Grad parties galore

I love grad parties! I feel so honored to be invited by our grads and their families. I've got parties over four weekends and I wouldn't miss one of them. Sure I love the food and the community that is present, but grad parties are part of my saying "goodbye." I know it sounds weird, but it's part of my grieving process. I've been praying for a lot of these students for four years. We've experienced a lot of life together on Sundays, Wednesdays and on trips. Being at the party helps "seal the deal" in my mind and heart that they are moving on. I am so excited to see this class leave their mark of sacrificial love on this planet!

Hurley and our leaders

Wednesday night was EPIC! A bunch of our high school leaders huddled up at my in-laws and watched the season finale of LOST after consuming some tasty morsels. Everyone in the room started cheering when Hurley came from out of nowhere and plowed some dude over! It was like we were watching the Superbowl! What a night! Charlie died. Others were blown up! Hurley in the VW Van was epic. Future Jack is messed up! Looks like he gets off but was in better shape on the island. Jack pounds Ben's face into the sand. Rousseau and Alex meet. We saw Penny! Walt? Locke couldn't walk, then he could? Who's in the casket? Okay...enough...back to my point.

Julie and I woke up the next morning enjoying the time with our leaders more than we did the season finale. It's an amazing feeling to be a part of a student ministry that has leaders that enjoy being around each other outside the context of church. It does wonders to my soul to be a part of times like this where the only agenda is food, community and LOST! I love serving alongside these leaders. It makes me think how hard ministry would be if I didn't have a strong team. What if there were elephants in the room, etc...? What's been your experience?

Educating not legislating

This is an insightful interview from Guy Kawasaki on teens being totally wired. He was interviewed by Anastasia Goodstein from YPulse.

Question: Is banning MySpace and other social networks by schools a smart thing?
Answer: I advocate educating as opposed to legislating.

Guy's answer really struck a cord with me as it relates to parenting and serving in student ministry. I like the thought of responding as much as possible to situations with the mindset of educating rather than legislating. Sure, there are going to be times when legislation is needed, but how often? How would our approach to parenting and student ministry change if we took a more "educating" approach than a "legislating" approach? If we want our kids and students to own their faith, which approach will work better?

Mature student ministry pastors?

I was reading Scot McKnight's blog on Educating Youth Pastors this morning and found this comment from him,

"...it has frequently occurred to me that it takes more maturity to pastors junior highers and high schoolers than most adult groups. Why? A youth pastor has to render moral judgment and exercise discerning wisdom constantly — just ask one."

He makes an interesting point and I am wondering if anyone wants to chime in on this comment from their experience in a student ministry as a student or someone who serves in a student ministry as a leader or a pastor.

The value of a website

Jon's post is worth reading about the value a website can and does bring to your student ministry. Our student ministry website has gone through at least four changes in the last four years to get to this point. I am grateful to be partnering with a guy like Jon to give us a presence on the web for those who are a part of our high school community.

Financially supporting young life

Yesterday I played in our area Young Life Golf Tournament at Red Rocks Country Club. Will, Dave and Jason joined me. Dave and Will are leaders in our high school community and Jason Shade works for Edward Jones. We shot a 61 and came in sixth! Only by luck and a gust of wind did I happen to win the closest to the pin contest. Hey, it won me $25 and it got me the hat pictured. Dave stepped it up and brought his A game. He was incredible!

Our high school ministry supports Young Life in our area because we believe we need their presence and influence in the lives of the students in our public schools. Jacque and his team are great people and doing a good work here in Southwest Jeffco. I believe it's imperative that student ministries start financially supporting some kind of non-profit in their area that is reaching students. I want our money to match our priorities. I can't wait to tell our students this Sunday how our high school ministry is giving back! It is awesome to be a part of the Kingdom of God!

So next year plan to take $600 of your student ministry budget and give it away to Young Life, or some other non-profit that is effectively reaching students in your area with the gospel message!

Myth of the Teenage Brain

If your ever around teenagers you must read this article by Robert Epstein, The Myth of the Teenage Brain. His research is challenging, thought provoking and in my opinion needs to be practiced. I loved this quote,

"Isolated from adults and wrongly treated like children, it is no wonder that some teens behave, by adult standards, recklessly or irresponsibly. Almost without exception, the reckless and irresponsible behavior we see is the teen's way of declaring his or her adulthood or, through pregnancy or the commission of serious crime, of instantly becoming an adult under the law. Fortunately, we also know from extensive research both in the U.S. and elsewhere that when we treat teens like adults, they almost immediately rise to the challenge. We need to replace the myth of the immature teen brain with a frank look at capable and savvy teens in history, at teens in other cultures and at the truly extraordinary potential of our own young people today."

May God grant every youth worker who teaches the Word of God week in and week out, the ability to remember that our students can handle digging deep into the treasures found in God's Word!

Catching up with an former prof

Last night our church hosted the memorial service for Dr. Steve Young. He attended our church for years and was the director of the leadership program at Denver Seminary. After the service everyone was hanging out in our welcome center eating food, drinking punch and coffee and catching up. I was standing with one of my high school leaders when a heard a voice behind me saying, "How's that Ugaritic study coming?" I turned around to find Dr. Rick Hess smiling at me. You have to love that hello from the OT prof! Stacy graciously stepped away and gave me some time to hang out with him. It was great to catch up. I started talking about my kids and their OT names and he gave me a short lesson on each. It was awesome! It was like using Google on a human being! I said their names and got information within seconds!

He is going on sabbatical while I will be on sabbatical. He's writing a commentary on Kings and I am hoping to write a commentary on Numbers! :) Yeah right! I thanked him over and over for giving me a passion for the Old Testament. I owe a lot to him and Dr. Danny Carroll for their leadership in this department. Thanks men. As we closed our time I was thinking that I could co-write my first book with Dr. Rick Hess while we are both on sabbatical, Transformational Student Ministry - How Hebrew and Ugaritic language study will transform you and your students.

Teenage Holy War

I've been waiting awhile to post this article, but it's worth a read. I actually found this article after I took a phone call in my office from an ATF person last month encouraging me to attend their conference in late April if I was a seriously committed youth pastor and wanted to see the teens in my group impact our city by standing against the cultural evil that is waging war against their souls. I respectfully declined and briefly shared how I am on a different page, actually a different planet.

Rolling Stone, April 19th edition - Teenage Holy War. Subtitle "Jesus is really, really pissed -- at Hollywood, at the media, even at most Christians. But BattleCry, the nation’s largest and most radical youth crusade, is recruiting a new generation of Christian soldiers to fight back. "

Please click on the video link and watch the Nightline clip and listen to the female student talk about what changed her life and then listen to what the reporter says about what changed her life at the end as she is summarizing the story. May the students in our ministry walk away changed by the passion of Jesus Christ, who waged a different kind of holy war, making himself nothing, becoming the slave, and dying on a cross. More thoughts on this here.

Season of Change - 2

The last time our church searched for a senior pastor was 29 years ago! This isn't something we are used to doing. It's been fun this week to talk with people now that the word is out that our Senior Pastor could be potentially (depending on the vote June 24) be our new missions pastor. I am going to be blogging on the topics that come up in my conversations. This week question, "How old should the new senior pastor be?" Early 30's? Mid-thirties? Late 30's. Early 40's. Mid-forties? Late forties? I've received all six of these answers from people this week. People are all over the board thinking the new guy should be young (limited or no senior pastor experience) with the potential of having him stay for a long time, to someone in their forties who is more seasoned and been in the role before! All six answers are valid and have their strengths and weaknesses. Thoughts?

Dog Bones, suckers and a sticker

On Tuesday, I pulled up to one of the open lanes at one of the banks I use to take some cash out of my lucrative student ministry pastor paycheck. It was the 15th of the month! After the lady behind the glass processed my request she asked me, "Sir, is there anything else I can do for you?" I replied, "Yes, my son Josiah would LOVE a sucker!" She was quick to jump in before I could finish my sentence, "We don't give away suckers anymore." I screamed (not kidding), "You've got to be kidding me!" From the back I hear Josiah make a comment about what he saw in the window, "Ugh, dog bones...I don't want a dog bone." My eyes were frantically searching for...dog bones...and sure enough, there was a huge container of them where the suckers should of been. WHAT? My bank now has dog bones for dogs coming through the drive through but not my kids! How can a bank not give away suckers? This is almost "non-American!" The lady threw in a heart sticker for Josiah and when he got home he threw it in the trash.

I wonder how many people attend church on Sunday, pulling up with expectations that don't get met, and then go home and trash their experience. There is something to be said for tradition and being a part of a story today that helped shaped us in the past.

Getting worked at home...spiritually

Barna released a new report last week, just in time for Mother's Day, stating that the spirituality of moms is OUTPACING the spirituality of dads in the home. Or in Dan English, dads are getting worked at home...spiritually. Here's a brief section,

"According to a new Barna study, women who are raising children are among the most faith-minded and spiritually active segments of the American population. The study explored faith-related activities, commitments and perspectives, relying upon nationally representative interviews among more than 10,000 adults and nearly 2000 women who are currently parenting children under the age of 18. The study shows that more than three-quarters of moms identify "family" to be their highest priority. At the same time, a majority of mothers strongly agree that their faith is very important in their life. In contrast, fathers also tend to list family as their top priority in life, yet they are much less likely to equally attribute importance to faith."

Thoughts about this study:

- Discipleship begins in the home with mom and dad. We must never forget that our student ministries exist to support this God-given structure.

- The mom in my home is amazing!

- After having my ministry assessed by Kara Powell (more on this in later posts) she found the the spirituality of our girls is OUTPACING that of our boys.

- Moms see their legacy (children) more than the dads. Every day they get the privilege to wake up and remind their kids that God's faithfulness is new again. They get to explore God's revelation of Himself every time they get in the car and drive around during the day - general revelation. They are always talking about their kids.

- Moms, who've been blessed to carry a child, have spent nine months more with the kids than the dad. I can't even get my mind around having one of my kids inside me. What an unbelievable connection. They've felt the omnipotence of God inside of them (see Psalm 139:13-18). As a side note, we adopted our first child and I think Julie bonded with Noah quicker than I did.

- How does this research sit with those who believe that the man in the home is supposed to be the spiritual leader?

- It's belated on my blog, but Happy Mother's Day Julie! You're wonderful! I can't wait to see Adah turn out to be like you!

More connected and more alienated than ever

Sherry Turkle on Forbes.com has an amazingly insightful article on how people who live in this culture, because of technology, are more connected than ever and more alienated than ever. It will speak to you and it will speak to you about the students you serve.

Can You Hear Me Now? - The opening illustration is priceless. This is a must read this week and worthy of several posts to process all she says. Two quick quotes that grabbed me on this Tuesday:

"The self that grows up with multitasking and rapid response measures success by calls made, e-mails answered and messages responded to. Self-esteem is calibrated by what the technology proposes, by what it makes easy. We live a contradiction: Insisting that our world is increasingly complex, we nevertheless have created a communications culture that has decreased the time available for us to sit and think, uninterrupted. We are primed to receive a quick message to which we are expected to give a rapid response. Children growing up with this may never know another way. Their experience raises a question for us all: Are we leaving enough time to take our time on the things that matter?"

"Adolescents naturally want to check out ideas and attitudes with peers. But when technology brings us to the point where we're used to sharing thoughts and feelings instantaneously, it can lead to a new dependence. Emotional life can move from "I have a feeling, I want to call a friend," to "I want to feel something, I need to make a call." In either case it comes at the expense of cultivating the ability to be alone and to manage and contain one's emotions."

Thoughts?

Season of Change

Earlier this week our pastoral staff received a letter from our lead Elder. It states that he and the Elders are going to make a motion at our June 24th business meeting that our Senior Pastor, Dr. Jerry Nelson, be moved to Missions Pastor upon the arrival of his replacement! When his replacement arrives, Pastor Nelson will travel for a few months abroad to visit our missionaries. When he returns he will assume the role of Missions Pastor at our church.

GULP!

Southern Gables is headed into a season of change. A change that last took place 29 years ago!

So many thoughts and issues come to mind. I'll be reflecting on it over the next few weeks. I know this for sure, this decision will affect and effect everyone pastor on staff!

Hold on!

Kids and the Kingdom of God

A new report suggests that over half of 12-14 years-olds have cell phones. What stood out to me in this report was the fact that marketers are no longer worried about tweens (12-14) in this area, but kids 10 and under! This short article got me thinking...

If the business world sees kids under the age of 14 (especially late elementary) as their target group to reach, should the church? How much of it's resources does each local church put into reaching elementary and middle school age children? If the world they live in slams them with messages about how important they are in the global economy, what message is the church sending about how important kids are in the Kingdom of God? Are 10 year-olds the new age group the church must plan on reaching in the next 5-10 years? I will have a 10 year-old in 4 years! AHHH!

One day...I'll give an account

I was reading USA Today this evening on the Pope telling drug dealers, "God will call you to account for your deeds."

Tonight I have can honestly say I have something in common with the drug dealers the Pope was addressing. One day I will give an account of my deeds. Tonight we all can say we have something in common with drug dealers.

I am longing for our high school students to get a picture of this in their mind. I can't wait to read Jesus' letter to the church at Sardis tomorrow.

The letter

Just got the mail...hanging out at home today. If attend SGC you'll definitely want to get your mail and read it. Trust me. I liken this letter to how I felt after watching Lost on Wednesday night...SHOCKED!

More to come on the contents once everyone has had the chance read it...stay tuned.

What do you want your volunteers to yearn for?

I don't just want people who are yearning to be small group leaders in our student ministry. I also want people who are yearning to be a part of establishing God's Kingdom here on earth. I want them to see that small groups is one way for us to help accomplish this. I want them thinking eternally. Every Wednesday night I want our students getting a small taste of heaven! I owe a lot of this thinking to Antoine de Saint-Exupery who said this,

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea."

I am so grateful that I have a team of volunteer leaders who yearning for the vast and endless sea!

Underclassmen Night

Last night the underclassmen dawned our doorstep in a large heard. Where did they all come from? They just kept jumping through the door. There was so much energy in my house and outside my house I am quite positive my neighbors must of thought I was throwing a Kegger! :) There were red cups everywhere!

At one point I saw my neighbor Andy looking out from his porch smiling at me, shaking his head in disbelief at the mass of pubescent humanity that decided to settle in our humble neighborhood for an evening.

The sheer volume that was spewing forth from their mouths had to have been heard at C-470 and I-70. I was expecting to wake up and see in the paper that the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Co. recorded a slight shift in the Earth's crust near Red Rocks Amphitheater due to the Rugby/Football/Lacrosse game that was played in my backyard for and hour and a half.

Watching them eat my wife's EPIC chocolate chip cookies reminded me watching Adah, who is one, learn to eat a cookie. More was on my floor than in their gut.

We spent a total of seven minutes together on my porch catching up on the calendar and praying. The prayers were short and sincere. My announcements were short and sincere.

Finally, they did all of the above texting their friends who were across my lawn or inside while they were outside! :)

I love underclassmen! The next two years are going to be fun with these loose canons! They are SO much fun!

My Celebrity Look-Alikes

Upperclassmen Night

Last night we had the upperclassmen over to our house to build community and eat some of Julie's famous chocolate chip cookies. I am not overstating how amazing my wife's cookies are. We had a great time hanging out. I particularly enjoyed our prayer time on my back porch for the up and coming year. It was awesome to hear the class of 2007 pray for the class of 2008. We capped off the night brainstorming freshmen initiation. It's going to be epic this year.

I'm an Omnivore

I took this test from Pew Internet and I'm an Omnivore. We make up 8% of the population. Our median age is 28. We have at least 6 IT devices. 89% of us have broadband Internet at home. Our basic description : "They have the most information gadgets and services, which they use voraciously to participate in cyberspace and express themselves online." - YEP!

What kind of information technology user are you?

I wholeheartedly agree that being an omnivore has increased my ability to do my job better! This survey got me thinking today about something: I can see how the IT world has changed me, but what is it like for our students? What has changed me is "normal" for them. What will the test look like when they are in their 30's? How will they be changed?

Hide and Seek

This past week I wrestled through playing hide and seek with God. It isn't just a game my boys play with me at least once a week. Rather, it's a spiritual game all of humanity has been playing since Adam and Eve first ate the fruit from the tree. Genesis 3:8 "8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. "

In student ministry it's imperative that we build into our philosophy of ministry the doctrine of Harmartiology - the study of sin. Our students need to know that their attempts to hide among the trees when they hear the sound of the LORD through our teaching, small groups, times of prayer and one on one conversations, is dare I say, normal? Conversely, our students need to take heed of C.S. Lewis' words, “Do not let us deceive ourselves. No possible complexity, which we can give to our picture of the universe, can hide us from God. There is no forest, no jungle thick enough to provide cover.”

David summed up well why we should stop playing hide and seek with God with the words he penned in Psalm 139: 7-12, "7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there our hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you."

May our students experience the freedom that God's omnipresence can bring to sinful human condition!

Senior Study 2007 is Over

Last night we finished our senior study with the class of 2007. For 8 weeks we had the students in our home to study Paterology (The study of the Father), Soteriology (The study of salvation), Christology (The study of Jesus Christ), Ecclesiology (The study of the church), Apologetics, Finances, Soul Care and Relationships. It was an amazing time for Julie and I to spend one last extended period of time with them before they go to college. Last night was probably the most entertaining time, as we spent almost three hours in a Q & A format discussing relationships in college - family, friends, opposite sex...you name it! We laughed several times to the point of crying. It's been some of the best 8 weeks in ministry I've ever spent with students and my wife! Thanks seniors!

Senior Salute 2007

Each year we celebrate our seniors by throwing them and their parents an amazing breakfast! Dave made an amazing compilation video of their time in our ministry. Each student got a life verse from me, a copy of the DVD compilation video and a Congradulations CD. Our breakfast was amazing! Check out this line up that was spear-headed by Michelle and a bunch of volunteers:

- Mesa Verde Potatoes (crispy shredded hash browns seasoned with chili powder, garlic, onions, and olive oil)

- Denver Scrambler (eggs with cheese, sausage, green peppers, tomato garnish)

- Aurora Scrambler (eggs with cheese)

- Great Divide Caramel Rolls (caramel glazed pull-apart rolls with and without pecans)

- Rocky Mountain Parfaits (vanilla yogurt layered with granola and mixed berries)

- Pikes Peak Ham (warm ham slices garnished with parsley)

- Western Slope Fresh Fruit Tart (cookie crust spread with sweetened cream cheese and topped with glazed fresh fruit)

- Grand Lake Punch (sparkling pineapple orange juice with frozen raspberries)

It was an amazing day for an amazing class! Thanks for letting me walk alongside you, behind you and in front of you the past four years!

Supper Six

My wife's Adult Community that meets on Sunday a.m. while I am teaching high school students does Supper Six. Three couples sign up to hang three times at each others houses. Last night we hosted or Supper Six and it turned into a Supper Eight. A brand new couple to our church jumped in our group. I am not overstating this, I had a blast! It was awesome to hang with people from the church that I don't know, but know my wife! I am so grateful my wife has this spiritual community to plug into. What a great class! Last night made me wish I could be part of that class with her.

What's more, last night made me realize how amazing my wife is when it comes to getting to church. She doesn't go to church "normally" - She gets up by herself every Sunday, gets the kids ready, drops them off at their classes, goes to her Adult Community by herself, and then picks up the kids in her classes by herself. I am so grateful that my wife has this group of people who care for her and our family.

The most praised generation goes to work

This article is long but worth the read and I owe a big thanks to my boy in Charlotte, and former leader in my ministry, Brian Stephens for this link. After I got done reading this article I sat back and kept thinking, "You've got to be kidding me!"

This article details how the "everyone is special and gifted" generation is functioning in the work place. Here's how two businesses are responding, "The 1,000-employee Scooter Store Inc., a power-wheelchair and scooter firm in New Braunfels, Texas, has a staff "celebrations assistant" whose job it is to throw confetti -- 25 pounds a week -- at employees. She also passes out 100 to 500 celebratory helium balloons a week. The Container Store Inc. estimates that one of its 4,000 employees receives praise every 20 seconds, through such efforts as its "Celebration Voice Mailboxes.""

Manufactured celebration?! Confetti? 25 Pounds a week! I couldn't throw that much at a Broncos game! Who would our church hire as a celebration assistant? Who would clean up the confetti? Praise every 20 seconds? Our pastoral staff meetings would be absolutely hilarious!

This article made me stop and think about what does real encouragement and celebration look like, especially in the context of student ministry. Am I manufacturing celebration just to keep our students in community? What does it look like to praise a student, especially in the context of spiritual formation? How do you incorporate Jesus' call to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him in the context of this cultural norm? You denied yourself....confetti! You took up your cross...celebration voice mail! You're following Jesus...$5 Starbucks gift card!

What happens when the most praised generation goes to church?

According to Jim

As I stated in an earlier post, I have a new friend in ministry that is going to sharpen me over the next several years, Jim Newberry! He happened to be a part of our assessment two weeks ago and I spent time with him last week in Orlando. Here's one of the things I appreciate about Jim, he wants to grow. I love his posture towards things. He's a pruner. He's always looking back so he can leap forward!

We spent about an hour walking through his assessment of our ministry, the things we need to work on, and I got some great feedback. He threw a post up on his blog about his time with us and it's his assessment about the leaders I serve with. I agree with Jim!

Jim's Blog on Assessment

Praising God for mentoring

I've had the unbelievable chance to mentor students at Denver Seminary for the past six years. Words cannot describe what a blessing Than, Seth, Tyler, Ryan and Matt have been in my life. It's been awesome to get a front row seat to watch God move in them and through them as they pursue their degrees. One of the biggest blessings of spending time with these men is that every time I meet with them I learn something new and I walk away challenged to pursue Christ more deeply in my personal life and ministry. Sure I am their professional mentor, but I am also getting mentored every week as they allow me to see into their lives and ministries. Tonight I am reminded of all the time Fritz and Michael spent with me during my years at Denver Seminary and I am grateful for their investment.

Front Page

What a surprise on Monday morning to find this article, Heart grows beyond borders, on the front page of the Denver Post! It's a great story! It's about the oldest son of one of our pastors and his story that got him a spot on a 15-kid National Geographic Expedition Team, which will explore South Africa for 10 days in August. Way to go Luke!!!!!!!

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!

I'm not done preparing

This weekend we move to the words of Jesus from the cross, "It is finished." I finished all of my prep on Tuesday. This week it just flowed for some reason and it all came together. Yesterday I was sitting back at my desk, almost basking in the fact that I was already done for Sunday, feeling good, way ahead of the game, etc... Then I read this quote below that reminded me I have a lot of work left before I stand up at 9:15 a.m. this Sunday morning.

"Before we can talk to our students about God, we need to talk to God about our students!" - Some Wise Old Youth Pastor

I am so grateful that I found these words as I was searching for something else in my computer yesterday.

I'm not done preparing.

Impress or Impact

“You can IMPRESS people at a distance, but you can only IMPACT them up close” - Howard Hendricks.

I've kept this quote close to my heart this week as I have been meeting with students. It's a great reminder to push me towards living incarnationally in the world of our students. Don't get me wrong, I care about the impression, but I am always searching for impact! The same is true for me with my kids. I want to live many impressions on them, but I am always looking for ways to impact them.

Faith feeds on the Word

I came across these words years ago and usethem with our students at least twice a year. I am convinced that these words by John Piper have helped shape the faith of some of our students. Likewise, it's shown those students in our group why their faith is so weak and why it is starving. Oh, I almost forgot, these words are for me and a great reminder that my faith feeds on the Word of God!

“Faith feeds on the Word of God. Without a steady diet it gets weaker and weaker. If you are dissatisfied with your Christian courage and joy and purity of heart, check the way you are feeding your faith.

Compare the way you eat. Suppose that you start the day with a glass of orange juice. It’s good, and good for you. It takes you maybe five minutes to drink it if you read the newspaper at the same time. Then you go off to work or school. You don’t eat anything else until the next morning. And you have another glass of juice. And so you go on drinking one glass of juice a day until you drop.

That’s the way a lot of Christians try to survive as believers. They feed their faith with five minutes of food in the morning, or evening, and then don’t eat again until twenty-four hours later. Some even skip one or two mornings and don’t give their faith anything to eat for days.

Now the effect of starving your faith is that faith starves. Not hard to understand. And when faith is starving, it is getting weaker and not able to understand. And when faith is starving, it is getting weaker and not able to do much. It has a hard time trusting God and worshiping and rejoicing and resisting sin. It gasps and stumbles.” - John Piper, Godword Life pg. 214

A week of pitching my tent

One of the things I love about Spring Break as it relates to our student ministry is that I can pack my week full of connecting times with students. I called up one of our fellas to hang this week at Starbucks and he said, "I'm pretty much not doing one thing this whole week, I'm open!" YES! We're meeting on Thursday morning! I've got a 12:00 p.m. baseball game on Thursday and a bunch of students I am waiting to hear back from.

We must never forget to practice incarnational ministry with your students. Jesus modeled it for us in John 1:14 when he "dwelt among us." He spent the better part of a year and a half of his ministry connecting with people. I love how one of my long time mentors Michael put it for me some time ago:

It does NOT say:

The Word stayed in Heaven and felt sorry for us!
The Word became information as was assimilated by us!
The Word became computerized and interfaced with us!
The Word became FLESH and taught courses among us!
The Word became FLESH and emailed all of us!
The Word became FLESH and scolded us for that whole “garden scandal."
The Word became FLESH and lead seminars w/great food and a great band among us!

Jesus literally "pitched His tent" on our turf! What a model of connecting.

Coaching debut

I am gearing up for my big coaching debut tonight. I am coaching Noah's U6 soccer team. I've read through my coaching manual and I'm as ready as I can be. The only other team I coached was the church basketball team in 1994. I had a great center playing for me in that church, the great Chris Lord! I figure a youth pastor is a perfect fit for being a U6 soccer coach. You have to yell, be loud, run around, play games with soccer balls, talk to kids who don't listen to you, eat oranges at halftime, and walk to your car after the game with a snack and a drink! So this is why I went to seminary! The games we are playing tonight: Defrost, Knockout, Sharks and Minnows and a short scrimmage.

Faith to teach the Bible in public high schools?

Time ran an article on March 22nd, written by David Van Biema, suggesting that public high schools should start offering Bible classes as electives to juniors and seniors, "The Case for Teaching the Bible."

It's a fascinating read and worth a discussion among your student ministry leaders.

According to the author, here's the amount faith needed for this to happen, "And, oh yes, there should be one faith test. Faith in our country. Sure, there will be bumps along the way. But in the end, what is required in teaching about the Bible in our public schools is patriotism: a belief that we live in a nation that understands the wisdom of its Constitution clearly enough to allow the most important book in its history to remain vibrantly accessible for everyone."

What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea?

A Thirst Quenched

Today we studied Jesus' words, "I am thirsty." I came across these words (not sure who the author is) in my study and shared them today with our students and thought they were worth sharing.

"Far more than pains that racked Him then was the deep,
longing thirst divine,
that thirsted for the souls of men,
dear Lord--and one was mine!"

Reading and more reading

One of the benny's of being in bed for 3 days is that I've had a chance to do a lot of reading. I've been interacting wtih a lot of material in the following books:

A New Kind of Youth Ministry by Chris Folmsbee

Deep Ministry in A Shallow World by Chap Clark and Kara Powell

Enroute Training Journal by Sonlife

War of Words by Paul David Tripp

Parenting with Love & Logic by Foster Cline & Jim Fay

These books are making me grateful for the grace of God in my personal life, my family life and my ministry life. I am a work in progress. My family is a work in progress. My ministry is a work in progress.

I cut it's butt off!

I've been in bed since Thursday afternoon after a small surgical procedure and Julie strolled upstairs today to inform me that Noah has found the ants. Every yeara round this time, I head to Home Depot and drop $10 bucks to kill ants. I buy the discontinued spray from the previous year and those little ant killing homes.

Noah traveled into the room shortly after he finished his breakfast and told me this,

"Dad, I found an ant, and I cut it's butt off!"

I could of saved $10 bucks!

Proud People - Broken People

I am not sure where I first saw this years ago, but I found it today going through files on my computer and there are some good reminders for the weekend ahead.

· Proud people ... focus on the failure of others
· Broken people ... are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need.

· Proud people ... have a critical, fault-finding spirit; look at everyone else's faults with a microscope, but their own with a telescope.
· Broken people ... are compassionate; can forgive much because they know how much they have been forgiven.

· Proud people ... are self righteous; and look down on others.
· Broken people ... esteem others better than themselves.

· Proud people ... have an independent, self-sufficient spirit.
· Broken people ... have a dependent spirit, and recognize their need for others.

· Proud people ... have to prove they are right.
· Broken people ... are willing to yield the right to be right.

· Proud people ... claim rights; have a demanding spirit.
· Broken people ... are self denying.

· Proud people ... desire to be served.
· Broken people ... are motivated to serve others.

· Proud people ... desire to be a success.
· Broken people ... are motivated to try to make others successful.

· Proud people ... desire self advancement.
· Broken people ... desire to promote others.

· Proud people ... are wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked.
· Broken people ... are eager for others to get the credit and rejoice when others are lifted up.

· Proud people ... feel confident in how much they know.
· Broken people ... are humbled by how very much they have to learn.

· Proud people ... are self-conscious
· Broken people ... are not concerned with self at all.

· Proud people ... are quick to blame others.
· Broken people ... accept personal responsibility and can see where they are wrong in a situation.

· Proud people ... are unapproachable or defensive when criticized.
· Broken people ... receive criticism with a humble open spirit.

· Proud people ... find it difficult to share their spiritual needs with others.
· Broken people ... are willing to be open and transparent with others.

· Proud people ... are blind to their true heart condition.
· Broken people ... walk in the light.

· Proud people ... don't think they need revival, but are sure that everyone else does.
· Broken people ... continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with God..

And last but not least.

· Proud people ... think they belong on the broken people's list.
· Broken people ... are sure they belong on the proud people's list.

Thatcher Fish

I am an uncle again. Thatcher was born to my sister and her hubby!

Thanks Stacy

Last night I walked into our gathering room and found Stacy sitting with Brianne listening to her share what was going on in her life. In the back of my mind I was thanking God for Stacy's involvement in our ministry as an i2i leader and a mentor.

Today I read this blog post from Brianne - My Mentor - about Stacy.

This one of the things I want to see happening all over our ministry in the next 5 years!

Thanks Stacy! This blog inspires me to continue to serve with passion the students in our community!

Person-Savior-Relationship

I will be sharing this quote this Sunday with our students when we meet and study Jesus' words from the Cross, "I am thirsty!"

“If Christianity is dull and boring,

if it is a burden and not a blessing,

then most likely we are involved

in a project, not a Person –

a system not a Savior,

rules rather than a

relationship.”


—Joseph Stowell

Some of our sheep

We took this picture at the conclusion of our Murder Mystery Dinner this past Friday night! It was Butter Cup & The Dread Pirate Roberts with the Eyelash Curler in the Art Gallery! What a great night!

Worship

"In this hour of all but universal darkness one cheering gleam appears: within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct "interpretations" of truth. They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water.

The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word. Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of created personalities to the Creating Personality, God." - AW Tozer

This is what we are striving for in our student ministries! AMEN!

Pre-school Survivor

I am ushering my oldest son out of pre-school and my youngest son into pre-school this fall. They will be six and four years old. We've loved having Noah in pre-school and are really excited for Josiah to go.

But we aren't sure we want him to go to school in New York this fall. MSN reports that there is a Pre-school version of Survivor being documented. I am laughing out loud right now. Check it out here. We think this 3 year old might win!

Hurting at 10:30 p.m. Friday Night

Dave (one of my leaders) and I were putting the chairs and tables back in the church after our murder mystery dinner on Friday night. We ran into 7 high school students who were getting ready to pile into a 5 passenger SUV. I asked them if they needed a ride because there weren't enough seats. This past week Bear Creek high school lost a girl in a car accident and I didn't want it to happen again. One of the fellas mentioned he lived in the neighborhood right across the street and then he said something that caught me off guard.

He went on to explain how the group of students was just hanging outside the church to talk about the student who died this past week. They figured hanging outside the church was probably a good place to meet and talk. Most of them went to Bear Creek and I spent about 10 minutes listening to them process the reality of losing one of their peers. Our conversation ended with two of the girls asking me if we were meeting on Sunday morning. I gave them the information and they showed up yesterday! I found out as I was talking to them that one of them left work that morning to come to church and was going back after we were done. They heard the cry of Jesus from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

God is moving. This morning. 10:30 p.m. on Friday night. Tomorrow. This summer. Forever. What a privilege it is to walk alongside students when they are hurting as they try to find their part in the story of God.

The gift of Adah

Spritual growth in small groups

One of the primary goals of our small groups is provide an environment where spiritual growth can take place. Paul’s words to the Colossians points us to the process:

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him rooted, and built up in him, strengthened in the faith...” Colossians 2:6-7

· Rooting the new believer - Firmly fixed, thoroughly grounded, establishing a foundation, rooted below the surface.
· Building up the growing believer - Building upon the foundation, erecting something that can be seen.
· Strengthening the mature believer in his faith - Strengthening so as to inspire confidence to trust God on their faith journey.

It's been a privilege to watch our leaders (since September) shepherd the students in their groups who live in one of these three areas.

Star Wars

Yesterday while I was with our high school students Uncle Chris sat down with my two boys and began his Star Wars "discipleship" program.

This morning I asked Noah what his favorite part was and he replied immediately, "All of it!"


Josiah chimed in, "I loved Star Whores! (I laugh every time he says it), especially when Luke destroyed the whole Earth!"

This is awesome!

The purchase of our community

Acts 20:28 "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood."

This is a key verse in our ministry for the adults who lead small groups. It's also a key verse for our students.

We must never forget what bought us our community with one another.

The blood of Jesus Christ.

He paid an unimaginable price for our community. It's such a privilege to be a part of a spiritual community. We want our students to know at least two things about the end of this verse. Their leaders in our community are gifts. The students in our community are gifts. Gifts that have been paid for!

Chaperon vs. Shepherd

Chaperone (shap’e-ron) n. “An older person who attends and supervises a social gathering for young people.”

Shepherd (shep’erd) n. “One who herds, guards, and tends sheep.” (The American Heritage Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin)

If you want to be a leader in our student ministries, you are called to be much more than a chaperon – which come a dime a dozen. Instead, you are called to be a spiritual leader and to shepherd a segment of the flock (students).

A shepherd has three distinct responsibilities:

GUIDE the flock.

PROTECT the flock.

FEED the flock.

I am so thankful for the men and women who guide, protect and feed our students!

My Final Four

Oregon, Kansas, Georgetwon, OSU. Oregon vs. OSU in the title game with OSU as the National Champions! As a side note, the University of Colorado, Colorado State and Denver University are all looking for basketball coaches so maybe one day we can put one of these teams in a final four!

Napleon Dynamite

It appears that one of my i2i small group leaders is related to Jon Heder.

Check it out here.

I'm quite sure that if we looked hard enough into my family tree I am somehow related to John Elway! :)

I miss John!

The passion of our adult leaders

This weekend I had the privilege to drive down to Canon City, CO and train a student ministry adult team on how to start and implement small groups in their ministry. It was unbelievable to watch them interact with Acts 2:42-47 as the model for how to do small groups. The passion was flowing, everyone participated and my buddy Greg (the student ministry pastor) is on his way to a clearer path of making disciples who will one day make disciples. Being with this group of adult leaders made me thankful for the ones I serve with.

As I drove home I was overwhelmed with the passion of the leaders that I get the chance to serve with week in an week out. They are pouring their lives into the disciplemaking process. I consider it a privilege to have passionate leaders leading the most passionate people in our church. I am excited to see what God is going to do in our i2i groups as we meet throughout the next two months!

Cross Words

It is an unbelievable privilege to teach the Word of God to high school students week in and week out. One of the great privilege's is what preparing each week does for my soul. The seven weeks before Easter we are studying Jesus' last words from the Cross. It's been unbelievable to soak in the Suffering Savior's words while he was hanging on the cross.

I am grateful tonight for this privilege. I don't take it lightly.

Psalm 119:43 has been my prayer this week,

"Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws."