Today's New Adventure

The New Creation is Here

2011-05-24T09:31:00.003-04:00

“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God.”

~ 2 Corinthians 5:15-21

Our lives are not our own but lives that we live for Christ in his new creation. So many people think that heaven is this magical place that we reach when we die if we were really good and faithful. I can tell you, this is not my experience of heaven. In fact, I think Paul would argue this as well from his writing to the Corinthians above. He says that we are in the new creation now, “the old has gone, the new is here!” It is Christ who brought the new creation to us through his death and resurrection! God reconciled all of the sins through Jesus, they are gone and washed away.

So you might be asking, “Then why does this ‘heaven’ or ‘new creation’ have so much pain? Why does this “heaven” suck?!” Well here’s the thing, the new creation is here. I believe that to be true, however, sin still exists it is just that God has made it so we do not have to pay for our sins. Jesus already did that. So even though we do sin and we will continue to sin God has forgiven us and continues to do so because He loves us so dearly.

If this is the case, then where is heaven? Well I believe heaven is more of an experience and feeling than an actual place. Heaven or the new creation is the experience of living completely for God and in total harmony with Him and His creation. The complete lack of sin. This to me is heaven. Of course, sin is what breaks that relationship with God and keeps us from achieving heaven.

So how do we achieve this heaven? Well Paul gives us pretty good instructions in his letter to the Corinthians, “be reconciled to God.” Yeah, I know a pretty general answer and probably overly simplified. But if you think about it, if we really truly reconcile with God, completely accept His grace and trust in Him with our lives then we do not sin. We do not break relationship with him because we have complete and total faith. Now I know this is much easier said than done. I myself struggle in my faith all the time! And due to our imperfections we will never be able to completely give ourselves to Jesus and turn over all of our trust, at least in this life. The sin is just to strong. But we can fight it and work towards it.

Again Paul gives us some hints when he says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” We are His hands and feet out in the world. He wants us out there serving His people as He did with Jesus and continues to do through His blessings. And this is where it gets really fun! It is through this, through the lens of being God’s hands and feet that we accomplish heaven. When you completely give of yourself without asking for anything in return, when you listen and care for those less fortunate, not because you have to but because you get to, when you are God’ ambassador out in the world you are in full relationship with God. For a brief moment sin has no control over you and you are not breaking that relationship with God, rather you are fueling it and making it deeper. It is in these experiences of service that I have personally felt a small piece of heaven and I have witnessed it in our students as well. When we serve out of our hearts and not out of our duty we reconcile with God, we accept His love and we choose to share it with others and He works through that and our relationship with Him. It is amazing!

This is what our summer to come is going to be all about. We are going to discover the new creation that came with Jesus. The new creation that has been here for 2011 years. We are going to show this world this new creation and bring a new found life into His creation with our love and by His grace!

New Creation

2011-03-08T10:02:00.000-05:00

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

~ 2 Corinthians 5:15-21

If you are a Solid Rocker going on the mission trip, you will hear this verse a lot over the coming months! This is our mission trip theme verse for 2011. We are gearing up for this trip, the money is rolling in, our Golf Tournament is weeks away, the planning as begun, the adults are being trained. Before you know it we will be loading up the bus and hitting the open road to Knoxville, TN! As we head to this beautiful area of the country, surrounded by mountains majesty, glorious trees, and nature all around you can't help but think of creation!

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul writes that if we are in Christ we are in the new creation that Christ has brought to us! This is the amazing and gracious truth about Jesus! We are all in Christ. And when Jesus died on the cross and rose up from the grave he washed away our sins which brought ALL of us into new life, a new creation! This new creation where we are not held captive to sin and death! We live because Jesus lived. We are invited into this community of Christ and get to live now in the present in this new creation!

The new creation is not something that will come in later times, it is not something we have to wait around for. It is here, now! We just have to live our lives in Christ. When we do that we get a taste of the new creation because we are like Jesus, we can be like him and see his glory in this world, now and today!

So how are you enjoying this new creation that you are in today? How are you working in and for Christ to show others this new creation? This is what we will be doing in Knoxville this summer, but why wait till then to be created new and enjoy the new life that has been so graciously given to you?!

May your week be filled with new creations and new life of Jesus. May you see him in all you do and show others the creation that he created, pure, true, and beautiful. May you enjoy this new creation gift!

To Much, Too Fast

2011-03-01T09:55:00.001-05:00

So this week I am gearing up for a trip to Minneapolis, MN for a three day training to become a National Youth Gathering Coach for the Florida-Bahama Synod. As I write this I am freaking out a little, looking at the large calendars in front of my, the monthly calendar on my computer screen, and the weekly calendar hanging on my wall and they are filled completely. Friends and family are constantly asking what am I doing on this weekend or that weekend so that we can do some fun activity and my constant answer is, "I'm working." It seem to just be the time of year, the weather is nice so in youth ministry we gear up activities and do some extra longer events, Easter and Lent is upon us so mission stuff is all over the place, and its do or die time for all the summer trips. Of course it doesn't help that I've accepted this additional duty as the Synod's Youth Gathering Coach. I'm overwhelmed and I know you all can completely relate. If you aren't there now, you probably have been!

I keep on thinking to myself, "I've got to much going on." But everything I'm doing gives me life and fulfilment and if I had to pick something to drop, I don't know what it would be. I think we all have heard that God doesn't give us more than what we can handle and looking at the past few months of my life and the ones coming up I feel like all I can do is believe that to be true. I feel completely overwhelmed, yet every morning I wake up, I go to work, I function well, I see friends and family, relationships are going well, and so are the ministries. God is calling me to do these things and I believe he has his hand in all of it. Which means I'm not alone. God is challenging me and he challenges all of us. He knows us better than we even know ourselves...He created us! So of course he knows what our limits are and he doesn't seek to harm us so why would he give us more than we can handle?

I know that at times it feels like life is too much, we have a billion things thrown at us, but that is just he challenge of life and the joy of God's presence in our life (that's right, JOY!). If this was all simple and easy, well then what would the point really be? Nothing God has expected of anyone has been easy. Was it easy for Jesus to accept his fate of dying on the cross for us? NO! Now aren't you glad that God's expectations of you are just a little lower than he had for Jesus?!

So this week as you are drowning in a sea of stress and life, stop, and take a look around you. My bet is you will see God, present in your chaos, walking with you because He knows that you can accomplish what he has put before you, he has faith in you, now all you need is faith in him!

Growing Into New Life

2011-02-22T10:05:00.002-05:00

Every year has it’s seasons and everything in life does too. We start out young and highly dependent on our parents for everything. They teach us the basics, how to walk and talk. Before you know it we are in school, mom and dad aren’t around us every moment of every day. It’s other adults that begin to have a part in our lives. We start to choose our own friends and we find social niches. We continue to grow into new seasons, we hit adolescents and a whole new world begins to take shape as we think differently, learn differently, act differently. Again, there is less and less time with our parents and more adults who continue to be a part of what we will become. We get active in sports and arts and all kinds of other things. We enter into high school and yet another season takes place as we find ourselves with more doors open to us then ever before. We learn how to drive and no long are we kept to a schedule that only our parents can accommodate. If we’ve got the wheels then all we need is ourselves. We experiment, we try new things, we have so many more options.

This is the way life goes. One season moves into another. Some are really good, some are really bad, and others just pass us by like we never even realized. This is God’s world for us, we wants us to learn and grow, but he wants us to do it with him.

I know what it’s like to be in high school. Believe it or not, I was there once, and not to long ago! It is so easy to get caught up in who said what about that person, what’s the latest fashion, who’s doing what on Saturday night, and does that guy/girl like me? It seems as though it is so easy to forget about God when you step foot off of church property. I will be the first to admit, when I was in high school, sure I believed in God, but I didn’t understand him. I didn’t read the bible, I didn’t understand what faith really was, I didn’t truly know what it meant to be Lutheran. I really didn’t have a relationship with God. I went to church and youth group, but really only because there were some very pretty girls! That was enough to keep me coming back week after week, plus it was a time when I could get away from my parents and the adults in my life who told me what to do and when to do it all the time. How many of you can relate to this?!

What I didn’t realize at the time was even though I didn’t have a relationship with God, He had one with me. In my escape to youth group each week, this idea was never told to me. Maybe it was because I didn’t listen, maybe it’s because I didn’t want to know that, or maybe it’s because the youth group I was a part of lacked adults who invested time in us to grow us spiritually. Whatever the case, I went through high school and college struggling with my faith. I thought I had to act a certain way, attend church all the time, and read the bible each day. I was constantly going through relationships with friends and family, breaking ties, forgiving, holding grudges, being hurt, and not realizing that through all of that there was someone who loved me know matter what; something called unconditional love.

It wasn’t until a mission trip to Philadelphia with very close friend that I realized that there was nothing I could do to be in a relationship with God. God is relationship with me, with us, no matter what! And it’s not a matter of having to go to church, youth group, read your bible, or pray, we get to do those things because God’s love is so eternal and never ending that through those things and the relationships we build we get to experience this love, grace, and heaven that God has for us. It was in the community that was built in Philadelphia the I grew into new life. A new season started for me that week and I became new again. It was like a baptism for the spirit! I didn’t have to be on that trip as an adult leader, I was blessed to be there, in community with those adults and students because through them and those relationships I saw Jesus and I heard loud and clear, “He loves you!”

So my challenge to you, as we prepare for this summer and all the community that we get to build during this time through retreats, mission trips, and other summer time events, whether you’ve been coming to Solid Rock or St. Stephen or another church regularly or not, what is it that you don’t have to do anymore but what is it that you get to do? How is it that you are growing into new life realizing the relationship God has with you? When will this new season change for you and bring you forth in hope, joy, and peace, that no matter what God loves you? How will it be that you witness God through the community placed before you so that you can grab a hold of this new life and go forth with your flame shinning bright?

May you get these joys in your new life, the new season, that is brought to you through communities of faith, lifting each other up, loving each other, and witnessing God through their relationships! May you grow in this new life, knowing that Jesus is in relationship with no matter what or where you are! God Bless you and Peace!

No Doubt

2011-02-08T10:02:00.000-05:00

Doubt is a pretty basic feeling for humans. At times doubt seems so natural, especially when we are down in the dumps or just in a negative mood (being a negative Nancy!). I doubt all the time! Generally this time of year for me is filled with doubt, I doubt that the mission trip will end up going well, I doubt my ability to do ministry as things slow down a little, people get stressed from a full year of ministry and students are getting burnt out between school, sports, life, and church! I even doubt my faith...a lot!...Okay, maybe a lot is a small exaggeration, but I do doubt it at times, and it's not just the, one time of year kind of doubt.

But what is doubt really? I would say it is the lack or absence of hope. It is believing that something will go in the direction you do NOT want it to go. Hope is the opposite of that. Hope is the desire and belief that things will go the way we want. Doubt is not necessarily a sin, however, I would like to relate the two. Sin could be defined as the lack of our ability to see God in our life. Doubt, much like sin, I think is also a lack of our trust in God being involved in our lives. God is always with us and his hand is on everything in this world. If we truly believed this then doubt would not exist because we would be hopefull that everything God touches would be safe, clean, beautiful, and loved and that is truly the case. But we doubt that God really does have his hand on everything which only creates more doubt for us in our world.

In my mind hope and belief are one in the same. If we have these in our lives then it eliminates the need to doubt. Unfortunately, that is not the way we are all wired. We forget our connection with God, we find worldly things easier to grasp and so we lean to them instead of God. This creates doubt in Him which leads to more doubt. Doubt is natural, unfortunately, but we need to understand that it is natural. If we can understand this and know that we are not alone in our doubt then we can support each other and encourage each other to faith and hope!

I pray this week that we do not need to be like Thomas, not believing until we feel the holes in His hands. But we can believe and know through the love that we witness, He is risen and we ALL are saved! May you find hope in your world today and may that hope spread to those around you. May the hope bring love and joy and defeat the doubt of the world!

Being Blessed

2011-01-26T12:43:00.000-05:00

There was a pastor who served a ministry for the mentally disabled. There was one particular woman named Kathy who would constantly run into this pastor every day. One day she stopped him and asked him for a blessing. He did the usual cross on the forehead and mumbled some words and as he did this she smacked his hand away. She said, "No! Not now, I want a blessing during worship tonight!" The pastor found this to be a little strange but said ok. He went on with his day not really sure how he would do this blessing during worship that night.

When it came time to worship he still didn't know what he was going to. Before worship began he called Kathy forward to give her a blessing infront of the congregation. She came forward with a big smile on her face and once she reached the pastor she wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his shoulder. The pastor was completely shocked by this and really did not know what to do. By habit he too put his arms around her and embraced her. Then we whispered in her ear, "You are a child of God, his beloved, and with you he is well pleased."

After the blessing Kathy had a large smile on her face and returned to her seat. The pastor thought all went well and prepared to go on with worship when another man in the congregation raised his hand. The pastor called on him and the man said, "Could I have one of those blessings?" Of course the pastor said yes, so the man came forward, wrapped his arms around the pastor, placed his head on his shoulder and the pastor said, "You are a child of God, his beloved, and with you he is well pleased."

When the pastor finished this blessing he looked up to find a line had formed behind this man. Everyone wanted this blessing! The pastor continued blessing the congregation this way until each person that wanted one recieved it.

We all are blessed by so much, but how often do we stop and embrace the things or people that we are blessed by? How do we bless those people around us? Are you taking time to stop and bless those around you? Are you taking the time to stop and be blessed yourself?

This week I challenge you all to take note of your blessings and give thanks for them. See how you are a blessing to others around you and most importantly stop. Stop and allow another to bless you, whether it be someone doing something nice or even someone embracing you, placing your head on their shoulder and hearing these words, You are a child of God, his beloved, and with you he is well pleased."You are a child of God, his beloved, and with you he is well pleased."

You all are blessing to me, peace and love!

Bridge to Baptism

2011-01-18T09:58:00.000-05:00

So in worship we've been talking a lot about baptism and sin, so I thought I've naturally been thinking a lot about baptism lately. Actually my mind has been focused on water a lot. Maybe because it rained all day yesterday, maybe because the weather on the weekends has been perfect and I've been spending a lot of time at Wekiva Island just sitting by the water, or maybe it's because I'm having this strange mid-winter yearning for a beach trip! But water seems to be surrounding my thoughts lately...

So baptism, many of us have done it, or been baptised. Many of us don't remember it though, but we know that it happened to us. So my question this week is what brings us to baptism? You might be thinking, "Well my parents did because I was a baby!" but that's not what I'm talking about. We all come face to face with our baptism every day and we have experiences that many would consider re-baptizing them. Experiences like powerful worship, babies being born, mission trips, etc. These things bring us new life, new energy, and a new perspective on our faith that is much like baptism. These types of things have the Holy Spirits finger prints all over them and pouring out on us as they happen.

So maybe the better question is, what is the bridge you walk across to refresh your faith and remember your baptism?

I consider myself lucky, in that, my career seems to be one bridge after another the forces me to relive my baptism. Retreats with students, meaningful worship, mission trips, serving students every single week, these things are like gushing waters pouring out on to me that bring me life and help me to remember the amazing gifts God has for me. But I wasn't always in youth ministry and this was not always the case. The original "big" bridge for me was a close friend, a church youth group, and a mission trip. After college I returned home to find a very good friend of mine leading the old youth group we were a part of. She pushed me to join her and be a part of the things she was doing. I did it hesitantly. After a year, I was growing but nothing to significant, I was probably only a few steps onto the metaphorical bridge. Then the opportunity of a mission trip came up. I was very hesitant as we had only a few months to plan this elaborate trip and none of us had done something like this before. But again my friend pushed me and continued to lead me across this bridge and the next thing I new I was in Philadelphia with 16 students doing all kinds of mission work, tired, stressed, and yet full of energy and excitement! The last night of the trip was the baptism moment. I had crossed the bridge and water was being poured over my head and the cross being made as our group sat on the back steps of the Lincoln Memorial crying, laughing, sharing, and hugging. The Holy Spirit poured out on all of us, new life reigned, and for a moment we were all clean. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. The bridge was long, bumpy, and creaked a lot as i walked across it but sure enough, it led me to the water.

So what is your bridge in your life? We relive our baptisms every day. Sometimes its a big long bridge, other days its a short small one. But at the end we find that water waiting for us, giving us new life, new hope, and new energy. May you find your bridge often and recognize the waters of baptism pouring over you each and every day!

In His Image

2011-01-05T11:21:00.000-05:00

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

~Genesis 1:27

What does God look like? Well he looks like you!...and me...and your best friend...and your mom and dad! It's right there in Genesis, one of the first things we read in the Bible, he created us in his image! We all have God in us whether we know it or not, or believe it or not. This is the way God created us.

I've always found this to be interesting insight because if we are all created in God's image and he resides in each of us that means when we interact with each other we interact with God. Okay, maybe it's not a direct interaction like pray is but we are still interacting with him because he is present spiritually and physically as we are in his image. Plus as I am writing this and realize I continue to use the pronoun "he" or "his" or "him" and realize that is not necessarily the correct pronoun. Because both man and woman were created in God's image so God could be either or. But I digress, if we are truly created in God's image and when we interact with another person and build a relationship with that person what does that mean in regards to our interaction with God. When we flick off that person that cut us off in traffic, are we flicking off God? When you yell at your mother or father is that yelling at God? When you hold the door for your girlfriend or boyfriend is that holding the door for God? I would argue a resounding YES!

So the question then becomes, how does this change your interaction with people? I think we all would agree that we wouldn't flick God off. We might get angry with him at times but he is still God. I think most people, if they were face to face with God, would treat him or her or whatever with respect, love, and honor. So what happens to your relationships and interactions with people when you stop looking at them as Joe Schmo and start seeing God in them? And maybe the more difficult question is, how do we see in God in every single person we meet, even the bully at school? What do you think about these questions?

So in this new year and new decade may our resolutions be about God and may we strive to see the good and love of God in each and every person we meet. May we treat everyone as we would treat God. May the image of God be so brilliant in you that others will shine too! Peace!

Christmas Has Come

2010-12-21T09:50:00.000-05:00

"Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."

~Luke 2:10

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from my last post of 2010! I decided this morning as I sat to write this I had to go with this verse from Luke. When I read it I am always reminded of Linus from the Peanuts Gang reading the Christmas story during their Christmas play in the Charlie Brown Christmas (probably my most favorite Christmas movie!). My grandfather was a big fan of the Peanuts and nicknamed me "chuck" and now my Aunt and grandma continue the tradition with snoopy cards for most holidays. But there was always something that struck a chord with me when hearing Linus read these words. I think it was the innocence of his voice and the confidence that he read it with.

It is that attitude that I think we all should have about the Christmas story! An excited innocence that has no hesitation that YES! a child has been born to US and he will be our savior. If you really truly believe that this child is our savior I believe you can't say those words without excitement and joy. And it is through the innocence that allows us to not second guess this, not look back and say well what about this and that. Children have this amazing way of just hearing a story and saying, YES! And isn't it interesting that Jesus, our savior, comes to us in this innocence of a child?

To often we get caught up in the details of life, religion, and the world around us. But if we just look at the simplicity of it all, a child, born to us, our savior, the Messiah, and we don't let all of the complexities through it because a miraculous event of peace, love, hope, and joy! So this Christmas I invite you all to approach the coming days as a child, excited for the simplicity of the message and the event. Come to this day with a heart of innocence and excitement. See the child that is for us as a child and see the miracle of this Christmas!

May you be blessed with peace, love, hope, and joy this Christmas and New Year. May God bless you with the simplicity and joy of a life filled with Him and His grace! May this child born to us live in you from this day on. Christmas has come! Merry Christmas!

Lying in a Manger

2010-12-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.Luke 2:7

All of us should use the gospel to evaluate ourselves. How near or far are we from Christ? How are we doing in faith and love? Many become inflamed with dreamy devotion when they hear about how impoverished Christ was when he was born. They grow furious at the people of Bethlehem and criticize their blindness and ingratitude. They think that if they had been there, they would have served the Lord and his mother. They wouldn't have allowed them to be so miserable. But these people don't even notice their own neighbors who are nearby and need their help. They ignore them and leave them as they are. Who on earth doesn't have miserable, sick, blundering, or sinful people around them? Why don't they show their love to these people? Why don't they do for their neighbors what Christ did for them?

Don't deceive yourself by thinking you would have treated Christ well when you don't presently do anything for your neighbor. If you had been at Bethlehem, you would have paid just as little attention to him as everyone else did. You only want to serve him because you know who he is. Let's say that he were to come, lie in the manger, and let you know that he is the one you now know so much about. Of course you would want to do something to help. But before that, you wouldn't have done anything.

Similarly, if you could see your neighbors now as they will be in the future, and if they were lying in front of you, then you certainly would take care of them. But because you only see them for what they are now, you ignore them. You fail to recognize Christ in your neighbors.
~Martin Luther

Christ is in all of us. We were created in His image. Therefore, what we do to others we do to Christ. Doesn't this change the way we interact with each other? It sure makes you think differently about your bother or sister or mother or father and how you just treated them. Or how about the guy you just flicked off for cutting you off in traffic? Martin Luther beautifully illustrates how we are to treat each other, with love and kindness. I think he is absolutely correct in saying that if we were in bethleham 2010 years ago we would have done the same thing the people there did. We would have been to invovled in ourselves to realize who was knocking on our doors, who was right next to us, and the miracles that were happening. So are we still that blind? Who is the person next to you in line at the grocery store? Who is that waiter or waitress serving you food? Who is driving the car in front of you? Maybe this Christmas Season is our time to meet these people; to help them and love them. Maybe this Christmas miracle will be the one where we see Christ in everyone, even the tiny little baby born in a dirty old manager to a teenage girl from a poor town and we invite that baby into our homes instead of keeping him out in the cold hay. Christ is alive in us all! Joy to the world, and peace to you all!

Observing the Silence

2010-11-30T09:42:00.000-05:00

As we enter into the Christmas season and approach the start of a new year it only seems natural to move into a mode of reflection. We look back to the past year, the good, the bad, the fun, the boring and we talk about how we can improve ourselves and our lives for the coming year. If I may, I would like to make a suggestion on something I think we all can improve on and that would be silence. In the month of December Solid Rock will be focusing a lot of our time on silence, listening to God and through that listening, figuring out how to respond to God. Sitting in silence is not easy. Try sitting in complete silence for 5min. Go ahead, give it a try right now, I’ll wait……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Good, I bet that felt like 20min! But over time as you do it more, it becomes easier. You learn to focus your breathing and your attention. Of course I speak as if I am a pro at this and I am most certainly not! I, like many of us, need to work on finding quite time.

So what do you do during this silence, you ask. Well focus on God of course! You see in your silence, you are able to speak with God more clearly. To often we pray a quick prayer as we are driving to and from where ever, or we rush through grace at dinner. There is nothing wrong with any of this, in fact it is terrific that you are praying! But praying is a two way street. God wants us to speak to him, but he wants us to hear him speak back! (Did I just blow your mind?) Yes, God is speaking back to you and when we pray in the midst of the craziness in our lives, it is very difficult to hear what God is saying back to us. And here in lies the most important part. God is speaking to us. Not necessarily spoken words or through angels like in the bible, but he is speaking to us in our hearts. It is not obvious and not always clear and this is why silence is so important.

When we are able to disconnect ourselves from the craziness of the world, shut off our phones, power down the computer, and turn off our brains to the billions of things we need to get done, or are worried about, we are able to better understand and hear God. He is not always easy to hear so the fewer distractions we have the better the chances are that we will hear him!

When I was a senior in high school, the church did a 24 hour pray vigil during holy week. People could sign up for 30min slots in the chapel and the youth would host it by staying the night and welcome people who came to pray in the middle of the night. My senior year I decided to try this out. I signed up for a 30min slot and around 3:30pm my time began. It was just me and God in the small chapel of the learning center. I had a lot going on, I was 3 months from graduating and preparing to head off to college. I hadn’t decided on where to go yet. It was between a very expensive private Lutheran college or Florida State. I wanted to go to the Lutheran college so badly but the financial burden it would have put on my family would have been very difficult. I couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t want me to go to a Lutheran college. I was struggling with a lot!

So my time started. Silence. Just me and God. It was funny because at no point did I feel alone. I began to have this conversation in my head...or maybe it was my heart. I don’t really recall, but I remember processing everything and throughout this 30min things seemed to become clear. I’ll admit, the first 10min were tough. I cried and fought for a little while. But after I settled down and listened to the silence things became easier. I remember the knock on the door at the end of the 30min. It flew by and I wasn’t ready to leave but the next person was there and ready to start their time. I left the chapel feel more comfortable then ever before. All of my problems hadn’t gone away, but I felt a comfort about things. The only way I can explain this is God’s presence speaking to me through my heart, calming me.

Since that experience, I’ve better understood the path God has led me on. Of course, I didn’t learn my lesson and I still do not spend as much time in silence. But every once in a while I do and that feeling of comfort comes back.

So what is God trying to speak to you about? Are you listening to what he is saying? Are you really sitting in silence or are you just sitting in a quite place thinking about the work you need to get done and what you are going to wear tomorrow at school? I challenge you all as we prepare for the birth of Jesus, spend time with him. He is the greatest gift we have and why waste it?! You wouldn't let that new Xbox 360 just sit there after Christmas morning would you? The silence rejuvenates you, allows you to operate smoother. It’s like when you’ve had your computer hooked up to a bunch of printers, the internet, and lots of other peripheral things. It operates slower and doesn't’ function as well. But when you disconnect it from everything and all you are running is just the hard drive, all of a sudden it is able to function at a higher level and handle tasks better. We need to disconnect from everything once in a while and just run off of God. When we do that and we plug back in, everything seems to run smoother.
So may you find silence in the craziness of this time of year. May you observe God working in your life and more importantly hear what he is saying and respond accordingly! God loves you and I do too!

Thank Goodness for Christmas Music

2010-11-23T09:57:00.000-05:00

I know this week I'm probably expected to write about thanksgiving and how we are to give thanks, not just one day of the year but every day, etc, etc, etc. But I feel like that has been done. So being the "rebel" that I am I've decided to focus on something a little different; Christmas music!!

A while ago I decided that i would not start listening to Christmas music until after thanksgiving. Some years I start on thanksgiving, but I just felt like its wrong to listen to Christmas music before the Macy's day parade and Santa comes rolling into town! But I LOVE Christmas music! I am chomping at the bit to pull out my Christmas Cd's this week, blast the carols and sing them loud every where I drive! It just puts me in such a good mood and best of all, so many of the songs are praising God!!

So that got me to thinking, what if we listened to Christmas music all the time? This time of year, things are different. People become so generous and friendly. Joy is almost everywhere you look and there is more giving in this one month than many years see in total. It's an awesome site to see, plus you throw up some big trees and lots of lights and decorations and things just look beautiful! Why wouldn't we want this feeling all year round? I think that is what having Jesus be a part of your life is like, Christmas all year round!

This summer as our student leaders scheduled our calendar they decided they wanted to do some time of service every month. Then we got to December... We started discussing the options we could do and the list was endless, we could feed the homeless, do toys for tots, package meals, raise money for a family, decorate houses, sing carols, the list goes on and on. So I said, "What if Solid Rock was THE group that didn't do anything during Christmas, but instead did Christmas all year?" The students stopped and thought about it for a second. Then they all smiled and shook their heads in agreement and we moved on to December. The decision was made quickly and I'm not sure if the students fully grasped what had just happened. They had made a decision to go against the grain of their culture and be different in the name of Jesus.

So what does Solid Rock do now? Every month we celebrate God's love by serving people in our community. In fact, this week we will be going to serve dinner to 80-100 kids at the Ronald McDonald Houses in Orlando! But in December we are going to take a break from all of that. We will sit back and watch everyone else serve and we will get to see them being Jesus' hands and feet. Every once in a while it is great to see others doing that because sometimes you can better see God moving through others than in ourselves. Once January roles around we will get right back to it though. We will begin to celebrate Christmas in January and February and so on in hopes that others will catch on to the joy that it brings us and others and maybe one day we will all take December off and see Christmas as a year long holiday.

So may you hear that Christmas music all year round, playing hymns of joy and peace and happiness and may these feelings you experience this December be ones you experience for the next 11 months as you experience Christmas year round! Thanks Goodness for Christmas music!!!

2012...The End or the Beginning

2010-11-16T12:12:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a 4 day cruise to Cozumel, Mexico in which I went on a tour of the Mayan Ruins of Tulum. It was an extremely interesting tour that was led by one of the most passionate people I think I've ever met. His name was Angel, a descendant of the Mayan, and long time tour guide (possible post about him in the future). The tour involved a 45min. bus ride to the site, an hour long guided tour around the ruins and then a 45min. bus ride back to the dock. During this time, Angel shared with us the incredible history of the Mayans, their culture, their beliefs, and their way of life. One of the more interesting facts was about the Mayan calendar which has become the center of discussion about the end of times. It is said that the Mayan calendar ends on December 21st, 2012 and many think that the Mayans knew that this was the end for us all. Well here is the funny thing...the image that everyone associates the Mayan calendar with is actually not even Mayan! It is Aztec!! The picture above is the actual Mayan calendar (or a simplified version)! Here is the other thing because of the way leap years work and the lose of hours and days throughout our earths rotation the actual last day on the Mayan calendar would be equivalent to our December 22nd! The one thing that this myth has correct is that the Mayan calendar does in fact "end" in the year 2012.

But here is the thing, the Mayans did not believe that this was the end. Everything in Mayan culture is cyclical. For every end there is a beginning, for every up a down, male female, left right, earth moon, ying yang, and on and on and on. The Mayans were advanced beyond their years with mathematics, astronomy, and astrology. They understood the lunar cycles, the earths rotation around the sun, the seasonal changes, all of that sort of thing. They had it all mapped out mathematically and numerically. This was their way of life, it is how they functioned and all of the things in their lives fit into this calendar which was 360 degrees and the cycle of their lives.

So why 2012? Well their calendar and the way they viewed the world mathematically made their calendar around 5000 years long in full circle. The Mayans existed sometime in the 3000BC area. Fast forward to 2000AD and guess what, a 5000 year long calendar is reaching the end! But that's not really the important part. What's important is the circle. So if we were Mayan following this calendar and we get to 2012 (which if we were Mayan would actually be in the year 5000 something) we wouldn't think that the world is coming to an end because in a circle there is no end! You just start back at zero! For the Mayans, this number was just that, a number! It was a cycle of life that happened naturally in the world and the way it fell mathematically on a piece of paper, or a piece of stone in this case! The cycle in their calendar is just starting over back to zero. Life goes on!

So why is it that we always have to be concerned with the end? Why do we as humans find this constant need to fear the end? What would it be like if we just let God deal with that stuff (He's the only one with any control over it anyways!) and we focused on today? It is said that only God knows when the kingdom will come to earth. So anyone who claims they know this is calling themselves God, which in case you were not sure is not a good thing! So why do we try to figure the impossible out? I guess it is just our inability to let go of our lives and turn it over to God. This is what it really all boils down to. So as we head towards 2012 I invite you all to join me in seeing this date as the Mayans did, not the end but a new beginning. Challenge yourself to let go of your life, leave it up to God and just live for him and his creation! We've got two years to prepare for this new beginning so lets start now and let God do his thing through us and for us! Let's start believing he's got this. If we turn away from all the doom and gloom it's amazing how bright life ends up being! God Bless you and the new beginning we all get each and every day!

Tempting...isn't it...

2010-11-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful: he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

~ 1 Corinthians 10:13

Temptation is all around us. It is not something that goes away with age or maturity. So it is one of those things that we must learn how to deal with because if we don't it will eat us alive. There are so many things that can be classified as tempting and for each person it can be different; sex, drugs, alcohol, candy, food, and the list goes on and on. Some temptations are small and wont really effect our lives in great ways, but others could completely alter our lives forever. The verse above should give us comfort though. We ALL are tempted. It is one of those things that every single human on this earth has in common. Jesus was even tempted (Matthew 4:1-11)! So we can take comfort in knowing that this is a normal part of life and NONE of us are different or weird because of our temptations.

But even more comforting is that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle. An interesting question was posed this past Sunday night with our high school students as we discussed this verse; "How do we know that we can handle the temptation that is in front of us?" Terrific question! But not an easy one to answer! Really, like many other things in our lives, it comes down to faith. Just like we have to believe that God loves us no matter what and that he is always with us taking care of us, we too HAVE TO believe that God is walking through temptation with us making sure that the situations we get into are manageable by us. We have to have faith that this is true. This doesn't mean that we wont be challenged (I don't know of many situations that God doesn't challenge us!). We might have to call on our friends and family for support, but maybe that is how God is working. Maybe because we have to lean on others to get through temptation, that is God working in us to build relationships and spread love. Boy does He work in some crazy ways!!

So fear not, God is always with us. Have faith and remember when you are tempted you have the ability to defeat it! Maybe not on your own, but with God anything is possible. All you have to do is have faith...maybe cave into the positive temptation that is out there, and that is being tempted by God to fully believe that he is present to you all the time, walking with you, and loving you NO MATTER WHAT!!!

God loves you and so do I! Peace!

Knowing WHO God Is

2010-11-02T09:48:00.000-04:00

"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

~Romans 1:22-23

Martin Luther says, "There's a big difference between knowing there is a God who exists and knowing who that God is. All of creation teaches us that there is a God. This is already written on all of our hearts. But only the Holy Spirit can teach us who that God is."

This is a major clarifying point of Christianity! This is what separates Christians from other believers. Many of us live, work, and play with people who believe that there is a God or a higher being. In fact I would argue a very great majority of people across the world would believe this. BUT not as many know WHO God is. It is the WHO that makes us distinctly Christian. The WHO is Jesus, God as flesh in human form. He suffers like us, He's tempted like us, He bleeds like us. Jesus pleads with God to not let him die on the cross. Our God became human so that we can have life and see His love for us! That is WHO God is. It's not until we understand WHO He is that we can fully grasp our faith.

Our faith is built around this relationship with God. Just like any relationship, it can't exist unless we know who the other person is. Thankfully, through the power of God, even when we don't know who He is, He still has a relationship with us, we just don't know about it. But He is present to us. When we do find out who He is and we understand this relationship, that is when we are able to understand the kingdom and draw near to it; draw near to heaven on earth! It is through prayer, worship, service, and praise that we find who God is. The relationship goes from there. He is always working through the Holy Spirit in and around us.

If you don't know WHO God is, spend this week finding out. He is worth knowing and He is in your life whether you know Him or not, so you might as well say, "Hi!"

God, the Holy Genie?

2010-10-26T10:21:00.000-04:00

Last night I attended worship at Northland. I go there every once in a while to worship on my own. Sometimes its nice to go someplace and not be known and just focus on God. They are in a sermon series called "Respond to God" and the weeks theme was prayer. This seemed to be fitting as my prayer life isn't the best and I'm preparing to lead a prayer night in December with my high school students. It was powerful worship with great music and a pretty good message. The main thing that stuck with me was Pastor Joel Hunter speaking about what prayer really is; a conversation with God that builds relationship. A conversation like any we would have on this earth. One like we would have with a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend. And more importantly, it is practice for the day when we reach the kingdom and are in front of God. Pastor Joel asked the question, "Will you know what to say and how to say it when you are right in front of God on the other side of this creation?"

It is through prayer that we practice these conversations. And that is a great way to think of it, but really truly, it's not just practice, when we pray its the real thing. We believe that God is present to us (maybe not physically but spiritually) and when we pray we are having a conversation with him. But what Pastor Joel was saying is true, I believe when we reach the kingdom it will be different because God will be physically present, visible in front of us and that does seem to change the conversation a bit, doesn't it?

So we pray, because practice makes perfect...but what are we saying when we pray? Generally people turn to prayer when they need something. That is OK. God asks us to pray and wants us to ask for things, but that is not the only reason to pray. God is not some Holy Genie that we can just ask for something and poof it is there. It is about conversation with Him, present to you in your life, right then and there. So you are talking with him about your day, whats good, whats bad. You are asking him questions, asking him favors, thanking him for blessings he has brought to you. Letting him know your frustrations, sharing your praises, crying to him, smiling with him. It's NOT just about asking for stuff that you think will make life better for you. In fact, many times when we ask for something, God gives it to us, just not in the way we expected it! If you ask for patients, God isn't going to just magically make you patient, He is going to give you an opportunity to practice patients so that you can learn how to become patient! That's a little tricky isn't it? But it's just like parenting. For all those parents out there, or those kids who had parents, when your kids are of a certain age and wanted a new toy and it wasn't their birthday or Christmas there probably came a point that you didn't get it for them. Instead you gave them an opportunity to get it for themselves. You talked with them about how they could work and earn money which would then allow them to buy the toy. God does the same thing with us! He is our parent! And when you think about it, what a phenomenal way for God to work, He is allowing us to grow and learn!

So do we pray because we have to? No, we pray because we get to! God gives us this instant line to Him that we can use anytime and He wants us to use it all the time! We can't bug God. In the bible He tells us to pray to Him! How great is it that no matter where we are, what we are doing, and who is around us, we always have God present ready to listen and to hear us. But we need to take advantage of this offering He gives to us. So I challenge you to pray this week, not just when you need something but all the time. Talk with God when you are in the car, in your office, in school, at home. Let Him know how things are going, what you need, and what you are thankful for. Share your life with Him, He is ready and present and already sharing with you, you just need to recognize that and say hello!

May you pray the prayer your heart is seeking each and every moment of your life, leaning on God, praising God, thanking God, crying to God, smiling with God, and being with God!

The Miracle of Serving

2010-10-19T10:04:00.000-04:00

Over the past four years in youth ministry I have discovered a passion for serving. I have seen how actually doing Jesus transforms lives, not just talking Jesus. In fact, it was my first mission trip to Philadelphia, PA with 16 students that sealed my faith and my heart in ministry. Four years later I've relived that mission experience three more times and have led/participated in countless other service experiences that have touched my heart, changed my world view, and allowed Jesus to clearly move and show himself in the world I live in. And now, He has blessed me with a job where these types of things are in the job description!

Really, when you think about it, it all makes sense and is pretty easy to understand. In the bible we are told that Jesus is the model for us. We were created in His image and we all have the ability to be Christ like. When we are Christ like in action and word we tap into Him and that is heaven! So when we are caring for others, serving those less fortunate, and fighting for injustice in a peaceful manner we are becoming Christ like and tapping into heaven. For brief moments of time, the kingdom is coming near and not only can you feel that, so can the others around you. You are opening the proverbial flood gates that we as sinful humans have built up and allowing the kingdom to flow through the way it should. In the end, it is nothing short of a miracle and the feelings, relationships, and experiences that come out of that kingdom presence can only be described as a miracle.

This past weekend Solid Rock (our youth ministry) had our monthly MD (Mission Day). The idea was to go on a scavenger hunt around town with a list of things like canned goods, toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, soap, etc. and see which team could collect the most for the Christian Sharing Center. Each item had a point value and each team had $25 that they could spend. They could also collect money donations that would go to the Sharing Center. When we first gathered moral was low. The students didn't seem to be all that excited about a scavenger hunt and they hate asking for food or money! The adults had a similar view, but they were more concerned about time and where they were going to go. But like always, everyone rallied and off they went to their separate cars, speeding out of the parking lot because whoever got to the "hour long light" leaving the church would have such an advantage! I was home base and backup so I began to prepare things for the rest of our evening and get some work done. Two hours flew by and the next thing I knew the herd of students came rushing up the stairs to make sure they were all on time, hands filled with bags, that were filled with all kinds of donated items! Just two hours ago, there was 9 students slowly walking down the stairs, tired and unexcited along with 6 adults and all of a sudden those 9 students and 6 adults were smiling, laughing, and full of joy! Then we began counting. I was amazed at how much these students had gotten donated from just knocking on doors and asking for things. 484 items!!! 9 students, 2 hours! And then the biggest shock of them all...they begin pulling out wads of cash! People had given these students money to donate as well! $95 in total!!! Honestly, when making the scavenger hunt I just put the cash on their as a last minute "what the hell" type thing. I really didn't expect the students to get money donated, but they did, and a lot!! In the end every student told me how much fun they had and the adults the same. I heard stories of the relationships built in the 2 hours stuffed in a car and all the joy that they brought, even to people's homes that they went and stopped at! The only way I can explain this 180 is a miracle, a miracle of God, moving through these students as the Holy Spirit as they became like Christ and the kingdom drew closer, the sin pushed away and God reached out and touched everyone involved!

It is these experiences that confirm my faith that God does exist and that it is possible for us to reach the kingdom. I had said on a mission trip in 2009, if everyone could experience what we had just experienced then maybe we would be that much closer to heaven, because what we had experienced that week was heaven. It is my prayer that everyone is able to let go of their own needs at some point and lift up those who are truly in need, serve like Jesus, break down the sin even just for a moment, and let the kingdom come near. All it takes is one time for this miracle to happen, then you become addicted and there is no turning back...and it is awesome!

May the kingdom be brought close to you, whether through the serve you are doing or the service others are doing for you so that you might find the comfort and joy that the kingdom brings!

The Mysterys of God

2010-10-12T11:17:00.000-04:00

"As you do not know the path of the wind, or now the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things."

~Ecclesiastes 11:5

It is not always possible for us to understand God's plan for us. And if you really try, sometimes it just becomes more frustrating trying to figure out what this ultimate teacher, guide, creator, and leader is trying to accomplish in His plan! We get frustrated when we ask God for something in prayer and we don't recieve it. We say that God isn't listening or that he doesn't asnwer prayers. But God is not a genie that you can just turn to him and he will grant your every wish. That, unfortunately, not how all this works! No, fortunately, God wants us to be involved in our own lives and wants us to be in relationship with him that honors him and his creation! Plus, maybe God did answer that prayer you prayed asking for something. But maybe it just wasn't the way you invisioned it. God's funny in that way, he can answer our prayer without us even knowing it and work through us in ways we might not have ever thought.
Three years ago I was finished with school and looking for work. I applied to hundreds of production companies, film houses, and television stations. Every day I spent hours online looking at job sites, sending follow up emails, and tweeking my demo reel. I spent days upon days driving around town knocking on doors, meeting people, passing out resumes and hunting for the job that would launch my career in the film and television industry. I prayed to God, "God, please help me find a job! If you help me find a job I promise to honor you with it! I will work really hard, make lots of money, and will work on films that promote positive social change. I will create my own production company that will make videos for churches and it will all honor you! All I'm asking for is that first job that will get me started on this path! Amen" More months went by and no job... Finally, i caught a break, a job on a cruise ship! This was it, the start of the career that would be the rest of my life! Thank you God!.... Nope! The job sucked! Before I knew it I was back home in the exact same place I was four months earlier. And then God did it; he did his funny little thing that was answering my prayers but boy it sure wasn't the answer I was expecting. I got a job offer at this church to be the Youth and Family Ministry Coach. It wasn't at all what I was expecting or looking for but it was a job. I didn't realize it until after I accepted the job that this was God answering my prayer and working in a really mysterious round about way. By golly it was His plan and boy did he know better then me! I'm now entering my third year as a youth minister, preparing for further education in ministry, and no plans to be stepping out of ministry. I prayed for a job that would honor him and that is what he gave me, just not the same job I thought I needed to honor him.

Why ask why? If we believe God is always present to us and has a plan for us, why do we always try to figure it our ourselves? I guess that is the nature of sin, our own meddling in this plan that we frankely can't grasp...because we are always meddling in it! What would it be like if we just sat back and enjoyed the mystery of life that God is putting before us? What if we stopped asking why and started asking where? Where is Jesus in the midst of our lives? He is there, all the time, in ALL of our lives. What if we start seeing Him in our lives on a daily basis? How does that change your daily adventure of life? Maybe we just need to get out of the way, say, "I love you and trust you God" and see what adventures He has planned for us.

What does your adventure look like? Where is Jesus in your adventure today?

May you find Him and His love in the wonderful adventure of life that is a gift and a blessing each and every day!

Contentment Comes from God

2010-10-05T11:53:00.000-04:00

To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.

Ecclesiastes 2:26

"Whenever someone is able to feel content with what they have, it's a gift from God. God gives those who please him contentment without having to strive for it. God sees only two kinds of people: those who are faithful and those who are sinners. Besides the gifts he gives to all people, God gives wisdom and discretion to the faithful. On top of that, he adds joy. The faithful are content with what they have and are not tormented by the same kind of thoughts and desires sinners have. They go about their business with joy and peace.

On the other hand, sinners are always troubled. They are preoccupied with gathering and storing up wealth, but they're never satisfied. Even if they've been given wisdom and skill, so many difficulties are mixed in with these gifts that they feel more like punishment. Sinners don't enjoy their work, whether it's farming or building—even though others enjoy doing these things and find happiness in them. What sinners produce cannot be used in the right way by anyone except those who have God's approval. So whatever sinners accumulate belongs to those who have God's approval. The faithful know how to use God's gifts with joy and thanksgiving, even when they have very little.

But sinners don't even use what they have, in spite of all the trouble they go through to accumulate their possessions. In the end, faithful people truly own the whole world because they enjoy it with happiness and contentment. Even when they possess a lot, sinners have nothing. That's how pointless their lives are." ~Martin Luther

It is funny to think about our lives and what we try to do each and every day. So many of us are striving to do well in school to get a good job to make a lot of money to make our families happy and ourselves happy. We are trying to impress the girl/guy we like, we are trying to be cool, popular, unique, normal, different, better, whatever your poison. Our lives seem to be a constant struggle to find contentment and to be happy, but in the end, all of these things we do and gather and collect don't make us happy and content. In the end it is what God offers us, His eternal love and grace. We have it all wrong, if we just look at the blessings God has given us and are content with what we have, we end up gaining so much more! It is those who continue to try to have more (more of things that don't matter!) that continue to struggle because they do not recognize God's presence in their life! He is there, but if your life is so cluttered by the things you are trying to do without Him then you are blinded to His works and His presence.

So my question and challenge to you this week is, what are you content with in your life? How has God blessed you with contentment and what does that look like in your life?

May you feel blessed with whatever it is God has blessed you with, whether it be big or small, and may you feel content with God's undeniable, unrelenting love and grace He has for you. May we all feel content with this amazing gift and continues to give us the world! Amen!

Spirit Movement Tour 2010 Day 9

2010-07-31T20:35:00.001-04:00

Imagine, if you will, 21 hours on a bus for 34 teens, 10 adults, and 2 bus drivers. It wasn't as bad as you imagined.

We slept a lot of the time (ride was from Friday 9p - Saturday 6p), watched some movies, played some games, read books and listened to music. Pretty pleasant really, when you're with friends who have become your second family. The students were great, there was no complaining and no "are we there yet?"!

We arrived safely in Memphis and our BBQ dinner arrived very shortly thereafter.
YUM!! Worship was really moving. Each of us shared what we had gotten out of the trip, whether we met the goals we set at the outset, and extinguished our personal candle. There were hugs and tears all around (I brought tissues to worship)

Then it was time to burn off some of the energy stored up from the bus ride. Lively races, basketball, and dodgeball were the order of the evening. Of course, there were those of us who preferred watching, reading, or writing postcards too.
Early bus call in the morning, we are supposed to leave by 7a.

Spirit Movement Tour 2010 Day 8

2010-07-30T20:32:00.000-04:00

Having finished our work at Mosaic, we spent a day off at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. BEAUTIFUL mountain scenery, ancient Indian ruins, and an enjoyable time in God's wonderful creation.

Most of the group went on a hike, while the rest went on a scenic drive tour (drive, stop/pictures at ruins/overlook, repeat). A thunderstorm came up while we were exploring the park. No one was injured. Everyone got wet, but the hiking group got soaked!

After our day at the park, we had dinner and boarded the bus for our overnight drive. We started out about 9p, a little later than planned. Sleeping on a bus isn't so bad when you're exhausted from a week of work and a day of hiking!

Spirit Movement Tour 2010 Day 7

2010-07-29T20:28:00.000-04:00

We finished the work at Mosaic today. They now have a fenced-in outdoor
recreation/garden area instead of a dirt lot, with planters and a bench we created. Their large rooms have been painted, cabinets replaced and organized. We are SO excited by what we have accomplished by the grace of God.

The folks at Mosaic are fantastic. They provided a great lunch for us - Navajo tacos with fried bread and ice cream to follow. They have been so appreciative of our efforts and it has been a pleasure to serve them. Kenny received some thank you cards they had made and we'll display them in the youth room. Amy from Mosaic joined us for worship tonite and brought each student and adult a small gift. As I've said before, there have been abundant blessings going around!

We had another wonderful meal at a local Mexican restaurant, then worship and small group time. Tomorrow we have our fun day at Mesa Verde.

smiles

2010-07-29T15:42:00.004-04:00

My Mamma is an ocupational theropist, she works with kids that have disabilities. I've always wondered how she does it, because it seemed so difficult to work and work with someone who shows such tiny improvement. My goal on this mission trip was to one, make friends, and two, borrow my mother's strength to work and interact with the clients at Mosaic. In which both were acpomplished thanks to one thing. Smiles. While painting a busy doorway at Mosaic, a man in a wheelchair was behind me and i didn't notice. Feeling terribly embarassed when finally noticing he had been waiting behind me for quite a bit, i gave him a huge smile and waved the paintbrush as a hello and an apology. The man smiled. Not a normal smile, but a smile showing complete happiness. At that moment, i felt as if i were the grinch, and my heart grew four times the size of its original. I now know how my Mama does it. Her patients simply smile, and all her valliant efforts are more than worth it.
-Ann Hall

Perspective

2010-07-29T14:01:00.005-04:00

If there is anything I have discovered on this trip, it is a new found appreciation for the adults, Kenny Champagne specifically, and all they do for Solid Rock. I found myself in a very difficult position this year on my last mission trip and about to be absent for essentially the next four years. I was and am a leader, conflicted and confused, doing his best to step back and hand the reigns to those ready to grab the bull by the horns to direct the youth group for the immediate future while simultaneously directing them in the right direction so they're not wandering blind. An oxymoronic goal to say the least.

For the first time in my life I came very close to understanding the point of view of the adults that work so hard at making sure we don't kill each other, set anything on fire, or other various forms of potential doom and damage. With literally the most students (34) ever attending any youth group event with less adults than expected due to conflictions, the leaders, young and old, steering wheel and adults, were at their wits end finding ways to maintain peace in the midst of controversy and disputes.

A challenge I wasn't expecting but nevertheless completely necessary was smacking me in the face. I am plenty accustomed to defending people when they are being attacked when absent, especially the adults that students may not always be pleased with, but I will be completely honest, there was legitimate difficulty when you agree with what your hearing. As tempting as it is to concur when not completely pleased, it was my responsibility to search for the alternative perspective. Once I accomplished this, the reason I was on this trip, and the way the Spirit was going to move through me, became very clear.

Comparing mission trips is a haphazard practice, but it is borderline unavoidable when you're not the only one realizing that things feel different than previous years. Were we working on a scorching roof to the brink of a necessary hospital visit? No. Were we working for people capable of expressing their gratitude? No. Did we all necessarily get that unnatural and almost unattainable high that for some reason can't be reached unless you're so far gone and exhausted from work you barely remember your name that somehow brings you closer to God? No. However, this is where the changed perspective becomes completely pertinent.

The work may not have been as strenuous, or nearly as abundant, but that made it no less important and impactful. Whenever a peer would mention the differences between previous years and now, I would remind them to look at it from a different angle. First of all, the mission trips are first and foremost about helping others, but they are also the most efficient tools in bringing all the youth together so WE can be more efficient tools as the hands and feet of God on other occasions. Second, the work we are performing is for people completely incapable of showing appreciation for our presence, but we will NEVER be capable of comprehending the impact we have on their lives.

This may not have been the most moving mission trip I've ever been on, but it was by far the most enlightening. I learned that what is needed is not always the most rewarding. I learned that understanding and concurring at two completely different things, but regardless you have to support people sometimes whether you always agree with them or not. I learned that a lot more goes into mission trips than anyone can fathom without experiencing it themselves. I learned how much the adults stress and worry and how badly they just need cooperation and respect even if it means biting your tongue sometimes. The Holy Spirit moved through me to change my outlook on the many situations that crop up in life. To notice that not everything is as it appears, and that not everything makes sense from your own point of view. That in order to truly understand almost anything... you have to alter your perspective...

-Ryan Traher

a life changing experience that will last a life time

2010-07-29T13:10:00.003-04:00

Helping out at Mosaic has made me realize the better side of life. The autistic people are really cool. They are like us really smart, love to learn new things, love to have fun, and espically never let anything bring them down no matter what the situation might be exactly. Seeing the smiles on their faces each and every day has made me wanna work harder and that I'm working to help change there live. They have changed my life almost as I changed there. I will never forget them for as long as I can remember. Just knowing i made a difference in someones life has made look at life totally different. Since day 1 working here has been really life changing and hopefully some time in the future i can work with more people like the people in Mosaic. Kenny ( not the youth minster kenny) but the guy who is in charge Dayhab at Mosaic he is a really cool guy. We both had a serious talk about life and many different things. I would really love to come back in a few years and see how everyone is doing.

Spencer "Pablo" Charles

Humbled

2010-07-29T12:20:00.003-04:00

On this last work day of the mission trip, words can not describe how thankful I am for being able to be a part of all the wonderful things going on here in Farmington. When I first heard of the trip it was around November when I first started going to Solid Rock. I was disappointed that I had only just found out about the trip then because it sounded like something I would love to be apart of. Amazingly enough, after only going to Solid Rock for three months or so I was asked if I would like for my entire trip to be paid for by a sponsor. My initial reaction was that I didn't deserve such a wonderful offer. I told them (with much sadness) that even though I appreciated the wonderful offer, I had to decline because there would be someone else that would need this much more than I did. There would be more mission trips I could go to in the future. Although, without much convincing, I was persuaded that I should accept the offer and go. I can't thank them enough. Every second of this has been amazing! So many wonderful things happen every day. Whether I was helping here at Mosaic, staring out into the beautiful scenery, raving in the boys bedroom hallway, or even exploding red cream soda ALL OVER myself; I was having fun and so was everyone else. There have been so many amazing experiences. Going through all these states that some of us have never been to was awesome. Staying in these churches along the way was great too. The love these people showed us was incredible. Especially the people at the church in Farmington. Another great thing was going to this wonderful lake on the first day. Most of us were able to climb up this part of a Mountain and just look out and see the water and amazing scenery. The fact that us Floridians could even go up that high was amazing enough in its own, but I truly believe I could feel God's pr essence in the silence and solitude. That is something I can say I have never felt before and it was wonderful. From then on I could see him acting on everyone individually. Everyone was filled with motivation. All of us just wanted to make sure that we could truly do our best for these people in need. We all did what we could, and if we didn't know how then we would make sure to learn. I also could tell that we were slowly learning to accept each other and embrace our differences, which can truly be defined as a miracle sometimes. My head is filled with so many thoughts that I just can't express it all. What I can say though is that this trip has easily changed my life. I have learned about myself, the Solid Rock Family, and the people here. We all have been humbled. I love it.

-Josh Owens

Spirit Movement Tour 2010 Day 6

2010-07-28T12:11:00.001-04:00

Day 3 at the worksite. By the end of the day inside and outside projects are nearing the finishing phase. The fence is done, the planters are done, the sun shades are in process. The replacement cabinets were delivered and assembled today and the materials moved from the old cabinets and organized. Then the old cabinets were taken apart as they were falling down anyway. The dark blue wall is painted, but some areas need touch up/second coat.

The family of one of the clients brought us pizzas for lunch! The mom wrote us a wonderful card, which I’ll transcribe here:

Because of your hearts, the work of your hands; the efforts that you have exhibited we Thank You! We pray a special blessing upon each one of you. Know that you have made a difference. You are His hand extended.
God Bless
Sincere Thanks
Luke 9:24
If you try to hang onto your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it.

Matt read it aloud to the students after lunch and they were touched as well.

A bit of fun was had on the worksite as well – the students ganged up on Kenny and “mudded” him. We had to hose him off. Good thing we had the water all ready from washing the back of our bus.

After work we went to a large indoor pool facility for some wet fun. They had a water slide and diving boards. The students and adults really enjoyed it! THEN we came back to home base for some AMAZING lasagne & garlic bread. And our "usual" two desserts. Berry cobbler after dinner and ice cream later. It was “dress up” night – which doesn’t mean formal, but rather goofy/fun. The students are VERY creative!

Our worship tonight was about “The Journey” and we used some songs from the band Journey. Fun! During their free time, the students had a “rave” (so I guess they weren’t tooooo tired...) But they were tired enough to cooperate and go to bed on time. Thanks be to God!

Spirit Movement Tour Day 5

2010-07-27T12:08:00.000-04:00

Day two at the worksite. A TON of progress was made. All the fence posts are up, we got most of the long side with cross-pieces and slats done. Several of the planter boxes have been completed.

The large room paint is done!!!!!!! We had some great detail painters doing trim work. The darker color in the kitchen area is mostly done and tomorrow we will finish it. We bought cabinets to replace the rickety crafts cabinets they had bolted to the wall. Those will be put together tomorrow.

A couple of interesting side projects sprang up. A group of girls made wooden “holders” for the small oxygen cylinders that were stacked in a corner. And another couple of students helped with a project of setting up binders in which client records will eventually be stored.

MANY students are discovering gifts and talents they didn’t know they possessed and learning new skills. They are learning teamwork, perseverance, improvising, and empathy in addition to physical skills.

Spirit Movement Tour 2010 Day 4

2010-07-26T11:53:00.001-04:00

Wow what a day! Our first day on the job site. We had an orientation and met some of the Mosaic residents while things were being setup. We had part of our crew outside (with shade avail), preparing to build a fence. This crew dug postholes, first with a manual posthole digger and then moving on to an electric auger. Still there were challenges of lots of rocks! Boards had to be sawed and measured. Most of the fence posts are now up. We got a start on the planter boxes as well. The second group was inside, painting a large open activity room and kitchen. We had to move equipment and shelves from the walls, mask the edges and paint. One 5 gallon bucket of paint was used and we aren't done. The kitchen was also cleaned, with everything removed from cabinets/shelves, washed, and organized. Our groups demonstrated teamwork and enthusiasm and did a fantastic job.

The students really worked well together, even those who had not been as outgoing. Several learned new skills. One of the things that impressed me was that at lunch, before the adults finished eating, some of the students were already back to work. AND we are loving worship and small groups every night. The Spirit is definitely working in us and through us.

The staff was SO impressed at the amount of work accomplished. Both they and we felt blessed!!!!!!

Spirit Movement Tour 2010 Day 3

2010-07-25T11:50:00.000-04:00

We are in Farmington, NM and really glad to be off the bus and in one location till the end of the week! We went to Navajo Lake this afternoon. We saw the beauty of God's creation in a much different setting than we are used to. And Monday we start work at Mosaic!

Spirit Movement Tour 2010 Day 2

2010-07-24T11:30:00.000-04:00

Cooler day on the bus!!!! We saw cows and drinking water by hand pump at an Oklahoma rest stop. Oklahoma has terribly bumpy roads! No bus-sick yet though. We're looking forward to a more "normal" night tonite in Amarillo...pizza for dinner, worship, and a little bit of free time before lights out.

Start of the Spirit Movement 2010 Tour - Day 1

2010-07-24T09:24:00.000-04:00

The start of our 2010 mission trip to Farmington, NM! We head out from St Stephen to Memphis, TN.

It was a LONG day on the bus. The students spent time getting to know each other better. We had some problems with the bus being hot, but the students dealt with it pretty well.

In Memphis we had delicious bbq, great worship, and a good night's sleep.

Spirit Movement Tour: The Day Before

2010-07-22T15:55:00.002-04:00

Well according to the "offical" count down on our website we have t-minus 14hours till we depart for Farmington, NM. I will admit I have gone through the full range of emotions this week. I woke up Monday morning and was unbelievably excited. Tuesday came and I pretty much had a mental break down. It seemed like everything was going wrong and I was completely freaking out. Wednesday came and I was exhausted. I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through this week let alone the 10 day trip that is right around the corner. And then I woke up this morning... This morning I woke up and felt a sense of pride, not for myself, but for our students. I'm so proud of our students, that they would want to spend 32hours on a bus, driving cross country to go to a small town in the mountain desert during the summer time to serve a bunch of people they don't know and will probably never see again. I am proud because they WANT to do this and they WANT their friends to do this. I'm proud because they are telling their friends about what they are doing this coming week, they are telling their co-workers and bosses about it. They are posting it all over facebook and telling the world that they are disciples of the risen Jesus and they are going out to do His work! This pride brings so much joy to my heart and hope for the future.

I already know that this trip is going to be a tough trip. It is going to be physically and emotionally draining. It's going to be emotional, high energy, and impactful and I can't wait for all of it! Our theme this year is how the Spirit moves in you. It's all about letting the Spirit lead us and knowing that God is present and will take care of us. Already, I have had to let my gaurd down and trust fully in God that he will provide and the trip hasn't even begun. We all will need to do this throughout the next ten days and it is going to be a challenge. But it is a challenge that I know our students WILL meet. They will experience Jesus first hand and they will see him working through them. They will feel him giving them the energy and strength to do things they didn't think they could do. I can't wait for all of this to happen and I am excited for you all to be a part of this journey! I encourage you all to follow us each day on the website, www.SolidRockYM.com. You can use the same devotions we will use each night during worship. Comment on this blog and respond to our students who will be writing here each day their thoughts and telling stories from the day. Interact with us and join us on this journey!

May the Spirit move in you this week as He will in us. May you be blessed by those you serve in the name of Jesus. May you be His hands and feet each and every day of your life, bringing love, joy, hope, peace, and grace to ALL!

We are changing the world, one small piece at a time, are you?

Peace,

Kenny

Winds of Grace Tour 2009: The Journey Home

2009-06-21T10:47:00.001-04:00

Well what can I say, another amazing Solid Rock Mission Trip! I'm sitting on the bus with 3 hours left until we pull in to St. Stephen, Bruce Almighty is playing on the small TVs, half the students are asleep from, the adult leaders are all reading and attempting to stay awake, and the rest of the students are somehow wide awake, talking, and enjoying their last few hours together on this trip.

It is hard to describe this week in words. This is my third mission trip and the best yet! I have never seen so much passion in these students and have never seen them work harder. This week was a complete God experience and I believe that everyone involved experience His presence with us every step of the way. The week started out a little on the slow side as we tried to figure out all of the details of the work ahead of us. It's funny to think now, but Monday night the adult leaders sat down to talk about the next day and our biggest concern was the lack of work we had and we were very concerned there would not be enough work to get us past Tuesday! Little did we know how much work was in front of us with re-roofing a whole house!

Throughout the week the adult leaders and I saw our students transforming in their relationships with each other and with God. They would sit on breaks and speak with Ms. Ward, Ms. Florida, and Mr. Roosevelt speaking with them and hearing their stories. This happened each day we were at the work sites and by the end of the week we had new family in Alabama!!

Thursday was the highlight of this trip for me. To start with the students with no prodding or encouragement from any of the adults decided unanimously to get up an extra hour early so that we could finish the roof. Once at the work site they worked harder than ever before. It had to be around 130 degrees on that roof but those students didn't let it faze them! We had teams on the ground cleaning up the yard that was littered with shingles and nails, and teams on the roof, laying singles, hammering, and tearing. It was a heavenly thing to see! Jesus was among us this day; He was in each and every one of the students, in their hearts keeping them going.

It was around 2:30pm that afternoon when I stepped back from the project and it hit me..., "We're not going to finish this." The biggest most overwhelming feeling of defeat flooded me and I didn't know how to break it to the students. Slowly I approached the student leaders and the adults. The students knew in their heads that we weren't going to finish but their hearts said otherwise. They asked to stay until 7pm or 8pm or until it got dark. They asked to come back in the morning early again to finish the project. The truth is, a few more hours that day and we still wouldn't have finished. We needed at least two more full days of work. It was too hot to be on the roof and working and if we pushed any harder we would have students dropping like flies. The attitude of these students and their desire to finish the job was too much for me. I stepped away after seeing all of them crushed and had to gather my thoughts and just ask God to help me and these students understand why we couldn't finish this job.

It was about an hour or two later when we finally got everyone off the roof and Mr. Roosevelt came to speak to us under the tree that had provided us shade and shelter all week. His words brought me to tears. He explained to the students how they were an answer to their prayers. How a home is not a home unless there is a roof to cover their heads and these students provided this to them and made it a home again! He thanked God for these students and all they did and he was not at all fazed by the small part of the roof that was not finished. He told us, that his home was now our home and anytime we were in the area he wanted us to come by and see him. He told us the door is always open for us, both doors, front and back, so we could come "home" anytime! If this wasn't a God thing, I don't know what is! I saw Jesus in Mr. Roosevelt and Ms. Florida that day and I think it was at that moment that the students realized why we were there. I know that's when I realized it...

We do mission trips, not to complete projects, or to put on roofs, or to learn new skills. Those are all benefits of these trips but that's not why we do it. We do these trips to bring the love of Jesus to others who might not know him, or who maybe haven't experienced his love in a long time. Sure we want to complete the tasks that are put in front of us, but that is not always in God's plan. That was not his plan this week. Instead His plan was for us to grow our family, our Solid Rock family, our St. Stephen family, our Christian family. And I am proud to say that this task was fully completed! Pastor Lee said in our last evening in Mobile, "When two or three are gathered Jesus is present". Well I will tell you what, there were 34 of us there this week and Jesus didn't leave our side for a second and we ALL felt that!

It is a blessing beyond all blessing for me to be a part of this group and to lead these students. Just when I think they can't make me more proud, they step up like they did this week and blow me away. The grace of God was present this week and our mission to blow grace to all ends of the earth I think was accomplished! These teenagers ARE changing the world, they ARE impacting lives and they ARE the life of the church! There is no doubt about it!

But our mission is not over. It is only beginning because now the biggest challenge is ahead of us. We return home and we must now keep God present in our lives and continue to show everyone back home, friends, family, and strangers what we experienced this week. This is our mission, to create disciples of the risen Christ, these students are doing that in the mission fields of these trips, but now we must all learn how to do that in the mission fields of our daily lives and that is what we return home with, our stories to encourage and explain ALL God's never ending grace and glory, forever and ever! And when we all have the feeling and the attitude these 23 students had this week...well then that is heaven.

As we return home I thank you all for all the blessings and prayers you provided us with this week. We couldn't have done it without you and we are proud to have you join us in mission! I pray that you all can experience what these students have experienced this week and that you will continue to help and support these students and each other in the mission field of life, creating disciples and spreading the love of God! God Bless you all and we will see you all next weekend at worship as the youth begin to share their stories with our Mission Trip Worship Celebrations at all three services!!!

Kenny Champagne

Winds of Grace Tour 2009: A Chapter Ends

2009-06-20T09:13:00.004-04:00

We faced many challenges as we rushed to finish the roof on the last day of mission work. Even facing incredible odds, Solid Rock accomplished an unbelievable amount of work in conditions even professionals would refuse.

Alex Barnes writes about June 17:

Thursday would’ve been just like any other day on a St. Stephen youth mission trip. But there was 130 degree weather, sun beating down sucking all the energy out of any creature, and heat waves visibly coming off of the roof we were working on. Was this enough to stop the Solid Rock youth group from attempting to accomplish such a huge task such as completing re-roofing a house? The answer is no my friends.

Thursday would’ve been just like any other day on a St. Stephen youth mission trip. But something occurred on that very day that no one but God could’ve put into motion. First of all, the day started one hour earlier than any of the other days before it… at 6 a.m. You ask, “why the change?” I’ll tell you why… the youth decided to get up earlier just so they had a fighting chance to complete Mrs. Roosevelt’s roof. This was the first amazing event of the day, and it set the tone for the rest of it.

Thursday would’ve been just like any other day on a St. Stephen youth mission trip. But once to the worksite, there was a fire burning in everyone’s eyes that I cannot explain in words. It truly was God at work. From arriving at the site at eight in the morning, till lunch time, everyone was determined to finish as much as possible before the day became too hot, and kids and adults alike had to be literally forced off the roof to take breaks.

Thursday would’ve been just like any other day on a St. Stephen youth mission trip. But not only did we crack through the morning hours, but we kept the steam rolling into the heat, sweating out what water we had in our bodies, and using our faith and love for one another to push through the struggle. Drinking water frequently, complaining only when it was about coming down, and never looking back, we pushed. We pushed St. Stephen.

Thursday would’ve been just like any other day on a St. Stephen youth mission trip. But I fell through that old roof that day, sending everyone into a worried frenzy making sure I was ok. But through the hands and grace of God, I was ok. It was an absolute miracle, and because of it, we found a bad spot in the roof that would’ve been problematic later and probably would’ve leaked.

Thursday would’ve been just like any other day on a St. Stephen youth mission trip. But after I fell in that roof, not one time did someone show fear about standing on that roof. Not one person backed down to finishing the job. We pushed on, through the afternoon heat, and never lost focus on our goal. We pushed so hard that four people had heat exhaustion, and two people passed out from the excess of heat.

Thursday would’ve been just like any other day on a St. Stephen youth mission trip. But once we found out that we couldn’t possibly finish the job because of the time of day and working conditions, everyone was so upset to the point that they almost cried. Stress and aggravation ran through the youth, but what ran through my veins and heart? Pride and love for all of my peers, because everyone cared so much about two people they didn’t know, and all they wanted was to help them.

Thursday would’ve been just like any other day on a St. Stephen youth mission trip, but it wasn’t. It was so much more. Nothing will ever replicate that day, and I will never forget the determination and drive I saw in everyone’s face. This was no normal youth mission trip, but a rather extraordinary one. After working so hard on this whole trip, all of the people involved felt so great and spiritually high. In the words of Kenny Champagne,” If everyone felt this way in the world, it would be heaven.”

Thursday would’ve been just like any other day on a St. Stephen youth mission trip, but God didn’t allow it. God made it one of the greatest days of my life.

These guys worked so hard, I wish St. Stephen could have been there to see it. They all worked until they dropped. That night we shared communion on what will be for many the most memorable day of the trip.

-G. Lue

Winds of Grace Tour 2009: New Beginnings

2009-06-19T14:19:00.006-04:00

As we move further into the week, one of our mission sites is completed. With a sense of completion, the two groups combine into one to tackle the arduous task of roofing an entire house in the short span of a day and a half.

Ryan Traher writes on Wednesday June 17:

A rotten roof leads to a rotten ceiling. A rotten ceiling leads to a rotten wall. A rotten wall leads to a rotten room. And a rotten room leads to a relatively rotten life. My work group spent two and a half days repairing 79-year-old woman’s roof and bedroom wall that had been falling apart ever since Hurricane Katrina. We learned firsthand the result of negligence and carelessness in the midst of necessary repair when we discovered that the rot was a product of a poor patch job on the roof. We were in the shade. There was not much to do. There was never enough supplies. There were too many people for the amount of work there was. The work was boring to say the least and not the least bit satisfying. The most aggravating thing though was the lack of cooperation from the organization sponsoring the mission work we were participating in. We did have the honor of being the last group to work for LDR (Lutheran Disaster Response) in this area, but I had to face the fact that they’re commitment to these last few projects was less than satisfactory. This was the reason that a project that could have taken a day took more than twice as long. Instead of the gratifying feeling that comes from knowing your changing someone’s life, I was filled with anger, lack of patience, disappointment, selfishness. Despite the fact that I knew that the work we were doing was just as equally important as a job that was more productive, I was blinded by my emotions and loss of logic. It was not until we had finished that I found reason. We had patched up all the holes and laid new shingles and mudded the wall and sprayed popcorn on the ceiling, etc, etc. But the best part of the job was speaking with that 79-year-old after the job was done and it finally brought me peace. I do not know if I have ever seen someone so grateful to have a bedroom again; a place to sleep; a place to live. I had not had that incredible feeling I was looking for all week, but that day surely made up for it. I lost track of how many times I got dizzy from an indescribable joy that one can only experience from the knowledge that you changed someone’s life.

Even small jobs are incredibly important, and even when circumstances are frustrating there is an understanding of that. Every person at both sites came together that afternoon for an awesome lunch of fried catfish. After lunch both teams tackled the roof at the large site.

These guys are overwhelmingly awesome.

-G. Lue

Winds of Grace Tour: The Mission Continues

2009-06-17T13:49:00.000-04:00

As we move further into the mission, the energy sustains and the work continues at an amazing pace that could only be the work of God's hands and feet. Even in such heat, spirits remain high and fun is still had! It's astounding how incredible these young adults are.

Jenna Dietz writes about Tuesday June 16:

If I could choose one theme for our second day of work, i would have to say it was ultimate TEAMWORK. The passion behind our actions together was unbelievable and we got an incredible amount of work done. We completely stripped the roof so that all that was left was the array of never ending nails--and everyone was gulity of serious effort. When it was time to put two tons (yeah, that's right two tons) of shingles and tarp material up on the roof, within seconds a fireman's line was created. One second there was a whole trailer full of heavy shingles, and the next time we look over its empty. Needless to say, we were tired. Very, very tired. But that in no way means we lost our enthusiasm. At lunch the boys (of course) had an epic ninja battle with garden tools to provide that hilarious entertainment to light the spark that we needed to keep up this work. In the next few hours our job was completely finished and we felt like we had really made worked our butts off, and each and every person walked away with that warm fuzzy feeling of making a difference in someones life. In the words of Jen, it was DOMINANT!!!!

Every day Solid Rock faces new challenges, but with teamwork and God's will, they overcome everything they face.

-G. Lue

Winds of Grace Tour: The Mission Begins

2009-06-16T01:10:00.007-04:00

The second day of our trip and our first day of mission work was a labor filled flurry of youth and God's Grace.

Eli Bauder writes about Monday June 15:

Ugh. That's the first thing I thought of when I woke up on the second day of the Mission Trip. My previously-comfortable air mattress apparently had a small leak in it and I awoke on the cold, hard deflated mattress with only 5-6 hours sleep under my belt. The night before, I had pulled an all-nighter and that moment when I woke up it took a toll on me. After awakening (using all my energy to open one eyelid, I immediately went to the breakfast table and had an amazing egg sandwich. After the meal we packed up and headed for our work sites. Outside, the heat was astounding. I worked outside and was immediately drenched in sweat. Not only that, we were working on the roof, which is definitely the hottest part of the house. Immersed in sweat we pulled up shingles and tar paper. We finished [demolishing (sic)] one side of the roof when it was time to come in and have dinner. After one of the most delicious dinners, even we started horsing around and playing games, which is what I'm missing out on right now, so take care and thanks!

It's amazing how much energy these kids exhibit after such hard work every day. Pastor Lee must be putting something in the food. After such a great first day I can only expect fantastic progress throughout the week.

-G. Lue

Winds of Grace Tour 2009: Journey and Arrival

2009-06-14T22:00:00.002-04:00

Throughout this week, we will encourage the youth to write about their daily experiences to publish to the blog. Please stay tuned for the Winds of Grace Tour updates through the eyes of our incredible youth.

Melissa Izzo writes about Sunday June 14th:

Sunday was a long... LONG day. Waking up on a bus full of excited youth and adults at a rest stop, it was midnight, and we all unloaded to hit the bathrooms before another few hours on the road. WAlking towards the bathrooms, I noticed a foggy window and used my finger to write, "WINDS OF GRACE TOUR '09" into the fog. The mission had begun. Arriving at St. Paul's around 4 AM we all continued our attempts to sleep for another two hours, though we slightly failed, considering we were on a bus full of teenagers. After waking, eating and waiting for the vans to arrive, we loaded up and went to Fort Gains for the morning. Hanging around that old Mobile war fort consisted of looking at old pictures to climbing on top of war cannons. It was a real blast! We ate lunch at Sonic, and after flustering our waitresses with such an amazing(ly large) group of people, we left for Dauphin Beach. We "chillaxed" (as Kenny would say) and go some final peace before starting work on Monday. Back at St. Paul's we gladly showered and worshiped, learning about God's Grace throughout the Old Testament. Finishing the night with a stop and go circle, everyone felt closer as Solid Rock's repeat offenders welcomed the new missioners to our family.

We're very excited to be here in Mobile to be God's hands and feet. A full day of rest and fun prepares us for the work ahead of us. Youth connected beautifully in a very touching way during worship, and I'm sure this week will fill their lives with stories they'll share for the rest of their lives.

-G. Lue

Winds of Grace Tour 2009

2009-06-11T20:17:00.004-04:00

Solid Rock's Winds of Grace Tour 2009 is only a few days away! This is the place where you will be able to follow us in our mission! We will post videos, devotionals, and student stories here on this blog every evening so you can see what we have been up to each day and join us in worship by reading the lessons and praying the prayers we pray! I hope you will continue to follow us each day and we encourage you to write us comments and let us know that you are joining us in our mission! Thank you for all your support and until we get to Mobile on Sunday please enjoy the Winds of Grace Promo Video below! God Bless!

Kenny

Challenge: A Day of Love...100% Love!

2008-10-06T22:44:00.004-04:00

So there has been a lot of talk about love at our church lately and within our youth group. It's a great thing and probably no big surprise since love is truly one of the bases of christianity. It just seems to me like it has been even more at the forefront of our discussions over the past months between the "Flood of Love Tour" to Alabama and now our 40 days of Community campaign that we are focusing on at our Coffee Shop Talks on wednesday nights. I must say, all of this focus has been very good for myself. You see I have never been that good at expressing my love for others. I would say that I am a loving person, I treat people with respect and am friendly and I always have been but when it has come to saying "I love you" and really letting people who mean something to me that they do, I've been pretty bad at that.

I had a very close friend in high school who I kept in touch with through college and still do today. She always teased me about saying "I love you" because she knew I struggled with it. It wasn't until my senior year in college that I found a group of people who really opened me up to the whole "love" thing. I was an orientation leader and my fellow orientation leaders and I grew very close and by the end of the year I loved these people and they loved me. They helped me to learn how to share that love. I was finally able to say it to them and to my friend who always teased me. At the time it wasn't a religious thing...or at least I didn't think it was. But now I look back and realize that the relationships I built that year and the ability to say "I love you" to those people created a whole different level of relationship that I had rarely experienced with other people. I built relationships that became some of the strongest I had ever had. And even the people that i wasn't extremely close with, I respected and trusted. We had built a community based on support and love and the result was a group of 16 young adults who were inseparable, strong, unified, and supportive. If something happened to one of us, it happened to all of us.

I look back on this now and realize how love was the major factor and how important that community was and is in my life. And now as we talk about love in the context of christianity and the importance of community I realize that I just didn't learn how to say "I love you". I learned what it felt like to have people who, no matter what, care about you, will get your back, and pick you up when you are down. This feeling is one that everyone should experience and I believe once you do, you will then crave it and being a loving person will become easier and easier.

So if you haven't felt this, how do you? Well you must initiate the love. If you begin to live a life of love you will be surprised at how quickly others will respond to you. Now I'm not talking about saying "I love you" to everyone you run into (although if you run into an important person in your life, letting them know that will be an awesome thing for you and them). I am talking about small random acts of kindness. Saying hello to the person behind you in line in the grocery store. Holding a door open for a person behind you. Helping someone with heavy bags to their car. Genuinely asking a cashier how their day is going. These are all relationship building things that you can choose to do that show God's love. And when you show that love you will get that love back and it will feel good. And the great thing is, its contagious! You will feel good about it and want to do it again, and the person you showed that love to will feel good to and want to pass it along to someone else! How exciting is this stuff! all of a sudden we are growing the love exponentially!

Now you might be thinking, well if it is exponential then why don't we all just love each other at this point? Well, even though we love the feeling of love we get caught up in ourselves and as quickly as the good feelings come around they can be hijacked by someone cutting you off in traffic, or someone being rude to you. You must make a conscious effort to be a person of love when these situations arise... unfortunately the love wont always be reciprocated. But if you were to have a full day of pure love pouring out of you I bet at the end of the day you would be so filled with love you wouldn't be able to stop smiling and you will have passed that on to more people then you could imagine. But you must choose to do this!

So I'm going to challenge you all and I am challenging myself, pick a day, any day and decide that that day you will choose to love everyone no matter what they do to you. Tie a string to your finger or do something to keep you thinking about it all day. If someone cuts you off in traffic, don't get mad, pray for them, that they arrive safely to their destination. If someone is rude to you, smile and offer them a good day (genuinely care about them) don't get mad. Make extra efforts to build relationships and to show love to everyone you come into contact with. Do this for one full day, choose love, 100%. Nothing else. At the end of the day see how you feel, take some time to reflect on your day and how you handled different situations and how they made you feel. So thats my challenge to you. I plan to do this myself and I will report back to you all as to how it went. And please, post your comments on your experience.

I'd like to leave you with a message from Paul writing to the Corinthians who said, "Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it - because it does!" So if this is the case, what are you waiting for? Give it a shot, what do you have to lose? It's today's new adventure!

Everything: It's All You Need

2008-09-17T22:02:00.002-04:00

So a couple of my students told me about this video a few weeks ago. I knew I had to check it out because I knew the song they were talking about and I had to see how it was used in a skit at a church. I watched it and sat in aww of what a fantastic portrayal it was of the temptations we all face as we walk the journey of life and how God is always present but it is our choices that push him away. Before I go deeper in this let me show you the lyrics to the song. This is Everything by Lifehouse:

Find me here and speak to me

I want to feel you, I need to hear you

You are the light that's leading me

To the place where I find peace again

You are the strength that keeps me walking

You are the hope that keeps me trusting

You are the light to my soul

You are my purpose you're everything

And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this

You calm the storms and you give me rest

You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall

You steal my heart when you take my breath away

Would you take me in take me deeper now

And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this

Cause you're all I want, You're all I need

You're everything, everything

And it repeats from there. The song is fantastic and pretty much says it all, How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you. If you are standing with God and have allowed him into your heart then I don't think it is possible to not be moved by Him. Being with God is the greatest thing because being with God is being completely loved and whole. Allowing Jesus into your life and standing with Him is all we need, he is everything. God created everything and poured his heart into all creation. I can only imagine that is why there is such an abundance of beauty in this world.

The thing I love about this video (besides the fact that it is just all around moving) is if you watch the Jesus character closely he never stops fighting and trying to get back into the girls life. How perfect and true! It doesn't matter what we do in our life, God is still fighting and trying to get back in our lives no matter what. That is unconditional love! Grace! God never....NEVER leaves us, it is our choices that push Him away and make us lose sight of His presence, but as soon as we decide to choose Him, He helps us push everything else away.

Each day we live presents a new adventure, and multiple adventures. And each day we choose which adventures to participate in. We can choose the adventures that will lead us to money, sex, violence, etc. Or we can choose the adventure of discipleship. These are the extreme adventures, sure, but it is our choice which direction we will head and I have to think that being a disciple of Christ, a follower of someone who will love me no matter what and who will choose me even if I don't choose Him, is an adventure of a life time and can only lead to greater things. And I have seen what it looks like when you wake up in the morning and choose Christ. I have witnessed it with my youth group kids on mission trips. The transformation is unbelievable, indescribable. And to see it in teenagers makes it that much more powerful! I'm not saying that every morning I'm strong enough to wake up and choose the right adventures, but I do know what it feels like to do so.

So as I go to sleep tonight my prayer will be that when I wake the adventure I will choose will be to follow Christ and that you and all those around you will choose the same. And for those that don't, that they might see you in your adventure and decide to run back to God and let Him fight away the things in their lives that distract them from Jesus. It's the adventure I choose!

Tomorrow's Adventure Might Not Come

2008-09-09T23:20:00.002-04:00

So last week in bible study we were discussing the urgency of Paul in his letter to the Romans, chapter 13 verses 8-14 to be exact. He is speaking of the greatest commandment of Love and how "now is the moment" to begin to live by this commandment. Paul is saying that there is no better time then now to start loving your neighbors and your enemies and basically makes reference to the fact that we have no idea when the end is to come so we should act each day as though it will be the last and tomorrow we will be in front of the pearly white gates for our judgment. We got into a great discussion about the coming return of Jesus and how that plays a role in our every day lives. Most of us, not surprisingly, said that we didn't think about it that much and got caught up in our day to day lives. This isn't a surprise as I think most of us fall into this slump of wake up, go to school/work, come home, doing homework, eat, go to sleep, repeat. Not to mention our day to day lives are filled with over 24 hours worth of activities, thoughts, and problems. Where is the time to think about the return of Jesus!

Being a disciple of Christ takes practice and a lot of work, but like anything else overtime it becomes easier (at least that is what I am told!) and you become more Christ like in your daily actions, incorporating Him into your "wake up, go to school/work, come home, do homework, eat, go to sleep". Even if that remains your routine, with practice He becomes a part of all those activities, effecting your decisions while at work or school, how you interact with friends, how your work gets done, and how meaningful it is to have food on your table every night. Once we can accomplish this, then there really is no reason to worry whether tomorrow is it or not because our butts are covered.

Heres the catch, this isn't in the slightest bit easy. This involves turning your life over to Christ and letting Him into every nook and cranny of your life. It's something I have yet to be able to do and honestly I have a hard time imagining it, but I can only believe that it would be an awesome thing and I will continue to pray to be able to do this at some point in my life. But getting back to our discussion in bible study, we talked about how we would do things differently today if we knew tomorrow there was no new adventure. We all agreed that it would be much easier to give ourselves completely over to Christ if we knew He was coming tomorrow. We would forgive all those who wronged us, show unconditional love to as many people as we could, hold nothing back and live the lives we all know deep down we are supposed to be living. We would have nothing to lose, we would just have to hope and pray that everything we did in that one day would be enough to over shadow the past years of our lives of not living up to Christ's standards.

The reality is, no matter what we do on the last day, it doesn't make up for the rest of our lives and through the grace of God our sins are forgiven. In this scenario where we know the end is near there is no risk in our actions, we know what is to come and what we have to do. But the reality is we don't know when the end is so there are risks. That is what faith is, you are risking your life for something that you believe in. So what if we lived each day as though it was our last; if we pretended that we knew Jesus was coming tomorrow. From what my bible study group discussed, we would all be much more Christ like. It's a risk, but in the end what do we lose, if we are wrong and its not the end then we have only become better human beings, and if we are right (which one day we will be right) then we will have that many less things to discuss at the pearly white gates. So I propose this adventure to you, the adventure of every new day waking up and realizing that this day might be it so the new adventure you are about to begin better be the best one of your life. Now if we can start scripting ourselves with this thought process then things will begin to get really exciting! Talk about an adventure!

Whats it all about

2008-09-02T16:42:00.002-04:00

Well I thought I would start off by explaining a little bit about what you can read about here on this blog. Today's New Adventure is a title or name that I came up with when I was a freshmen in college. At the time I created it for a production company I was hoping to start which never really worked out, but since I came up with it I have continued to use it for many things as my stamp for any of my work. It fits so well with life and they way Jesus wants us to live our lives. Now I will be honest, this was not my thought process when I first came up with it but revisiting the name made me realize how effective it could be. You see every day is created for a reason and by our create, God. He has a greater plan for us and each day is provide for us to take one new step closer to this greater plan. So each and every day we wake up, we have no idea what is going to happen to us or how we are going to be feeling twelve hours later, what we will have gone through. God is walking with us every step of the way but only he really knows what adventures lie before us. So how bout that! Every day is something new created for this greater plan that we are walking towards but have very little idea of what each step is going to affect. I'm picturing the opening scene to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indy sees the gold midalion in front of him but he has to step carfully because with each step is something unexpected. The intensity and excitment of that scene is awesome! Thats what "Today's New Adventure" is all about. We don't know what that next step is going to bring us and that means one heck of an adventure! Not to mention if you are following in the steps of Jesus, the adventure is even greater because the faith and hope that you follow creates an energy that will bring new life to each step you take. Now we are really talking about "Today's New Adventure"!

So whats this all about? Well its about our daily adventures. Our walk with Jesus and the newness of each day he brings to us. The excitment and adventure that comes with being a disciple of Christ. So please continue to check back, post comments, and get involved in the conversation because the adventure is always better when your involved! So when you wake up each morning, get excited! It's a new day, made just for you and you have no idea what is instore for you as the minutes go by. It's an adventure, and the best one of your life!