Pastor Seth

When I was younger, my brother and I use to play a game with our sister, Andrea. The game would consist of us using her name as a “curse” word. So we would just say things where a normal “swear” would usually appear with “Andrea” instead. It was a great game, well for us anyways. Phrases such as “Shut the Andrea up”, “your full of Andrea”, etc… She was a pretty good sport about it, but it would eventually annoy her to a point where she asked us “nicely” to stop.

The funny thing is that we didn’t use curse words in the first place. Well, unless you count the time when my twin brother, Sean, had a little “I can’t help it” episode when he was like 3 years old. Let me tell you one thing, mom and dad helped him “help it” real fast.

So what is the big deal over cursing in the first place?

1. IT GOES AGAINST GOD’S WORD.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” - Ephesians 4:29

“For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” - 1 Peter 3:10

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” James 3:9-12

Jesus states that which comes out of our mouths is that which feels our hearts. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” - Luke 6:45

Our speech is a reflection on what we are filling our life with, so basically it goes back to the saying that I often state: “Garbage in, Garbage out”. As Philippians 4:8 states, fill your life with things that our pure.

2. IT MAKES YOU SOUND IGNORANT

I was working out the other day at the gym, and right next to me were a bunch of guys talking about some stuff they did over the weekend. They honestly had to use a curse every other word. They just sounded plain ignorant. Seriously, learn some other adjectives to describe how your night was.

If you curse, you sound stupid…. really.

3. WHAT QUALIFIES AS A CURSE WORD

One thing that I hear often is “what exactly is a curse word in the first place?”.  Well, in our society we are quite familiar with the “BIG” ones, commonly know as the “F - word”, “S - word”, etc…  Some will argue and say, “well, the meaning is this…” or “it just depends on the context”.

Then there are the other curse words, which might not be as “STRONG”, but still are commonly known as “swears”.

So where do Christians draw the line? If the world states that these certain words are “curse” words, then we need to go back to Philippians 4:8 and stay as far away from those words that we can. This also includes “sound alike” or “replacement” words. Words such as “effing, frickin, shoot, dang, biotch, and even gosh”. Yes, even “gosh”.

Why? Because what we state with our mouth is a reflection of what is in our heart.

Oh, and while I am on the subject, using abbreviations are the same, and just as bad. You know what it means, and just because it is abbreviated, doesn’t make it okay.

4. IT MAKES YOU SOUND IGNORANT

Just incase you missed it the first time… seriously.

5. WE ARE CALLED TO BE DIFFERENT

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2

If we are truly going to allow God to transform us, we need to give Him every part of our life. It’s not an easy task at times, and we will struggle, and even “slip” at times with our mouths. But, if we are serious about God “transforming” our lives, we need to be willing to let Him do His work within our lives.

So, watch your mouths and allow your speech to be filled with words that are glorifying to God.

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CRAVE is heading up a mission’s trip to Honduras this Summer! If you are interested in going, check out some of the details located below and fill out an Trip Application

LOCATION
Tegucigapla, Honduras

WHEN?
July 19 - 30

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Any students (9th grade and up) and Adults who are actively involved in church and committed to attending the training meetings and raising support for this trip.

WHAT IS THIS TRIP?
An exciting opportunity to share the gospel to the people of Honduras and help a missionary family build/renovate a building for their church services.

WHAT WILL WE DO?
We will spend time working in a Children’s Cancer Hospital, laughing, playing, smiling, caring, and sharing Christ’s love. We will be helping build/renovate a building for church services. We will be promoting and running a Youth Rally, reaching the teen’s of Honduras. We will also be taking some time to visit various parts of Honduras, and enjoying some of the scenic views that the country has to offer.

WHERE DO WE STAY?
Housing will be in the Children’s Cancer Hospital. We will be eating breakfast and most dinners at this facility.

WHAT IS THE COST?
Individuals: $600 plus airfare (currently pricing at $1,200). Price includes lodging, food, and ministry supplies.

ARE THERE HEALTH ISSUES?
We will have plenty of purified water to drink, healthy food cooked, medical personnel available, and access to Red Cross emergency care if a crisis arises.

WHAT’S NEXT?
1. Pray. Talk to your parents and family. Ask God to show you if He wants you on this trip.
2. Fill out the application and turn in with a $50 deposit. Make sure you have your parents sign the bottom of the application where there is a note to parents.
3. Get your passport. Download an application off the Internet and follow the directions for getting one. It takes 6–8 weeks to secure a passport, so do it as soon as possible.
4. Attend all training meetings. (Meetings TBA)
5. Get involved in a ministry if you are not already plugged in. Talk with a pastor or ministry leader today to start serving!

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(The Following is an email from one of our missionaries who is currently in Haiti, please read and continue praying)
Friends,
Sorry for the nature of this message, but I still have limited connection and internet time. We hooked up with some very good people from the Canadian- Haitian chamber of commerce and that has been a big help with connections, very importat in getting things done. I have attached some photos. You can write the article yourself almost without help from the pictures. The pictures show the destruction, the despair. People waiting in line behind a water truck to fill some jugs. People camping in the street, some still waiting for medical care. We used our whole supply of meds the first day. Melina helped deliver a baby or two. Dentists and Veteranarians are treating people. Everyone is a doctor now if they have a good education. We got some more meds from a closed company here and some from the UN base. We checked the structural integrity of two large buildings that the people are afraid to use as clinics. The first one passed, second one is unsafe. Everyone with any decent education is an engineer too.

Really hard getting fuel. We can’t get gasoline or bread or meat. Other foods are available though. The electric is off and won’t be back on any time soon. One photo is when I was scarfing some diesel fuel, which I have yet paid for, but still got it in hand for use. An angry mob killed a man right in front of us, saying he was a thief. Thousands of prisoners have escaped into the streets because the biggest prison in the country fell down. We couldn’t stop them as there were simply too many of them and we only had limited ammo. Plus, if you have to choose sides right now, I can’t really be protecting the thieves from thier very victims. There were three cops with shotguns directing traffic three blocks away and they ignored it. We have an offer of more meds from a warehouse, but we have to organise more aggressive security before we can go there and open the warehouse or it will be looted. We will get some more armed men for security and go get them. I have found a warehouse for us to use as a base and will go there tomorrow to get it ready. Nearly every business is closed. We hope some will begin to open Moday, including the banks. I haven’t got a cell phone yet because they are closed. I went to the owner of the AVIS franchise’s house yesterday and he said maybe we can get a different vehicle Monday. Our priority is to start moving relief supplies to the warehouse for quick distribution to those who need it while we quickly rebuild some churches and then we can use the church buildings as distribution points.

Thats all for now. Continue to pray. Many churches are destroyed, many christians are dead, in need, homeless or have lost family. We are safe, so don’t worry about us. We will update this as we can. Take this disconnected stuff and write an article and post it somewhere. Thank you for the prayers.
Wesley and Melina Lane

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So the Switzer Family will be going on The Biggest Loser. Okay, so perhaps we might not be going on National TV, but we our doing our own “Family Edition”. I weighed in last week at around 205lbs. So I’m probably about 15-20 pounds heavier than I should be (I’ve gained about 10-15 pounds since the summer).

I have been consistently going to the gym for a few years now, and so I can probably chalk up some of my weight gain to my huge bulging biceps… but I also got a little spare tire effect going on, and that baby needs to go.

We have till March 30, 2010 to lose what we can, and then we will have our “official” final weigh ins.

So I will keep you updated with the results… I’m so winning this thing

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Through the New Testament in 60 Days
1. Matthew 1-4                                 31. Luke 21-24
2. Matthew 5-8                                32. Acts 1-4
3. Matthew 9-12                              33. Acts 5-8
4. Matthew 13-16                           34. Acts 9-12
5. Matthew 17-20                           35. Acts 13-16
6. Matthew 21-24                           36. Acts 17-20
7. Matthew 25-28                           37. Acts 21-24
8. Romans 1-4                                 38. Acts 25-28
9. Romans 5-8                                 39. 1 Timothy
10. Romans 9-12                            40. 2 Timothy
11. Romans 13-16                           41. Titus - Philemon
12. 1 Cor 1-5                                      42. Hebrews 1-4
13. 1 Cor 6-10                                    43. Hebrews 5-9
14. 1 Cor 11-16                                  44. Hebrews 10-13
15. 2 Cor 1-6                                       45. James
16. 2 Cor 7-13                                    46. 1 Peter
17. Mark 1-5                                       47. 2 Peter
18. Mark 6-10                                    48. John 1-4
19. Mark 11-16                                  49. John 5-8
20. Galatians                                     50. John 9-13
21. Ephesians                                    51. John 14-17
22. Philippians                                 52. John 18-21
23. Colossians                                  53. 1 John
24. 1 Thessalonians                       54. 2 John - Jude
25. 2 Thessalonians                      55. Revelation 1-3
26. Luke 1-4                                     56. Revelation 4-7
27. Luke 5-8                                     57. Revelation 8-11
28. Luke 9-12                                    58. Revelation 12-14
29. Luke 13-16                                 59. Revelation 15-18
30. Luke 17-20                               60. Revelation 19-22

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I could just start writing about all the amazing things God blessed me with in 2009. In fact, that’s not really a bad idea. The list is huge, and quite easily on the top of that list is the birth of my son [R]uebin Kal-el. God truly blessed Pam and I with this amazing kid, he is just “AWEsome”.

God has also done many things in our lives this year that is further pushing us in the next step of our ministry. As I look forward to 2010, I truly believe that this year will be something truly wonderful, and God has some amazing things planned for us. From visiting Europe, to mission trips to Africa and Honduras, 2010 will just be the tip of the iceburg of what’s going to take place in the Switzer family.

I’m open to you God, whatever you have for me and my family, we are ready!

Thank you God for my beautiful wife Pamela, and my awesome sons Nathaniel Jensen, and [R]uebin Kal-el… Thank you God for Cornerstone, CRAVE, and all the awesome students I get to serve…

The [R]evolution of HOPE continues in 2010… let’s go!

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It’s that time of the year where families and friends gather together for Thanksgiving. During this time together, there will be many turkeys eaten and a lot of football being watched. So as we enjoy this time of the year, the question will surely be asked: “What are you thankful for?”.
As most of us will give the “normal” yet truthful answers of “Family”, “Friends”, etc… I have decided to be a little more specific. Here is my list (not totally exclusive) of What I am Thankful For:
- My God (Yes, this is the Christian thing to say, but truthfully my life would be empty and pointless without Him)
- My smokin hot wife - she is amazing, such a great mom, an equally great wife, and just the ultimate example of what the Bible describes as the Virtuous woman.
- Nathaniel Jensen - God continues to use our first son in a wonderful way, and even though he may have never spoken a word outside of the womb, he continues to speak volumes to me and others who hear his story.
- [R]uebin Kal-el - This little dude is incredible! He is just only 8 months old, but has already created such a huge impact on how I view life. This kid is amazing, and I look forward to see what God has in store for him.
- My Family - God has blessed me with an amazing family - I truly am thankful for their Godly examples.
- Cornerstone Church - God is doing awesome things at Cornerstone, we have amazing people, and an amazing attitude…
- CRAVE - I love our teens! It’s awesome to see what God is doing with them… even though they continually tell me how old I am!
- Chapel Field Christian School - God has placed me at that school for a reason, I love being able to hang out with students on a daily basis. Oh, and my volleyball team rocks…
- God’s Direction - Okay, so this isn’t specific, but God is continually working in Pam and my life, and I am excited of what has already taken place and where God is leading us!
- The [R] Project - I truly believe God has great plans for The [R] Project, we have a long way to go…

So, there you go, here are some reasons I am thankful… what are you thankful for?

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Psalm 105:1

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This coming year is going to be a fun and interesting one that is for sure! My wife and I are already scheduled to go on a study/missions trip to Germany, Switzerland, France, and some other European countries in early March 2010. Plus we are working on organizing a mission’s trip to Honduras to take place sometime in the summer. Well, on top of those trips, I have been asked to go on a mission’s trip to New Hope Uplands Orphanage in Kenya, Africa.
This trip will be taking place over Easter and we would be working with the orphanage to help build various buildings, reach out to local communities, and just love on some orphans and share the Gospel of Christ!

I’m so ready for what God has in store for my family and I… 2010 is already shaping up to be a life changing experience.

The [R]evolution of HOPE continues!!!

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So I have to admit, I was reading my little sister’s blog today, and was inspired. Well, actually I was more amazed that she could actually write and know how to use the internet, and then inspired after I got through that.

I go through spurts when I sit down to blog, and more often then not, I try to sound like I know what I’m talking about. Which, leads me to try to be serious… but, honestly, if you know anything about me, I’m a far cry from being “serious”.

So the inspiration came to “ME BEING ME”. I just need to sit down and write down the collective randomness that I call my “thoughts”. Some of it might be good, but most of it will be bad and ugly. However, this is who I am as a Pastor, Husband, Dad, and all round superhero like nice guy.

So, thank you sis for the inspiration to just be who I am… and for those of you who have yet to check out her stuff, visit http://courtswife.blogspot.com and tell her that I said “hi, and that she smells like cheese”.

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