NCN Bay Area summer conference!

We had a blast... here are some pictures of the week!

worried but content

This week at my church I got the privilege of preaching, I talked about sabbath and rest and how to be content in God.

I prompted the congregants to write down everything that worries them... I wanted to share mine:

I worry about, and this list is not everything...
- Diabetes, it runs in my family
- my weight, I started losing weight and was doing good then broke my leg. need to get back on it.
- finances, I worry about not being hired at my church, but if I do, what will my finances look like?
-my leg, what if it doesn't heal properly

My plan to work on everything...
- while I cant yet run or do a full workout like I was doing before surgery, I can swim and walk, which will help my weight and control the diabetes warning...
- I cant really do anything about my finances other than put it in Gods hands.

I also had the congregants write down everything they are content with in God.

- my relationship with him is growing everyday
- I am closer to him now than I have ever been
- I have a growing, amazing youth ministry
- God has really shown me how faithful he is during my time at Pathway so far
- I have an amazing church
- God is meeting every one of my needs
- I still have health and a smile
- Amazing friends

what about you? what do you worry about? what can you do to fix it? what are you content with?

8 ways to fight the youth ministry stereotype

1. Dont have a messy office- is it that hard to be neat and tidy?

2. leave your competitiveness at the door- do you really think its gonna make you cooler to whoop a jr higher at ping pong?

3. video games are fun, but not for hours upon hours- if your always tired because your going to bed late because of video games... you need help.

4. lead your teens, dont try to be like your teens- dont dress like them, dont try to be cool around them, they need a leader not a friend.

5. be responsible- dont let teens drive the church van, dont tell them to do stupid things, bring them home from events in one piece.

6. tardyness- nobody likes anyone who is late. If you say 7PM then be there 5 minutes early.

7. be prepared- I have seen youth pastors working on there sermons an hour before service starts, prepare better.

8. 12 hours a day on facebook- seriously you get paid to do youth ministry, facebook is not youth ministry for 12 hours a day.

Did I miss any? what are your thoughts?

How are you?

If you will, think for a few seconds on how you would answer this question: WHAT IS THE MOST OVER-USED QUESTION IN TODAY’S SOCIETY?

“Huh?” ~ no

“Paper or plastic?” ~ nah

“Do you want fries with that?” ~ nope

In my opinion the most over-used question in today’s society is “HOW ARE YOU?” That question comes in many different forms such as “How are you doing?” or “How’s life?” or “How’s it going?” Think about it, our society throws around this question so frequently. In fact, we have thrown it around so much that it has lost its meaning and its importance.

Think about how much that question is thrown around on a daily basis. You can walk up and down the halls of your school, your office, your local mall, and even your church and hear this question over and over again. It has become synonymous with “hello” as a common greeting but it is so much more than just a greeting. How many times have people today asked you that question? How many times have you answered it with 100% honesty? How many times has your answer been “good” or “fine” and the last words to describe your life was “good” or “fine”?

“HOW ARE YOU?” is a hugely important question. It is loaded. It requires complete honesty. It requires more time than a simple pass in a hallway.

I came to this “HOW ARE YOU?” epiphany during my college days at Bethany University. I loved going to school there. However, there were times in that super-friendly, Christian environment where I felt that the community of students were content with being fake. Walking around campus I would constantly get bombarded with “How are you?” from friends, classmates, acquaintances, and strangers. Often times, they would pass by before I could even give an answer. Did they truly care? Would it be an inconvenience in their lives if I answered that question honestly because they would probably have to stop right there in their tracks?

I made a decision during that time that has absolutely changed my life. I decided to never ask the question, “HOW ARE YOU?” unless I truly wanted to hear the answer. As I think about the life of Jesus, was there ever a time he asked somebody “HOW ARE YOU?” and did not really want to heave the answer? Did He ever just want to be polite and act like He was interested to just not be rude?

Is our goal as followers of Christ to simply not be rude or to be real and to really care about others?

My daily challenge to myself is this: be real, be honest, and care about people enough to give them the time of the day to answer “HOW ARE YOU?” honestly. In my experience, people are really surprised when others truly mean that question. I have to sometimes slow somebody down and say “seriously, HOW ARE YOU DOING?” just so they can let the “I always answer with a smile and a ‘fine’ or ‘good’” wall down. I have found that people are dying for somebody to simply listen to them. Often times, that question has opened the Pandora’s box of a person’s soul because they had held it in for so long.

I dare you to try it for a week and see if you life is any different. Only ask “HOW ARE YOU?” when you really mean it and when you really want to know the answer. Make sure that people you ask know that you mean it. Look them in the eyes, take an extra 5 minutes, and care. You do not have to be a pastor or have a ministerial degree to do this.

Instead of “HOW ARE YOU?” being the most over-used question in our society, let’s make it the most life-changing question in our society.

what we are without God...

DIRT!

Recently, I was reading through Genesis 2. This is the chapter where God creates Adam and Eve. As I was reading through the specific details of how God created people, God hit me square between the eyes with a profound truth.

Look at the process…

STEP 1 – God formed man out of the dirt from the ground.

STEP 2 – God breathed into the man’s nostrils the breath of life.

STEP 3 – The man became a living being.

Here’s what God spoke directly to my heart while reading about this process in Genesis 2…

WITHOUT GOD’S BREATH, WE ARE JUST DIRT.

Whether or not you know it or believe it, we are completely and desperately dependent on God. Without God breathing into life into Adam, he was simply just a pile of shaped dirt (like when you form shapes out of sand when you go to the beach).

Today, think about your dependency level on God. Are you desperate for Him? Are you dependent on Him?