Calling my Job or Jobbing my Calling

Student Pastor is one of the hats that I wear here at Still Water. It is part of my job description, and one of the ministries I am expected to oversee as an employee of Still Water Community Church. But even more than that....it is a calling that God gave me many years ago. And one I've followed for 20+ years.

There are certain duties (I said duty) that come along with the "job" of student pastor. And to be honest, if this was just a job, some things would be no more than just a pain in the butt. For me, those things look like administrative tasks. I am a relational person that needs human interaction and thrives in social environments. Other guys I know are the exact opposite of that. The point is...there are things about the "job" of student pastor that are not my strong points, but still have to be done. There are things about the "job" that are right in my sweet spot and do not even feel like work.

But the fact that God called me to this ministry changes the whole scope of things. It is imperative that all parts of the job be done in order for me to fully answer the calling God has placed on my heart to minister to students. Whether or not it's what I'm "good at" or what I "want to do" makes no difference. I must continue to grow and mature in Christ, and allow Him to lead me in ministry.

Truthfully...there is a lot of laziness in student ministry today. And sadly enough...I'm not talking about the kids, I'm talking about student pastors. It seems that more and more, guys are using student ministry to get where they really want to go. I know guys that barely even teach the kids they've been called to lead. Plugging in a video or pushing the majority of teaching responsibilities onto volunteers is not leadership....it's laziness. Sure there are volunteers that are great teachers...even better than the youth pastor...I have some here....and they should be empowered and given the opportunity to exercise that gift. But don't use that as an excuse to not teach the students in whom God has entrusted you.

As with any ministry, there are students who are still craving and needing spiritual milk, but there are also those who are ready for more solid food. It is our calling that directs us to help them grow and mature. It is our calling that says....lead. And when we reject that calling by devising the plan of least resistance, or least discomfort, we risk stunting the spiritual growth of those we've been entrusted to lead.

And those that are seeking will either find another place to eat, or walk away from the table. When either happens, it's very easy to blame someone else or accuse the student and/or family of church hopping, being non-committed, etc....but where does the blame actually fall?

There are many methods, schedules, and approaches to student ministry, but laziness cannot be a part of our approach. We must teach and empower students for the years ahead. That cannot be done in 15 minutes a week and a couple of videos. It cannot be done by simply looking for the latest, greatest fad and force feeding it to your group. It takes prayer, relationships, communication, and work. Student pastors.....God has gifted each of you with unique gifts and abilities. We are to use them and continue to get better at teaching and mentoring students. Our relationships with students should go well beyond the years they are in our buildings. Our words and actions should stick and the relationships continue well beyond their student ministry years, and into adulthood.

The person who signs your paycheck hired you to do what God called you to do. Thank God for calling you and actually giving you the opportunity to do it for a living, and then work daily to answer the call. Do not get lazy in your teaching, preparation, and relationships and then look to blame someone else, or God himself for those issues.

It is a privilege serving God and actually getting to do it as a vocation. God has afforded me the opportunity to make a lot of friends over the years through His calling on my life. To cut off relationships based on geographic location would be asinine, and not in keeping with a kingdom minded, Christ centered way of doing ministry. My prayer for student ministries and student pastors around the globe is that we would stop looking for the easy way, and start looking for the right way. The fact is...the more people speaking truth into our student's lives; the more effective we become in our calling to reach kids. As a parent...I need as many adults as I can get speaking into my kid's lives. As a student pastor.....I refuse to compete with other ministries, and/or feel guilty for loving kids and ministering to families that may not be coming to my building on Sundays. That's my calling, not my job.

I'll save the competition for Monday night softball games and fantasy football.

I'm out....

NWLC '11 Recap

Well...The National Worship Leaders Conference 2011 is done. We got back in town yesterday after a great week in Kansas City (Leawood, KS) at The Church of the Resurrection. As is the case with most conferences, there is so much that I still need to wrap my head around. Great general session speakers, incredible music, outstanding workshops, etc...there is just so much information that is given out. I have to sit down and look back through my notes and start putting things together.

Off the top of my head....here are some takeaways:

1. I need to pick up some more of Leonard Sweet's books. He was good!

2. I am a big fan of Casting Crowns now. I've always liked them, but after hearing that Mark

Hall (the lead singer/songwriter) share that he is in the office Sunday-Wed. as the Youth Pastor at his church, and the balance he strikes between that and being a top-selling artist was impressive.

3. NEW MUSIC!!

4. At some point I probably need to work on a british accent....apparently it makes your songwriting much, much better (Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Brenton Brown, Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding....UNBELIEVABLE!).

5. I am PUMPED to back with my church next weekend!

Awkward moment of the Week:

I go to the restroom in the main lobby, which is ginormous, of the church. This is the first thing Thursday morning. I walk in and there is an older man in the stall absolutely destroying the bathroom. When he is done he steps out of the stall with his pants down to his knees, shuffling across the floor to the sink. He stands in front of the mirror, tucking his undershirt into his draws as his pants slowly fall down around his ankles. Me and the other two guys in the restroom walked out laughing. I saw the old guy a few more times and could not even look at him without laughing.

For now...that's all I've got. I will share a little more as I process the things that I saw and heard. I'm encouraged and excited about where God has me and where He has Still Water right now. We have a great team and I am excited to share some things from the NWLC with them as we move forward.

I'm out....

National Worship Leaders Conference '11

Okay....now that I've somewhat figured out this mess Google put us in with their new system...here is the update for Day 2 of NWLC.

Started out this morning with music led by Reuben Morgan and Ben Fielding of Hillsong United, and Kari Jobe. It was the coolest acoustic worship set I have ever been a part of in my life! Crazy good!

Miles McPherson was the speaker for this morning's session. I had never heard him before, but will listen to him on a regular basis now. I only knew him as a former NFL player back when I was a kid. He played DB for the San Diego Chargers back in the '80's. He was great!! He had a great message for walking with Christ based on 5 principles:

1. Preparation...God has prepared you to do everything you are called to do

2. Purpose...to obey the Father

3. Pain....sometimes we have to go through pain

4. Power....power that overcomes earthly power

5. Passion....you cannot quit!

The first of my workshops today was a New Song Cafe hosted by worshiptogether.com. Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding, and Kari Jobe shared with the group. New Song Cafe is a regular video series (you can search them on youtube...there are quite a few). The artists shared some brand new songs with us, including a couple that have yet to be released. It was awesome!!

Stan Endicott had some good words and direction for mentoring and empowering the next generation of leaders. And last, but not least, John Chisum spoke on creative settings, staging, etc...for smaller churches with smaller budgets. I've got some ideas....

Got to hear some new artists today....Sons and Daughters. Very good songwriters! I always love hearing new music!

The day was not without it's humorous parts though....

1. The three teenagers standing in line for the New Song Cafe playing the ukelele, harmonica, and singing. 3 kids, 3 instruments, 3 different keys....drove everyone nuts!!

2. The unknown class member in my second workshop that ripped one just after the speaker said of himself, sometimes things happen unexpectedly. I don't care how old you are....there is nothing like a fart to break the tension.

3. And then there was the two young adults tonight in Red Robin dressed in the Harry Potter best, including wands. I understand why they may want to wear it to the movies, but into Red Robin...really?!

Well....since I didn't get to this blog till pretty late, I'm gonna shut down for now. Up early tomorrow to start Day 3. Casting Crowns and Leeland tomorrow night! Micah Stampley leading tomorrow morning. Should be a good wrap up to the conference. I'm hoping to win one of those IPads I registered to win at a few of the exhibitor booths......fingers crossed.

I'm out...

National Worship Leaders Conference '11

Well....finished with Day 1 of the National Worship Leaders Conference '11. This is my first time to attend this conference and so far, so good. It is held at The Church of the Resurrection in Overland Park, Kansas. This has got to be the largest Methodist church I have ever seen! It is a very cool facility, and their volunteers are doing a great job of serving.

The day started with a general session taught by Dr. Leonard Sweet. I had seen some of his stuff before, but had never read any of his books or heard him speak. I'll say this....I'll be coming home with a couple of his books and adding him to my podcasts and blog list. He was awesome!! Highlights of his session:

*Why is Jesus' mission statement for all of us not enough. Do we form our own mission statements because His is just not good enough?

*We must speak in the language of the culture we exist in so that the people hear us.

*People understand narrative and metaphor, not words.

He proceeded to tell the story of the birth of Jesus by using the historical narrative of some of the things surrounding the birth. Not that scripture is not important, but when told through narrative and metaphor, it comes alive.....and so do the people.

Tim Hughes led worship and made me want to have a British accent. I don't know...there's something about the worship leaders with British accents that make me feel like I need to repent or something.

The conference is full of your typical conference stuff. The exhibit hall is full of companies who have lots of fun stuff for your building, ministry, etc....This one has lots of fun stuff because it is centered around the creative and worship arts.

This is the first conference I've gone to by myself. I don't have a problem with meeting or talking to new people, so I've had fun meeting worship leaders from around the country and talking strategies, styles, etc.. I must say though, it's not as much fun playing some of my favorite conference games like, "You Might Be Trying to Hard If....." or "Church Titles You May Have Never Heard Of" without a friend to play with like my buddy Robert. I thought of him today when I was standing in the bookstore of the church, Casting Crowns song "If We are the Body" came on, and the guy next to me started singing at the top of his lungs, raising his hands, and practicing his leading skills for all of us in the immediate vicinity. I don't know if he was applying for a job somewhere or just overcome by the sheer excitement of hearing Casting Crowns, but he was definitely trying to hard.

Attended a couple of workshops today, the best of which was a songwriting workshop with Matt Redman. Awesome! That guy can write a song, and he has some incredible wisdom when it comes to leading, writing, and just being a worshipper. I thoroughly enjoyed his workshop.

After dinner at a great pizza place, D' Bronx, we went to the night of worship which is part of each night here at the conference. Tonight's service was led by Brenton Brown and Matt Redman. It was great! Got some great new music to take back home to Still Water and put into our repertoire.

Gonna turn in and get ready for Day 2 tomorrow. General session tomorrow morning led by Pastor Miles McPherson, Reuben Morgan and Ben Fielding (Hillsong United). Tomorrow's Night of Worship.....Gungor, Rebecca St. James, and Kari Jobe. Gonna be good!

I'm out....

Connection

One area that the church must continue to get better at is reaching the younger generations. People between the ages of 13-29 are becoming more and more disassociated with the church. And it's not because they have issues with Jesus; they have an issue with the church.

Most see Christ followers as arrogant, intolerant, and narrow-minded. When you combine that perception with the fact that rather than asking if that is true, they are asking "do I want to be like you?" ... we have a problem. If the perception is one of arrogance, narrow-mindedness, and intolerance, then no; they do not want to be like us.

We have to get better. Connection is something they long for in a deep, life-changing sense. I recently spoke to a youth pastor in our area who thought that the connection and relationship that the former youth pastor at his church had with the kids was hindering his ability to lead. In actuality, that relationship could probably have helped in more ways than hinder it. Problem is, he is stuck in a mindset that says I'm competing with you; my church v. your church; my ministry v. your ministry.....makes me want to throw up.

True, Godly connection and ministry reaches well beyond any building and in the very fabric of community and relationship. We are dealing with a rapidly growing adult population that is reeling from broken trust, lies and deceit, brokeness, and aloneness. They are hurting like no generation before them has ever hurt. They are trying to write their life into a story in which they win, but they can't find the hope they are looking for in what the world has to offer. We, the church, have to step up and stop giving a great verbal explanation of hope, and start showing it in all that we do.

How many churches are in your area? How many of them are working together on a consistent basis to reach the community? What are you doing to reach the younger people in your church body? Investing in changing the perception of the narrow-minded, arrogance of Christ followers means developing life-long relationships. Relationships that constantly challenge each other to raise our game. Relationships that are strong and encouraging.

Church... your challenge is to find your place in this revolution. Figure out where it is that your local body needs you to serve in order to best reach a floundering generation of potential. This generation wants to be involved; they want to make a difference...help them!

Pastors....stop whining! No more building envy; no more blaming other people for not getting it done. If we are going to tell our congregations to love one another and work together in community...we better be the example.

I'm out.

LIFE with each other....

Last night we wrapped up a series with our students called LIFE with Jesus. Over the last 5 weeks we've talked about a lot of stuff with our students concerning what it looks like to walk daily with Jesus. Being able to support what we believe, walk what we talk, and do what needs to be done to continually develop the relationship we have have with God.

It wasn't that long ago (15 years) that I was struggling with my commitment to the ministry that God had called me to as a 17 year old kid. I was fed up with the attractional attitude of many churches. It just seemed to me that many of our churches were so focused on doing things to draw people to their building that they had lost sight of the call to take Christ to the world.

The story of God leading me from a point in my life that I wanted nothing to do with the ministry of the local church to leaving my coaching/teaching career to be on a church staff is a different story that I may share at a later time, but I find myself still struggling with the competitive, attractional attitude of some churches. As a pastor, the example we should be setting for our congregations is one of relationship and community; loving people as God has loved us; staying focused on the mission at hand....using our gifts and abilities to draw people into a relationship with Christ. This will almost certainly include people that are not ever going to walk through the doors of our buildings.

I was told by a pastor recently that when God calls you from one church to another, it means you cut off communication with the church you leave and focus solely on the church in which you currently serve. He credited and "unwritten code" with that rule. Maybe I am wrong, but I just can't buy into that philosophy. God brings people into our lives throughout our journey. As I read through Paul's letters, I see a man who had many meaningful relationships in those cities, and he stayed in communication with them. Granted, social networking 2000 years ago was not what it is today, but had the churches of Philippi, Ephesus, Galatia, Colosse, or Thessalonica been worried that communication with Paul would somehow hinder the ministry of Timothy, Tychicus, or any other pastors that followed him into these cities, what might have happened to these churches? Or had Timothy, Tychicus, or any of those pastors spent more time whining about Paul communicating with the people of "their" church than they did with doing what God called them to do there...what might they have missed?

As pastors, you form deep, loving relationships with the people of the local church. These relationships are not squelched with a geographical move. I am in no way supporting or condoning allowing bitterness, or anger of an ugly breakup become a divisive tool on your way out. What I am saying, is that when you leave a place on a good note, you leave people that you love, and God moves you to a new local body, it does not mean you stop pastoring those that are still at the church you left.

God has led me on an incredible journey, loved me through a lot of things, and used me in spite of my best efforts to mess things up. There are a lot of people that God has given me the privilege of meeting, and partnering with in ministry. And I realize that some people have the capacity to maintain relationships and others do not, but to drop communication with those people does not reflect the kind of love God has called us too in our walk with Him. It is not a competition between pastors or churches, it is about a calling to minister to people.

I love hearing stories of what is going on in the churches in my area. I love hearing people talk with excitement about what's going on in their walk. We should celebrate with each other what is happening in the local church; partner with other pastors; maintain relationships with those God has led our way; and continue to encourage people, even when God leads us elsewhere.

I thank God for allowing me to do what I do, and for leading so many incredible people through my life. He has used so many people to speak into my life, and help shape and form me that I cannot count them all. He continues to use people to teach me and I am grateful for each of them. When my time is done here, I hope that the relationships left behind would not just be relationships of years passed, but of relationships that remained current and active through communication and ministry over the span of my time here on earth.

I'm out.

On my mind...

Things running through my mind...

1. I ate too many tacos for dinner....

2. Those tacos were really good.......

3. My kids are growing up too fast....

4. Sometimes I miss coaching..most days I don't

5. I love what I do now

6. Proclaimed gospel v. Lived out gospel

7. I don't want to be guilty of only proclaiming the gospel.

8. I have to speak at my friend's funeral Thursday.....I am incredibly honored

9. Life is fragile....relationships are important.

10. Students have to know that you care for them regardless if they are in your building or not.

11. There are only 10 weeks of school left

12. Less than that for my kid in college

13. Those tacos were good!

14. Only one more month till the NFL draft

15. No one is going to show up

16. Will there be NFL football next year?

17. I've gotta go fishing this week

18. Russell Brand is going to make an awesome Arthur

19. I'm looking forward to the new series we're starting with our students tomorrow night

20. Going to bed....need to sleep through the night tonight.

Pizza, Toe Nails, and Bob Henis

Well.... there are times when I sit here and stare at this blog wondering what to write. Most of the time it's just a place for me to throw up whatever thoughts are in my head onto virtual paper. That can be a dangerous thing..... read some of my old posts. But then again, if it were more than that somebody would pay me to write, and that ain't happenin'.

My middle daughter turned 17 last week. I've got 3 kids, and each one of them are very different. With this one...everything is a production, so birthdays are huge. I feel like we've been celebrating her birthday for 2 weeks! Her party is not until this Friday..... 2 weeks after her actual birthday. As long as I can remember in our family, my in-laws come over and take our family to lunch or dinner to celebrate. This is one of the more entertaining moments of the birthday celebration.

Over the years we've heard my somewhat deaf father-in-law announce to everyone in Panchos that he forgot his beano. We've seen my mother-in-law forget to button the blouse under her sweater, only to have it fall out from under her sweater while walking through the restaurant. The father-in-law also spit coke out of his nose when that happened.....good stuff.

Last night.....we hit Cici's with the in-laws to celebrate birthday #17, and it did not disappoint! The night started pretty calmly.....we got to Cici's with no incident. But then my father-in-law started talking about an old friend named Bob Henis...... yes Bob Henis. Of course when he said it the first time my 13 year old son about fell out. It's just a funny name he said....especially when you say it fast. He's right..... funny name. Kinda like Turd Ferguson, but funnier....Bob Henis.

The laughter was interrupted only by my 6 year old niece walking back to the table from the arcade with a knot on her forehead. She was chasing her bouncie ball that she "won" and went head first into the change machine....greatness...... I mean poor thing.

Then it was "medical story time!" I know you can identify. Everyone has a family member that does not mind sharing medical stories...and usually ones that you don't care to hear. Both of my in-laws are diabetic. I'm not sure of the connection between diabetes and toenails, but evidently there is one. I was in mid-bite of a delicious Cici's cinnamon roll when he tells us that each doctor visit costs him an extra $40....why? Because they have to clip his toenails!!!!

The look on my wife's face= priceless.

Of course my son's question....."Did you go to Dr. Bob Henis?"

I'm out......

Who's helping who?

What an unbelievable week it was in Barranquilla, Colombia. This was the smallest campaign I've been on, in terms of the number of people involved. There were 23 of us from 3 different churches. About a third of those were from my home church, Firewheel Church. The other two thirds were comprised of friends from Waterbrook Church here in Wylie, and Jacksonville Chapel in New Jersey.

The daily schedule of these trips looks like this......

7am..... Breakfast/Worship and Devotional

8:30ish.... Load up with your team into a van and head out to your assigned barrio

9:30-10.... hit the streets in the barrio

Noon.... lunch (provided by the church with which you are working)

2:00..... hit the streets in the barrio

4:00-4:30.... snack and preparation for service

4:30/4:45.... neighborhood celebration service

5:15/5:30.... head back to the hotel

6:00/6:30....dinner with your team/free time till bed

Obviously, the majority of your time is spent in the barrios with the people living there, and the church that has been planted there. Our purpose?...... to evangelize and disciple the people of the assigned barrio, and to train the members and pastors of the neighborhood churches on how to reach their community.

It can be easy to start with an attitude of ... "we're here to help," as if we have this down. But how is it that we think we can help them with something we don't even do a good job of here at our own church.

Seriously....when is the last time we spoke to someone in our own neighborhood about Jesus? And by neighborhood.... include your office, school, family, etc... We talk about "helping" these churches with their evangelism and discipleship, when the truth is....I wonder how many of our church members and staff would show up if we had a day where someone was going to walk with us through our "neighborhood" and show us how to evangelize/disciple our community. My guess is not many. Because we're the trainers, not the trainees....we've got this down.

We have cool buildings, convenient service times, A/C, coffee bars, and plenty of programs for us to come to at various times of the week. So many actually, that we can choose what is most convenient for us. We've made it incredibly easy to substitute inviting someone to church for real, doing life together evangelism and discipleship.

The people of the communities that we work with in Barranquilla come to church to celebrate the one true God and His son Jesus. They come because he deserves to be praised. There is nothing there to draw them in..... half of them bring their own chairs to the worship service. No screens, little to no sound system, no A/C..... nothing but unashamed, passionate worship in all that is done.

I am not saying that we should be ashamed of our resources. I am saying that, at times, we should be ashamed at the way we use our resources. We have so much that we've been given to reach people for Christ. Our homes, cars, jobs, educucation, communication

devices, health...the list goes on without even mentioning our church buildings. Because of the nature of our daily lives we have the opportunity to reach countless people through our actions and words every day of the week.

John 13:35..."By this they will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." The love of Christ is to be modeled daily in all that we do, not just talked about. To equip and empower people for daily evangelism is where genuine, community changing, life transforming spiritual growth of individuals and churches occurs.

I have to ask myself...what am I doing so that others will know I am His disciple? How does God's love for me show through in the way I treat others? How do I encourage and help the people I work with to be the best they can be? Am I being a good steward of the gifts that I've been given? As a pastor... do I think too much about one area of influence, or how my one area can influence other areas? And do I equip and empower the people around me to use their gifts to reach others? So many questions...

I am so thankful for my time and my friends in Barranquilla. They are such an inspiration to me. They are an encouragement in ministry and in the way I live life daily. I am humbled by the way they worship in all that they do. They remind me that the church is a body not a building. And they model for me what it looks like to "love one another."

So thank you to all of those that I had the opportunity to minister with in Barranquilla last week. I don't know if anything I did in my week there could come close to the way you loved and

discipled me. I am humbled and incredibly grateful for my time with all of you.

I'm out.....

Day 5: Barranquilla

Today was our last day in the field and it went great! The rain held off for us and we were able to work in the barrio that we were originally supposed to be in all day yesterday. The people in this barrio are great!!

There were so many kids in this barrio. They were everywhere!! While most of the kids were in school from noon-6pm, the parents were at home during the day. We saw a ton of kids this morning and then spent time with a lot of parents this afternoon. This was another barrio that was crime ridden and over run with gangs and drug dealers. But God protected us and led us to the people He wanted us to talk to which included some of these people.

The service this afternoon was packed with young and old. A church that normally has around 10 people and room for maybe 20 had about 50 at their service. We saw 41 people give their life to Christ in a day and a half. We had the opportunity to go back and visit many of the people we spoke to yesterday and do some discipleship with them. The cool thing... we would be there visiting and they would bring other people into the house and we were sharing and teaching them to share.

I played soccer with a bunch of little kids and their older brothers. The older kids were pretty hard core and into some things that definitely were not good for them. A couple of card tricks and self-humiliating attempts at playing soccer, and I had them listening to me. So cool!

I had some interesting conversation with my friend Aurora the last couple of days. It's amazing how wrong we get it sometimes in the american church today. We've placed our stock in so much stuff (media, buildings, programs, etc..) that we've created an attitude of "what are you gonna do to impress me" in the people that come through our doors. While these things are not bad at all... we must do them with excellence, we must use them to glorify God, and we must use them to encourage and point people into ministry.

God is speaking to me and stirring my heart about some things. I'm trying to work these things out in my head so I can write them out and move on them. It is just such an encouragement to watch these people worship and be a part of these services. It reminds me of what gifts God has given me and speaks to why I need to be a better steward of those gifts. To watch people with so little give so much is completely humbling.

I'm out....

Barranquilla....Day 4

Proverbs 19:21.."Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

We got to our barrio this morning and got off to a great start. This was an extremely poor barrio. But... as is the norm...these were some of the most welcoming, loving people we've met. They had nothing, but offered everything they had to make us comfortable...unbelievably humbling. The message of Jesus resonates with them, and offers them hope and peace that they long for in their lives. But it isn't that what we all long for?

We only visited a few houses before lunch, but spent quality time with each family and was able to really solidify their decision to follow Christ. They took us to their "mother church" for lunch since there was more space, it was cooler, etc...While there, the rains came! This would have been no big deal (we went out in the rain yesterday), except the gangs in the neighborhood choose to fight when it rains. The pastor recommended that we not go back to the barrio we were in that morning because of the gang issue. Well.... God had that all orchestrated.

We went out into the neighborhood of the "mother church" and quickly figured out that was exactly where God wanted us to be. My group went to one house after the rains stopped. When I told the mom of the house that we were not even supposed to be there, but the rain kept us from being where we were originally planning to be. She said to me....."you're here because me and my family need to hear what you have to say." And she was exactly right. She told us about her kids... all 5 of them. Her three girls, and her homosexual son were there. Her other son was not there. We spent almost an hour with her, praying for her family, and leading her to faith in Christ. One of the nationals, a young man, struck up a conversation with the homosexual son. He found out that the kid had been raped at age 7 (he's 20 now). That experience caused him to think that he was gay, so he just "became" homosexual. The national told me this as were were leaving the house, walking down the street.

We stopped, I sent our two girls with the other group and he and I , and Beaux headed back. We found Jorge in his room and begin talking with him. He told us that he did not like who he was; did not believe it was who God intended him to be; and wanted to change. He is a noted drug dealer (he was selling his last two bags of marijuana when we found him), gang banger, and homosexual/transvestite. As we talked to him of God's love for him, he began to weep. As we spoke to him, several other kids showed up to listen in to what was going on. After 30-40 minutes of talking with Jorge, he gave his life to Christ with his mom standing there with us praying with him.

God wanted us there today.... no doubt. I've got some other things that God is revealing to me on this trip. I'll share those at another time... maybe tomorrow. For now....

I'm out.

Barranquilla: Day 3

Second day in the field......Incredible!

For those of you that may not know how this works..... we spend Monday in Tuesday in one barrio and then we switch to another barrios for Wednesday and Thursday.

The barrio we were in yesterday and today is a pretty rough place. Drug use, alcoholism, teenage pregnancies, etc... are rampant in this area. The pastor who we worked with at this place is a survivor of this neighborhood. A one time heroin user/gang member... he is one of the most passionate people I have ever met when it comes to reaching his community for Christ.

The first street we went down this morning was a re-visit of a street we were on yesterday. I had the opportunity to get to know a few of the rougher individuals on that street and saw several give their lives to Christ. Today... our pastor received a warning that there was a plan to rob us when we came back down that street. Some of the young men whom we had gotten to know yesterday put a stop to that for us. We were allowed to venture into parts of that barrio that not even cops would go into because they were in danger. It was awesome!! We prayed with these people, talked with them, and shared the gospel with them and were witness to many strongholds broken in that barrio.

Everyone on the trip has their own individual stories and I wish I had space to tell all of them. As has been the case with every trip. There is so much for us to learn from the people here. When they come to worship there is nothing to draw them to the church like we are accustom to back home. No media, screens, bands, buildings, etc.....just the desire to worship the God who has given them life and hope. It is unbridaled, unashamed worship. I wish I could bottle it up, put it in my bag and bring it home.

Tomorrow's barrio is supposedly one of the rougher ones around here. Should make for an interesting day. I'm excited to see what God has in store for us there tomorrow and Thursday. Keep praying for the team and for the areas that each group is in the next two days.

I'm out....

Colombia '10: Day 1

Today was the first day in the field. We spent it with a small church in a pretty poor barrio. Pastor Javier is doing incredible ministry in this area, and God has given him great vision for his community. There are a ton of kids in this barrio. Pastor Javier and the people of his congregation said there is a huge marijuana and alcohol problem with the young people there... along with many gang issues.

We spent the day talking with a lot of the kids he was talking about. It was one of those days where every time we presented the gospel there were 10-20 people gathered around. I had the opportunity to share with about 25 kids at one time. They were all playing some pretty serious poker games with quite a bit of money on the table. I did a few card tricks on them and they went nuts. They listened as I talked to them about Jesus and more than half of them accepted Christ, including the ring leader Martin. It was pretty incredible.

We went into one house and there was a man there who had been sharing the gospel with this family for sometime. He is an evangelists and was so excited that there were other Christians in his barrio sharing Jesus. The whole family accepted Christ.

Our team had the opportunity to share the gospel 35 times today.... we saw 76 people make commitments to Christ. Pastor Javier is so excited to have so many people to disciple and minister to on a daily basis. We had church this afternoon at his church building, and like all of the other times I've been here..... I wish I could bottle up what I see in these worship times and bring it home for everyone to experience. Incredible!

Well...that's the update today. Up early tomorrow for breakfast and back in the field for day 2. Pray for us that we will continue to have opportunities to share. God is at work here and we are pumped for the chance to be His mouthpiece.

I"m out

Colombia '10

Well.... after a long two days in the Dallas and Miami airports, we're here in Barranquilla!

This is such a great city! God has been speaking to me a lot the last couple of days. As we were waiting I was reminded, as I often am, of God's orchestrative powers.

Proverbs 19:21..."Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

There are times when we just can't figure it out..... but then again....we don't have to always have it figured out. God's not ringin' His hands and wondering what's goin' on, or how this is going to work out, or what's coming next.

We don't have to ask God to show up for anything. He's here......we have to show up. We have to seek Him.

I'm excited to see what He has planned here in Barranquilla this week. I'll be posting updates daily while we're here, so check in. Time to go to be right now though...

I'm out.

Harvey

Growing up, my family would take frequent trips up into the woods of East Texas. For most of my childhood my granddaddy lived in the Kirbyville, Hemphill area near Lake Toledo Bend. My brother and I loved getting out of the city and going out into the woods. My granddaddy had an old bird dog named Sport and an old chevy truck named Old Blue. There were woods for squirrel hunting, the lake for fishing, pine cones for throwing at each other, and peas for shelling (I hated that job). Needless to say, the only dull moments at my granddaddy's house came at night. I think they went to bed somewhere around 6:00pm and the only thing ever on tv, remember this was pre-cable, was baseball or the news. We played a lot of cards and knee football in the living room.

One of our favorite things to do was to go visit Uncle Harvey. He was actually my great uncle, but everyone just called him Uncle Harvey. His family had kind of disappeared and my granddaddy was left to look out for his brother Harvey. The thing was, Harvey was a hermit. For real! He lived in an old cabin in the woods by himself. As long as you went out there with my granddaddy you were safe. I never tried going out there without him because every time we went, Harvey was sitting at the ragged old screen door that was his front door, with a double barrel shotgun....locked and loaded.

His truck, lawn mowers, air conditioner, garage and everything else within range of the shotgun had been blasted several times. Uncle Harvey had a problem with hallucinating that people were trying to steal his stuff. So I was not about to run the risk of mistaken identity.

Harvey had long gray hair, and a long gray beard and was always wearing some old overa

lls. There was a massive tree in his front yard with vines that had been growing for decades hanging from the top of the tree. My brother and I would climb up in this tree and swing out of it like Tarzan until Harvey started shooting at the people living in the tree that were trying to "get" me and my brother.

As a kid we never thought about it, but Harvey lived a completely lonely, isolated life. Outside of my granddaddy taking him into town occasionally for groceries, he never left his cabin. If he did the tree people would probably steal everything he owned. He had none of life's finer things, and really didn't care for any of it.

I thought of Uncle Harvey the other night at the movies when I saw the trailer for a new movie starring Robert Duvall and Bill Murray titled Get Low. Duvall looks exactly like I remember Uncle Harvey, and it triggered these memories. But as I thought about my old uncle and his reclusive, lonely life, it made me think of the people that I pass daily that are just as lonely.

Even in the midst of all that goes on around them..... loneliness. In spite of millions of people, and the ability to connect with people around the world....loneliness. Many people live in the same, reclusive, lonely place that Harvey lived. They are looking for connection. They desire interaction. They want to be used. They want to know that God created them for a purpose and for a reason. The question is....

What are we doing to put them in the position to find that connection? How are we helping people realize the gifts and abilities that God has given each of us and how those gifts can be used to love and minister to others?

When people feel that there is no place for them, or that they are useless, many of them look to the church for answers and help. Our responsibility is to help them find the path and direction that God has planned out for them, with the gifts that He gave them in the first place. People want to be used and needed. Some are sitting at their door right now guarding everything they have from the tree people. Our challenge is to get them to let down their guard long enough to venture out and put those gifts to use for the Kingdom.

I'm out....

Spring forward......

So my middle kid is about to start driving. She's had her permit now for about 5 months, so end of April she gets to take her drivers test. Here's the awesome thing about that. Recently, Texas law changed back to kids having to take the drivers test with a state trooper in the car with them. Greatness!!!

I remember taking my drivers test with Sergeant Paris in the car with me. It was so intimidating! Parallel parking between two cones with tennis balls perched on top of them.... you knock one off.... you're done. Talk about white knuckling the steering wheel.

Recently, she confused the gas pedal and brake pedal while backing out of a parking space at the mall. I'm not sure who was more scared, my wife or the person stopped and waiting for the spot. I'm really glad I wasn't with her.

My son has let me know that he's not nervous about learning how to drive because he's played a lot of Need for Speed on the xbox. I think he meant that to be comforting, but we'll see. He does seem to have the advantage sometimes in the common sense arena. My wife calls him our last great hope!

This time of year brings about the desire, and in some cases, the need for change. To get things in order.... tidy up a bit. This year is a little different around here because our oldest is graduating high school. I'm not sure I'm ready for it, even though I act like I am. She's my baby. And now there are days I look at her and wonder when she got so grown up.

I'm sure two years from now when the next one graduates we'll be a little more ready in terms of time lines, preparation, etc...but I don't know that I'm ready for any of them to be on their own. I know that we've tried to prepare and teach them, but now we actually have to let them make decisions and stuff. That's hard.

Yes, these are changing times. Big changes. Life changes. Not so sure I'm ready for springing forward and such. Right now.... slowing down sounds real good.

I am gonna change her room to a man cave when she leaves though....

I'm out.

Coaches

The last two weekends I've had the opportunity to lead about 1,000 students in worship at FCA's Weekend of Champions. Both weekends were incredible!! Well over 200 kids came to know Christ! Others made came to a point of repentance and are trying, right now, to start a path with God in the lead. While there I also got the chance to speak some encouragement to the high school and college kids that were leading, and to the coaches that were there.

I love coaches! Having been one for so long I understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of their world. I also understand that these men and women have more influence on kids than just about anyone else in their lives during these crucial years. Partnering with coaches and schools is a must for anyone in student ministry, or for church in general.

Think about it. Coaches and teachers spend more time than any of us with our kids. More time than parents, youth pastors, bosses, etc.... To pour into our schools is to impact our teenagers at a kingdom level, regardless of numbers in any particular building or congregation. If I can encourage and empower the kids that are in our student ministry to live out the church on their campuses, and to do ministry where they are daily, I believe that way more effective than giving them another bible study they don't do anything with during the week.

We have to be efficient at what we teach, when we teach it, and when we give our people the opportunity to live out what we've taught. The wisdom to use the knowledge we have stored up is something we lack. God promises to give generously to those who ask Him for wisdom. I pray for our students daily that they will gain wisdom to use what they've been taught. I also pray that I will give them the opportunities to be the church, not just come to church.

I understand that there are always people that would rather sit and soak, rather than get up and be the church. I know that for some, sitting and listening to someone else's interpretation of the bible, Jesus, God's love and plan, etc... gives them what they need to check off their "went to church" box for the week. But to have even just a few that really get it....... that's where it's at. To have a few that want to get their hands dirty; that want to be the hands and feet; that want to serve....... those are numbers that have backing.

Coaches teach, and then on game night.... kids are given the opportunity to live out what they've been taught. When adjustments need to be made, they are made and implemented.... and guess what happens..... the kids respond. You find out rather quickly who you can go to battle with, and who is going to give it all they have and gather to celebrate, cry, re-evaluate, and start all over when needed, when the work is done. I think that is a pretty good model for the church.

Coaches.... thank you! Coach Bundy.... thank you for pouring into a 15 year old kid something other than just how to play the game of football, but how to do life. At a time when life sucked, you encouraged and built into what you knew would help later in life and I appreciate it.

What are we doing with what we know? And how are we encouraging those around us to use what they know? Build the kingdom..... regardless of where the bricks are laid.

I'm out.....

Schooled

The kids are out of school and Christmas is definitely in the air. I love this time of year!! It's even a little cold this year. Growing up on the gulf coast I don't ever remember a cold Christmas much less a white one. I do remember getting out of school and knowing that I had two weeks off. That was only topped when I got to college and realized I got a month off at Christmas. Incredible!!

I had a conversation about school with a friend the other day. He and his wife have chosen to put their kids in a private "christian" school after homeschooling for a few years. He made a statement that I have a problem with pertaining to public schools not being a good place for children to get their education.

I had a problem on a few levels....

1. my wife is a teacher in the public school system.
2. i taught and coached in public schools for 15 years before going into full-time vocational ministry
3. all of my kids are in public schools.

I guess my issue lies in the fact that I know that private "christian" schools have the same problems as the public schools, the kids there can just afford the private school tuition. I taught in several schools over my teaching career and saw my share of parents get upset with the system because of their kid's behavioral issues and just transferred them to a private school. I also had my share of kids that got kicked out of private schools for many of the reasons we were kicking kids out of public schools.

But on a spiritual level I just think that kids that have a relationship with Christ will have a bigger impact on their community if they are actually interacting with their community on a daily basis. To live out the life God calls us to in a public school, where all of society is represented can be huge. Obviously there are things that we don't want our kids exposed to, but is putting them in a bubble really helping. What happens when they get to college?

Don't say... well by that time they'll be mature enough to handle it. You're kidding yourself with that philosophy. Truth be told.... you risk them going stark raving wild when they get a glimpse at the world they've been "protected" from their whole life.

Teaching our students to stand for what they believe in the face of all the world has to throw at them is teaching them real, missional, Christianity. Life is gross and dirty at times and we can't protect them from everything, but we can show them what it looks like to overcome and stand for what is right. When you teach your kid to drive, you don't have them drive around a parking lot until the day they get their license. You get them out on the road and show them what it's like to navigate through traffic and obstacles. Life is no different..... they've got to see what it's like to take a stand when they're students, while they're still under our roof..... if they get away without that experience it could be trouble.

I'm out.....

Happy Thanksgiving

I love this time of year. There is so much to get excited about and reflect on. Later today this house will be filled with the smell of lots of food, and the sound of people having a good time. Football will be on tv pretty much all day with the Cowboys game being the feature game at 3. And then of course there is the fact that today ushers in the start of the Christmas season. Since I was a kid the Macy's Day Parade seemed to signal the start of Christmas. It's great.

One of the weird things about today is that all of the work that goes into preparing is laid to waste in a matter of minutes. By 1:00, the carcas of that turkey will be stripped to the bone. The dressing will be consumed in mass quantities and it will be time for a nap. By mid-afternoon many people will be making their shopping plans for Black Friday and the craziness that comes with the biggest shopping day of the year. Who started that crazy stuff anyway?

Then there's the reflective side of things. Thanksgiving..... should be a part of every day, but this time of year seems to make even the hardest of hearts sit and reflect on the good things of life. Even in the toughest of times there is much to be thankful for in life. Think on those things. Prayers of thanksgiving seem, sometimes, to get lost amongst all of the prayers of petition, but isn't there so much more to give thanks for than to ask for in our lives?

Nine years ago I lost my dad on Thanksgiving day to a heart attack. While the exact day only falls on Thanksgiving every once in a while, for obvious reasons it is Thanksgiving Day that marks that time of my life. I am thankful for the 33 years that I had with my dad and look forward to seeing him again someday.

Cliche as it may be.... take some tme today to reflect and be thankful for what you have, what you've had, and what we are sure to receive. Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm out.

Catalyst Stuff

The first day of labs/classes are done. I heard lots of good stuff today, but there is much to be processed. Here are a few of the notable notes from the day:

1. If you are leading.... people will get mad and leave. - Perry Noble
2. Inspiration will only take you so far. You must lead by revelation.- Perry Noble
3. If we hold too tightly to an ideal picture of family, we set up families to become disillusioned.
- Reggie Joiner
4. Influencing families is about teaching them to cooperate with God and His plan; not about
conforming to the picture of a model family.
5. The word of God has to be a part of our leadership in worship. -Aaron Keyes
6. When I invite people into my stuff, they invite me into theirs. -Jamie Tworkowski
7. How are we forming people into the image of Jesus? - Jon Tyson
8. Imagination has been taken captive by the world. -Darren Whitehead
9. People were not created to handle planetary suffering day-in day-out. -Shane Hipps
10. Church has missed the boat on teaching the gospel, and has taught moral theism.
-Matt Chandler

Well there you go. The top 10 nuggets of the day. I'll probably have much more to say tomorrow. Main sessions start up early and go all day. Can't wait...gonna be awesome!

I'm out.