Looking back...

This past Sunday 10 seniors from our student ministry celebrated the aspect of graduating high school. Which to be honest is a great achievement because some people do not have the opportunity to get a high school degree but that is not the point of this entry. I started to think back over the years when I started that first journey into "college" freedom. I say freedom because I was the one in charge. I decided when I went to class, what I wanted to eat, what to watch, where to spend my money, time and also who I wanted to date. Freedom is the word most college students grasp the last years of high school and sadly it never changes throughout the college experience. I know first hand because that was the way I felt when I first attended junior college. But another sad thing is this: most seniors who have been involved in student activities in their home churches fail to reconsider this after graduating from high school. Freedom steps in and their eyes get big and they get lost in this world. Why is it that we can have sold-out seniors in our student ministries but when college comes around we don't see that flame burn brighter? Personally, I don't think that we as student pastors or whatever you want to call us, make the importance clear to the generations that we have in our midst to understand that following Christ does not stop after high school. It's a marathon not a sprint. Partially, I think that the blame isn't necessarily on the student pastors but mainly on the parents. I know this may sound harsh but isn't this the truth? Is serving Christ and having a relationship with Him more important than making sure that you make tons of money to support yourself? Do we ever throw out that? I know it sounds like I am on a soap box but come on, how many more generations of seniors will go the wayside and forget about Christ and serving the body? I hope that the seniors that I had for under a year saw this in my life. I hope and pray they stay connected with the Word of God and develop their passion for Christ daily. I know that my life in college had many moments of doubt and confusion as to what God wanted me to become and where He wanted me to be. If it wasn't for the grace of God and people pushing me through college to strive to be the best I could become I would be just another statistic. Just a thought or two...

Spring Break....

So as I sit with a cup of coffee, the office is slow this week. No services this week but I find myself busier than ever. Taking a look back over the past few weeks it has been a roller coaster ride that keeps on coming. Preparations for Easter, teaching students the truth about Christ and the Cross and Resurrection and now the aftermath. I sit wondering if we have truly walked away with a deeper understanding of what Christ has done for us? I ask myself, what could I do more to remember what Christ has done for me this year? I mean sure I can plan more time to spend in the word, more time in prayer, say all of these nice things that make me feel better but what is it that I can do to please the Father? Honestly? I find that it is so important as a leader to strive to know more about the Savior that I serve. Taking time to slow down through the midst of the whirlwind that we get caught up in through our professions gets harder and harder sometimes. So even though the world around me is turning faster than normal, as weird as this sounds, I find myself falling deeper in love with the Father because of how He has directed my paths. But it is in these whirlwind moments that builds my character and helps me to know that my Father has control. It helps me strive to keep going and pushes me to greater heights and deeper depths. It is like I thrive on busyness. I guess it is because my mind is still in school mode and maybe, just maybe my mind can slow down after the summer. You will just have to check back and see if my mind has slowed down  but until then I love being busy. Most of all, I love being busy for the Father. There is a danger in this I know: being to busy doesn't mean that everything is profitable. I do understand the dangers of having a business like mind when it comes to the church. I do understand the dangers of having to much down time and not being productive. This is something that I am working on and will continue to work on for some time now. I love my position here at North River Church. I am truly excited about how God is going to use our students this summer and the years to come. I want to stay tuned into God and His will for this student ministry and rely on His direction as He leads. Where else would you want to be? For me, this is it and my passion is growing by the moment! Praise be to God!

Great Expectations?

So as I sit here today working on the new series for our students and the thought about expectations has come to mind. How many of us have some sort of expectations for our lives? our spouses? our ministries? As I was thinking out loud I couldn't help but think of how many times we put expectations on Jesus. Jesus didn't come to satisfy the peoples need of a liberator or political revolutionary but He came according to His agenda, His terms. The point I am trying to make here is that we all have put expectations on Jesus. We expect Jesus to do this for us or for Jesus to give us what WE need. The problem with this is the fact that what WE need and what He offers is totally different. Jesus didn't come to fulfill the expectations of the people at Passover but came to deliver the people from sin. You can see in Mark 11:1-11 they yell and plead saying "Hosanna! Hosanna!" which means "deliver us, save us NOW." You see the people wanted a ruler, dictator to overthrow the Roman government so THEY could have what they wanted. Jesus had other plans. Jesus wanted to deliver hope and grace and humility and love. Why is it that we can so easily put expectations on who Jesus is supposed to be? I think the answer is this: WE want to be God! This is the phrase that has stuck in my mind "Life is no longer about who WE think Jesus is; it's about who HE actually is." How about you? Have you put unrealistic expectations on Jesus? Do you have Jesus in your back pocket only to be seen when you need something from Him? What if this Resurrection Day (easter) we could let go of our expectations in life and stop limiting what God can do with us? Am I willing to accept Jesus into my life on His terms and not my own? It's sad that if God doesn't do something for us then we have nothing to do with Him. But we forget that Jesus shed His blood for our sins and conquered death so that we may experience true love by His grace and His act of humility that gives all man hope! Just thought you would like something to ponder this season......