Friday, November 30, 2007

Mr.T says....

You have to check out this video. It an old school video...
You will love it have a great weekend!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7_rBidCkJxo

thats funny!!!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Power!!!

I spent a few days in Atlanta at the NYWC conference and Andy Stanley spent some time speaking on leadership (he knows a little bit about that… a joke!) HE spoke mostly from John: 13. The parable when Jesus puts water on his disciples’ feet. The question that he left his with was what do you do when you realize that you have all the power in the room? He talked about how we have to pledge to not make all eyes upon you. I know that in one time or another you have had all the power in the room, so you know that this is something to think about.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Mentors?

How important is it to have someone in your life that speaks into it and makes you grow? A number of people would disagree with me, but I think that YOU HAVE TO have someone your life that serves as a mentor. A week ago I met with a few ex-youth pastors just to sit down and talk. It was encouraging for me to meet with them and speak with men that I respect greatly. I think that you have to have a person that will speak some life in to you, and help you in your tough times. I think this will only help you and bless you in the biggest way possible. Sometimes you need someone to listen as this simple task of being heard is not overrated. Don't be to cool find someone that will be honest and love you. Hard times will come and having this type of person in your life will only make things easier on you

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

weekend

It's great to be back in Houston. We have a great Sunday! We spent sometime talking about authenticity and used the movie hitch. It was great to see some new faces and also some that I haven't seen in awhile. Attendance was about average. Volunteers was below average. I think during this topic message series the kids are learning a lot. We will continue this series for the rest of the year with only 2 more teaching weeks. It's crazy to think that this year is almost over.

Monday, November 26, 2007

An Interview with Jessica Stanley (middle school Intern)

I wanted to interview a member of my middle school staff. Jessica is basically in charge of our
middle school girls and she is doing a great job. Here is her interview.

Why did you chose to intern at RPC?

-I chose to be the Middle School Group intern beacuse of my desire to minister the word of God and to take an opportunity to be relational with girls in Middle School.
What have you learned so far?
-So far I have how to be a more effective leader and example.
What challenges have you came across in this position?
-This position has been challenging, the greatest so far being able to step out of my comfort zone and taking on the challenge of effectively interacting with these girls.
What does girl ministry mean to you?
-To me, girls ministry is listening, understanding, and teaching through my own experiences and God's word. It is an opportunity to be a friend to these girls without judgment and with having a great time.
What do you like about your boss?
-Terrace is a very passionate example. It is clear that he loves ministry and that is truly contagious. I am glad for him always holding me accountable and pushing me to be better in this position and in life.

You should check out Jessica's blog
I am excited and blessed to have her on my team.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Be thankful!!!

I always love thanksgiving. This is a time to sit back and reflect what I am thankful
for. God has blessed us in a huge way!!! Enjoy your time with your friends, family and love ones. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Recap weekend

The week before Thanksgiving. I spoke about Guilt and how God wants his to lay out guilt at his feet. Attendance was below average. I talk to alot of our small group leaders and they said it was great talks in there. Overall a great weekend!!

Vacation??

It has been 6 months since I have been home. I am so excited about vacation and a chance to hang out with old friends and family. I get a chance to meet up with some old youth pastor buddies and chat it up. I have been traveling alot. I am happy to be home for Thanksgiving. Thank God for vacation!!!

Are you listening?

I was on the plane come back from Atlanta on Saturday, and this is normally the time I use to catch up on some reading I had the chance to read an article entitled, "Are you listening?" This idea became so real to me so I began to ponder this topic. I was MOC a few weeks ago and normally I get a bunch of calls about money, but not this day. I got a call from someone that was having relationship problems. I called her back and began to talk with her. I wanted to give her some advice on how to fix it, but didn’t really know how to since I am a 26 year old trying to give someone older than me relationship advice. After we met the first time I called one of my friends who happens to be a counselor. He told me a lot of different things, but most importantly he said that often times people just want someone to listen.
We met again and that is just what I did… just listened and added some comments here and there. This made me realized that my friend was right; sometimes we just need an ear to hear us.

Friday, November 16, 2007

arrived in the ATL

Last night I arrived in Atlanta for the National Youth Worker Conference. I am looking forward to learning some new and fresh ideas. It should an exciting time. It is always good to sit back and be the student and not the teacher. I am looking forward to hearing one of favorite communicators "Andy Stanley. This conference should a blast and i am sure there will be blogs to come.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Mom can always help!!

This weekend will be a normal weekend in our Middle School Group. We are currently in week two of a series called "At the movies" in which we will be talking about guilt. During the time that I use to prepare for my message I like to come up with life applications that will be relevant to the message. For this weeks message, I couldn't think of any so I called my mom to asked her for help. I know that I shouldn't have called because I was on the phone with her for like 30 minutes. It seemed like everyone of her sentences started with "remember that one time when you did..." All that to say that there maybe a lil guilt in my life. If you ever need help preparing for a talk or message, call your mom for help...trust me!!!

Monday, November 12, 2007

just finished reading!!


I just finished the book called, "Speaking to Teenagers." It was a great read, and I took alot from it and I definetly think it will help me with my teaching.
The S.T.I.C.K principle is great!
Study
Think
I
llustrations
C
onstruct
K
eep Focus

I guess you have to read the book for more details even though I know that a lot of times we get to busy and don't want to read. I know that reading helps me out a lot with ministry and life. Check this book out!!

Football is over!!

Friday night was a tough night for us (FBBA). I guess it's safe to say that our season didn't go as well as planned. 3-7 is not what I hoped for. As I drove home from the game on Friday night, I got to thinking about about losing. When you are used to winning it becomes an everyday thing and something to expect, but it also brings the along the idea of not appreciating the win anymore. It was the last game that the seniors will remember, and I hope that they saw recognize that it's more about how hard you work than if you win. That is the true way to measure success...

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Da Weekend

The weekend is over and I have a crazy week ahead...I am only going to be in Houston for a few days, and then off to the ATL! After that trip I will be heading to Oklahoma for the first time since June.
We had average attendance during our Sunday morning experience. This week we started a series called "AT THE MOVIES,"and showed a clip from the film"Dodgeball". During this time we talked about integrity and leadership, and the clip did a great job of supplementing my message. I hope that much was taken from it by the students...

Friday, November 9, 2007

Busy week coming up!!

A few days in the office and then going to the ATL for a conference and going home to Stillwater, Oklahoma for the Thanksgiving holidays. That will be a well need vacation. I am looking forward to some home cooking. A chance to refresh my mind with ideas for youth ministry. Thanks God for vacations!!!

bonfire!!!

This week at our once a month gathering for youth because we do "home teams" 3 weeks a month at homes in the community and then we come together at the church once a month to exercise the unity piece of the pie. We had a great time with a huge bonfire. Kids loved it and the famous JJ came out and played some guitar. I think that it was a great relational event a chance to walk around and meet new kids, smell like smoke and eat smores...

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Just thinkin'

I have spent the morning working on my message for this upcoming Sunday. We are starting a series called, "At the Movies." We are going to talk about different movies and how they relate to our lives and values (yes, it's borrowed from Lifechurch.tv). To kick off the beginning of the series, we are going to begin by discussing the topic, "Integrity". I am very excited to start this fun and more easy going series, as it is much overdue given the tougher topics discussed in the past few weeks.
On another note, I meet with 8th grade guys every Wednesday morning and we always have great talks and get to share what is going on in life. This basically gives me a chance to invest in them and to grow as a leader. It also offers a chance to see what God is doing in their life. We talk about what respect looks like to their peers, parents and in the future. I think it powerful to be able talk and be real with a group kids that have so many leadership skills, and who have the power to change the people around them.
Further, we will soon be having our last big event for the 2007 year...it has definitely gone by quickly!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Recap weekend

We had a great weekend...Attendance was average and there was a lot of energy in the room. I spoke during the High School Group, and it was an exciting change for me. It is good to stay on your toes! Richard did a great job during his talk to the Middle School Group about not getting slapped around by life. Also, we had a Leaders' meeting after church on Sunday, and I think that it helped the unity of our leadership as well as offer a chance for us all to be on the same page and share stories. In all, a great and successful weekend!