Highlights of Launch09

Here are the video highlights from the middle school retreat we went to a couple weekends ago called "Launch09" at Hidden Acres. To read more about what God did in my heart and in the lives of 150 middle schoolers, read this post.

Advent Conspiracy

My pastor, Michael, introduced me to this idea today. It's called "Advent Conspiracy" and it's pretty sweet. Advent Conspiracy is an organization that was started in 2006 by five pastors who decided to make Christmas a revolutionary event by encouraging their faith communities to:
1) Worship Fully -- Christmas starts with Jesus and it ends with Jesus
2) Spend Less -- Gifts are great, but Americans spend $450,000,000,000 on Christmas every year
3) Give More -- Take time to make gifts and be with your family, rather than shopping
4) Love All -- Give to those who need the most help (widows, orphans, starving, homeless, etc of the world)

In a culture where such a sacred celebration has become overwhelmingly commercialized, it is easy to miss the point of Christmas. What if Christmas was once again a world-changing event? It's an appropriate time to talk about this, since the next two months will be the months we spend, spend, spend for the Holidays. Think of what could be done if we, as a church, took back Christmas for the glory of God. I don't think that necessarily means we need to remove the wreath, toss the tinsel, or cut the candy canes, but I do think that we need to re-examine where our dollars are going this time of year. Is each cent being used for the glory of the King, or are we trying to impress the family and keep up with the Jones'? If the church spent the same amount on Christmas this year as it did last year, but redirected 60% of that money towards reaching the lost with the gospel, providing life-saving services to the third world, and reaching out to the hurting in our communities, imagine what would be accomplished for the Name of our Lord!




www.AdventConspiracy.org
www.RethinkingChristmas.com

Finally, if you're a friend or family member, please don't feel any obligation to get me a gift this year. Instead, take what you might have spent on me and give it to someone who needs it, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Psshaa... PSSHAAAAAW!!!

Turn up the intensity! Psshaa... PSSHAAAAAW!!!

That's one of the expressions we learned at the middle school retreat at Hidden Acres last weekend. Evidently, that's what it sounds like to turn up the intensity (it's also required that you make a motion with your hand like you're turning a dial).

Sam and I led five students from Grand at the retreat which combined forces with Cornerstone, Ames E-Free, and West Wind in Des Moines to bring over 150 middle schoolers to Hidden Acres for a weekend of fun, chaos, and spiritual intensity. I had a blast getting to know the boys from GABC better and Sam led the girls in their small groups. The weekend was nothing short of incredible. Here's a timeline of how it went down:

Friday Evening:
Arrived at C-Stone at 5:15 to a chaotic hoard of pubescent adolescents. It took time to get everything sorted out but eventually all of our kids made it on to buses to head to the camp.
Due to weather problems Jeremy Kingsley, the speaker, couldn't fly in until late Friday night. So, rather than a message, we had an extended worship set and headed to small groups. (By the way, a HUGE thank you to Anthem for doing worship - that makes 3 retreats in 4 weekends for them. Keep rocking for the Lord!)
Small groups were a good "get to know each other session" and after that we had games in the gym.


Saturday Morning:
First teaching session led by Jeremy. Really good. I could tell he is passionate for the Lord. He talked about Jesus being more powerful than the wind and waves and the following story about the demon possessed man falling on his knees before Christ. I learned that "Legion" (which was the name of the demons in the man) likely meant that he was possessed by 3,000+ demons because legion was a common term in those days referring to groups of 3,000-6,000 soldiers. All 3,000 demons when they SAW Jesus ran to Him and fell on their knees before Him and begged for mercy. It's sad how I tend to have such a calm and feeble view of Jesus. The reality is that He is more powerful than we can conceive. He alone is worthy of us falling on our knees before Him, begging for mercy.

Saturday Afternoon:
Second teaching by Jeremy was about our reputation. He taught about how Solomon was known for three things (wisdom, wealth, and women). He pointed out how only one of these things pointed to God while one could go either way and the third one was downright evil. (I'm not saying women are evil, but that having 1,000 wives is evil.) The questions He left us with were:
1) What are you known for that you wish you were not?
2) What aren't you known for that you wish you were?
One thing that came to mind for me was my being known for not bein a decicive decision maker. Part of being a leader is being a decision maker. I feel like I've grown in this recently, but it isn't yet part of my reputation.
The teaching was followed by small groups, games, and then free time for the rest of the afternoon.

Saturday Evening:
Jeremy taught about persecution. He gave an excellent Gospel presentation and we witnessed the Grace of the Living God as 15 or so middle schoolers fell on their knees to give their life to Christ! Praise Him! After this, he called anyone who wants to live more boldly for their God to fall on their knees before God and ask His forgiveness and grace. I was definitley part of this group and so were about 120 or the students there. It was an incredible time of worship and prayer.
Jeremy's teaching was from Acts 5 where the disciples considered it joy to be beaten, imprisoned, and flogged because they were counted WORTHY by God of being persecuted. Jeremy told some stories about his father who was a preacher in a small Wisconsin town when Jeremy was growing up. He talked about times when his father was taken from the house by men in the town and beaten up in the front yard. Jeremy also told about his experience in middle school when he wore a shirt that simply said "Jesus" and was kicked, punched, and spit on in school because he wore it. These stories astounded me, but even more astounding was their family's response to the persecution. They stayed where they were and kept doing what they did. They did not move or seek lawsuits. They KEPT DOING WHAT THEY HAD BEEN DOING because what they were doing brought God glory. They considered it joy to be persecuted for His Name!
When I realized this I was brought to tears. I bawled and bawled because I realized that I do not have that kind of faith. Would I stay in my town if my sons were coming home from school with black eyes week after week because of their faith in Christ? I don't think I would. But I should.
It says in 2 Timothy 3:12, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life will be persecuted." A couple of key things Jeremy pointed out:
1) the verse starts with "IN FACT".
2) It's not "maybe", "might be", or "could be" persecuted, but it says Godly men and women WILL BE persecuted.
How much am I being persecuted for my faith? I don't think I necessarily will get beaten for it, but am I willing to be beaten for it? Am I willing to face verbal harrassment? Am I living my faith so boldly that, in fact, persecution will come? Will I flee from it if it does come?
This awesome message was followed by small groups in which we had great discussion about what it looks like to follow Christ at school and how God works through prayer (one of Jeremy's sayings was "When men and women work, men and women work. When men and women pray, God works." True dat.)
Finally, the night was capped off by a costume party where kids dressed up was what they want tobe when they grow up. We had music, games, and prizes. Good times.

Sunday Morning:
Jeremy's final session. The parents came out to have the session with the kids, which was a cool idea. It gave me a chance to talk to the parents about what God had done over the weekend in their children's lives. Jeremy preached on humility and following Christ's example in that. We must not think we're above certain jobs or tasks because the King of the Universe, Himself (the same one who a legion of demons bowed down to), joyfully got down on his knees to wash his disciples' feet.

God moved majestically at the retreat. Absolutely incredibly. He is an awesome God with awesome plans to use the students who dropped to their knees before Him this weekend. Please pray that those students would remain on the narrow path after returning to the temptations and pressures of life at school with Godless friends and/or families.

Psshaa... PSSHAAAAAW!!!

Really? (REMIX)

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I haven't had much time to post, nor has anything occurred that has really been post-worthy.

That is, until last night. My previous post "Really?" (click here) and "Really? (Part 2)" (click here) are about how God has been using us to proclaim His Name to those living around us in our apartment complex. Well, we are full of praise because God used us again last night.

It actually started last week when we got a knock on our door around 8:00 pm. It was a college-age guy named Kevin who was hanging out with his girlfriend at Jerry's place (the floor below us). It was actually pretty funny. The guy at the door looked at me and said, "Hey. You're a male, and she's a female. Maybe you get this. I know it's weird, but I don't get paid 'til Friday and my girlfriend needs some... uh... tampons."

I laughed and said we'd be glad to help. He appreciated that and we didn't really think much more about it. Last night at 11:45 we heard a knock on the door again. It was the same guy as last week. He started, "Hey, man. I know it's late and I know you don't really know me, but I gotta get outta here. Man, I'm tryin' to leave Ames, cuz this ain't where I need to be right now, you know? I'm tryin' to get a bus ticket to go to my dad's in Chicago, and I put all my money together. I got $182, but I need $193. I just need your help, if you can."

Admittedly, I was hesitant at first. I asked Sam if she had any cash and we were only able to put $10 together for him. Then came the kicker, "Dude, you don't even know me and you guys are happy to give stuff to me. Thank you. What is so different about you guys?"

Praise God for this response! I invited him in and Sam and I had the opportunity to share with Kevin just what is so different about us. We shared that we have found true joy and satisfaction in the grace offered by God through Jesus Christ. I told him that I, just like him, am a failure. I am no better than him, but the difference is that my failures were washed away by the cleansing blood of the Perfect Lamb. Kevin explained to me that he'd been in and out of prison over the last year and that he was, in fact, drunk while we were talking.

It was probably the alcohol that opened him up so much, but he shared with me the futility of his lifestyle and that he has tried to live for God, but has failed every time. We talked for about half an hour about what it looks like to be surrendered to the Lord. He said he'd actually spent some time going to GABC before. "You know the Lovins?" he asked, "They my people, man!" I was encouraged to be able to see a small glimpse of how God is continually drawing Kevin back to him, with common themes. What are the "chances" that he would ask for help from the GABC youth pastor's apartment after having been invested in by that church (specifically the Lovin family) in the past? Our God is an awesome God! He is is drawing Kevin to himself continually. He has a presence in His life.

Before he left, Kevin got my number and email address and he said he would come say goodbye before he left for the bus station today. I hope he does. I'm praying that Kevin will not only remember the conversation we had last night, but that it will remain at the forefront of his mind eating at him until he finally surrenders to the One who created him. I hope that God continues to use His children to speak Truth into Kevin's life and open his heart to a relationship with the Savior.

How often am I so concerned over something I think I own (like $10) that I am not willing to give that to God to be used for His glory? Everything I "own" is yours, Lord. Don't let me hold so tightly to the treasures of this world that I'm blind to the immeasurably greater treasures You give in Your Kingdom. Finally, let Apartment #8 continue to be set as a "city on a hill" that stands out as a shining Light for Your glory!

Really? (Part 2)

If you haven't read my previous post about my friend, Frank, or if you need a refresher, click here.

This post is an update on my experience with Frank that happened two Sundays ago, September 27:

I stopped by Frank's place (just below our apartment) on Sunday morning around 10:00 to ask see if he was going to come to church with me. When I knocked on the door I heard a raspy, "Come in!" from inside. I entered to a living room filled with cigarette smoke. The only person there was the old guy who thought I was a cop the week before who was now sitting in a recliner watching TV. I asked him where Frank was and he said, "He's not here... you wanna call him?"

So, I got Frank's number and gave him a call. "Hey, Frank," I said, "I'm at your place wondering if you want to come to church with me this morning?"

Frank replied, "Yo, I don't live there, man. I just hang out there all the time. And, yeah, I was just thinkin' about how I was gonna go to church with you but I'm watchin' my kid this week so I can't come."

I told him that is understandable and that I hoped we could do it soon. I hung up the phone and introduced myself to the old guy in the recliner. He told me his name was Jerry and that he, in fact, was the one who lived there. He appeared to be in pretty tough shape. He said he'd fallen earlier that week and the entire right side of his face was bruised and swollen. I also noticed his swollen hands and feet which he told me was gout. As if that wasn't enough, he was having a lot of trouble breathing. He was wheezing terribly the whole time I was there. I asked if he'd like me to take him to the hospital, but he told me repeatedly that he was ok.

I asked him if he had a church home in Ames and he said that he went to a Methodist church on Main Street. I asked what he believed about God and he told me, "I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins."

I was so excited by this!!! I asked Jerry if I could pray for him and he said he'd appreciate that. God blessed me with an amazing opportunity to pray for his health and his heart towards God.

Then, last Wednesday, Sam saw Jerry by our mailbox. He asked if he could talk to me so Sam got me for him. When I came outside he said to me, "When I'm feeling better and can get around a little easier, would you guys mind if I came to church with you?"

Wow.  I told him I would love it if he came with us. Hopefully Grand will work well for him because it's close and I think it's really hard for him to go very far from the house. Please pray for Frank that he would end up coming with us to church soon and that his heart would be softened to the Truth, and for Jerry that his health would improve and that God would be revealed in his life in astounding ways!

Retreat

Last weekend I took the high school youth group guys camping for a retreat. It was sweet. Sam's family blessed us by letting us stay on the 19 acres of land they own along the Des Moines River about 15 miles southeast of Fort Dodge. They're living in Kansas City right now, so they let us stay on their land for the weekend. It was a PERFECT place! (By the way, Sam took some girls on a retreat to Omaha, too. She'll post on that soon on her blog.)

We got there Saturday around 11:00am and did some exploring. The property is in the heavily-wooded river valley-- beautiful. Our goal for the day was to build a shelter that would last until next spring. We really were roughing it-- no tents, bonfire cooking, and 40's-50's temperatures. I can't praise God enough for how He did provide for the weather, though. It was supposed to be a nasty weekend, but there was almost no wind and we had a total of 10 minutes of rain (which stopped 5 minutes after we prayed as a group that the God of the universe would dry the clouds over our campsite).

The food was amazing. A big thanks to the Martens who put together menus for our four meals (including steak on Saturday night!). We ate well.

Our shelter was pretty hardcore, too. I meant to have pictures to show, but the batteries in my camera died. Bummer. Our campsite is on the side of a hill. We made our shelter by using twine to lash long logs together like an upside down "V"and leaning them up against a tree. We then added a third log in the middle for added support and lashed the whole thing to the tree with barbed wire-- it's not going anywhere (remember I said it is supposed to last until we come back next spring?). Then we took tarps and tied them over the logs with twine making a rainproof shelter. Throw a tarp on the ground to sleep on, and it's pretty darn homey! I got a little cold in the middle of the night, but everyone else said they slept good. We just had to take off the tarps when we left, and it's ready for when we come back in the spring when I'm shooting for having a paintball retreat and we'll come back and expand our campsite/shelter.

On Sunday afternoon we studied Titus. We looked at it specifically from a leadership perspective, since Paul has a lot to say about what makes a good leader. Some of the qualities of a Biblical leader that we came up with from the text were:

• they are held to a higher standard
  
• not addicted to alcohol
  
• only have 1 wife
  
• not overbearing
  
• wise
• not quick tempered
  
• not violent
• not dishonest
• self-controlled
  
• not rebellious
• not self-centered
  
• good role model
• sound speech (no gossip, no swearing, truthful)
• respectable
  
• submit to authority

We talked about the fact that all of us men are leaders. Even the high schoolers are to lead their sisters in Christ. How can the high school guys be leading more effectively? How can I help foster their growth as leaders in the youth group, in the church, and in the relationships? I've been challenged by this over the past few weeks. We also talked about which quality of Biblical leadership from Titus we are best at and which quality we are most challenged by. I think I'm best at being a good role model and I need the most improvement at not being self-centered... is that a contradiction?

The only mishap of the weekend was that our Suburban's battery went dead. We found out just before we left, so we were delayed over an hour before Sam's uncle from Fort Dodge came to give us a jump (thanks, Mr. Lowrey!). Can't complain, though. No serious injuries, nearly perfect weather, a hardcore shelter, time in the Word, and two days in God's Creation.

Not a bad weekend at all!

Here we are returning from our epic voyage: (Evan, Jared, Greg, Lance, me)