Ozone Student Ministry

The summer so far…

Jul 2

Sarah Garner on the left & Emily Holland on the right

It has been a busy summer so far. We had an amazing Vacation Bible School and our youth helped in a big way.

Fuge was spectacular with 2 coming to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. (We reported about Courtney Hipp, but a big congratulations goes out to Emily Holland as well. They have both made their salvations public to our church and are now awaiting baptism.) We also had 4 young men sense a call into ministry. Eric Campbell, Nathan Patterson, Andrew Mosteller and Kyle Williams will continue to need your prayers. The enemy will be hot on their heels as they seek the face of Christ.

I just got back on Wednesday from RA Camp at Camp McCall. It was special for me to be there with my oldest son Jake and seven other boys. That camp is very special and the guys who are on staff there are the best around!!

Now our mission trip is right around the corner. We will be heading to Norfolk, VA for a week of service earning the right to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can’t wait to see what Kingdom endeavorers we will be allowed to be a part of July 11-18. Missions is a privilege and I thank God He allows us to be a part of service that could change people’s eternities.

This is not the time to slack up and stop seeking Christ in Scripture and prayer. This is the time to bear down and make sure we are focused on the task ahead. Remember, “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Tags: Fuge, salvation, summer

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Wednesday Night Ozone Recap

Jul 2

Posted by admin in Uncategorized

The band did a great job leading us in worship last night.
The teaching was entitled: Living Outside of the Camp

Our Text was Hebrews 13:9-16
“9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Since Christ died for us outside of the gate (compared to the OT sacrifices on the Day of Atonement outside of the camp),
we are to go to him outside of the camp. Our lives should be lived outside of the camp, which is our Spiritual Worship.

Here is a Brief Outline:

Vs. 9: Grace above Foods=Grace Above the Law

Vs. 10: Calvary above Day of Atonement

Vs. 11-12: Jesus suffered outside the camp for Us.
-His Own Blood (Sufficiency of Christ)
-Christ above Levitical Priests

Vs. 13: We Belong Outside the Camp
-Union with Christ (Crucified with Christ Gal. 2.20)
-Baptism (buried with Christ)

Vs. 14: This city is fading, thus we belong outside of it.
-There are no Christians in the City
-John tells us that we must not love the world (1 Jn. 2.15)

Vs. 15: Jesus offered up a Sacrifice, and so should We (but only through Him)
-Sacrifice Continually, not just during festivals

Life Outside of the Camp (Sanctified)

1. A Living Sacrifice
-Romans 12
-Our Spiritual Worship

2. Practicing Pure Religion
            -James 1.27
            -Pure and Undefiled=Sacrifice
            -A Faith lived Out — Real —Changes Everything

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Centrifuge Update 2!!!!

Jun 18

Posted by chet in Uncategorized

Fuge has been amazing. The worship has been beautiful and Christ centered. The preaching has been biblical and relevant. The youth have been focused and determined. I could go on and on.

However, the most important thing that has happened is that we had a student surrender to Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior!!!!!! Courtney Hipp made the most important decision of her life last night and we all celebrated with our new sister in Christ!!

We also know that God is not through with our students. In an attempt to stay focused and eliminate as many distractions as possible we are taking away the youth’s cell phones tonight. They will get them back on the way home. Please continue to pray for us. We know Christ isn’t finished with our group and the enemy is trying to steal our joy and God’s glory.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:16-21)

Tags: Centrifuge, Fuge

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We are at Centrifuge!!!!

Jun 15

Posted by chet in Uncategorized

We finally made to Centrifuge!! We have experienced massive amounts of rain, had a tornado warning that delayed us from getting in our rooms and we had to stay in a hallway for over and hour and half. But despite all the set backs we are safe and sound and ready for an unbelievable week of getting closer to Christ. Pray that God will move mightily in our group and the whole camp.

Remember, we are one hour early here in Jackson, TN. I will post more tomorrow as our week unfolds.

Tags: Centrifuge, Fuge

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Teens and Bedtimes

Jun 11

Posted by admin in Uncategorized

A new study has emerged from a research team at Columbia University Medical Center that affirms both biblical and common sense principles about teens and when they go to bed at night. You may read the USA Today article here.

Some excerpts from the article:

Middle- and high-schoolers whose parents don’t require them to be in bed before midnight on school nights are 42% more likely to be depressed than teens whose parents require a 10 p.m. or earlier bedtime. And teens who are allowed to stay up late are 30% more likely to have had suicidal thoughts in the past year.
The NIH survey found that kids whose parents called for a 9-10 p.m. bedtime said they were in bed, on average, by 10:04 p.m. They slept for 8 hours and 10 minutes on average, compared with 7½ hours for kids allowed to stay up past midnight.
Gangwisch believes the disparities between teens with and without prescribed bedtimes are even greater today, given greater distractions in their lives. In 1996, for instance, teens couldn’t stay up late texting friends and checking Facebook pages.

I am definately not a sleep expert, so I really do not care how long students sleep. I am no stranger to long nights reading and writing research papers. The real issue is what youth are doing after midnight instead of sleeping and why the parents do not know what they are doing. The statistics of adolescent pornography access are staggering. In a study conducted in 2003 discovered these statistics: 90% of children aged 8-16 have inadvertently viewed pornography, 19% of intentional online pornographic access is comprised of children under the age of 15, and some adult-oriented marketing firms believe that 20-30% of adult-oriented traffic are actually children under the age of 18. A recent Girl Scout survey discovered that 54% of the girls surveyed would participate in a cyber romance and 42% said they would view a pornographic website.

The issue of teens desiring to view pornographic material online is more of a spiritual issue than a pragmatic issue, but parents can definately reduce the possibilities of teens viewing inappropriate and spiritually destructive material just by enforcing an earlier bedtime. Parents should also know what their children are doing at night and discuss the spiritual destructiveness of “cyber-sin.” Teens and children should never have unlimited access to the internet and computers should always be located in family-centered areas of the home — not a teen’s bedroom. Jesus said in John 12:35, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.” If our teens are walking in the darkness, they certainly do not know where they are going. Jesus is the light. If our teens do not know the light and walk in the light, they do not know Jesus. We must make sure they know Jesus…

Tags: Bedtimes, Depression, Parenting, Pornography, Sin

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The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding

Jun 2

Posted by chet in Uncategorized

One of the best resources I have as a youth minister is www.cpyu.org. This website is the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. It is an incredible tool for youth ministers, youth workers and parents of teens. I find it helpful in understanding youth culture, it’s trends, and how to shape culture rather than conforming to it.

The following is how they describe themselves:

At a time when an already confusing youth culture is changing quickly, CPYU helps parents, youth workers, educators, and others understand teenagers and their culture so that they will be better equipped to help children and teens navigate the challenging world of adolescence.

Founded in 1990 by Walt Mueller, CPYU has developed an international reputation as a voice providing cutting-edge information, resources and analysis on today’s youth culture.

The mission of CPYU is to work with churches, schools, and community organizations to build stronger relationships between young people and those charged with helping them grow into healthy adulthood.

This mission is accomplished by:

Helping parents understand and respond to the complex world of their children and teens from a distinctively Christian point of view.
Equipping teenagers to deal with the challenges of adolescence.
Equipping parents and teens to respond to these challenges through a distinctively Christian world and life view.
Raising the youth culture awareness of youth workers and educators, thereby helping them increase their effectiveness with parents, children and teens.

I urge you to explore this site. I think you will find it informative, shocking (at times), and a great “go to” resource for any youth worker or parent.

Chet

Tags: Parents Discipleship Resources

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Extended Scripture Memory

May 21

Posted by admin in Uncategorized

I noticed this post on a blog that I try to read each day on my lunch break. Max McClean is an actor who happens to be a Christian. Max has an extraordinary gift for memorizing long portions of Scripture. He is currently acting from memory the Gospel According to Mark at the Mercury Theatre in Chicago. I loved what Max said in an interview with Justin Taylor:

Do you have any counsel for those who want to grow in their ability to memorize Scripture and to retell it with integrity and creativity?

“That’s an interesting question because my friend Warren Bird and I have written a book entitled, Unleashing the Word: Rediscovering the Public Reading of Scripture, that will be published by Zondervan this fall. It does not deal with my major theatrical productions but how churches can elevate the scripture reading to a central moment in the worship experience. Of course integrity and creativity are key elements of the process.

As for memorizing scripture, it works best for me if memorization is a byproduct of meditation. Certainly it is an objective to memorize the text. But the act of memorizing the text can be hollow if it is not a result of deep meditation. When I actively interact and engage with a text there is a conversation going on between the words I’m looking at on a page and my heart and soul. Of course that is the primary way the Holy Spirit works in our lives. The result is that the text starts speaking to me. As a result I find myself knowing the words of the text and how they fit together very well. The final act of memorizing becomes much easier.

Of course to keep it in your heart and head requires that you revisit that text regularly or you might lose it. When I’m doing a presentation and I go “dry” or forget my place, I usually stop and say to the audience something like, “You know when you hide God’s word in your heart, sometimes you can’t find it!” I usually get a pretty big laugh after that. They start to think, “Oh, he’s human after all.”

The two points that Max made that were phenomenal to me were two truths:
1. Scripture Memory has to be a byproduct of meditation.
2. The reading of Scripture publically is the pinnacle of corporate worship.

Tags: Corporate Worship, Scripture, Scripture Memory

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Wednesday Night Ozone Recap

May 20

Posted by admin in Uncategorized

stamper John Stamper joined us tonight at Ozone to share his heart with us and to tell of how the Lord changed his life. John played football at South Carolina (2001) and was drafted in the 6th round by the Tampa Bay Bucs. He also played a couple of years for the Chicago Bears. John shared how he grew up in a Godly home, but athletics always gained more attention and effort than Christ. John said that it wasn’t until meeting Adrian Despres(http://adriandespres.com) , who was the chaplain at Carolina, that he was introduced to authentic Christian faith. John experienced an ankle injury his freshman year that caused him to examine his purpose in life and Adrian was by his side to point him to a Christ-centered life. John lamented the times in his life when he began to excel in football and lose focus on Christ. He explained the blessing of the injuries that he sustained that allowed him to realize that God gave him the talents and ability to play football, and that He can take it away. John suffered a career ending shoulder injury that forced him to examine his purpose in life beyond athletics. John encouraged everyone to keep their focus on Christ and not let success, fame, or money distract them from Kingdom-centered purposes.

John’s message was a key example of a simplistic truth of the Christian life, that idolatry will destroy our lives. Jesus warns his disciples in Matt. 19 that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus is not just picking on wealthy people, but he wants his disciples to flea the sin of self-sufficiency (self-righteousness). Jesus then explains that only those who have left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for His namesake, will inherit eternal life. The writer of Hebrews explains in chapter 13 that we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Our life’s purpose is this: Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that ackowledge his name (Heb 13.15). Life is not neutral in regard to worship. We will always worship someone or something. You can worship pleasure, success, sports, popularity, tradition, children, spouses, etc. We must constantly reflect upon our worship habits. Chances are that all of our worship habits need to be refocused from time-to-time. Our purpose is to continually worship the Lord in every facet of our existance, not just certain days of the week. The problem with our generation is not that we have too many distractions or busy agendas, but we have a worship problem. We worship everything in life that does not deserve our adoration. What would the church be like if we fixed our worship problem?

We appreciate John and his wife for joining us and sharing with us his life transformation through Christ.

Tags: Guest Speakers, Idolatry, Worship

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New Ozone Site!

May 20

Posted by admin in Uncategorized

We are excited about releasing a new Ozone website! We desire that the new site will keep students and parents updated on happenings, equip students and parents with articles and resources, and serve as an entry point into our student ministry.

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