Todd's Two Cents

The Road Unknown

2011-12-24T08:46:00.008-06:00

As we get ready to transition to West Ridge and prepare for the next stage of our lives, I've spent a lot of time looking at our time in Nashville and reflecting. I remember vividly the nervousness and anxiousness I felt when moving to Nashville 11 years ago. I had a lot of the same feelings I have now about Atlanta.

I knew two things for certain when I moved to Nashville. 1.) I knew God wanted me there. 2.) I knew that I was not going to be a youth pastor at a church.

I filled in the rest of the blanks with my own ideas and desires. I thought I was going to be a rock star. I thought I'd make music that would reach and impact people, especially teenagers. I thought I would spend years traveling, singing, making music, etc.

11 years later, my time in Nashville looked NOTHING like I thought it would. It's true God wanted me here, but not for the reasons I thought. I spent a little time making music and traveling, but it was only to setup what God ultimately wanted me there to do. And that's doing what I thought I wouldn't do.

And that's what I think is important in all this. God calls you to obedience, not understanding. God will ask you to put your "Yes" on the table and walk in obedience down a certain road, but rarely will He tell you what the road will actually look like. He's not going to show you up front what will happen. You won't be able to calculate the risk and weigh your options. You either follow Him or you don't. It's going to require faith and trust in Him as you travel down a road unknown. And you're probably better off that way. If I knew what would take place in Nashville, I probably never would've done it.

Now, God will often give us a specific vision. He reveals to us what He wants to accomplish through us. But even then it requires an incredible amount of faith because we don't know what the details look like. We just see the end result. And often that vision can be extreme, difficult, and seemingly impossible.

So if you're stalling because you want more details about what God wants you to do, stop it. You're wasting precious time asking for something that God's not going to give you. God wants your obedience, not your understanding.

As we get ready to go to Atlanta, I'm going to refrain from filling in the blanks. I'm going to let God do that, knowing His ways are better than ours. That will free me up to enjoy the road unknown.

To The Students at The People's Church (Spring Hill Campus)

2011-12-13T15:13:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we had to communicate to our students on Sunday that we are leaving The People's Church and transitioning to West Ridge Church near Atlanta at the end of January. For those of you that missed it Sunday, I want to make sure you know exactly what I wanted to say to you. We'll make the audio available on our Verve Radio podcast soon, but here are my notes.

Over the last few months, God has been stirring in my heart and Angie’s heart in some crazy ways. Back in September I called my old youth pastor to seek wisdom from him about some things. He started a church outside Atlanta called West Ridge the summer after my senior year. 14 years later they are a church of over 5,000 and God has used them to reach a lot of people. He mentioned to me that their current high school pastor was getting ready to transition into a new role at the church and they would be looking for a new high school pastor. He asked if I was interested in talking to them about it. I said we could talk and see if that was what God had in store for us. For 2 months, we’ve walked through this process, met with their team, and prayed a lot. Just before Thanksgiving, they offered us the job. We took through the Thanksgiving holiday to continue to pray and see what God wanted from us.

Throughout the process, we couldn’t escape the feeling that this was a door God opened for us. We feel this is something God is calling us to. Last week we accepted their offer and will be moving to GA at the end of January. My last Sunday at TPC will be January 22nd.

During our FOLLOW ME Series we talked about following Jesus no matter the cost. Following Jesus means our lives do not belong to us, but to God. Angie and I are comfortable here. This is home. But following Jesus means putting what He wants ahead of what we want. And I can’t stand on this stage and tell you to live that way if I’m not willing to live that way also.

4 Things I Want You to Know

1. I love every single one of you! I am so thankful for the opportunity to be your youth pastor for the last 5+ years! This is the part I have been dreading the most. Because you are such a huge part of our lives! I have memories with you that I will have for the rest of my life! I've had the privilege of leading some of you to Christ, baptizing some of you, and seeing God move in significant ways in many of you. My one desire for each of you is that you become incredible men and women of God! That has been my motivation every single day! And I know God will continue the work He has started in you.

2. This isn’t my youth group. I don’t own this. This is God’s, and I’m His servant. And He called Angie and me to serve in this area for the last 5 years and help start the Spring Hill Campus. It's been a great ride! But I can’t get upset if he calls us somewhere else because it’s His. It’s sad and it means saying goodbye to people we love, but all of this belongs to God. Including us.

3. Sometimes God brings people into your life and sometimes God leads people away. As we grow in our relationship with Christ and help build His Kingdom, people come and go. We experience different seasons of ministry and live life with different people. God allows us to minister together for months or years, and then He moves us to our next place. That’s part of life. It’s not unhealthy or unfair and it doesn’t mean people don’t care about you. But it does make you cherish the times you have together.

4. I believe the best days are ahead for this Student Ministry! 1.) Because of our adult volunteers who will continue to be in place after I transition. They love you and are committed to helping you grow. 2.) Because some of you students in the room are going to step up and take a bigger role and God’s going to use you to do significant things. I believe whoever comes in after me will help take this Student Ministry to the next level! And the leadership of this church is committed to making that happen.

The good news is I’m not dying or moving to Afghanistan. I’m only moving 4 hours down the road. I’ll be back in town from time to time. I still want to hear from you on Facebook & Twitter. And you can call me up anytime. I will do anything I can for any of you.

If you were not in the room yesterday to hear this, the bottom line is I love you. Thanks for allowing me to minister to you and lead our incredible team. I don't deserve what I was able to do the last 5+ years. Thanks for helping to make it so amazing!

Todd

Big Announcement

2011-12-12T22:32:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was one of the toughest days that I've had as a Youth Pastor. We had to communicate something significant to our students. It's a decision that came after months of God moving in my heart and in Angie's heart. It's exciting, sad, difficult, emotional, and incredible all rolled into one.

At the end of January, The Hamptons will be moving to the Atlanta area and I will be joining the staff at West Ridge Church (www.westridge.com) as their new High School Pastor. It's an unbelievable opportunity for us to serve in a great church and we're so thankful for the door God has opened for us!

Why West Ridge? West Ridge is not just a random church I found on the internet. Instead, it's a church that we have personal ties to. My youth pastor from 7th-12th grade, Brian Bloye, moved to the Atlanta area and started West Ridge the summer after my senior year of high school. 14 years later, they are a multi-campus church of over 5,000. God has done some powerful things in that church over the years and I'm humbled to get to serve alongside Brian and the rest of the team!

The sad part about this is it means saying goodbye to people we love. It means no longer being heavily involved in the lives of teenagers we deeply care about. And it means leaving a city like Nashville that has been home to Angie and me for 11 years. Nashville has been the only home Angie and I have had as a married couple. And The People's Church has been the only church we've been part of as a married couple. It will be a difficult transition, but one we feel God is calling us to make. My last day at The People's Church will be January 22.

I knew yesterday was going to be tough, and I was right. I'm thankful that in spite of the sad news, everyone has been very supportive to Angie, the kids, and me. That just goes to show how incredible the people are that we've lived life with over the last 11 years.

Now...anyone want to buy a house?

A 3-Year-Old Thanksgiving (PART II)

2011-11-24T15:05:00.005-06:00

A couple of years ago I had Carson (who was 3 at the time) tell me what she was thankful for. (http://www.toddstwocents.com/2009/11/what-im-thankful-for-from-our-3-year.html)

Today, I thought I would do the same thing with our current 3-year-old, Jadd. Since he's a boy and Carson is a girl, that means this will be very different. And superheroes will be a big part of it. So here you go...

"Jadd, tell me what you're thankful for."

"Superman."

"Big Batman."

I caught on quickly to what he was doing.

"Buddy, this isn't what you want for Christmas. This is what you're thankful for. Do you know what being thankful means?"

"Yes. It means being happy for stuff you have. I'm thankful for...."

"Superman."

"Batman."

"Those slingy swords."

"Car."

"Whose car?"

"The Target car." (I have no idea what that is.)

"And our car."

"Are you thankful for mommy and daddy?"

"Yes. But I'm thankful for...."

"Spiderman toy."

"Toy Story toys."

"I'm thankful for....."

(He then repeated this line approximately 36 times, so I tried to help refocus his attention.)

"Who are people in your life you love?"

"I love mommy and daddy."

"I love Rachel." (she was sitting next to him)

"I love Hannah." (also next to him)

"I love Capo." (Hannah's dog who was sniffing his leg)

"I love Grammy." (my mom who was not sniffing his leg)

"I love Poppy."

"I love Carson and Avery."

"I love Mommy." (again)

"I love Transformers."

"What about your house?"

"I love MY HOUSE!"

"I love Miss Sherry." (his preschool teacher)
"I love Coppe and Estee." (girls in his preschool class)
"I love Gavin."

"What about Jesus?"

"Yeah. He is true...true...true...true...What did you ask me again?"

At this point, he was more interested in watching HGTV with his aunts than talk to me. So I had to ask him a couple of final questions to get him back on track.

"Jadd, why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?"

"Because it's so awesome!"

"What are you going to eat for dinner tonight?"

"Turkey...and pizza."

"What happened to your eye?"

"I was playing the crack the egg game on the trampoline today. Daddy bounced me and I hurt it on the side of the trampoline." (Not a shining moment for me as a parent.)

"Ok, Jadd. What else do you want to say?"

"Umm...Captain America."

That's code for Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

BATTLEFIELD

2011-11-09T21:18:00.004-06:00

Several weeks ago, our Student Ministry wrapped up a series called BATTLEFIELD. It was based out of Ephesians 6 and the Armor of God. And it happened after months of watching the enemy attack our students left and right. The series seemed to be pretty powerful for both the students and adults. Here is a breakdown of what we did each week.

WEEK 1

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-12
Illustration/Creative Element: The song "Our God" and a chess board to show how the enemy looks at our life and strategically moves in for the kill.
Main Point: In order to win the battle, we must first identify Satan as the enemy and God as our defender.

WEEK 2

Scripture: Ephesians 6:13-14a (Belt of Truth)
Illustration/Creative Element: Interview w/ Satan video
Main Point: The battle is won by living in truth, not lies.

WEEK 3

Scripture: Ephesians 6:14b-15 (Breastplate of Righteousness/Shoes of Peace)
Illustration/Creative Element: Rap with worship band FEAT ZaYa
Main Point: The breastplate of righteousness helps us live as God desires and the shoes of peace help us encourage others to do the same.

WEEK 4

Scripture: Ephesians 6:16 (Shield of Faith)
Illustration/Creative Element: Student skit and shield/arrow scene from movie "300"
Main Point: Faith means I know who God is and that He is present even with the answers are not.

WEEK 5

Scripture: Ephesians 6:17 (Helmet of Salvation/Sword of Spirit)
Illustration/Creative Element: Funny video from Za Ya and Beau, "Battlefield" bumper sung by some of our volunteers, plus samurai sword during the message showing power to fight back against the enemy
Main Point: Our salvation protects us, and we must fight back against the enemy with God's Word.

Time To Act

2011-09-05T08:46:00.003-05:00

"Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act."

Exodus 2:23-25 (NLT)

Have you been at a place in your life where you wished God would act? Maybe you're there now. You have financial struggles and wonder how you will survive. Your family is a mess and you know the only way healing will take place is if God steps in and does the miraculous. Maybe you just feel beat up by circumstances and the pounding is relentless.

The Israelites felt much of this during the height of slavery in Egypt. They were God's chosen people and yet felt like God's cursed people. They may have been told God cared deeply for them, but circumstances told them God didn't care about them at all.

Notice a couple of things about these verses:

Years passed, meaning Israel had to be patient. It wasn't that God didn't care. It just wasn't time to act.
Israel may have pinned their hopes of survival on the king dying. Yet the slavery didn't stop when that happened. Proof that their hope of freedom wasn't in circumstances, but in God.
Israel continued to cry out to God for help. Don't miss that. Even when God doesn't answer right away, our prayers are important and are heard by God.
God didn't forget. This verse leads us to believe God heard their cries and thought, "Oh yeah! I forgot about Israel. I better do something." God is not aloof. God did not forget. He knew what His people were going through the entire time.
Could there be 3 more exciting words when it comes to God and circumstances in our life? "...time to act." When God decides its time to act, our patience is rewarded and we see God do what we trusted He could do!

So do you find yourself like Israel, asking God to move and work but having to be patient and trust for the time to act? Don't lose heart! Continue to persevere and know that God is waiting for the right opportunity to move in. Continue to pray. Continue to trust. Continue to patiently wait for God to act. Because He will.

Maybe you're Moses in this passage. God's decision to act means an opportunity for leadership from you. When God decides to act, He uses others to bring about his plan. Moses had no clue that God taking action meant he was about to be leading the charge. Is God calling you to bring about his plan? Are you willing to listen and do what He's calling you to do?

13 years ago...

2011-06-12T14:54:00.013-05:00

13 years ago my world was forever changed. I met an incredible girl that a few years later would become my wife. The picture above is from when we met and is our very first (of many) pictures together. Friday brought a bunch of memories of the time we met and the crazy things that happened to bring us to where we are today. For those of you who haven't heard the story, here you go...

It was mid-May 1998 and I was spending time with God one morning. I had a lot on my mind. There was a youth group in TX talking to me and some buddies about leading worship for their camp. But I had a job and knew I wouldn't be able to get off work. That morning I opened up my Bible resigned to the fact that I wouldn't be able to go to the camp. The passage I read was Matthew 6:31-33 and said,

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat?

What will we drink? What will we wear?’

These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father

already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,

and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

I was also reading from Oswald Chambers "My Utmost For His Highest", and after being convicted about how we complain to God that we can't do HIS plans because of OUR needs, I immediately knew I needed to go to the camp. I also knew it would cost me my job. But I gave in to God and we decided to do the camp. I went in to work the next day and told them I needed the days off. My boss said either I worked those days or I had to quit. Right then and there, I made the difficult decision to quit my job, knowing that's what God wanted me to do.

We showed up at the camp on June 8, 1998 and God immediately began to work. At several points that week I felt like God audibly spoke to me and I was drawn into His presence in some incredible ways. God also used us that week to minister to teenagers and lead people in worship. And God also provided for us financially in more ways that week than what I would've made at my job.

But something else also happened that week. About 2 days into the camp, my friend and I were watching as the students played some games. I noticed one really hot girl immediately and said to my friend, "Check her out! She's hot!" What I didn't know was that her youth pastor was standing right there and overheard me say that. He laughed and said, "She's been talking about you all week!" He told me her name was Angie and she had just graduated high school. He asked if I went to Liberty University in VA and I said yes. He told me she was looking into that school as well. He then asked me to join them for dinner that night.

At dinner, I met Angie for the first time and ate with her and her youth group. We had a good time and talked several other times throughout the week. I could tell there was something special about her. When camp was over, we exchanged mailing addresses (yes that was how people communicated in the old days).

We talked the rest of that summer and she ended up coming to Liberty, where we dated for 3 years before getting married in August 2001. After arriving at Liberty, she told me she had been praying for months that God would give her a sign about where to go to school that Fall. When she arrived at camp, she felt God strongly say that Liberty was the place. She then found out that's where I went. She still tells me I was her sign from God.

I can't help but think, "What if I didn't walk in obedience to God? What if I refused to quit my job?" I probably would have never met my incredible wife. Let me be clear. We don't follow God so that he'll bless us. We follow God because He asks us to. But when we walk in obedience to God, we have no idea what He's doing behind the scenes. Sometimes God doesn't give us the why when it comes to obedience. He just asks us to obey and trust Him. I'm so glad I did on this occasion!

13 years later, I'm still in love with that beautiful woman named Angie. She has meant the world to me and I'm so thankful that God has brought us together! And that I was brave enough to call her hot in front of her youth pastor.

Whose kingdom are you building?

2011-05-10T09:47:00.010-05:00

My daughter got the movie Tangled last month for Easter. That means that Tangled has been playing on our TV about 5 times a day. Needless to say, I've become very familiar with scenes from that movie. There is one scene at the beginning where we meet the character of Flynn Rider. He is with a couple of his goons and they are on the roof of the castle, getting ready to steal the princess' crown.

As Flynn is on the roof, he looks out over the magnificent kingdom and says something like, "I've got to get me one of these!"

That line illustrates a common struggle that many people have as believers. It's a struggle that I have had and constantly have to guard my own heart against. We look at other Christians who are making a huge impact or those with large "kingdoms" and we become jealous. We think, maybe even subconsciously, "I've got to get me one of these."

Before we know it, we're spending a lot of energy and focus trying to build our own kingdom rather than building God's Kingdom. And trust me, those two things couldn't be more different. We get prideful and forget what the Christian life is all about: bringing glory to God and building His Kingdom. And in order to do that, it means keeping our pride in check and being focused on God's desires ahead of our own.

So how can we determine whose kingdom we are building? Here are some questions to ask ourselves:

1. Who gets the glory?

Forums like Twitter and Facebook have become a chance to promote our kingdom. We use them to talk about the number of people showing up at our events, how many old ladies we're helping across the street, or how hard we've worked to help with tornado relief. This can be a great tool to use, but how much of that is being done to make ourselves look good as opposed to celebrating the work that God is doing? Are we sure that God is getting the glory for everything we're doing? Or are we saving some of the glory for ourselves?

If you're building God's Kingdom, you may never receive recognition. I repeat, you may NEVER receive recognition (in this life). Are you ok with that? We all want to know we're making an impact. That we're important or valuable. But following God means we do the work that we've been called to do. And He becomes our focus. Not our recognition, comfort, or fame.

We sometimes make decisions based on how much glory or recognition we'll receive. We would never admit that, but deep down that's what we're doing. When we honestly look at who we're giving glory to, we'll know whose kingdom we're really trying to build.

2. What is the goal?

When we're focused on building our own kingdom, the goal will reflect that. If the goal is to have the biggest church in town, a more impressive resume, more friends, acceptance from others, or even blessings from God, we're building our own kingdom.

When we're focused on building God's Kingdom, we're about one thing: discipleship. Just before he floats off into heaven, Jesus tells the disciples and us what our goal is. We're to go and make disciples. Not make attenders, or casual fans, or converts. We're to make disciples. And discipleship is hard. It's difficult work that requires our dependence on God's wisdom, power, and Spirit. But it's impossible if we're trying to build our own kingdom at the same time.

Paul lays it out in Galatians 1:10, "Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant."

3. How do you spend your time?

This ties in with your goal. We spend our time based on what's most important to us. If we're focused on our own kingdom, we're spending time trying to make more money or get more stuff, creating programs that help us inflate our numbers, or talking bad about people who have left our ministry because they "don't get it".

But, if our goal is to build God's Kingdom, we're focused on reaching those that no one else is reaching. We're spending time thinking of ways to give God's love to people that don't have it: our next door neighbor, our co-worker, our classmate. We're spending time with God asking for wisdom, guidance, and strength to do the work He's called us to do. And we're always coming alongside people who we can help take the next step in their journey with Jesus.

So whose kingdom are you building? Yours or God's?

My Mentors

2011-01-18T21:51:00.010-06:00

The month of January is National Mentoring Month and today is National Mentor Day. The website (nationalmentoringmonth.org) says that this month is "the time each year when our nation spotlights the importance of mentors and the need for every child to have a caring adult in his or her life. When you serve as a mentor, you enrich your own life as much as you do the life of a child."

I was fortunate growing up to have some godly men pour into my life and help me grow in my faith. In fact, I do what I do today because of the impact of each of these men. I wouldn't be who I am today without their influence. Here are some guys that had a profound impact on my life:

Herb Owen
Herb was my Children's Pastor at Thomas Road and the guy who had the earliest impact on my life. He taught me a lot of things, including the impact that music and creative expression can have on people. He was a great Bible teacher and had great wisdom and insight into God's Word, yet was able to simplify it so kids could understand. He saw talent in me and gave me the opportunity to sing and believed in my ability to impact others.
Herb also knew the meaning of sacrifice, losing one house to a flood and another to a fire. Yet he continued to model an unshakeable faith in the midst of many difficult situations.
Herb's impact was not just limited to my childhood. I worked with him for several summers as a camp counselor and learned even more from him while in college. Angie and I were blessed to have him as part of our wedding.

Brian Bloye
I always tell people that growing up I was blessed to have the greatest Children's Pastor in the country and the greatest Youth Pastor in the country. Brian was my Youth Pastor from 7th-12th grade and probably had a greater impact on my life than anyone else. He was a gifted communicator and was able to present the Truth of God's Word in a way that always impacted students. He was always willing to call us out when we missed the mark, encourage us when we were heading in the right direction, and help drive us into a deeper relationship with God. And he was a guy who lived what he preached. There was nothing fraudulent about him.
He was also someone who lived with vision and saw things that the rest of us didn't always see. He somehow talked our entire church into letting us take a 2 1/2 week "mission" trip to Hawaii. We saw God do some amazing things there when we weren't catching rays on the beach.
He left at the end of my senior year to start a church in an Atlanta area that was a graveyard for church plants and has thrived.

Rob Soukup
Rob was a middle school volunteer when I was in 7th grade. He was the first person to challenge me to read the Bible every day. In fact, one day he dared me to read through the entire Bible with him. We spent that entire year reading through the Bible and having weekly meetings to talk about what we learned. God's Word began to come alive to me as a 7th grader and it started with Rob's challenge.

Mike Pinner
Mike was my discipleship leader when I was a junior in high school. He and I hung out every week and he spent a lot of time helping me grow in my faith and teaching me what it meant to passionately follow Christ. He delivered pizzas for a living and his farts smelled like pop tarts, but he loved Jesus. And that was enough for me.

Michael Harsch
Michael was one of those guys who always made you feel cooler when you were with him. But more importantly, you always felt closer to Christ when you were with him. He was the first one to help me develop as a worship leader. He pulled me up on stage to sing in the worship band when I was in high school and helped me learn about worship. He showed me worship is more than just music, but a passionate love for Jesus that overflows into every area of your life.
He believed in my buddy and me as worship leaders and knew that we could make an impact on others by writing great songs. We repaid that belief by writing mostly crappy songs, but still.
As a young man I also watched him love his new wife well and learned what a godly husband looks like.

Billy Patterson
When I became involved at The People's Church in Franklin, Billy was on staff at the time as the Missions Pastor. One year at the youth Winter Retreat, a friend told me about a guys' discipleship group Billy was starting up. I met Billy and instantly became blown away by his committment to reaching people all over the world with the Gospel. He spent the next couple of years helping me grow as a young man and husband. He also introduced me to a book called "Experiencing Christ Within", which I've used to disciple several students in our youth group.
It was clear that Billy didn't have some hidden agenda. He just enjoyed helping other guys grow in their faith and took it very seriously. He's also a guy that every single year always remembers my birthday. Even while living in Italy, he would email me birthday wishes every year.

If it wasn't for all of these guys, I would not be the man I am today. These guys had a profound impact on my life and I'm so thankful for their influence!

Who has mentored you? And, more importantly, who are you mentoring? Your impact can be felt for generations to come. Use your influence with others to make disciples and build God's Kingdom!

Student Ministry Resolutions for 2011 (PART 2)

2011-01-03T11:32:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we introduced the first 2 Resolutions for our Student Ministry in 2011. If you didn't read that post, click (http://www.toddstwocents.com/2011/01/student-ministry-resolutions-for-2011.html). Here are the last few that we're going to focus on this year.

3. KICK A BAD HABIT
Habits are hard to break. Every New Year, there are millions of people that vow to kick that smoking habit, drinking habit, cursing habit, or whatever else they deem necessary. I don't have any stats to back this up, but I bet this is the most unfulfilled resolution that people set. Everyone wants to be a better person, but few have the persistence to kick the bad habit.
Spiritually speaking, is there an area of your life where you've developed a bad habit? Is there a sin in your life that has kept you from being all God has called you to be? Have you refused to walk in complete obedience? Then it's time to kick a bad habit.
Over the holidays, God has been reminding me that He wants total obedience. He is not interested in partial obedience. Sometimes we cheapen the importance of obedience because we know God is gracious and will forgive us anyway. So we continue living in sin or just giving God the parts of our lives that are easy. And that's not what God wants.
A.W. Tozer says, "The sovereign Lord accepts no offering from His creatures that is not accompanied by obedience."
God wants our obedience, and if we love God, we strive for obedience too. So what bad habit do you need to kick? Do you rip apart other people with your words? Is there jealousy or hatred in your life because of what someone else did to you? Are you involved in pornography or other sexual sins? Is God calling you to take action in a situation but you've refused to? Whatever the struggle is, let's ask God for the strength to walk in obedience.

4. BRING WORLD PEACE
Ok, so maybe this is more of a line from a Miss USA Pageant than it is a New Year's Resolution. But many of us want to improve the world around us. We want to help the poor, clean up the pollution in our neighborhood, plant a tree, or cure cancer. Many of us talk about it but never actually do anything.
For us, God has called us to have a heart for those who are far away from Him. To see the hurt, pain, and choas in the world and take action. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says we are God's ambassadors. God is making His appeal to the world through us! What an incredible opportunity! The world needs to experience peace, freedom from sin, and healing that only Jesus can bring. And God calls us to represent Him in that effort!
Are there nonbelievers in your family? You are God's ambassador of peace to them. Is there chaos in your school? God is calling you to represent Him there and carry His truth into every class. Do you flip on the TV and see the amount of pain in the world? God is not absent. He is calling you to step up and do something. Let's not take that calling lightly.

5. FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIPS
Each year people say they want to spend less time at work and more time with family and friends. In fact, recent polls conducted by GNC, Quicken, and others show that over 50% of Americans vow to appreciate friends and family more this year.
We were created for relationships. And from a spiritual standpoint, we cannot survive without them. It's difficult following Jesus and doing it alone can wipe us out. We must be surrounded by others who will encourage us in our faith. Those who love us for who we are and accept us in spite of our flaws and failures. And we need people who, because of their love for us, are not afraid to call us out when we step out of line, encourage us when we're down, or listen to us when we need someone to talk to.
We need to be a Student Ministry that cares for each other. Instead of spreading crap about each other, we should always look for ways to build each other up and push each other towards a deeper relationship with Christ.

Imagine what 2011 would look like if each one of us focused on these areas. We will see God do some pretty incredible things in us and those around us if we do! Will you commit to these areas this year? If so, 2011 could be our best year yet!

Student Ministry Resolutions for 2011 (PART 1)

2011-01-03T10:02:00.005-06:00

'Tis the season for New Year's Resolutions. Usually I make 1 or 2 resolutions each year. They can range from reading more, to exercise, to an area in my life that lacks spiritual growth. From a spiritual standpoint, I personally want to focus on these three things (in no particular order): wisdom, humility, and obedience. I want to seek God's wisdom in everything I do. I want to humbly walk with God and not get caught up in pride. And I want my life to be marked by total obedience to the life God has called me to.

For our Student Ministry on the Spring Hill Campus, there are some things that I feel God is calling us to and reminding us of in 2011. So here are some things we need to focus on. ALL of us: myself, our adult volunteers, and you as students.

1. LOSE EXCESS WEIGHT
Each year, this is probably the single biggest New Year's Resolution people make. They want to physically lose weight and shed some pounds. As followers of Jesus, we can sometimes become overweight. We become so busy and fill our schedules with a bunch of stuff, even good stuff. Our weekly routine includes 15 different school functions, practices, and recitals. We spend hours with the video game controller or another electronic device in our hand. And don't forget the time logged into Facebook. Even spiritually, we become busy with 12 church events a week, debates with other Christians about who the anti-Christ is, and futile efforts to earn God's favor. And sometimes the "good" stuff makes it impossible to do the "best" stuff.
The writer of Hebrews 12:1 says, "...let us throw off everything that hinders..." We need to simplify things. In 2011, let's simply love God, love people well, and have a heart for those far away from Christ. If we are so busy with life that we can't do these three things, then it's time to diet. All the other stuff has it's place, but we need to shed that excess weight so we can focus on what's most important.

2. GET IN SHAPE
I hate running with a passion. It's not that I can't run (I run like a gazelle), I just choose not to. It's boring and hard work. It's difficult to find motivation for something that is boring and requires hard work. Some of us look at growing in our faith the same way. We know it's good for us, but we have no desire to do it. It's too much hard work, it's boring, blah, blah, blah.
If we want to see fruit in our lives, we have to get in shape. This means that we focus on the things that help us grow in our faith: spending time every day with God in His Word, talking to Him, and surrounding ourselves with other believers who will encourage us. Spending time in the Bible each day is so critical! God has incredible things to teach you and show you every day if you'll do it! I don't care what time each day you do it or for how long. Just do it.
This past Sunday, our pastor Rick White gave a challenge for our entire church to read the Bible for the next 90 days. This challenge involves starting in Matthew and reading 88 verses or approximately 3 chapters each day. I'd like to extend that challenge to all of our students. Let's do this together! Jump in and ask God to change your mindset so that you no longer look at it as a chore, but as an exciting opportunity each day to spend time with the Creator.
Our small groups are the most important thing we do! Be committed to your group on Sunday nights. If you've never come, jump in. If you're inconsistent or don't take it seriously, make a commitment to grow closer to Christ each time you come. You'll find yourself in better shape because of it.

Those are the first 2 resolutions. Tomorrow we'll look at a couple more as we focus on the year ahead and the things God has in store.

Hope or Doubt?

2010-12-23T10:15:00.007-06:00

"Those who know your name trust in You,

for You, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for You."

Psalm 9:10

A couple of days ago, one of our students opened up to me on Facebook about some deep struggles in their life that have led to depression and doubts about God's presence. This individual has experienced way more pain than anyone their age should experience. This person began sharing to me how they felt so alone and confused that maybe it was a mistake for them to be born in the first place. That confession broke my heart.

As I tried to bring hope and encouragement to their situation, I couldn't help but wonder how many of us often find ourselves in the same predicament. Not necessarily that we go so far as to question our existence, but that many of us live doubting the character of God. And when the good times of life seem to flee the scene, our hope goes along with it.

The reality is that this life will bring pain, struggles and heartache that won't make a lot of sense to us and will cause us to wonder what God is up to. In fact, Jesus even promises us in John 16:33 that we will go through difficult times. And often we won't be able to look at the situation and know what God's plan is. When those moments come, and they will, the key for us is to know who God is and trust that He will never fail us.

I love the quote by Charles Spurgeon that says, "When you can't trace His hand, you can always trust His heart." The problem for some of us is when we face problems, we don't know God's heart. Experiencing the crap that life brings and not knowing God's heart is a lethal combination that leads to a lack of hope and doubt about almost everything. In order to have sustained hope in the midst of life's garbage, we have to know God's heart.

So how do we do that? The first and most important place to turn is to God's Word. Scripture is FULL of verses that talk about God's faithfulness, His unconditional love for us, and His working of all things good and bad for the benefit of those who know Him. That's one of the reasons why knowing God's Word is so vital to our walk with Christ. We have to immerse ourselves in the power of the Bible and allow the Truth of God's Word to remind us of His promises.

The enemy's goal is to get us to question the existence, compassion, and truth of God. Because if he can poke holes in our understanding of God's heart, when the crap hits the fan he's got us. We'll be confused, angry, hurt, etc., and will doubt the heartbeat of God. And that leaves us completely exposed to the lies of the enemy.

Boyd Bailey says, "Intimacy trusts. This is the outcome of knowing God...Know Him, and you will trust Him. He is there for us to seek Him."

Do you have intimacy issues with God? Do you know His heart? If not, take your doubts and concerns to the feet of Christ and ask Him to reveal His heart to you. Then take action by picking up God's Word and allow His promises to remind you that when you can't trace His hand, you can ALWAYS trust His heart!

Highlights of a Historic Day

2010-10-31T22:23:00.006-05:00

Today was a historic day in the life of The People's Church. Today was the day we opened our much-anticipated new Spring Hill Campus building. I could barely sleep last night because I was so excited for today to arrive! For the last 4 years, our campus has met in a local high school. And we have been extremely blessed to call that home for the last 4 years. But to finally open the doors of our own place is pretty incredible! No more setup and tear down every week. No more using bathrooms that don't have stall doors. No more Sunday mornings covering windows and trying to transform a school cafeteria into a Student Ministry room.

Over the last week, we've worked hard to get our Student Area ready to open for 6th-12th graders. We've trained leaders, empowered students to step up and lead, and put more furniture together than I care to think about. And when the doors opened this morning, we were ready to rock and roll! Here are some highlights...

Let's get the numbers out of the way first. Including children and students, we had over 1,000 people for our Grand Opening! We had almost 100 6th-12th graders this morning and over 20 of our adult volunteers helping make it happen!
It was great to watch the students' faces as they walked into our new area! They were blown away that this was theirs! Every area of the church looked phenomenal and ours was no different. I had multiple parents and students ask if the rooms would be open for students during the week. We're going to come up with a plan so that we can utilize the rooms during the week and I'm excited about the possibilities!
For the first time ever, our band was comprised mainly of students. Being in Nashville, we've always tapped into the incredibly talented adult musicians in our church. But now it's even more important to raise up students who can consistently play. The guys did a great job this morning, weren't intimidated by the moment, had great attitudes throughout, and had fun. I'm excited about these guys continuing to grow as worship leaders and musicians! Here is a pic of them bringing the heat....

Publix helped us kick off the morning with over 1,000 doughnuts and gift cards to give away. And McDonalds brought coffee for 600 people and had offered to bring apple pies and breakfast items too.
We had a group of high school students that did an awesome job greeting middle school students in the main lobby and helping new students find our student area! Proud of the way they served middle school students and the example they set for the rest of us!
I saw tons of faces that I have never seen before! There were over 30 students that came that had never stepped foot inside our Student Ministry until today! My hope is these weren't students just skipping their youth group this morning, but students who are unchurched and looking for a place to belong.
I talked to multiple parents who said they were blown away this morning and feel very strongly that this is the place for them! It's cool to see people coming to the church looking for a place to belong instead of coming just to check out the building! I look forward to hearing many more similar stories in the coming weeks!
Our leaders did an incredible job of welcoming students, helping with the various elements of the service, and loving each student that walked in the door! I know they were just as excited as I was about our new space and the opportunity to reach more students!
This morning we talked about the transformation that God wants to do in all of us and how God says we will be satisfied when we hunger and thirst for Him. But we often feel like it's our responsibility to satisfy God and work to earn His approval. We used a Rubik Cube to talk about how God is the only one who can transform our life. No matter how much we try to fix ourselves and straighten up our life, we will just end up more mixed up and confused. Only God can take our life and transform it.
During both Velocity (6th-8th) and Verve (high school) services, we presented the Gospel and gave the students a chance to turn their life over to God. We had 4 middle school students that prayed to receive Christ!

Thanks to all the people who busted their tails to get the building ready! There are some who have bled and sweat to make today happen and their work did not go unappreciated!

Now the goal is to connect these students and help disciple them in their faith. God has given us an incredible opportunity and I'm excited to begin this next stage of ministry in our new building!

The Wrong Enemy

2010-10-19T23:52:00.002-05:00

"Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

Ephesians 6:11-12 (NLT)

I am a huge history buff. That doesn't mean that I pretend to know a lot about history; just that I have an interest in historical events. Yesterday, I spent some time away from the office by going to a Civil War memorial. One of the benefits of living in Middle Tennessee is the incredible amount of Civil War history all around us.

So I sat there yesterday eating my Chick-fila and reading some passages in my Bible. And while I was there I couldn't help but notice the number of plaques and signs pointing out the various events of that spot during the War. It hit me that 150 years ago, this was the spot where a very significant battle took place in the history of our Nation. Many soldiers died at that spot for a cause they strongly believed in.

But another thought hit me as I was looking at this: Were these soldiers fighting the wrong enemy? I mean this was a nation fighting against itself. Now, I don't pretend to be a Civil War historian and I understand that there were multiple reasons the Civil War happened. But the bottom line is we were fighting against each other. We spent a lot of time and energy focused on fighting, wounding, and killing ourselves. We had the wrong enemy.

The parallels to us as believers are many and should humble us. We can go to places in our home, church, or community where significant battles took place. There are emotional and spiritual plaques that mark the specific events of that battle. And yet, how many times when we look back at those events do we realize that we were fighting the wrong enemy? We believed so strongly in something only to realize afterwards that it really didn't matter. Our energy and resources were spent fighting something that was insignificant or misguided.

It has been said often that Christians are the best at shooting each other. We rip apart another church across the country who uses methods we don't agree with to reach people. When we don't like a local church's stance on an issue, the style of music they play, or the type of toilet paper in their bathrooms, we blog about it so everyone knows how horrible they are. When the girl at school that we don't like attends another youth group in town, we automatically hate everything about that youth group or church. When any of that occurs, we have the wrong enemy.

I'm sure one of the first things any good soldier does before they head into battle is identify the enemy. Who is the battle against? And once the enemy is identified, focus on how you can defeat the enemy. Sounds like simple stuff. But we screw this up as believers all the time.

Our fight isn't against the church staff member who just doesn't seem to like us, the other student in our youth group who makes our small group awkward, or the chick in the church band that doesn't sing as well as we do yet is always on stage. And our enemy is also not the church down the street. The moment we believe any of them are our enemy, we've lost the battle to our real enemy. As Paul says in Ephesians, our battle is against Satan. He is the enemy. And he's cunning. One of the ways he defeats us so easily is by getting us to identify other people or things as the enemy and not him.

Over the last 4 days, I have seen Satan throw some crazy stuff at me and some other people I care about. It has been an attempt to keep us from fulfilling the critical mission God has given us. And you know what? He's done a really good job. Rather than keeping our focus, we've pointed the finger at each other. We've questioned motives, heart, passion, and about anything else you can think of. And it's caused us to lose sight of the real enemy.

Who have you been battling against? Have you forgotten who your real enemy is? Remember that our fight is not against flesh and blood but against that conniving serpent, Satan. The battle is too critical to forget that.

Bullying (Part 1)

2010-10-15T22:29:00.000-05:00

Within the last week I have been hit over the head with the topic of bullying. It started with a parent asking me how we try to deal with it. I then saw a TV interview about it. I overheard another teenager talking about it a few days later. And finally, I saw a People Magazine article at the store today with a cover story about bullying. It's like God is trying to get my attention or something, which too often requires multiple punches to the face.

I bought the People Magazine (there it's out in the open) and read the article on bullying. It was incredibly sad to be reminded of just how heartless teenagers can be. One college student killed himself when his roommate "outed" him on the internet using a webcam. Other students killed themselves because they were bullied about their weight, their sexual orientation, their looks, or just because they were different. And it was a reminder to me that this stuff isn't going away anytime soon. In fact, it's getting worse.

I would bet that a large percentage of students are bullied for any number of reasons. It doesn't just affect a small number of teens. It is running rampant across our school campuses. As a guy who was bullied and made fun of a little in middle school and high school (mainly just because I was so awesome), I have always wanted to come to the defense of the outcasts and those who were being picked on. On a couple of occasions growing up I came to the defense of those being bullied. But most of the time I did nothing but stand there and watch it happen.

So my question is two-fold:
#1 - Why is it that we bully each other the way we do? Are we really that insecure about ourselves that we find significance in other people's pain? Why is this happening more and more?

#2 - What do we as Christians do about it? What should a follower of Christ do when they're being bullied? Turn the other cheek all the time? Or is there a moment when we stand up for ourselves and fight back? What about when we see it going on in our school? Do we have an obligation to stand up for what's right and come to the defense of others? Can we show love for the "unloveable" by fighting those inflicting pain on others?

I'd love to hear some of your feedback on this. Maybe my head has been buried in the sand a little bit on this. But no more. This is a topic that must be discussed with students and we need to help them deal with an issue that is affecting them more and more.

Thoughts from our Velocity/Verve Kickoff

2010-08-08T21:01:00.000-05:00

Today we kicked off a brand new school year of ministry on both the Franklin and Spring Hill campuses of The People's Church. For us on the Spring Hill Campus, this was a pretty special day for a lot of reasons. Here are some random thoughts about our Kickoff today...

In the 4-year history of our Spring Hill Campus, we have never had our large group gathering on Sunday morning. So this morning was a historic day for our students. It was an adjustment for all of us: students, leaders, parents, other adults. But the team knocked it out of the park!
We had the highest turnout in our history. For Velocity, our 6th-8th grade environment, we had 32 students. For Verve, our high school environment, we had 34 students. That's a total of 66 for our Kickoff! Incredible!
To be quite frank, last year we did not do a great job of reaching middle schoolers. There are many reasons for that, but the bottom line is we could've done much better. So having 32 show up this morning for our Kickoff was an awesome thing! Now 6th-8th graders have their own environment each week and get an experience that is more age-specific.
We met in the glassed-in area at the local high school. This didn't come without its share of minor issues, particularly the sound bleed over from Adult Worship across the hall. But there was pretty good energy in the room and the room was the perfect size for us. In about six weeks we'll be in our new building and then we'll be able to take a great experience and make it even better!
I was really excited to see middle school students serve in Children's Ministry during the 11am service! Having our 6th-8th graders attend Adult Worship or serve in Children's at 11am is a great chance for them to connect into other ministries of the church!
We have an AIDS orphan family that we sponsor each month in Malawi, Africa. For $50 a month we can help provide things like food, education, housing, Bibles, etc. This morning we collected over $60 in our offering, which is the largest offering we've ever received! That really got me excited!
Tom LoSchiavo did a great job of leading worship this morning! I'm excited to plug in with him each week and work to create an awesome experience for our students!
A hilarious moment came during our "Megga Jamm" game where students had to name the singer they were hearing. A senior guy heard the song "Stayin' Alive" by The BeeGees and thought it was Michael Jackson. Apparently, he hasn't heard many of MJ's actual songs. Barry Gibb and the boys would've been honored to be associated with MJ.
For this month, we're doing a series called "We Are..." that talks about what we feel God wants to do in us this year. This morning we declared, "We Are...a Student Ministry based on love not rejection." Jesus said the world will know we are His followers by our love for others. Our challenge to students was to have a heart for the outsiders; the rejects; those who are far away from God.

So that was our Kickoff this morning. I'm excited about the year ahead and believe God has some great things in store! Stay tuned...

No Hope For You!

2010-04-22T16:51:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I saw a clever video series of old Jesus movies that were overdubbed with voices. During one of the videos, Jesus stands in front of a bunch of people at the Sermon on the Mount and says, "I have come here to tell you this...there is no hope. Goodbye." Jesus then walks off and leaves the people standing there confused.

What if the Sermon on the Mount had gone something like that? It is amusing to think about because we know it didn't happen that way. But I wonder sometimes if that isn't the type of message we send to people, often without even realizing it. The great thing about the message Jesus came to bring was that there is hope for everyone, and that He can take anyone and make them clean.

In Acts 10, Peter has an encounter with Cornelius, a Roman officer. Up to this point, everyone assumed that the message of Jesus was only for the Jews. Hope wasn't for everyone; only for the select few. But God says to Peter in a dream, "Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean" (v. 15). Peter then meets Cornelius and God shows him that no one is exempt from the grace and mercy of Jesus. No one is beyond reach. No one has screwed it up too much. No one has to live without hope.

Do you assume that certain people are beyond the reach of God? Do you sometimes feel that God can do some pretty amazing things, but He can't save THAT person? Do you believe that God can reach anyone, but only interact with those that would be easy for God to reach? Maybe you even look at yourself as the person that has crossed too many lines, made too many mistakes, gone too far.

Shame on us if we feel that way or live that way! Jesus always seemed to target the people who needed the most "work". He didn't shy away from those people. Those were the people He centered His ministry around! So why do we do the exact opposite?

I Timothy 1:15-17 is one of my favorite verses. It says, "...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life."

Do we really believe and live as though no one is beyond God's reach? Or do we view as unclean that which God can make clean?

The Cross

2010-04-02T23:56:00.000-05:00

"But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

-Romans 5:8 (NLT)

The more I understand the sacrifice of the cross, the more willing I am to sacrifice my own life.

The more I understand the depth of forgiveness Jesus offers to me, the more willing I am to forgive others who have wronged me.

The more I understand that the cross represents every single sin of mine, the less I assume that some sins just can't be forgiven.

The more I understand that the cross is meant to kill my old life, the less I try to hold on to that old life.

The more I see that the humanity in Jesus wanted out of the situation but the Spirit kept Him focused on the task at hand, the less I want my humanity to dictate the way I live.

The more I understand the incredible love that Jesus has for me, the more certain I am that it is undeserved.

The more I understand the power that the cross holds, the less I rely on my own strength or power.

The more I understand the humility with which Jesus gave his life away, the less pride seems to control my life.

The bottom line is the more I focus on the cross, the less I focus on everything else.

Control

2010-03-17T10:17:00.000-05:00

When I turned 16, I went through the whole process of getting my driver's license. It came time for my road test with the driving instructor. We were cruising down the road and things were going fine. Up ahead another car had stopped in the road in order to turn left. The instructor told me to put on the brakes. I slowly applied the brakes, thinking I had plenty of time. The instructor began to say it with more urgency as the car got closer and closer...

"Put on the brakes...Put on the brakes!...PUT ON THE BRAKES!!"

In the driving school cars, there is a brake pedal on the front passenger's side for moments just like this. Before I knew it, the instructor had mashed the brake pedal on her side and we stopped inches from the car that had stopped in the road.

At that moment, someone had to take control and keep us from smashing into the car in front of us.

Did you know that control is a big deal?

In fact, our success or failure as a Christian is an issue of control.

It's not how many people we lead to Christ, how many Bible verses we have memorized, or how many times we show up for church each week. Those are all secondary. The primary issue is who has control of our life? That impacts everything else.

In Romans 8:6, the Apostle Paul says, "So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace."

All of us are controlled by something. Either our sinful nature controls us and causes us to act in selfishness, pride, anger, lust, hatred, etc. Or the Holy Spirit controls us and leads us to act in humility, love, joy, patience, purity, etc.

All we have to do is look at our life to see who controls us. The difference between the two couldn't be farther apart.

Jesus says if we want to follow Him, we have to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. It's no longer about us. It's about letting God control our lives and fulfill His incredible purposes in us.

Who has control of you?

HELP! Family Series

2010-02-23T11:28:00.001-06:00

For the month of January in our student ministry, we did a series called "HELP! (I'm in a family)". This series was a direct response to the hurt and pain that our students/parents are feeling in their home lives. I am amazed at the success the enemy is having in destroying families and ruining lives! And we felt led by God to step up and take action.

From time to time our Student Ministry team from both campuses links up and go through the same series in both our large group and small group settings. I love doing this for a lot of reasons There is incredible unity as we all work together in putting together messages, small group materials, media elements, etc. The students are encouraged by the unity and feel the strength in numbers as we all work towards healing in the same area of our lives. I look forward to doing this more often than we do right now, because there is immense value in this.

The series kicked off with a Parent/Teen worship service at our Franklin campus. We worshipped together, asked God for wisdom and guidance together, and had radio host and youth communicator Dawson McAllister come and share some thoughts on family relationships. It was an incredible night! Here are some other highlights from the series:

During week 1 we talked specifically about parent relationships. We talked about the family being created by God as an incredible model for trust, love, and protection. We told students that unfortunately there are NO perfect parents. All parents make mistakes and inadvertently cause hurt and pain to their kids. They often do things that students don't agree with. But God's desire for students is to walk in obedience to their parents.

We played Family Feud and gave students a series of questions about relationships with parents and struggles. Groups of students competed against each other to get the most points, Family Feud style.

A group of students did a fun skit demonstrating a typical dinner conversation in a healthy family situation and then an unhealthy family situation. It was a bit dramatic, but probably not too far off base for some families.

Week 2 we discussed sibling relationships. For me, this was a bigger issue growing up than my relationships with my parents. I always seemed to go to blows with my older sister and younger brother over things big and small. I even had a home video from when we were younger that captured my sister and I bickering. Now, my siblings and I are close and have a deep love and respect for each other. We looked at the story of Joseph as a guide and discussed 4 reasons we have poor relationships with our siblings:

We're angry that mom/dad treat them differently;
We're annoyed by their behavior;
We're jealous that they have something we don't;
We're hurt by their actions.

We then gave 4 things that God expects in our relationships with siblings:

Show mercy, don't seek revenge;
Act out of love not anger;
Look to protect not attack;
Respond with patience not impulsiveness.

During week 3 we talked about broken homes. This was a powerful week in Fusion. Even as the night was getting started, you could tell there was a lot of pain in the room from students of broken homes and that God's Spirit was at work. We tackled 4 questions that are common to teens of broken homes:

My parents have made so many mistakes, why should I listen to them?
I'm angry at my parents for what they did, how can I ever respect them again?
It was my fault that they split up, so what do I do with all this guilt?
It seems that every relationship in my family fails; am I doomed to follow in their footsteps?

We encouraged students not to put blame on themselves for their parents' breakup. We also told them that God's heart is to take things that are broken and fix them. That doesn't mean their parents will get back together, but it does mean that God can heal the hurt and pain and bring restoration back to their family. It was incredible to see students respond and ask God to heal their families. They were willing to look at themselves in the mirror and ask God to change them first instead of pointing the finger at others.

The highlight for me was having one of our students come up to me at the end of the series and tell me that she has forgiven her dad. She has experienced incredible pain and hurt because of decisions made by her father and has struggled with that for years. But God showed her the importance and power of forgiveness!

By no means was this series the magic pill that cures all family issues. But it definitely pointed students in the right direction and provided some encouragement towards reconciliation in their families!

In the Year 2000s...

2009-12-31T13:58:00.000-06:00

Today is the last day of 2009, which means it's also the last day of the decade. Where were you 10 years ago? What did your life look like? And what did you experience over the last 10 years that have helped shape who you are today? I decided to jot down some thoughts as I remember the last decade. Man, things have changed!

-10 years ago, I was a skinny college kid who was in love with an amazing girl. Ten years later, I'm still skinny and still in love with the same amazing girl.

Speaking of this amazing girl, Angie and I had been dating for over a year and knew that we would get married. This is the one thing that has turned out EXACTLY like I thought it would. I knew she was special and figured it would be an incredible ride with her by my side. Bingo!

-10 years ago, I had aspirations of being a rock star and making music. Now that thought makes me laugh out loud. I even thought our band name Image was cool. Ouch.

My best friend, Steve, and I had plans to move to Nashville and "make it big". We were getting ready to cut a demo for Word Records with some pretty big names in the industry and figured stardom was right around the corner. In fact, we would move to Nashville in August of 2000. I left my family, my girl, and my college to fulfill the dreams I was certain God had given me. Turns out God had some different dreams to fulfill in me. I know it's hard to believe, but I never became a rock star. I can't imagine why not.

-10 years ago, I stood in my parent's kitchen and told them I needed to move to Nashville. My dad got upset, said I only had 1 year left of school and that it was a stupid decision, and then stormed out. But I was certain that I needed to do this. One thing I loved about my parents is that they gave their opinion and tried to help us make good decisions, but they never forced their opinions on us. As adults, they gave us the freedom to make our decisions. Even if they didn't agree with it (and they didn't agree with this one), they trusted us to prayerfully make our decision after sharing their thoughts. And I would make the same decision all over again.

-10 years ago, I hated my curly hair and kept it "high and tight". People look at pictures of me back then and wonder who it is. Even Carson looks at old wedding videos and refuses to believe it's me marrying mommy. Angie eventually convinced me to fro' it out and let the curls do their thang!

-10 years ago, I chose "Youth Ministry" as my major in college. Not because I saw myself as a youth pastor. In fact, I was sure that I would never be a youth pastor. I just wanted to make an impact on the next generation and thought that major, combined with music, would help make that happen. 10 years later, I am doing what I was sure I wouldn't do. And I'm loving it.

-10 years ago, I drove around a grey/black 1988 Ford Bronco II with some pretty sweet red interior. It was a stick-shift and I almost didn't get it out of the parking lot the first time I was learning to drive it. It was the nicest car I had up to that point, which is saying a lot. The cars I've owned haven't improved much since then. I'm still waiting on the mailman to deliver the black 'Vette. It should be here any day now.

-10 years ago, I had an older sister living in Florida and three younger siblings in high school or middle school. We were all young, immature, and pretty naive about life. Since then, we've shared some incredible memories together, hurt together, laughed a lot (mainly at our dad's expense), and celebrated each other's accomplishments. I couldn't be more proud of the man and women they've become!

-10 years ago, I couldn't imagine having kids, changing diapers, putting toddlers to bed, or being a dad to three of the most beautiful people in existence! Now, I can't imagine life without them! Life must have been so incredibly boring before they came along. In the last 10 years, I have witnessed three miracles being born and been given the responsibility of raising them and introducing them to our incredible God! I definitely would've run from that responsibility a decade ago.

As I look back over the last decade, almost nothing turned out the way I thought it would. And that's what I love the most! I think part of the beauty of pursuing God and being used by Him is that it rarely looks like you think it will! He breathes life into you, fills you with dreams and purposes, and then leads you on an adventure that you can never experience without Him. And while I knew that God would use my life to bring Him glory, there were twists, turns, bumps, and obstacles that I never envisioned. Had I seen those ahead of time, I probably would've refused to go along.

All of those uncertain moments, those times where I thought, "Ok, God, I didn't think this would happen!", the bumps and obstacles have helped shape who I am. They have tested and increased my faith. They have showed me that I really don't know what's best for my life. And they were all part of God's plan.

What did the last 10 years look like for you? Did it look like you thought it would? Probably not, but I bet you saw the fingerprints of God all over it. I know I did!

'Tis the Season

2009-12-08T10:27:00.000-06:00

I thought I would post a blog entry I did last year that is challenging to all of us as the Christmas season is upon us. Enjoy...

So I just spent some time over the last week looking at YouTube clips of insane people acting like morons on Black Friday. Some of these clips are very funny, with people running like bulls through the streets of Spain in an effort to save $20 on a DVD player. But there are some that make you sick. It turns out that a Wal-Mart worker last year was trampled to death by shoppers when he opened the door. I happened to see a video clip of police trying to revive him. Meanwhile, the same shoppers who trampled the guy were seen running through the store in the background, completely oblivious to what they did.

Does that not make your stomach hurt? I mean, what the heck is going on? How is it that the night before these people are spending time around the table at Thanksgiving, giving "thanks" for what they have, and the next morning they are running over people trying to get what they don't have??! How is it that at a time when we're supposed to be celebrating the greatest act of selflessness ever (Immanuel coming as the sacrifice for our sins), we are so self-consumed and have no regard for other people?

I read a few passages this week regarding this subject. One of those is Matthew 25, in which Jesus says that many people will be turned away from heaven because they didn't care for Jesus when he was hungry, thisty, naked, and hurting. And people will say they never saw Jesus this way. Jesus then says that anyone who doesn't care for those that need it, it is as if they are turning down Jesus Himself. A couple of chapters before that, in Matthew 20, the disciples are arguing over who is the greatest disciple. And Jesus tells them that whoever wants to be truly great will serve others. A true follower of Christ will be consumed with meeting the needs of those all around them before considering their own needs.

And yet, if I'm honest, I'm going from store to store looking to save 10% on a larger TV that I don't even need! Or I'm trying to use whatever Christmas money I have on another iPod, or pair of jeans, or sweatshirt, when the reality is I already have plenty of those things. Meanwhile, the guy at the end of my street has been out of work for 8 months and is trying to put food on the table for his family or trying to find the money for a coat so his kid doesn't freeze to death!

So the question I've been internalizing is this: Am I really living my life the way Jesus wants in regards to taking care of the poor and feeding those who are hungry or in need? Or am I so consumed with myself and what I want that I'm missing the blantant needs of others all around me?

"Those that want to be first will be last, and those who put themselves last will be first."

What I'm Thankful For (From our 3-Year-Old)

2009-11-26T09:10:00.000-06:00

Today is Thanksgiving and I woke up thinking of all the incredible ways God has blessed us. But rather than give you my thoughts about Thanksgiving, I thought I would let you hear from the heart and mind of our 3-year-old daughter, Carson. I asked her if she wanted to tell everyone what she was thankful for and she said yes. So here you go!

WARNING: This is completely unedited. You have been warned.

1. Me

2. Daddy

3. Jadd

4. Mommy

5. Josh (Cassidy)

6. Daddy

7. Jadd

8. Mommy

(At this point, I had to re-explain what we're doing here. I got the sense her heart wasn't in it.)

9. God

10. Grandaddy

11. Jesus

12. Oranges

She then said, "Now let's talk about toys!"

13. Caterpillar

14. Tiger

15. Zebra

16. Lion

17. FeeFee (her blanket)

18. Tiger

19. Hippo

(I told her we'll go ahead and lump all of the animals together)

20. Olivia (friend from school)

21. Annie (another friend from school)

22. Mateo (yes, another friend from school)

(you can see where this is headed)

23. boys (that answer just made my heart sink)

24. Neal

25. our house that we live in

26. our stairs

27. The refrigerator

(she then began to look around the room to find other things)

28. stockings

29. Christmas tree

30. our old house

She then said, "One more thing, daddy!"

31. baby Avery (who is due in 3 weeks)

I thought we had a pretty good list, so I decided to ask her what Thanksgiving is.

"Thanksgiving is, um, doing some turkey stuff. Because we are going to Josh and LaLa's house."

Who were the first people to celebrate Thanksgiving?

"Jesus."

(she has already learned that the answer to any semi-serious question is "Jesus".)

"What's a pilgrim?"

(whispering in my ear) "They are on the Mayflower."

"What do you eat on Thanksgiving?"

"Turkey! And pumpkin bread, and sweet potatoes, and rolls. I want daddy to hold me!"

Ok, so maybe this idea was better in my head. At any rate, have a Happy Thanksgiving from Carson and the rest of us!

Transformed

2009-11-23T10:37:00.000-06:00

Last night, we concluded our Fusion series for the month of November called "Transformed". Throughout the series, we emphasized to students that God is not content with just making us good people who go to church, love our parents, only use Christian cuss words, and don't cheat on tests. His desire is to make us like Him! It is about complete transformation! Here are some of the highlights from the series:

Our Creative team of students came up with some cool ideas to deck the room out and help enhance the series. We had some car parts from a local junkyard setup on stage, including a red hood that looked the part of Optimus Prime. This is the first series where we had student involvement in the planning/creative process and they did awesome. Definitely looking forward to the New Year and getting their feedback on some incredible series we have planned!

The first week, I spoke about the blind man from John 9 that Jesus healed. The 3 points we made based off this passage were: (1) Only God can transform us; (2) When God transforms us others take notice; and (3) Our transformation deepens our love for God.

In week 2, I spoke briefly from John 4 and the woman at the well. We then made 2 points to the students: (1) Our transformation begins where we are; and (2) God uses our transformation to transform others. We then had one of our leaders share her incredible story. She grew up in a verbally and physically abusive home, made significant mistakes as a teenager, and was at the end of her rope. But God grabbed hold of her heart and changed her. She then encouraged students by telling them God can change anyone! Powerful stuff!

Sr Pastor Rick White spoke week 3 as we wrapped up the series and did an awesome job, taking the life of the Apostle Paul to challenge the students not to focus on self-righteousness. Paul had a lot to be proud of and could rest on that and feel that he had arrived. But he considered everything as loss compared to knowing Jesus and experiencing the work He was doing in Paul's life. Rick told the students that we can't transform our own life or pretend that we're good enough. Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit..."

We also got Rick involved in a karaoke game. We wisely didn't tell him that until he showed up that night. He had to put on headphones and hum 80s songs into the mic. Students had to guess what song he was humming. He was a good sport, although his humming was a little pitchy at times.

Each week, we made a fun video where one person is transformed into someone else. In week 1, one of our students (Zac) was transformed into a leader (Dan). (Check it out here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kK1wpOFBp4). In week 2, another student (Beau) was transformed into me, curly hair and all. And in week 3, I was transformed into our Senior Pastor Rick White (Check it out here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trlh-8aAPzE). Anytime you can get Zac to wear chick pants, Beau in an afro wig, and myself with my hair straightened, you can't go wrong. Or maybe you can.

We also had a video testimonial of one of our students talking about the change God is making in his life. He talked about how he used to just go through the motions in his walk with Christ. But over the last few months, God has been working in his life and he sees a huge difference.

The band did an incredible job throughout the series, rocking songs that talked about the incredible change God does in us. They also did a really cool acoustic version of Switchfoot's "Dare You to Move".

Our leaders had the chance to counsel/pray with several students throughout the series as God spoke to them! It is special to see God open students' eyes to the reality that He wants to make them like HIM! That is a transformation we all need!

The Best Way to Live

2009-11-18T10:48:00.000-06:00

Are there things that you've learned in life that you wish you had known earlier because it would've changed everything? For example, it would've been nice to know a few years ago that the housing market would go in the crapper in 2008-2009 and our home values would drop. Had we known that, maybe some different decisions would've been made for many of us.

Or if I knew the path ahead of time that God would lead me on, maybe I wouldn't have spent so much time dragging my feet and questioning what He was doing. (of course, I may have just avoided the path altogether)

Maybe you wish you had known to avoid that bad relationship, or to study harder for a huge exam, or to stay away from that party where things went very wrong. The decisions we make (both good and bad) are often the best teacher and help us later in life. But if we had only known what the right decision was early on...

Recently, I read a verse that reminded me of something incredible I learned later in life. I wish I had known this awesome truth when I was younger. The verse is from 2 Corinthians 3:8-9:

Shouldn't we expect far greater glory under the new way,

now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way,

which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more

glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God!

In this passage, Paul is comparing the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was rules-based, and required us being perfect in order to obtain salvation and holiness. This was the Old Testament way of living that said if you want to be like God, you have to obey every law. Mess up on any of them, even the smallest one, and it was over. If the Old Covenant was going to work, it was up to us to be holy. Needless to say, this was impossible for everybody. All it proved was that we were failures.

The New Covenant was different. It was grace-based, and gave us something we didn't deserve. The New Covenant depended on Jesus for salvation. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law because he never sinned, so he could stand in the gap for us. Now, when God looks at us He doesn't see our sin, He sees the holiness of Jesus!

Sadly, many of us as Christians stop there. I stopped here too for much of my life. We're thankful for the cross because it means we're forgiven, and we're no longer going to hell if we trust Jesus as Savior. But we fail to realize that there is so much more! It's more than just getting a "Get Out of Hell" card. There is something incredible that happens in us!

Here it is...

The New Covenant also says that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. There is a change that happens in us that involves the very power of God! Living a holy life is still important, but it was no longer up to us to do it! The Holy Spirit gives us the power to live differently! It's not just about salvation (as incredible as that is); it's about living a God-filled life!

A few years ago, I read a book that profoundly impacted me. It is "Experiencing Christ Within" by Dwight Edwards. In this book, Edwards uses Scripture to point out 4 major things that God gives us when we become a Christian:

New Purity - Our sins are COMPLETELY washed away by the blood of Jesus! We are no longer who we used to be - a sinner.
New Identity - Our identity (who we are, what defines us) now is found in Jesus, not ourselves. Not only are we no longer who we used to be, we are now something we've never been before! We take on the identity of God!
New Disposition (Motivations) - We now desire to live for God. We want to walk with Him, know Him more, and live the way He wants us to live. We don't have to force it.
New Power - We now have the power of Almighty God in us! This is huge! Not only do we have the desire to obey Him, but we also have the power to accomplish it.

Understanding this has changed everything in my life! I now begin to understand the unbelievable revolution that takes place within my own heart. And when I understand how my heart has changed, God then begins to change the way I live!

Do you understand the impact that is made when you give your life to Jesus? It's way more than being saved from hell. It is the opportunity for a supernatural, power-filled, God-controlled life to be lived in you. That, is the best way to live!

Don't You Care?

2009-10-29T10:12:00.000-05:00

Last night after our Access small group, I had a conversation with a student who talked about some friends of his who were going through some tough financial times as a family. He also mentioned his own family's issues and there was such concern in his voice as he said, "I've got to do something about it." He was grasping at straws because in his heart he had no clue what action to take.

This morning I was reading in Mark 4 where Jesus calms the storm. It says this:

"As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, 'Let's cross to the other side of the lake.' So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind. But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up shouting, 'Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?'"

-Mark 4:35-38 (NLT)

At this point, the disciples had seen Jesus do some amazing things. He had healed people o' diseases, helped crippled people walk, cast out demons, etc. And the disciples witnessed all of it. And yet, like us, they were quick to forget because they were in the midst of a storm that was going to rock them like a hurricane. And they went to Jesus and said, "Don't you care that we're going to drown?"

I bet the disciples tried just about everything on their own to fix the situation. They let their fishermen instincts kick in and analyzed all the options. They messed with the sail and mast. They probably even started throwing things overboard to lighten the load. But when a storm is bearing down, what could they possibly do on their own? So they finally went to Jesus and said, "Hello! How about some help here?"

Do you think Jesus knew there was a storm going on? Of course he did! No one sleeps through a fierce storm in a small fishing boat! I am a deep sleeper and nothing short of a dump truck driving into the side of our house is going to wake me. But I guarantee that if I was sleeping on a boat that was about to be flipped upside down by waves, I wouldn't sleep long. So Jesus was fully aware of what was going on.

So then did Jesus just not care? Was he not concerned about the safety of his disciples? Was he ready to let them all drown?

I believe Jesus was fully ready to step in, calm the storm, and save the day. He was just waiting on the disciples to come to him for help. He wasn't playing some mean trick on them. He just wanted them to understand that only he had the power to do something about the situation. Either they look to Jesus for help and trust in His power, or the boat gets flipped and they all drown. Those were the only 2 options!

The same is true of us today. We face the storm and crazy life situations head on and freak out.

My mom/dad just lost their job and we're broke!
I just found out my little brother has a rare blood disease!
My parents are getting a divorce!
I am getting ready to go to college and have no clue what I'm about to do!
*Enter your specific situation here*

We see the possibility of us drowning and we immediately wonder where the heck Jesus is. Does He care? Is He just sleeping in the back of the boat while we're about to be destroyed?

But when we go to Him as our source of hope, strength, and protection, He comes through. And He asks us, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (verse 40)

What Jesus wants from the beginning is not for us to try to handle things on our own; not freak out and get fearful; not get angry and wonder why God allowed this to happen. Instead, Jesus wants us to come to Him! To go to the back of the boat immediately and say, "Hey Jesus, there's a storm going on here and I'm looking to You in faith to help me out."

I really believe that at the heart of God He is a rescuer! He has to be in order to do something as drastic as sending Jesus to die for us and rescue us! He loves to come to the aid of His people and save the day! And God is waiting for us to come to Him in faith and believe that He does care and will bring us through! Not because the storms we face aren't a big deal, but because we belong to a powerful God!

That's Freakin' Impossible!

2009-10-16T09:31:00.000-05:00

We all go through those times when things hit us, we feel the pressure of life, discouragement can set in and we begin to lose focus or get frustrated. And often things feel worse than they actually are. But that's how life is sometimes.

So the last few weeks have kind of been like that for me. A mix of discouragement, pressure, and life situations. Then I've been facing the ultimate discouragement of rooting for sports teams that are just plain "turrible".

So a couple of weeks ago I had an encounter with God that was exactly what I needed. I was reading in Zecariah 8 and how God was planning to bring Israel back from exile and restore Jerusalem like it once was. That must have seemed like such an impossible task to the people.

It's similar to a foreign country coming into the U.S. and wiping out our cities, killing people, and taking others as prisoners back to their country. The thought of us ever being what we used to be would seem farfetched.

But in verse 6 God says, "All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But what is impossible for me?"

I read that and it totally changed my perspective in the way I was praying about things and my mindset. I began to think, "God, what is impossible for you?"

Later that afternoon there were some "bombshells" that were thrown at me and some stuff that was discouraging. Perhaps any other day it may have been crippling. But God immediately brought me back to what I had read that morning and said, "Todd, I knew what you were going to experience this afternoon and what you would need to make it through." Rather than it breaking me, it was an opportunity to see God do "the impossible". And it gave me the right perspective in dealing with things that the enemy meant for destruction!

That is how our God works! He knows the things that life will bring our way, both good and bad. He knows the temptations we face, the struggles we encounter, and the mindset of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy us. And rather than watching from a distance and allowing the crap to overwhelm us, He shows up and reminds us that He is in control and intends to bring about good!

Every single day there are things the Creator wants to reveal to us and do in us, and many of those things can directly impact the events of that day. But if we never seek Him, never spend any time with Him, never allow His heart to collide with ours, we end up feeling discouraged and alone. And we miss out on what God wants to do.

Have you spent time in the presence of the Savior today? It will change your perspective and remind you that with Him, nothing is impossible!

CELEBRATE

2009-07-23T11:15:00.000-05:00

So if you didn't make it this past Sunday night to Fusion, we did a special "Under the Stars" Fusion complete with sunshine and good weather. It was a perfect night to be outside and enjoy our last Fusion for the summer! The goal of the night was to celebrate who God is and what He's done in us and through us over the last year. Courtney Helm, Luke Smallbone, and Josh Cassidy led worship and did a fabulous job.

We also had a station where students could take some chalk and write on the pavement as a way to thank God for who He is or celebrate what He's done in their lives. During the worship time, the phrase "I once was lost but now I'm found" kept playing over and over in my head. I am 30 years old and have been in the church my entire life. But it seems the older I get, the more amazed I am by the cross and the love that Jesus has for me. I know that's not an overly complicated thought, but that's the truth. I was completely screwed up and lost, but God entered the scene and rescued me! So I had to celebrate that.

I shared a lame story of how, when I was 8 or 9, my dad and I were watching a basketball game on TV and when the game-winning shot was hit we both stood up and went nuts. It was a moment of total celebration and victory. Well, until I tried to give him a high five but he either ignored me or didn't see me (probably the latter) and I felt like a complete loser.

We read from Luke 15 and the examples Jesus gave of people who lost something of value and the celebration that ensued when they found what they had lost. We related that to students who were lost a year ago and didn't have a relationship with Christ. But God has grabbed hold of their lives and set them free from their sin! They are now found! Luke 15 says that moment of salvation is so significant that all of heaven rejoices over ONE person who gives their heart to Christ! We often feel insignificant or unimportant, but many people we don't even know and can't see are celebrating throughout heaven for us when God does something incredible in our lives!

The bottom line is, we need to celebrate. Celebrate when God brings us to a place of salvation and forgiveness. Celebrate when He reveals His presence in our lives in a way we didn't expect or even think possible. Celebrate when we see our knowledge of Him deepen. Celebrate when He answers our prayers or comforts us in a time of heartache. Celebrate when He brings healing to us or those we love. Celebrate when He uses our life to impact the lives of others. Heaven celebrates these moments. We should too!

Often, our world and culture puts emphasis on the negative things in our lives. The things that beat us down or bring hurt and pain. But if we'll look closely, God is at work in all of us, providing moments of hope, grace, growth, and opportunities to celebrate!

Making a Difference

2009-06-30T15:37:00.000-05:00

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

-1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT)

So it's been a lil' while since my last post. I get bad about blogging sometimes. But if there's ever a time to blog my face off, it's now.

Do you ever get to a point where you wonder if what you're doing is making any difference? Not to the point that you question the road you're on or begin making huge life decisions or anything. But the results that you're looking for aren't really lining up with reality. I think we all go through that, regardless of our age or occupation. That's kinda been me for the last 2-3 months. Let me explain...

God calls us to plant the seeds of righteousness. In other words, its our responsibility to tell the world about God's goodness by the way we live, the things we do, and the decisions we make. But God is the One who brings growth, not us. I really struggle with that and always have. I sometimes feel like I've got to be the one who makes things grow in order to be satisfied. It's hard sometimes for me to plant a seed and walk away. I want to stand over it and force it to grow.

Often in ministry, we can enter a season where we're planting, planting, planting but not seeing the immediate results that we crave. We wonder why the seeds don't shoot out of the ground right away. We get discouraged by that and it causes us to get discouraged, frustrated, or worse, lose faith. We then begin to wonder, "Am I making a difference?"

I ran across the verse above a couple of months ago and just stored it away. In fact, at the time some of the leaders and myself were discussing the lack of results we were seeing. In a couple of areas of the ministry it just didn't seem like the seeds that were being planting were bringing the results WE thought they should. I encouraged them to keep plowing away, keep planting seeds, keep trusting God. I should've reminded myself of the same thing. Subconsciously, I was getting discouraged too.

Fast forward to camp 2 weeks ago. Many of us began to see some things happen. God was working, changing, bringing growth. Students were giving their lives to Christ and wanted to be baptized. God was bringing forgiveness in tough family situations. Students became broken over their sin, became desperate for God to take control, began looking to God as their only source. It was incredible! In fact, it was what God had in store all along. He didn't flee the scene. He was chipping away months ago, preparing the seeds for growth. We just needed to be patient and let Him do His thing.

But the kicker for me was one night when the speaker in high school camp encouraged everyone to ask God for something they needed. At first I thought that was a little arrogant. But the first thought that popped into my head was, "God, I need to know that what we're doing is making a difference." Immediately, I dismissed that thought. "No, God, I know we are making a difference. I don't need confirmation of that." I then moved on to something else.

At the end of that service during a response time, some of our students stood to say they wanted to be baptized. I went over and gave one of them a hug, told him I was proud of him, and he responded with, "Do you think Kywi will baptize me?"

Kywi is one of our youth leaders who came through our student ministry. He had a rough past, gave his heart to God three years ago, and I had the privilege of baptizing him a year ago. It is amazing to see what God has done in Him over the past three years. When the student asked if Kywi would baptize him, I lost it. In that moment, God said to me, "There's the confirmation that you need."

As I look back at camp, I am amazed at God. Of all the camps I have been part of, this was one of the most incredible! God was bringing the results that we all craved so much, but He was doing it in His timing. It's a good thing He is in charge of the growth process because He does a much better job than any of us ever could! Now all of those times of planting, planting, planting have all been worth it. God has brought growth, life change, results. Only God could do those things!

So my encouragement to all of us is to continue the work that God has called us to. Is there a friend that you've prayed for but haven't seen anything happen? Keep planting. Have you asked God to bring healing to your family situation but nothing has changed? Keep planting. Do you question whether you are making a difference? Keep planting. God will bring the growth in His time. We just need to remain patient and faithful.

As the verse says, "...nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

2009-05-21T17:25:00.000-05:00

For the month of May, we did a series at Fusion called Prison Break. The series turned out incredible, from our "faux" prison bars, to our bright orange prison shirts, to the lame prison video we did (go to my Facebook to check it out). But more importantly than all of that, we talked about freedom. Freedom from sin, freedom from our past, freedom from the things that control us.

The message of the cross is a message of freedom and power. God came to set us free. And if the Son has set us free, "we are free indeed" (John 8:36)! Our story doesn't have to be one of prison bars, chains, addictions, and slavery. It can be one of freedom, power, and love!

At the end of the last night, we passed out these handcuff keychain things that I got on Ebay. Inscripted on each one was "freedom". We did this to remind students that we can be free. Jesus has come to give us life more abundant. Powerful stuff!

Confidence?

2009-05-08T23:24:00.000-05:00

I ran across a verse a couple of weeks ago that has been playing in my mind over and over. It is Psalm 57:7 and it says,

My heart is confident in You, O God;

My heart is confident in You.

No wonder I sing your praises.

This Psalm written by David came at a time in his life when confidence in God could've been lacking. He was being chased by Saul, the king of Israel, out of jealousy. Even though he had done nothing but honor the king and lived his life with the utmost integrity, David was living in a cave in the wilderness, eating God knows what, and wondering when Saul and his men would come and kill him. So David probably had every right to question where God was and doubt whether God even gave a rip. Instead, David's trust and confidence in God stood strong.

I told the students the other night at Fusion about my experience with a girl in 5th or 6th grade. I was certain she was in to me. She smiled when I was around. We had good conversations, at least as unawkward as you can have as a 5th grader. And she even laughed at my lame jokes.

So I got brave. I thought I was take the plunge and ask her to go out with me. I'm not sure where we would go, but I could figure that out later. So I called her up, waited for the right moment, and then popped the question.

The sound at the other end was laughter. Not just a snicker, or a chuckle. But a "bust out loud" complete meltdown of laughter. I took that as a no and promptly hung up, feeling dejected and a bit of a loser. To make matters worse, she called my good friend and told him, and he called me up and laughed at me too. Needless to say, my confidence in a lot of things was shot at that moment.

Have you ever been confident in something? A relationship, sports team, your ability to do well on a test? Are you certain that this thing you have confidence in won't let you down when you need it the most? And how do we even determine who or what is worthy of our confidence?

I've really been asking myself what am I confident in. Certainly not the economy or my crappy sports teams. Do I have this unwavering confidence in God, that no matter how chaotic life seems or out of balance things get, He WILL show up? Do I know my God so well and trust His Word to such an extent that my confidence in Him is unaffected by what's going on around me? Because He has never let me down. I may feel like He has because He didn't show up when I thought He should have or in the way I thought best. But He has always been worthy of confidence! When I go back and look at all the times He has shown up and provided exactly what I needed, it reminds me that He is worthy of trusting and believing.

Do you and I have the same confidence in God that David has? When life gets rough, are we quick to throw our hands up and question why the heck God put us in this position? Or do we endure, confident that God will show up and defend us?

Let's talk about sex, baby!

2009-04-06T17:07:00.000-05:00

Yeah yeah! So for the month of April, we're launching a new series at Fusion. And we're talking about sex. That's right! And we're not going to sugarcoat things either! We're going to jump in head first and talk about what's true, what's not, and how we can see this whole sex thing through God's eyes. Everyone else is talking about sex, so we might as well too! Who knows...we may even have an appearance by Salt-N-Pepa.

The series will be April 19th and 26th at 6pm. We'll also have a chance to dialogue further in our Access groups and give you guys a chance to talk back about what you see, what you're scared of, and what you think about sex. I'm sure there will be some memorable moments!

So tell your friends, invite any 6th-12th grade student that you want! Just don't miss it!

Rock Band Series

2009-04-06T16:47:00.001-05:00

So for the month of March, we did a series at Fusion called Rock Band. We setup the X-box 360, let the students rock out the drums, and had some incredible artists come in and share their hearts and music with our students. During this series, we saw more students walk through the doors each week than we've seen since we started last August!

Some of the highlights for me:

-Joining Brandon Porter, Dan, Nate, and Jason in the bathroom for some eyeliner application in anticipation of RED! Nate made it look way too easy!

-Randy from RED sharing his story of salvation and how he and the guys have represented Christ well while on tour with mainstream secular bands.

-Hearing the girlish screams when Joel and Luke sang a couple of songs. Man, they're good-looking blokes!

-Watching Joel, Luke and Robdul dominate the students in "Are You Smarter than a Rockstar?" (watching them name off N'Sync song titles with wreckless abandon was impressive)

-Joel encouraging the students that God is there and willing to show up in their lives if they just ask Him.

-The boys from Stellar Kart getting some help from John Hill during the rockstar game. That propelled them to the win against some capable students.

-Putting on the purple short shorts and running free through the Target parking lot in our Stellar Kart video! My wife was not so proud.

-Courtney, Dan and the rest of the band guys who did a fantastic job playing each week and engaging the students.

-Cody from Stellar Kart talking about the lack of identity that he sees in the youth culture today. He encouraged the students that our identity can only be found in Jesus alone!

-The last night we did an Ultimate Rockstar night. It was great watching our students trying to guess who the ultimate rockstar was. Guesses include Elvis, Toby Mac, Skillet, Michael Jackson, and others. We finally landed correctly on Jesus. Great finish to the series!

MADE

2009-01-20T15:20:00.000-06:00

During the month of January, we are going through a series called "MADE", based off the MTV show. We've been talking about how our God is a Creator, a Potter who is always working, creating, making, and transforming. I say often that the biggest evidence that God exists is a changed life. For someone to say, "I used to be this way, but God did what no one else could do. He made me into a completely different person!" How incredible is that? God ushers in a transformation and does not rest until the work is complete. Philippians 1:6 says, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

So this series we're doing is focused on students who are far away from God. Those who need to be changed. Who look at their spiritual lives as that socially-awkward geek in desperate need of a change. And what greater thing could possibly happen than for God to come along and transform their lives? I don't mean give them a fuzzy feeling. I mean COMPLETELY revolutionize their life??! Because as impressive as it is for the class geek to be transformed into the prom king, that doesn't come close to the amazing work that God does in us when we give our lives to Him!

This past Sunday night, Jason Barrineau from the Franklin campus spoke about how God offers freedom from our sin. We are not who we used to be. When God enters the picture, He brings forgiveness, healing, and freedom from the "old life". We are no longer the socially-awkward nerd.

This Sunday night we'll be talking about how much farther God goes in transforming us. He doesn't just change us from the class geek into average joe. He transforms us into the prom king! He doesn't just wipe away our sins (as awesome as that is). He makes us into a completely different person!

Please pray God will transform lives. That His Spirit will speak clearly and powerfully to students. That He will do what no one else can possibly do...MAKE us into what we were designed to become!

Season of Love?

2008-12-17T23:38:00.000-06:00

So I just spent some time over the last week looking at YouTube clips of insane people acting like morons on Black Friday. Some of these clips are very funny, with people running like bulls through the streets of Spain in an effort to save $20 on a DVD player. But there are some that make you sick. It turns out that a Wal-Mart worker this year was trampled to death by shoppers when he opened the door. I happened to see a video clip of police trying to revive him. Meanwhile, the same shoppers who trampled the guy were seen running through the store in the background.

Does that not make your stomach hurt? I mean what the heck is going on? How is it that the night before these people are spending time around the table at Thanksgiving, giving "thanks" for what they have, and the next morning they are running over people trying to get what they don't have??! How is it that at a time when we're supposed to be celebrating the greatest act of selfishness ever (Immanuel coming as the sacrifice for our sins), we are so self-consumed and have no regard for other people?

I read a few passages this week regarding this subject. One of those is Matthew 25, in which Jesus says that many people will be turned away from heaven because they didn't care for Jesus when he was hungry, thirsty, naked, and hurting. And people will say they never saw Jesus this way. Jesus then says that anyone who doesn't care for those that need it, it is as if they are turning down Jesus Himself. A couple of chapters before that, in Matthew 20, the disciples are arguing over who is the greatest disciple. And Jesus tells them that whoever wants to be truly great will serve others. A true follower of Christ will be consumed with meeting the needs of those all around them before considering their own needs.

And yet, if I'm honest, I'm going from store to store looking to save 10% on a larger TV that I don't even need! Or I'm trying to use whatever Christmas money I have on another iPod, or pair of jeans, or sweatshirt, when the reality is I already have plenty of those things. Meanwhile, the guy at the end of my street is trying to put food on the table for his family or trying to find the money for a coat so his kid doesn't freeze to death!

So the question I've been internalizing is this: Am I really living my life the way Jesus wants in regards to taking care of the poor and feeding those who are hungry? Or am I so consumed with myself and what I want that I'm missing the blantant needs of others all around me?

"Those that want to be first will be last, and those who put themselves last will be first."

Disclaimer

2008-10-27T21:19:00.000-05:00

Let me get this out of the way. I'm a screw up. At least I feel like that most days. I don't have everything figured out, and I hope I don't pretend to. In fact, sometimes I wonder if I have anything figured out. Many days go by in which I feel completely incapable of becoming who God has called me to be. And often I feel like Moses at the burning bush when God told him to go free Israel, asking, "You want me to what?"

So when I see verse like Philippians 1:6 that tells me God will complete the work He started in me, it gives me hope that God is going to do what He promised. Because it won't happen any other way.

So with that disclaimer, any post that I make is my attempt to understand a little bit better who God is and why He could love me the way He does.

One more thing. This is a blog for our students. Sometimes I feel like I don't always adequately share what God is teaching me. So this gives me another opportunity to let our students know what God's teaching me, what I'm wrestling with, some vision stuff for our youth ministry, etc. Maybe God can take what He's doing in my heart and impact our students as well.