Sunday Night Mind Dump

Tonight was definitely one of the toughest messages I have ever delivered to students.

Earlier in the week I was really struggling with the message I was working on and by Wed. I was finished or so I thought. Wed. Night as I was practicing it God laid on my heart it was not what needed to be said.

So last night I delivered a message about Heaven and Hell. The title was Living NOW with an Eye on then. Basically in a nutshell a lot of people today PLAY CHURCH. And quite frankly I’m sick of it! I’m tired of people coming to church because its what they have always done, I’m tired of people acting like a follower of Jesus on Sunday but every other day of the week they live for themselves!

Seriously, how can you say I am a whole hearted follower of Jesus but then turn around and say I don’t have time to serve Him. Are you really a whole hearted follower?

As a Pastor, and specifically a pastor to students, I hate having to go up to people and ask them to volunteer to help out with students. The reason being is that people know student ministry is a lot of work, and there are always to help. SO HELP OUT ALREADY! People should be jumping at any opportunity to serve, if you call yourself a disciple of Jesus. Ok, enough with my little rant and rave, back to my message last night.

The message last night was a bit tense, and yes I did begin my message from a coffin (thanks for the idea Perry). But the ever present reality is that we all die and will face a choice of eternity. We only have two choices, Heaven or Hell. And that choice is decided now and its decided by your relationship with God. Did you read that right? Yes, your relationship with God. It’s not based on whether you go to church or not. It’s not based on whether you’ve been baptized or not. It’s not based on your parents, grandparents, friends, or even your youth pastor. IT’S ALL ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS!

I do have to say last night rocked. I think our kids were really receptive and understood my heart and some even realized that eternity is too important to not be thinking about it today. No one is guaranteed tomorrow.

I can’t wait until next Sunday. I’m hoping we have at least 30 kids show up! Wouldn’t it be awesome if we didn’t have enough space to hold all the studentz?

Sometimes I feel so inadequte

NO LIE! Sometimes I really feel as though I am not good enough.

I'm not good enough to be a Pastor, I'm not good enough to be a husband, I'm not good enough to be an adoptive Daddy. I just feel like BLAH!

Have you ever felt that way.

Right now I am feeling that way about my message for our students on Sunday night. I have been working my butt off and it just seemed like it wasn't coming together. Seriously, I had this whole message wrote and I just was struggling through it and I got home tonight and began to pray over it, as I was preparing and I just felt like it wasn't right. So I scratched the whole thing. And the cool thing is God has such a better message for Sunday...same topic just a better way of presenting it!

That’s the great thing about God...when you aren’t able to accomplish something, He is. When you feel so small and not worthy, He is so BIG and totally worthy! He loves us so much that He willingly helps us if we let Him. I’m reminded of the story of Moses when Moses argues with God about not being a good speaker, and God just laughs. He says to Moses, “Moses, I will go with you, My Words will be your Words. But you know what I will send a little bit of support with you, take your brother Aaron. But my Words are enough.” HIS WORDS are enough!

I am really pumped up about this Sunday night, its going to be like no other delivery of the Word that our kids have ever experienced before. I have to admit some of the idea came from one of the churches that I really follow. However, its gonna rock.

By the way, I am preaching in our main Sunday Morning Worship Experience on October 14. I am really pumped...I think I know what God is leading me to speak on. I think God is leading me to share with our church that we have got to make our children and youth a priority! They aren't the church of tomorrow they are the church of RIGHT NOW!! My main text is going to come from Matthew, where Jesus tells the Pharisees that healthy people don't need a doctor, it's the sick that do!

Anyway, just some rambling thoughts for this evening.

A House Divided...

Okay so beginning tonight at Midnight, my wife, Cyndi, and I are no longer talking until tomorrow evening. Tomorrow is the day our two favorite teams play each other.

You see, I am a University of Michigan fan (no matter how terrible they are doing this year) and Cyndi is a Notre Dame fan. So tomorrow its on!!!

Hopefully, my Wolverines will win their first game this season. If they don't I'm done watching them for the rest of the season, I am going to be a die hard Clemson fan (However, I will still be a Michigan fan).

Pray for Cyndi, hopefully I won't gloat to much.

Are You Satisfied with Who You are Reaching?

This morning I heard a mind blowing, unbelievable, made me almost poop my pants, scary statistic. Brace yourselves because if you have any heart for people you will be absolutely shocked! Are you ready?

-75% of children that grow up in Christians homes will leave their home at 18 NOT knowing Jesus Christ.
-6% of High School Teenagers will graduate knowing Jesus in a personal way.
-70% of the State of South Carolina does not go to church.

Are you sick yet? I am! Does this make you want to throw up? I do! As a disciple of Jesus Christ, these statistics really scare me, but they don’t just scare me, they literally make me angry and extremely ticked off!

75% of kids (in Christian Homes) will not know Jesus...I know what some of you may be thinking, well praise God for the 25% that do. I agree praise God, but we can’t be satisfied with just 25%. Parents, I may say something that may totally shock you, but I as a youth pastor am not responsible for your child’s salvation. I am not responsible for your child’s spiritual growth, and neither is the Sr. Pastor, or your kids’ small group leaders. Especially in a Christian home, kids should be seeing Christ in their parents! I will take responsibility for those kids who don’t come from a Christian home. But for those who come from a Christian home, parents it is time to step up and no longer allow 75% of our kids to not know Jesus in a personal way!

The next statistic really hits home to me as a Youth Pastor. 6% of High Schoolers, when they graduate, will have a relationship with Jesus. OUCH!! This stat tells me it’s time to step up our game. What could be more important than reaching out to 94% of students who will die and go to hell? We are going to reach these kids! It’s time to be more creative, it’s time to be more passionate, and it’s time to be more intentional about everything we do. Teenagers are way to important, they aren’t the church of tomorrow, they are the church of RIGHT NOW!

Finally, what are we as Coastal Community Church going to do to reach those 70% of people in this state that don’t go to church anywhere? Is your comfort, your happiness, and even your pride more important than these people? If it is, then don’t invite them, don’t talk with them, don’t share the life changing love that Jesus gave to you with them. It’s okay, the 70% will keep talking about how hypocritical Christians are, and how church people suck. And I will agree with them because of people like you. However, if you care more about others, than you do yourself, let’s commit to becoming more aggressive, more intentional, and not satisfied with where we are. Let’s reach Charleston, SC like no group of people ever has, let’s pull out all the stops, and make no excuses!

People are too important. Lives are at stake! Who will you be reaching today?

What in the world is going on?

I have to say it, my team is sucking it up! I have been silent long enough and now I must speak up!

MICHIGAN GET IT TOGETHER!

Week one, we lose at home against Appalachian State. A team that isn't even in the same division as us! However, App State is very under rated...they know how to play football and were the champs in their division. Okay so we lost, we underestimated the opponent and lost! We had a bad day!

I am no less a University of Michigan fan because of this.

HOWEVER, today has proven to be an embarassing day! Guys of the U of M football team stop embarassing me! I have kids down here in South Carolina I have to answer too. They claim that the Gamecocks are a much better team then Michigan and its starting to look like it. Although, have no fear, I am and will always be a Michigan fan, through thick and thin! Let's just get it together guys!

And prove to Cameron that the Big 10 is way better than the SEC!!

I have faith that we can still pull this season out! Let's go Wolverines!

Totally Amazed!

All I can say is WOW!!!

Yesterday, Cyndi and I did something that a lot of church staffers don't do. We went to another church. Actually, we left right after our church's morning worship service and took two of our students with us and drove three hours to Anderson, SC.

We arrived a little after 4pm and so I drove them to the church just to see the facilities. Well after driving we decided to go to the Youth Facility called the 2seven. This is really a cool facility and it pumps me up to get our youth center up and running.

Well we arrived to the 6pm service at Newspring and immediately my wife, and our students were blown away, just by their facilities. They spared no expense on their kids and students. As far as the worship service went let me just say WOW...WOW...WOW!!!! Incredible worship! Creative!

During the service, the goalie for Clemson's soccer team got baptized!! Whoooo hoooo! It was really awesome to see a lot of the team their supporting her, and they had signs! How awesome is that! Newspring is holding a baptism service this Saturday but what I think is really cool, is that they are having a tailgating party before hand. How awesome is that! Why not hold a tailgate party? I mean seriously if we do it for football (which no longer matters until my Wolverines win again) why not for Baptism!! Christians should throw the biggest and best parties in the world!

Perry Noble, the senior pastor at Newspring Church, spoke on Baptism. He said what it is, what it isn't, and really made it applicable. Perry also revolutionized Chrisitanity...by that I mean this, he stated that today many Christians try to make being a Christian to hard. Jesus made it eaasy, and he made it easy by saying FOLLOW ME. Christianity is responding to Jesus's command to FOLLOW ME! It's not about rules, do this, do that, etc... FOLLOW ME!

Well, the service rocked and I love what Newspring is doing. No, I don't want to copy them, but definately use them as a resource. And for all of you bloggers out there that have been knocking Perry and Newspring get over yourselves!! It's not about you. It's all about Jesus, and if you have ever been to one of their services you would realize that! Stop criticising because people are coming to a saving relationship with Jesus...Lives are being changed!

Check back here for more notes and thoughts later this week!!

So EXCITED!!!

So I've been listening to, reading about, and watching this church up in Anderson, SC for about a year now. They are doing some really amazing stuff and I've become kind of one of their internet church attenders. However, tomorrow will be a totally different day!

I've been to Newspring Church once before for their Unleash conference. But tomorrow Cyndi and I (and a couple of our students) are going to drive up to Anderson for their 6pm service. I am really excited to experience a typical Sunday for them. This is not because I'm looking for a new church, or because we want to copy what they do. Newspring, I believe, is a great resource for any growing church to connect with. Why? Well, one reason is they are one of the most influential churches in the U.S. And also, they are reaching lost people!

Yes, they've got a ton of criticism for the things they do, but THEY ARE REACHING PEOPLE WHO NEED JESUS! So Cyn, and I are going to go as visitors and see how we can better serve our community!

I can't wait!