The DEEP

Pastor Greg is leaving

2009-10-06T20:00:00.002-04:00

Pastor Greg resigned from the DEEP tonight.

He and Heather are so sad to be leaving all of the wonderful DEEP teens and Staff, but are moving to Columbia, MD so PG can be the Lead Pastor at Twin Rivers Church. http://www.twinriverschurch.com/

There is a goodbye party for them at OCWC on Monday October 26. And their last DEEP is Tuesday Oct 27.

Please make sure you can come to at least one of these nights.

And don't fear, after that, the DEEP will go on as usual with all the same Staff and then will hire another wonderful Youth Pastor that you won't want to miss!

This Tuesday at the DEEP

2009-09-29T19:45:00.004-04:00

Our girls can do TONS of pushups!

Youth Alive and Afterschool Programs

2009-09-20T20:21:00.002-04:00

Hello! The Youth Alive Clubs at Stephen Decatur Middle School and High School are now in full swing!
The Afterschool Program also begins Tuesday, Sept 22.
Click Here to get more information!

See You at the Pole

2009-09-04T08:54:00.001-04:00

See you at the pole
Wednesday September 23 rd
7:oo Am at the Flag pole
at both Stephen Decatur High and Middle school.
Pray for your school.

Welcome to the DEEP

2009-08-21T10:57:00.004-04:00

Come on in and join us.
Enjoy the pre deep jabbering.

Pool Parties

2009-07-28T18:51:00.000-04:00

Don’t miss the Post DEEP pool parties. After the DEEP, get a ride to Sports Core pool in Ocean Pines. Your $5 includes swimming , a drink, and snack. We have the pool reserved just for us from 8:30—10:30pm.

BEACH DAY

2009-07-26T18:40:00.000-04:00

Join us at Assateague National Side on Sunday, July 26 after 2:00pm for fun in the sun. Bring a packed lunch and drinks.
At 3pm we will have a special Baptism service. See Pastor Greg if you are interested in being baptized in the ocean.
Don't forget your surfboard.

DEEP SUNDAY

2009-07-19T18:42:00.000-04:00

DEEP SUNDAY
July 19 is the Sunday that the service at Ocean City Worship Center is run by the DEEP. We have our teen worship team, dramas, Pastor Greg will be speaking, and lots of extras. It’s a great opportunity to invite your families to see what goes on at the DEEP. Join us at 9:00am or 10:45am.

Camp June 29- July 3

2009-06-12T09:36:00.000-04:00

If you’ve never been to camp with us, you’ve been missing it!
Camp is like 5 days of Convention plus crazy games and teens and swimming and fun. It’s a great way to make lasting relationships with teens from the 3 different states of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Pine Creek Camp in Gore, Virginia.
The cost is $195 and includes food, transportation, everything you need for the entire week.

2009 PYM Camp Promo from Timothy Twigg on Vimeo.

Baccalaureate

2009-05-26T18:52:00.001-04:00

May 26, instead of meeting at OCWC, we headed to SDHS to celebrate with the graduates. We did drama, worship, student testimonies, and Pastor Greg spoke.

Congratulations to the 2 scholarship winners.

7pm.

We have a lot more pictures in the album.

Convention April 24-25

2009-04-24T12:04:00.001-04:00

Reveal 2009 from Timothy Twigg on Vimeo.

The DEEP Staff

2009-04-20T18:54:00.002-04:00

Michael Steinsdoerfer will be our summer
intern this year. He goes to Valley Forge
Christian College and will be here in
May and June.
We also have some really incredible locals helping with the DEEP now so make sure you get to know them.
They volunteer their time to mentor the DEEP teens and would love to talk with you and help you with your concerns.
Mary Lou Belcher
Jessi Stamp
Ashley Rodriguez
Michelle LaQue
Elena Stuart
Lauren Britt
Heather Cooper
Kim Rossi
Pastor Greg Cooper
Brian Tustin
Jordan Palmer
Rick Belcher
Ryan Sise
Damon Deppe
Chris Oliver
Ty Lankford

DEEP Milkshake

2009-02-24T19:48:00.001-05:00

What goes in a DEEP milkshake?

olives

saurkraut

buttermilk

sardines

what else?

i can't remember, but i know it smelled really bad.

Jordan was the winner.

How gross was this?

Jesus is HUGE!!!

2009-02-10T22:55:00.001-05:00

Baptism March 22 at 8pm at Sports Core indoor Pool in Ocean Pines

2009-02-02T10:39:00.005-05:00

What We Believe About Baptism

Who Should Be Baptized

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are ready to be baptized. Just like a bride and groom show others their love for one another by wearing wedding bands, your baptism is your opportunity to show others that you have accepted Christ and are now walking with Him.

What Baptism Symbolizes

Baptism is a way of showing others that you have entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ. It symbolizes what took place in your heart at the time of salvation:
* Accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
* Shared in His death and resurrection, illustrated by going under the water (dead to your old life), then rising again (new life).
* Were symbolically washed clean, and sins were forgiven by His death on the cross.

Because Jesus instructed us to be baptized, baptism is an act of obedience. While it is not necessary for salvation, it demonstrates submission to God. We immerse at The DEEP because we believe Scripture shows that Jesus modeled that for us as the way to publicly acknowledge our faith in Him.

The DEEP is SNOWED OUT!!!

2009-01-27T14:20:00.002-05:00

Sorry Guys, the DEEP is cancelled this Tuesday because of SNOW!

But never fear, we will be back as usual next Tuesday night!

Take the time tonight to check out our old blogs, pictures, and Pastor Greg's talks online.

Or go to AIR1 and listen to some new Christian music. There is a link on the bottom right side of the blog.

And don't forget to play in the snow while you take a break from studying for exams.

We love you guys!

Fine Arts Festival

2009-01-05T13:26:00.002-05:00

The 2009 POTOMAC FINE ARTS FESTIVAL
will be held at Trinity Assembly of God in Lutherville, MD on March 6 & 7.
There are many guideline changes. Please be diligent in reading the ‘09 National Fine Arts rulebook. You can download the official rulebook HERE.

Fine Arts is a great way for your student to showcase their talents. There are categories in most everything imaginable including drama, dance, music, sermons, writing, computer design, and many forms of art. We compete in March with churches from 3 different states, but the prep began in November. Make sure and start preparing for this amazing opportunity.Check back for more info about practice dates or see Shelley Phillips.

2008-12-17T14:53:00.005-05:00

The DEEP in 2008 is over.
Join us as we return on tuesday January 6th at 7.
We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.

Leadership Meeting November 2 at 6:30pm

2008-10-28T21:07:00.005-04:00

Don't miss the Leadership Meeting next Tuesday in the After School Program room.
And remember to bring back your questionnaires.
We are going to talk to you about the different areas that are available to get involved in. Find out what you are interested in. And tell you about some new plans.
This is going to be a really important meeting and you won't want to miss it!

The DEEP this week

2008-10-14T20:05:00.003-04:00

Youth Alive and Afterschool program pix

2008-10-07T19:00:00.000-04:00

Youth Alive has started for both SDHS and SDMS.
Make sure and check them out after school on Tuesdays.

SDHS Youth Alive has already made a huge schedule change! They have decided to meet EVERY Tuesday. Check the calendar above and also click on the links on the right side of this page to get more info on both clubs.

Don't forget Pastor Greg's challenge!
Anyone who brings 10 visitors on Oct 7 gets a free trip to the DEEP retreat!!!

See You at the Pole

2008-09-24T07:00:00.004-04:00

This Wednesday we met at Your Public School Flagpole to join with other students to pray for your school.
There were doughnuts and coffee at both schools.

Stephen Decatur High School
7:00am
Youth Alive is in charge.
about 25 students

and Principal Lou Taylor prayed an amazing prayer over the school. Thank God for a Christian principal.

Stephen Decatur Middle School
6:55am met at the pole.
We met in Mrs. Phillip's classroom for breakfast after flagpole prayer.

about 25 students

Mini Golf Fundraiser after the DEEP

2008-09-16T20:30:00.005-04:00

Mini Golf at Garden of Eden

~8:30-10:00pm

~Only $5 per person

~We raised over $180 for Speed the Light Missions

~Every year our entire offerings are donated to Speed the Light and this is our big annual fundraiser. Speed the Light provides vehicles and necessary equipment for Assembly of God missionaries around the world. It's a great cause, a really cheap game of mini golf, and a great time to be with a bunch of your friends.
Jeff and Tina Bowden at the Garden of Eden allow every penny you bring in to go directly toward Speed the Light. It's a great deal for everyone!

and here's the secret info you've been looking for...
drum roll please!
next's week's band of the week is.......................

Dizmas
Self titled..Dizmas

Dance Team

2008-09-14T14:00:00.002-04:00

Are you trusting God for a good school year?

2008-08-27T14:08:00.002-04:00

Take a few minutes to read over the story of Daniel in the lion's den in Daniel 6:1-28. So we all know that school is starting very soon. What comes to your mind when you think about this coming school year? Maybe you think of sports or dances or dating or big football games. There are so many things to think about that we often forget to let God in and include Him in our plans. It's easy to just go to church on Sundays or come to the DEEP on Tuesdays, but what do you do the rest of the week? Stand out this year! Don't blend in with the crowd and don't be average; step out and let God rock your world this year and you will experience a year like no other! There are many practical ways that you can live for God this school year and be used by Him. First, live a clean life so others will not be able to accuse you. In the Bible, others tried to find fault with Daniel but they could find nothing. He was trustworthy and lived with integrity. Watch what you do this year because it will come back to you. Don't follow the rest of the world, be like Daniel! 1 Timothy 4:12 is a great verse that encourages us to set an example in "speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity". Consider how everything you do this year, even the small things, will affect you. Second, realize that others will try to trip you up in your Christian walk. Important people in Daniel convinced the king to issue a decree saying that nobody could pray to any God except the king. Do we fall into peer pressure from friends? We need to recognize every situation and decide if it's tripping us up. If it is, we need to flee from those situations or from those people who try to trip us up spiritually. Third, we have to choose to do what is right. Daniel still prayed even though he knew it would probably cost him his life. He knew praying was the right thing. In spite of what the outcome would be, we need to do the right thing! If we don't know what the right thing is, check the Bible! Fourth, we need to realize we can encounter difficulties when choosing the right thing. I mean, none of us has been thrown in the lion's pit for doing the right thing, but we all have faced difficulties. Maybe you have faced friend, family, or personal difficulties when you have done the right thing, but God wants us to do the right thing and He will always be faithful. Finally, we should know that trusting God equals excitement! What happened to Daniel as a result of his trust in God? God shut the mouths of the lions and saved Daniel. If Daniel had not obeyed in the first place, he never would have experienced this miracle from God. What are you trusting God to do this year in school? Have you asked Him to give you a vision? Step out from blending in with the crowd this year and trust God to do amazing things! He will rock your world and He will rock your school!

Staying in the Hug

2008-08-20T11:57:00.002-04:00

Take a few minutes to read Luke 15:11-21. So in this story, the son wanted to try things on his own and he left his father and went out into the world. We do the same thing to God so many times. God, as our father, wants to keep us in his hug, his embrace because that is the best place for us to be. In this story, there are many things that the son did that we have been known to do as well. First of all, the son wanted out. How often do we want out of God's arms, even though we know it's the best place for us? Second, the son lived undisciplined and messed around with sin. Satan knows how to tempt us and knows how to make sin look really good. Third, the son wasted everything living this way. We think things are going so great when we live the way we want to until we realize that we have lost everything that was so great when we were living for God. Guys, sin can draw you in and it can destroy a lot of things in your life! Fourth, the son found himself feeding the pigs, which is most likely not what he expected. How often do we find ourselves doing things that are not in God's plan for us? Fifth, the son realized that what he was doing was wrong. Do we ever stop to think about what we're doing and how it will hurt us and where it will take us? Sixth, the son admitted he was wrong. Our Father is a loving and forgiving father. We have to admit we're wrong and we have to turn the other way and stop doing what we're doing. Finally, the son got up and went to his father. We need to make an effort with God. We need to realize where we've gone wrong and run to God. Now what about the father's response? It is much like God's response for His children. The father in the story saw his son when he was still way off. Jesus is always watching us and always wanting to hug on us. The father in the story ran to his son, heart pounding, just so he could embrace him. That's how God is with us. He wants to pursue us and love us and embrace us just like little children get hugs from their daddies. The father wanted his son back in his arms and once he was there, the father threw a party! God loves us so much that He rejoices when we come back into His arms, no matter what we've done. Are you in God's arms tonight?

Pool Party August 19

2008-08-19T23:30:00.001-04:00

Live Kind

2008-08-13T08:59:00.002-04:00

Pastor James and his youth group from Massachusetts shared a great message with us. You know, we live in a world that is full of messages. I mean, we are surrounded by advertisements, letters, phone messages, text messages, all sorts of messages. But what are these messages saying? What messages are being sent and what messages are being heard? There are some very famous messages left by some very famous people that we all know pretty well. But these messages are not very important in the long run. But the message Jesus spread is still relevant today. It is an important, easy, powerful message that needs to be heard and it comes down to this: Jesus Loves You! As Christians, we know this message and our lives have been greatly affected because of it. We know a message of love, hope, peace, promises, and comfort. Why aren't we sending this message? A lot of times we are very exclusive as Christians because it is comfortable but what about the people we could be reaching? Pastor James shared one of his favorite movie lines which is "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." That's true guys, people want to be loved and they want to fit in. God loves us so much but He doesn't love us any more than He loves the people who hate Him. The only way to reach people for Christ is to love them like Christ loves us. If his love is shining through us, people will notice and they will want what we have. Guys, your friends are searching for something that satisfies them, they just don't know it's God that will satisfy them! So let's show them! No matter where you are in life or what you've done, God loves you so much! Teenagers and young adults are the leaders of culture, the world looks to us for fashion, television, and music. If others are willing to follow us, why wouldn't we give them something great to follow? Just take chances to love on people. It doesn't have to be long or involved, just a simple act of kindness. Take a look at Ephesians 4:32 and try to remember it as you go throughout your day. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ, God forgave you."

Dating-Where is your focus?

2008-07-30T20:49:00.002-04:00

So we all know how it feels to lose somebody's attention when we are trying really hard to keep them focused on what we are saying or doing. In the same way, God doesn't want to lose our attention. He wants us to stay focused on Him so that we can realize His love and His purpose for our lives. Guys, I'm telling you, being focused on God is the best place in the whole world that you can be! However, there are a lot of things in this world that distract us and one of those things is dating. Take a minute to read over 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. Basically, people are either saved or unsaved, there is no in the middle. These verses tell us that if we are saved, we should not be dating somebody who is unsaved. Even if you have the best intentions and think that you will influence the other person, it will most likely be the other way around. The enemy can use even really good things to pull us away from God! The big point here is that we should not be dating non-Christians. Just because somebody says they are a Christian, that doesn't give you the green light to date them. Being a Christian is a whole different lifestyle, it is making decisions and choices based on your love for God, not just a term that you can use. Second, if you date a non-Christian, it will be a war! I'm not talking guns and cannons, but it will be a battle to stay away from lines that you know you shouldn't cross. It's hard to mesh together two very different lives! Third, people who aren't Christians have very different plans and values for their lives. Where will their values take your focus? It's very hard to keep your values if the person you're dating doesn't share them. Fourth, you will probably be pulled away from God and do things you will regret. Even if you have good intentions, it is still a slippery slope and so easy to cross those boundaries. If you are dating somebody or planning to date, ask yourself these questions. How many times have you crossed the line with the person you're dating? Since you've been dating, are they pulling you toward God or away? Has he/she become a better Christian? Guys, Jesus loves you so much and desires to have a relationship with you. Why do we keep letting other people and things pull us away and take our focus off of him? He will care about you and love and protect you more than any guy or girl ever will. Keep your focus and your heart with him!

Suffering

2008-07-15T22:38:00.003-04:00

We all know what it's like to experience rough times in our lives. We have all gone through these times and we will have more of them as we go through our lives. Sometimes we bring this suffering on ourselves, maybe as a consequence of a choice we made and sometimes bad things just happen. But the thing to remember is that God is always always there for us, even when we face these storms in our lives. Read Revelation 2:9. The church is being persecuted but God is looking down on them and loving them. Guys when we feel so down and so burdened, we need to remember that we are rich because Jesus Christ is in us. God never leaves us and when He looks at us He sees us as rich. It's so easy to lose our focus when we go through rough times but we need to press on and trust the God that we serve! He holds each of our steps in His hand and we have to trust that He will pull us safely through every storm. See, our relationship with Jesus can never be taken away from us! Now, we have two options when we are going through a rough time: we can either lay down and give up or we can stand up, know we are rich in Christ, and reach out to other people. Our friends and other people in our lives need us! We have to affirm others' value and purpose in life and let them know how much we love them. We have to let them just vent to us and ask them questions about what they are going through. We have to listen with understanding, even if what they are saying seems crazy to us. It is important for us to grieve with them and try to understand what they're going through. Finally, we should pray with them and pray for them when we are not with them. When's the last time you asked somebody if you could pray with them? Guys, we gotta step up and not care what other people think or concentrate on our own problems. If we are God's hands and feet, we should be reaching out to people and loving them like our God loves us! Somebody might need you more than you think!

Falling....

2008-07-09T16:16:00.003-04:00

Think about Roller Skating. If you don't know what you are doing you can fall very easily.Then you have to decide whether you want to get back up or quit. I want falling today to represent sinning, doing things that are not pleasing to Jesus. Everyone will fall , but the important thing to remember is not to make excuses and blame it on others, take responsibility and set out to stop falling and defeat that sin. Realize you can get up from anything and that it is not Gods will for you to stay down. Nothing is too big to get up from and God wants to help you to stop falling over the same things. 1 John 1:9 Tells us to confess our failings to God and he will forgive. Confessing is admitting to God that you were wrong. Jesus does not come running into the scene of the fall and judge us. He wants to help you up, but you need to be willing to see why what you did was wrong and where it is leading you. I challenge you this week when you do something that is not Gods will for you and you fall. Think to yourself ,why was this wrong? What does God say about this? Where is it going to take me if I keep falling? After you think about these questions reach out in prayer and admit you messed up, and let God help you up. That is what keeps you from laying on your back , and allows you to skate through life like God intended.God loves you and is so for you!!!!!
draft

Doing God's Work!

2008-07-02T09:56:00.003-04:00

We can't even begin to imagine the ways that God has picked us up and cleaned us off. He created us, He saved us, He cleaned us up, and He prepared us to do His work. Are we doing it? Take some time to read over Ephesians 2:1-10. First of all, we belong to God! We have no problem saying we belong to this gym or that club but why is it so hard to say that we are children of a king? That should be the truth that guides our lives and the thing that we are most known for! Jesus paid a big price so that we could belong to him, let's proclaim that! Second, we were created and saved by God. He formed us from dust and then came back into our lives years later to save us. God is so amazing! Third, God has prepared us to do His work. The fact that God even trusts us and allows us to do His work is amazing! God continually changes us and makes us able to do His work. We can't keep waiting until we think we are ready or think we are good enough for what God is asking us to do. If He is asking us to do it, He will give us the ability to do it! Fourth, we should be working for God daily. Is it more important for you to do a good job at your summer job or at your work for Christ? We need to wake up each morning and ask God what He wants us to do for Him that day. It's exciting guys! Fifth, God's work is good work. God will do amazing things through us if we have the attitude that we get to work for God today! Just ask yourself how hard you are working for God every day.

Who are you Judging?

2008-06-18T09:01:00.007-04:00

We all can have a problem at times with judging other people. Finding faults with them, picking on them, pointing out their failures in life. God tells us in Matthew 7:1-5 that we should not judge others. We do not have that right. Think of American Idol .The job of Randy , Simon and Paula is to judge the performance of the singers. We complain about how hard they can be , mostly Simon. But don't we do that at times. We sit down at our judging table and talk about people as they walk by. This hurts, destroys and diminishes peoples lives. We have no right to do it to anyone, whether they are a Christian or not!Do you want to walk by the table and have others judge your every move?

Jesus shows us perfectly how to deal with this in John 8. He is dealing with the woman who had a sexual relationship with someone who was not her husband. Others were judging, shouting for them to stone her, but Jesus just said "Whoever has never sinned has the right to throw the first stone".. One by one they all walked away, realizing they have no right to judge the woman.

However, Jesus did not justify her sin of the affair with the man, he told her to "leave" her life of sin today.

When you see a friend that is doing something that is hurting them, talk with them, but don't judge them, remembering that you have sin in your life. Don't do it in a manner to make yourself look good measured against what they have done, this is just between you and them.

Who are you judging today? It does not please God and we should all want to please him.

Seeing Jesus In a New Light

2008-06-11T09:50:00.003-04:00

How do you think of Jesus? The way that you view somebody can have a huge impact on how you feel about them and how you react to them. When we think of Jesus, we should remember that he was a real man who suffered horribly on the cross for YOU! Take some time to think about the crucifixion. Jesus could have called on angels to save him at any point while he was being tortured, but he didn't. He thought of your face each time he was whipped or beaten and he loved you so much that he thought you were worth each blow. In fact, Jesus knew every bad thing you would ever do and every time you would sin and he still loved you more than anybody else could. The thing about the crucifixion is that Jesus died so that you could be saved and spend eternity in Heaven with him but he also died so that you can have a personal relationship with him. Once you have a personal relationship with Jesus, it will change your life and you will never be the same! It's better than anything this world has to offer! 1 John 4:9-10 tells us that God showed us His love by sending Jesus to die so that we may live. Jesus became an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Now atoning means "to make ammends" so basically when Jesus died, he took care of everything we would ever do wrong. It's like getting a stain on a white T-shirt and then using bleach to take away the stain. Jesus took away all of our stains and made us clean again. Think about how much Jesus really loves YOU and make it something personal in your life!

Boardwalk Ministry!

2008-06-06T10:48:00.002-04:00

Hey guys, just wanted to invite you all to join us for a great opportunity this Saturday night. We are going to the boardwalk to do some boardwalk ministry! It is a great opportunity to be God's hands and feet in our area!

When: This Saturday (6/7)
Time: We are meeting at Panera Bread in West Ocean City from 7:30-9:30 for some brief training. Bring some money for food if you want to eat dinner there. After training, we will be heading to the boardwalk until about midnight.

If you are even somewhat interested or if you need transportation or more information, please give one of us a call:

Michelle Laque: 443-880-3334
Kara Cruice: 443-235-0792
Kate McCloskey: 410-991-5590

Counting On God!

2008-06-04T08:40:00.004-04:00

Counting on God.
Often in life we count on people to do things for us.
We count on people to show up for a meeting and we might say "I am counting on you to be there at 7".
We can do our part and show up, however sometimes people let us down.
In life God never does. He always shows up. We can count on him for strength to build us into what he wants.
Grab a Bible and read Nehemiah 4:1-23. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem which had been destroyed.They had people trying to stop them while they worked. God wants to rebuild your life and make you into something beautiful.
5 points to consider from this part of the bible.
*People will be angry at you for following God!
*You need to daily cry out to God for mercy and help.
*You ned to live for God with all of your heart. Don't just give him half your heart!
*You need to be on guard 24/7. Satan will attack you.
*Don't be afraid. God will fight for you .

As you go through this process of buidling your Christian life in Jesus you can Count on God to show up. He wants this to happen more than you!

Baccalaureate Service 2008

2008-05-28T09:40:00.003-04:00

The Baccalaureate Service at Decatur High. What a great evening we had together with over 600 people in attendance as we celebrated the class of 2008. We shared tonight at the service the parable of Luke 15:11-24. The Parable of the Lost Son.
I love the fact that I had a father in heaven who watched for me to return before I gave my life to him. When I did return ,he had a great party and welcomed me home.
Alot of us have been welcomed back to our father, but there are alot of people who have not. So because of that Jesus just waits and stands on the look out for those people to return.
if that is you, dont wait. Trust Jesus. Believe in him. Let him have your life and listen to him . He knows what is best for your life, after all he did create you.
Congratulations to the class of 2008, we are so proud of you .
We love you guys!

Baccalaureate

2008-05-27T20:55:00.003-04:00

Faith.

2008-05-14T08:58:00.003-04:00

Faith.
Do you have this in God?
Do you take it seriously?
Do you live each day like God wants to use you to "move mountains"?
We have been given authority in Jesus when we accept him as our Lord of our life.
Then we get to use that authority , not in arroagant way ,but in a humble way realizing that everything we have and do is only because of Gods mercy and presence in our lives.
Grab your Bible and read Matthew 17:14-23
We discussed this portion tonight as Jesus removed a demon from a boy who was under terrible sufffering.
The disciples could not free the boy when the father took him to them, then the father goes to Jesus and Jesus sets the boy free.
The disciples asked Jesus why they could not free the boy.
Jesus answers (this from the message bible) "Because you're not taking God seriously"
I leave you with that question today. Are you taking God seriously? He is just waiting for you to make that decision.

The Lost Coin.

2008-05-07T10:16:00.003-04:00

Are you looking for lost coins?
I know we all look for money when we lose it, but what about looking daily for "lost people" who do not have a realtionship with Jesus.
Do we look for them until we find them.
Read Luke 15:8-10. The parable of the lost coin and ask God to help you apply this to your life.
One point I want to direct you too as you read this .
That what you do here on earth has an effect in heaven. In the last part of verse 10, it speaks of how their is a "party' in heaven when a person comes to know Jesus as their Lord. Don't you want to be a part of that?
Are you looking for lost coins "people who do not know Jesus" daily.
I encourage you to look, you will find them.

Convention 2008

2008-05-03T11:47:00.008-04:00

"I Want a Messed Up Life"

2008-04-16T09:44:00.003-04:00

Nobody in their right mind would want to live a life full of mistakes and bad choices, or if they did they would be very crazy.

One of the millions of great things about God is that he wants us to have a great life. He actually tells us how to find that groove in life. We need his wisdom, and knowledge.

In Proverbs 3:5-6 he tells us how.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him , and he will make your paths straight."

What does this mean to us?

Have confidence deep inside of you in God, not in yourself to direct your life.Don't try to carry all of the weight of life yourself, give it to God, this should be very freeing for us. In everything you do listen for Gods voice, when you pray ask God to direct you and give you wisdom in all matters. He really will speak to you in so many ways and you will find a much better life.

And you will avoid creating wrecks in your life.

The Moment has Past...

2008-04-08T20:57:00.003-04:00

The Moment has Past...
Get your Bible and read the following found in Luke 16:19-31
The account of the rich man and Lazarus.
How does this affect you?
How will you let it affect others?
Hell is a real place , with real pain.
But there is an escape provided by Jesus.
Is this reality a moment that passes by and we only think about it from time to time.... or is it something that we allow to affect the way we live.

Get Rid of it!

2008-03-26T09:17:00.003-04:00

Get Rid of it!

There can come a time when we need to clean house. I am not talking about our houses that we live in, however you should still do that from time to time. I am speaking of our personal lives. This world can bring things into our lives that make things difficult for us. We pick up little habits that hurt us in so many ways. We are to have something different as Christians to offer the world, and when we act certain ways it makes it very difficult for us and them.

In 1 Peter 2:1 it speaks of things we need to get rid of.

It lists malice , which is desiring harm to come to others, hypocrisy which is acting like you are a christian but really you are not and envy and slander which is talk that harms other people and makes them look bad. How can we represent Jesus to the world and act like this.

These things will get us in trouble and when we practice these they always come back to bite us.

I encourage you today to make a clean sweep of your life and ask God to take away those things that are in your life and grow up in your relationship with Jesus and offer something to the world that they cant wait to have..What do you need to get rid of today?

Who is Jesus?

2008-03-19T09:06:00.004-04:00

Who is Jesus?

When we are asked a question with the word "Who" in front of a persons name, generally something comes to mind. The "who" in the question causes you to think about what that person means to you.
When we put "who" in front of Jesus , how do you answer that?
In John 14:6 Jesus says to the disciples that he is the way, the truth and the life.
Jesus tells them he is three things that everyone desires. We desire to know the way in life, not to mention how to get to heaven. We desire to know the truth in life. Finally we desire to have life.
Jesus tells the disciples that he is all three.
If this is true, which I believe with all of my heart that it is, then this is great news for you and me.
Jesus is the way to get to God in heaven, the only way. He is the road that leads .
Jesus is the truth, he only speaks the truth. He is life.
Think about it, Jesus came to the earth and was beaten up and killed , but then he rose from the dead 3 days later.
Now he can say , I am the way, I am the truth and I am the life.
He did it for you and me so we can get into heaven, and have life forever eternally , but also have a better life on this earth.
Jesus is everything he says, because he can back it up ! He is the truth!
Who is he to you today, if he is not these things give him a chance.
Remember as you go through your life as a christian, others will say they are the way, the truth and the life, don't believe them. Jesus is the truth, and when you believe that, the other two (that he is the way and the life)can take a place in your life.

Offering yourself.

2008-03-12T11:14:00.004-04:00

Daily we need to realize what God has done for us.
Daily we need to offer ourselves to live for Jesus Christ because of what he has done for you.
Daily we need to protect ourselves from not offering ourselves to God and going the way the world teaches.
Daily we need to watch what we think.
Daily we need to let Gods will for us unfold.
How many are you doing daily?
It is a process , a journey, daily.
Get your Bible and turn to Romans 12:1-2.
Take a couple of minutes and read the above scripture and think about it. Compare it to what is written above in this blog.
Ask God to help you to offer yourself daily to Jesus.
It is a really good decison for your life!

click below to get some really amazing devotions on video.
http://www.youtube.com/bockspain

Are You Following?

2008-03-05T09:27:00.003-05:00

Matthew 4:18-22.

The story of Jesus calling people to follow him. And they left at once and followed him.

There is something so different about Jesus, it is just up to us to decide to follow him.

5 points to consider from this reading.

*You need to recognize that Jesus notices where you are today.

*You need to realize that Jesus is calling you to follow him and really wants you to be with him.

*You need to understand that Jesus wants to make you into something you did not know you could become while you are following him.

*You need to decide to follow him.

*You need to just do it! Live it daily.

Grab your Bible and check out Luke 9:23. Do you daily choose to follow Jesus? Are you following? Start today. Let him guide you throughout every step .

A Change.......

2008-02-27T09:49:00.001-05:00

A Change....
All of us want to change, at least a little. Alot of us are not happy with everything about ourselves.When I look inside of my life, I see so many weaknesses and failings, but the greatest thing about that is that God wants to take me to a higher level, and he is daily.He really loves you and me so much more than we could ever imagine.Take some time and grab your bible and read the story in Acts 9:1-31 . The story of Sauls conversion. God looked through the outer wall of Sauls life and saw potential inside of him. Saul was on his way to this city to do harm to christians, but God in his great love , had another plan, his plan was to turn Saul into one of the greatest disciples of Christ that this world has ever seen.All of this happened because God reached into Sauls heart and changed it. After Sauls sight was restored the bible says "at once he began to preach". Sauls message has changed. In a three day period he goes from wanting to do harm to anyone who follows Jesus ,to sharing the love of Jesus with everyone. A change of heart. that only can happen with God.Where are you today? Maybe you have never asked Jesus Christ to come in and live in your life.Maybe you are a christian and you are struggling. Let God change you on the inside. That is when we really begin to fall in love with Jesus and see his work in a greater and more personal way,then we will see that God has a vision for us so much greater than we have had for ourselves.Take the time and read the story in Acts 9. Then take a few miniutes and let God speak to you.All of us are in need of change today. God is the only source to make that happen. Decide to let him change you today.Earlier,I said that alot of us want to change, and are not happy with ourselves. We can spend a lifetime trying to figure out how to do this on our own ,or we can surrender our lives to Jesus and let him work inside of us. Then true happiness will follow.

Please don't text while driving

2008-02-23T08:52:00.001-05:00

The very real human consequences that can result from driving while 'InTEXTicated'. An 18-year-old girl plowed directly into the rear of another vehicle. She was going 70 mph. She apparently never even saw them. You see, she had been texting at the time.You can see that she hit them dead-center with no attempt to slow or evade the collision.
She hit dead-center on her 2008 Yukon SUV as well. She escaped unscathed.
There was no blowout, no wet road, no curve or hill or fog to limit visibility. This girl clearly should have been able to see the traffic conditions at least a half mile ahead had she been looking and not texting. She nearly killed a beautiful 3-year-old child?Here's a personal look at the real human cost of texting while driving:Griffin before the accident.
Griffen the day after 4 hours of surgery to repair multiple skull fractures. He would surely have died or been severely disabled had they not been minutes away (by StarFlight helicopter) from Austin's world-class children's Dell Children's Medical Center and neurosurgeon Dr. Timothy George.
Day 4 - watching a movie on his Dad's iPhone. The swelling of his head will go away, but that scar from ear-to-ear will be with him forever.

Phone company records of text messages are irrefutable and accurate to the second; so it would be an easy matter to prove in court that a person was texting at the time of an accident. As with drunken driving, a jail sentence (no matter the driver's age) will be mandatory whenever anyone is injured by an InTEXTicated driver. I encourage you to forward this email to all your friends. We must try to stop 'Driving While InTEXTicated' before more innocent people are maimed or killed.

the date...part 2. which can lead to ?

2008-02-13T09:23:00.003-05:00

Do you realize how important the plan of marriage and sexual relationships are to God.

In Genesis 2:24 we are told that a man and woman will join through the ceremony of marriage and become one. In Hebrews 13:4 we find out that the marriage bed should be kept pure. This "marriage bed" between a man and woman is a special place, a place designed only for them to share with each other. God established these things for us to enjoy.

Exodus 20:14 in the listing of the ten commandments tells us "not to commit adultery". This means that I can't have any sexual pleasure with anyone except my wife. No questions asked! The reason for this , if you look just above to commandment number 6 you see that we should not murder. I think we all would agree that we are glad that God has established that to protect us. But for the same reason God established not to murder, he established not committing adultery. To protect us. But we know Satan will try to trip us up , and we let him. God loves you so much and wants your life to be great, including your relationship with your future husband or wife. We all know what can happen when teens get involved sexually, it does damage to them. Why ,because it is not time for this huge experience to happen in your life.! Hold on.

Read 2 Samuel 11. This is a very sad account of King David letting his guard down and falling for and then taking a woman that was not his wife and commiting adultery or in modern words "had sex with her". If you read on ,she became pregnant and bad things followed for King David in his life.

God has the best plan. Hold on ... Trust God.

Let me give you five things to remember in navigating through this issue in life.

1) God has a plan for your life and it is Amazing!

2) God gave us the gift of the opposite sex to fill that void of loneliness that Adam was feeling in the Garden of Eden.

3)Satan has a diffeerent plan for your life.

4)Satans plan for your life will bring harm and pain, hurting that amazing plan that God has for your life.

5)Have a vision past the immediate moment you are in. When you are with your boyfriend/girlfriend and things are getting "hot and heavy", Stop..look past that situation and think of the outcome and results. In fact eliminate the places you put yourself in where it could get "Hot and Heavy".

God loves you, he is on your team, looking out for your good! The life God has for you is so wonderful.

Trust him today and ask him to help you keep yourself from going in the direction of sex until after you say " I do". It will be so worth it!

the date.

2008-02-06T09:36:00.000-05:00

February 6th, 2008
the date.....

If you are a teenager and you are reading this, you probably have or will have a huge deisre to go out on a date. So dating is a very important part of a persons life.
It all goes back to when God created Adam and placed him in the garden and decided he did not want Adam to be alone. So God created this beautiful woman named Eve. If you read in Genesis 2:18-24 we begin to see how much God loves us. He does not want us to be alone.
He created Adam for Eve and Eve for Adam. This is why guys are attracted to girls and girls to guys. This is Gods plan.

My wife is a gift to me from God. I love her. I thank God for her every day.
Before you start to date realize who you are in God. Get that relationship established and learn to know God in a great way. This takes away the problem of feeling like you have to be with a guy,,,,,, girls...to have value. Find your value in God. He is flat out crazy for you.
You may ask is it ok to date? This flows from two areas. First if your parents tell you no, that is the answer. Don't date behind your parents back. That is not a wise thing to do.
But say your parents say ..yes, then I encourage you to use 2 Corinthians 6:14 . This verse tells us not to be yoked with unbleivers. Don't try to go out on a date with someone who does not share your Christian values. You are setting yourself up for trouble.That is not wise.

1 Corinthians 16:13 tells us to stand firm in our faith and be on our guard. Why? God does not want us to get hurt. He loves you.
Where can you go on a date if the above two tests are passed and you like the person?.. Plan ahead and set up a guard. Go somewhere safe for both of you.Do not go to your bedroom for a date. Come on we know what can happen there.
What is the prupose of the date? To get to know the person better. Yes. That is how I got to know my wife and fall madly in love with her.
Think about what we have talked about... God really loves you and does not want you to be alone. How awesome is that! I find every day that if I trust Gods word and follow him, it is so much better than if we try things our way.
Dating can be so much fun..Stay in God's plan in this area and he will help you.

Lazy

2008-01-30T10:12:00.000-05:00

January 29th, 2008 the DEEP

Lazy?

We all have been here before. Maybe some of us are still here. We just don't feel like doing anything. Some days like that are fine, but it is when it becomes a habit that it is bad.This can carry into our christian walk.If Jesus walked into your bedroom in the flesh today and said "Lets go do this"...would we jump up and go, or would we settle into our "lazy" chair and pass on the opportunity.

Luke 9:1-9 tells the story of Jesus calling his dsciples to his side and telling them to go out with his authority and power. Jesus tells them that they will preach the good news of heaven and heal the sick. That is a great offer to move them. None of this can happen if the disciples decide to just hang around and relax in their chairs.The scripture goes on to say that they preached and healed people everywhere they went.Do you realize that this applies to every christian today. Jesus has given us his power and authority to battle against satan and his work. When you pray and speak of the works of Jesus Christ , a power is present in that situation. Satan has no power over you , Jesus has given you power over him. What a great gift!Are you interested in making a "huge" difference for Jesus Christ.He wants you to get up and go and experience great things in life. Take that power and authority to your school today.Sometimes we need those days in our lives where we can "just be lazy " but we are told to take Gods word out,and that would mean leaving our comfort area. The disciples were sent out by Jesus. They just had to decide to go when he called them.What are you doing for God today? Don't be a lazy christian. Laziness takes you nowhere in life except backwards.

Winter Retreat

2008-01-20T11:40:00.000-05:00

Jan 18-19 We had an amazing retreat at the Grand Hotel right on the beach.
Sad News:
We had to cancel our polar plunge because the church insurance wouldn't cover it. (silly people don't know our kids are out surfing in the freezing waters all the time)
But to make up for it, we had a wonderful time!
Games, prizes, home cooked fried chicken and mac and cheese from the Minit Market (thanks Doug), great teaching from Pastor Greg, really sweet (then exciting) times of worship (special thanks to Anna, NeShawn, Josh, Timmy, and Sise.
But my favorite part of the weekend was the testimonies.
Such great stories we each have.
We were especially choked up hearing from Hayley, Rick, and Spencer.
I had a really good time and i wish we could do it every week. Except i'm sooooooooooooooooo tired.

College Group... Fusion

2008-01-20T04:51:00.000-05:00

Our College-Ish Age Group (Fusion) meets with Grace Groups (basically every other Sunday night at 6pm) at the Purnell home (409 Broad Street in Berlin).

We usually have dinner, bible study, prayer, pool...

It's a good time.

The DEEP Leadership

2008-01-19T16:23:00.000-05:00

We LOVE our leaders.

We have the best leaders ever and appreciate the HUGE amount of time and energy they give to the DEEP!!!

We love you ... Rick, Mary Lou, Donna, Ryan, Brittany, Nicole, Patti, Heather.

Thanks for Everything,

Pastor Greg.

College Girls on Break

2008-01-18T17:02:00.000-05:00

When the girls are on break from college, Heather likes to invite them to her house for girl time. It's a great time for everyone to catch up.
This Thanksgiving and Christmas break we went shopping, played games, went for longgggggggggggg walks, sang karaoke,and went through Heather's and Greg's closets.
(Heather was the Jenga loser)

Graduation and Baccalaureate

2007-06-01T17:26:00.000-04:00

Since 2003 Pastor Greg has had the privaledge of heading up the Baccalaureate at Stephen Decatur High School.

We hate to see the Grads go, but we are so proud.