Ahhh, the Joy of Youth Ministry

We had a great time at camp this past week! We all went to Ocean City, MD and joined the Student Life organization for an awesome time of basking in the Glory of the Son!

A few observations from the week:

1). Dead Jelly fish can be used as a weapon, in much the same way as a donut would be used in a food fight.

2). Sand can be so hot that you begin to consider crying, even as an adult.

3). The muscles I had in high school apparently had an expiration date.

4). Hairy+ white+ stretch marks = TMI (and I might have shared to much information, therefore I'm sorry)

5). The picture above is not scary to me because I'm dressed like a goon. It is scary to me because I look just like my dad! (no offense dad.)

6). A 15 minute nap while at camp is possible, but is does require duct tape, rope, and the threat of not taking the junior high students to eat dinner. (and then later after the nap, forgetting to take them to dinner anyway) Sorry guys.

7). Lance Burch and I should not sit next to each other during a camp sermon or possibly anytime at camp. There is to much that goes on that requires additional commentary. (I would like to take this time to extend our sincerest apologies to the David Nassar Ministry, Shane & Shane, and the entire Student Life Camp Staff, we are painfully aware of our much distracting commentary and illustrations) (Disclaimer: Lance started it)

8). The words "grown-up" sound a whole lot like "thrown- up" in the middle of a loud concert.

Fun Game!

I just got back in the country and was updating myself by reading blogs. I was reading Hannah Burch's blog and found the post that told of what states she had been. It gave me the idea to name the states that she had been to, since they were not labeled. Within a few seconds I realized I was having a little trouble. I quickly searched around for a quiz and found this one. It's cool check it out.

This is my score results:

Score: 90%
Avg Error: 20 miles
Time: 366 seconds

Note: I don't think the game is fair, because depending on which state you get first gives you something to work with. If you get states you don't know first it throws you off.

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I will update later with pictures and travel info. Rachel and I got back last night about 2am. We are glad to be home, but it was a great experience! Update you all soon!

New Record: Two Posts Same Day

Okay, sorry for rambling on with my daily life by posting so much. Everybody is entiltled to going Conn - right?

I got back from my mission trip this past week and I must say that it was quite an experience. It was absolutely enlightening and amazing to yet see another area of the world in which God is working and bringing people to a saving knowledge of Himself. There is so much I wish to share, but I don't think this is the proper forum. However, I will say that the trip home was quite the adventure.

27hours of travel (7 hour layover in London & 4hour drive from NewYork) was a doosy! Still not sure I'm on schedule. For instance it's 3:30am even as I write. I better go to bed.

Leave again on Friday!

RANT

Begin RANT:

I grabbed a bottle of Pepto and headed for the landfill known as MySpace for another game of FSWNC. (Former Students With No Clue) This is a game where me as a youth pastor browses around blogs to check on students and see how they are doing. More often than not, I find a link of some former student with no clue as to what they are doing with their life!

Tonight’s version was quite interesting. I read about specific people involved in specific ministries with a specific faith claiming absolutely nothing of specific consequence. In fact, I found quite the opposite. I mostly found young students categorizing their faith as separate from their reality. Faith was a tool to be used when life called for that tool. Not a faith to be lived in the midst of every moment of life.

There seemed to be a disconnect in the matter of calling your religion “Christian” and then everything else on the page pointing to anything but Christ.

Notice: If you fit in this category, please do everyone a favor, please re-label yourself. I’m sick of reading one student after another saying, “I’m a Christian”, but I break the law and drink. I’m a Christian, but I had sex less than 3 months ago. I’m a Christian, but I still party.

In order to help those with this misunderstanding, I would like to provide some alternative labels to your religion:

1). Lover of MySelf
2). Hello MySpace, GoodBye GodSpace
3). Can’t Trust God Yet
4). Faithless
5). Looking for the benefits of Christianity with out following Christ.
6). Who’s Christ?
7). Present World Lover

End RANT.

Saloam

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am well and learning a lot. It is beautiful here! We are having great conversations and making good contacts for continued work in other countries. The more I learn the more impossible the task seems to become. It's a great thing we have the Holy Spirit. In case anyone was wondering or not aware. I love and miss my wife dearly. I read earlier that I bewitched her heart and soul. Gotta run the van is here! Later friends! and my bewitched wife!

Jason

Series Leader

Day 1

DAY 2

1 Week Past

Well, I've wanted to post this for a week. And now I finally have the chance. Rachel and I went to a Derek Webb concert last Friday night. It was very cool. I like a good concert. This one was just what I was wanting. A place to sitdown, listen, and not do one more thing. It was great! It was quaint- only about 75 people there. After the show, Rachel and I hung around for a moment and talked to Derek, and told him we appreacitated his music. He seems like a great guy.

Anyway, in honor of my good friend Todd Wright, and in his customary fashion, I leave you with the set list for the night.

Set list was designed by the audience at the beginning and written down on paper by Derek with a Sharpie (imagine C with a cirle around it here). It went as follows:
Nobody Loves Me
Faith In My Eyes
Table for Two
Wedding Dress
I Repent

Intermission

Mockingbird CD Top to Bottom (all eleven songs!)

It was a great time!

Can't Wait!

Okay, so I'm just trying to hurry things along. If not May, how about early June?

Surpassing the Ordinary

It truly has been a long time since I spoke of the musings taking place in my life. I have been a little busy lately getting ready for some cool things coming up. Epic is just around the corner now and it has really caused me to think a few things over again and pose some new thoughts at some old ideas.

I have long known that God looks at the heart and not the outward appearance. (1 Samuel 16:7) I guess that I have always considered that to mean he looks at what we are doing then checks our motives. I have always forced a connection in my mind that once God checks our motives he comes back and looks at our actions and then "approves" them because the motives were correct. I think I have to correct that again. I think the true message is that God looks at our heart-- period. That's it? That's what I keep asking myself. You see if you are like me then you keep asking what I'm asking. Can't I do something else? I am wanting to do something so I can please Him.

In order to combat little evil thoughts like," What can I do to please God?", (if you are still stuck on the question being evil then we better talk) I am now force feeding Scriptures like the following (italics and bold are the key points):

1 Thessalonians 2:4On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.

2 Corinthians 4:6For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Colossians 2:2My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,

These scriptures make me want to strive hard to accomplish the next one. (Notice the effort is still present - I desire to do something)

Colossians 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Conclusion: When we understand completely these full riches we begin to see a shift in the way we see ourselves and conversely our actions. There is no longer a disconnect between our outward appearance and our inner motives. God looks at our heart and sees His Son and we are approved. Maybe we should look at heart as well and see His Son and call ourselves approved, and quit looking to our actions to convince us that we are.*

*If you are concerned that the avoidance of judging our own actions will cause us to do sinful things or things that are selfish - please see 1Thessalonians 2:4

CSI: Liberty Mountain

Thursday, we head to Summit Lake to investigate the Cross and discover our new identity. Pray for us as we are away. We hope to build some great, long-lasting friendships and experience an awesome time learning exciting life-changing truth

Not to mention some wild skiing!!!

Most importantly we want to come away from the weekend grounded in our faith at a deep level, knowing who we were and now who we are in Christ!

Pray for my family, seems like things are especially difficult now. We need God to intervene in many areas.

BrainScratch

If you go to a hotel and totally love it, and desire to recommend it to a friend, would you recommend it without reservation?

And if so, would not that set them up for a potential problem?

Guess-a-Google

http://grant.robinson.name/projects/guess-the-google/

If nothing else, it's creative.

An Actual Blog

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7050

I love the contrast that this article suggests.

Excerpt-

"For one thing, you don’t have to unlearn all the clutter that comes with formal religion. Many of us are trying to wipe the slate clean of all the stuff that came from well meaning, but misguided Sunday-school teachers."

Blogworthy

Ate an apple today. That makes 5 whole (minus core) in 30 years.

God The Farmer

I have been taking a few days to think about all that God showed me last week while I was at Passion 06. I can’t get over the fact that God really is doing something. I have always heard (and known) that God was in fact doing something, but the idea always seemed allusive at best. How many times has every American Christian heard a preacher say, “God is up to something big?” I mean I think I have heard that no less than 2000 times in my life, but for the first time I think I understand more clearly what He is indeed doing. God is growing a monument. He is building a people, a living monument of believers, which live for Him through the suffering of the Son.

It was pointed out to me this past week, something that I had read before, but had never seen.

John 15:1 "I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer.

Most of us have heard this before, however, notice that it doesn’t say like a farmer. It says is a farmer. This is crucial to the imagery found throughout the whole Scriptures. It is no surprise that man starts in the garden of Eden. Don’t forget the children were led into the desert and eventually into the Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey. And don’t forget Jesus going to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane.

God is a farmer and he is planting each and every one of us to bear much fruit. He is continuously pruning and shaping us into the image of His Son.

God really is moving, and many more people believe everyday.
May God grant us the faith to live in the reality of His Kingdom, and may that faith compel us to listen to the Father and obey.

New Year's Implementations

res·o·lu·tion: The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.

im ple·men·ta tion: To put into practical effect; carry out.

I prefer implementations, that way when I don’t accomplish them, then it means that I just haven’t implemented them yet.

New Year’s Implementations:

In 2006, I desire . . .

1. more time spent talking to God than about Him.
2. more understanding and reflection than assumptions and presumptions
3. less assuming that change is always progress.
4. a deep yearning for the way things should be and longing for when they will
5. me preaching less psychology and more theology
6. less of me aiming at relevance and more of me aiming at obedience
7. to present The Gospel “distinct from my own ideas.” – (Lewis 1945).
8. to live within the moment and not trying to revive the past.
9. to rent less movies and read more old books.
10. to fear God more, and fear man less
11. to risk hearing God more, not just assume it’s my own thoughts.
12. to voice my convictions, even if it make everyone uncomfortable – including me.
13. to quit eating like I was still in high school and playing football.
14. more time calling friends and less time wishing I did
15. to create visible, tangible, and positive changes in the lives of people I don’t know
16. a life that looks more like John the Baptist, you know, less civilized.

Happy New Year!

To You and Yours

Such a great Story.