stay in your lane!

it’s the second sunday of a new year, the atmosphere was rich and the word stuck deep down in my heart. i love it when i am in a service and the words i hear are so clear and life’s so profound that it shakes my life up! it’s moments like these that i write it down and hold onto the powerful word that was spoken over my life…it’s quite simple if God speaks to you, a seed is being planted in your life, but if you don’t hold onto it, something can come and snatch it away! that’s why i take notes…it’s easier to hold onto whatever i hear!

so in the middle of the message pastor jim raley says this “life’s greatest failure is to be successful at the wrong assignment.” come on now! basically find your lane, find your assignment and run the race! it’s so easy to be busy doing the things you want to do, but what about the assignment you are called to do? stay in your lane! you can’t run the race if you are running in someone else’s lane. i think of the olympics when runners that crossed lines were disqualified for not running in their lane…they were fast and they were good, but they failed to stay in their lane. so my big thought for the weekend was “stay in your lane.” i want to live my life in such a way that i never have to look back and see that i succeeded at the wrong assignment. i know my assignment…look out world i am ready…this is my lane!

christmas thoughts…

the true meaning of Christmas…to give! i am overwhelmed by how much God has given us! the gift that he gave is way bigger than anything humanity can deliver. it is for this reason that i write this post. How big is the gift of Christmas to you? It seems to me that humanity is doing it absolute best to deliver whatever it can! can we really deliver whatever it takes to touch humanity. Humanity wants and desires to be touched by something that is real, something that lasts and something that can’t lose it’s value! Humanity is being delivered temporary satisfaction while the church sits around looking for the next blessing. It is truly time to deliver the message of hope and satisfaction that can only be given like a gift! what gifts will you give today that will make a difference in eternity!

just a few thoughts about christmas tonight…after a great christmas outreach to the hurting!

great leaders…lead with purpose!

this weekend i had the privilege to preach at a young adult retreat. the group was so easy to preach to, in that you could see that their pastor had been preparing them for a great weekend and planned out a theme perfectly for the retreat. the theme of the retreat was refined! i had such a time preaching about being refined. the one thing i like when i schedule a retreat is when the speaker understands your theme and direction and runs with it. do speakers ever do this, hardly, but it sure is a wonderful thing when they do. it makes it a whole lot easier, since good leaders lead with a purpose in mind. if you don’t have a purpose in doing something with a group of people then you are nothing more than a tour group conductor. you might as well get a flag on a stick and have them follow you around a theme park from ride to ride. ministry that is purpose driven from the get go accomplishes more than just holding services.

so, this weekend the young adults pastor is a close friend of mine, but is by far the most passionate perfectionist i know. i love to be around him, because he has a plan to do something significant and effective in ministry. His greatest strength i believe is his creative passion to make moments for people to encounter a more meaningful experience with God. this weekend the students went after God with intensity and passion. the students were led there by a leader with passion and purpose. if you are a leader, and you want to be effective, then lead by example. if you are not passionate…if you are not driven by purpose…if you are not willing to do whatever it takes to go after it…then how can you ever expect the people you lead to be any more passionate or purposeful?

just a thought! consider where you are going and why you are going before you lead anyone there!

i am christian!

you ever wonder why there are not more courageous people in this world. You know…people you read about that gave all they had just to spread the Gospel. i truly desire to raise up a radical group of students with reckless faith. the kinda faith that stares compromise in the face and resists the temptation to give in! the kinda faith that stands toe to toe with the cool factor and chooses to burn hot and bright for God. in the 80’s i read a book by Arthur Wallace called the radical christian. someone gave me a copy and warned me if i read it, then it would mess me up! we need to bring back the radical christian to the forefront. so many want to be sensitive to the teen, not wanting to offend them. others just want to create an atmosphere that draws in, and connect them with other churched kids. (well if what they are connecting them to is not better than what they are then who is influencing who? and who is reaching a generation? what this world needs is not another special program to reach special students, this world needs a mind blowing move of god that shakes this generation to their core. a move that upsets the status quo in todays students and stand for holiness! there is so many grey areas in the church today, that a lot that was called sin is now simply overlooked.

i have been moved by our lead pastor and His wife’s passion to see this generation experience a for real revival and move of god on another level. you can hear it in their prayers, their conversation and their passion. today our pastor preached a message in chapel at our christian school about courage…i wept at how courageous first century believers were with their faith. Sunday he preached a message called maintain the flame and pressed people that we need to transfer what was deposited in us! if we don’t pass on what was deposited in us, todays generation will grow up weak, powerless and void of a true pentecostal encounter. we need people that are simply willing to give their life to see God move in a powerful way!

Arthur Wallace said this….”The best thing you can do with your life is to find out what God is doing in your generation and give your life to it!”

More than just thoughts tonight….

the pursuit of purpose…

what is your purpose in this world?

i spoke to a group of teenage young men today in a program that the juvenile justice system places students.  i talked about destiny and purpose, it is so hard to grasp purpose when you are facing several months of time in a program.  i had the opportunity to pray with several about their purpose and future.  its a wonderful thing to show teenagers that they have a destiny.   

the word destiny means: invincible necessity; fate; a necessity or fixed order of things established by a divine decree…

God has a plan for your life! 

i found myself asking this question…so what is the ultimate purpose god has for your life?
i have been in youth ministry for 17 years. at a time when most of my contemporaries have moved on or moved out i still find myself having the time of my life. there are so many parts to my life that are not complete. the past 5 years so much has shaped my purpose so much, that i am more excited about where my purpose will lead me. you see, when you find purpose in what you are doing,  you will find joy in just plain living!  the pursuit of purpose is the pursuit of joy not happiness!  

i heard a preacher say this recently joy is what has happened while happiness is what is happening!  my joy is not contingent on what is presently happening, but rather on what has already happened! 

why do i blog?

reasons why i blog?

 

1. i believe i have something to say…or close to 100 per day would not read what i write.

2. life is so full of drama…my blog is my thoughts on life.

3. i am a real person with real struggles…i can’t walk on water, so what you read is my way of working out life’s struggles.

4. truth- someone needs to tell it.

5. challenge- someone needs to be challenged in life.

6. focus- blogging helps me focus on life and grasp how God is working in everyday life.

7. influence- reading a good blog can influence the way you process life… 

8. youth ministry- i write alot about what i love to do- youth ministry. 

 

here are some blogs i read…

mark batterson

corey mann

ben arment

mark atrip

tony morgan

deadly viper

jinny force

steve brewster 

 

i read about 35 other blogs on a regular basis…

 

if you have a blog and don’t blog, then ask yourself a simple question…why? 

 

  

youth ministry in 2008

i took a look back in 2007 and saw some great things…right now i am praying and focusing on the upcoming year…i have been praying for some time now for increase beyond measure in terms of growth, spiritual depth and lasting effect on students lives. in 2008 we do not want to be considered an average youth ministry…we want to see god move in deeper and more powerful ways.

i find myself every week praying and pressing for an increase in students to walk through our doors and they are coming through. we have had the biggest december (the time when many choose to coast into the new year) on record. the largest single night at crave took place 2 weeks ago and this past week for a non-event (well thats a retarded label-every time we get together its an event) we had a huge crowd – and the altars were filled.i believe when you target prayer toward schools and individuals lives, you will see dramatic things take place in your ministry. if you are in the “ministry” but you don’t look for growth and pray in growth, then you probably need to check you brain at the door and get your heart in contact with god’s. his heart beats for the masses! he died for everyone-not a small group!

so…what’s up for 08- new beginnings! i am praying and pressing more for “unprecedented things to happen in our ministry” these are the exact words i use. today something unprecedented took place at a meeting i had with a local guy. we met at starbucks and ran into all kinds of peeps from calvary….i was approached with an opportunity that was “outside the box.” i went away to our staff prayer and found my prayers wrapped up in a new opportunity to grow. i wont go into details, but its not an orthodox approach to ministry-its outside the box. I realize God does not operate in a box, so when you pray for the “unprecedented” get ready for that to happen. i had to take a trip to orlando to drop some busted equipment off at wells electronics-what a scary place-and my mind and spirit was caught up in a new opportunity…i dreamed alot today!

2008 is a year of new beginnings!