Rooted

In Psalm 145 it says Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. It's amazing how God can use you and your gifts to make the kingdom of heaven bigger and bigger. I am praying that you all will help us take a stand for the injustice in this world. We are going to be asking our students to step out in ways that they never thought would be possible. God is ready to use you in a huge way. Please be praying how you want to take part in this. Each week we will be asking you to do something big for the kingdom of God. We will also take a group of students on Wednesday September 9th to Feed the Homeless.

Now we believe this is not just a program but yet a lifestyle. I am going to ask that you really step out at your school campus. Sit with someone who is alone, take up for that kid that someone is picking on, turn your work in on time so that teachers can see Christ in you, and remember to invite someone to Church. God can use you in a huge way!

father to the fatherless

When truely take the time to seek god for who he is and not what we desire we are able to see his true colors. He is more then an idol or someone we meet with on sundays,he is the living god. We serve a god that is our heavnly father. One of the hardest parts about my life is not having a earthly father. It's strange to me and still hurtful to see people my age having a relationship with their father. The god I serve is a father to the fatherless and he is alive. So many times we almost treat god like his son was never raised from the grave. No,Jesus was risen from the dead to bring how to place that needs it. You and I need Jesus. Will you follow him? Will you allow him to lead you? Go for the highest goal and allow him to be lord!

Important Things?

God has an amazing ability to to show you what is important at the right time. New Horizons just built a foster home and our youth group went out to do some service work. What was amazing about it was how all of our students reacted at the home. I was able to see God really show my students that there were things in life more important then what they might be going through. That's a big deal for my youth because I have a group of students who have been hurt or feel like that they have done to much wrong in life.

For the last month or so we have been praying and asking God what he wanted for our youth group. I am not the youth pastor that is in to the same old games and having a program so I can say that I am doing something. I want to make a real difference in their lives and give them something they will never forget. Through our prayer time what God had revealed to not only me...but our leaders and even some students was the wanted us to do the smallest things to make our ministry something bigger than ourselves. I had one young man that needed help with school supplies and clothes, so I personally helped him out and with out asking he borough a bag of clothes that he grew out of so that he could give back. Even today Tim (the guy in charge of the foster home) told one of my leaders that he has never seen a group willing to serve. Now here me, all we did was tear boxes down and throw them away. God took the small and is starting something bigger than us. The students started thinking about cookouts, spending sundays with them, buying a basketball goal, and just helping clean up.

This is what I find to be important in life....It's not how many students I have or how fancy my program is. It has nothing at all to do with the worship team or my ability to speak or teach. I am finding that the small things is what makes a difference. What if we were to really live the life of Jesus Christ. Serving and taking care of those in need and overlooking our pain and heartache so that kingdom of heaven could come here on earth. My prayer is that our students will continue with this passion. Please pray for them!

Bellow is a video I made of some highlights from the last year in youth group. Please pray for my group! Pray that they would continue to follow God!

Follow The leader

Last night at youth we did an activity asking all of our students to grab each others hands in their seat and start walking. Long story short next think you know we have a group of students in a knot another group going backwards and one who was drinking a coke. This was amazing because I was really able to point out that we are all in need of a leader. Now I know most people would think I am talking about God. Well God plays a role in it because he is the ultimate leader, but I was talking about you and I needing each other. If you ever saw my group of students you would ask “How does this guy lead them?” Now it’s not that they are bad kids, we just came from different lifestyles. I grew up on a dirt rode and in the country. Last night I said “That’s the bomb” I was quickly told that it was not cool to say that. Since when did that not become cool? Is our leadership based off of what is cool? I believe not, I mean Jesus did some real un cool things. He is Jesus and he can heal…but he picks up dirt and spits in his hand and rubs it in the guys face. Maybe it’s me…but that is not cool. We can go on and on about this because I feel that we do such an injustice to today’s culture by trying to be cool.

What is it all about? It’s about standing up for what it right and putting your foot down about what is wrong. The way a kid dresses is a fight that is not worth fighting…Now I have some guidelines, short shorts is a no and clothes revealing things will not fly with me. But the style, who cares. We have bigger issues to fight in life. The direction that we lead people shows who we truly are as people. My students know I hate it when I ask what has Jesus saved you from and their response is “Doing bad things” Jesus came to show us a new way to live, not take away all the bad things in life. Without some of the bad events would we ever know Grace? Grace is not pretty and organized Grace is down right hard to understand. It’s something that you and I can not do alone; we must have a savior to really understand it. I am not trying to put God in a box and I believe he can deliver us from anything. I also believe that God knows what is best for me and he allows us to go through things to see who he really is. What does this have to do with leading? It’s simple why do we spend so much time trying to fit in with the group that we are leading? IT”S OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT! Jesus was different!

My challenge to you is the following:
Ask Jesus Am I being real or fake?”
Do I love people or do I just play people
Am I really in love with God or do I just play the American church game.

These are hard questions to ask, but I believe we will see blessings if we are just real with one another and allow ourselves to lead in a natural way.

Closer to Love

When I write this it has been at a time that I have personally experienced several different emotions. Anger, depression, lonely, and most of all betrayed. Now I am not going to go into details on here what has happened. I will tell you it was to someone in my family and it has changed everything. Through the last few weeks of my life it has brought me closer to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I started thinking about Jesus in the garden before he was arrested and sent to die on the cross. His prayer is amazing at this point; it’s a prayer of begging the father and a cry out from our savior. "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." At that moment in the life of Jesus Christ, he was begging the father to take something away that was going to cost him pain and suffering. So Jesus is not sitting around looking forward to this event that is about to take place….he is begging the father to take it away. Now we all know how the story ends. Do we ever to stop and think about suffering in today’s world and the pain we suffer? I look back at the life I have been given and I will have to say that if it wasn’t for the hard times I would not be where I am at today. I at times have such a hard time showing emotions to the world. I have an amazing ability to figure issues out and work through things, but when it comes to sharing my emotions and pain with people…I just struggle. Growing up with a learning disability and in a family to where you didn’t ever say I love you and you didn’t dare hug has put something in me that would rather run from that type of affection.

Now because of the love of Jesus Christ I have been able to make some changes in that area. Since starting out as a volunteer at Mission Abilene and now being on staff I have seen many things both crazy and awesome. I have had days where I ask why and days where I know why. In the last five years God has shown me my calling. It’s simple but yet the most difficult task. It’s called love and seeing people for who they can become and not who they are. I have watched students walk away from their faith and I have also seen students hold on to their faith. I have led many students to the loving grace of Jesus Christ; I have also had to give students a reality check. But what I see the most is all of us getting closer to love.

Mat Kearney has a new song out called closer to love….read the lyrics and spend a few minutes thinking about the trials in your life.

She got the call today

One out of the grayAnd when the smoke cleared

It took her breath away

She said she didn't believeIt could happen to me

I guess we're all one phone callfrom our knees

We're gonna get there soonIf every building falls

And all the stars fade

We'll still be singing this song

The one they can't take away

I'm gonna get there soon

She's gonna be there too

Cryin' in her roomPrayin' Lord come through

We're gonna get there soon

Oh it's your life

Oh it's your way

Pull me out of the dark

Just to show me the way

Cryin out now

From so far away

You pull me closer to loveCloser to love

Meet me once again

Down off Lake Michigan

Where we could feel the storm blowin

Down with the windAnd don't apologize

For all the tears you've cried

You've been way too strong now for all your lifeI'm gonna get there soon

You're gonna be there too

Cryin' in your room

Prayin' Lord come through

We're gonna get there soon

Oh it's your lifeOh it's your way

Pull me out of the darkJust to show me the way

Cryin out now

From so far away

You pull me closer to loveCloser to love

Cause you are all that I've waited for

All of my life(We're gonna get there)

You are all that I've waited forAll of my life

You pull me closer to love hu huuhCloser to love hu huuuh Pull me closer to love

You pull me closer to love

Closer to love oh no

Closer to loveCloser to love

Pull me closer to love

The last week this has been my prayer… what’s amazing right now is as I write this the song just came on the radio. I believe with all my heart the Lord will come through. I have been praying this for my family and my students. But most of all I have been praying this for myself. It’s hard for me to understand love and my prayer it that God will show me what love really is. I understand the basic side of love, but I want to understand the loves that Christ had for you and me when he was in that garden. That moment in history brought you and me closer to love. It’s a love that we will spend our whole life trying to figure out. Now I don’t say this just because I am putting this online, but I say it because I mean it. My personal hero is Chad Mitchell our lead pastor. He started praying that I would come over to the Mission and I did. He gave me a chance at our youth pastor position a few years ago. He has set me down to talk with me and has encouraged me to keep going when I need the encouragement. I have been given freedom to make some really good choices and the freedom to really screw up. This is life and all of these events draw us closer to the cross of Jesus Christ.

My prayer is draw me closer to love and show me the way. God’s will is what matters to me and I pray the same prayer for you.