Phoenix

I had a great time with my wife, the Lord's and the Coombs in Pa-Honix. It's good to be home after a week of travel. This is a big week for me...

For the record, Chris actually hit a couple of fairways off the tee with his first ball. For the record, Chris hit more houses then fairways off the tee with his first ball. 4-1 ratio. For the record, I did get hit by a golf ball on the course and the story will be coming later in the week.

I love vacation!

Orlando

I got home earlier tonight from Orlando. I met with our National Director and four other men to seek the face of God for the future of our student ministry denomination. We spent two days together. We prayed. We read the Word of God. We challenged each other. We dreamed. We spent both nights walking around City Walk at Universal Studios.

It was a HUGE privilege to sit around that table. I truly believe, in the words of my buddy Jim, "This could be our finest hour" as a denomination in student ministries. I am excited for the next two years!!!

Baptism in student ministry

On Sunday I got the privilege of baptizing 8 students during our second service. It was so humbling to stand in that water. What a Sunday! After the service I heard from young and old about how encouraged they were in their own faith by witnessing the baptism of our students. The comments and the emails are pouring in today!

I am so grateful that we don't have a "student only" baptism service on Wednesday night or some other night of the week. I am glad that young and old, in the context of our corporate worship services, get the chance to witness the power of the gospel working in the lives of our students.

We need more and more student ministries choosing to make the baptism of their students a part of the corporate worship in the church.

Kacey & Columbine

8 years ago today I watched Kacey's aunt in the office of our church tell me that she was shot in the library. I'll never forget that memory. I'll never forget that day, the next day, the rest of that week, or the next few months. Today we pause to remember and pray for the families of these students.

Kacey lived. I went to her wedding. Her story is amazing. Her trust in God is even more amazing. She was interviewed by CNN this week after the Virginia Tech Massacre.

Kacey, you are my hero!

Kara Powell

Last night our high school ministry was visited by Kara Powell and 7 students (one of them was my friend Jim Newberry) to assess our ministry. They met with two student groups and two parent groups. The rest of our i2i groups met as usual. This morning I am heading down to their class to interact with them and tonight they are meeting with some of our leaders who give their time to serve our students and their families.

I am really excited and feel extremely blessed to be the recipient of this assessment. My hope and prayer is to get a report that will help us do our "job" better. What's our job? Helping students become faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Thanks Kara for all your hard work.

Dad, the birds are singing!

Yesterday morning as I was helping the family out the door to school and Community Bible Study, Josiah ran in from going outside screaming, "Dad, the birds are singing! Dad the birds are singing!" He was smiling from ear to ear. He was screaming he was so excited. He ran back out and stood in the driveway looking around the sky and listening.

As I sat there loading the car I was deeply moved by my son's sense of WONDER! I was deeply convicted that in the busyness of my life that morning, I didn't even notice that the birds were singing. God took care of them last night and this morning they rose singing a new song. I went out and knelt down next to him in the driveway and while I was giving him a big hug whispered into his ear, "Thanks Josiah, if you had not come inside I would have missed this!"

I needed to start my day with wonder. I watched and listened to the birds sing. G.K. Chesterton said it so well, "The world will never starve for want of wonders, but for want of wonder."

We need to believe the gospel

Our senior pastor used this quote on Sunday in his sermon. OH MY! I need to hear this once a week. Our students need to hear this once a week.

I need to keep believing the gospel. Our students need to keep believing the gospel.

"Unless we believe the gospel, we will be driven in all we do--whether obeying or disobeying--by pride ("self-love") or fear ("of damnation"). Mere moral effort without the gospel may restrain the heart but cannot truly change the heart. Mere moral effort merely "jury-rigs" the evil of the heart to produce moral behavior, out of self-interest. (For example) it would be possible to use fear and pride as ways to motivate a person to be honest, but since fear and pride are also the roots of lying, it is only a matter of time before such a thin tissue collapses. Luther was right. If you are obeying the law without deep joy in your acceptance in Christ, you are not loving God with all your heart. You are not obeying God for God. You are being moral so that you can put God in your debt, so he owes you a comfortable life. You are being moral so that you can feel secure in your uprightness. You are being moral in the service of self-salvation, out of the fear and pride that arise without an identity built on Christ in the gospel." - Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church

I love the people I work with

Today I spent over four hours around a table with the other pastors and a directors in our church discussing our mission, vision, values. We were doing "long range planning!" It was awesome! The whole time I was sitting there I kept thinking in the back of my mind, "I love the people I work with!"

Not only do I love my job, but I love serving alongside those God has called to shepherd the people of SGC. Jerry, Scott, Rich, Dori, Than and Scott - I love working with you!

Summer of 2007 matters

Summer Is Time To Polish Resumes

This article opened my eyes to the college admissions process. A record 16.7 million students are expected to enroll in college next fall.

Pass this article and the message on to your juniors who want to go to college in 2008 and their parents, "The summer of 2007 matters!"

Broncos 2007 Schedule

What a week! I love the week the Broncos schedule comes out because it means I get to pick which games I will go to!

SUN, September 16th - Raiders

MON, October 29th - Packers

MON, November 19th - Titans

Goodbye No. 56

The Denver Broncos are filing papers next week and will cut Al Wilson.

Goodbye Al! Al played the game with intensity and passion!

I am going to miss seeing him fly around the field making big HITS!

Do you?

My buddy Seth, up in Olympia, WA sent me this quote from John Piper,

"Do you love the fact that you exist to make God look glorious?"

Thanks Seth!

How far can you go?

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -T.S. Eliot

What's next for my relationship with God?

What's next for my relationship with my wife?

What's next for each of my kids?

What's next for my ministry?

The story never gets old

Yesterday I heard the resurrection story on my way home from church with Josiah. It's the first time I've heard a three year old tell the story. He spoke with passion, enthusiasm, wonder, amazement and even a sense of awe. It was incredible to hear this little voice from the back of the Kia Sedona tell this unbelievable story.

The story never gets old.

I hope every year, "he is risen" shines new light on how great our God is and motivates me to engage God with a deeper sense of passion as I learn to live in the way of Jesus!

Looks like Chrsitmas...Feels like Easter

This morning it's snowing. Outside it looks like Christmas. It may look a lot like Christmas, but it sure feels like Easter! I am not thinking of Jesus laying in a manger today. I am thinking of the sun rising over the horizon signaling the rising of our Son. I am thinking of Jesus regaining His breath and waking up. I am thinking about Him walking to the rock and moving it so He could ultimately start His journey to sit at the right hand of God for us.

It may look like Christmas, but it feels like Easter.

Adoration in i2i groups

I spent some great time yesterday with Jen. Jen is an i2i leader on Wednesdays and leads our high school worship team. She's done a great job this year taking over for Kristen who led the team forever before she moved to Colorado City. In the midst of our time yesterday we planned out the fall and we are going to do something different in our implementation of adoration as a foundation for our ministry. Instead of meeting in a large group for our adoration time from 7:30-8 every week, we are going to shift two weeks into our i2i groups. This will allow those groups to practice adoring God together in a more intimate setting as they meet around the church.

I am really excited to add this strategy as we equip our students about what it means to adore God. I am so grateful to be part of this team of leaders who challenge me to think about new strategies to accomplish our goal of helping students become faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

Declaring the Word of God

This past Wednesday night we did something we've never done before. We started publicly reading the Word of God from 7-7:30 p.m. before we gathered in our room. One microphone. One stool. One light. One student. One chapter. Students signed up to read a chapter before we met. We started in Matthew. It was awesome to walk through the halls and hear the Word of God being declared from different students.

We are committing to reading the Word of God for the remaining five weeks we gather. We want to give it attention! We want the Word of God to fill our room! It's a reminder of what we want our lives to be attentive to when we end our i2i groups for the summer. We could think of no better way to close out the amazing year God has blessed us with. It was incredible to sit in that room and listen to part of the Story of God being told. I can't wait for the next four weeks. I can' wait to listen to our students reading the Word!

1 Timothy 4:13—“Until I [Paul] come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”

Changing my words

I need to be a better dad. That means I need to change my words. I am reading War of Words by Paul David Tripp. Here is what I have been wrestling with the past four weeks,

"A parent must not be so afraid of what will happen to his child that he tries to do with words what only God can accomplish by his grace...it's like trying to turn the child's heart with a verbal tool."

Change is hard.

Colorado Rockies 2007

Last year the Rockies were 76-86.

This year I predict a 90-72 record.

I am the eternal optimist.

I am excited to go to a game with Noah!

Praying for the Class of 2007

Last night, as a part of our Senior Study, our all church prayer time was focused on praying for the seniors in our high school ministry and their families. Our topic for the night was "Ecclesiology" and I thought there would be no better way to start studying what the church is, than to have them be cared for by the church and it's leaders. It was awesome to look around the room and see our Elders, Pastoral Staff, High School Leaders and other people from our church huddled in groups praying over our seniors and their parents. I was deeply moved by what I saw and participated in last night. I participated in something in ministry I will never forget!

What's My Score

I am so excited for Jon, one of my i2i leaders, and the work he has done on this website for Visa. What's My Score. Great work Jon. I just got my score!

Holy cow!

It's higher than I thought!

Movement in lives

This past week I spent a bunch of time meeting with our high school students while they were on Spring Break. I thoroughly enjoy getting the chance to sit down over some coffee and listen to what's going on. I got three surprises this week. I met with the three of our former high school students who are in college and falling in love with Jesus. When they walked the halls of our church they weren't in love with Jesus. I don't even think they were in love with the idea of Jesus.

Not true today! All three of these men are seeking to follow God's call on their lives and it got me fired up! I was reminded of this verse from Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:6,

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."

God isn't done with our students when they graduate. After these conversations I am reminded that I have been called to faithfully and strategically plant seeds in the lives of our students under my care, pray for others to water the seeds and PRAISE God for the growth!