growwithus:

This tent will help connect you to the 2 hands-on ways we do missions at FBCW: Operation Christmas Child and The Honduras Container Project.

If you haven’t noticed already, there’s a giant Easy Up tent dominating the foyer of FBCW with fake leaves dangling from it. And in case you missed…

    Ok, I’m about to make a lot of students upset and some parents uncomfortable. 
         
    So, before you read this, know that this post is completely rooted in love and birthed from a heart that wants to see families thrive.  On one hand cell phones have become an essential tool that allows parents to keep tabs on and communicate with their kids.  On the other hand, like any other thing, this too can be abused.  Also, know that this post isn’t based on national statistics or polls, but rather from observations I’ve made with students and families that I come into contact with.

    Few students that I come into contact with anymore don’t have cell phones.  Most incoming 6th graders even have cell phones.  In fact, with our mass texting service, it’s one of the primary ways I communicate information to our students from The Vine.  The fact that students have cell phones doesn’t bother me.  However, with new and improved ways to communicate comes new and improved ways to get in trouble.

    Here are 2 of the biggest ways I’ve seen students abuse their cell phones.

1.  Pornography –
    I almost routinely talk with students who confess a problem with looking at pornography.  The most common way in which they access it is through the use of their phones.  Most phones now access the internet with or without a data plan.  As long as they have access to a router, they have access to pornography.  Don’t have a router in your house? Not a problem.  I’ve talked with students who simply log onto their neighbors router signal long after the parents are asleep.  Plus, being mobile means they can find privacy anywhere in or outside of the house. 

    This pornography problem would be more accurately described as an epidemic.  I can’t stress the validity of this issue enough.  So many students are experiencing addictions to porn at such a young age.  I’m not talking about the stereotypical “bad” kid.  I’m talking about great kids from great families who are losing these daily battles of temptation to look at pornography. 

    This addiction is teaching our children to disrespect God’s gift of sex.  It’s teaching our young men to look at young women like objects that they can abuse to fulfill some physical fantasy.  And, so many young men are succeeding in this goal rooted from this addiction. 

    It goes without saying that this approach to relationships is completely opposite of what we learn from scripture. 



2.  Texting & networking until the sun comes up –
    If you have a student who is dealing with the temptations mentioned above, then this becomes particularly problematic for both the recipient and sender of the texts or online chats/posts/messaging.  But, let’s start by talking about what’s happening with late night cell phone usage. 

    I see a lot of situations in which long after the parents are off to bed, students (even on school nights) are in their room texting/networking until the wee hours of the morning.  Students will quickly counter with, “What!?! I’m just talking to my friends.”  And, in their defense, sometimes that’s all it is. 

    On other hand, perhaps the more realistic hand, this is when most bad choices seem to take place.  I mean come on parents, when do you think “sexting” occurs?  And, just because your child may not be sending it doesn’t mean their not receiving it.  This is how it happens.  One student talks another student into sending the pic.  Next, the recipient sends that pic to the rest of the world.  Therefore, students who weren’t even involved in the initial sexting are now the recipient of sexting. 

    But even outside of sexting, this is when students are getting REALLY BRAVE with their communication.   Why?  It’s because it’s completely unsupervised, easily deleted, and silent.  This is when students are being convinced to advance physically in relationships.  This is when the junior high and senior high relationships are reaching a level of commitment that they don’t need to reach yet in their life.   These are the times in which great kids, AWESOME kids, are falling into temptation.  They know better, they’ve been taught great values from great parents, but the temptation is simply too strong because the borders and boundaries of protection haven’t been put in place.



    Already, both students & parents are coming up with excuses to justify this type of cell phone usage in their head.  I’ve heard it all before.

Parent:  “My child is a really good kid, they stay out of trouble, they make good grades, and I trust them to make good decisions.”
   
    This is one of the scenarios that scare me the most.  The reason is because it’s been the “best of the best” type kids who I’ve seen mess up with these cell phone privileges.  They ARE the good kids!  They ARE the kids that typically stay out of trouble! They ARE the kids who make good grades!

    Despite how wonderful these kids certainly are, not one of them is immune to sin.  Just because these students have great track records doesn’t mean they won’t peddle right off the cliff or fall into a snare when you’re not there.  I realize you can’t shelter your children from sin or stop them from ever making a mistake in life.  But why provide them with such an easy avenue to do that right in your own home.  Their sense of entitlement shouldn’t triumph your sense of protection. 


Student: “Don’t you trust me!?!”
    This is perhaps the lamest excuse known to mankind, and yet I’ve seen parents fall for it.  This is simply a generic, not well thought out, play of words to make the parent feel guilty for setting boundaries.  If your child plays this card, simply play it back on them with, “Do you not trust me to make good decisions and protect my family?  Do you not trust that I’m acting in your best interest?  Even knowing that I love you more than any breathing creature on this planet, you don’t trust me to set this boundary on a cell phone that I provide you as the parent?  Don’t you trust me?”

    Be honest with them about the temptations that exist there.  Be honest with them about what you would be tempted to do with cell phone privileges had they existed in your teenage days.  Let them know that you’re human too.  Let them know how much you care for them, even about their high school and junior high relationships.  If they can understand how much you love them, they’ll trust YOU.


Parent: “My child would be FURIOUS with me if I took that phone away from them at night.”

    If you’re a parent who fears your child’s wrath, you have to know that something is not right.  I have a strong willed 2 year old who was mad at me last night for taking away his plastic sword in which he was hitting his brother with.  The fact that he’s upset just isn’t important to me, teaching him boundaries is though.  Parents simply have to act in the best interest of their children, even when their children don’t fully understand or agree.  They’re going to fight plenty of temptation on their own when they leave your house.  Spend time helping them fight temptation while you’re still under the same roof.  Also, if they throw a baby fit, then punish them for that too;)





2 practical tips for cell phone usage:

    1.  Plug them into a charger in a public area of the house by 10pm (or whatever time you feel is appropriate in your house).  If your child wants to talk with their friends until the sun comes up, then invite them to a sleepover.

    2.  Reserve the right to look at any and all texts or search history.  They’re just talking to they’re friends, right?  What’s the big deal, right?  If they want privacy, get them a diary.  If you’re stepping out in “trust” by putting a cell phone in the hands of your child, then they can “trust” you can’t they? 
    When students know that you can reserve that right as part of the deal, they’ll hesitate with their online bravery.  They’ll even warn their friends that you may read it, limiting their friends bravery as well.  And, if you see major gaps in text history, then why?  Do the math.
    This tactic won’t wreck anybody’s social life, trust me.  They can still have plenty of conversations that you won’t know about or hear of.  This simply limits the temptation that falls on YOUR watch.  

[20] Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
(Colossians 3:20 ESV)

Keep Pursuing Jesus,

Cody

     Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous,

          Sorry for the delay in getting back with you on this blog.  The month of July is one of the most demanding months of the year for me here at the church.  In addition to that, the family and I took a trip back to our home state of Indiana to visit family here in August. 

          Anyway, the answer to your question is actually very complicated.  With that said, I’m going to attempt to answer it in a couple different ways.  Let’s start off by talking about the Baptist church.  Baptist churches, in most cases I’ve seen, operate pretty independently.  Therefore, what women can and can’t do seem to vary from church to church.  Some Baptist churches allow women to sit in positions of authority and some don’t. 

          However, any denomination worth it’s weight would agree that scripture is the ultimate authority and should be consulted on this issue.  So, it’s more important to know what the Bible says women can and can’t do right?

          In our walk through 1 Peter this week in The Vine, we actually covered 3:1-7.  This is a section of scripture in which Peter is encouraging a specific conduct from men and women in marriage.  With your question lingering on my to-do list, I took the opportunity to discuss gender roles in the church. 

     Here is a link to 1 Peter (Part 7) entitled, “Want to be a good husband or wife someday?”

          This will hopefully answer some questions in your head regarding this common question.  Please feel free to ask more specific questions or anything else.  And, thanks for taking the time to ask!

Keep pursuing Jesus,

Cody

    
     Working out in a gym while on the road has its’ advantages and disadvantages.  I love working out with a partner, yet sometimes I love just putting in my headphones and being completely antisocial in a gym setting.  While back in my home state of Indiana yesterday, I worked out in a gym that I don’t typically venture to. 

     Upon arrival to the gym I inserted my headphones, avoided any and all eye contact with anyone, and started into my routine with the hopes of mentally creating my own fortress of solitude.  However, “That-Guy” had other plans for my workout time. 

     I often run into “That-Guy” at gyms that I visit while traveling.  “That-Guy” is the guy in the gym who is driven by testosterone to educate you on his workout and to inform you about a super strong friend that he had/has.  This particular “That-Guy” managed to educate me on all his friends lifting achievements and abilities in a short amount of time.

     I learned about his friends bench press max, cardio program, lifting schedule, mixed martial arts experience, body fat index, and so on.  “That-Guy” was rattling off info about his buddy like a kid reading the back of a baseball card regarding his favorite player. 

     A couple of things about “That-Guy” intrigued me.  First of all, I found it peculiar as to how enthusiastic “That-Guy” was about his friend.  He was COMPELLED to talk about him.  His enthusiasm was so intense that, I’ll admit, I kind of wanted to meet him.  Secondly, it was interesting to me how he was excited and willing to tell me, a complete stranger, about his friend without hesitation.  I mean, we had never met and he knew absolutely nothing about me, or my personality.

     In a moment of analysis regarding “That-Guy”, I began to feel convicted.  The conviction I felt prompted a few questions to start swirling in my mind: 

     Am I as enthusiastic about sharing Jesus with complete strangers as this guy is with sharing stats about his friend? 

     What kind of impact would I have if I began to display this type of eagerness and willingness to share Jesus with anyone I met, even in a gym? 

     Am I too afraid to be labeled “that guy”? 

     Even if it wasn’t the right moment to share, was I still waiting and ready for that moment to show up? 

     Was I looking to create a moment that would enable me to share?

As our conversation came to a close, so did the swirling questions in my head.  And, my opportunity to share the gospel with that fellow in some way had passed. 

    One of the biggest reasons we hesitate to share our faith in these situations could be chalked up to the fear of awkwardness.  Or perhaps we hesitate in fear of being labeled in the same way I just labeled “That-Guy”.

    However, there are many scriptures that could be used to combat that mindset.  Consider this one:

Matthew 10:32-33:
“everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”


Keep pursuing Jesus,

Cody

growwithus:

Why are we spending so much of our time, money, and resources to help churches in Honduras? There are many moral reasons that I could list even outside of Scripture that would justify these efforts. However, our primary reason comes from a heart that desires to obey the Bible.



Paul…

Can you share your faith without saying anything?

    Verbally sharing your faith as a teen or as an adult can be an intimidating thought, no doubt.  I mean, what if you say something wrong? What if they ask a question you can’t answer?  What if you come across a little nutty and damage your friendship?  Those are all probably natural fears when considering this emotional feat. 

    Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to share your faith in Jesus nonverbally that could supplement the responsibility to share your faith verbally?  Well, I have good news for you.  Scripture teaches that there IS a nonverbal way to share your faith. 

Here are a couple verses to consider:
1 Peter 2:12
Matthew 5:16

     For example, the way that we live our lives, the way we treat people, and the way we respond to difficult situations are all supposed to attract people to God.  In the same way, those elements of our lives could push people away from God!  Is that scary to anyone else!?!  I think we have to be VERY intentional each and every day to make sure that we attract people TO God rather and push them away with our lives.



     Last week while driving through the heavy metropolitan traffic of Williamstown, I came to a screeching halt as I decided at the last minute that the yellow light wasn’t going to hang around long enough for me to get through.  Nobody was ever in any danger, no one was behind me, and no one was even in the intersection.  Then, out of nowhere, a spectator in another car entering the intersection pulled up next to me and stopped all of the traffic behind her to SCREAM obscenities at me questioning my ability to drive (I’ll spare you the details).  She went on to inform me that millions of people die in America everyday because of people just like me. Ouch…



     Do you want to know how I wanted to respond?  I’m not going to lie, I wanted to go “HULK SMASH” on the entire situation.  Again, I obeyed the traffic law!  Even if I would’ve ran the yellow/red (let’s call it orange) light, nobody was even in the intersection.  Running the orange light would’ve been a hazardous move, which is why I chose to stop abruptly. 

     Instead of losing my cool, I just gave her my attention and listened.  I mean, what would an equally vulgar response have accomplished?  After all, I don’t know what kind of day she’s had, what kind of problems she’s dealing with, what her home life is like, or what she believes about the truths of God.  But I do know this, she is a soul.  And, as a believer should I not do everything I can to show her the love of God?  Trust me, in that moment, I had to QUICKLY be very intentional about my actions as a believer.  I’ll admit, that is a feat that I don’t always successfully accomplish in those types of scenarios unless I’ve been living intentionally.

     Just think how an equally awful response could have ruined any chance to ever minister to that lady.  That reality really sank in when I saw that in the truck behind this lady was a friend of mine who attends the church, Mike Coiner (who, by the way, was shaking his fist in laughter while enjoying the lady’s rant towards me during the altercation, perhaps the most enjoyable part of the experience).


     Yet, Mike’s surprise appearance reminded me that you NEVER know who is watching you live your life in those situations. 


     In conclusion, YES you can share your faith without words.  It’s a biblical concept and it can/should happen even unknowingly if you are living in an intentional pursuit of Jesus.  And remember, this is a supplemental way to share your faith.  I don’t think we should use this concept to justify never sharing our faith verbally.


PARENTS: Are you challenging your child to live intentionally?  Have you shared with them any experiences about how someone’s life drew you to Jesus? 

STUDENTS:  Live intentionally!  And make sure to live intentionally online as well.  Even your lives on Facebook should point to God.


Keep Pursuing Jesus,

Cody

“If you only desire enough of Christ to save yourself, then you probably don’t even have that.” - unknown to me

     Yesterday I listened to a pastor who quoted another pastor with the statement above.  Chritianesse quotes outside of scripture usually don’t impress me and often sometimes even annoy me.  For some reason, this one struck me down to my soul.

     The principle here reminded me of a conversation I had with a student several weeks back.  One afternoon this Vine Student (I’ll call Will) and I met for lunch at our beloved Dutch Pantry here in Williamstown.  I love meeting with students like Will and prying into their lives.  Anyway, we talked about school, relationships, their family, discussed scripture (they actually initiated that), along with various other topics while we ate. 

          One discussion that we had in particular was about a friend of Will’s that was a little hard to get along with.  Will’s buddy was down and out at the moment, dealing with some difficult times in their life.  This situation in return made his buddy incredibly hard to be around.  They were bitter, emotionally destructive, angry, judgmental, and perhaps annoying.  Yet, Will made it very clear to me that even though they were hard to deal with, he felt called to remain friends with them!   Will said he felt a responsibility to help walk along side and love on this individual during this dark time in their life. 

     I was stunned and inspired by this student and their determination to live out their life this way at such a young age.  It was so clear that Will was pursuing this difficult friend in an extremely intentional way out of his love for Jesus Christ.  This students’ relationship with Jesus is a no-doubter!  Is yours?


Scripture that comes to mind regarding this encounter:

          “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”
(1 Timothy 4:12 ESV)

          “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”
(James 2:18-26 ESV)


In conclusion, I’ll once again leave you with a couple thoughts.

Students:  Are you living intentionally for Jesus?  Are you seeking out that person in your life who could use someone to minister to them?  Are you witnessing with scripture and the love of Christ?

Parents:  Are you setting this type of example for your children?  When you live intentionally like this, are you sharing that experience with your child?  Have you challenged your child to minister in this way with their life?


Keep Pursuing Jesus,

Cody

     This Sunday we’re diving into chapter 3 of Jonah.  This is the chapter of Jonah where he has already disobeyed, repented, recommitted his life, and is now ready to fulfill his mission from God.  At this point, Jonah is no longer fleeing to Tarshish but jumping head first into God’s will in Nineveh!

     Up until this point, Jonah had concluded that Nineveh was full of people who didn’t deserve God’s grace.  It was out of that mindset that he didn’t want to get his “hands dirty”, so to speak.  WOW, that part of Jonah’s personality is so convicting to me because I’ve felt the same way towards people before. 

     Let’s be honest.  Haven’t you felt that way towards somebody?  Haven’t you ever put a label on somebody because of their actions or circumstances?  It seems as though once we’ve labeled someone “unworthy”, we’re through with them.  Man… THAT’S TRAGIC!

     Unfortunately, I see this all the time in church.  I’ll admit that I’ve even participated.  Why?  The answer is simple.  It’s just feels so natural to write someone off (sail to Tarshish) rather than get our hands dirty and invest in their life. 

     I’ve seen this mindset tragically unfold right before my eyes on many occasions in 10 years of student ministry.

For example:

    Most teenagers are messy, right?  We know this.  The world is their wastebasket.  Therefore serving in youth ministry demands that you continually ask students to clean up their trash OR you get to clean it up.  This situation just comes with the territory, no surprises here.  Yet, I once had a church member inform me face-to-face that if I didn’t keep the church clean, one of two things would happen.  They told me either the kids wouldn’t be welcome anymore or their family would no longer attend the church.  My response wasn’t what they wanted to hear, I’ll leave it at that.  The church should be respected, but not idolized.

    All teenagers are sinful and are often times disrespectful, right?  We know this.  If there is ever a time in your life in which sinning comes incredibly easy and perhaps even guilt free, it’s when you’re a teen.  This is a time in your life when your world is pretty small and can be very self-centered.  Teenagers need a lot of love, grace, and direction.  Yet, I’ve seen so many take a boat to Tarshish in these situations rather than offer help.  I once had a church member leave the church because I was ministering to a particular student that they had deemed “unworthy”.  They made it clear that if they were allowed to participate in youth activities, then our ministries were unholy.  Again, you can imagine how I responded to that ultimatum. 

     I feel like I could give way too many examples of this, but I don’t want to bog down my blog with negativity. 

     I just get really frustrated when I catch myself and others falling into this sinful and judgmental mindset.  We should refrain from complaining and instead get our hands a little dirty.  After all, fixing anything often requires getting a little filthy.  You can’t fix your car without getting greasy.  You can’t maintain your house without getting some dirt on you. 

     Helping people deal with sin or calling someone out in sin often means we need to dive headfirst into difficult situations, messed up lives, and even turmoil.  Dealing with these situations isn’t exactly fun.  Yet, in our obedience I believe we will experience an intense joy.  

     At the end of the day, Jonah wasn’t that thrilled about being obedient.  But, “behold, someone greater than Jonah is here…”, the bar is raised yet again with Jesus.

     “…whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).


Keep pursuing Jesus,

Cody

     From time to time I want to make it a point to share testimonies on this blog.  The reason I think it’s so important to share these stories is because we can debate all day regarding various topics and potentially get nowhere.  On the other hand, hearing someone’s story about the life changing impact that Jesus has had in their life is beautiful, inspiring, and untouchable.

     Jen is an 8th & 9th grade girls small group leader, a mother of 2 beautiful girls, and a wife to a soldier serving our country in Kosovo.  She is a wonderful lady and a tremendous asset to our Vine Student Ministry at First Baptist Church Williamstown.

Here is how she met Jesus.

     Is it a sin to show up to church in anything other than your best clothes? OR, is it a sin to THINK you should show up in your best clothes?

                                         

     I have found that this issue has been a HUGE distraction for most people in church, with people falling on both sides of this fashion spectrum. 

     Pastel button up shirts, flowered hats, carefully tied ties, cute spring Easter dresses, and pressed suits were paraded into church all over the place last weekend.  Traditionally, this is a Sunday were everybody who goes to church (or claims a relative who goes to church), makes it a point to show up and especially look their best!

     And, for some people, “looking your best in church” is mandatory!  I’ve seen multiple situations in which church members demand this unwritten fashion rule from anyone who steps foot on their turf… Excuse me, I meant their church… Oh sorry again, I mean God’s church…

     Is this mentality rooted in scripture or has American culture once again blurred biblical teaching?  Let’s take a look at what the Bible says we should wear in church.



     Oh man, that’s tricky, where do we start?  (Read the next few lines with a very subtle sarcastic tone to get the full affect) Oh, I know! Let’s take a look at what they wore to church in Acts!  We want to play this by the book right?!? The clothing worn in Biblical times was very different from what we wear today. Both men and women wore a loose, woolen, robe-like cloak or mantle as an outer garment. It was fastened at the waist with a belt or sash. A tunic or coat, a long piece of cloth, leather or haircloth with holes for arms and head, was worn under the cloak. Sandals were worn on the feet.  The difference between men’s and women’s clothing was small but distinctive. In addition, men often wore a turban to confine their hair, and women of some cultures wore a veil.


     (Keep the sarcastic tone rolling) Hey! Wait a second!  They didn’t wear suits and ties!  There weren’t even any PANTS AT ALL!  And SANDALS!?!?! Don’t even get the stereotypical church member started on SANDALS!!!

     (Ok enough with the sarcasm)  The real issue that we’re dealing with here is very simply, a fashion statement.  Your grandma & grandpa would never show up to church in a robe with no pants and sandals.  That would NEVER happen because it’s not their style.  In fact, it would be incredibly distracting to them to be dressed that way!  It would be so distracting that I bet someone would say something to them about it, possibly even in a negative way.  But to them, they’re coming to church in what’s comfortable & acceptable in their opinion. 

     Here’s comes the problem.  Some “suit & tie” type people think they have the right to push NOT their biblical views BUT their fashion views upon other people in church. 

     This is incredibly puzzling to me.  It’s especially puzzling considering that they aren’t wearing what the generations behind them are wearing.  They too are guilty of altering the fashion sense of churches in their time.  You don’t see any plaid suits anymore! There aren’t any “little house on the prairie” dresses being rocked out! Where did the 18th century male wigs run off to?!? And why aren’t we in ROBES!?!

One answer… fashion changes… If you attended church in a cloak, tunic, sandals and a turban or veil it would cause quite a disruption.

     You see, a 20-something wouldn’t argue too much about having to wear their best to church.  However, they would argue what “their best” looks like.  Come on, we know this to be true!  Look at how far jeans have come in the past 100 years.  First, jeans are just for men to work in.  Fashion changed and then even women were socially allowed to wear jeans to work in.  Fashion changed again and we started seeing jeans in more formal working environments.  And now, jeans are considered a really nice piece of clothing to wear.  That’s kind of why jeans used to cost $1.50 back in the day, and now they can go for $150.

     It’s not fair or even relevant to push your fashion sense on someone in church.  You shouldn’t expect your grandparents to show up in designer jeans from the mall and they shouldn’t expect you to show up in an expensive suit and tie.  It’s just a silly, shallow, and judgmental way to think.  Call me crazy, but I’m just having a hard time allowing Calvin Klein, Armani, or Old Navy having such a huge impact on how I worship.

     However, there are certainly some biblical thinking that does need discussed while getting dressed for church, or any occasion for that matter.

Go read 1 Timothy 2:9-10.  We could easily use this verse to say the Bible is against our desires to look the best  we can according to American culture (suits, ties, dresses, jewelry, etc…). 

How about 1 Peter 3:2-5?

     Perhaps we should consider 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.  Here we are reminded that WE are the temple.  With that in mind, I think we should primarily be focused on not distracting others from God in ANY venue or situation with the way we dress.

     The Bible’s Old Testament rules about dress just can’t be directly applied to today’s situation. On the other hand, I think thoughts on modesty CAN be applied.  Standards of dress change over time and are different from church to church, yet we should avoid any style of dress that is offensive.  For example, when we go to church on our mission trips to Honduras, all of the women wear dresses because their culture is so different.  We wouldn’t want to offend them.

     The point is, we want people’s experience at church to be nothing but about Jesus. 

In conclusion,

Students: Does your style honor Jesus?  Do you dress in a way that distracts people from Jesus?  Oh, and if it’s a really big deal to your parents to dress up for church, then be obedient.  Dressing up probably isn’t as big of a deal as what some make of it. 

Parents:  Does your style honor the message of Jesus Christ?  When your child dresses for church are they more concerned about how they look or about preparing their hearts to learn about Jesus?

Keep pursuing Jesus,

Cody