A God Sized Vision

Just finished reading this book. Regrettably the great awakenings are an area of church history that I have been slacking on. This was a great book that took a biblical perspective on the events of the past to the present. As someone who works with young people it was amazing to see their role in each of the revivals this book covered.  

"Where are the voices crying out in the wilderness, imploring the children of Israel to remember God’s prior acts of faithfulness and power? Centuries ago, the Protestant Reformer John Calvin observed that we have a strong bent to elevate the knowledge of man above the knowledge of God. For Calvin, viewing the world according to man’s knowledge alone leads to great spiritual loss. Out attempts to understand life essentially based on what we have experienced or on what we see in the culture can genuinely hinder us from seeing reality from God’s point of view."

Impact Water Park Video

Fun day at the park. Looking forward to all that God has in store for us this fall!

Test Post 2

Test Post

Resource for Families: Summer Vacation

This week many families from our church are up on a big camping trip at place called Cove Creek. I'm really looking forward to going next year. I can remember some great family vacations we took growing up. Road trips (before the luxury of portable DVD players) out west to Wyoming.

For families how do you make the most of your time together? How do you lead your family spiritually during these unique seasons? Here's a few tips from Ted Lowe at a great blog called "What Is Orange"...

Ten Ways to Make the Most of Family Vacations

Posted: 7/15/11 by Ted Lowe

1. Cut off from the outside world. No one is so important that he or she can’t be completely offline for a few weeks a year. Worried you will create tension with clients, co-workers, even family? Communicate with them before you leave. For instance, here is an automatic email reply: “Thanks for your email. I am with people who are more important than you. If you need immediate assistance, you’re out of luck. God bless and have a nice day!”
2. Look at your family often, especially their faces. Life is so busy, we forget to see those we love the most.
3. Laugh often.
4. Use this vacation time to also take a vacation from talking about or worrying about tensions in your marriage, finances, or problems with the kids. Those things will still be there when you get home, but chances are they will seem smaller because you will be refreshed—body, soul and mind.
5. Turn off or specifically limit electronics. We are the generation that tells those they love the most to “hold on.” Hold on to what? Use your vacation to hold on to each other.
6. Take a vacation from a packed schedule. Don’t feel like you have to fill every moment doing something. If you like to stay up late at night, then stay up late and sleep late the next morning. Read a book. Breathe and lose track of time.
7. Be affectionate. Hug, pat and kiss often.
8. In an unofficial way, ask great questions: What has been your “high” so far this year? What has been your “high” so far on this trip? If you were a superhero, would you rather have the power to be invisible or the power to fly? Did we mention to laugh often?
9. If you are taking your children, use the time to connect instead of correct. Other than disrespect of others, try to avoid correcting behaviors. Use the time to just be together.
10. Get alone with God. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. By yourself, go talk with God. Maybe get up early one morning, sit outside, go for a walk, or take a longer-than-usual shower. For the first few minutes, or maybe the entire time, just listen. Good communication is always a two-way street. Tell God what you are thankful for, and be sure to include everything you love about the people you are vacationing with. Take a break from prayers of: “God, can You fix this? Give me this. Help me with this?” Just be honest with God. Talk to Him like you want your kids to talk to you.

Too much to remember? Bottom Line: Be present. Love. Breathe. Tell God “Thanks!”

Link in Ink (Sharpie to Be Exact)

So recently I've started gaming again. Video games that is. My current game is a classic Legend of Zelda's Ocarina of Time. As I've been playing it on the brilliant Nintendo 3DS handheld a host of students I know have been playing the original on their old systems. Here's a picture text I received late last night. This is what happens when you've played it for to long and have a very artistically gifted friend.

The students will remain nameless to protect the innocent.

The Healthy Tension "Liked or Followed"?

Every now and then I post something that's challenged me or motivated me. On a rare occasion I'll re post an article in its entirety because, in my opinion, it's that good. Here's a great article for anyone in leadership. It's by Rachel Blom and was posted over on dougfields.com.

Being ‘liked’ has gotten a whole new dimension since Facebook introduced the concept of ‘liking’ something (or someone for that matter). But for youth leaders the issue of wanting to be liked has always been a tough one. I think we’ve all been at the point where we want students to like us and where we want to feel accepted by them. We rationalize it, saying we can’t really be effective in youth ministry if the students don’t like us. If we want students to trust us, to confide in us, we need to be liked. Or do we?

It’s perfectly okay to want students to like you. I’d be worried if you could care less. But the extent to which it influences your decisions, to which it dictates what you do, that is something to think about. After all, you’re not their buddy, you’re not their BFF, you’re their youth leader. And being a youth leader isn’t about being liked, it’s about leading our students to Jesus, time and again.

We don’t need our students to like us, we need them to follow us to Jesus. That won’t happen if we base our opinions and decisions on whether it will make us popular or liked. We need to make our choices based on what Christ would do, about what’s best for our students and the youth ministry. Because there will be times when you’ll need to make decisions that won’t win you popularity points. There will be instances where you’ll need to do the right thing, instead of the likeable thing.



I remember when I took over the organization for our yearly weekend retreat. We went with a group of about 60 students (age 16-22) and leaders, distributed over 25 cars or so. Most of the drivers were youth who only had their driver’s license for a short time and it was about a three-hour drive. So I instituted a very strict ‘evening clock’ because I wanted to make sure they had enough sleep to drive safely, meaning everyone had to be in bed by 01.00 am on the last day. The students were furious with me, arguing that there had never been an evening clock and nothing had ever happened. I stood my ground and the youth grudgingly went along with it, but they really didn’t like me at that moment and that’s an understatement.
Did I care? Of course I did, I really didn’t like the fact that they were being so angry with me. But I knew it was the right thing to do, even if it meant being unpopular. The funny thing was that the next year, there was far less grumbling about my evening clock and after that it was an accepted policy. And about four years later one of my most vocal youth ‘opponents’ came to me and thanked me for making that decision. You see, he had become a leader in the junior high ministry and now knew what the responsibility of a leader felt like. But even without that, I never doubted I had made the right decision.

Question: How important is it for you to be liked? Has it ever affected your decisions?

Rachel Blom is American at heart, Dutch of nationality, but at the present lives in the south of Germany with her husband of sixteen years and their 3 yr old son. She’s a youth ministry enthusiast who’s focused on helping leaders serve better in youth ministry through her daily blog www.youthleadersacademy.com and Tweets @youthleadersac

Whew, What a Week...

Ever had one of those weeks where Monday started out and then all of a sudden it was Sunday morning and you're left wondering where that week just went? That about sums up the last seven days of my life. There were a lot of positives from the last seven days here's a little list to sum up my life...

• Basic Beach Day: Monday we had our middle school beach day. Loads of fun, sand, and surf. It was great connecting with some of our parents and new Basic students. 
• Tuesday was office day and youth ministry team meeting. I don't understand how (or why ) people choose to do ministry as a lone ranger. This type of day and meetings are growing more and more intense as fall approaches and some exciting changes in the ministry start to take shape. 
• Wednesday was our Impact high school ministry beach day. Same as above but with our high school crew. It was great seeing our community floating out on the surf. Had a chance to have several great conversations, meet some new people, and put some coinage into relationships that we can draw on later. (More on that in a future post) 

• Had a chance to encourage our 2 new interns.
• Wednesday night I left the beach stopped by the house for a shower and to kiss my wife. Then I headed down to Camp St. Christopher about an hour south to visit the rock star staff and camp full of high school students at senior session. Jesus is up to awesome stuff down there. Had a surprise run in with an old friend and his family. He was teaching that week as the camp chaplain. It was icing on the cake to be able to pray with him and his family about the powerful ministry and wonderful opportunity for the gospel over the week they were there. 
• Thursday was breakfast with some staff and the amazing Ben Murray.  Drove home, picked up my daughter and gave her a huge hug. We spent the day together as mommy was at work. We laughed, played, dropped in on a freshman small group that was hanging out, and signed off on a massive renovation project that will be undertaken in August.
• Friday was glorious sabbath. Spent the day with the family at the South Carolina Aquarium looking at the fish and topped it off with a quiet evening in the study reading and dreaming.  Saturday was house work, lunch with our friends, and random stuff. 
• BAM it's Sunday. Ready for worship, and ready for a little chill'n and grill'n with our amazing youth leader crew. 

Ok thanks for letting me remember what my week was like.  If you're still reading know that this blog is sometimes more for me then it is for you.  Thanks

Impact Beach Day Video

Last Wednesday our high school ministry gathered on the beach for a surftastic beach day. Lots of sun, loads of sand, bocce, zebra cakes, and a few minor jelly fish stings. Over all a great time. Can't wait for our water park invasion in a few weeks!

Basic Middle School Minsitry at the Beach! (fixed link)

Resolve for Monday

Every Monday I'm going to post one of Jonathan Edwards resolutions. He
penned these while still a very young man and used them to guide
his life. What am I using to guide me, my family, my ministry??

 59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times.

• Dr. John Piper says that reading theologians of this time is like mining gold. It's had work but worth it. I had to read this resolution out loud to understand it.  Sometimes some of the greatest treasures in life are worth digging for. 
• How well do you react when someone provokes you to "ill nature and anger" ? 
• Maybe today's prayer is for the Holy Spirit to produce in you that fruit of kindness (Gal 5) in the face of adversity. 

To Wander Among Wolves

"God will not suffer his sheep to wander among wolves, without showing himself to be their shepherd.. For he wishes them to fight, but does not suffer them to be mortally wounded."


- John Calvin





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Angry Birds Youth Ministry Devotional

Here's a test run.

Here's a thought we had a few weeks ago at our New Wine Conference. 

We ordered several of the Angry Birds plush stuffed animal toys and a few water balloon slingshots. We also stopped by a Costco and picked up a bunch of tennis balls and a bunch of boxes.

Here's where it gets fun.

We allowed students to fire Angry Birds at our box wall with green tennis balls placed on them. The more tennis balls students knocked down the better. Here's the gospel in it...

•  Alone you are dead in sin and enemies of God only when Christ justifies you, and places the Spirit in you are able to accomplish the mission he gives you.  This activity won't be accomplished alone.
• You can fire the Angry Bird by yourself. However you end up on your back. Only with the body can you accomplish the task. 
•  One of the best parts was asking students to find the biblical truth in this.

The Joy of Giving

Resolve for Monday

Every Monday I'm going to post one of Jonathan Edwards resolutions. He
penned these while still a very young man and used them to guide
his life. What am I using to guide me, my family, my ministry??

58. Resolved, not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity. May27, and July 13, 1723.

• When it comes to relationships do people enjoy being around you? 
• One think I love about this is it states what Edwards wanted to refrain from but also what he wanted be about and known for. Do people know you by what you're against or by what you are for?
• Does the peace of Christ dwell in your heart? Does the joy that comes from the Spirit grow in your life?

New Wine Youth 2011 Video

I posted on Tuesday about last weekends New Wine Youth conference. There was a video with that post that I'm getting trouble loading to show up so here it is separated. Enjoy.

Date Your Daughters

Fathers, date your daughters or some creep will.

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Location:N Market St,Charleston,United States

Resource for Families: Where's The Lie?

Here's a neat activity that can be done anytime families are watching their favorite TV shows. In the wonderful world of DVR's you can pause live TV. As they become more common it's a neat way to point out things that your teen might not pick up.  One family I've heard of randomly pauses TV commercials and asks the question "What's the lie?"

Every ad in some way is amusement. Amusement in its Latin roots literally means to stop musing or stop thinking. So what's the lie that we are told when we stop thinking about it?

• I'm not pretty enough so I need this product? 
• I'm not strong enough? 
• Fit enough? 
• Skinny enough?
• Attractive enough? 

 Therefor I need a functional savior to save me from the lie that I believe. 
Training our minds and our students to spot this is not only healthy but can be a fun too.  So where's the lie in your favorite commercials?