Fruits and Hamburgers

So last night we looked at the example Paul set for other Christians. Paul said, hey if you want to know what a life looks like of someone who follows Christ, then look at my life. A very bold statment. We need to be able to make statements like that, "look at my life as an example. " Paul also told us that God works first within us, then through us. We looked at the example of a tree, that first you have to take care of that tree, water it, give it soil, air and sun and then it will produce fruit. So we as Christians should be working on growing ourselves, by reading the Word, spending time in prayer and devotion, as well as spending time in fellowship with other Christians. We also learned another wonderful little fact. Hamburgers are not a fruit. I know that is difficult to understand, but although a Hamburger may contain fruits in it, and yes some hamburgers have seeds (Seasme Seeds) this does not make them a fruit. Other notable things that are not fruits: Bacon, cell phones, AmpedOC.com, Apples*, and the moon.


*Note: Apples Computers, not to be confused withe the actual Apple fruit

Holiday Time

It's Christmas time in the city. As November comes to a close and December begins, the smell of hot chocolate and Christmas trees fill the air. As I look at my calendar for this month I quickly realize one thing, it is quite full. December is a crazy and a full month. So in all of your holiday busyness and crazy tests at school and eating as many cookies as possible, always try to remember what we are celebrating.

A Fishy Story

This past Sunday we looked at the story of Jonah. So in as condensed as possible here is the recap of that story: God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah runs in the opposite direction. God places a storm in Jonah's life. To save the ship Jonah walks the plank. A Hungry Giant Fish swallows Jonah. Jonah prays. Fish barfs Jonah on shore. Jonah preaches to Nineveh. Nineveh listens. God says He won't destroy Nineveh. Jonah goes on cliff to watch Nineveh explode, it doesn't. God gorws a vine for shade. Jonah falls in love with the shade. Next day the vine gets destroyed by a worm. Jonah tells God he is so angry about the loss of his favorite plant that he is willing to die. God tells Jonah that just as Jonah cares for the plant, God cares for the people of Nineveh. The End. I call that the abridged version. The part of the story I love so much is Nineveh was the enemy of Israel, and yet God has compassion for them. God loves everyone. So it was difficult for Jonah to preach to a people group he didn't like, but we need to view the world as we are all God's children. So we need to show the love of God to everyone!

Happy turkey day! Eat lots of mashed potatos and tell your family you love them.

Better than Turkey

Hey guys it's Matthew. I say that we get the fussing aside and let's just talk turkey. Usually, a Thanksgiving Dinner consists of turkey, potatoes, and stuffing right? Yes that is all fine and dandy, but shouldn't we try to expand our pallet? This Thanksgiving I propose a new recipe. Instead of the usual turkey, why not be more exotic and try a slow cooked squirrel?

Thats right! All you need is two squirrels, four potatoes, one pound of carrots, one chopped green bell pepper, four sliced onions, two cups of water, a quarter of a medium head cabbage. It's so simple even I can do it! Throw all of the above ingredients into a slow cooker and eight hours later bada bing bada boom you have squirrel stew. In my opinion, an easily cooked meal like this is way better than any turkey.

House Cleaning

So I was doing some house cleaning and checking things out and then it hit me, there are any photos from The Weekend or White Noise on the website. For you see AmpedOC.com wasnt created until after those events took place. Well if you take a gander to the right you will see two new links in the photo section. So as White Noise Sign-Ups are out and space is limited get your deposit in quickly! And if you have any questions on White Noise, check out the White Noise Info Page, which also has a link on the right.

Obadiah

So to the left is a map of Israel, Judah, and Edom. This past Sunday we looked at the book of Obadiah, a book about the prophecies to the nation of Edom. The Edomites made some poor choices, as their brothers were suffering they stood by and did nothing. As Christians we are called to make a stand for righteousness. When we see something that is wrong we need to stand up for God and say that what others around us are doing is wrong.

Hiccups

We wanted to show this video last night but due to some technical difficulties we were unable to play the sound. So here it is in all of its glory, Baby Caleb having the hiccups.

Last night we talked about following the example of Jesus in Philippians 2:5-11. In small groups we discuessed what were Jesus' examples and how can we imitate that? So how are you going to imitate Jesus?

Family Dinner Night

What is family Dinner you ask? Well it is just as it sounds, A night where we can all get together and share a meal. So on Monday Night December 11th at 6pm we will be meeting in the Satellite Room (The large room near Jr. High) and having a wonderful night of fellowship and laughter. The event is for the entire family, so if there are five of you, we would love to see all five come, bring the dog too! There is no monetary cost, but we ask every family to bring 2 things, part of the meal (think potluck style) and a white elephant gift. For the food there will be a sign-up list in JHigh for different fixings. So if you have some amazing family recipe we would love to eat it! We also need people to bring the turkey or ham or whatever so please sign-up. Now the white elephant exchange has been an Ocean Hills youth tradition for decades. I remember playing when i was but a lad. There are a few simple guidelines keep the cost to $5 or $10, so no ipod videos, or you can even something laying around the house. But please nothing gross or used. There are been many famous gifts in the past, last year I recieved an acre of land (on the moon!) So bring what you would like, grab a flyer in JHigh and as always, if you have a question, feel free to email me!

Ordained

This past Sunday, Evan was ordained. Ordination is a really cool thing, in fact it is somewhat similar to be knighted. I was so happy that we could have Jr. High there and my family came out for the ceremony. If you missed the service, it is archived online, just like every service at Ocean Hills, and you can watch it here. The ceremony is at the very end of the service. Many people have asked me what exactly is an ordination, so here is what it is. Ordination is given by the church you are at and it is the leadership of the church saying "We fully support this man in his ministry". So its pretty sweet. By being ordained and being licensed by the state I can also preform weddings, which is pretty cool. So to all you Jr Highers when you graduate JHigh, then graduate HS, then go to college, meet your future spouse, and then graduate college, I would love to preform the ceremony! Or maybe I can at least get an invitation.

White Noise 2007

White Noise is coming. This trip is going to be amazing and you will have the greatest time of your life. So make sure to sign-up while there are sill spaces left. Also check out the White Noise Website for more detailed info!!! If you have any questions feel free to call the church at 949-496-7411

Baby Caleb

Below is a beautiful video of Caleb Bates. He was taken off the respirator and has been breathing on his own!

UPDATE: Caleb is doing very well. He was recently moved from a private room to a group room with a bunch of new friends. He is still in the incubator, but Mark said he had the oppurtunity to hold Caleb for 2 hours and that Caleb is eating more food! So please keep praying for Caleb!

For People Who Like Snow

White Noise. For People Who Like Snow. February 1st through the 4th. Sign-Up Today! Thats right, we are now accepting sign-ups for the White Noise Winter Retreat 2007 Today. Sign-Up soon as we have limited spaces and we hit capacity last year. Grab a flyer anytime for more info!

Baby caleb bates

April and i are leaving the hospital after visiting baby caleb. He is doing very well, in fact they plan to take him off of the breathing machine Monday morning. So please keep him in your prayers, but healthwise, he is doing AMAZING!

Harvest Festival

Harvest Festival Photos are Up! To the right is a lovely photo of Matthew and Batman. Click the photo link to the right to see everyone's costume.

Pictures of Joy to Share!

Hot off the presses, here are some adorable photos of Caleb Bates! As you can see in the first photo he was born this past Sunday. Please keep Caleb in prayer as he will most likely stay in the hospital until January. Gilda returned home Wednesday night, but keep her and Mark in prayer as they will still be at the hospital every day. The second photo is of mama Gilda and the final photo is the birth certificate with Caleb's little footprints on them. We will be starting a meals ministry for the Bates so if you are famous for some family recipe or know how to cook a mean lasagna from Costco, please email me so we can bless them with this. Mark and Gilda would love anything as long as it isn't served on a tray with embossed crevices to hold mass- produced meals. So as long as you don't buy it at a hospital or American Airlines it should be all good. And as a side note, Mark told me that one of the nurses on the floor gave Caleb the nickname, "The miracle baby". First off I thought that was really cool, then I thought about it for a second. Mark and Gilda were at one of the best hospitals, on a floor that specializes in very difficult pregnancies. I mean these nurses take care of some of the most difficult cases and Caleb is the shinning star. But Caleb had something going for him that many babies do not, parents and friends who prayed and prayed. Mark and Gilda had the absolute best attitude throughout the pregnancy (and continue to do so) and it is a testament of their lives. We looked a few Wednesday nights ago about how people will judge us and thereby judge all Christians by our actions. Well I am proud to say, I want people to judge Christians by how Mark and Gilda act. If people look at Mark and Gilda's life and what an amazing attitute they have had and all the loved ones who have come to visit and pray, that is a testament of what a Christian community is.

Better Late than Never

So yesterday I asked Nate, "Do you believe in the phrase Better Late than Never?", he said he did, so I gave him his birthday present. In case you didn't know Nate's birthday is in May. But hey better late than never. And as last night was our Harvest Festival, and what an amazing night it was! I will put photos up as soon as I can find the cable to do it, I know its around here somewhere. .. But if you look to the right here are the photos from the Liewer's most recent pumpkin carving party. My pumpkin, I am proud to say is the ugliest one up there, its the one on the bottom right. Its chewbacca from Star Wars. I didnt have time to finish before the photo was taken, so its not done. We did have a contest and a vote and the headless horseman won, by a single vote.