Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Tonight is the Night

Well tonight is when we will launch our new name for Church of Hope's Youth Ministry...I am so excited....Have I said that enough....I only pray that our teens will catch the vision with us and run with it. We have so much we can do and so many ways we can become an impact in this area and in the world...

I really have a strong desire to reach this area in a way that has never been seen our done. The dream I have is so big that I know I can't do it. It can only be done with God. What I envision is not just one youth ministry here but three sites that are all launched out of our church. And once or twice a year we will come together for a huge gathering. This dream is going to demand so much out of me and my teams. But through this we will inspiring teens to go and change the world. We will be sending out missionaries and helping missions across the world. We will bring change and do our part. It is so exiting to be able to be in God's hand.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Memorial Weekend

We had a great weekend setting up our house here in Corpus....Yeah, the family is finally here....Now we can get to work...

We spent yesterday at some friends house getting our rears kicked in washers by our secretary. She had never played and was nailing them left and right. If you have never played washers it is a game where you take some big washers and try to throw them in to some holes. Well she was getting them in there. Although I think she was the ringer and had just set us all up. Anyway we had fun. They are some great people on staff and I enjoyed spending the time with them. We also went to the Kings Inn over in Kingsville. I ate more than too much fish and shrimp. Way more...but it was too good. I hadn't eaten there in over five years. It is one of the best places for eating seafood. It was a great weekend.

I am having so much fun being and spending time with the staff here. It is what I have always dreamed that a staff should be like.

Tomorrow we finally name the youth ministry. I am so excited. I hope our teens really identify with it. I think they will and I really believe they will own it.

Friday, May 26, 2006

The End of a Great Week

This has really been a great week....What makes it even better is that my family finally comes to be with me this today....HERE FOR GOOD....YEAH.......

This past Wednesday service was great. I had some teens step up to be in our worship band called Frontline. They did a fantastic job. We need practice but it will come. The sermon was totally awesome. I finished up my series called HERO...This week I challenged them with a message that It's Your Turn Now...I gave them three points on what it is going to take to change this world. Defiance, Abandonment, Endurance...It was totally on point. I ended the night by praying for the seniors and then passing the baton on to the rest of the group and played this clip from Varsity Blues. Everything tied in together for a great night. We had a total of 33 there. 33 and growing.

I have also been creating my events calendar for the summer. It is packed with all sorts of fun stuff. Funtrackers, Beach, Bar-B-Que's....It is going to be a great summer.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The Busyness of Life

Since last Wednesday I have been so busy. It seemed like I spent about two days in the car driving back and forth from Victoria to Corpus. If you already didn't know I officially moved into a new home this past weekend. Thank God I had some great help. I thought we threw a lot of stuff away. It was a lot of work. Needless to say I have been so busy I haven't even had time to catch everyone up on what has been going on.

This week my family comes to Corpus finally. I have so hated the past two months and have felt I have missed so much time with them. It is great to finally see the end of the tunnel. I am really not cut out for the whole bachelor thing. UH UH....NOT ME... (Honey if you're reading this I never want to live without you....EVER)

This week we launched our monthly team leader meeting it went great. I love pouring into people and helping them become all they can be. Helping them find their purpose and living to the full potential God has for them. Our youth group has so much potential in this area especially where we are located. We are going to be able to do so much.

Tomorrow I wrap up our series called HERO-This World Needs A Hero. It turned out to be a better series than I thought it would be. I think I am going to save this one and come back and refine it a little in the future. Next week we launch our new youth group name, _________. Can't tell ya 'til next week though. It really defines what we will be all about though. Lot's of stuff going on. Pray for the family and I....Everyone be blessed.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Teams and Relationships

So far by focus in youth ministry has been on building two things: Relationships and Teams. I beleive these are the two biggest things you can do in ministry.

For one people with teenagers one of the number one rules is that they don't care how much you know they want to know how much you care. For that reason we have created some times where we can just get to know each other. When that happens you build a bond. It is great right now to have a small group to build a core with. This is a core that is going to do some great things.

The second thing is that teams is the only way to go. When Jesus sent out the disciples He sent them out as teams. Ministry is about building teams. Within teams relationships flourish and things get done.

This month I am starting out with my monthly team leader meetings. I am building a leadership team that is going to rock this area. A team that is going to help me raise up Christian students who will reach every student in the Corpus area in order to restore them to serve others and to offer their lives to God.

It is so awesome and powerful what God is doing.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Conforming Your Culture

This week I have been thinking a lot about Romans 12:1-2

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I looked it up in various translations and really loved the Message Bible paraphrase of this scripture. It really drives the message home.

1 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2 Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

I loved that line...Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. WOW!!! If that is not what conforming means. So often teens and adults just go along in life an without event thinking they find theirselves fitting in. I think we sould all take a solid look at our selves and see just what and where we are. Are we fitting in to the culture around us or are we changing it? Become a positive and radical change in this world.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Great Relationship Building Night

Well tonight I took a chill pill....and it worked...LOL....I just let the service and everything happen...I spent more time working on the relationships tonight...cause in the end...that's what they will really remember....

Before service a storm hit....we had hail and everything....so our numbers were down....but it was understandable...had two more girls get involved in the service...they are doing the powerpoint...it went awesome...the sermon was great...I thought it rocked...I always learn a lot when I preach...

Afterservice we all went to What-a-burger to hang out...that was the fun part....building relationships...laughing, joking, and just having fun...

Tomorrow we start construction on the first phase of our teen room...we will be demo'ing our current stage and by the weekend we will have a new stage...GOAL...May 31st all done...that is when we launch our new youth name and it would be great to have a new room to do it in....THINGS ARE A MOVING.....

Sunday, May 07, 2006

What’s your dream?

I watched Dreamer last night with my family...It was a great movie...It got me really thinking about the power of a dream.

Having a dream is something no one should ever let go of. Some people won't dream because they are afraid they will be let down. But the reality is this having a dream and going after if even if you might not get there is better than having no dream at all. One of my favorite sayings is "Aim at the stars and you might land on the moon. Aim at nothing and you'll hit it every time."

What's your dream???? Mine is creating a youth group that makes it hard for teenagers to go to hell in the Corpus Christi Area. It is having a family where my children achieve the best in their life. What's yours?????

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

A Hero In All Of Us

Is this world needing a hero? Is there a little bit of a hero within all of us? Tonight I am starting a new series in youth that will deal with this. Today, there is a need for a hero and everyone of us can be a hero to this world. Look at all the popularity of today's movies. In all of the most popular movies there is always a hero who saves the day.

Can you be a hero? Some people think that there is no way they are hero quality, but everyone can. I look at lots of teenagers my space profiles and many of them have their parents as heroes or someone close to them. You can be a hero to your child, to a friend, to a neighbor.

There is a hero in all of us. Jesus is the Ultimate Hero. And with Him in you, you can be a hero and save someone who is lost. GO BE A HERO!!!!