My Blog

One Month

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:31:57 -0500

Friday, August 6th we launched a new national project that I worked on. Infact the past couple of weeks were in a fierce pace to make sure the resources to launch this new National effort called One Month were ready to go!

The One Month Challenge is straightforward and simple: students visibly carry their Bibles with them to school, shopping, on a date, studying, to movie theaters, to friends' houses - EVERYWHERE for One Month.

The One Month Challenge works well anytime of the year, especially in September as a build-up to the See You At The Pole prayer event.

Students

Take the challenge and invite your friends, campus club, others to take the challenge with you. Pick a date and start carrying.

Leaders

Present the challenge in your youth services, Sunday school classes or small groups. We have ideas and resources to make this a month-long focus in your youth ministry. Select the date that works for you and let the adventure begin.

Everyone

Find 1 Month on Facebook and share your experiences! Got questions? You can ask those, too! You can find our Facebook page by searching for 1 Month.

All the details and helps to do this effort can be found at www.yausa.com/1month Helps get this effort promoted. Tell Others!

Detroit 2010 - National Youth Conv./Fine Arts

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:13:35 -0500

August 2-6, brought us to ‘The Joe”, Joe Louis Arena and the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan for the annual, National Youth Convention and Fine Arts Festival. Over 12,000 were in attendance. What an incredible event!! Youth from across America have earned their way in State/District Fine Arts Competitions earlier in the year and compete and grow in large number of categories from Vocals, instrumental, Drama, Worship Dance to Media Arts. It really is amazing to see the depth of the talent that arrives every year.

Plus youth groups make this trek to be a part of the National Youth Convention and to top it all off, hundreds of students also served part of this trip as a short term missions trip by helping two churches in the most densely Muslim populated areas of Detroit which are the mostly densely Muslim populated areas of our nation. Absolutely amazing!

I didn’t know what to expect when you think of all you have heard over the years of Detroit. Yeah it is a tough city, but, you could see this city is rebuilding not only their city but their image. Detroit is on a good path to rebuilding and changing it’s image. It’s coming. Greek Town is my favorite part of downtown Detroit. Astoria Bakery, Five Guys, also great Deep Dish Pizza and Great BBQ can all be found right there.

Plus during the week while I was backstage at “The Joe”, The Detroit Red Wings held a press conference to announce the addition of a home town boy who has had a great NHL career coming home, Mike Modano. Since I was already in the building I was able to sneek in and see a Professional Sport press conference live. That was a cool thrill to top off a cool week.

Next year this event travels from the nice summer weather of Detroit to the heat of the Southwest. Next year we head to Phoenix, AZ!! Can’t wait.

First A/G - Saint Joseph, MI

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:46:58 -0500

Sunday, August 1, we loaded the van and started our journey to Detroit, MI for the National Youth Convention/Fine Arts Festival. Our service on the way to Detroit was with First A/G and Pastor Dan Miller. Saint Joseph and neighboring city, Benton Harbor, are a long Lake Michigan, in similar position along the lake on the East side as Racine, WI where we used to live is on the west side of the lake. The communities seemed so similar it was a amazing.

Pastor Miller had just gone thru a very rough week as a Pastor. Three funerals in one week! That takes alot out of anyone, emotionally, physically, you name it. It has always seemed in our churches we served in that we would have spurts of 3-4 funerals come with in several weeks, but, I have not experienced 3 in one week before. Wow.

Pastor Miller also has ties back to Racine too. So that was a neat connection so we could talk about different things about Racine too. Including which is the best Kringle in Racine. Kringle is an incredible pastry that is made right there in Racine. We happened to find a bakery here in Springfield that makes great Kringle. The owners use to work at O & H Bakery in Racine that made our favorite Kringle. The bakery in Springfield, Supreme Bakery, does an amazing job. It is so close to O & H it is amazing.

It was great to have these personal connections made. When we booked the service here, we thought we might have even more. The Associate Pastors, James & Heather Biffert, had just rsigned and moved a few months ago to Senior pastor their own church in the Twin Cities. Heather was in our first youth group in Indianola, IA. We had great services and then followed by lunch with Benji Wilson and his family and then we were off to Detroit!

Milford A/G - Milford, NE

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:52:33 -0500

Sunday, July 25th brought us to the close of our Nebraska tour with services at Milford A/G in Milford, NE with Pastor Dave and Karen Geary. Pastor Dave and Karen were my Senior Pastors growing up in Gering, Nebraska at Northfield Church. It was so much fun to catch up with them and introduce them to my boys. It hit me as we were talking that I was almost Grant’s age when I gave my heart to the Lord and started to attend Northfield Church, I can tell you the date too: May 13, 1981. Easy for me to remember because it is one day before my physical birthday, May 14th. How does time fly by THAT fast.  
Life has a way of doing that doesn’t it? It grinds away and grinds away and when the realization that the steady and sure pace of time; the distance in years adds up and a lot of time has taken place. So much more so, again on this missionary venture to be able to say Thank you to two people who help mold me.

I chuckled thinking of a Sunday morning, I prayed a prayer in church, that part I know is not the shocking part, but we all tend or can get into a routine that we go worship, pray, listen to the message, moved, then go about life later in the day and totally forget what happened Sunday morning. Well I prayed a prayer this one Sunday morning 27 years ago that when I went to school, “Someone would see something different about me, they might guess it is the clothes, our appearance, but it can only be attributed to the Lord.” Well I sincerely prayed that prayer, but was long forgotten later in the afternoon after watching some football on tv.

Monday morning came and went with out slightly remembering anything about Sunday mornings prayer, the message or service. After lunch in my business law class, the teacher was late and in walked one of our tougher girls in our school. Pretty girl, but she had connections that you just didn’t want to mess with. She is a Senior, I am a Sophomore. She happens to sit next to me in class and hardly looked my way until this day. She stops and starts asking my what is so different about me today and she wouldn’t let it go either. She persisted on saying there was something different, clothes, hair, my contacts, etc. Half way thru her interrogation, I the remembered the prayer. I summoned up some courage, for fear for what I was about to tell her may tick her off. I shared with her that I prayed a prayer for someone to see something different about me and it could only be God’s work. I told her well you are an answer to prayer. She started to cry, she wasn’t mad. I’m not going to get my teeth knocked out. She mentioned she “prayed” too early Sunday Morning (like 2 in the morning) “God if you are *^&(()*()(_ (I tried to insert that she cussed a lot at this point) God if you are real, show me someone you are doing a work in. That classroom experience I will take with me for the rest of my life. We may forget our prayers, God doesn’t lose track.

Thanks Pastor Dave for giving me an environment to grow. Hiring a strong youth pastor in Don White that has greatly influenced me too. I am so grateful for you both and see how God has had His Hand on you. Also, since Garrett ate all your cookies, sorry about that by the way, he is encouraging Karen to have more when we stop thru again. Love Ya!

The Sound - Trinity Church Youth Camp

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:49:13 -0500

Sunday night, July 18th thru Friday 23th, brought to Hordville, NE. Come on you know where Hordville is right?! Don’t worry I grew up in Nebraska and had no clue where this town of 280 people was. (Hordville is about 40 miles northeast of Grand Island) But, a few miles north of Hordville was the sight of the camp, Covenant Cedars, where I spoke for the Senior Highers from Trinity Interdenominational Church out of Omaha, NE. Around 100 Senior Highers were there and a great team of leaders, minus a couple of key people though the Senior High Youth Director, Adam and Ashley Hoing. Adam is my nephew and his wife, they were not able to make this camp because of a special moment in their lives the birth of their first daughter, Madison Rae, was born, July 22. Thus the picture at the top of the page is Madison Rae.

Our theme was The Sound and what a week to see, hear, feel the presence of God break thru into the lives of teenagers. God did some major things in students lives. Getting their lives right with the Lord, forgiving people or situations from the past that has crippled them from going forward. The Sound I could see is students stepping forward for God’s dream for their lives. I love this group of teenagers. You can tell they are going to chase after God’s dreams with ALL they have, plus the support of a lot of great leaders to walk with them in the journey. Here is one of the many testimonies I received by email or by Facebook: “I was at the Trinity Sound Camp this past week and just wanted to say thank you for coming! I loved all your messages and enjoyed all the stories (and the moth)! I am really looking forward to sharing God in my school this year and will have to let you know how it goes. (I have to say i am really scared but even if i just bring Him up once this year I know it can make a difference and know it will make a difference and make it easier for the next time.) Just this morning, I got to pray for my sister (she got stung by 4 bees this morning) which i know i wouldn't have done before camp. Even though the pain didn't go away right then and there, i know its just a small step for me to bring God up more in my house. Thank you so much for being our speaker at camp!”

Thanks to The Forge Student Ministry, for the invitation to come to your camp and to a wonderful group of students. Hope to see you again soon.