles to bash religion (or at least to disassociate oneself from it).  Some say things like “Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship” or “Jesus did not come to start another religion.”  I somewhat understand what these folks are trying to say –that knowing and loving Jesus is not merely following a bunch of rules- but because of my belief in the above verse, I have often found myself defending “religion.”  I have tried to reclaim the definition of “religion” from those who have made it out to be synonymous with “legalism.”  Religion, as defined by God’s word, is definitely a good thing.

That said, I was very upset –both saddened and angered- by the religiosity of the church I was visiting.  As far as I could tell, the church had its doctrine right.  They had the right beliefs, but they did not communicate God’s great love for people.  Tragically, they communicated judgmentalism and arrogance.  One of the things that broke my heart was that there were a great number of non-Christians at that service, who may have gone away from it with all their former prejudices against Christianity reinforced.  Even if the congregants did truly love their visitors, they did not communicate that love.

This redeeming relationship that God has established with people, this thing we call Christianity, our religion, is nothing if it is not filled with love.  “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) Love is something that is shown, that is visible.  Love is of no use if it is merely an internal feeling.  That internal feeling must be expressed in some way, if anyone is to know about it.  We are called, as Christians, to express love, not just to feel it.

The most common expression of love is through words.  This is why James draws such attention to one’s tongue in the passage above.  I did not have the privilege of getting to spend a lot of time with the church I was visiting, so the only way of measuring their love was through the words that they spoke.  But their words did not communicate love.

How often do my words not express love?  We need to examine our hearts and our lips for the words we are speaking.  “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks …  I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:34)

True religion, according to God’s Word, is loving people and loving God, through our actions and words and feelings.  Let us strive to be known as Christ’s disciples because we love each other.  Lord, help us to be those who love You and love others.  Help us to communicate Your great love through our words and actions.  Amen.

Dave White

In the woodshop up here at camp, I have a plaque with Ephesians 2:10 inscribed in it.  “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” I really appreciate this verse because I am a builder.  I love to create things.  I like to invest in and create a good project.  I love the thought of God as the craftsman who is investing in me, making me into something good.

We are His.  God is King over all creation, and we are especially His if we have put our trust in Christ.  As a master craftsman, God is working on us.  With patience and precision, He is making us into who He has designed us to be.  We are being transformed into better representatives of Jesus.  As Titus chapter two says, the grace of God is “training us to renounce all ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self controlled, upright, and godly lives…”

In Christ, we are new creations. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We are created in Christ for good works.  Now, the context of Ephesians chapter two is talking about the great works that God has done to reconcile us to Himself, but we also get to participate in the good works that He is up to.  First of all, He has paid the price to redeem mankind to Himself.  He is rescuing people from every tribe and nation.  Also, as a part of this redemption, He calls us to do good in our lives: to hold doors open for folk, to give to those in need, to keep our word, to love.

Before you or I took our first breath, God had a plan for you.  He has written every one of your days in a book.  Your whole life is spread before Him like a map, and He has prepared a way for you to walk.  As you walk, He has designed special, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for you to do good works and to tell of the good works our Lord has done.

Our lifestyle, our way of doing things, should be saturated with the good works prepared and produced by the Holy Spirit.  By His leading and enabling, we should walk in good works.  God has called us to a holy life, which is a call to be noticeably different.  The difference people see in us should be seen through the good works we are doing.  They will know that we are His as we show love for each other. (John 13:35)

Remember that you are God’s precious workmanship, and remember that you are created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand; and walk in them.  May our lives stand out so that we are able to preach with both our lives and our words of the good things God has done in Jesus Christ.  May the Holy Spirit continue to shape us and train us through the mighty grace of God.

The emerging generation is facing the repercussions of the dysfunctional family: unrealistic cultural expectations, the absence of parental influence, and the breakdown of communication in others. Moreover, teenagers are still teenagers in a constant battle to find themselves. They do not  know their identity.

A 2007 research study directed at Connecticut Public High School students found that,

46% of students said they had drank alcohol in the past 30 days.

• 9.8% of students had attempted suicide in the past 12 months.
• 42.2% of students have had sexual intercourse.
• 23.2% of students used marijuana in the past 30 days.
• 28.9% of students were harassed or bullied at school in the past 12 months.

These alarming statistics remind us that our work is far from done. As Christians, we know that their spirit is polluted with feelings of depression, suicidal thoughts and low self-esteem. These emotions cause teens to act out, in some cases, in extreme forms of rage, anger and hate towards themselves and others.

Depending on a teenager’s emotional state, their passion can be easily swayed between intense feelings of love and hate. Both are powerful and compelling emotions. Their passion constantly causes their life to hang in the balance between success and destruction. Yet, there is a spiritual element here as well.

As Christians, we know that if our thoughts are not aligned with the will of God, then the enemy can take advantage and manipulate your thoughts. He will redirect our feelings away from God’s purpose and destiny for our lives. The passions that we have are given to us by God who has no limitations. Everything was made by him and for him and we are made in his image. Further, we see evidence that God gave us passion that he himself possesses. Psalms 139 says “for you created me in my inmost being, you knit me together in my mothers womb.” In this Scripture, we see God’s passion played out in his attention to detail when he created us. He “knit us together” suggesting that God took time to engineer us in a unique and specific way.

As his children, we should aspire to share his passion for his creation. In other words, we need to help teenagers discover their passion in Christ so that their emotions are not confused. That passion should be defined by reaching out to those who are seeking for a savior to rescue them from the mess they are in. We have to share with them how God can ignite their passion, which will define them as individuals and ultimately, give them the identity that they have been searching for.

A passionate generation for Christ can bring a difference to a community, a city and even the world. There is definitely a yearning in the youth of today to know who God is. Teens long for a father to love, care and be there for them.

Pray:
God breathe in to this generation a passion to seek your face and expand your kingdom! Ignite a fire that will burn in them like you did in Jeremiah and a passion that compels them to live their lives completely sold out for you.

*The statistics in this article were taken from:

http://www.preventionworksct.org/docs/GPPmain/CSHS_Fact_Sheet_2007.pdf.

Janiel Caraballo is the Youth Pastor at Kingdom Life Church in Willimantic, CT. He is also serving as Chairman for the new Northeastern CT Youth Leaders Network.

Dave White

This week, Northern Frontier Camp (where I’m working this summer) has a special treat.  Our cabins are full of young men from the Bronx and from Bridgeport, CT.  Usually, the kids we serve do not come from urban environments, and most of our staff are suburban folk, so this week is a neat challenge for us.

I love the diversity of God’s creation.  I rejoice in the uniqueness of each plant and animal subspecies, and I especially enjoy the myriad cultures of our human race.  God is King and Lord over all of His creation -over every people group- and He calls us to declare His glory to every nation.

“Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!” (1 Chronicles 16:24)

We get to join with God in His mission of revealing Himself to all peoples.  He declares that this will be accomplished, so we can go forward with confidence in our quest to make Him known.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10)

This is what we happily strive for at f2fmi.  Our one organization cannot reach every nation by itself, but we love being used by God to reach the various subcultures that we have the privilege of interacting with.  By engaging the emerging cultures of today, we are able to reach this generation for Christ.

We (you and I) are called to be missionaries to the subcultures, to the nations in which we find ourselves.  A large part of what we get to do at f2fmi is equip young Christians to be these missionaries.  We put together marvelous programs, but it’s the kids who invite their friends to our events.  We simply provide a context that God uses to multiply the effect of youths’ relationships with their friends for the expansion of His Kingdom.

Your support of f2fmi is a great contribution to the glorifying of God’s Name among the nations.  We certainly could not succeed in our mission without prayers being lifted up for us.  Thank you to those of you who pray for us and to those who help provide for our financial and manpower needs.  As you partner with us in our labors, we earnestly desire that your labors will also be blessed as you declare God’s greatness among the nations.

Psalm 67
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us, (Selah)
2 that Your way may be known on earth, Your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You!
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. (Selah)
5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You!
6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear Him!

It is our pleasure to announce the formation of a new youth leaders network in Northeastern CT! NE CT Youth Leaders Network is committed to reaching Windham County with the good news of Jesus Christ and building each other up by meeting together regularly to encourage each other through prayer and fellowship. Our first event together, Regenerate is a great launching pad for this network along with the matching $1,500 challenge to get the network off the ground.

The Executive Committee is made up of the following members:

• Janiel Caraballo – Network Chairman
• Patrick McCue – Network Coordinator
• Wayne Laflamme – Treasurer
• Sarah Flores – Secretary

The first meeting was attended by a total of 15 leaders from the area and there was a lot of excitement in the air. One leader said, “This is an exciting thing to be a part of because it’s so much bigger than myself.”

Dave White

“…I consider all Your precepts to be right; I hate every false way.”

The theme of hating evil continues to be important in my life.  I am presently living and working at a Christian camp, a blessed place where there is not a lot of evil going on.  However, even here there is sin and worldliness.  But because of the general godliness here, I tend to overlook the wickedness that finds its way into this holy place.  This should not be.

“Righteous are You, O LORD, and righteous are Your rules.”

“The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever.”

God is completely good and completely holy.  He cannot stand any sin.  His laws are perfect and deserve to be fully obeyed, not just partially obeyed.  Jesus Christ has given Himself for us, and if we are His, the Spirit of God lives in us.  We must not grieve the Holy Spirit by participating in -or giving approval to- the least bit of sin.  Rather, our character should mirror our Father’s, and we should hate every false way, as He does.

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your way with those who love Your Name.”

We should hate every false way, but we do not.  And God knows that; that’s why He sent Jesus!  Jesus was the only one who could truly declare all the lofty praises of Psalm 119, from which all the verses in this essay are drawn.  Through Jesus, we are offered the free gift of imputed righteousness and salvation and life eternal.  And God is overjoyed to extend to us His grace.  Such generosity is His “way.”  It is His generous grace that makes it a delight to serve Him and to be like Him by hating what He hates and loving what He loves.

“The earth, O LORD, is full of Your steadfast love; teach me Your statutes!”

This entry was written by Gary Campbell Jr., Director of Student Ministries at Groton Bible Chapel. He writes on behalf of our region:

Proverbs 16:16- “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!”

Crest or Colegate, khakis or jeans, Monster or Red Bull, life is full of choices. But while these and other choices are trivial, many of the choices you make every day are critical! As someone once said- “our choices form the sum total of who we are today, and will determine who we become tomorrow”.

Read the rest at the GBCYM blog here.

“O you who love the LORD, hate evil!”  -Psalm 97:10a

When I read this a few mornings ago, I was taken aback.  I have not been obeying this verse well.  I have tolerated evil.  I have laughed at evil.  I have participated in evil things.  I desperately need a change in attitude towards evil.  Lord, help me to repent!

“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” -1 John 1:5b

The holiness of God sets Him apart from us.  In addition to His power and wisdom, He is completely different from us in that there is no wickedness in Him.  He is good; He is love; and sin is deplorable to Him.  God righteously hates wickedness.  He is wrathful against sin; and His justice is perfect and will be fully measured out upon the wicked.

But I do not have that kind of attitude or nature.  I’ve watched movies, laughed at jokes, listened to conversations, and harbored thoughts that God abhores.  This should not be.  I love the LORD, so I should love what He loves and hate what He hates.  I should be like my Father.  I should hate this evil that I have tolerated.

I have been and am repenting of my lack of hatred towards evil.  I invite you to join me, because “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)  Our God is merciful, as well as holy, and He delights in forgiving us and making us more like His Son.  May we submit to His will and allow the Holy Spirit to remake our hearts so that we “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” (Rom 12:9b)