What do you see?

Remember Ted Williams, The ex-homeless man from the Today Show, that someone decided not to just drive past, but to stop and help? When you look at his picture, what do you see? Most of you may see what I saw. A middle aged black man, in need of a shave and a shower. Well, maybe that's all true but should that be what we see?

Next week about 40 of our middle school students will be doing mission work in San Antonio, TX. Some of the things they will be doing is serving special needs youth at a center in the heart of the city and assisting a ministry that serves food to the hungry . My prayer for our students is of course for unity and safety, but most of all my prayer is that during the week they will constantly ask themselves not "what would Jesus do" (even though that is a great question) but, rather "what would I do for Jesus?"

In Matthew 25:35-40, we are reminded that whatever we do for the least of these (ie. the hungry, the thirsty, the lonely, the naked, the sick or imprisoned) we are actually doing for the son of man.

Pray that our students will see Jesus in the eyes of those they interact with, and while you do so...pray that you will do the same.

I admire Lady Gaga...

I admire Lady Gaga, because she is not afraid to be Bold.
In 2006, I remember asking God to give me boldness. That was the year after I graduated from College and was working in Corporate America. I was going through a management training class with about 20 other managers and our instructor challenged us to prepare a 3 minute speech about our favorite leader in history for the next day. That night I went to my hotel room and immediately felt led to stand up before my peers tomorrow morning in our session and talk about my favorite leader...Jesus Christ! Everyone else was talking about William Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr, their grandmother or their childhood coaches, but I stood up in front of my class and boldly explained why Jesus Christ was my favorite leader in history. Later that year I remember boldly going to the mall (more than one time) with the sole purpose of sharing the gospel of Jesus with people.

This morning I read Acts 4. The story of Peter and John going before the Sanhedrin because they didn't like the fact that they were teaching boldly about Jesus. After spending the night in prison, they went before the Sanhedrin again who threatened them to stop teaching about Jesus. Peter and John refused but they still released them. Peter and John went back to the followers of Jesus and reported to them what had happened, and this was their prayer...(Acts 4:29) "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness."

We live in a Country where for the most part we can be as bold about Jesus as we want to be and nothing will happen to us. There are people in other countries being arrested and even persecuted for proclaiming the name of Jesus. Why are we so afraid to be BOLD?


Join me in praying for great boldness, today!

Who needs LENT anyway?

If you would allow me to be honest with you...I wasn't really feeling lent this year. In fact I made up in my mind that I wasn't going to participate because I didn't want to do it for the wrong reasons. I didn't want to just "go through the motions" as I can so easily do at times.

But, the more I began to read and study, I knew that I need not allow this season to pass without taking the time to evaluate myself in light of God’s Word, to abandon sin, and to receive God’s forgiveness and strength. Which is exactly what "Lent" is.

So to answer the question I posted in the Subject line... "I need Lent" Do you?

View from the window at the library...

...went to the library on this windy morning. Found a great over-sized chair right next to the window and began to read John Chapter 3. My wife and I have been working our way through the Gospel of John together. As I was reading, I came to vs. 8 and have found myself camped out there for the last hour...So, I decided to blog about it.

Here is what is says..."The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the spirit."

Here's a little background info. Jesus is talking to a pharisee by the name of Nicodemus, a teacher in the synagogue who doesn't understand the Gospel yet. He is using this magnificent analogy to show the mysterious power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who have been born again. As I read vs. 8 over and over again, I began to look out the window and as a result of doing so, this rich analogy came to life for me...

When we see the wind blow...Well, I can't even say "see" because we can't "see" wind, we can only see the affects of wind(ie..tree branches dancing in the sky as my video depicts). ---> So, as the wind blows, though we have never "seen" wind we know its there because we can hear it, see the affects of it and feel it. When we become "born again," God's spirit lives inside of us and though we have never "seen" it, we know its there because we can hear it(in our speech), see the affects of it (in our actions) and feel it(in our hearts). Though there is mystery in the operation of the Holy Spirit in new birth, just as there is mystery in the operation of the wind, when we get to heaven God will "break it down" to us so that it will forever and continuously "be broke."

Marvel in that with me...

Storytelling...A Lost Art!?!?!

...this morning as I was about to get out of bed and head over to the library, I grabbed the remote, began switching through the stations and one of my favorite movies was on: "Enemy of the State." 1998 spy-thriller film directed by Tony Scott about a group of rogue NSA agents who kill a Congressman in a politically-motivated murder, and then try to cover up the murder by destroying evidence and intimidating witnesses. The film stars Will Smith and Gene Hackman.

Despite the fact that I have seen this movies probably 5 times in its entirety, and probably 10 times in it partiality I found myself compelled. Finally, I had to turn it off because I could feel myself doing what I seem to do so often...Feeling obligated to watch the movie again in its entirety to relive the outcome.

What is it that draws us to movies and other forms of media? The story...

I am currently reading a book called: "Storytelling: Imagination and Faith." Its challenging preachers, teachers and parents to go back to the "first" ways that God spoke through his prophets and son...Storytelling!

It challenges us that not only should we tell the sacred stories of the canonized bible but also tap our own human stories. The Author: William Bausch says, "...all human stories have meaning underneath the meaning that evoke subtle or overt responses from us...all stories are ultimately theological"

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the first generation Christians found themselves dry and lacking the presence of God. So what did they do? They sat around the table and began to ask the original witnesses the stories of Jesus. I would have loved to have been around that table to hear those stories from the mouth of Matthew, Mark Luke and John... That's how our faith began. Through Stories.

Let's not allow the power of storytelling to be lost...

"The approach to truth for our generation starts from Life (stories) rather than dogma (Doctrine)" John Robinson.

Facebook Message from a Student

Here's a Facebook message from one of our middle schoolers...

"Trey, Guess what?? I am preforming my first sermon in my life. You inspired me to live my dream to become a pastor just like you. Just wanted to tell you..."

It's things like this that makes youth ministry so fulfilling...

^{1 Timothy 4:12 "12} Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. "

From Cuddies to Cuties!!!

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was on my way home on the school bus and me and my friends were sitting in the back playing truth or dare. I chose dare that round and was challenged to kiss the girl that was sitting in the seat across from me. I was in middle school at the time and was more concerned about basketball then I was girls. In fact I was in the "Girls have cuddies" stage. Well, that is until I kissed this girl on the back of the bus. It lasted like a 1/2 a second but it felt like forever. My heart began to pitter-patter like never before and it was at that moment that I realized..."Maybe girls don't have cuddies!"

That's what I consider romance to be. That thing that makes your heart go pitter patter when you are around the opposite sex. Lets face it, we live in a romance crazy society where teenagers and adults feel like they have to have romance NOW and if they don't something must be wrong with them.

Why is it that teenagers feel this romantic tension? I think it is 2 fold.
#1. Because everywhere we look we see and hear romance. Every popular TV show, movie and song on the radio.
#2. Because God created us to be romantic beings. BUT, we have taken the concept of romance and pushed it to the extreme.

I was talking to a few of our middle schoolers recently about the issue of romance and dating, and after our conversation I became excited about the 4 week series that starts this Sunday that we are doing entitled, "The Teenage Dream." We hope to challenge students to look at romance and relationships through the eyes of the creator of romance and relationships. GOD!