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fortune

Friday, January 30th, 2009
I had some Thai food yesterday with two outstanding college students. Love you fellas. At the end of our meal we received the traditional fortune cookie that follows most oriental style meals. I have often thought it would be fun to write the "fortunes" that go into these fine cookies and then watch as people read the prophecy over their lives. I would write things like "Watch out for that rock" and "that guy in the corner is watching you closely." You know, fun stuff like that. Usually these "fortunes" are about as vague and worthless as horoscopes and such. But sometimes there is one that just jumps out as truth. Like mine yesterday. It said… Read More

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refreshing

Thursday, January 29th, 2009
I had an incredible encounter yesterday. We were debating, due to icy road conditions, whether to have our youth worship service or not. We had 2 bands scheduled to come in for a "surprise concert." We had to make a quick decision so we could get the word out to all our teenagers and so the bands could know what to do. I called one of the band's managers and told him I was considering moving the service to 4 p.m. so that we could be finished around dark and everyone could get home before the freeze really set back in. I told him that we might have a very small turnout, possibly only 10 to 20, so I would understand if the bands decided not to… Read More

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clique track

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
I was talking with the older sister of someone who used to be involved in our youth ministry today. She was asking for me to pray for her brother because he is having a bit of a rough time. I mentioned that I missed him and wasn't really sure why he left our youth ministry. She told me that he said there were too many cliques and he didn't really feel connected. I am saddened that he did not feel connected. But I started thinking about how many times I have heard that reason for people checking out of churches and ministries. And to be honest, I think it is most often a cop-out. If a newcomer feels this way, shame on us. But for someone like… Read More

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on display

Friday, January 23rd, 2009
I have been intrigued by this story of the US Airways landing in the Hudson River. For one, that there was actually a water landing! WOW. That whole seat being used as a floatation device could actually happen. Then the heroic story of the captain. Instinkincredible! But the thing that has gotten my attention more than anything is that fact that more and more camera angles keep getting released of the event. Security cameras and home videos and surveillance cameras all catching the action live. It got me thinking about how just about everything we do is "caught on camera." Almost like "big brother is watching." LOL. But then I started thinking… Read More

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finding time

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
Yesterday a good friend of mine had a status on their facebook that got me going. It said something like: "___________ is amazed how I can never find time to get in God's Word, but I always have time sit on facebook all day." How many times have I found myself there? I always seem to have time for the things that I am really interested in doing. And when you come to this realization, you have "found the time." There it is. And amazingly, it has been there all along like the cell phone you are searching frantically for in your pockets and all around, while you are talking on it and it is right in your hand, attached to your ear (that actually… Read More

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Plan B

Sunday, January 18th, 2009
As a youth pastor, I have been so blessed to encounter some radical teenagers who are in love with Jesus. They are bold, passionate, and sensitive to His call and working in their lives. In the past year we had over 30 students surrender their lives to full-time ministry or missions. WOW! That is incredible. It is humbling. What do I do with them? The thing that saddens me is that many of them have faced and will continue to face resistance from those who supposedly love them the most. Many of them are being discouraged by their parents and closest friends. They are told that they can be a doctor and still serve God, they can be an accountant… Read More

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connection

Friday, January 16th, 2009
I just finished my brief study through Romans. Again, what a great letter. So rich. Warren Weirsbe brought out something I probably would have hurried over as I usually skim all the greetings and such as Paul closes his thoughts. Paul greets at least 26 people at the end of Romans and several churches corporately as well. "It shows that Paul was a friend maker as well as a soul winner... In my own reading of Christian biography, I have discovered I have discovered that the servants whom God has used the most were people who could make friends.They multiplied themselves in the lives of their friends and associates in the ministry" Weirsbe.… Read More

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due process

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
My guitar was stolen right out of my office back on Halloween. There is a crazy story about how that happened and how I played crime-stopper detective to catch the guy and how the police offered to let me beat him up. But that is not the point of this. Maybe I will share that another time. So the guy ends up going to trial and getting 7 years on a felony count of theft. All this time the pawn shop he sold my $3500 guitar to for $90 has been holding my guitar as the police have an order on it for evidence etc... So I contact the victim witness center to find out the process on getting it back. They tell me I have to fill out some paperwork. So… Read More

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all we can do is pray

Thursday, January 8th, 2009
It is often that people will come to share with me that someone is sick, dying, or has fallen deep into sin. And today as I was having a conversation with two of the ladies in our office about one of their daughters who has a major health issue it hit me that too often my response is "All you can do is pray for them." WOW! It hit me like a crack block from a punk receiver. For you non-football people - it hit me like a ton of bricks. How sad it is that my last resort would be to pray. That my final counsel to someone is "pray." That it is not my first thought. How sad that I would discount the gift of prayer and the power of going to the One… Read More

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same ol’ – same ol’

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
I have been in church since I was born. I was pretty much born on Saturday in Church Sunday morning. So I have sat through my share of boring church services. I have heard the Charlie Brown school teacher preach Wha Wha Wha wa wa wa over and over. I have sung the songs in operatic voice, bass voice, cartoon character voice, and any other voice I thought might get a laugh out of the person next to me. I have colored in all the open spaces in the letters on the program, drawn several masterpieces that could be hung proudly on any mother's refrigerator, and I have written my name out in every possible hand-written font. I have mastered Tic Tac Toe… Read More

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