camp fundraiser at surf sample sale

join us on saturday at 1pm for a camp fundraiser. we'll be selling
double decker tacos at the surf sample sale from 1-5pm.
so you can help a little, shop a little, help a little, shop a little, get the point?

You've Got Hell?

Ok so i now admit that
i'm way too totally
immersed in our new series
"30 days to live".
I've been scouring the
internet for all
kinds of sites
relating to death,
faith, and dying and i came
across this one..
called You've Been Left Behind
<http://www.youvebeenleftbehind.com/>
Essentially, these folks offer a $40 yearly service that allows you
to compose and store up to 62 e-mails that will go to your unsaved
friends and loved ones (should you be taken in the Rapture) - and
give you one more chance to share that Jesus is their only hope of
salvation.

In a word…wow.

Now I know that you're reheheheally thinking that I'm kidding.

Nope. Fer real - www.youvebeenleftbehind.com
<http://www.youvebeenleftbehind.com/>

OK - so people are concerned about what might
happen to their loved
ones and friends left on earth after the Rapture.
I get that. What I
do not get is the methodology here.
What about a letter like, right
now? And do you think that if millions of people
disappeared in a
flash that people would need a post-disaster
Captain Obvious e-mail
to let them know what happened?

And are we assuming that the internet will be
fully functioning on
the heels of the greatest human disaster in history???
Heck, mine
goes out every couple days in perfect conditions -
I'm thinking that
the Rapture might cause a few servers to go down.

My thought is this: take the $40 and take your friends or
family
members out to lunch. Tell them in a non-condescending and
non-judgmental way about how Christ has completely
changed your life
and given you the hope of heaven when you die.

Oh - and also let them know why Christians who
believe in the
Rapture aren't all crazy-as-a-sack-full-of-ferrets
trolls.

Unfortunately this reputation can sometimes be
well deserved, but
that's not because of a belief in the Rapture -
rather the point and
laugh behavior that ensues from mostly well meaning believers.

Maybe you're not sure why many Christians believe
in the Rapture?
Perhaps you've heard that the word ‘rapture'
isn't in the Bible,
and the whole idea of Christians disappearing
from the earth is just
a recent idea?

The word ‘rapture' is from the Latin ‘rapio' -
meaning to ‘be
caught up' - which is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
So yes, it is
specifically used in the Latin translation
of the Bible, and the
concept is very clear.

So what about the idea of believers booking out of
planet earth in
one main event being a recent trend?

Well I guess, if you believe Jesus' teachings are
recent ideas:

And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man
is coming will appear
in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning
among all the peoples
of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds
of heaven with power and great glory.
And he will send out his angels
with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen
ones from all over the world —from the farthest
ends of the earth
and heaven. When the Son of Man returns,
it will be like it was in
Noah's day. In those days before the flood,
the people were enjoying
banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time
Noah entered
his boat. People didn't realize what was going to
happen until the
flood came and swept them all away.
That is the way it will be when
the Son of Man comes.

“Two men will be working together in the field;
one will be taken,
the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill;
one will
be taken, the other left. Matthew 24:30-31; 37-41.

The Apostle Paul makes a clear statement about the
rapture as well:

We tell you this directly from the Lord:

We who are still living when the Lord returns
will not meet him
ahead of those who have died. For the Lord
himself will come down
from heaven with a commanding shout, with the
voice of the archangel,
and with the trumpet call of God. First, the
Christians who have died
will rise from their graves. Then, together with them,
we who are
still alive and remain on the earth will be
caught up in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
So encourage each other with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18.

At face value - it almost seems unbelievable
that an event like this
could take place. But of course, the idea that
the God of the universe
would wrap Himself in flesh, and die for our sins
is mind-boggling as
well - right? And the fact that ‘smart' and ‘rational'
people
poke fun at us for believing in the rapture
does not make it untrue.
The thing to remember is that the truth about
the rapture is intended
to be a source of hope and comfort for Christians -
not a way to judge
and condemn others.

Make no mistake - Jesus Christ will return - and the biggest
question you should be asking is not
‘should I get an e-mail ready
to send after I'm gone?' - rather it is ‘
how can I best prepare for
this incredible event?'. In other words,
live each day like Jesus is
returning at any minute.
What if you knew He was coming in 30 days?
and you only had 30 days to live?

Because He just might!