Sick

As a young, strapping, single, youth pastor, I hate being sick. I hate being sick period...even when I wasn't in this position of leadership. But here is why I hate it even more now:

First, people feel the need to mother me and/or tell me what I need to do or not do......all the time! Now, if you are one of my good friend's or a family member, I tolerate it. But these people do not know me that well. It's like certain people flock toward those who are sick or in pain. It's almost like their drug...they have to be around it. But I did not ask for people's opinions or diagnoses or thoughts on what I am doing wrong; NOR do I like people mothering me. My mom is the only one who get's to do that; I like it when she does it, not those I barely know (to those of you who think this is an attack on you, I GUARANTEE IT IS NOT. I'M JUST VENTING).
Second, I realize how much I miss my family. I miss my mom and her insight and her help. I am a total momma's boy and since moving to Cincinnati I realize how much of a momma's boy I really am!! It's bad!! And oh so good :-)

Anyways, to steal from Mark Driscoll, I'm venting on this here guy because I really can't afford therapy; this blog will just have to do. <3

A lot on the Noggin'

I havn't been sleeping too well the last week or so. I have not fallen asleep as fast as I usually do, especially since I've been exhausted nearly every night this last month, and I have not been sleeping in as long as I usually do. I am going to attribute it all to my mind pulling a "Lightning Mcqueen" the last few weeks. Yes, my mind has been moving at an alarming pace...Thinking about anything and everything. I am natuarlly a "thinker" so I am not too frustrated (yet) but trying to control mind, which is Biblical. Too much thinking can be unhealthy, just as not thinking at all is detrimental, and I want to have a healthy balance. The mind is truly a battlefield!!

So, this is what I did this morning when I got into the office: I usually spend my first hour and a half in the scriptures, worship, devotionals, solitude, journaling, etc. However, this morning I grabbed my USC Trojans pillow off a chair, layed down in the middle of my floor, and rested. This was unique for me since I am so driven, feeling the need to never waste time, to keep busy...to always be doing something. But I was so tired this morning, I felt the need to just "rest in God"; to lay down and hit the PAUSE button before I got started on this busy Wednesday. I didn't fall completely asleep, but that was not the goal. The goal was to do no-thing...to Rest and ask God to refresh me. The goal was to quiet the mind, to lay down every part of me, not just the physical part though I did symbolically. It was truly different for me and will take some getting used to. However, if our minds are a battlefield (and they are) I feel this may be a good exercise for me to participate in every once in a while in order to recalibrate and refresh my thinking. God knows I want to serve Him, but sometimes I am unhealthy in the process of being a follower of Jesus. God, quiet our minds. May we find rest in You.

Slacker

I am a slacker!! I realize that it has been almost two months since I posted last! I figured that is unacceptable, therefore I am going to step my game up.

Enough of that. Something cool happened to me yesterday. I was exiting a typical study session at my Starbucks and as I got into my car a man came up to my window asking for some help. His car ran out of gas and he needed a couple gallons to get to his wife who had his wallet and money. I gave him a 5 and he was on his way. I kid you not, NOT 30 seconds later...AS I'M DRIVING AWAY TO MY APARTMENT, a general manager of TGI Friday's flags me down. He is stranded and needs to get to his car, which is in the shop, a couple exits up the freeway. I have him hop in and help him with the situation! That has NEVER happened to me in my life! Within literally a couple of minutes I was able to help a two stranded guys. I do not believe in coincidences and Jesus' words "...I was a stranger and you welcomed me...as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me" were playing in my mind throughout the whole experience.
I now pray every morning: "God, reveal yourself to me today. Help me to be others-centered and give me an opportunity to show your love." ...I believe He did just that and will continue to do so.

I bit the bullett

I don't like Twitter. I think it is narcissistic in reality and gives people the ability to NOT be socially active, creating socially inept human beings. This is where our society is going...we have complete online worlds, everything you need to be done without leaving your home to interact with any human being. We even have automatic machine cashiers at the grocery store and drive up atm's where you don't have to get out of your car and brush shoulder's with people. That would be inconvenient!!! Therefore, I believe Twitter to be a part, NOT the only reason, of this social breakdown in our digital age. BUT....as a student ministries pastor, it is Great!! What a great way to quickly throw out mass announcements, prayer requests, encouraging words, thoughts on last night's teaching, reminders of upcoming events, and so on. With that said, I bit the bullett and signed myself up, despite my feelings about it. I figure that the idea/challenge is to utilize the technology in order to create social interaction and sweet action community. This is the challenge and I think my youth ministry and I are up for it.

The Distant God part 4

Picking up where I left off a few days ago, the third thing I do is:

3. Lean on God's promises.

God's Word is filled with promises (read the Psalms especially)! When circumstances are tough; when God feels far, I read the Scriptures and concentrate on the promises: He will never leave nor forsake me; God is love; we are more than conqueror's; the Holy Spirit is our helper; God desires to use me; vengeance is His; forgiveness equals freedom. Things like these are ingrained in Scripture! Sometimes, I have to admit, I force myself to read The Word when i am down and God feels....well, when I can't "feel" Him. That's when you see what you are really made of. When you DO things you DON'T "wanna" do. Sometimes we have to "SUCK IT UP" and pray, read, meditate, Sing songs of praise, when we least desire to. I have found that many times God shows up when we do something we don't want to.

When God feels a million miles away, focus on His promises....even if all you feel is apathy and don't want to do a thing.

The Distant God part 3

The Second thing I do when I feel God is a million miles away is:

2. Remember God's Character.

It is easy to forget about the nature of God and WHO HE IS when we don't understand why (or why things aren't) things are going a certain way. We can forget that God is love, He is faithful, He operates outside of time, Vengeance is HIS and HIS alone, His timing is perfect, His forgiveness is genuine, He sent Jesus to be an example to us, suffer, and DIE for us, He states that He will never leave us, He is all-powerful, nothing goes unnoticed with Him, and the list goes on. We can look just about anywhere in scripture and find something descriptive of God's nature.

I often open up the scriptures and just read cool stories of how God rescued people like Daniel, David, Esther, Job, JOSEPH, Moses, Paul, and others. These stories point toward God's nature...His character. I am encouraged because, I believe, if God did it then, who's to say that He can't intervene in my life and situation now? Why can't God show up for me? I am encouraged to know that God has a pretty good track record with keeping His promises; I am encouraged when I shift my focus off of God's distance and onto HIS NATURE. Which is more true: God has forgotten me (nowhere in scripture), OR God is love (in scripture)?

The Distant God part 2

The first thing I do when God feels distant:

1. Hold nothing back.

I let God know how I am feeling. Sometimes I am mad at "His silence" and I let Him know it by "yelling". I know that this is not a particularly popular thing to do and is often times looked down on in the Christian world. But, I look at a lot of The Psalms and notice how frustrated David was; how mad He was at what seemed like God's absence. So, He wrote out, sang, and vented his frustrations. God can take it. He understands that we are emotional beings. I think He created us that way. I think it is better to vent your frustrations at God than yelling and being a jerk to a friend, family member, or stranger......the dog may be good though. They usually just wag their tail while staring at you with their tongue sticking out.
Anyway, I often feel better when venting my frustrations to God. At times, when I am done complaining, that is when God speaks to me. Furthermore, these times tend to shape your character and really reveals a lot about yourself. Do I believe God is big enough to yell at for not showing up? If He is big enough to yell at, do I believe that He is big enough TO SHOW UP? Do I have too many distractions in my life that are keeping me from hearing His voice? What are my motives in regard to my prayers? Questions like these often come to mind when I am frustrated with God. I realize we are all different, but sometimes I just have to authentically let loose and tell God how frustrated I am at His apparent distance.

The Distant God pt. 1 (Intro.)

God feels far sometimes. He feels a million miles away. I am finding this to be a common feeling, especially amongst people who are minister's in some capacity. However, I believe if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, we are going to feel like God left and hasn't come back for a while. Let's face it, God feels long gone sometimes.

This morning at the beginning of my time with the Father, I said, in an audible voice, "I feel like you are sooo far from me God. And I don't know why...but you just feel so distant." With that said, I put on some worship music to try and break through this barrior. I continued to worship and read the scriptures before I opened up my devo (Going through Purpose Driven Life again. I try and do it once a year). Still struggling while at the same time chewing on Jesus's beautiful prayer in John 17, I opened up PDL. Lo and behold, the title of today's reading states, "When God Seems Distant." HAHA!! All I could do is smile. For the next couple of posts (thank you Perry Noble) I am going to talk about the top four things we should do when God feels a million miles away. This was very helpful to me today and though God still feels a little far, I am optimistic.
I conclude on this note: Our feelings are deceiving. We are emotional beings and can at times allow our emotions to dictate what is truth rather than Scripture. Let's not let our feelings (no matter how real they may be) get the best of us. In hard times...during, as St. John of the Cross called it, "the dark night of the soul", remember God hasn't gone anywhere, no matter how we feel (John 14:17-18; Hebrews 13:5.).

Cincinnati and reconciliation

Yesterday my lead pastor, boss, and friend Brad Rosenberg walked into my office with a little bit if "franticness" in his step and asked me to drive to University Hospital with him for a visit. University is right next to the University of Cincinnati (obvious, i know) which is located right next to one of the most dangerous areas of Cincinnati called "Over the Rhine." I have driven through this place a couple of times but yesterday, as I was driving and talking with my boss, I was struck by a dichotomy. While going up a street called Vine, we pass through some dangerous neighborhoods: a women strung out and looking for drugs, a car parked at a stop sign with a guy dealing, people out on their porches packing heat, cops patrolling, etc. As we drive up around a bend toward the hospital, things start looking really nice: young professionals walking around, college students moving from one class to another, mom's walking with children, elderly out for an afternoon stroll, etc. What a dichotomy within only a few miles' stretch!!! I have never really experienced the whole "Black neighborhood", "White trash neighborhood", "Latin neighborhood", and so on. I grew up with everything being a melting pot. The only time segregation occured was because of the gangs.
So, I prayed for a new heart to pump out an overwhelming desire to be a part of racial reconciliation. We need it!!! Every city needs it and the Church (notice the capital "C") must be in the center of the battle. Jesus mingled, befriended, welcomed, and reached out to Samaritans, Greeks, Romans, Jews, women, children, young, and old. Shouldn't we do the same? Shouldn't we be apart of bridging the gap between different cultures, social classes, economic status ethnic, gender, intellect, etc.? I think so. I now digress.

"Hope Fair"

Last night our church conducted its first annual "Hope Fair." We put on what could be understood as a "mini Convoy of Hope", in which we provided dental exams, haircuts, carnival rides, hearing exams, health screenings, giveaways, hot dogs, a prayer tent, bags of groceries, and much more. It was so rewarding for us to see all of the families come and get served by the Church. I am convinced that events like these is close to the heart of God. We are to be a Hospital for the hurting not a country club for the healthy (Mark 2:17). Upward of 500 people came to this event and heard a Gospel presentation while at the same time having their needs met. I look forward to seeing many of the same people sitting in our seats this Sunday morning being fed the Scriptures!!

Words Like Honey

Last night we continued in the series "Drop Some Knowledge", by talking about the power of our words. In many aspects of our lives, we naturally attempt to treat the symptoms of our behavior rather than the root cause of our behavior. The same goes for our words. King Solomon tells us that a wise heart produces kind words that are sweet to the bones and healthy for our bodies. We realized that whatever comes out of our mouths (A symptom) is a direct result of what we contain in our hearts. Jesus proved this point in Matthew chapter 12:34-37 (I encourage you to go and read it for yourself. It's good stuff). There is no doubt in my mind that, just like food and drink, whatever goes into us will come out; whatever we take in through our eyes and ears will manifest itself through our mouth. Therefore, the challenge for us is this: Who or what has my heart? Who does it belong to? When dealing with our words and the life or destruction that we speak with them, it is essential to remember that our hearts are the issue. A wise heart and pleasant words are inextricably connected. It would do us well to never forget that.

iPhone.....

I just purchased an iPhone a couple days ago and I absolutely LOVE it!!! After having my other phone for nearly four years, it kind of feels weird. But it is safe to say that I don't think i'll ever go back. iPhone users...we are spoiled.

Parents Night

I love parents!! This last Wednesday night we conducted our first "Parents Night" to inform the parents of our teenagers. This was an opportunity for them to hear me speak to them from my heart about the youth ministry. We catered in some delicious spaghetti and bread sticks and had a Question and Answer session facilitated by one of my students. It was a great time, and for my first time ever doing this I feel it went off well.

I love parents!! Did I mention that already? It is so tough to be a parent, especially nowadays! It is a great challenge and youth pastors often make it more difficult. It is my belief that part of being a youth pastor is coming alongside parents and helping them with their kids...NOT telling them HOW to parent or blowing them off or ignoring them or never engaging them (Getting the point?) or whatever else. I believe that parents are our greatest asset in youth ministry. There are a couple of things I am working on right now with parents and I thought I would share (The ABC's):

1. Authentically Listen. Give the parents a voice. Many times parents DO NOT feel they have a voice in their kids' lives, and it only adds to their frustration when we don't listen to them too. Therefore, provide avenues for their voice to be heard: Email out a quarterly questionnaire, take a parent out to coffee and ask for their opinion on specific events, and or set up a parent advisory team where they provide input on anything from administrative stuff to midweek gatherings to large events. The sky is the limit. Yes, we will not always agree, especially on methodology. However, that does not negate the necessity of giving a listening ear.
   
2. Build Friendship. Sure, not every parent is going to be your friend and it will look different for every parent who does end up being a friend. BUT, it is good to be friends with some of the parents of teens. There is something refreshing about engaging parents in friendship. In the Context of friendship, they can be a rock solid support, a safe place for you, and give sound advice (which is taken completely different when coming from a friend!).
   
3. Clearly Communicate. Most parents just want to be informed. They want to know what is going on. This is a GOOD THING!!! It means they care for the well-being of their child...just like the youth pastor and leaders do! Therefore, Clearly Communicating Consistently is crucial. Send out email updates, postcards, bulletin announcements, etc. Most parent to youth pastor problems occur because effective communication does not take place.
   
4. Develop Parent Leaders. Plug parents in to leadership!! I am quickly finding that some parents (NOT all or most) will make great youth leaders. At the very least, they are great assets in helping with specific events, fund raising and/or administrative help. We can always use the help!

I know I am not an expert, but considering last Wednesday night, I thought it beneficial to jot down some of what I was thinking.

Thoughts? Comments?

God and Structure

I am in the middle of reading Exodus right now and it hit me: it took time, patience, effort and energy for God to lay down structure, a foundation, and expectations for Israel. We don't immediately have the ten commandments. Passover doesn't occur in Genesis let alone all the other Jewish holidays. Israel does not have their land nor cities until way later in the nations' history. This all took time; God demonstrates incredible patience and diligence when working with His people. That is amazing to me! We live in such an impatient got-to-have-it-yesterday culture that we forget great things take time to develop. I'm talking about Delayed Gratification. We can apply it to any area of our lives: youth ministry, relationships, sex, money, stuff, work, entertainment...anything. For instance, instead of going to get me some fast food, I "pump the brakes" (as one of my students says when referencing some one to slow it down speedracer), take the time, put in some effort and energy, and cook myself a nice healthy meal in the ol' apartment. I am trading something fast and easy that tastes good but isn't that healthy for me, for something that is Best even though it takes a little more time and effort. This must be applied to every part of our lives. I am learning, especially as a new Student Ministries Pastor, that Great things come to those who take one step at a time; do first things first. Sure, it's hard work. Sure, it takes time and patience to lay down structure. Sure, we hate delaying. But in the end, it will be well worth it. God ended up laying the foundation for people all around the globe who call themselves Christ-followers. Imagine what we could accomplish in our communities if we allow Him to guide us into the same practices. I love the old Bill Gates quote (which by the way my Lead Pastor and I quote for me almost daily): "Most people over-estimate what they can achieve in two years and under-estimate what they can accomplish in ten."

I believe God desires to do some great things in our lives and areas of leadership and/or work. They key is to take it one step at a time. We need not get too far ahead of ourselves. God doesn't...AND HE IS GOD! Therefore we shouldn't either. Patience and diligence are key components to success and greatness. I Now Digress.

Ever since returning from a youth minister's conference, I have gone on an accidental "fast" from blogging. Things have been sooooo crazy busy around here I have not even had time to read any blogs let alone write in mine. I am finding that it is so easy to get caught in a whirlwind of tasks that you can forget your priorities (I'm not saying blogging is priority per se). It's easy to let those things that are important slip through the cracks. I am working on avoiding this type of fo paw and taking measures to Do the Important things...that which REALLY matters. First things first and one thing at a time. I am constantly reminding myself of this.

Any ideas? Thoughts?

National Youth Workers Conference

In a couple of hours I will be leaving for Group's National Youth Workers Conference in Columbus Ohio, which is hosting names like: Jeanne Mayo, Mike DeVries, Jim Burns, Bo Boshers, Kay Warren, and of course Doug Fields. I AM FLIPPIN' STOKED OUT OF MY MIND!!! I am so blessed to have a Lead Pastor and a board who allows me to participate in things like this! I am taking three of my leaders with me and we are going to just soak it all in. I am PUMPED! Did I mention that?

Anyway, I think with a great conference like this, it is easy to walk away with 50 different ideas on how to run a youth ministry, build a team, and change your community. But I think the key is not to walk away from something like this and try to implement those 50 or 15 or 10.....not even 5 things you gather. I think the idea, at least this is what is going on in my head, is to walk away with 1 or 2, maximum 3, things that will really work right now; that will help our youth ministry take that NEXT STEP forward. It's all about baby steps in life and the same goes in any ministry capacity. I have to tell myself this all the time because I am so driven and vision/goal oriented, I get way ahead of myself. I think many of us leaders can relate to this. Therefore, my mindset is to walk away with just a couple of ideas to implement, and I will file away the rest for another season. With that, I now digress....

Thick Skin

I have been really struggling the past few days with this idea of having "thick skin and a soft heart" in regard to ministry. I have realized over the past couple of weeks that my "skin" is not as tough as I'd like it to be nor as it needs to be. So, How DO I develop toughness yet keep the softness of my heart? I have yet to discover anything groundbreaking and within the past few days have been praying vivaciously for some help in this area. I Do not know how some people do it. This is probably my most vulnerable blog ever posted, but I feel that so many of us struggle with insecurities, authentically loving people unconditionally, serving God, pleasing people, pleasing God, doing things we do not want to do, doing what is right despite opposition, and being the type of leader who doesn't let certain things phase him/her, all at the same time. These are tough things to balance and work through; at times, difficult dragons to slay. I guess, as Mark Driscoll says, since I can't afford theropy this will have to do for now :-)

Thoughts?

Half Awake But Mostly Asleep.

I am a light sleeper. At the same time, I talk in my sleep (ask any of my past roommates and they would be happy to tell you some pretty interesting stories about my conversations while sleeping). So, sometimes I will wake myself up because I am talking too loud in my sleep or whatever. BUT, last night I added so pizaz. Have any of you awaken in the middle of the night but were still technically "asleep"? Welp, all I remember is waking myself up, due to excessive dialogue with myself, and, while looking at my clock, popped up out of bed (all the time continuing to mumble to myself). I noticed that I did not set my alarm, so I walked over to my clock muttering something about me being irresponsible and an idiot...the time was around 3:15. I turned my alarm on and fell back asleep muttering something about my Dad and Brother.....I think. Here is the thing...MY DAY OFF is Monday!! So, my alarm went off, WAY TOO EARLY, and Sean Was NOT a Happy Camper!!! I barely remember what I was doing and I am still trying to make some sense of what I was dreaming and mumbling about. I think so many things are going on in my mind and so much work needs to be done, I do weird things like this. Who knows. Good news is I was able to fall back asleep for a couple more hours.

Sharing Your Faith

Last night we capped off our two part teaching on how NOT to share your faith, and HOW TO share Jesus with others. I thought it beneficial to post the seven practical methods to share Jesus with others we mentioned last night. AND NO, going door to door with tracts was NOT one of them :-)

• Romans Road--We are all dirty rotten sinners and, compared to Jesus, fall short of "good enough" (Romans 3:23). We deserve death NOT life (Romans 6:23) but Jesus died for our sin (Romans 5:8) and if we admit our shortcoming and turn from our sin (Romans 10:9-13) we will live in freedom with Jesus now and forever (Romans 8:38-39).
• ABC's-- A: accept that Jesus is who He said He is. B: believe (or trust) in Him. C: confess your sin to Him and walk toward Him.
• Three D's-- Develop friendships, Discover stories, and Determine next steps. This is always centered around authentically LOVING people, finding out about them, and helping them take one step closer to Jesus.
• Random Acts of Kindness-- Everybody has the capability of BEING kind to someone, doing the very things Jesus did to others who least expected or deserved it.
• Share Your Story-- Nothing is more powerful than your story. People cannot argue away what you have experienced. Share Your Story.
• Use Me-- Our hope is that everyone who walks through our doors will walk out different than when they came in. We will teach JESUS every time we meet. Invite people to events, growth groups, and our mid-week gatherings. We will teach Scripture.

Welp, there they are. Some of these work for certain people, and some for others. And there are some methods that we did not discuss last night...and I'm sure those will work well for others too. The objective last night was to encourage everyone to take a step forward with Jesus and begin telling others about Jesus, our Master and Leader.

To Write a Book From the perspective of Satan part Final!

WOW. What an intense read. Lewis made the spiritual realm come to life; it became real, not just a concept that gets talked about only once a year. Lewis pulls no punches. He opens our eyes up to what a conversation between spiritual beings, who care not a lick about us, would look like. The demons' soul desire is to see a man and his woman fall out of faith with their Savior.

However, In the end Screwtape and Wormwood lose their man to THE Man (Jesus), whom they call "the Enemy". Every time I read that phrasing of God, "the Enemy", I had to remind myself that Lewis is writing from the perspective of a veteran demon. It could get very confusing, because everything I perceive as being "good" is portrayed as evil or "bad", yet still some things that I see as being beneficial to MY faith Screwtape view's being beneficial as well! Therefore, I get the feeling that I should watch it with those things that I see as good, lest they be twisted in a way that honors myself (and Satan) rather than God! Oh my me, it gets a little confusing Eh? Here's the point...I think: Any "thing" that is good can be used for bad. There are plenty of good things out in our world that have been twisted for evil, inflicted pain, and destroyed lives. For example, One of the obvious things, a topic Screwtape tries to exploit throughout the letters, is SEX. We have torn down the concept of "covenant" and "boundaries"; taking a good thing...A GOD THING, and used it wrongly. We have taken a legitimate desire, SEX (i like putting that word in all caps. it is fun), and tried to fulfill this desire in an illegitimate way, pre-marital SEX :-) and pornography SIMPLY to name a few of the array of distortions. The Theme of this book is simply this: Satan's pursuit is to take what is good and twist it enough to where we forget all about the God who tuely cares for us. Outside of complete surrender to my Holy, good God, anything can destroy me, whether it be a good thing are not!

The question I now am trying to ask myself, courtesy of a one Mark Batterson (check out his blog. he's got something to say): Is this a GOD THING. Just some food for thought I guess. If you haven't read the book, i recommend it. Giving it an: A.

I Am Pumped UP!!

Tonight we conclude a two week series on sharing your faith with others. It was a good two part message, but I must admit that I've been a little distracted during it because I have been looking forward to the future. I feel kind of weird admitting this, but it is true. Beginning in March, we kick off a new series which will probably take us into the Summer, called "Drop Some Knowledge." I AM SO PUMPED FOR US TO BEGIN!! We will be going through the book of Proverbs, picking out some of the most famous sayings of the likes of Solomon and some of the other dudes who wrote in the book. We will touch on and go deep into issues like sex, money, obedience, vision, character, wisdom (of course!), honesty, slander versus loyalty, and many other topics.

This is exactly what teenagers in our culture need: some knowledge. BUT, NOT just any knowledge...sound Biblical knowledge that leads to a life of freedom, responsibility, and fulfillment. I believe the Proverbial sayings have much to offer this generation; therefore, I Am stoked out of my mind to Drop Some Knowledge on them!!! IF you haven't noticed...I am pumped!!!! :-)

Stop, Collaborate, and Listen

I find myself getting distracted and off track at times throughout the day. So, I decided to PAUSE half way through the day for about 5 to 10 minutes and refocus my priorities. I put it in my iCal as a reminder, and I call it "Stop, Collaborate, and Listen." (innovative right?!?!) I Drop everything, Pause, and read my Bible or pray or read my Bible and pray or just sit in silence and breathe. I also might do some journaling or blogging. All this does for me is get me on track with what Jesus wants, NOT what I want or think should be. I am Designing this 10 minutes or so to hear from God in the middle of my day. I want to do His will, which can be elusive for a guy like me who is so driven and tends to do my own will (or everyone else's) rather than God's.

I am finding that refocussing and doing some good 'ol fashion surrendering goes a LONG LONG WAY.

the importance of a team

We just had our monthly Leadership team meeting last night and I cannot stop thanking God for the team He has given me. We typically go for about an hour and 15 minutes; every meeting, without fail, it flies by! I have an eclectic group of people, some older than me, some younger than me, and a couple my age-ish, and yet we have so much fun together. There is a certain transparency and electricity that I could not have crafted if I tried to. We laugh hard with each other, pray vivaciously for one another, and care deeply for our students together. The longer I am with my team, the more I realize how essential and non-negotiable my three C's of leadership are (in regard to the leadership team). If I have piqued your curiosity, here they are (Adopted from Bill Hybels' Courageous Leadership):

1. Character. I cannot have a double-minded person in leadership or people who demonstrate little or no real spiritual/biblical depth. How can we expect those we lead to do something (serving God with all of our lives) if we ourselves are not? We are all a work in progress, and it is essential for leadership to progressively move toward God one step at a time.
2. Chemistry. If I don't like you or cannot get along with you, it's not going to work out. There must be a strong sense of comradory...PERIOD.
   
3. Commitment. If you don't show up to church, meetings, activities, etc., forget about it; you cannot be a leader. You either sell out to the vision of the ministry and show your support by showing up, OR just stay home.

I can proudly say that each of my leader's exhibit the three C's. Are they perfect? Heck NO!! And neither am I!!! But we are learning. You know it is a good thing when a member of my leadership team says to me, "I can honestly say that in all the years I have been on leadership, I like everyone on the team." That is a good starting point I think.

To Write a Book From the perspective of Satan part 2

The Screwtape Letters has a kind of creepy and yet intriguing eeriness and truth to it. C.S. Lewis must have been in constant prayer during the penning of this book because it can, if allowed, become so convicting and depressing all at the same time. Nevertheless, here is a line that really spoke to me today while reading:

While telling Wormwood to direct and distract his human's (or "patient" as they call him) gaze on the future rather than the present, Screwtape gives a great explanation as to why: "We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow's end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap the alter of the future every real gift which is offered them in the present." (pg. 78)

I do not know who said it but the idea for us to not put off for tomorrow what we can do today speaks volumes to me. Today is a gift and all too often we get caught up in worrying about tomorrow while in the process we miss what GOD HAS FOR US TODAY. As a vision oriented person, I fall into this trap All Too Often. The present has MUCH to offer us. Do what we can with Today, and let God deal with tomorrow. Don't chase a rainbow's end. You'll never catch it...and their is no treasure of gold.

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for it will worry about itself. Sufficient are the worries of tommorow." (my own translation. a combo of NLT, NIV, and ESV if you will).

I just killed my Pectoral Muscles (which I often times call "my boobs". Please don't be offended...i'm just be honest) by engaging in 5 different chest exercises at my gym. KEEEYAAAHHHH!! I hit the gym approximately 4 times a week and on Saturdays I usually zero in on one muscle group; today, as it is on most Saturdays, was my chest. I love "killing" my muscles!! It is Flippin' tight!! And...IT IS BIBLICAL. I Corinthians 3:16 tells us to take care of our temple (that place where the Lord makes His home). Also, in chapter 6 verse 19 and 20, Paul says that we are not our own and we need to honor God with our bodies; use them in a way that glorifies HIM (in this section Paul is talking about sexual promisciuty and imorality, but the principle still applies wonderfully to Godly excercise!). One of the ways I remain Biblical and do this is by, metaphorically, hitting those weights! And oh how good it makes me feel!!! Stay active ladies and gentlemen. You will never regret it.

How do you stay active?

To Write a Book From the perspective of Satan part I.

Who else on planet earth could have written a book like "The Screwtape Letters" other than the Oxford Don, Clive Staples? Just yesterday I decided that it was time to pick this classic up and dive into it FULL ON (after putting it off for who knows how long). What great insight Lewis has for his readers on the subject of our Enemy, and to be honest, this book is really intense so far. I can only read a few letters at a time (and each letter is only a few pages long!). Maybe that will change as I get further along, but as of right now, I think I will take it slow while reading from a Demon's perspective on how to destroy a Christian's walk with God. Nonetheless, what great insight. I will keep you filled in with thoughts as I go on this "journey" if you will.

That's a Lot of snow!!!

As i sit here in my office wrapping up the day, I look out my window and see nothing but white. ALL kinds of white! I am in the midst of my first white out of Cincinnati and i'm not going to lie, it is wicked crazy. At times I can barely see out the window; all I see is whiteness (kind of like when some people take off their shirts and those who are in their path are blinded by the whiteness as the sun reflects off the body). It is one of those things that are beautiful and destructive all at the same time. Hopefully my youth service does not get canceled tomorrow night though. If it does, that would make it two weeks in a row!! Ahhhhhh.

THE Stress Reliever...

is definitely my Gym. I do not know what I would do without hitting the weights at my gym at least 4 times a week. It is the best way for me to clear my head, decompress, and get caught up on podcasts. Everyone needs to have an activity they do that relieves pressure and stress. An intricate piece to staying healthy (in my opinion) spiritually, emotionally, mentally, as well as physically, is keeping active in some way shape or form (this does not include lifting the remote control up and down).

I am now stepping down from my soapbox. Time to pump some iron Baby....

Super Bowl

This was a great NFL season, an even greater post-season, concluded with a fun unexpected grand finale (the super bowl). I say all this first so I am not misinterpreted by what will follow. This was a hard fought, fun, and entertaining super bowl (with special emphasis on the 4th quarter). BUT...

the referee's really blew it at points. This will be short and sweet: HOW DO YOU NOT REVIEW KURT WARNER'S PASS ATTEMPT WITH 8 SECONDS LEFT TO PLAY?!?!?!?!? This was a poor poor NO decision. You cannot NOT review this call from the booth in the biggest game of the year. YOU ARE REFEREEING THE SUPER BOWL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! I am not saying Warner would have thrown the ball in the endzone for the win if he had the chance....BUT, HE SHOULD have had the Chance!!!! On top of the 15 yd. penalty, the Cardinals would have been in Great position to make one last play. The Ref's blew several calls in the favor of Pittsburgh, but this one was crucial. You cannot review the Holmes Touchdown catch 500 times to make sure he was in and NOT ONCE look at the last play of the game for Warner!!!! RIDICULOUS!!! I was shocked!! Now, I am disappointed. Taking nothing away from the Steelers, they played tough. Bottom line: The Cardinals deserved another chance because Warner's arm was moving forward. Horrible non-review. HORRIBLE. And, as expected, the Cardinals were class acts about it. They handled everything wtih integrity.

On another note: Holmes catch was not nearly as impressive as David Tyre's last year.

Homosexuality

Just got done talking with a University student who is writing a paper on "Homosexuality" and "gay rights." She was looking for the Church's perspective on the issue and had phoned a number of churches (different denominations) including a Buddhist temple. The first "Pentecostal" pastor she spoke to said it was wrong because "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Adam and Eve and Eve." She told me that she politely rebutted and in turn was told, by the youth pastor, that she didn't have time to talk and hung up on the college student. Needless to say, I was shocked (she was irritated) and not happy with my fellow colleague in the trenches. SO, this incident and what turned out to be a very delightful conversation got me thinking:

Why is it that we (Leaders in the Church) many times side-step difficult issues with cliche responses at best?!?! Today's society is hungry for REAL answers and it seems that much of the time we bust out our cookie cutter and expect people to eat our responses like an Italian feast (which I could go for right about now!). The old days of society as a whole naturally having somewhat of a Biblical background/perspective are LONG LONG GONE. Therefore, the challenge for us Minsters and leaders is to explore the issues (homosexuality, pantheism, relativism, pluralism, alcoholism, all the -isms, pain, suffering, evil, etc.) and respond with Biblical conviction, relevance, clarity, and intelligence; all under the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. This is EXACTLY what Jesus did. He DID NOT sidestep tough issues with pithy cliche's from junior high, but addressed topics with sound doctrinal teaching and relevant stories (known as parables). If our aim is to be like Christ, we MUST engage our culture in dialogue, speaking full of GRACE and TRUTH just as OUR Master did (John 1:17).

When my phone conversation was all said and done, I have made a new friend and look forward to many more conversations about hot button topics with this individual. There is nothing to be afraid of when dealing with issues like these. It is so sad to see Christians do the very same thing that people do when someone/something is different than them: either they hate or fear (whether it be a different look or belief or expression or whatever. One of these is usually the typical response). Whereas, to bite off of Rich Warren, the best response is to love and embrace those who believe differently. I can still love someone and disagree with them at the same time. Actually, isn't that what Jesus did (our Master disagree with and even hates our sin but still loved us enough to die and take our sin away)? And HE still does. SO, the moral of my inward dissertation is: when someone calls you asking for your perspective on a controversial topic, do us all a favor and don't hang up on them. I NOW DIGRESS.

Minister's retreat

This year, our (A/G) District conducted our annual "minister's retreat" at a place called Kalahari Resorts located in Sandusky, Ohio, ( about 4 hours north of Cincinnati), the largest indoor water park in the nation. We arrived on Monday afternoon and were scheduled to leave back to the office on Wednesday afternoon. What we did not expect was the first blizzard of 2009 to hit the entire state of Ohio, and much of the mid-west, all through Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon. Oh, what to do?!?! Should we brave the roads and what could end up becoming a 6 to 6 and a half hour drive back to Cincinnati? Or, do we suffer for one more day and night at an indoor water park? HMMMM. To put everyone's suspicions to rest, we stayed another day and night, which was the right, safe decision. I can honsetly say that I did absolutely nothing but have fun for two days straight. I, unabashadly, skipped out on many of the Distirict's leadership sessions (they bring in a guest speaker to teach on certain subjects and issues throughout the two day event) for an intimate dance with waterslides and rides, proudly experiencing each one offered (There were around a dozen. You can call me irresponsible or a "ditcher", that's cool...i had a great time). However, the best part of this retreat was that I experienced the park with another member of my staff, and we bonded. As the new guy and all, I walked away with some great memories and have taken a step forward in relationship with my lead pastor and my other team members. You can't put a price tag on that!! I feel refreshed and, honestly, a little rejuvinated. I think this is the ideal result of a retreat such as this. Kudos to the District for recognizing an enjoyable atmosphere and allowing us to engage it. Two thumbs up!

Growth Groups

We just launched our new Guys and Girls Small groups (called Growth Groups 'round here) and i am excited about what God is going to do through them.

Courtesy of my friend in the trenches, Justin Chandler, One of my leader's and I will be navigating our young men through the book of Judges. I have read the exciting book several times and am looking forward to teaching our guys how to be MEN of God, NOT Males. Judges has a wide variety of things to teach men: fighting for what is right, how to love, being tough, being sensitive, sacrificing pride and replacing it with humility, listening to God, trusting God rather than our own logic, being a man of one wife, kickin' some butt when necessary, and so much more.

The facts are that we are living in a Fatherless generation. I will guesstimate that approximately 60 to 70% of the teenagers in my youth ministry are without a father (this also takes into account the dad's who are "home" but nobody's really "home"; they are there but not really). WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD ROLE MODELS GONE?!?! When Spike is the number one television program for men, our SOCIETY IS IN TROUBLE!! (don't get me wrong, i like some of Spike's shows; they are cool and "dude-like." But a lot of what is on their is trash). As a student ministries pastor, I feel the burden, now more than ever, of training up young men into becoming good Godly role models. Teaching them how to be a good husband, NOW; how to be a good father, NOW; to fight and stand up for what is good and right. To learn how to be a GOOD protector and provider, NOW. How to Love God with every part of their life; etc. This type of training and equipping often falls between the cracks in our churches. Somehow we have almost, in a sense, "feminized" our churches. Statistics prove that Men view the church as having nothing meaningful to offer them; that it is catered greatly more towards women. It should alarm us that women are WAY MORE likely to attend church than men. With all of this said, I hope and pray that I live long enough to hear people say, "We are now living in a fathered generation." Oh, with God's grace, that I may be apart of creating a movement where the dream of Manly Dude's as great role models becomes reality. I Focus in on the young men in hope to see us (i say us because i too want to be a Godly man) turn our world upside down; where shows like MANSWERS and Family Guy no longer personify the average male: one who is an idiot, who doesn't know how to use his brain, who screws things up all the time, and only thinks about beer and sex.
This is why I do what I do. This is why we have a manly, guys only, growth group. To all DUDE OF DUDE'S out there: let's go against the grain and be tough, humble, full of love, full of testosterone, Godly, MEN. AHHHGGGG!!

Movie Review: Paul Blart

Went to see Mall Cop last night and boy was it funny. Kevin James is in classic form with this one; good clean fun. Not many guys could pull off driving around a mall in a security scooter and it be funny. James, with his mustache, spices up a lame occupation by taking mall security a little too serious. James (Paul Blart) is adamant about his job, keeping to the rules of "mall edicate", and the safety of shoppers. So, once the mall is taken over by acrobatic maniacs on black Friday, Paul Blart is ready to spring into action.

There really isn't anything spectacular with the plot, but the "Happy Madison" production company doesn't drag the movie along and refuses to "beat a dead horse." It was simple, fun, and well done. To top it all off, they root for the underdog. I love movies that have some redemptive value to it. In this case, it is that God chooses the "underdog", the undeserved, the least likely to accomplish His will. Though Mall Cop may not be "Biblical" per se, it reveals the heart of God: an overweight, insecure, single dad, who has an impeding affliction (something i will not mention because it will ruin the movie), whom everyone counts out, out maneuvers smart well trained and well funded thieves....and gets the girl! I Love That!!! We all love that! We love seeing the least likely to succeed....well, SUCCEED.
I give it a solid: A- A definite must see. Just like a Kung-Fu Panda.

Youth Convention part Deuscie!!

So, to start out my very first traveling event with my students, our bus decides that it will not start. So, my bus driver, leader, and I are out in the -5 degree cold for four hours trying to get this thing started. We ended up replacing the batteries on our "beast" of a bus, sprayed some starter fluid and we were off to Columbus.

To be honest, i had a real good time and so did my teenagers. I am not your Gun-ho A/G guy, but our District Director did a good job with this A/G event. He is "green" (like me) and therefore it was his first big event too. There was nothing extravagant or wicked awesome that made you go, "That was AAHHHMAZING", but convention was solid; he produced a win, and teenagers were touched. Rick Lorimer was the guest speaker; he is a real cool guy and yells a lot when he teaches. Tom (our Director) spoke in the last session and absolutely connected with the students...he did a GREAT job challenging our kids to be authentic and live for God; to be a missionary to their friends. Overall, i am excited about what Tom has for this District in the future.

-2 degrees!!!

I awoke this morning in the comfort of my apartment, which was a cozy 70 Degrees Fahrenheit, ready to seize the day. i got all bundled up, it is the middle of winter...in the state of Ohio and i knew it was supposed to be breathe-takenly cold, and walked out my door. I was hit by a wall of, what i could only compare to, ice. No, not literally. the sun is out and the sky is beautiful. However, my face froze; my body felt the pain of what i sincerely believe is the frozen tundra of Green Bay Wisconsin. I immediately had flashbacks of the great Mid-west ice storms a few years ago. HHUUUUUUUU!!! OH YES....a negative 2 people. and it is supposed to hit -6.....without windchill!!! AHAHHAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Columbus here we come!! GO GOD! You make it freezing butt cold on the Unrighteous AND the Righteous alike!!!

A convention for teenagers!...pt. 1

Tomorrow about 15 of my scrappy teenagers and I embark on what will be my first "Assemblies of God Youth Convention." I hope a few things take place. First, that my kids don't kill each other. Second, that none of my kids kill another youth pastor's kids (my students are not very churched and especially not "churchy", which, BTW, I LOVE!! so hopefully they don't hurt those who are). Third, I pray vivaciously that God move in the hearts of my teens. Like any civil youth pastor, i love my students so much and can't wait to see what God does in their lives this weekend. May they come back different. KEEEYAHHHH suckah fooo!!!

Rose Bowl Part deuce

For the intrigued, i thought it satisfying to throw up a few more photos of the best college football team in the nation.

Pete Carroll, being Pete:



A beautiful play action...Stefon Johnson and Mark Sanchez. Boy I hope they come back for their senior years:



All-American, Ray Malaluaga. The Nations defensive player of the year and the nation's best linebacker. We are going to miss him:



A simple something i learned through the whole experience of going to the Rose Bowl with my dad: what makes these experiences so great is that I am creating a memory. Life is too short; i need me some risk, some adventure, some great memories; to achieve the impossible. That is why i have a goals list, and boy does it feel good to cross one of those goals off the 'ol list. You couldn't have paid me enough money to NOT go on this great opportunity. Well...i may have considered a six or seven figure offer. BUT that's not the point now is it.

In Good Company

This morning I was reading in the Gospel of John, where our Master presents a tough teaching for His followers to swallow (Jn. 6:25-71). At the end of Christ's dissertation, John records that, "...many of his disciples (can also be translated as followers) turned back and no longer followed him." What a shot to the jugular!! The Messiah was doing what the Father sent Him to do (Jn. 5:30-37) and yet people still bailed out on Him. Christ experienced rejection, despite the fact that all He ever did was speak with grace and truth (Jn. 1:14-17).

This gives me hope for a number of reasons. First, I am in good company. Not only do I experience rejection, but my Master experienced it too. As a matter of fact, God experiences rejection from His creation everyday!! That can't feel good. Second, it is not my job to transform a person's heart...only God can make that happen. My mission is to first and foremost pull an Enoch and walk with God. I am then called to do as Jesus did: speak grace and truth. I am here to do what God has called me to do. I cannot control what people do or don't do. I pray and hope for the best, but ultimately i am responsible to people, NOT for them. Does rejection suck? Does it hurt? SURE. But it is good to know that i am not alone. The greatest men and women from Bible days to the present have experienced an exodus (small or large) of followers as some point. They have doubted, toiled to no avail, been cussed out, spit on, hung out to dry, lied about, lied to, judged, told that they were inadequate or too young, and the list goes on and on.

Therefore, the question for us is not why does this happen to me or how do i avoid things like these. The question is, how will i respond? This is the question we all must answer personally and with honesty. Nevertheless, if you are feeling bummed out because of rejection or any of the above list...WELCOME!!! You are in Good Company!

Rose Bowl pt. 1

Oh happy day.




Here are some pictures of my dad and me at the Rose Bowl. For the record, we sat 11 rows behind the Penn State marching band. We were in the heart of the enemy's camp...yet, the Penn State cheerleaders are way cuter than USC's. I do not know how that fits in this blog, but nonetheless, some pics; Mark Sanchez under center, me and a penn state die hard, and others:

And the Sickness continues

There are few things i hate more than being sick, which is my current condition. I barely even remember what i said last night in front of my eager eyed teenagers and youth leaders! I think the reason i hate being under the weather so much is that i do not feel like doing anything, therefore, i accomplish very little. Plus, my body goes into shut down mode. Let's face it, it is crappy feeling like crap. I could probably replant a whole forest of trees with the amount of tissue and toilet paper i have used on my nose. There is a visual for ya!! Sorry for the detail and venting session; i can't afford therapy, so this will have to do.

OH, btw...i meant to say this a couple posts ago: VIVA SANCHEZ! If you don't know what that means, ask me and i will be happy to explain :) GO TROJANS.

A MUST READ!!

Craig Groeschel will forever be one of my heroes. He pastors a large church and is as humble of a man as ever. I eat everything he puts out up! His book "It" was excellent; i am nearly complete with "Chazown"; and i read "Confessions of a Pastor" in one Sitting!!!

This book, "Confessions of a pastor", takes us, the reader, through 10 major issues Groeschel has battled with in the history of being a pastor. Issues like staying sexually pure, feeling like a failure, feeling inadequate, struggles with prayer and staying in tune with God, and loneliness. He gives practical steps as to how we win the battles we face in everyday ministry and life. This is not a book of "sob stories" but one of victory, encouragement, and growth. There is never a dull moment! "Confessions of a Pastor" is an excellent read for anyone, but I would Highly recommend it to young leaders. Groeschel's focus and authenticity is both comforting and encouraging. As i said before, i read through it in one sitting! He is funny (typical Groeschel), honest, sensitive, blunt, and always insightful. His advice is right on! After reading it, i find myself encouraged to know that one of the great pastor's of my generation, a man i look up to and admire as a man of God, has struggled and continues to struggle with the same things as me. This is my guarantee: you will walk away built up and energized after you read this. It has Sean's stamp of approval.

a week in review

A lot has been happening this last week or two. In total i have seen the church i work at twice, have seen my father twice, and have seen 5 different airports...you guessed it, twice!! I have had little if any internet access and have opened up my laptop a grand total of around 4 times. I am not going to lie, not answering email has been good...vacation has been good, but i now feel the pressure to get back into the swing of work.

Anyway, a couple of thoughts worth noting:
On my way to Orange County California New Year's eve, i was sitting behind a couple of Marines, one dressed in full garb, the other lookin' like a civilian. These two guys were talking about the war and all that had been going on with their company in Iraq 'n' what not, when a buff white dude approximately 40 years of age walked up to the marine fully dressed and, with a pat on the shoulder said, "It would honor me greatly if you take this ticket and sit first class. I greatly appreciate all you do." The marine was a little taken back, thanked the gentleman and sat first class all the way to Cali!! I thought to myself, what a great thing to do for one of our soldiers. They are working their butts off over there in the middle east and it is only appropriate for us to honor them in simple ways such as this. Too often today, we forget the price of freedom. People want peace not war, but forget that our soldiers are fighting for peace! By all means, i hope we never have to use force ever...but that is not always the case, especially with the world we live in. Regardless, our people are following orders, and they represent this nation; a nation that believes in inalienable rights for all human beings. Whether one believes in war or not (specifically THIS war) is irrelevant. I think it would be a good thing for us all to do something small, like giving up a first class seat or giving a gift card to a restaurant or store, to honor our men and women in arms. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant; just has to come from the heart.