Posts by Ephraim Costilow
Even the Smallest Person
One of my favorite movie phrases comes from The Lord of the Rings: “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” This resonates with me because Freya was born at less than 4 lbs, she has changed the future of myself, Molly, and many others as well. This is one of the many reasons I love God’s word. It’s filled with stories of ordinary people doing crazy things for God. God can use anybody. God can use YOU. How COVID has affected us
Summertime
The sun is shining, warmth is in the air! We all know what that means; summertime is here! For many youth ministers across the country, that means camp is just around the corner. I am in full camp mode getting every detail locked in and ready to go for a fun week with high schoolers this July. The camp theme this summer is “You Be the Judge”. I will be challenging the campers to make good Godly choices in their How COVID has affected us
The Next Gen
“He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.” Psalm 78:5-7 These verses teach us the importance of making sure the next generation knows God, His laws, and How COVID has affected us
Did You Know?
Bible Trivia! Some cringe when they hear this game is up next, while others pump their fists in excitement. Maybe you’re the person everyone wants to be on their team, or maybe you’re the one no one wants on their team. There are so many fascinating things in the Bible, many of which most people didn’t even know were there! So, I’d like to take this moment to share some of my obscure, but cool, facts that will help you How COVID has affected us
Devoted
I remember a story one of my professors told us during my college days. A missionary went to a remote village that had never heard the gospel message of Jesus before. They didn’t know what to expect but to their joy, the village welcomed them with open arms and were eager to hear what they had to say. The missionary started in Genesis, and day by day, story by story, shared the entire Bible with the people. At one point How COVID has affected us
The Big 10
When thinking about the Ten Commandments, many view them as a bunch of outdated rules that we must follow to make God happy. Others, feel as though they are an impossible list to keep, so they don’t even try. Some even view them as God’s attempt to keep us from having fun. Many people misunderstand what the Ten Commandments are, but if we understood the context in which they were given they would truly come alive in a way we’ve How COVID has affected us
The Talk
This past week we tackled a big subject at youth group…Pornography. I’m sure some of you just ran and hid under a piece of furniture, started sweating, or just got really uncomfortable. Don’t worry!! That is not what I am talking about in this article. Some of you might ask, “Why are you talking about that in youth group?”. 30+ years ago I might be asking the same question. However, in the culture we live in today, there are so How COVID has affected us
SELF DEFENSE?
Over the last few weeks, our life group has been diving into the Sermon on the Mount. There are a ton of great messages we get from it: don’t judge, don’t worry or be anxious, and of course, we have the Lord’s Prayer. There are, however, a lot of difficult teachings in there as well: love your enemies, be peacemakers, and equating hate and lust to murder and adultery. There’s one idea that seems to be a common thread throughout the entire sermon How COVID has affected us
Priorities
Col 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.” The youth are currently working through a series that focuses on priorities. We’ve been discussing the importance of having our priorities in order and what it means to align our priorities with God’s. It is important to make sure that the things important to God are also important to us. We can get caught up in the business of life, and we can be How COVID has affected us
Wired Youth – Fall 2023 Launch
Summer is coming to a close and it’s time to get this new school year started! I can hardly believe this will mark the start of my THIRD school year here at KCC!! A ton of prayer and reflection has gone into this past year, and I’m truly excited for what God has in store for this upcoming school year. Right off the bat we’re stepping things up a few notches by launching a new Student Leader initiative at youth group. This initiative will change the How COVID has affected us