changing the world
Western Christianity is not necessarily wrong, but I have a feeling that it is just off the mark. So many times it's focused on building our own kingdom (though we would never admit that), blending into culture, and pleasing people, especially those with the money.
I just can't help imagine what our world would look like if believers truly gave hope to those without hope, fed the poor, impacted their communities, and provided ways to change/ free people from the junk of a world they live in. Can you imagine a group of believers willing to risk everything to help others know God.
What would our world look like?
I want to be a part of that. Changing the world by serving others and expecting nothing in return. Influencing governmental infrastructures with creativity from God, building schools and centers to build up children, meetings needs that people actually have and not just needs we think they have. I want to be a part of this.
This is what I could give my life to.
What would our world look like?Labels: christianity, leadership, ministry
ministry outflow
Ministry can be extremely difficult. There's no other way to say it.
But we make it harder on ourselves trying to do everything in our way and in our own strength.
How much easier would ministry be if we would focus more on our relationship with God than our relationship with our ministry?
If we allow God to work and change us, our ministry direction and effectiveness will come directly from an outflow of God's work in us.
Simple, yet freeing.
Labels: ministry
i'm hungry
I have a doctor's visit in the morning with an IVP test scheduled to run.
Not a big deal except...
I can't eat anything at all today, and I'm starving.
And I have to prepare for the test tonight by drinking some gross junk and taking some medicine.
I think I'm going to sleep in the bathroom tonight. It will just be easier that way. Labels: personal
culture and art
Labels: christianity
contagious
Via Seth Godin.
A study out today shows that obesity is contagious.
If your best friend gets fat, your chances of gaining weight more than double. Malcolm Gladwell fans will recall his reporting that suicide among teenagers can be contagious as well.
So is terrorism, of course. And spamming. And graffiti.
The most important thing you can do is choose who you're hanging out with. The second high-leverage thing is to put dynamics in place that reinforce the ideas you'd like to see spread. Celebrate the heroes. Make it easy for those ideas to spread...
This study applies to student ministry so well. Students will become who their friends are. That's been a no-brainer for decades.
But the question is as a ministry or as a church or as a leader, are we creating the right environments to allow students to get closer to God? Are the environments we have conducive to promote a contagious excitement to follow close to Christ? Are the students we discipling excited about following God?
People are influential, especially jr. high and high school students. But contagious Christianity is only caught from those who are living their lives with excitement, passion, purpose, and fun.
Is your life and your relationship with God worth being contagious? Labels: leadership, thrive
please punch me
I am so ticked off right now. At myself.
My computer has been really jacked up lately, and today it went over the edge. So, I went ahead and backed up all my files to my external hard drive. We're all good, right? Wrong, my email didn't back up and all my emails, tasks, contacts, notes, and calendar from the past seven months down the drain.
Geez. I am so frustrated right now. I can't even explain how mad I am.
Somebody please punch me... hard.
Labels: personal
sacrifice
When we were at camp, we took up a special offering for a North Texas missionary who is working in Burma. Because of a lack of funds in the Speed the Light account, they actually have been paying out of their ministry funds to pay expenses while they were there that STL should have covered. That should never happen.
I knew we would give something that night, but I wasn't planning on giving what God asked of us. Truthfully, it wasn't the smartest financial move for us. We have hospital bills to pay, school loans, our cars have been jacked lately, and other stuff. Yet in the middle of all of this, I know what God spoke to my heart. And it was clear.
I'm such a pragmatic, financially smart guy. But I know this wasn't about my practicality, but it was about the Kingdom of God.
This post isn't about me and my sacrifice. It's about obeying God, even when it doesn't make sense. And it wasn't easy, but it was clear. I wish I could say He always makes sense, but I know he doesn't. I'm learning that a lot lately.
The amount wasn't even the sacrifice as much as hearing and obeying the voice of God when it seems to be so crazy. My sacrifice was/ is taking the trust off of me and placing it in God. It's the only way to live.
God will provide and take care of everything. He always has for us. He is faithful, especially when He speaks and we obey. Labels: christianity
camp 07
God did some incredible stuff at camp. I know that he really messed up some students' live when we were there. I really saw some huge connections made and it's so funny what competition will do to someone. I promise I didn't know some of them had that much excitement in them.
I'm recovering from the late, late nights and early mornings. But that's camp, right?
Besides a few discipline problems (not major really, just disrespect), camp 07 was huge for our students. I know what God did will be life-changing if they make a decision to stay alive by making the choice to serve God everyday.
If you missed it, camp 08 will be here before you know it. Make your plans now to get on the bus.
Here's a link with some pictures. (Sorry for the login. It's the only place they are online.) Labels: thrive
camp
We are headed off to camp tomorrow morning.
I can't wait.
Camp is going to be such an unbelievable time for our students to get away from pretty much every distraction (except girl/guy drama) and go after God and make deep connections.
We've really been praying that God would ignite a new passion in our students, transform hearts, set apart students to be a light for Him, and encounter our students in the most real, genuine way. It's going to be so incredible.
Pray for us this week. God's at work in Thrive.
Labels: thrive
development is work
God is developing me more and more as a leader.
I'm learning to be more dependant on Him than my personal thoughts and rationale.
I'm at a point right now where I feel so inadequate and no clue what I'm doing.
I don't know what to focus on, where to spend my time, or what to work on next.
My development as a leader and as person takes a lot of time and effort. I know God is working in me, but it's extremely difficult because I don't know what to do.
I need wisdom and direction.
Labels: ministry, thrive
transformation
God has really been challenging me lately with the idea of transformation.
It's not enough to make a decision for Christ, but a commitment to be transformed to become like Christ should be a believer's new ambition.
God wants our hearts to be soft, so that he can mold them into who He wants us to be. Our thoughts, ambitions, dreams, attitudes, and desires must be continually transformed until it is no longer ours that are prevalent but Christ's.
Labels: christianity
seven spotlight
I completed an email interview yesterday for Seven Partners to be featured as their student pastor spotlight in their upcoming resource newsletter.
Here's a copy of the interview:
1. What is the name of your ministry, your church, and where is it located?
Thrive Ministries/ Harvest Time Assembly of God/ Sherman, Texas
2. How long have you been there?
My wife Lacey and I have been the Student Pastors of Thrive for 7 months. After graduation from Southwestern Assemblies of God University, we were offered the position and moved to Sherman.
3. What’s been the most exciting thing since being there?
For the first few months we really focused on building the students we had and casting vision for what God wanted to do in Thrive. It’s been so cool to see sparks of “I get it” begin to come out, and then also we have just have several students who God has really transformed their lives. Nothing excites me more than progress and life change.
4. What has been the greatest challenge since being there?
Serving God is the greatest decision someone could ever make, and it should affect someone’s entire life. But many times neither one of these is true. We’ve been working hard to change the paradigm of our students to create a culture that is conducive to fulfilling the vision that God has given us. We want all of our environments to be marked by relationships, student ownership, excellence, creativity, and a dependence on Christ. This by far has been the greatest challenge. Changing programming and systems can be done fairly easily. But changing the way someone thinks and lives is extremely difficult. It’s who they are and what they have known for at least 13-16 years. It’s a reprogramming process. So it takes time and it takes God working in students’ hearts to do this process.
5. For this summer, what do you feel God is teaching your group at the moment?
This summer we had the opportunity to test-launch homegroups for about 5 weeks. We kicked it off with a sand volleyball tournament between the homegroups and the next few weeks took off from there. It’s been incredible to see student leaders take ownership of the ministry, deep relational connections begin to happen, and this mentality that living for God really can be fun began to form throughout our students.
6. What has God been teaching you, personally, as a pastor?
First of all, who I am is more important that what I do. My heart must be right, including my attitude, humility, and submission to God-given authority. I must first be a complete follower of Christ before I can become an effective leader of people. Secondly, God has been teaching me to pray ridiculous God-sized prayers… to pray for things only He can take care of and do and watch him answer prayers
Labels: ministry, thrive
