1st Wednesday

I recently had the opportunity to speak at our 1st Wednesday service.  It is appropriately named 1st Wednesday because we have it on that day.  I love the simplicity!!!  I must say that I was a little nervous to speak on this platform.  I am TOTALLY comfortable with my students and speaking to them in our environment, I just turn into a nervous wreck though when it comes to "big church" platform.  Maybe it is because I know there is going to be adults in there and honestly, I don't connect too well with adults, that is why I am in Student Ministry.  

So, I wanted to encourage our church and let them know that God is doing some awesome things in our Student Ministry.  We shot a great video of one of our students and the changes that have taken place in her life through our ministry.  She is just one of the many stories we have of God totally doing something huge in a life. 

We had a packed house and to open things up I gave a top 10 Ericisms.  Students know all about them and almost come to expect them but parents had only heard.  I had one parent approach me before service and said she brought her dictionary so she can know what I am talking about.  I laughed and thought, oh goodness, what do they tell their parents?  They didn't know whether they should laugh, or be upset when I was cracking off the list and laughing how I can connect each one back to a lesson that I have taught while being here at Shore.  

I felt bad because the pics that I was going to use throughout my teaching time I forgot to give to the computer techs and they were still on my flash drive.  So the gross picture of Shawn's knee cap being on the side of his leg didn't make its debut, yet!  

I talked about the plans that we make and how sometimes they don't workout because we plan on a much smaller scale than God does.  I told our church of how we experienced a tragedy at our camp that turned into a triumph.  God used that tragedy to get not just my students but others attention as well.  Our students laid things down, broke down walls in their hearts and with one another, surrendered their hearts and some their lives to God.  

I told the story of how before we left for camp I had Matthew 5:8 on my heart. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God".  God was crying out to myself and our students to get rid of the junk in our hearts and lives and see Him for who He is.  To really get to know Him and what He looks like, to share our lives with Him.  Because if we did, then we will never be the same.  That week our camp speaker spoke on Jacob and in Genesis 32 Jacob wrestles with God, and when he realizes it He called the place Peniel.  "For I have seen God face to face and yet my life was spared".  Jacob had seen God and he would never be the same!    

Many of our students took God up on his offer.  I explain it best when I talk about the tri-factor.  Now, unless you knew me or you were just up in my grille, you would never know that I have a tri-factor.  It literally looks like God took a magic erase marker and erased 3 spots of facial hair on me.  By the corners of my mouth and in the middle of my mustache are little bald spots.  That eliminates me from growing a mustache because I would look like a pedophile or Pancho Villa.  Besides, its was only during midterms in college that they were grown because we had to have some fun that week.  The goatee will never connect, its just not going to happen no matter how long I grow out the stache'.  The point is that you would never know that about me unless you saw me face to face and got to know me.  The same can be said with God.  We can never really know Him till we take Him up on His offer and get in His mug and find out who He really is, not just what others say about Him.

I had one of the greatest memories and experiences of my life.  I remember while I was filling out an information card for one of our students who made a decision for Christ, I remember thinking, "wow, that is my name on the Youth Pastor name section."  Who would of guest that I would be writing my name there, I had so many bumps in the road and setbacks but I am actually living out my commitment to God.  I was very emotional because God reminded me of His faithfulness and goodness during that moment.  My prayer was then for the students who were making these commitments to have that same moment in their life when they see the commitment fulfilled.  

The summer had been a HUGE success.  God blessed us in ways that I would of never imagined.  He brought people into our ministry and into my life that helped hold us up when things were crazy with scheduling and traveling and just being busy ministering to people.  I am so thankful to the people who partnered with us.  We showed Katilyn's story and shared how we have seen:

 7 students receive Christ 

10 students commitment to purity 

5 students who would give God 1 year at a Christian college 

5 students who said they would give 4 years at a Christian college

8 students committed their lives to serving God in a full time capacity

Raised over $3500 for camp

God really showed who He was and what He is about and I know that personally I will never be the same.  I look forward to sharing again in the future what God is doing in our ministry on the different platforms of our church.  

Stunning Article

I read an article in Plugged In magazine that really rocked me.  On page 2 of Culture Clips there is an article about early sex & dating abuse.  I will give you just a quick rundown of the stats...

15-18 year olds = 10% reported being abused physically by a bf/gf

29% reported being abused verbally by a bf/gf

13-14 year olds = 20% reported being abused physically by a bf/gf

50% reported being abused verbally by a bf/ bf

When sex was thrown into the equation the numbers got ridiculous!  

69 % Students who have had sex by age 14 reported they have endured one or more types of abuse in a relationship.

36% Students reported that their bf/ gf wanted to know where they were at all times ....

58% Students (teens who have had sex before age 14) reported the same thing

22% of students said that they felt pressured to do things they didn't want to do

45% of students (teens who have had sex before age 14)  reported the same thing

The statistics make me honestly feel sick.  I just pray that students don't continue to look at God like a Capt. Killjoy and they see that He wants to spare them from being one of these statistics.  That is why it is so important for them to realize God's design and purpose in saying Wait for your mate!  Apart from these statistics, it is wrong to give your body away.  I think sometimes we often forget that it is sin, and that doesn't please the heart of God.  

I encourage mom's and dad's everywhere to get into their kids lives.  Don't lord over them, but establish a good relationship with your kid so that they feel comfortable sharing their life with you.  Contrary to popular belief, they don't tell you everything and they don't have to when asked either.  Find out about the guy or girl your student is liking and help them set some boundaries with Biblical principles for the kind of relationship they are going to have with that individual.  Mom and dad, you will have to hep monitor that relationship and if God is giving you red flags, then you step in and do a check up and make sure things are legit. 

Students, I personally think that you should not date till you are out of high school.  Let's just be honest, you have a lot going on in your life right now.  Throwing something like a relationship with another person in will mean less time for something else.  Often, it means less time for God because God isn't going to give you a speech of how you are letting your team down by quitting because you have a new person in your life.  If you decide to still forgo my advice and date then let me caution you with a few things...

1. DONT give your heart away

When this happens you will find yourself giving other things away like your purity.  The sad truth is that often people that you are in a relationship with will walk away with more than just your heart when the relationship has ended.  Your heart is reserved for your spouse, not some cute guy or girl that you met at a football game.  It is okay to hold back and reserve those things for your spouse.  You can still laugh, and have fun with that person but don't give them your heart.

2. Keep God #1

The reality of relationships is that something else has to give.  We only have 24 hours in a day so, when you add something new to the mix something has to give.  You may already see where I am going with this.  You may see how you don't hang out with your best friend as much or you spend more time in places that you wouldn't be at if it wasn't for the person you are dating.  The first thing you think of when you get up is that special someone and not God and what He has for you that day.  You may find yourself up late talking to that special person and then you see what time it is and say, "I'll read my Bible or I'll pray real quick" and then you fall asleep mid sentence.  

God often takes the biggest hit in our time table when someone new is introduced in our lives as teenagers.  This is the time when you will need Him more than ever, doesn't make sense does it?  Keep your relationship with God strong.  Keep doing the things that you were before you got involved with a person in a relationship and I promise you that God will honor that.  He may even offer you insight about that person that you would have missed had you bumped Him out of your life.

3. Incorporate the special someone with your family

If your parents cant stand the new relationship you have or if they have concerns.  Game over!  Just stop right there, tell them nice to meet you but I don't think this is a good idea.  Sometimes mom and dad know what they are talking about.  God I believe gives parents insight and they give them an intuition that you cant understand but you just have to trust.  If they are wrong and the person you liked is actually good then that will prove itself over time.  

By hanging out with mom and dad that will decrease your likeliness of being a statistic above.  YOU SHOULD NEVER BE ALONE!!! Let me repeat that incase you thought I said what I said... YOU SHOULD NEVER BE ALONE!!! If the students in the statistics were never alone with each other, I don't think I would have been reading about it.  What person in their right mind would try to put the moves on someone in front of their parents?  It would only be one attempt at my house and then I would have to start a prison ministry cause I would choke the life out of them!

If you are never in a situation where you are alone then that is a good thing.  Always be aware of those things.  If they try to get you alone, then you need to see that's a red flag.  That normally means agenda and could lead to you being a statistic.  Here is a rule of thumb... may sound a little crazy but hey, its coming from me.  Set your special someone down and say, "If you wouldn't do something with your sister or brother, then don't attempt to do it with me"  Who is going to make out passionately with their sister, hopefully no one!  If they would, then you DONT need to be with them, cause that is nasty.  For the silver tongued devil you may be dating, "don't say anything to me that you would not mind me repeating to my parents or my grandma".  That will normally put an end to all the wonderful things about your body and those types of comments, if not, then get out of that relationship ASAP.

4. It is never enough

We are designed as sexual creatures.  Sex in God's design (marriage) is GOOD and it is guiltless!  Sex outside of God's design is sin and it normally brings pain and shame.  There is a point and principle to where this is going.  People cannot do things in moderation, we are the instant gratification generation, especially when it comes to something like relationships and sex.  

Holding hands is just a commonality, been doing it since we were in grade school.  It isn't a big deal, so we move to the next step.  Small peck on the cheek worked good for a week or so, then it doesn't cut it and we want what is next.  Small kiss on the lips is even better, but eventually same thing.  Making out is great, but then eventually it doesn't cut it.  Rolling around and making out like a mad man is awesome but eventually it doesn't cut it.  Exploring with our hands over our special someone's body while making out is unbelievable, but eventually it doesn't cut it.  Exploring under the clothes of our special someone is so good but eventually it doesn't cut it.  This process continues till eventually sex with that special someone is okay but it doesn't cut it, so sex with someone else is new and exciting and then you are left feeling empty, used, betrayed, hurt, maybe wondering if they even cared about you, maybe wondering if you are going to be a dad or a mom.  Maybe you have felt like you weren't good enough and that is why they aren't around.  

The principle is tried and proven.  Why?  Because we were designed to be sexual creatures in God's design.  In His design, it is enough.  Why is that?  Because it is with who He created for us!

I know this is a little different than the other posts that I have.  I just read that article and those statistics and it just broke my heart.  I don't want to see any students have to deal with that stuff.  They do have a plan A, that is God's plan.  Wait for your mate!

Revving up

One of the biggest struggles in life is knowing where you are going. Not knowing where you are going is one of the most chaotic and frustrating things. You know what I am talking about, when you do not have a direction you feel like you have no purpose. Or worse is when you have a million options and you do not have a certain or clear one, it is just as frustrating as having no option.

I believe that this is more frustrating when you are dealing with ministry. Ministry is about totally relying on God and not self for direction, wisdom and the most important, timing. Now, if you know me very well you know that I want what I want and I wanted it yesterday. I am a part of that instant gratification generation. This can be a good thing but it also can be a bad thing. When you see the vision of what God can do then you instantly want it. It would be like seeing the Corvette that you could have if you traded in "the Kia". Now, you can smell the leather upholstery, you can hear the 6.0 liter purr and you can envision the way it is going to feel when you take the car upwards over 100 mph. Sounds good doesn't it? Now, the only problem with that is, you have to WAIT.


Coming out of a crazy summer the number one question that staff and others ask is, "what are we doing this year?" "Good question" is often my reply. I fortunately have a problem that most other Student Pastors do not. My Pastor says, "Do whatever you need to do to reach this generation without compromising the gospel and the truth." WOW! Okay well, no limitations, no boundaries, no pressure! I could not put my finger on what exactly God was wanting to do this year in our Student Ministry. As the deadline for all the materials that we will print, cut off for information for the website, and school rapidly approached while the summer dwindled down, I kept thinking, "Okay God, well...I can smell the leather and feel the car rumbling, when can I take it for a spin?"

I was reminded of a couple of verses of Scripture reminding me about who God is and who I am in light of Him. In Isaiah 55:6-13 God is talking with Isaiah and reminding Him of who He is. Verse 8-9 kind of sums it up... "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." It seems to never fail that God waits in my book to the last second. But, in His time it is in perfect time. All summer long I have been racking my brain and searching my heart to try to see where God is going to lead us. I had no idea what God was going to do during the summer months.

During the summer I believe a lot of our students have made remarkable leaps and bounds spiritually. It was awesome because God showed up in a way that I never could have imagined and blessed in a way that I would never be worthy of. I saw students give their lives to God for whatever He sees fit. Some students answered God's call to full time ministry, some wanted God to have first dibs on where they go to college, who they date, and what they are going to pursue as a career. I was taken back by how our students forged new relationships with each other. It was amazing to see how the light bulbs kind of just came on and they "got it". They realized that they have only a small amount of time in High School to influence their peers, that they have gifts and talents for a reason and need to use them. They started to take ownership our their Student Ministry and I just went WOW! This is why I could not get any clear direction. God, You had other plans.


So after what has transpired in our ministry over the past few months God says, "Okay son, this is where you need to go and this is what you need to do, I just had to do a little work in some lives first." Talk about getting juiced up!!! It is like now the keys to the Vette have been tossed to me and God says take it for a drive.

So, now we are revving up for a great year in our Student Ministry. We have have received such good insight and feedback from our students on how to be more effective in reaching their believing friends and non believing friends. We have seen the hearts of many change from, "I have to" to "I want to". This just gets me juiced!!! or like I have been known to say, "jacked"!!!

I just personally love to soak up and enjoy these moments. The anticipation is high, the adrenaline is pumping and the mind and heart are flooded with dreams, visions and desires. I have to take just a moment to write this moment down in my heart and say, "God, once again Your ways are not mine and Your thoughts are not mine, thank you for showing me what You want us to do, and for working it out the way You have."

Now we are moving from the WOW moment and we are revving up to start the mad dash to make things happen. Training seminars for technology, small group seminars for adults and students, band practices, hours of visiting students and hours of prayer and studying. The mad dash is about to begin, and this year will be off and running soon. Thank you God for the blessings, thank you for the life change in our students because without it the direction You wanted us to go would not be possible.

Ericisms

So, I from time to time have been known to say things (often without thinking) and sadly sometimes after much thought that get recorded down in pages of peoples hearts and minds...In my short time so far at Shore Fellowship there has been a student in our ministry who has almost been a historian in the sense that she writes all these saying of mine down.  Just recently I received from her a scrapbook page of some of my most famous quotes.  Thank you Lauren, I appreciate the gift and can't believe I said all of these things...

Lauren is on a quest to continue to write these little verbal throw ups of mine down till she graduates so then she can see what she has learned in the 4 years of being in our student ministry.  

You may have heard me say something like...

"Checking these off like madd"

"Dude...."

"The fat kid inside of me is going gimme gimme gimme"

"I pick my nose and scratch my butt with this hand"

"I tend to do the AGGGHH and then the Hulk"

"I don't know my directions"

"SNAP"

"Freaking out and loading guns"

"If God spoke to you in an audible voice what would you do? I would cry out that I was sorry, hit the floor, pee my pants and ask is this cops?!"

"Probably had toe junk in there"

"You tubing videos all night"

"Dude, (waves) be still"

"That's just how they rolled"

"Clean baby bottom fresh"