Mike Yaconelli and Youth Leadership

My Hero!

Asking for prayer

It's been weird but I am helping plan two different camps. One in South Padre Island, which will be our camp that students go. I was also asked to be on the board for Camp Hope, which is a camp targeting At-risk junior high kids and now freshman. I 100% support camps and believe in them. What I find to be so unique about these two is that we are not going into it with the mindset that we are going to change lives. It is the mind set that we are going to go and build relationships and connect them with a local church.

You might think that is easy, but it really isn't as east as one might think. There are a few things I believe!

• Every youth group should be diverse with different cultures. Yes this causes drama and yes students have a problem with it normally. I always make the joke that no everyone in my youth group likes each other and I am okay with that. I have the Bible thumper, I have the freshman in a gang, one that smokes pot, the girl who has emotional issues, the boy who has emotional issue, the kid looking for his calling, and the one who could careless. It dirves me nuts on days, but isn't this the kingdom of God. 
• I have a rule, "I don't want your church friends." Sounds mean, but I live in Abilene that has a just as many churches as 711's. I am over trying to have a big youth group I am into having a youth group with loss souls and find the grace of Jesus Christ. This is why we carry a 0 Tolerance policy on bullying. You come in with respect things will be ok. 
• God has blessed us with allot of boys and I take some heat for that. I believe God has giving us this for many reasons. I believe we have done an amazing job at making it an okay spot to not be okay and we allow allot of fellowship. I believe we have done a poor job with the girls at times. That has nothing to do with our leaders, but more with they get mad at the boys or each other and leave. 

I say all of that to ask you for prayer as we plan and also prayer for all the churches that will take some of these kids in. My thing is the smaller the youth group the better fpr these kids. Most of them hate large groups because they are looking for a group to take them in. What better place then the church.

It's amazing that we serve such an awesome God. We were once lost but we have been found!  

On this Day!

Today marks twelve years since my dad's death. As I think back on it there are several questions I have asked and amazed of how much healing as taken place. I believe when you are 15 and you lose your father it is so much different then being older. Its has always been a bit difficult for me to show my emotions for some odd reason. The day he died I was emotionless in many ways and even after I did show a whole lot, but on the inside I was torn up. So today the few questions I ask are as followed:

• Have I became the man that would make him proud? 

• How would my life be today if I didn't have to go through that pain?

• Is it normal to fill a bit of anxiety to think in three years that I will out live my father.

One of my greatest joys is being sure that he is with Christ in heaven. There are times that I wished that I wouldn't have been that normal 15 year old mad at the world. I fill allot of times that I missed out on so much, just because I am hard headed. However what I can remember is driving to the lake sitting on my dads lap. Begging his to to let me drive around the dirt road with him. I must admit it is kind of cool because to this day that is how I clear my head.

My dad was a hard worker and at times he worked to much. After years of learning more about my dad from different people, I believe the most important thing to me is his legacy. He did allot of things wrong and he wasn't always the best family man, and he had a problem when it cam to drinking. I can say that he did love us more then we will ever know. I believe him and I struggle with the same thing, it was expressing that love to others.

Psalms119:50 My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

Through all of this I can find comfort that my God has bigger plans then I will ever be able to understand. When I think about all that God has done I am amazed. Today to see how my whole family has a personal relationship with Christ is just amazing. There are many things I must work on when it come to my relationships and when it comes to life. But the one thing I can always hold on to is the truth of the cross and the salvation that can be found from the risen Lord.

Do we have it right?

Most people don't know this about me because I choose not to fight about it allot, but I have a love for news and the world of politics. I watched on Sunday as the news was focused on the new health-care bill. Now I have my opinions and I will not voice them here. I am not into the game of fighting and getting upset because the reality is is someway we are all right and we are wrong.

What I would like to voice about is the amount of disrespect we show towards those who are in the spotlight. I love my country for many reasons. As I was in New York looking at lady liberty it was amazing to think of how people fought for what she stood for in front of the most popular City is this country and world. I must admit it was a bit emotional for me. As we stood at where 911 took place in 2001 and listening to someone who lived that day give us the facts made me think about that day and how those people went through something I would never be able to understand. Walking through the chapel and seeing where George Washington worshiped and how that place became a ministry to those who were the first responders on September 11, 2001. George Washington pew became a place where people would give aid to those in need.

Now it's 2010 and my question is have we really understood what our roles are as Christian's in this country? We must understand we are blessed. We have taken our hits and it has been hard but we are blessed. What does it mean to take a stand? I have seen it become more difficult for us to really take a stand for Christ. We have people who will try and water down the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Luke 10:27 ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’"

Now we will focus on on the last part because we fill that is our calling. We must love people, but can you truly love the way Christ loved if you don't have a love for God?Sure we can say we do, but do we truly love? In 2001 is when I took the step to say that God was my father and his son died for me. Most of my friends grew up in a christian home and understood things I didn't. I was trying all I could to show that I loved God. I started to see that God was looking for love from me and that would start leak out into the world. So taking a stand what does that look like?

• What breaks God's heart should also break ours. 
• It's one thing to have a broken heart but what are we doing to bring people out of situations. 
• I believe God wants us to do more than handouts, he wants us to teach his people to stand on our own two feet and to fight the good fight. 
• Teaching people to love not just attend worship service. 

I am not sure but I am going to continue and add to this list, just some thing I have been asking God to show me.

Watch this video!

What do you think?

This past Wednesday I had a lesson in our small group talking about the baggage we carry as people and how we can find freedom at the cross.

Matthew 11:28-30 (CEV) “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.” 

The more and more I look around I see how much pressure we place on our kids. Please hear me, I still 100% believe in discipline but at the same time when parents require all of this stuff and the child is left with no choice? One of my students said "Why should I pray if I know I am going to keep sinning?" WOW! It's a good question wouldn't you say? But that question proved that God was at work in is life though. He had been convicted and knew what he was doing was wrong. But it's amazing how Satan has the ability to get into someones head and make them believe that The power of Christ and the cross is just about being good.

The cross is the place to where all of our baggage can be left and because of the blood of Jesus it is all washed away. Do we still suffer? yeah...Do we still struggle?  yes sir! But at the cross we can start to see the freedom that only comes from Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 53
³ He was despised and rejected by men,
       a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
       Like one from whom men hide their faces
       he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
 ⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities
       and carried our sorrows,
       yet we considered him stricken by God,
       smitten by him, and afflicted.
 ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
       he was crushed for our iniquities;
       the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
       and by his wounds we are healed.
 ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
       each of us has turned to his own way;
       and the LORD has laid on him
       the iniquity of us all. 

The beautiful part of Christ is the love he has for his people and how he understands suffering. I see more and more that our students suffer in ways we can not understand. I believe it is time to make an effort to point them to the cross of Jesus Christ. We can do everything for them, but if we never introduce them to salvation and the person who offers that...then we do nothing!  

Listen to Our Hearts

Me and Jeff always make the joke that it should be required that everyone who goes into ministry should spend a year in youth ministry. It's a ministry that will rip you apart and in the same day make understand why you do what you do. You go home tired and asking if you can continue and then some how God has that ability to show you why you got into this area of ministry. You hear people talk about rest and wonder if that day will ever come to you. When you return from a trip such as camp or a mission trip people ask "How was you vacation?" Since most youth pastors are part-time, we use a week of vacation time to make sure students get to experience God at camp. As you get older people are always asking "so when will you become a pastor?" Youth ministry is a ministry to where you beg God to listen to your heart.

That punk kid that thinks it is funny to put post-it notes all over your car. My favorite is when they take all of your clothing at camp and you are left with nothing but what you have on. When a students found out that he got his girl friend pregnant and he is telling all the students that the turtle rescue center reminds him about new life and we all think he is having a huge spiritual moment when is reality he is not sure what to do or think. An elder comes in to tell you that one of your junior high kids is enjoying a smoke break while everyone else is worshiping, you beg God to listen to your heart.

When people say you have favorites because a kid is responding to the Gospel and then when that student leaves those who said he was your favorite take credit for God's work. Giving that student a chance on the worship team when he sucks, just to see God work. Having a student take drugs at a camp and the next day you baptize him and year later he is still around, all because you were able to see God in him. Getting news that a student joined a gang and others are now selling drugs at school. A senior who fall off the deep end and they blame you because of the lack of time you spent with him. Having people tell you that you that you spend to much time on those who are messed up and at the same time having someone tell you that you only spend time with the good kids. You start to ask God "Are you listening to my heart?"

The fatherless teenager who finds his heavenly father all because of the extra fifteen minutes you spend each week. Building a relationship with a student by picking them up daily from swim practice and having the same student ask if you can buy a spedo for them. A new student sticking around all because you know his name and you understand where he is coming from. Having a group of students who come because of other students and none of them attend another church and they are raw, but fun. A red head sixth grader who doesn't say much but you see God in him. Telling students you will have an allnighter when hell freezes over. When you see all of this you start to understand that God is listening to your heart.

I am spending some time reflecting on the past five years and I am going to start writing about them. I never knew how many emotions a youth pastor went through and how many stories I have. Tonight as I was eating ice cream with a group of kids and then off to wingstop because they twisted my arm I felt God there. A young man that I had been praying for that didn't attend for a while shows back up hugs me and says "Did you miss me?" The answer is yes and I am reminded of the lost son. A girl who is told she is ugly and you make the comment that she is pretty and it makes her day you start to see God at work.

I am not sure what will ever happen with what I write but I do know it's time to allow these stories to become Gods stories and not just mine.

Bringing Him Glory?

Today I was driving and listening to one of my billion podcast and sermons I listen to every week. God has an amazing way of speaking to me in that way and I enjoy listening to other people. As I was driving and listening to a guy named JR Vassar. The sermon I was listening to was titled "Freedom From the Fear of Man." His point was how we spend so much of our time trying to please man and we become needy people in some way shape or form. This really opened up my eyes to an issue that I have. Many times I will miss the calling of God because of the fear of looking like an idiot. Now the catch is that I have no problem with telling people about my faith. In-fact it is a gift of mine. My fear is with people who are above me and who have some type of control over my life. Mine has more to do with the fact that at times I feel that people really don't see all that I do for the kingdom of God. I am not the type of person who likes the spot light and in-fact I spend allot of time staying out of it because I believe that God has another calling on my life. I tend to have more of a personal relationship with people instead of just knowing them.

A year and half ago my church youth group started growing in numbers and in-fact it tripled in numbers. Students were giving their life to Christ left and right and I must admit it was nice and I felt like God was moving and he was. But in December that stopped and I started seeing God taking us down a new path with new I ideas. A student that I had from an early age started talking about leaving and a few months later he did. I was amazed with how I felt and others felt. Today I believe it was a sinful way of thinking because here was this young man knowing that God was calling him to serve some where else. Because he was my star student, and to be honest with you I loved him allot and put allot of time into him. People would complement how he was and I found it to be awesome that I was the person who told the youth pastor at the time to give him shot in serving. Then he leaves! I become upset and hurt...let me honest I have had kids come in and out and cared but not like this.

 I owe God more with my life and ministry for many reasons. For the first time in a while my family is better then it had been for well over 12 years. My family was in church and a lady from a small baptist church reached her and I am seeing God change her heart. God had answered my prayers and here I was shaking my fist at God.

Because I wanted people to notice what I was doing for God I became so concerned with the glory of Nick and not the glory of a king. It was unfair to me, God, and his flock. Things became weird because God was doing something new. I was fighting it and I knew God wanted me to go to the cross, but lets face it when things tumble down and numbers aren't as good, you look like you are not doing your job. But through his grace and through only what God could do this started changing.

December of 2009 I knew it was time to deal with my heart and I knew it wasn't talking with a bunch of people or even a cry fest. I needed to spend time alone and begging God to show me his heart and to change my heart to see the beauty of what God had giving to me. How selfish of me and anyone else who would think that God only moves through our numbers. To think if I am just creative enough people will come and worship and we will see God move. I started seeing that God didn't need any help bring people to him, it was simple he had so much love for us he wanted to include us in it.

I compare it to when my father was teaching me how to keep the yard cut. My dad included me by taking the lawn mower and making a square and telling me to stay with in that square. Now when I look at it, i was in the way and really not helping. Even when I was five or six with my bubble mower, he put me behind him and just encouraged me by telling me I mowed all that myself. The reality was I was following his path that he already started. I was in his way and it took him a little longer.

How awesome is it that God uses us and wants us to simply follow him and join in on what he is doing. However God is different from my father, he doesn't want me to pretend that I did something that he was responsible for. God knows what you and I need,  and that is to be rescued from our way of thinking.

Now there are only three main focus points in our youth group:

• Honoring God in all we do
• Serving our God in all we do
• Worshiping God in all we do

At this point all we do is small groups. I believe this will change sooner then later because I see God bringing up a new group of students. I believe we have healthy relationships with these students and because of that we can do some more group stuff soon. But I must admit it's nice, because I no longer have that burden on me. At the same time we must maintain a healthy learning environment and having students follow rules has become easier. It's simple I am not worried about if they like me or not. We have three simple rules and I expect them to follow those rules: Respect God, Respect others, and Respect yourself. It's amazing they get it now. We allow not sexual talk or dirty joke in our youth group not because it is sinful, but because it takes away from what God is doing. The freedom is awesome in that and I found that students have really opened up to that. My point is that I don't believe I need to do anything but follow God to make it attractive.

 ^{Titus 2} Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, ¹and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

  My prayer: God save me from my selfish way of thinking, help me bring honor to you in all that I do.

So much more

Listen to the song before reading!


"Daylight" - Ten Shekel Shirt from benkrebs on Vimeo.

The more and more we walk through this life the more I believe we ask the question, isn't there more? I am thankful that I am not the man I was a year ago. I am more thankful that I am not the man I was a week ago and as far as that is concerned I am thankful that I am not the man I was three minutes ago. The glory of a relationship is that it changes you and makes you more and more whole with he question isn't there more? The truth to that answer is YES!

Look around the world and turn on your TV people debating on if we should have government health care, earth quakes, the treats of floods, and a winter that now has people questioning global warming. Not a single person has the right answer and I believe in ways we are all right and we are all wrong. If we are really going to believe that God is all knowing and powerful, then why do we put our faith into man? When I become sick am I really going to rely on man to heal or kill me? No! I believe God uses man in healing, but at the end of the day God has all control of what will happen to me and you.

I have a deep respect for many pastors who will take a stand on injustice and the word of God. A couple that stand out would be Matt Chandler, Francis Chan, and even Billy Graham. Even the people and biblical teachers that we respect and trust will stand and tell you the same. Always asking that question of is there more? I have found it hard to believe that someone can say that there is not a hell but yet believe in heaven? I mean I know we don't want to think about the idea of hell and I don't either, but what's the point of the cross without evil and hell?? As we live we long for so much more in this life that only heaven can bring. To say that that there is only one destination, kills the beauty of Jesus Christ and the celebration of salvation. On top of that we would be calling Christ a liar which is not even close to being biblical.

As we ask if there is more, we should also ask if there more we should understand.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, ⁸will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.  And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.  But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect^[a] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

  To truly understand salvation we must understand what we were saved from. I don't like to use hell when it comes to sharing the Gospel with people. But if all we believe is that heaven is the only place then what is the point of reconciliation with the lord? The lord started working in me before the birth, I should have been dead for reasons that I will not say on here on behalf of my family. My parents were young and were not ready for me, but God spared my life. At the age of five I was giving a King James Bible and that is the the same Bible I picked up when I had reconciliation with God. I struggled I thought it was all the bad stuff that I needed to be saved from. Then I thought it was hell, the reality is that I needed to be saved from me and evil. I needed righteousness not a get into heaven free card. I started learning that righteousness comes with know what salvation really is and that on the cross it's not just hell I am saved from it is the separation of God that I am saved from.
 
I have been thinking allot about this issue and I believe the more I look into it the more I see the beauty of evil and salvation. I can not call Christ a savior if he didn't save me from anything. 

Why not me???

Last week two of my friends lost people who had such an impact on their life. One was a mentor and the other was a grandfather. It hurts for us to even understand why death has to happen. I know what some of you are going to say, if you believe in Christ there is no such thing has death. You are right and that is the beauty of the cross. However coming from a back ground of losing people I will tell you, there is that sadness in all of us.

So after hearing about these two people and what I found to be an awesome staff meeting this past week, I have asked God to guide and show me words of comfort for these two. I don't want to say the same thing we all say. Words that come from God and his word.

Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

It's a blessing to live here on planet earth, but here is where we long to be home. In our death we gain life and in our life we must die. We have a purpose here and that purpose is to run the race the best we can. Right now we have limits and we have events that set us back. The beauty of those set backs and time of being disappointed is that we are able to see God flex and show us who the boss is. When I read that I find comfort in knowing that I am running th race the best I know how too.

While I am here I must admit there were a few times last year that I thought I was through with the race. I was hurt and beat up and it happened one to many times. I don't mean in a way of taking my own life, but stepping out of the ministry world. I later found out that through all of that God had purpose and I needed to man up and get off my soap box. I had been called by God and he gave me the people and his word.

I say all of this because my pastor and friend posted a video on his blog that is on the link bellow that was touching. Has he battled the question Why? The question should be why not me? Doesn't it show great faith to take the slap in the face and to continue with the race?? My prayer is that we all would rise up and be the light in a world that is dark and is need of a savior.   

Chad Mitchell's Blog

Daylight

Five nights from now we will be on the road to Dallas to board a 545am flight to NYC. Our time will be spent serving each morning starting at at at 4am. My prayers for this trip has been all over the place for many reasons

This will be the first for Mission Abilene's youth group and God has intrusted me to carry out God's plan. In my prayer life I have been seaking God and just begging that he would open up all of our eyes to see daylight.

When I say open up our eyes, I don't mean the poor and widows. I believe we understand that. My prayer is that we see his grace and mercy in all that we do. I pray that we understand that God's plan is bigger then what we do or how we serve, but that it would be about what has been done on that cross.

The fact that we are all sinful and a non sinful man would bleed for the sins of man. As God sends us out to be his hands and feet,I pray that we daylight for what God has called all of us to do.