Bottle Rockets

24hr Prayer

It's amazing what God can do with two teenage girls. After opening their Kindgom worker challenge card last summer at Move, Nikki and Kat were charged to read a book on prayer and then host a 24 hour prayer vigil. After a few meetings they decided that their focus would be on praying for Camp and for Move.

The girls decked out the Eddy with music, rugs, lamps, journals, paintings and other elements to make the experience perfect for those coming to pray. For 24 hours people quietly walked throught he doors to hit their knees praying for the students in our church. Because they were inviting students to pray after hours we asked the girls to have an adult present at all times and they responded to the challenge. Roughly 50 people came to pray. I couldn't be more proud of their hard work, commitment and passion for prayer.

God hears our prayers and I believe that these prayers will be the backbone of our trips this summer. I ask that you would join us in praying to see God work in the lives of every student we journey with on these trips. Kat and Nikki, I am so proud of both of you! Great job.

Seesaw Goodness

Sometimes church words are hard to understand. Goodness isn't one of those words. A three year old can point a television screen and show you the "good guy." From an early age we are taught that being good deserves good things and being bad deserves bad things. The problem is when we bring this idea into our faith. It's hard for us to understand that good works don't = good things (heaven, forgiveness, grace, etc.).

We tend to think of our goodness as a spiritual seesaw. If we can just do a little more good than bad then we'll be okay. The problem is the weight. Our goodness could never out weight the sin in our lives. So on one hand our goodness isn't really worth that much. But look how Paul follows up this sobering thought.

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Ephesians 2:8-10

Our good works can't save us and yet God has created us to do good works. So how do we cultivate goodness in our lives? How do we live out this goodness that comes from a relationship with Christ? We looked at another passage from Paul. This isn't the only way to be good, but it was something worth thinking about.

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. - 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Most of us wouldn't consider ourselves rich, but when children just 20 miles from us go to sleep hungry, it's a hard arguement to make. This Thursday we are traveling down to Shepherd Community to spread some goodness in downtown Indianapolis. I can't wait to see goodness grow in the hearts of our students!

Four Years!!!!

Today is my fourth anniversary with Laura. This year has been quite the journey. Last year we spent our time with doctors, this year it has been with social workers. Our road to adoption has been a journey that has drawn us so much closer together. It's been a walk in continually learning to be dependant on God and I wouldn't want to go through it with anyone else other than Laura. The past year has taught me a few things about her.

1. Laura hates ants more than she hates weeds. Ants beware!

2. God speaks to Laura and she listens. What's even more amazing is she is willing to obey despite how drastically God asks to change her life, expectations or future.

3. Laura prays for me. It's an amazing reality that I'm so thankful for.

4. She is becoming a Hulu addict. :)

5. Laura is the most pro-active person I've ever met. She started the paper work for our adoption on the drive home from the meeting. I'm so thankful for this part of who she is.

It's been a great year or marriage and one we will look back on fondly. It's the year we were called to adopt and proably the last year we'll spend in a house alone for a very long time! To celebrate I took Laura out on a special date day a few weeks ago. A hotel, an italian lunch, a movie and some shopping was just what we needed. But since today is our actual anniversary I guess we need to do "something." Well, a dinner, just the two of us it is. In fact, I need to leave to pick her up right now. I'll leave you with this little video look back at our 4th year of marriage. A few pics might not make sense, but they will to Laura. I love you sweet heart!

   

My Sunday started with a Monday

My alarm clock rang at 6:45am. The first thought in my head was, I'M LATE! I texted my 6:45 appointment to let him know I'd be a few minutes late. I was brushing my teeth when it hit me, it's not Monday, it's Sunday. I still needed to brush my teeth, but I was certainly out of it. I texted him back hoping that I didn't wake him (I didn't).

So how could I as a pastor forget that it was Sunday? I don't think it was a coincidense that I wasn't preaching. Don't get me wrong, I love Sunday's. Preaching or not, I was looking forward to Awake, but preaching does change how I approach a weekend. Mentally I wake up and go to sleep thinking and praying about what to say that morning. I've heard it said that preaching a message can feels like finishing a 40hr work week. It gives you a new appreciation for the guys like Tim who give three sermons a week!

This week Todd Zimmerman spoke at Awake so the weight of speaking was off of my sholders. I was able to just be a pastor. I just played guitar. I just talked to students. I just spent time with the tech team. All of those things are easy when you aren't carrying the weight. I'm not complaining. I love to teach. I also get paid for it. That's what makes it so impressive when guys like Todd step up to share the load. Todd is a dad with three kids. He's a husband. He works a full time job and is in charge of the entire college ministry here at WRCC as a volunteer. It's my job, but it's his service, his heart, his way to worship and for that I am very, very grateful. I'm thankful for a week to step back and look at the ministry from another prespective. I'm thankful for a week in the office to get caught up on the other aspects of youth ministry. I'm also thankful that our students get to hear the heart of a godly man pouring over God's word. Thanks Todd!

If you'd like to hear Todd's talk check out the podcast! There's a link on the top right of the blog page. Just click Awake Podcast!

If you have $3 I can make you happy

This week I recieved a free copy of my friend Dave Moison's new EP Ungravity Pt. 1. In a word, fantastic. He channels Jason Mraz, Stevie Wonder, Maroon 5 and Norah Jones on this three song collection. It's fun, summer music that's perfect for windows down driving in the sun. It's a shame that there's not more music like this. So drop $3, buy this little EP and help Dave make more music!

P.S. I still can't believe this is the same guy I went to high school with. I remember the first time Dave told me he was making music. Sorry Dave, I had my doubts. Truth be told, I couldn't have been more blown away. For more of Dave's music check out Sojourn. It's a church in Louisville that Dave plays with. They are awesome too.

Workingout + Technology = :)

I'm on a mission to get in shape. I started running again last week, but this time I've got a new toy to help me stay motivated. It's called Nike+. Laura got me the sensor for our Anniversary (which is actually in 11 days). It costs $18 and you strap it to your shoe. It tracks my distance, pace, mileage and syncs with my phone. It's pretty cool. It also syncs with a website where I can set goals, track my runs and push myself towards my goal of running a 5k. I'm not really interested in running a race or anything. I just want to be able to actually run 5 kilometers.

I'm terribly out of shape, but so far so good. I've covered almost 8 miles in the past week. Not bad for coming straight off the couch! I'm too ashamed to start tweeting my times, but the system also does that really well. It's embarrising looking at my times and distances, but that's going to change. I'm on my way to getting back in shape even if it takes a little technology to get me started.

Peace is more than a day at the beach

If I asked you to close your eyes and think of something peaceful you'd likely imagine sitting on a beach, a day at the spa or a hiking in the mountains. We've all had truly peacefully experiences. The world is great at marketing the next peacefull moment to us. A vacation here, an experience there. We understand that kind of peace.

So what did Paul mean when he said that God offered a peace that we wouldn't understand. A peace so indescrible that it would blow away our preconsived ideas of peace? Look at what he wrote in Philippians:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7

God's peace is bigger than a day at the spa. It's bigger than a day on the golf course. It literaly is bigger than we can understand. The problem is there are a lot of things in our lives that attack the peace that is supposed to be growing in our hearts.This week at Awake we looked at three things that fight against peace in our lives.

1. Fear - God is with us! What should we fear?

2. Conflict - We are called to be peacemakers!

3. Busyness - Be still and know that I'm God!

As one student tweeted after Awake, it was a very "peaceful" morning. I'm having a blast preaching through The 9!

You're doing what? Why?

I'm sure she heard that response more than once over the past 11 months. As a freshman, Jessie had no idea what she was getting into when she opened her Kingdom Worker Card at Move last summer. The challenge inside could have been almost anything. Prepared to follow through, I can still remember the shock on her face when it said "Commit to being healthier. Train and run a marathon before next summer." Wow.

As soon as she got home she found a running partner (Leslie, one of Jessie's sponsor's from Junior High) and began to train. Two weeks ago, with her goal in sight, Jessie hit a major setback. While running twenty miles she suffered a stress fracture in one of her feet. Her foot went in a bedazzeled boot (her sister couldn't let her walk in a boot without some style) and she had to take a break from running. Two weeks without hitting the road. But that didn't stop her, she took to the pool to keep up her training!

This morning at 7am she laced up her running shoes and ran. With her partner Leslie at her side she ran 26.2 miles and finished her marathon! With friends and family cheering her on along the way, Jessie completed something very few people even attempt.

When people are called by God they are often tempted to negotiate. She could have settled for a 5k and most people would have probably let her off the hook. Most people would have understood is she only ran a mini since her short stride is about half that of her training partner's. But she didn't negotiate. She trusted God. I couldn't stop thinking about this verse as I watched her cross the finish line,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. -2 Timothy 4:7

Way to go Jessie! We are proud of you. You did it!

Golf, youth ministry style!

Last Thursday we kicked off our June Events with an afternoon at Ben & Ari's. Video games, pizza and minature golf. It was a small turnout, but that just made it more personal. I got to hang out with every student and that made the event a blast. Micah was there to win in golf and take some great pictures with his phone. He's slightly addicted to photo-editing iphone style.

I like small events like this. It's a great chance to talk life with students, meet new people and build community. We had a blast. We've got several other events planned for June. You can download the flier by clicking this. Download June Summer Flier

Kindness: Your grandma's quality

When you think of kindness you think of grandparents or at least I do. Unfortunately, you don't hear many people say, I hope when I die people say I was kind. Instead we long to be creative or unique or passionate. We leave kindness for the grandparents. This week at Awake we dove into our new series The 9, we took a look at one of the nine fruits of the Spirit, kindness.

What's amazing is that kindness is a quality that God cares a lot about. God has extended His incredible loving kindness and we are called to extend that same kindness to others. We looked at several passages, but the one that has really floored me came in Job 6:14

Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend foresakes the fear of the Almighty.

Wow! Maybe kindness is a big deal. Ephesians 4:31 gives us a great guide for how to become a people of kindness. We first have to let God take all of our anti-kindness (the bitterness, anger, etc.). The second step is to imitate God. Just like a little boy imitates his Dad, we are to try and look just like our spiritual father. Any easy way to start is just looking for small acts of kindness like holding a door, telling someone how much you love them or doing something nice without expecting anything in return.

To take it to the next level requires us to be tenderhearted. To slow down and listen to someone, putting them first and being there as a true friend. It's harder than a simple act and requires you to truly give something of yourself. But the hardest way and deepest kindness is immulating God's forgiveness. It's hard enough to forgive, but to forgive those who don't deserve it, that's the ultimate kindness.

I didn't used to think of kindness as a personality trait that I longed for, but I hope that one day when I die people would say that I was a man of kindness.

P.S. During the service we asked students to get out their phones and text or message someone some kind words. Sure, they were encouraged to do so, but if you got one of those messages, they chose to message YOU! They could have sent it to anyone, but they chose you. That's pretty cool.