10. Coke, popcorn and movies. I love going to a movie and just getting lost in the story. Somehow, it seems a little magical (cheesy, I know) the way a story can transport us to fictional worlds (or non-fictional I guess). Wondering where the story is going, how it'll end; I just love the whole process. I love a good book too, but I typically don't enjoy popcorn and a coke when I read. Maybe a coke.
9. Music. All kinds. I love that it can inspire us, make us want to move, bring back memories and change our focus. Music is the color to my audio world. Thanks God for music.
8. Our awesome youth staff. I'm so thankful that people who love God and like students are working with our fantastic group. We're beginning some good new things, and I know that we're going to make a huge difference for Christ here in Columbia. I'm proud to minister with you.
7. Getting to be on staff at a great church. We have been here two and a half years now and love Grace and Columbia more and more all the time. I love our staff! We have so much fun and work together so well. I am proud to minister alongside you.
6. A calling on my life that I actually get to do for a living. I love trying to help our students learn to love God and love others. We have the coolest young men and women on the planet at Grace, hands down. With all their quirks, they are each so unique and amazing. I'm proud to be a part of a team of adults who love God and like students.
5. My family. I wouldn't be who I am without them. My mom, dad and sister have always been there for me with words of wisdom, encouragement, and guidance. They have shown me what it means to follow Jesus. I'm so happy God put us all together. I love you. I'm thankful for my in-laws as well. I know that many people are not too crazy about their in-laws, but I love mine. We always have a fun time together and I love to see how God is moving in your lives.
4. For the many great friends that I've had throughout my life. No matter what, God has given me people to laugh with, cry with and minister with. I am grateful to you and hope that I've been as much a friend to you as you all have been to me.
3. For Hayden and Emily, our awesome kids. You bring so much joy to my life that it's hard to describe. Watching you as you grow older and wiser, constantly learning...there's just nothing like it. May you love God, and love others. I am proud to be your father.
2. For my loving and faithful wife and friend. Can't believe we'll hit the double digits this year for our anniversary! I love that we still laugh and have fun today more than ever. I love to watch you as you raise our kids, and minister to our students. You are such a blessing. I love you so much Kristy! I am proud to be your husband.
1. That God loved me first, before I was worth anything to Him. (Romans 5:8) You are my everything, nothing has meaning outside of that. I am humbled to be called yours.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Mark 10:17-21 "It's Not About the Money"
I was reading in Mark chapter 10 today and came across the familiar passage where the rich young guy asked Jesus (whom he called "Good Teacher") what he must do to inherit eternal life. I've read it many times. What struck me this time was that when Jesus answers his question, he lists a few of the ten commandments; but no mention of "having no other gods before [him]". I don't know why that stuck out to me. Part of me thinks he should have said "love God and love others" (Matthew 22:37-39). Jesus tells him there's one thing has yet to do: sell all his possessions, give his money to the poor; and then follow him.
Many times in reading this, the part about giving the proceeds from the sale of his possessions to the poor has seemed to be a major focus; I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's the thought of giving away everything. I'm pretty sure though that if that's what we focus on- we're really missing it. The main idea here is that the young man put his whole trust in Jesus, not in his own accomplishments.
Later on in verse 24 Jesus is telling his followers that it's "very hard for those who trust in riches" to enter the Kingdom of God. I'm thinking/wondering that he meant not only monetary riches, but perhaps those of us who actually are trying to follow Christ in our everyday lives are tempted to (at times) trust in our own efforts towards salvation or being good enough. Which of course brings us back to grace.
I'm pretty sure that this passage is all about our absolute and total reliance on the work of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection; and not on our tries to measure up.
Many times in reading this, the part about giving the proceeds from the sale of his possessions to the poor has seemed to be a major focus; I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's the thought of giving away everything. I'm pretty sure though that if that's what we focus on- we're really missing it. The main idea here is that the young man put his whole trust in Jesus, not in his own accomplishments.
Later on in verse 24 Jesus is telling his followers that it's "very hard for those who trust in riches" to enter the Kingdom of God. I'm thinking/wondering that he meant not only monetary riches, but perhaps those of us who actually are trying to follow Christ in our everyday lives are tempted to (at times) trust in our own efforts towards salvation or being good enough. Which of course brings us back to grace.
I'm pretty sure that this passage is all about our absolute and total reliance on the work of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection; and not on our tries to measure up.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Questions from Big ? Night, 10/13/10
These are in no order, but here are the questions we had from tonight. I always love these nights, and I hope they are as helpful to our students as they are fun for me. We didn't get to answer all of them, but we tried to get to as many as we could.
- Should you judge someone about what religion they have by their skin color or culture?
- Is alchemy a sin?
- How do you tell what to take literally or metaphorically in the Bible?
- Why do I get hurt and they get to be happy?
- Does everything truly happen for a reason?
- If Jesus died to forgive our sins how come we are still threatened to go to hell?
- You're being tortured by insurgents. Your only options are let them torture you to death and suicide. Is suicide then acceptable?
- If an abusive ex-boyfriend comes back in your life, should you forgive them?
- If God knows us before we are born and we are made on purpose, why are the people who have kids before marriage thought down on as if they are under par and less than others?
- Why does God make kids in families that just can't handle kids?
- Should we help people who don't help themselves? Like if the orphans and widows we are helping don't seem to become self supportive; when they have the ability should we still help them?
- I don't want to be. Why am I here?
- Why are Jesus' holy words often put in red in many Bibles? Why not purple or blue or green?
- In the Old Testament, there are various accounts of God turning people into pillars of salt. What did they do with the salt?
- Is having sex before marriage a sin?
- How did God let Adam name the animals but we still give them different names? Is that a sin because we're going against God's decision?
- How come God seems cranky in the Old Testament, but He seems super forgiving in the New Testament?
- If you commit suicide do you go straight to hell?
- How does God know what we are going to do before we do it because if he gives us two options or more to do the right or wrong thing and He knows which one we are going to do then why give us the choice?
- Is there such a thing as premarital sex if you don't plan on getting married?
- What is religion?
- Is it wrong to tell a friend that we think he is on the wrong path? Isn't that being judgmental?
- Should you judge someone about what religion they have by their skin color or culture?
- Is alchemy a sin?
- How do you tell what to take literally or metaphorically in the Bible?
- Why do I get hurt and they get to be happy?
- Does everything truly happen for a reason?
- If Jesus died to forgive our sins how come we are still threatened to go to hell?
- You're being tortured by insurgents. Your only options are let them torture you to death and suicide. Is suicide then acceptable?
- If an abusive ex-boyfriend comes back in your life, should you forgive them?
- If God knows us before we are born and we are made on purpose, why are the people who have kids before marriage thought down on as if they are under par and less than others?
- Why does God make kids in families that just can't handle kids?
- Should we help people who don't help themselves? Like if the orphans and widows we are helping don't seem to become self supportive; when they have the ability should we still help them?
- I don't want to be. Why am I here?
- Why are Jesus' holy words often put in red in many Bibles? Why not purple or blue or green?
- In the Old Testament, there are various accounts of God turning people into pillars of salt. What did they do with the salt?
- Is having sex before marriage a sin?
- How did God let Adam name the animals but we still give them different names? Is that a sin because we're going against God's decision?
- How come God seems cranky in the Old Testament, but He seems super forgiving in the New Testament?
- If you commit suicide do you go straight to hell?
- How does God know what we are going to do before we do it because if he gives us two options or more to do the right or wrong thing and He knows which one we are going to do then why give us the choice?
- Is there such a thing as premarital sex if you don't plan on getting married?
- What is religion?
- Is it wrong to tell a friend that we think he is on the wrong path? Isn't that being judgmental?
Saturday, July 31, 2010
great phone call
I got a text from Corey Hoff, a former student here at Grace who has recently been hanging around with our students and serving by playing bass in our praise band. It was unusual, mainly because it was at 8:30 am and I don't recall getting a text saying "call me whenever you get a second" from Corey very often.
Now as a pastor, you never know what you're getting yourself into when you call back in a situation like that. It could be anything from asking for prayer to "can you come get me? my car is broken down." Anything. But what would follow will always be a reminder of why I'm in student ministry.
I could hear the excitement in Corey's voice as he told me that as he was logging off of his facebook account, he received a chat message from a guy he had gone to high school with four years earlier. He told me that this guy was somebody that he went out of his way every day to tell him that "Jesus loves you." He said it had even become kind of a joke between him and the other student. In this chat, Corey's friend told him that at that time in school, he would have basically considered himself an atheist; wanting nothing to do with God. He was chatting with Corey that night because he wanted him to know that he had put his faith in Christ and was trying to figure out what God wanted him to do. He wanted Corey to know that he had been a part of him finding Jesus.
So my first thought was "how cool is that?" That a now-college student would see results from his planting the seed of God's love years earlier.
My second thought was, "this is how it's supposed to be!" I know our students can reach their friends WAY better than I ever could.
My third thought was "how can I get Corey to help us out in student ministry?" We said we'd try to have lunch this next week.
Anyway, I am just so excited to see God still at work in the hearts of our students. Way to go Corey, and way to go God!
Now as a pastor, you never know what you're getting yourself into when you call back in a situation like that. It could be anything from asking for prayer to "can you come get me? my car is broken down." Anything. But what would follow will always be a reminder of why I'm in student ministry.
I could hear the excitement in Corey's voice as he told me that as he was logging off of his facebook account, he received a chat message from a guy he had gone to high school with four years earlier. He told me that this guy was somebody that he went out of his way every day to tell him that "Jesus loves you." He said it had even become kind of a joke between him and the other student. In this chat, Corey's friend told him that at that time in school, he would have basically considered himself an atheist; wanting nothing to do with God. He was chatting with Corey that night because he wanted him to know that he had put his faith in Christ and was trying to figure out what God wanted him to do. He wanted Corey to know that he had been a part of him finding Jesus.
So my first thought was "how cool is that?" That a now-college student would see results from his planting the seed of God's love years earlier.
My second thought was, "this is how it's supposed to be!" I know our students can reach their friends WAY better than I ever could.
My third thought was "how can I get Corey to help us out in student ministry?" We said we'd try to have lunch this next week.
Anyway, I am just so excited to see God still at work in the hearts of our students. Way to go Corey, and way to go God!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
2 things I should've mentioned tonight about Lent
1- If you're diabetic, don't feel bad for not giving up food. Your blood sugar levels will thank you.
2- If you just totally forget, and give in to (listening to music, or drinking Sun Drop, etc.): don't beat yourself up. The idea is recognizing the sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross, not perfectly maintaining your fast.
Here are the notes below from tonight, in case you lost them:
Lent fasting ideas/options
__ TV show (you watch every day or so)
__ Social media (facebook, myspace, twitter, etc.)
__ iPod/Zune/mp3 player __ Music while you drive
__ food __ Favorite beverage (Dr. Pepper, Sun Drop, Milk)
__ Sweets and/or snacks __ texting
Tips:
• Pick something you do on a daily or regular basis
• Sundays are off days, celebrate Jesus being alive!
• Don’t beat yourself up if you forget. Or cave in.
• Pick something that will be a challenge to you.
• WE FAST DURING LENT BECAUSE IT REMINDS US OF THE SACRIFICE CHRIST MADE FOR US. WE SACRIFICE BECAUSE CHRIST SACRIFICED FOR US.
Other verses to explore:
• Matthew 4:1-11 • Luke 2:37 • Ezra 8:23
• Esther 4:16 • Isaiah 58:3-5 • Joel 1:14
• Psalm 69:10 • Jonah 3:5
2- If you just totally forget, and give in to (listening to music, or drinking Sun Drop, etc.): don't beat yourself up. The idea is recognizing the sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross, not perfectly maintaining your fast.
Here are the notes below from tonight, in case you lost them:
Lent fasting ideas/options
__ TV show (you watch every day or so)
__ Social media (facebook, myspace, twitter, etc.)
__ iPod/Zune/mp3 player __ Music while you drive
__ food __ Favorite beverage (Dr. Pepper, Sun Drop, Milk)
__ Sweets and/or snacks __ texting
Tips:
• Pick something you do on a daily or regular basis
• Sundays are off days, celebrate Jesus being alive!
• Don’t beat yourself up if you forget. Or cave in.
• Pick something that will be a challenge to you.
• WE FAST DURING LENT BECAUSE IT REMINDS US OF THE SACRIFICE CHRIST MADE FOR US. WE SACRIFICE BECAUSE CHRIST SACRIFICED FOR US.
Other verses to explore:
• Matthew 4:1-11 • Luke 2:37 • Ezra 8:23
• Esther 4:16 • Isaiah 58:3-5 • Joel 1:14
• Psalm 69:10 • Jonah 3:5
Monday, February 15, 2010
snowboard discipleship
I recently have had a revelation. Don't get too excited, it's not about the end times. But every now and then, God connects thoughts in my mind that hadn't come together yet.
For example, on our annual ski trip we took the group to North Carolina's Sugar Mountain. The first day, we had some beginners, so I offered to help our snowboarders. Only one had never been before, so he and I got our equipment and headed to the mountain. We met up with some other students who had been before and immediately headed toward the ski lift. *NOTE TO SELF* I should never take a beginner straight to the lift. Not that he fell or anything, but we would be starting on a much steeper hill than the bunny hill. Don't let the excitement of the moment get me distracted from the current need.* So we got off the lift with little incident, and strapped on the boards. From here, it was a long process of getting down the hill. This was really my fault, not the new snowboarder's fault.
My whole idea to this post is this: as student ministers, we get all excited about seeing a student come to put their faith and trust in Christ, but what do we do next?
This is what hit me on Sugar Mountain: I get all excited about going on the ski trip and getting the students there, but do I just hand them the equipment and say go for it? Or in another way, I can be part of the process where students come to Christ, but then what?
Here's the conclusion I came to: it's not enough just to get them to a certain point (the mountain/point of accepting Christ); I'm going to have to stay with them and keep coaching and keep encouraging and constantly challenge them. Sure we need to get them the right equipment (Bible, solid teaching,etc.). But we can't give up on them. Even though the process is going to be messy (we're dealing with people here, right?) and can be painful at times, it's so worth it.
When we launch students into college, work, or military life; I pray that they are able to keep growing and learning on their own. And hopefully they can teach the next generation to love God and love others. Or maybe even snowboarding (or skiing for all you ski people out there).
A secondary point is that I know I am not going to be able to disciple everyone, which makes me realize that much more our need of small groups and leaders who love God and like teens.
For example, on our annual ski trip we took the group to North Carolina's Sugar Mountain. The first day, we had some beginners, so I offered to help our snowboarders. Only one had never been before, so he and I got our equipment and headed to the mountain. We met up with some other students who had been before and immediately headed toward the ski lift. *NOTE TO SELF* I should never take a beginner straight to the lift. Not that he fell or anything, but we would be starting on a much steeper hill than the bunny hill. Don't let the excitement of the moment get me distracted from the current need.* So we got off the lift with little incident, and strapped on the boards. From here, it was a long process of getting down the hill. This was really my fault, not the new snowboarder's fault.
My whole idea to this post is this: as student ministers, we get all excited about seeing a student come to put their faith and trust in Christ, but what do we do next?
This is what hit me on Sugar Mountain: I get all excited about going on the ski trip and getting the students there, but do I just hand them the equipment and say go for it? Or in another way, I can be part of the process where students come to Christ, but then what?
Here's the conclusion I came to: it's not enough just to get them to a certain point (the mountain/point of accepting Christ); I'm going to have to stay with them and keep coaching and keep encouraging and constantly challenge them. Sure we need to get them the right equipment (Bible, solid teaching,etc.). But we can't give up on them. Even though the process is going to be messy (we're dealing with people here, right?) and can be painful at times, it's so worth it.
When we launch students into college, work, or military life; I pray that they are able to keep growing and learning on their own. And hopefully they can teach the next generation to love God and love others. Or maybe even snowboarding (or skiing for all you ski people out there).
A secondary point is that I know I am not going to be able to disciple everyone, which makes me realize that much more our need of small groups and leaders who love God and like teens.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
desire to change
Being in ministry(any kind of ministry), it's easy to get comfortable with how things go, to kind of get in a groove, or worse: a rut. Maybe I'm the only one, but occasionally, I start to get upset at things staying the same. We do the same events, see the same students, have the same fun, same, same, same = blah. Nothing wrong with traditions (they actually make my life easier), but ... like Sunday school, ok. Do we just keep doing it the way we've been doing it because it's the way we have always done it, or should we change the format? Like to small groups. These are the thoughts rolling around in my head/heart. I know deep down that we need, let me emphasize NEED small groups for our students' growth in Christ. Some of their classes are not small, by any stretch. All of our Sunday school teachers are fantastic. I trust them. I'm really just wrestling with this now. If you happen to read this, and you have faith in Christ: would you please join me in prayer for guidance on this? I'm not interested in coming up with my own clever ideas (I usually have none- it's easier to borrow someone else's), I'm %100 interested in what God wants to do here at Grace in this town at this time. Help us Lord, to be doing what You're doing.
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