Saturday, March 31, 2007

Weddings.....

Congratulations to Kyle and Sarah Bolt!

Today, I had the privilege to officiate the wedding ceremony of Kyle and Sarah. It was a very simple, but elegant wedding! I had a blast! I was nervous that I would have a lot of mishaps, misspoken words, etc, but not really. Praise the Lord! What a fun night, the wedding was great and the reception was awesome.

Right before the doors opened and Kyle got to see Sarah, I looked at Kyle and he gave me that nervous smile. While she was coming down the isle, I looked at him and he leaned over to me and said, "WOW!" That but a HUGE smile on my face! I love to see the reactions of the groom when they see the bride!

Another great part about the wedding was that I shared a table with parents of my students at IGNITE! The whole table was HILARIOUS!! I heard so many stories and laughed a ton. It was great to see that side of some of my parents, to just hang out with them, to learn from them, and laugh with them!

Below is a picture of myself and the newlyweds!

Friday, March 30, 2007

Marriage.....

Today is a great day! I am looking forward to tonight. I get the wonderful privilege to officiate my first wedding ceremony tomorrow for Mr. Kyle Bolt and Miss Sarah Rhodes. Of course, the rehearsal is tonight, which will be a blast.

I just got done reading through the wedding vows they have have chosen/written for one another. (I am trying to know them as well as possible, so there are no "mess" ups tomorrow, although I will have a book with them written out in case my minds draws a blank.) It made me think of my vows, I made to my wife on our wedding day. I made a promise and covenant that I would love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, forsaking all others and keep myself only to her. I am so thankful that I have kept my vows to wife and hers to me. Marriage is such a beautiful thing.

Also, I cannot wait until tomorrow to watch Mr. Bolt watch his bride come down the isle. You know, each time I go to a wedding, I always like to watch the groom's expression when he sees his bride coming down the isle. There are a range of emotions that they go through. I will admit that I was so overwhelmed with my wife's beauty that I started to cry. It was so AWESOME! I actually did not stop sniffling and letting a couple tears fall until the end of the ceremony.

It will be a great day tomorrow for Kyle and Sarah and I am so thankful that they have allowed me to be apart of their special day.

Take a moment to say a quick pray for them as they begin this journey in life together as husband and wife. Also pray for me that I don't mess their wedding up ;)!

Lastly, if you are married, take a moment to think about when you saw your spouse for the first time on your wedding day. Think of all the emotion, the joy and the excitement that you felt. thank God for your spouse and be sure to tell them that you love them.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Quotable.....

I found this quote looking through an old book in an antique shop on the square in the small town of Pendleton.

"Some Praise at Morning
what they blame at night,
but always think
the last opinion is right."

Alexander Pope, Essay on Criticism

Friday, March 23, 2007

DAILY.....

This morning I went and played basketball with a bunch of guys from NewSpring. Random group of guys together, but still fun to get out and run around for a couple of hours! Also ate breakfast with Stewart Hudspeth and Chris Pierce. Both guys are awesome and desire to follow Jesus, so it was cool to hear them talk about life, relationships, Jesus, and many other things.

I came home and I have been trying to help my wife straighten up the house (my in-laws are coming for dinner tonight). I looked around the house and we have clothes in the hall needing to be washed, clothes waiting to be folded, clothes waiting to be dried, rooms to be straighten up, things put away, etc.

I almost got exasperated by the amount of work to be done, which brought a though to my head. If I would just take the time to DAILY straighten up as I go along, there would not be that OVERWHELMING feeling when i try to do it all at one time.

I believe that the same goes for our spiritual lives. There are times when we all get "slack" in our DAILY times with Jesus. If we didn't and then tried to "catch up" maybe there would not be this OVERWHELMING feeling inside of frustration and sometimes despair because of an inability to communicate.

Take the time DAILY to spend with Jesus! He loves you, He cares about you, and He has so much that he wants to tell you! God Bless...Peace!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Networking.....

Today, I had the privilege to have lunch with Dustin Hughes, the Student Pastor at Crossroads Community Church in Simpsonville, SC. It was a great time to talk life, family, and ministry. The great thing about the "ministry" part was that it was NOT just about numbers or the biggest event we've held. It was all about how to help each other, encourage one another, share frustrations, etc. In my opinion, that is what we need to be doing when we network with each other. We need to feel open enough to talk life and not just ministry.

Here is a great idea, the next time you try networking with someone do talk ministry, but not ministry in the traditional sense, ministry in the "personal" sense. Ask them how they are doing spiritually, ask them what books they are reading, ask them how they are taking care of their family. If they are doing those things well, then take that and learn from them. But in asking those questions ask in an attitude of humility and a sincere desire to learn, not a desire to hold some accountable or LORD over them so to speak.

Let's learn from each other. Not just the latest fads or tools in ministry, but learn from our lives as well. I believe that if we focus on learning from our lives then it becomes real and the world needs more REALNESS and less tools and gimmicks.

I remember back in December at the National Youth Workers Convention, Kurt Johnston, the Middle School Pastor at Saddleback Church in California, was very gracious and allowed me to sit down and ask him questions about ministry. All my questions were asked in a desire to learn from someone who had maintained longevity and integrity in the ministry. I did not ask him,
  • How many students are you averaging?
  • How can I build a ministry that will be just like yours?
  • How can I become a nationally known student pastor like you?
I asked him questions such as:
  • How do you balance the time with your family and ministry?
  • How do you balance spending time with your staff, leaders, and students?
  • What advice would you give to someone just starting out in Middle School Ministry?
Let us have a desire to network, but do that with a sincere desire to learn from people's lives and not just thier professional ministries. Trust me, when we do this we will all be more "successful" in the eyes of Jesus, the one we are ministering for anyway!

Dustin, it was refreshing to sit and talk "ministry" with you today! I will be praying for you, your family, and your ministry. Follow Jesus and do all that he tells you to do! Follow the VISION! You rock dude!

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Blessing from my IGNITE leaders....

A little over two weeks ago, I went to Willow Creek Church for SHIFT Student Leadership Conference. It was a great trip and awesome time to learn from and network with youth leaders from all over the country.

During that time, there was something that was happening back home in South Carolina that I did not know about. There were some IGNITE volunteer leaders messing with my car. When I say messing with, I mean giving it some tender, loving, care. A group of about 39 or so IGNITE leaders, were taking my car to get detailed (cleaned, waxed, etc.), getting a full service oil change, getting my headlights changed, along with getting the casing for the headlights burnished.

For a long time now, my lights worked, but I could not see all the light that the headlights were given off because the casing for the lights was very foggy. A couple weeks back, I was having a conversation with a couple of volunteers and we were all talking about issues with our individual cars. I mentioned my headlights and the issue I was having with them. I said that i had gotten so used to it that there was no need to get them fixed. One of those volunteers heard that and ran with it.

When we returned it was about 1:00 AM, I could not see my car real well, but I noticed my hands were sliding on the steering wheel.
I also thought that my lights were brighter, but I had been driving another car all week, so I didn’t think much about it. I got home and park my car in the garage and look at my car and it was clean and shiny! I looked at my headlights and the casing was clear. I was blown away! My wife greeted me at the door with a smile, and asked if I noticed a difference.

What a HUGE blessing!

To ALL the IGNITE Volunteer Leaders: I am still blown away by the generosity and thoughtfulness of all the volunteers that contributed to giving my car such a clean up job! You guys rock! Each week, you make IGNITE happen through setting up the stage, running check-in, setting up the chairs, straighten up the Fusebox, leading your small groups, and much more! You bless me each week by serving Jesus and serving our students, so this messes me up that you would do this as well. I consider it a privilege to minister alongside each of you! Keep rockin it out for Jesus!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Unleash at NewSpring.....

Today was AWESOME! I witnessed so much today that blessed my heart and continued to build my passion for Jesus and the local church. here are a couple of my thoughts from today:
  • Perry rocked in out in both main sessions.
  • Tony Morgan has posted all of the points from both sessions, so check out his detailed notes over at his blog on Session 1 and Session 2. **You will get a kick out of some of the comments rolling around over there.**
  • It was great to be able to speak to so many student pastors from all over the country and see the passion they had to reach the students in their community. They asked some great questions during the breakout that Brad Cooper and I led.
  • I look forward to hanging out with some Student pastors from NorthPoint Community Church, Elevation Church, Brookwood Church, Ridgestone Church, Crossroads Community Church, and many others to continue to network and learn from each other!
  • NewSpring Volunteers ROCK! Our volunteers rocked the house today. One frequent conference attender told me that our volunteers showed more excitement, willingness to serve, and professionalism than he has ever seen at any other conference! GO NEWSPRING VOLUNTEERS!!
  • I love the staff I work with! the NewSpring Staff is AWESOME!! Everyone worked hard this week to make it happen. "Teamwork makes the dreamwork!"
  • Lastly, I look forward to hear some of the things that God is going to do in the lives of some of the churches that attended Unleash. It is going to be amazing!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Matrix Pics...





Andrew & the Band ROCKIN it out!










One of the plasmas that is running Matrix Code!












Crazy Middle School Pastor teaching on truth!








Shot of the band, be sure to check out that we had a projector running the code on the ceiling as well! AWESOME!









Thanks to Sean Gaffney and Lloyd Gibson for the great pictures!

Monday, March 12, 2007

IGNITE | 3.11.07: MATRIX

Topic: "MATRIX: TRUTH"

Student Attendance: Below Average
Volunteer Attendance: Below Average
Observer Attendance: Average
Message Length: 20 Minutes
Music: Above Average

We started a new series called MATRIX. In this three week series, we are going to be exploring TRUTH, FREEDOM, and REVOLUTION. I am really excited about this series and what we are going to be talking about.

Last night we discussed TRUTH. Here are the points from last night:

“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

  1. Truth is Unchanging

· It doesn’t change from day to day…week to week…month to month…year to year…decade to decade…century to century.

  1. Truth is Universal

· Truth applies to all of us.

  1. God’s Word is Truth – Psalm 119:160 “All your words are true…”

· What is says…HAPPENED (ex. Donkey Talking, Giant Killed with a Stone & Slingshot, Elijah and Fire falling down)

  1. Does God’s truth apply to my life?

· Can God’s Word help me keep me out of trouble?

a) YES! -- Psalm 119:9-11

· Can God’s Word give me peace?

a) YES! -- Philippians 4:6-7

· Can God’s Word fix my relationships?

a) YES! -- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

· Can God’s Word make me smarter?

a) YES! -- James 1:5


I will be posting some pics from last night later today! Be sure to check back for those to catch a glimpse of the stage design!


Thursday, March 08, 2007

First Wednesday at NewSpring.....

Last night was First Wednesday at NewSpring and it was awesome. Perry brought it! Here are the notes from the night:

Four Things That I Can Make Jesus More Famous In:

"But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Exodus 9:16
  1. My Focus
    • Matthew 6:33, "Seek FIRST His Kingdom..."
    • Jeremiah 29:13
  2. My Family
    • Ephesians 5:22
    • Ephesians 5:25
    • Ephesians 6:1
  3. My Finances
    • 2 Corinthians 8:7
  4. My Final Destination
    • Luke 5:27-32

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Are you serious?!?!?!

What in the world?

Check out this story on the internet: School District: Sixth Graders had SEX in School.

I personally think that it is the Middle School Pastor's fault in that community! J/K. Nah, but on a serious note: this story broke my heart and lights a passion in my heart to make sure that the students our ministry comes in contact with know the truth.

PHENOMENAL AWARDS MARCH 2007.....

On the First Sunday of each month we present the Phenomenal Awards. These are given to leaders who do something PHENOMENAL during the previous month, some are serious and some are not so serious.

This has become something that the staff and leaders look forward to each month to see who we are going to pick. And now...presenting the Phenomenal Awards for March of 2007:
  • Matt Broderick: Phenomenal Phantom Award - Matt is our phantom leader. If you did not know Matt you would know that he was there. He is so stinking quiet. He leads a group of our 6th Grade guys, which he is awesome at doing. Matt leads by example, not a HUGE vocal leader, but one that you can ALWAYS count on and is SOLID to the core. Matt, you ROCK!!! Thank you for all you do!!
  • Deanna Ellis: Phenomenal Servanthood without Prompting Award - This person is absolutely AMAZING!! Deanna got this award for always being willing to serve without being asked. She is consistently looking for areas that needs assistance and then gives her help. Not to mention is she is an awesome worker, but she is even more of an AMAZING wife. I love her so much and each day, I fall more in love with her each and every day. Deanna has been so supportive of the ministry that God has placed us in. She is such a great pastor's wife; she is bold when she needs to smack me down, full of compassion and mercy, full of Jesus, and willing to serve. Needless to say, SHE IS AMAZING!!!
  • Kelley Amick: Phenomenal Fastest Check-In - Each week Kelley takes our front check-in station and just gets our students check in so fast. Her line is always moving at a great speed. A part of the reason that she gets students checked in so fast is that she knows the students names and information. When she does not know the student's, she always has another student beside that does. This is important because if it takes too long to get students checked in the become disengaged.
  • Gil Karkins: Phenomenal Slumber/Ability to Sleep Through an Ignite Service - This one was hilarious. A couple of weeks ago, Gil showed up to IGNITE very tired. Well...in an effort to lead his small group with a lot of energy, he decided to sleep in the service. It had to be one of the funniest things that has happened with our leaders. Gil has been a champ about it, through all the picking, teasing, laughing that has come from that wonderful time.
I always look forward to this time, because we laugh so much and celebrate our leaders; as they pour so much into our students!

Monday, March 05, 2007

Volunteer Leaders in Action....

We just finished a series at IGNITE called MADE. Our volunteers wanted to do a video series for the intro of the sessions, so we gave them the FREEDOM and let them run with it. It is a claymation. Most Awesome. It is amazing and this is volunteers using thier gifts for the kingdom!!

Do yourself a favor and check them out! Yes, this was done by our volunteer leaders!!!!

Week 1: Iggy's New Heelys


Week 2: Iggy's Suprise


Week 3: Iggy's Friend from Space


Ryan, Matt, Caleb...You Rock My FACE OFF!!!

Ridgestone Church & Unleashed....

I just got back from eating lunch with Preston Porter and his wife, along with Pudge. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to talk with him, ask him questions, he ask me questions. I love being asked questions about why we do what we do , because it always helps me continue to evaluate in my mind those same questions.

By the way, speaking of questions. That will be format for the Unleash Conference here at NewSpring Church. We have over 700 people signed up! It is going to be awesome. The breakout sessions will be in Question and Answer format. You ask questions, we will do our best to answer...by the way...by no means do we have all the answers, but we do know what God has done here at NewSpring and would love to share it with you. So, sign up...today...now! See you there!

Baptism at NewSpring....

We had baptism here at NewSpring on Feb. 24th and the FINAL count is 219.

Oh by the way from 2/25/06 to 2/24/07 we baptized 972
people.

That is CRAZY AWESOMENESS!!! Thank you Jesus!!!

Friday, March 02, 2007

O'HARE Airport....

Well, we are delayed in Chicago. We have been delayed for 2.5 hours!!! Not fun, not exciting. We finished up the SHIFT Conference, which was amazing. I will post the rest of the notes as soon as I can find an outlet to plug into. Please be praying for us as we travel and try to make it back tonight! Peace!

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Random Things from SHIFT Conference....

Here are some cool things from SHIFT Conference:
  • Got to see Wes Wilson, Program Director for Elevate, Jr. High Ministry at Willow Creek. I met Wes at NYWC in Charlotte this past December. Awesome Guy. Look forward to hanging out with him tomorrow.
  • Got to meet Jason Raitz, Groups Life Pastor for Elevate, Jr. High Ministry at Willow Creek. Jason and I meet in BLOGWORLD. He is very down to earth. It was great to meet him face to face after reading his blog, post on forums, and emailing back and forth. I look forward to hanging out with him and others tomorrow night for dinner.
  • Got to hear Dr. Henry Cloud, author of Integrity, teach at Willow's New Community Service.
  • SHOUT OUT: Willow's Association has done an AWESOME job putting together this conference. They have paid attention to the details!
Time to go to bed...although it has been an awesome day of learning...I am tired. Conferences tend to drain you...well, at least I get drained! PEACE!

SHIFT Session #3: Bo Boshears

Bo Boshears, Executive Director of Student Ministries for Willow Creek Association, led Session # 3: "A Student Leader's Guide to Preparing for the Long Haul"

Here are some notes:

Psalm 71:17-19: "Since my youth, o God, you have taught me, and to this dayI declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your ower to the next generation, your might to all who are to come."

3 Common Warning Signs for Youth Leaders:

1. Your Heart is Becoming to Proud:
  • Youth Ministry has become so professional and so competitive.
  • Focusing on this will steal your joy.
  • When this happens you focus on YOURSELF and NOT God.
  • Lead with humility and protect your heart.
2. You are No Longer Teachable:
  • We need to stay sharp: learn, grow, increase your ministry skills.
  • Ask good questions, learn from others.
  • How are you doing by modeling God's Word to others?
  • Are you modeling a checklist or a deep passion for Jesus?
  • You must slow down and hear God's voice!
  • Who are you allowing to mentor you?
  • Philippians 4:9: How can students put into practice what they have not seen up close?(This messed me up and challenge me in who I should be mentoring within our ministry.)

3. Are You Losing Home Field Advantage?:
  • Our ministry can't distract us from the ones we love so much.
  • We should be at home a MINIMUM of 4 nights a week.
  • Learn to say, "NO ONE CAN PRESSURE ME WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!"
  • Being present is not just being there in physical form, but bring there in mind, body, heart, and spirit.

SHIFT Session #2: Donald Miller

Donald Miller led Session #2: "How to Share the Gospel Without Weirding People Out":

Here are some notes:
  • Christianity is easy when it is just us, but when others come into the conversation-its something else. Why? Is it because I am ashamed?
  • When a culture is only influenced by itself, when they do not communicate, share ideas with the outside it becomes goofier. It gets to the point where they cannot communicate.
  • Jesus never took the time to explain the story/give the point. It was done in the story, by the story, through the story.
  • The human heart desires a story.
  • Erosion of values has caused the story to decline.
  • Never underestimate your role in the story.
  • Evangelism in a nutshell is: inviting people into a better story.
  • "Write every day, line by line, page by page, hour by hour. Do this despite fear. For above all else, beyond imagination and skill, what the world asks of you is courage, courage to risk rejection, ridicule and failure. As you follow the quest for stories told with meaning and beauty, study thoughtfully but write boldly. Then, like the hero of the fable, your dance will dazzle the world.” - Robert McKee