We must go

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms."1 Peter 4:10

I believe that the beauty of Jesus Christ is not all that he has done for us. PLEASE don't get me wrong, I am thankful for that but what I find to be awesome is that he has empowered me has a sinner to live out his will for planet earth. I believe that God has such a plan for his people that we have no ability to know what it is. I believe that taking that first step is hard and after that we see more and more. I knew when I gave my life over to Christ that youth ministry was the direction I wanted to go. I will be honest I was scared and I wasn't sure what I was doing. In fact I still don't know to this day. It was just funny to me that's what I knew I was to do. I also knew God didn't want me to hop around building programs but to shape and take the least of these and empower them to follow the will of God.

In December it will be six years since I started volunteering at Mission Abilene. It's crazy to look back and see all that God has done...but I must say this year has been a huge eye opener for me. There was a time to where I though I was through and that God wanted me to move on. Not because the church was bad or because of my students, I just felt that I wasn't in the will of God anymore. So I worked more thinking that it was just because I wasn't doing enough. Then it became clear....I spent more time launching stupid programs and teaching and less time empowering students who need a place to belong and a purpose. When did students knowing more about the Bible make them "true disciples" my favorite one is "that kid is good over there because he can sit and listen. You see Jesus came so that we would stop sitting and listening, he cam came so that we would have purpose and put our faith to action. Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." WOW this means that I need to study my Bible but however Jesus cares more about my purpose in life before he care about how much I know?

Since school has started it has been amazing to watch my group of kids that were the trouble makers. My church is a Church open to all people and trust me they come. The kids that were the trouble makers have made a huge turn around because of a foster home that is not even open. It started with an idea and then all of our leaders were talking one day about the student who are always in trouble and what we could do different. It hit us, at camp all they said was "this is like a family, we have this no where else." It was time for our youth group to stop being a stupid program and become a family. This meant that we were going to have to step it up and stop thinking about how we felt and empower these students like Jesus. We did just that and it was messy and hard. I had a few students leave because of it but it was time for Paradox Student Ministry to live up to it's name. We must be different and we must love. The foster home became our church on Sunday afternoons. I knew it was a perfect match when I talked with Tim and then was able to see how he worked with the students.

A young man for the first time had blisters on his hand because of a saw and cutting down a tree limb. What was so good about that? His dad passed away when he was eight, no one has ever taking the time to teach him....he was proud of that blister and took a picture. Another young man that hated getting dirty went walking through a muddy pond so that he could help clean it out, and two girls found a trash dumpster and pulled it out.

I have found that we started serving in away that we never had before and our students have a found a purpose. I am seeing more and more that we must empower this generation to serve one another in love in order for people to see Jesus. Words are cheap now but action speaks for its self. When I look at that hand, I no longer see that hand as the hand of some teenager who did something good. That is the hand of Jesus. Our youth group should never be just a group for silly games, but a family of believers reaching out to others in need. To me as their youth pastor I have three things that I try to help them with. 1. A personal relationship with Jesus 2. A servants heart 3. Their education. I am not there to be cool, my job is to empower and help direct them in the right direction.

It's time to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to love those who are in need of love!

Come as you are leave differene

I am not sure if I am the only one that feels this way, but it's amazing to me what God is trying to save us from. All of us have our labels in life and that is what we live by with out even thinking about who we really are in Christ Jesus. Jesus didn't come so we could remain the same, he came so that wecould leave different. The older I get the more I see that a relationship with Jesus is estential. I am not talking about attending a church or 15 Bible studies. I am not even talking about all the acts of service you might do in one week. I am talking about seeking God and trying our best to live for him. When I first gave my life over to Christ, I did all the right things. I only listened to Christian music because I felt that is what a good Christian did. I didn't see a movie that fighting, kissing, or anything else. As I did all that my relationship was struggling....In the last seven years I have been out of church on a Sunday three times. Since I have been the youth pastor I have only called in sick once. I am dedicated to what I do, but am I dedicated to the creator? You see when we read the word of God it's tough and it was amazing the other day when I read in Acts how this story jumped out......

Acts 3 1-5One day at three o'clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Look here." He looked up, expecting to get something from them.
6-8Peter said, "I don't have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked.
8-10The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple's Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing.
11The man threw his arms around Peter and John, ecstatic. All the people ran up to where they were at Solomon's Porch to see it for themselves.

You see the begger though he knew what he needed, but God had a different plan. I love this because we are able to see the power of Jesus and his desire for us to make a change and how he doesnt always give us what we want. Also Peter and Paul taking the time to talk to this guy because someone had to carry him to the gates....my question is why did they leave them there? We I know we understand that this guy was the least of these and what gets me the most is how Jesus used Peter and when people saw this begger walking people notice.

I believe that is what makes our story so powerful. When we hear what God can do with his people if we allow him is amazing....me must come as we are, but leave different!