Fast Food Frenzy - serving others

Last night we did a random event called Fast Food Frenzy....it is an event that used to consist of groups of students, traveling around in packs and hitting as many places to eat as possible in an hour and a half.

Inevitably, a student or 2 would challenge each other, eat waaaayyyyy to much and vomit in the church parking lot. This was not the original intent of this activity. It was more for fellowship and inviting friends to an outing.

A few years ago, one of our service oriented students changed the game right before we held our first Fast Food Frenzy by suggesting instead of seeing how much "we" could eat, he challenged the group to buy food for others and too see who can buy the most food for other people.

It has turned into a wonderfully stressful event to plan but the pay off is always worth it. The stories the kids come back with, the opportunity for a naturally "me first" oriented age group to go out and search for situations to serve others, engaging in asking and conversation...priceless! 

It was what Jesus was teaching Philip at the feeding of the 5,000....Jesus could have obviously feed all of those people by himself, without the assistance of the disciples but what would that have accomplished? He asked them, "how are we going to feed them" and had the disciples "look" for solutions....it wasn't the feeding that was the point of this moment, even though there was a physical need....these people were hungry! The need was in transitioning a group of followers who were arguing about how famous they were, who was the greatest, etc...into becoming the least of these. 

The need was never the point. It was the development of Christian character, Christlikeness! 

Maybe, in our world....spending time evaluating what a need is and isn't should be set aside and we become servants to all.

Extraordinary Pt. 3

This past Sunday, we discussed the Joseph story a little more and looked at his brothers more closely.

In the story of throwing Jospeh in the pit, we see quite a few characteristics of people we might run into when we are either in a pit or thrown into a pit by someone.

It sounds kinda harsh, but being thrown into a pit can be quite subtle.

Anywhere from verbal bullying to a friend continuously ignoring us without knowing the reason, the reasons can vary as to how we end up in our pits.

One thing is for certain, we will end up in a pit at some point....they are unavoidable.

There are 2 types of people (generally speaking) that you encounter when you are in a pit.
1. The "informer" - those that stand at the top and holler things down at you. They love to tell you reasons why you are in your pit, the offer suggestions as ways to get out of the pit and usually their efforts ted to keep us in our pits.
2. The "jumper" - those that jump down in the pit with you, get their hands dirty and get messy in your mess.

Last week we ended the session with pieces of cut rope that were selected from an adult who was holding a cup of ropes. Students then prayed with an adult and left these pieces of rope at the foot of the cross, to symbolize they were ready to break free from their pits...Christ has extended the rope and is our rescue from our pits. His death and resurrection overcome any obstacle we go through in life. By His power we are healed!

This week, the students were asked to identify a friend who they know are in a pit. They also identified through the types of people we encounter when we are in a pit, which ones they were most like....the "informer or the jumper."

Spending time in prayer, the students came to the altar, dug their hands through buckets of dirt we had placed around the altar and grabbed a piece of rope that was placed down at the bottom. This was to symbolize that Jesus calls us into the messes of those around us. If they felt led, during the week, they could give this rope to a friend going through a tough time to let them know they weren't going to go through this alone.

The call to be Christ like in the life of a teenager can be really tough to figure out. It is hard enough for a seasoned believer to fully embrace because of the continued battle against the flesh we all go through. Ephesians 5:1-2 calls us to follow God's example in Christ, as living our lives sacrificially. to me, that absolutely indicates a call to get messy. Philippians 2:1-11 calls us to be imitators of Christ....looking out for the interests and needs of others....

When someone is in a pit, don't you think one of their main interests is to get out? I know it is for me!

Next week, we will tie everything in to Christ.....we will show how this passage in Genesis is not ultimately about Joseph even though he is the most talked about individual in this story. Joseph is only the subplot to the main Plot.

"The Pit" - Extraordinary Pt. 2

We jumped in to the meat of the "Extraordinary" series this past Sunday as we covered Genesis 37-42. The story follows the unbelievable journey of Joseph and his dreams.

Now, we need to set this up to show how it might relate in today's world....here's how we did it.

A few weeks ago, I traveled to a Beach Retreat location in Panama City, to check it out for the upcoming retreat in June. It looked familiar in pictures and it was very similar to a place I stayed in 17 years ago when I was fresh out of college and working as a summer intern at a church. When I pulled in to the location, it didn't look anything like the place I had imagined in my head. I am finally old enough to realize, in real time,  that things change over a 17 year period.

I jumped out of my car because it was raining and ran for cover under the breeze way covering that overlooked the basketball courts...I pulled my phone out to take a picture (see below) and that's when it hit me. I walked out on to the court and stood there for a while and the memories came flooding back. This was the exact spot we dropped our luggage and started shooting around (I wasn't a very good intern because I was supposed to be keeping everyone in line and stationary while the youth pastor checked us in).

What I started to think about was the journey I had been on. I knew 17 years ago that I would be a youth pastor some day and there I stood, 17 years later, as a youth pastor. It was surreal, nostalgic and quite a trip to be honest. I can clearly say that the road from that court in 1996 to me standing on it again in 2013 was not how I would have planned it, yet, there I was....and I began to think of Joseph and his dream in Genesis 37.

He had a dream that his brothers would one day bow down to him and he made the mistake of telling them the dream. No one likes "that guy." Those dreams are awesome if you are the one who comes out on top, but he was already hated by his brothers because his was the "favored" child. His second dream included his parents this time and they would all bow down to him.

His brothers plotted to kill him one day, as Joseph went to check on them, at his father's wishes. When he arrived, they roughed him up, stripped off his coat and threw him in a pit and then sat down to eat (talk about ruthless siblings). They decided (wisely) not to kill him, but rather, sell him to a group of people traveling through. Those people, in turn, sold him to Potiphar, who was in charge of Pharaoh's army (we'll come back to this).

Do you think that Joseph started to question the dreams he had while in the pit? Maybe, but what about now? He went from a pit to being a slave? The Bible says that "God was with Joseph" and everything he did, God blessed. He was put in charge of Potiphar's whole house. Potiphar's wife thought that included her. She seduced Joseph time and time again and Joseph refused every time....even running away from her while she yanked his garments...Now she had him. She claimed attempted rape, Potiphar got mad and through Joseph in prison. He did the right thing and ended up in prison.....Come On Man!

Do you think he started to doubt those dreams now? Pit, to slave, to prison! The bible says that God was with Joseph and blessed everything he did and he was put in charge of the prison. He just happened to meet 2 royal workers who had been thrown in prison, a cup bearer and a baker....what does a baker have to do to get thrown in prison? Joseph explained the dreams that these 2 prisoners had (because Joseph was kind of an expert on dreams, hmm ....). They came true and 2 years later, Pharaoh had a dream and Joseph was remembered because of the dreams he predicted that came true about the 2 prisoners.

HUGE PART! Joseph was summoned by Pharaoh and the Bible says, they took Joseph out of a "pit" to clean him up and make him presentable before Pharaoh  He interpreted the dreams and Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph, he decided to make Joseph 2nd in command of all of Egypt, WOW! Joesph didn't see that one coming I bet.

A few years later, there was a famine in Israel and it was known that Egypt had food because of Josephs 7 year plan. Jacob (Joseph's father) sent the sons to Egypt to get food and who just happened to be in charge of the food distribution.....Joseph. He recognized them but they had no clue who he was and when it was their turn to approach and ask, they all bowed down before Joseph (Genesis 42:6).

Preparation! Scholars differ between how many years it took for the dream to come true. Roughly the idea is generally viewed between 24-28 years. What was so important about the pit? It wouldn't be the only time that Joseph would be in a pit and it was as if that first pit experience was a set up to the second pit, the final place Joseph was before he became 2nd in charge. What was so important about being sold to Potiphar? If you are going to be 2nd in command of everything in Egypt, wouldn't it be important to know military tactics, strategy and lingo? He spent quite a few years serving the Captain of the Royal Guard, consistently hearing conversations and strategy about military life. What was so important about the prison? First, the fact that he was not killed by Potiphar is huge! Prison almost seems like protection for Joseph rather than punishment. Oh, and he happened to be thrown in the royal prison where he just happened to meet 2 royal prisoners, who just happened to have dreams, and one of those guys just happened to remember Joseph when Pharaoh had a dream....pretty crazy coincidence huh?

Did Joseph experience the same nostalgic moment like I had, standing on the court in Panama City? We don't know, but we can clearly see that Joseph's dreams did come true, but it probably wasn't the exact road Joseph had thought he would take to get there.

We all have "pits" in our lives...they are unavoidable. But it's how we look at our "pits" that determine where we will end up some day. Whether we have stumbled in to them ourselves, or someone has thrown us in the "pit", the "pits" in our lives are not punishment (although they may seem that way from the view we currently have). Those "pits" are to prepare us, for just that right moment in time, that we can't see. Joseph broke free from his pit to land in another pit and when the time was right, God was all over this situation....just as he had been while he was a slave and a prisoner.

God is calling each of us out of our "pits" and the promise of hope is this, God is there with you, always. He is in the mess, in the pit, in captivity, in prison, with you. In order for us to ever take hold of the palace, we must first learn to be prepared in the pit. I heard one pastor say it this way....in order to serve in the palace, you have to learn to serve in the pit. We all want to view the palace but we must first break free from our "pits"

To end the night, we asked the students, "what are those "pits" in your life. No matter how deep or shallow, they need our attention and through the death and resurrection of Christ, we have been extended a rope to climb out of our "pits".....His grace is sufficient for each one of us! We then placed 6 inch pieces of rope on a table and had the students, as they were moved to, grab a piece of rope, find an adult who was standing by, kneel at the cross we positioned in the center of the room and pray together....leaving that rope at the foot of the cross because that "pit" had been defeated and victory to overcome it is possible through Christ. Amen?

Extraordinary Moment - 1988 World Series (Greatest Game of All-Time)

1988 World Series - Game 1 - Bottom of 9th... by senatork

Arguably, the single greatest World Series Game in the history of baseball. There are plenty to choose from, but this one game has more "extraordinary" reasons why, in my opinion, tops even the 2011 World Series, Game 6 (which is a close 2nd because of the back and forth excitement).

This was supposed to be a 4 and out series. The Los Angeles Dodgers were a good team, obviously, but they were facing the Goliath of all MLB teams, the Oakland A's. Stacked with the best starting pitcher (Dave Stewart), the best relief pitcher (Eck), the best all around player (Jose Canseco) and the best young power hitter (Mark McGwire)....the Dodgers run was supposed to come to very quick end.

I personally watched this game and recorded it...(I have it on a VHS tape in my basement) and I really couldn't tell you why I had decided to record this specific game. I did that on occasional  to go back and watch the mechanics of the pitchers, as I pitched in high school and had dreams of becoming a Major League player one day.

The first 8 innings were playing out like a script had been written for this series...Stewart was shutting the Dodgers down, completely. Canseco hit a home run that put a dent in the camera in center field and Dennis Eckersley was now in to pitch relief and finish the last paragraph and end chapter 1 of this supposed short book.

Kirk Gibson, who was a decent talent throughout the years, but never someone you would build a team around, had a career year in 1988. Gibson was notorious for getting injured and wasn't even supposed to play the entire series because he could barely walk...having 2 messed up legs (ankles and knees). Watch the video of his at bat against Eck. He fouls a few balls off and can barely make it out of the batters box. He was swinging with all arms because he didn't have any drive in his legs to push through the ball.

I had watched a hitting instructional video around this time of Tony Gwynn, the Hall of Fame OF for the San Diego Padres. I remember him saying that in order to be a great hitter, everything must come in to balance. Sight, ability to pick up on pitches quickly, quick wrist action, lower body balance and upper body strength. Obviously, if the lower body balance is out of whack, the rest almost doesn't matter....except for this one moment in time.

Pitch after pitch, Gibson fought off nasty sinkers, 2 seam fast balls that were falling off the table and change ups that were starting in the strike zone and then diving into the dirt. He was patient enough to work the count into a hitters count and waited for a pitch he could handle. With a flick of the wrist, baseball history was made and it was one of those stunning moments where the favored team, just couldn't rebound from actually losing a game. It was David hitting Goliath or Luke Skywalker delivering the 2 fatal shots that destroyed the Death Star in Star Wars....up against odds that weren't even just unfavorable...it was almost a 'just go ahead a lay down" type feeling.

For every reason that was stacked up against them, i found my favorite saying the moment Gibson sent the ball over the wall....That's why they play the game y'all!

Have you ever faced a moment in life like this? Where the odds were completely against you? Now, if we are honest, most of the time, we strike out or tap into a routine grounder to end the game and we lose. But there have been enough of these type of games through out the history of sports to remind us that we can't quit. Even when we don't even see the reason the play ourselves.

No joke, because I personally watched this game, it has stayed with me all these years and I use it sometimes to motivate myself in certain situations...For instance, when I may have a sore throat or I am having an off night at church before I get up to speak at youth group...I tell myself to get in the batters box, zone out the distractions of what might be hindering me, and start taking whacks....Usually, when all is said and done, I totally forget the bad attitude or the sick feeling until it's over.

So, whatever surmounting issue you may be facing right now, keep hacking, knowing that with just the right pitch and the right timing, a simple flick of the wrist can change everything.

See you Sunday night as we continue our series, Extraordinary!

- Jay

Forgiveness - in an image

Salvation was paid for on the cross by Christ....it cost us nothing and cost God His Son! This is where true forgiveness began, for all who would confess Christ with their mouth and believe in their hearts. This forgiveness is still available for us today and is still found at the cross as a reminder of how we received our pardon.

The students at [lit] last Sunday practiced forgiveness in an extraordinary way.....on each piece of paper is either the name of someone they need to forgive or the name of someone they need to seek forgiveness from.....What better place to take these hurtful and tough situations, than the foot of the cross! Loved the imagery of this moment!

- Jay

Extraordinary Series - Part 1

(Reference Genesis 50 and Matthews 18:21-22)

Tonight we started "Extraordinary" with a fun intro.."Twist and Shout" by the Beatles! They made an extraordinary impact on the music scene and continue to influence bands and musicians to this day. It was said that ordinary people + an Almighty God = extraordinary things. One of those is practicing forgiveness where Jesus said to forgive not just 7 times, but rather 77 times (70 x 7 in some translations)...7 was a number of perfection or completion and Jesus was saying that we should forgive completely and continually. Don't stay chained to that moment or person in time. Forgiveness doesn't depend on the other parties response based upon Genesis 50 and Joseph giving pardon to his brothers even though they never actually fessed up and apologized for throwing Joseph in a pit, leading him to be sold to serve as a slave and end up in prison....someone just threw a fastball down the middle of the plate and Joseph could have sought revenge on his brothers, storing up anger and angst for this one moment in time, but he choose to forgive through the power of an Almighty God...and that's extraordinary!

- Jay

"Greater Things" - Recap Pt. 1

We just finished up our January series here at the Roots youth ministry and God has made Himself known throughout our youth ministry, it has been evident in individual students lives and also in my life personally. Here are some of the highlights that were covered and the results we have seen, followed by a personal story that clearly defined for me personally what "Greater Things" truly are.

The backbone of the series title came from John 1:43-51 (the calling of Philip and Nathaniel). This passage had been on my heart for a few months and I have started to take notice that when a selected topic or passage settles in your mind, God will use different avenues to communicate. Here is a general outline that I went by for the 4 week series.

1. Jesus, finding Philip
    a. He finds us - He knows our location and has already found us
    b. We don't find Him - He has never been lost. There are passages the say "seek me and you will find me when you seek Me with all of your heart." This is very true, even God's words to us, but it refers to our response of Him already finding us.
    c. We aren't playing some cosmic game of hide and seek with God. He isn't hiding behind a planet or a solar system.
2. Philip went and found Nathaniel
    a. "Found people find people" - I listened to a podcast of NewSpring Community church during this time and they used this passage to set up their core beliefs in their church and this was a very memorable statement.
    b. Skeptics - Not every time we open our mouths about the Good News, will we get a positive response in return. I have found it to be rare that the reception is positive. Nathaniel was a skeptic but how Philip handles this situation is HUGE!
    c. "Come & See" - Philip didn't whip out the Torah and point out the obvious to his friend, he didn't get angry with him from what we can tell, he didn't get discouraged and walk away. He simply made the statement, "come see for yourself."
    d. Witnessing made easy - Sometimes we believe that someones salvation and eternity hang on the very words we offer in a sharing situation or moment. What I believe Philip does here is the greatest example of successful evangelism in the whole Bible (aside from Jesus, haha!). We can't do what the Holy Spirit is supposed to do, convict the hearts of those who seek and bring forth repentance and regeneration.
3. Follow Me
    a. Philip - Jesus says follow me and Philip does
    b. Philip shares with Nathaniel - because that is what followers do
    c. Nathaniel doesn't believe at first and then Jesus freaks Him out by mentioning that He knows him and Nathaniel become a believer.
    d. Jesus says - "you believed because I tod you I know you? I will show "Greater Things" than this.
    e. Difference between believing and following. Jesus indicates that there is a difference in this passage because it begins with the calling of Philip, "follow me"....not "believe in me." Believing is obviously the start and also where many stop. Following changes not just our heart but it also begins to change our life and purposes in life. Our purposes become His purposes. We begin to care about what God cares about....and in the moment, the lost.
4. Angels ascending and descending. (reference to Genesis 28)
    a. what a weird way to end this story. (I used to read this and wonder what He was talking about it)
    b. Jesus was a Master teacher - these men would have been brought up in teh Jewish educational system and at that time, they would have been required to have memorized the first 5 books of the Bible, the Torah. They would have known immediatley what Jesus was talking about.
    c. The story of Jacob - He was a cheat and a thief (stealing his brothers birthright and blessing) and was on the run. His dad was upset with him, his brother wanted to kill him and his mom told him to run away.
    d. While on the run, he laid down to sleep because it was evening and he was tired. He had a dream of angels ascending and descending upon a ladder. He woke up, freaked out and began following God. He was promised a blessing, greater than he could have imagined. All people of the earth would be blessed because of him. His descendants would be numerous and blessed.....the only catch, he wasn't married and had no kids.
    e. Unearned - Up until this point, Jacob was pretty much a louse...He hadn't done a single thing to have been promised such a blessing. There is nothing Jacob did to "earn" this blessing. No act of righteous of good deed brought this on. It's God, the giver of all things "Greater" asking Jacob at this time, in a dream, "follow Me"

If you follow the next 3 years of the ministry of Jesus, you do see, very clearly, that these men saw "Greater Things." They were eye witnesses to everything Jesus was doing but the greater promise in all of this was simply, they were walking with the "Greater Thing"...Genesis 28 says angels were ascending and descending upon the earth....John 1, Jesus says that angels were ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Jesus is the fulfillment of that story. He is the "Greater Thing" and all "Greater Things" begin and find purpose in following Jesus.

We opened up the first night by asking students to think about, pray for and begin inviting friends to church. We set up the last part of the 4 part series as "invite night." Each week, the students wrote the names of the students on colored sticky notes and placed them around the stage as reminders. Here is a picture of night 1....

We also entered into a weekly reading of the Bible as a challenge for our Wednesday night small groups. For those who wanted to take the step to "follow," they had assignments to read Ephesians and Galatians.

The final night of the series was just 2 weeks ago and on a night where we usually average 75 or 85 students (60-70) during January - March, we had 130+ students attending our youth worship experience on Sunday night. It was a great visual to see "Greater Things" coming to life through the "come and see" principle that Philip used 2,000 years ago (and people say the Bible isn't relevant today).

God truly does want to show us "Greater Things" and they begin with and are found in following Jesus! My fear and what I know to be true is this, how do we know we are seeing "Greater Things" and what if we miss them? 

I will post my personal, life changing experience later this week, where God made these "Greater Things" so evident in my life and how I was seeing it all wrong.

Greater Things Series - Week 1

I truly believe with all of my heart that God wants "Greater Things" for your life, and my life.....I am fully convinced! Yet, if you are like me, I have a hard time seeing anything greater at times. I struggle just to see the normal things around me. I know I don't appreciate the normal as I should....because it seems such a struggle at times to keep the normal from shattering in to pieces. So if the normal is difficult, it's no wonder why we have a harder time with these "Greater Things"

Yet, this is exactly what Jesus told Nathaniel, who by the way, had just announced his disbelief on 2 occasions before finally declaring he believed Christ as the Son of God. So you would think everything was perfect. Nathaniel was now complete right? I mean he had believed in Christ as Savior.....but the next statement by Jesus is astounding, really. "You believed because I saw you under the fig tree,I will show you Greater Things than this."

Now, we have to look at the full passage to see what is going on here and why Jesus would say this...This is a crash coarse in sharing your faith with someone...witnessing or evangelism at it's finest...while being way more simple than we make it out to be.

Check this out! Jesus found Philip because that's how it works...God finds us, we don't find Him, because He was never lost. He is not playing this ultimate game of hide and seek with us. Yes, there are verses like "seek me while I may be found" (Isaiah 55:6), "but if you seek the Lord your God..." (Deuteronomy 4:29) and "you will seek me and find me when you seek with your whole heart" (Jeremiah 29:13)....but this does not imply God being lost......He has already located us first. So once Jesus finds Philip, he says, "follow me." Now, Philip was convinced immediately and went to find his buddy Nathaniel. This is where Nathaniel first  enters the story. Perry Noble, the pastor at New Spring Community Church calls this action "found people find people." If you have met the Savior, you will find someone to tell. I love that because it is easy to remember.

Nathaniel was a skeptic (and could have been a buzz kill to Philip) and didn't believe anything good could come from Nazareth. Philip could have gotten upset and dismissed Nathaniel as a friend. He could have screamed theology at him, showing Nathaniel the fulfillment of Old Testament passages but instead, he simple tells his buddy, "come and see."

Now, back to why Jesus made the comment to Nathaniel after he declared Jesus as Savior...."You believed because I saw you under the fig tree,I will show you Greater Things than this." There seems to be a huge difference between believing in Christ and following Christ. Don't get me wrong, in order to follow, one must believe first, so belief is huge....but that is my greatest fear for all of our lives. Here is the fear: is that where we stopped? Was belief enough? Because Christ seems to be implying that greater things come from "following Him."

So, our challenge, in the Roots Youth Ministry is this...let us begin to step toward Christ and become followers if we are not already and one of the actions items we are using is inviting our friends to church on January 27th.

Next Week: January 13, we will be discussing what some of these greater things are and it makes the rest of the passage that follows make sense now. I have always read right over this passage and never thought about it. Here it is..."

⁵¹ He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Haha! What? - See you Sunday night @ [lit]