The Yaug Blog

The Only Thing That Counts ...

2012-02-01T11:33:00.000-05:00

I've been really challenged this week by Galatians 5:6b which says "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." I've asked myself the question several times this week ... is my faith being expressed by how I love others? According to Galatians 5:6 ... that's all that really matters. Am I allowing God to be on display in my life by how I treat others, respect them, serve them, give to them? Or, am I too busy keeping my eyes on myself.

The picture above is an illustration I used a few years ago on a Sunday morning. I'm holding a mirror and the idea behind it was that as long as I keep my eyes focused on myself, I will never see you. For those of us who are trying to embrace Jesus' way of life, that means we try to take our eyes off of ourselves and focus outward on others and how we can be Jesus to them. I wish I could say I do this well every day. Some days are better than others, but I'm really trying to keep in mind that "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." I heard someone say once that "Fake Christianity is just a bunch of words. Authentic Christianity is LOVE in action." I hope I can live up to that statement and let God be on display in my life.

Axis Wrap Up - Uncommon Attitude

2012-01-27T10:29:00.000-05:00

"Remarkable doesn't just mean 'neat.' It means 'worth making a remark about.'" That's a quote from Seth Godin, one of my favorite authors, and we used a short clip from a talk he did to business leaders to introduce our new series at axis ... UNCOMMON. I challenged our kids right off the bat and asked them if their life was worth making a remark about. Were they living in such a way that people noticed ... the way they gave, the way they served, they way the cared for others, the way they talked, their attitude ... would people say "Wow, that's uncommon!" Would people make a remark about how they are living their life because it stands out.

We then broke up in to our "Chat Groups" and allowed kids the opportunity to discuss what it means to be uncommon and live in an uncommon way. The groups seemed to go really well and it seemed as if the topic really hit home with our students.

The specific topic tonight was Uncommon Attitude. We looked at James 1:2 - 4 and talked to our kids about how to have an "Uncommon Attitude" when times are tough. I used the example of lifting weights (and got to show off a bit by curling a dumb bell several times) haha. We all know that if we lift weights we become bigger and stronger. But, the reason that works is because when we exercise we are actually breaking down our body, breaking down our muscles. That's why we get sore after exercise. But, God has designed our bodies in an amazing way. After we break down muscle, the body begins to repair itself. And, it's in the repairing process that our muscles get bigger and stronger. So, we have to break out bodies down in order for them to build themselves up and become stronger.

Spiritually speaking I believe it works the same way. Nothing breaks us down more than going through a really difficult time. It's through the "breaking" that God makes us stronger. For whatever reason God chooses to use the really hard times in our life and allows us the opportunity to become stronger from them. The "common" attitude when going through a difficult time is to ask "Why?" Or, to get negative and say that "It's not fair. Why does this always happen to me?" Or, if you're on facebook, an unfortunately common status I see often is "fml" after a post about something negative. The "common" person folds under the pressure of a difficulty or a trial. But, instead of asking God to take the problem away, the uncommon person will ask God to help them become stronger because of the problem. The first part of James 1:2 ... "Consider it pure joy when you go through trials of many kinds" ... that's crazy! That's uncommon! Seriously! As I was reflecting on that verse, I thought to myself, "That is just nuts!" How can we consider it "joy" while going through something really hard? The joy comes from knowing that after you get through it you will become "mature and complete, not lacking anything" as James 1:4 tells us. There are some life characteristics that will only be developed when we learn to face our challenges head on.

I'm not saying it's easy. I'm not saying it will be fun. I'm not saying it's going to be a simple process and won't hurt at all. Even as I type all of this I think to myself that there are some scenarios of pain and trauma and hurt that I don't even want to imagine going through. But, the hope comes in knowing that God walks with us through those times and will make us stronger and more able to help others. The most difficult time in my life (March 2007, my diagnosis of cancer) was incredibly painful. Seven months of chemotherapy ... feeling lousy all of the time ... weak, tired, the sense of a black cloud hanging over my head every day for 7 months ... not fun. But, as I reflect on that time, I experienced walking with God in a way that I never would have if I hadn't been diagnosed. And, I believe I've come out of that a stronger person. And, have had several opportunities to come beside others who have been diagnosed with cancer and try to be a support to them. Again, I'm not saying it's easy. Tears and weeping may be involved. But, for those that are followers of Jesus, there is hope. And, our attitude through a hard time can be "Uncommon" and point someone to Jesus Christ.

Next Week: Uncommon Actions

6 Ways for Men to Pray Over Their Families

2012-01-25T14:14:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed reading this post by Dave Bruskas. Really practical yet incredibly important stuff on how to pray over our families.

Last Sunday, Pastor Mark led men in a vow and asked them to pray over their wives. We wanted to follow up on some practical ways for men to pray for their families.

One of my favorite responsibilities as a husband and dad is to pray for my wife and four daughters. It is also one of the most difficult things to do consistently. But it is something I want to do well for the sake of those I love most. So as a man who needs a good plan to go along with the best intentions, here is what works for me.

1. SCHEDULE PRAYER

I pray for my family on a scheduled basis four times a day. These prayers aren’t wordy or long. And most of the time, they are simply asking Jesus for the same things in the same way. The condition of my heart is the only thing that keeps them from being rote or ritualistic.

2. PRAY FROM BED

I’m one of those strange people who is either blessed or cursed (depending on your perspective) with an internal alarm clock. So I wake up 15 minutes before I need to get out of bed every day of my life. And I devote that time to praying for my family. Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14–21 inspires this prayer time. I pray that my wife and girls, out of an experiential awareness of God’s love, will: 1) love him, 2) love his Word, 3) love the church, and 4) love people who don’t yet know him.

3. PRAY BEFORE SCHOOL

My kids have always attended public schools. They have taken the bus, rode in carpools, been driven by me or Mom and have even driven themselves. Before they leave me, I hug them and put my head to their head so that my mouth is near an ear. I then pray that Jesus would protect them. I also pray that they would be mindful of his presence in everything that happens that day whether good, bad, or somewhere in between.

4. PRAY AT DINNER

My family will have dinner together at least four times most weeks. And as we eat, I ask each family member to share her thoughts from her devotional life. A dad with younger kids can share from his study and invite Mom to do the same. It’s amazing what I learn from my family during this time. We focus our conversation on personally obeying Jesus in the power of his finished work and the Holy Spirit. We then pray together that we would be obedient to him, by him and for him. And we pray very specifically for topics that surfaced during the dinner conversation.

5. PRAY BEFORE BED

My favorite prayer time has always been just before bed. When my girls were little, I would pray over them as I tucked them in. Now that they have matured, I pray for them in the den as they head to their room for the evening. I once again hug her so that my mouth is next to an ear. And I pray that she would believe that she belongs to Jesus, that his righteousness is hers, that he is her protector who never sleeps, that she would be refreshed and wake with her first thought being about Jesus.

6. PRAY SPONTANEOUSLY

While scheduled prayer is important, life is mostly unscheduled. And a crisis will never send an iCal invite. This means that I have an opportunity for unscheduled prayer all day every day. So I keep communication lines open with my wife and daughters throughout the day. This opens a door to pray with them and for them over anything at any time. Issues range from tough exams to embarrassing blemishes to friends who are losing parents to death or divorce or friends who are just plain lost. My hope is to use these vulnerable moments to teach them that God is both in control and kind. And he is a Father who cares for my wife and daughters. He is always available. And he connects with them through a conversation that we call prayer.

MY FEAR WITH THIS POST

Now, here is why I have mixed feelings about sharing these things: Some dads put my prayer life to shame. My entire prayer time both scheduled and spontaneous amounts to less than an hour a day. But other dads will feel shame over shortcomings.

So let’s move away from shame and start over by God’s grace. Begin with a simple plan that works for you. Make your first goal to have a daily prayer connection with your wife and kids. And ask the Holy Spirit to prompt you to pray spontaneously. Getting started isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think. And your family will love you for caring.

Dave Bruskas is the network pastor for Mars Hill Church.

Joe Paterno Almost a Steeler

2012-01-23T13:13:00.001-05:00

Really enjoyed this bit of "almost" history from Peter King's column at CNN today:

Sad news, however you fall on the Joe Paterno spectrum, with the news of his death Sunday at 85 ... 85 days after he coached his last game at Penn State. My feeling is that he could have done more, by his own admission, to bring the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal to light. He hung on too long to a job, when clearly he wasn't up to the physical demands of it anymore; he should have left the job six or seven years ago for the good of the program. But all of that doesn't erase the enormous good he did on a growing campus and for the lives of the players he coached.

The following has gotten some play over the last few weeks, but I thought I would sum up his three biggest flirtations with the NFL over the years.

In 1968, the Steelers went 2-11-1 under coach Bill Austin, and owner Art Rooney and son Dan decided to make a coaching change. Not long after the season ended, they made an offer that Paterno seriously considered -- because it was for $70,000 a year, $50,000 more than he was making at Penn State. At the time, Paterno was a hot property. Penn State had beaten Kansas in the Orange Bowl and finished the season (Paterno's third at Penn State) ranked second in the country.

"I thought he was going to come,'' Dan Rooney once told me. "We had him in my kitchen in Pittsburgh having lunch one day. We had a great conversation. I thought there was a good chance he'd want to coach our team.''

But Paterno felt he hadn't stayed at Penn State long enough, and he felt indebted to the school for giving him the job three years earlier. The Steelers hired the defensive coordinator from the Baltimore Colts, Chuck Noll, prompting disgruntled Steeler fans to complain they couldn't even get a college guy to coach their team. It turned out to be the best decision, arguably, in the history of the franchise.

The pursuit of Paterno happened again in 1973 and in 1982 with the Patriots. Twice Paterno was offered the coaching job in New England, and he verbally accepted in '73 -- but backed out because he reportedly was skittish over the shaky ownership and management of the team.

Imagine if Paterno had taken the Steeler job and Noll hadn't. My first question is whether Paterno would have taken Joe Greene of North Texas State, as Noll did, as the first draft pick of the club in 1969. Greene became the cornerstone of the Steel Curtain, and is probably the single most important draft pick in club history. We'll never know if Paterno would have liked quarterback Greg Cook enough to pick Cook and build his offense around him, or maybe even his own tight end from Penn State, Ted Kwalick, over a player from a smaller school. Noll never feared the college players from schools outside the power conferences; in fact, many of his cornerstone players came from the lesser schools and predominantly black colleges. Would Paterno have shared Noll's affection for the less famous?

Axis Wrap Up - Lies ... A Good Life Will Get You to Heaven

2012-01-20T16:43:00.000-05:00

I love seeing teenagers serve! This past Wednesday our kids took over axis ... the planning, the music, the speaking, they served in EVERY area and it was awesome! I think back to my life as a teenager and if someone would have never given me an opportunity to speak in front of others or to lead a group of people or to allow me to be a counselor at a summer camp ... who knows where I'd be right now. The Church gave me the ability to use and develop my gifts and I love paying that forward to our teenagers.

This past Wednesday we finished up our Lies series by looking at the lie "A good life will get you to heaven." Again, we base truth off of what the Bible says and the Bible is clear that it takes more than doing good things to get you to heaven. Here is how our kids broke down their lesson time:

1) Doing good things are important. It's important to live a good life and do good things. We have been created for that according to Ephesians 2:10. Doing good things is a way to fulfill part of our purpose on earth and live in a way that points people to God.

2) But, living a good life is not enough to get us to heaven. The reality is that none of us are good (Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23). Our sin causes us to fall short of God's standard.

3) That's where Jesus steps in. Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by Me." The Bible also says in Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other Name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved." One of our students speaking used the illustration of meeting a new friend and wanting to visit them but that friend simply said they live in Indiana. She could spend her life searching for her friend and never find her because she didn't have specific directions. Well, the Bible gives us specific directions on how to find God ... through Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9 - 10 says that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raise Him from the dead, we will be saved.

It was a great night with kids responding to the Gospel.

Next Week: Our new series - Uncommon ... a 5 week study through the book of James.

Axis Wrap Up - Lies ... God Can't Use Me

2012-01-17T16:10:00.000-05:00

Most of the time we underestimate what God wants to do in our life. And, I believe, it's real subtle. It's not that we don't believe God can't work or won't work. It's not that we believe God doesn't use people. It's just that many times we believe that God won't use us or couldn't use us. It's a lie from the enemy to keep us ineffective.

We addressed this lie at axis last Wednesday night and spent some time looking at a story in the book of Judges about a guy named Ehud. It's found in Judges 3:12 - 30. A couple of cool things about this story:

1) God used this guy with a crazy name ... Ehud ... to bring peace to Israel for 80 years.
2) Ehud was left-handed ... considered a handicap or disability in his day.
3) Ehud was from the tribe of Benjamin. The word "Benjamin" in Hebrew means "son of the right hand."
4) Ehud was left-handed and came from a place called "son of the right hand." In other words ... he probably didn't fit in.

But, God still used him. The take-a-way from the story was that God wants us to embrace who He has created us to be. He doesn't want us to fit in to everyone else's mold. He has specifically gifted us with abilities and talents and passions and will provide opportunities for us to use those specific abilities, talents, and passions. Ephesians 2:10 says that we were created to do good things.

Something else pretty cool from this passage ... God used Ehud to defeat a wicked king who was keeping the Israelites captive. Ehud used his left hand to kill the king with a sword. The very thing that was considered a disability (his left hand) is what God used to bring victory! I believe God wants to use our weaknesses more than our strengths because it truly puts Him on display in our lives. So, the thing that maybe you're most ashamed of, the thing that has created the most hurt in your life, the thing you're most embarrassed about ... God wants to work through that!

God has a purpose for each of us. Every single day I believe God will provide opportunities for us to do something good. When we embrace Jesus' way of life, we become dangerous for God. Don't underestimate what God wants to do in your and through you.

This Wednesday's Lie: A Good Life Will Get You to Heaven. I'm excited because it's a student led night. Should be great!

Sub-Zero Retreat Thoughts

2012-01-16T13:34:00.000-05:00

We had our middle school retreat over the weekend called Sub-Zero. Our ministry tagged up with 4 other churches and spent the weekend at Splash Universe in Shipshewana, about a 20 minute drive from our church. We took 14 of our middle school kids, 6 adults, and there were around 200 kids total at the retreat. Here are a few of my random thoughts from the weekend:

- It's cliche, but it's still true and ALWAYS will be ... youth ministry is about relationships. A weekend retreat is one of the best ways to build relationships with kids in the youth ministry. When you're with them 24/7, in an environment away from home, at a retreat that's been covered in prayer, and at a place where God is moving ... that's just a great formula for getting to know students better.

- I will take a loving, kind, accepting environment with not a whole lot of bells and whistles over a very flashy, high tech, but cold environment ANY day of the week. This retreat had "it" ... that special something where you know kids are being loved, adults are genuine, and God is moving. It's hard to explain, hard to define, and sometimes really hard to put your finger on the "how's and why's" of it happening ... but you know it when you see it. Every student there was loved and accepted and I really believe got a clear picture of who Jesus is. There was nothing real fancy ... just lots of love. Students will ALWAYS respond to that.

- Our worship team is incredibly gifted. The worship team from The Link at Grace Community led worship most of the weekend. They just have a great ability to help us connect with God and lead us before Him in worship. The heart, the talent, the passion ... it's all there. I really love those guys.

- That said ... the student worship team that led the last session was very special. Honestly, the talent wasn't the same, the music selection (in my opinion) wasn't as good ... but, man, there is something special about seeing kids on stage leading their peers in worship. The drummer on the Link worship team was a former student in our youth ministry. I remember him playing as a freshman in high school. His skill set was limited, but he was able to develop his skills and gifts in the church. And, now, he's REALLY good. If we would have been looking for "talent" all the time, that freshman never would have had the opportunity to develop a gift that God had given to him. It can sometimes get messy and, honestly, difficult to listen too ... but I would rather see a student band leading students in worship because it allows them to serve each other. Now, you pair that with a talented, loving adult willing to help those student develop their gifts ... that's a win. I'm very thankful that Jeremy (our youth ministry's worship leader) is that type of adult.

- Teenagers are fun.

- Teenagers need to have opportunities to serve.

- I'm not sure how many adults were there as leaders, but there were several. No "big" names ... nobody outside of their specific youth ministry would really even know who they were, but each of those adults was an amazing picture of service to teenagers. So much time and energy and love has been poured out from those adults throughout their years in youth ministry either as a volunteer or paid staff. Youth ministry is not the easiest thing in the world and can often be a trying thing to be a part of ... but when you build trust, slowly keep plugging away at it, and when a student knows that you love them enough to speak truth in to their life ... the hard truths and the encouraging truths ... that pays off. I'm so thankful for men and women who do that.

- I had a former student of mine, now in college, helping lead our group. I also had two other college students who are helping with our group, but grew up in the ministry of another church who was also at the retreat. That's special ... when you know see students you've invested in now investing in other students. Just very special.

I'm glad our group was invited to this retreat by another church and have already been asked "Are we going again next year?!" It was a great weekend with lots of lessons learned and some good reminders for me.

Small Things Can Create Big Changes

2012-01-12T13:54:00.001-05:00

Chuck Noll, former coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers once said "Great teams are great because they do the ordinary things better than anyone else." When you work hard, do more than what's expected of you, and do the little things better than anyone else, well, that's a formula for success, not just in sports but in life too. Imagine what our families would look like if husbands and wives were trying to out serve the other. Imagine what our ministries would look like if we paid attention to the small details just as much as we did the big ones. Imagine if we focused our greatest efforts on the two simplest ways to know God ... reading our Bible and praying.

While its true that there are some instances where BIG changes may need to be made in families, ministries or life in general for greatness to happen, more times than not, I believe, that simple, practical changes and attention to the everyday, ordinary things can bring amazing success and cause lives and families to thrive.

What are some things you may need to pay more attention too? What small changes do you have to make in order to thrive in your life?

Below I've linked a post to a great post from Doug Fields on small things you can do to help your family thrive. Really good stuff.

5 Way to Change the Environment of Your Family

My Unfortunate Prediction on the Steelers vs. Broncos

2012-01-09T15:27:00.000-05:00

The Steelers' loss to the Denver Broncos yesterday marked the end of their season. I had someone post something on my Facebook page about the Broncos probably not standing a chance against the Steelers. My reply to that post was this: "Haha. One thing I've learned with the Steelers though is not to get too over confident. It should be a really good game." I've been a Steelers fan long enough to see the wins to teams they probably should have lost too and the losses to teams they should have beaten ... especially in the playoffs. I had a bad feeling the entire week about the game. I was confident they could stop the Broncos running game ... not so confident they could prevent a deep pass for a score, especially with Ryan Clark not playing. But, I never thought most of the passes would go against their best corner back, Ike Taylor. He played the worst game I've ever seen him play. I wouldn't call him a great corner back, but he's really good. It was just an awful game for him. We all have those. His just happened to be yesterday.

Each team has a small window of opportunity to be great and to make Super Bowl runs. I think the team, in it's current form, has run out of time and will need to make some significant changes in the offseason to get younger and start another run. I trust the Steelers front office and know they'll make good football decisions.

I'm hoping the Broncos can pull off another upset against the Patriots this weekend! That upset won't bother me nearly as much as the one Sunday.

Axis Wrap Up - Lies ... I Can Get Even

2012-01-06T10:47:00.001-05:00

We starting a new year with a new series at axis called LIES. The idea behind the series is to allow us to look at lies we often believe in our life and then combat those lies with truth. It may seem like a strange series to open up the year, but as I was reflecting on it and praying about it, I couldn't think of any better way to start the new year than to be free. Jesus said in John 8:32 "the truth will set you free." I feel like so many teenagers (and adults for that matter) are held captive by lies ... lies they believe about themselves, lies they believe about others, or lies they believe about God. We've been held captive long enough allowing the enemy to have his way with us.

I started the night talking briefly about who the Bible calls our "enemy" ... Satan. He opposes us and his ONLY 2012 resolution is to ruin our lives. It's all he knows. It's all he does. And, the main way he tries to accomplish this is through deception ... getting us to believe something about ourselves that isn't true. Getting us to believe we need something that we truly do not. Getting us to believe something he offers will make us happier than what God offers. Jesus described him as the "father of lies" and that there is "no truth in him." So, any time he tempts us, he is tempting us with something that is not true. So important to know, but can also be so hard to grasp because, well, he's a deceiver and darn good at it.

The lie we talked about Wednesday night was "I can get even." So often in our lives if someone hurts us or offends us or takes something from us or gossips about us ... whatever it may be ... we often think that if we could just make them hurt the way they've hurt us, then we'll be happy. So, we hold on to a grudge, bitterness or unforgiveness until their debt to us is paid. If I can just get even, then all will be better. The truth is, we can never truly get even. We can never get paid back. For the one who's been abused, the sad truth is, that innocence will never be returned. For the one who has a parent who has abandoned the family because of an affair or neglect or whatever it may be ... they are not getting their family back. For the one who's been lied about, you can never get back all of the lies that were told. We never truly get paid back.

The verse we looked at was Ephesians 4:26 which says "Don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil." The idea behind that verse, I believe, is to hold on to anger for as short a time as possible. Why? Because anger gives the devil a foothold in our life. It allows him to gain traction, to get a grip, to dig in and exert his influence in our lives. The only way to break that power ... to break the power of anger in our life is to forgive ... to give up our right to get even ... to simply say "I have decided that your debt to me is cancelled."

We ended our night by giving our students an opportunity to write down their grudges, their bitterness, some anger that they were hold on to. They wrote it on a piece of paper that simply said "I choose to give up my right to get even. This will not have a hold over me any more." What was written on those papers was heart breaking but freeing at the same time. I believe many students left our night the most free they've felt in a long time. I took those papers home, my wife and I prayed over them, and then we burned them up in our fire place. Below is a picture of those "grudges" being burned.

Next Week: God Couldn't Use Me

Some Beth Moore Quotes

2012-01-03T16:31:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite authors and speakers is Beth Moore. She's an incredibly gifted communicator with an amazing story of how God can completely change a person's life. During our staff meeting at Grace today, we spent some time watching Passion 2012 online and Beth Moore was the speaker we heard. I was completely blown away as she shared from Luke 8:40 - 56. Here are just a few of the things she said that I just had to write down:

- "It is impossible for you to go unnoticed by God."

- "For most of us, the greatest need we have for healing is intensely private. We are as sic as our secrets. We have a tendency to hide what needs the most healing."

- "You cannot be unclean enough to mess Jesus up."

- "Jesus makes Himself easy to grab on too."

- "When you feel God's healing, He feels it too."

- "You cannot consume God, but He can consume you."

Axis Wrap Up - Bringing Christmas Home 12-21-11

2011-12-23T12:08:00.000-05:00

We had our last axis of 2011 this past Wednesday ... which is so hard to believe. But, our night was just great and I can't really think of any better way to end the year. We had so many different elements that make youth ministry so much fun ... we gave away free hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles, students were serving all over the place, fun videos and a fun game, great worship music, we took a special offering and blessed a family in our youth ministry, we shared the Gospel and kids got saved ... just an amazing night! We had approximately 20 students that responded with decisions Wednesday night. I loved seeing God move and loved seeing Him work in the lives of our kids.

Below is a pic of two very faithful students in our youth ministry. This has been a really difficult year for their family. They lost their dad to cancer early in the year and then, just a few month later, their mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and has been going through chemo treatments for several months. It's just been one of those situations that you look at and think "Why?" But, they have responded to everything so incredibly and I have been blown away by their faith and their positive attitude. It's been really hard, but through it all, God has been shining through their lives. Anyway, we took a special offering, raised hundreds of dollars and surprised them with it on Wednesday just to let them know how much we love them..

Our last axis of 2011 was a really special night and I loved seeing our kids have fun, serve, give generously, and respond to God.

A Scare at Home

2011-12-23T11:38:00.000-05:00

Above is my baby girl Torah. She's just a little over 1 year old. You may notice a bandage on her right hand and some blood on her shirt. Well, there's a reason for that. This past Monday we had a bit of a scare in the Yauger household. My wife had an appointment and I was at home getting my son ready for pre-school. Torah and my other daughter Mercy were playing near our bedroom. Well, I hear the bedroom door slammed shut and a few seconds later I hear Torah crying. Crying happens all the time in a home full of toddlers so I didn't initially think anything of it until my son pointed out to me "Dad, I think I see blood!" Well, that doesn't happen all the time in our household so I went to go check things out and I see my poor baby girl covered in blood. And then I noticed her little finger ... with a part of it missing! My heart just sank. Mercy had accidentally shut Torah's finger in our bedroom door and it literally took the tip of her finger off! I picked her up and did my best to get the bleeding under control and to try to comfort my baby girl. I was covered in blood. She was covered in blood. Ezra and Mercy ... well they were coloring (a strong sense of compassion hasn't quite developed in their 4 and 2 year old spirits). Thankfully, everything turned out to be OK. We took her to the doctor. Nothing was broken. Just the tip of her finger was gone (which we still haven't found yet, but that's another story). We've had a few more trips to the doctor this week to get the finger looked at and Torah seems to be doing just fine. The doctor said in a few month we won't even be able to notice that anything happened! But, what a scare.

For parents, seeing their kids hurt is one of the hardest things in the world. I so wanted to be able to take the hurt away ... to just make the pain stop. All of that got me thinking about Jesus coming to earth at Christmas and God the Father knowing the pain that Jesus was going to eventually experience for you and for me AND, for the first time EVER God the Father was going to have to turn His face from Jesus as He took the penalty for our sin.

"For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE His one and only Son that WHOEVER believes in Him should not perish but have EVER-LASTING life." John 3:16

As a parent I have an entirely different appreciation for that verse and for the love that was shown to me and to each of us on that night Jesus was born.

A Simple Challenge

2011-12-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

I was reading Acts 10 for my quiet time the other day and was really struck by the way a man name Cornelius was known. Verse 2 says "He gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly." Then, later in verse 4 we are told that an angel of God came to him in a vision and the angel said this: "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God." What I found really challenging is that this guy Cornelius was known by his peers as a person who prays and gives generously and, more importantly, was known by God as a person who prays and gives generously. My take-a-way from those verses ... be a person of prayer and a person of generosity. That seminary degree really comes in handy. :)

So, if you're reading this today, that's my simple challenge to you. Are you praying? Are you giving? What a great way to be known by others and by God.

Axis Wrap Up - Bringing Christmas Home

2011-12-09T12:10:00.000-05:00

We started our Christmas series, Bringing Christmas Home, this past Wednesday at axis. I am a sucker for everything Christmas and really love this time of year. So, I'm always excited when I have the opportunity to, well, project my love for Christmas on to our youth ministry. The games, the music, the opening videos all have a great Christmas "feel" to them. But, I often feel the pressure of trying to come up with something super creative to talk about at Christmas. I put the pressure on myself to spice up the Christmas story a bit. Well, as I was thinking about that while preparing to speak, I was very convicted about my attitude. I mean, seriously, Jesus crossing the expanse of the Universe to become a human to show His love and to allow us the opportunity to know God ... that doesn't need spiced up. That's the greatest thing that has ever happened to us! Whether we believe it or not, whether we accept it or not, whether we turn to God or not ... God's love for us would not be stopped. To date, astronomers have found a galaxy that is 13 billion light years away from us. If I'm not mistaken, that's the farthest object we are able to detect. 13 billion light years means that, traveling at 186,000 miles per hour, it would still take 13 billion years to get there ... but not even that distance could come close to stopping Jesus and His pursuit of us. He crossed the expanse of the Universe to declare His love and to allow us to know Him.

We used this video to sort of illustrate the idea that God would not be stopped in His pursuit of us.

We used two verses, John 1:1 and 1:14 to speak of God's passion for us and what the Christmas story is all about. My encouragement to our students was simply this ... let's stay focused on Jesus. Jesus is the greatest gift we've ever been give. Don't exchange that gift for anything else.

It was really a good night filled with some fun dancing, great worship, and topped off by a girl coming up to me after our senior high time and asked me "What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?" I had the opportunity to lead her to Jesus that night!

Next Week: Bringing Christmas Home with Generosity

It Took Twice As Long But ...

2011-12-07T11:57:00.000-05:00

My wife and I have a tradition where we always put up our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year has been no different, but what is different for us is that our son and daughter REALLY love "helping" decorate the tree. If you've ever done anything with little children you'll understand that the process is just a whole lot longer. What used to take my wife an I and hour or two now takes 3 to 4 hours with our kids .. but it's so worth it!

I'm a sucker for everything Christmas and love trying to make it a fun, special time for my family. My encouragement to you is this ... what are you doing to make Christmas memorable and special for your family? Dads, often times we leave this up to our wives to plan but why not take the lead this year and come up with some special things to do together as a family. Surprise your family by saying we're dropping everything to go out for hot chocolate and look at Christmas lights. Be overly generous by sacrificing some of what you would spend on your family and spend it on someone else. Initiate the Christmas story and talk about why Jesus came to earth. It may take a little extra effort on your part, especially after a long day at work, but that effort will be so worth it. Your family will appreciate what you are doing and you'll create some lasting memories to share with each other.

Axis Wrap Up - "All In for God"

2011-12-02T11:57:00.000-05:00

We had a great night at axis on Wednesday with a really powerful challenge on what it means to be "all in" for God. We looked at Romans 12:1 - 2 and spent some time discussing what that could look like in our lives if we truly offered ourselves as a sacrifice to God and were truly transformed. Just tried to be straight with our kids letting them know that following Jesus is more than showing up on a Wednesday night ... it's more than showing up on a Sunday morning. When you follow Jesus, you do just that ... you follow Him. You order your life around His way of life, not trying to be perfect or anything like that, but simply striving to know Him deeper and live as He would live. I believe many of our kids left with a greater understanding of what it means to follow Jesus and left with a greater desire to do just that.

We also had a new game called "Feets of Strength." The idea was simple ... we just did some games that required lots of strength. (I'm just that creative). :) We had a rope climb (both guys and girls volunteered to do it) and we had an old Indian stick wrestling game that was lots of fun to watch. Kids really seemed to enjoy doing them and watching them. Here are some pics and a video below.

Next week week we start our Christmas series! Can't wait.

The Star Wars Scavenger Hunt

2011-12-02T11:46:00.001-05:00

I'm a really big Star Wars fan. Growing up, I entertained myself hours on end playing with action figures or being in the woods behind my house saving the Universe from the "Empire." So many good memories and it was so much fun for me. Well, earlier this year I passed along my Star Wars action figures to my son. He's loved playing with them, but honestly, I only had a few action figures left. As we've seen other Star Wars action figures in books that we've read to him, he's always asked me, "Dad, did you have that action figure growing up?" Well, somewhere along the line, he became convinced that I simply lost the action figures and the next time we went to Grandma and Grandpap's house, we'd find them.

So, I decided to really try to make this fun for my son. I got on Ebay and bought some old Star Wars action figures ... not the "mint" condition ones that are like crazy, super expensive ... but the ones that somebody really had fun with and just didn't want them anymore. So, I bought some and when we got to my parents house, I took a little bit of time to hide them outside. I then asked Ezra if he wanted to try to help me find some of the ones I lost. It was SO much fun! He's done nothing but play with those things since we've been back from my parents place.

He was always fascinated with Jabba the Hutt. So, I wanted to be sure I got one of those with him. This is his reaction when he found Jabba outside. It's worth the 40 seconds to watch the video just to find out how he described what Jabba looks like.

My Indiana Tough Mudder Gear

2011-11-23T13:02:00.000-05:00

When I was training for the Indiana Tough Mudder, I found it really helpful to go to the blogs of people who had did one previously and learn about their experience and what type of stuff they wore the day of the race. So, thought I'd do the same and hopefully it will be helpful for someone out there getting ready for one of the best experiences they could ever have ... a Tough Mudder.

The Indiana Mudder was cold. I don't have quite the physique to run shirtless (without causing someone around me to throw up in their mouths) haha ... so I was looking for some cold weather gear. The UnderArmour Cold Weather Leggings were a huge help for me. They kept me warm, kept my legs from getting really scracthed up, and honestly were just really comfortable to wear.

The UnderArmour Cold Gear Compression Mock was a great shirt for me also. I had never owned a compression shirt before and, not only did it keep me very warm during the race, but it was very comfortable. I could barely tell that I was wearing it. I also wore one of my running shirts over top of it.

You never know what to expect from a November in Indiana. I was anticipating the temperature to be very cold. When we started the race, it was in the 30's, but warmed up as our time went on. But, the wind was very chilly and, combine that with all of the water obstacles ... I definitely wanted to be warm. So, I also decided to buy an Under Armour Cold Gear Hood. It was really helpful and dried out quickly after the water obstacles. When I got hot (which was only the first mile of the Mudder because we hadn't been in the water yet) I just pulled it down. Once we started getting wet, I pulled it back over my head and kept it there the rest of the race.

Gloves were a concern for me. I was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 and went through 7 months of chemotherapy treatments. Ever since that time, my hands and feet have been very sensitive to the cold (one of the gifts of chemo that keeps on giving). So, I wanted a glove that I was confident would keep my hands warm, but also one that would allow me to have full use of my hands and fingers. I settled for the UnderArmour Cold Gear Liner Gloves. My hands only got cold after being fully submerged in the water. But, the gloves dried out quickly. That combined with simply the desire to keep moving, kept my hands and fingers fairly warm. The grip of the glove was adequate. Not great. Not awful. My only real complaint with the gloves is that is was hard to get the mud off of them. Really, the only thing that would remove the mud was when I'd get in the water. I liked the purchase, but would consider using another glove for future Mudders.

Part of my training for the Mudder involved running through a retention pond on our church's property and also running through a creek at a local spillway. Most of the times it was done early in the morning and was very cold. At first, I only had running socks and I noticed that my feet would get really, really cold after being in the water and that the socks didn't wick the water away as much as I had hoped. A friend of mine then suggested wool socks. So, I got a pair of those and was really pleased with how they worked. The only time my feet got cold during the Mudder was when we did a part called the Frozen Forrest. We were literally in waist deep water for 15 to 20 minutes. By the end of that I was pretty cold. But, overall, the wool socks were awesome. I purchased the Pearl Izumi Infinity Trail Sock

A few other things that I found helpful ... Body Glide Anti Chaffing, Band-aids (sounds gross, but on the nipples), and a pair of ear plugs. Much of the heat that is lost from the body is lost through the ears. So, I just wore a pair of ear plugs throughout the race. My shoes were simply a pair of road running shoes that I had worn for my marathon last year. I had debated on whether or not to buy a pair of trail shoes, but decided against it ... honestly because I didn't have the extra $80 to $100 to get them. But, next time I think I would invest in a good pair of trail shoes.

Overall, I was very happy with all of my gear. I didn't really get cold at all until after the race when I was just standing around waiting to get my bag. Gloves and shoes are the only thing I would change about what I wore.

Video Recap of Indiana Tough Mudder

2011-11-21T15:29:00.000-05:00

A video of me and the rest of our church staff doing the Indiana Tough Mudder.

Tough Mudder 2011- I Am Legacy Grace Community Church Staff Team from Grace Community Church on Vimeo.

Indiana Tough Mudder Recap

2011-11-21T14:49:00.001-05:00

Four months ago when I was challenged to do the Indiana Tough Mudder I remember thinking to myself ... "I'm not sure I can do that." But, as I sit here and reflect on it all, I realize that it wasn't a matter of not being ABLE to do it, but simply not WANTING to do it. There's a huge difference. In all honesty, I probably would not have chosen to do it on my own, but I was challenged by a group of guys that I have the utmost respect for and would go to battle with them any day of the week. And, when they chose to battle the Tough Mudder, I wasn't going to allow them to do it without me. So, I sit here two days after becoming an official "Tough Mudder" with, not only a fair amount of soreness, but also an incredible sense of accomplishment. I, along with my teammates, am a Tough Mudder! Below is a recap of the Mudder. I tried to remember everything as accurately as I could, but honestly, some of the obstacles are a bit jumbled in my memory. But, this will give you a pretty clear description of one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Some of the pictures below are of our team and some are simply from the Tough Mudder facebook page.

This was the start of the race. It was so motivating. The music, the Star Spangled Banner, the talk from one of the workers ... seriously, I was ready to run in to a wall afterwards because I was so pumped up. One of the lines I'll never forget: "This course was designed to hurt you." That, right away, gave me a respect for the challenge ahead of me.

We started out with a fun, but pretty difficult run. I was so charged up from the start of the race, but it took about the first 1/2 mile to suck that out of me. If you think there are not hills in Indiana, just visit the Attica Badlands and you'll think differently. The hills, many of them simply sand, really were a challenge and got you warmed up quickly. That's me in the red shirt and black hoodie, by the way, running next to my teammate Jim.

This was CLIFHanger ... the first real obstacle we encountered. It was just one very steep and very muddy hill. Most people needed a boost from behind or a hand to grab on to above to make it up.

After the difficult run and hill, we came to the Kiss of Mudd. Barbed wire above, nothing but mud underneath. Honestly, this was a fun obstacle, we all came out about 5 pounds heavier because of the mud that was caked on us.

After that came the Chernobyl Jacuzzi. The good news ... it washed all the mud off. The bad news ... it was absolutely freezing! It was basically a dumpster filled with about 4 1/2 feet of ice water. Half way through the obstacle is a board that you have to duck under, so you have no choice but to entirely submerse your body. I really mentally prepared myself for this so when I took the initial jump in with my teammate Jon, I didn't really feel all the bone chilling cold ... but I think that was probably just because my body went in to shock! Once I had to submerge my head, though, the cold really started to sink in and my only thought was "Get to the other side as fast as possible!"

After that, you really needed to start moving or you'd freeze up very quickly. So we started a brisk run with numb bodies and made it to the next obstacle ... Log Jammin'. We had to climb over a series of very high logs. Again, tough, but fun, with lots of teamwork.

Next up was the Swamp Stomp. Up to that point in my life, it was the thickest mud I had ever seen or been in. I don't know how long we were in it, but it seemed like forever! Seriously, the mud just seemingly sucked every part of your body in to it. I was next to a girl who was literally stuck in the mud ... stuck ... could not move. We leave no "mudder" behind so for the next few minutes I would grab her foot and pull it out of the mud so she could take a step. We then repeated this process for several minutes until she was able to go on her own.

From there we came to the Berlin Walls. There were several sets of these walls throughout the course. I believe the walls were 12 feet high. Throughout the course there would sometimes only be one wall or there would be two or three sets of walls you had to climb over. That's me in the red with my teammate Kirt helping me over. I was glad to get over each wall but they were a challenge and became more challenging the longer we were on the course. At the second set of walls we came to, someone had fallen and was seriously hurt. Our team took some time to pray for this person. I'm not sure what happened, but sure hope he is OK.

Boulderdash was just a series of boulders and man-built obstacles to get through.

Creek Crusade was just a long run through a creek. Actually pretty fun and just felt like being a kid running through the water ... except it was really cold and I was covered with mud.

After that we rounded a corner on our run and I saw what was next ... Walk the Plank. This was the biggest mental obstacle for me of the entire race. I'm 40 years old and just learned how to swim this year because I knew I had to know how to swim to be a part of the Mudder. I also knew that I had a very large fear of water and I did not want fear to be a part of my family and I didn't want to pass that on to my kids. You can read about me learning how to swim right here. Throughout the weeks leading up to the Mudder I had been visualizing myself jumping off that 15 to 20 foot platform. I prayed about it often. I didn't ask God to take the fear away, but I simply asked for the courage to walk through it. When we got to the obstacle you had to use a rope to climb to the top of the platform. When I got to the top, there was a lady in front of me who was freaking out. I remember thinking to myself "This is NOT what I need to see right now." I realized that she wasn't going to go, so I got around her, looked to see if it was clear and then went to jump. But, right when I reached the edge my legs just stopped. I don't think I consciously stopped them ... they just stopped as if to tell me "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" (Different Strokes reference for the day). So, I stood there and re-grouped my thoughts and verbally spoke the words "I will not be afraid." I thought about my kids and the legacy I want to leave for them of walking through fear. So I jumped off and felt like I was falling from the Empire State Building. I don't know how far I was in the water, but it seemed like it took an eternity to reach the top. Once I reached the surface, I tried to take a breath, but the water was so incredibly cold that it literally took my breath away and I couldn't breath. I started to swim as best as I could but was really amazed at how difficult it was for me to get through the cold water. Everything on me was moving in slow motion. I must have been swimming for the next 20 years or so because it felt like it took that long to reach the shore. But, once I did and got out, even though I was so cold, the sense of accomplishment I felt created this warmth all over my body. I knew I had conquered my biggest fear of the course ... and it was AWESOME!

Next up was the Boa Constrictor ... a series of drainage tubes leading in to cold water. You went down a set in to the water and then up a set out of the water.

The "Turds Next" was next. A cargo net you had to get across. I chose to log roll through most of it and then bear crawl the last few feet when I needed to get to the platform on the other side.

Then came the Mud Mile. I thought I had experienced the thickest mud of my life in the Swamp Stomp until I came to this part of the course. I had never seen anything like this in my life! It just stopped you in your tracks! My thought was to get a good head of steam and try to get through it as fast as I could. So, I started running, hit the mud, and then immediately lost my left shoe. So, I had to get through the rest of the Mud Mile with one shoe on. When I got to the end, it took 5 to 10 minutes to get my shoe untied and put back on. My hands and the hands of everyone on our team were so cold that you just couldn't use them normally. I was so angry because I was slowing down our team. I was thankful that they were so helpful and didn't curse my name ... to my face anyway. :)

We did a bit of a longer run through the woods (Frozen Forrest) in which we spent probably 20 minutes in water that was up to our waist. It really started to get very cold, but we all got through it. We then came to the Hay Bale Pyramids ... a series of very high hay bales we had to get over. I actually enjoyed this one.

Hold Your Wood was just an obstacle where we had to grab a log and then carry it up a large hill.

We then had some more Walls to get over and also the Spider Web ... a large net we had to get through while climbing up a steep hill ... and then we came to our mystery obstacle. About 50 feet of nothing but ice that you had to crawl through because there were live wires about 18 inches above. This was the first electricity we encountered on the course. For me, everything started out fine. Started crawling through the ice and it was incredibly cold. I got to about the mid-way point when, the next thing I know, I look up and it seemed like I was looking through a set of binoculars backwards. Everything seemed far away and tunnel like. I remember thinking "I'm done. That wasn't too bad." And, then I realized that I was still in the middle of the obstacle. As things started to clear up in my head I realized "Wow. I just got blacked out by one of the wires. That was pretty cool!" One of the wires hit me in the head and completely blacked me out. Not sure for how long, but it definitely gave me a greater respect for this obstacle and the one to come at the end. I made my way through the rest of this getting hit with wires about three other times in the back and shoulders. This was incredibly cold and I just wanted to get out of there. My other teammate Jeff also got knocked out on this one.

Another run and then the Funky Monkey Bars. That's me in the red. I made it to about bar number 6 and promptly fell in to the water. I was pretty tired up to this point and really thought I'd be able to make it at least half way. This one totally kicked my butt.

A run through the Fire Walker obstacle, which really wasn't that bad, and by that time I was so cold that I just wanted to stand by one of the fires and warm up. But, I was nearing the finish and wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

I'm not sure what this obstacle was called, but it just sucked! Freezing cold water up to my chest and the footing beneath was so uneven. I just kept on falling and at this point in the race was just tired of being wet. It was a bit frustrating for me, but I got through it and was happy to be done with that one.

After the previous water obstacle you had to run up and down a series of hills. When I rounded a corner I saw Everest and for the first time of the entire race I saw and obstacle and mentally said "Oh no." That half pipe looked to be about 100 feet high! This was my major butt kicking of the course. Above you can see my teammate Jeremiah getting up. The idea was to run as fast as you could, take a leap and then hopefully grab the top and pull yourself up or latch on to a set of arms and have some help getting up. When it was my turn, I ran as fast as I could and about 1 foot before I reached the half-pipe, my foot hit a rock and I twisted my ankle and lost all my momentum. I continued to run and then jump and didn't come close to a hand or to the top. Once you fully commit to jumping and don't make it, your body just slams in to the half-pipe and you do, what I like to call the "Slide of Shame" back down to the bottom. I tried 3 separate times and each time just slammed my body in to that half-pipe and wasn't even coming close to a hand. That last time I hit my knee super hard. Man, did that hurt. Anyway, I conceded that obstacle. If I would have been coming reasonably close to a hand I think I would have kept trying, but, seriously, it wasn't even close. I was not going to get up it that way. I'm the only one on my team who couldn't complete that obstacle and, even now it just really doesn't sit well with me. I know I tried. I know I gave it my best efforts, but I really wanted to get to the top.

One last crawl through mud and under barbed wire. That's me in the first red shirt with my teammate Jeremy in the camo behind me and Jon in the black hoodie to my left.

The last obstacle was Electroshock Therapy. After being knocked out before, I had a new found respect for those wires and decided the best way to get through was just to go as fast as I could. I got zapped 3 or 4 times but all in the shoulder and chest. Whatever part gets hit just sorta goes limp for a moment, but if I didn't get knocked down I was just going to plow through ... which is what I did.

Overall, this was just one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I've done half-marathons and I did my first marathon last year. All, the marathon especially, left me with an amazing sense of accomplishment. It just felt good to be challenged. But, the Tough Mudder is an entirely different animal. I was challenged, I think, in every way possible ... mentally, spiritually, and physically. I had to face one of my major fears. I had to overcome the elements ... I'm not sure what the temperature was, but it was probably in the 30's when we started. But, the wind made it seem much colder. So, in every way I was challenged and knowing that I made it through and got that head band ... I've never worn a head band with more pride in my life. I, and everyone on our team, EARNED that thing. The best part for me was doing it with guys I love. We all helped each other and challenged each other and pushed each other. Knowing we did it together and having that shared experience is priceless. I think the best thing we all had going for us was that not completing the course wasn't even an option. Dropping out was not even though about. We all had the will to finish and we all helped each other finish and I'm so thankful for the guys that were on my team. I really had to lean on God with the water obstacle and was constantly asking Him for courage. The day of the race I got up at 3am and was getting ready and was able to spend some time praying. I, once again, asked for courage, and I really felt like I heard the Holy Spirit say to me "I've already given it to you. Stop asking already and just go do it." That was sort of God's butt kicking to me in the morning and I needed it. If you ever have a chance to do a Mudder, take the opportunity.

The Navy Seal Creed

2011-11-18T16:46:00.000-05:00

Came across the Navy Seal Creed this past week and was so inspired after reading it. If you're looking for some motivation, read below:

"In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our Nation’s call. A common man with uncommon desire to succeed.

Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America’s finest special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and protect their way of life.

I am that man.

My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day.

My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own.

I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men.

Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond.

We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all situations.

I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.

We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me – my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete.

We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to defend.

Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed.

I will not fail."

Axis Wrap Up - How to Raise Your Parents

2011-11-18T12:40:00.000-05:00

Over the past two weeks we've been talking about our families at axis. Both weeks I told our students that if their parents were here, I'd be talking to the parents about their role and responsibility in their family. But, since parents were not there, that meant I was going to talk to our teenagers about their role and responsibility in their family. Families work best when both parents and teenagers are fulfilling their roles and taking responsibility for what they can take responsibility for.

I wrapped up the series this past Wednesday by looking at three of our teenagers absolute FAVORITE verses (insert sarcasm) ... "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise - that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." Ephesians 6:1 - 3. The basic thought was that God says teenagers have a role and responsibility in their family: 1) To obey. 2) To honor. Not very popular, but again, families work best when we are fulfilling our God-given roles. I know that some teenagers often feel that the word "obey" is a dirty 4-letter word. Part of being a teenager means that there is a desire for independence, a desire to find out and explore things on their own ... and that's healthy. But, tension often occurs when a teenager's desire for independence conflicts with a parents responsibility to set up guidelines for their kids to follow. I worked hard at trying to explain to our kids that their parents are not the enemy. That parents do not set up boundaries and guidelines to ruin their lives but to help them develop in to God-loving, self-less, responsible teenagers and adults. When done in the right way, the guidelines parents set up are there to teach and to protect. We obey because it's "right" (Ephesians 6:1 - 3) and because it pleases God (Colossians 3:20).

Secondly, a teenager has a responsibility to honor their parents. Honoring goes so much deeper than simply obeying your parents. You can obey and NOT honor your parents if your obedience is done half-heartedly or disrespectfully. (I've never did that). :) But, to honor means to show parents love and respect and to try to bring honor to them by how you live your life. Some volunteers in our youth ministry told me one time that when their kids leave the house they always tell them "Remember who you are" ... meaning represent your family well and, even more importantly, represent Jesus well. Honor is something we can give freely, but we have to choose to do it. Again, God says families work best when teenagers fulfill their role and show honor to their parents.

It was a really good night. Lots of fun with some Just Dance and a game called Turkey Toss. And, we also got to hear from our team that went to Urban Hope in inner-city Philadelphia. Next week is just a fun night with a Super Hero theme, a movie, some dodge ball, and pizza and wings. Just a fun way to get ready for the holiday.

The Penn State Scandal

2011-11-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

Yep. That's me. 18 years ago I was a freshman at Penn State University. I absolutely loved my time at Penn State and have always carried a sense of pride, as most people do, thinking about the diploma I earned from my alma mater. I love to start or finish the cheer "WE ARE ... PENN STATE" and I bleed "blue and white."

For that reason, the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked my university has also shaken my personal world. I was an athletic training major at Penn State. I worked briefly with the football team. I walked around the same locker room that Jerry Sandusky allegedly sexually abused children. I walked the same hallways as Joe Paterno and would occasionally walk passed him. Mike McQueary was the quarterback of the Nittany Lions while I was there. And, although I really had no personal relationship with any of those people, the measure of respect I had for them was very high.

It's hard to describe how people at Penn State viewed Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno. "Joe Pa" was the moral compass of our campus ... the all-time winningest coach in college football but a coach who always put the athlete ahead of the program ... a coach who did things the "right way" and had more than just athletic standards for those on his team ... a man who donated millions to the university and lived in a very humble home outside of campus ... a grandfatherly figure full of wisdom and integrity.

And, Jerry Sandusky, although not on the same level as "Joe Pa," was still a legend on campus. He was the man who coached some of the best defenses in the country during his tenure as defensive coordinator and was described as the type of neighbor you'd like to have because of his kindness and generosity.

So, when the news broke, it's difficult to describe how I felt. The best way I can describe it is to say that it felt like one of my own relatives was involved in this. That's the bond these men had with the graduates of Penn State. It's been a week since all of this has come out and yet I'm still in a state of disbelief ... especially as I hear more and more about the allegations and the fact that people could basically sit by and do nothing after knowing these things were going on. Shocked. Horrified. Angry.

I sit in a position where I work with young people. I've dedicated the past nine and half years of my life to investing in the lives of teenagers. Over the years I've had to make those phone calls to Child Protective Services. It sucks, but I'm going to do what I have a responsibility to do. It's hard for me to understand how, first, someone could sexually abuse a child, and then second how someone could know about it and yet let it slide on by.

I'm still processing it all and have been thinking through what I can learn from this as a youth pastor. I think there are several lessons to be learned and I hope to post that some time soon. But, for now, my heart breaks for the victims. It's one thing to be victimized ... but then to be victimized again by the lack of response by people who seemed to know what was happening ... it literally turns my stomach.

Does the Devil Make Me Watch Porn?

2011-11-07T16:17:00.000-05:00

This past week at axis we separated the guys and girls. You can read about it right here. We had a Q & A time with our guys that I really wanted to be open and honest. We took a few minutes before things started to give the guys an opportunity to write out anonymous questions. Nothing was off limits. I then tried to randomly answer some of the questions that were given. It was fun and also very challenging. There were questions on dating, masturbation, sex, lust, why do some girls go for "bad" boys ... really fun questions like that. :) I tried to be as open and honest as possible and our guys really seemed to appreciate the candidness and openness that was given.

I didn't have enough time to answer all of the questions but promised the guys I would take some time to answer a few more online. I'm no theologian and have never been described as an intellectual. I'm not even sure I spelled the word correctly. :) But, I am a guy who cares deeply for students and desire to be a help and influence in their lives. So, in this post I'll try to give some insight in to one of the questions asked: "Does the devil make me watch porn?" The fast answer is simply "No" .... the devil does not MAKE a person watch pornography. It's a choice ... a choice to choose sin or a choice to choose to God. If Satan could make us sin, he would have no reason to use temptation. He would just make us do what he wants us to do. He does not have that power or authority.

But, he is a deceiver. He is a liar and the father of lies, as Jesus described him. And, what he tries to use to his advantage so often is our sinful nature. Romans 7:15 - 25 talks of the battle going on inside of each of us. If one is a follower of Jesus, there will always be a battle between the "old" nature and the "new creation" ... between the sinful nature and the new nature we have been given. And, because we have a sinful nature, our natural bent is to go against God. James 1:13 - 15 says that we are tempted by our own evil desire. The enemy doesn't have to get all of the credit for tempting me. I have enough "natural/sinful" desire myself that allows me to find sin on my own. But, that doesn't mean that the enemy and his playmates don't use temptation to trip us up, turn us from God, and ultimately try to "steal, kill, and destroy" as Jesus says in John 10:10. The enemy is a liar, a deceiver and he'll work our natural desires that war against God's best for our lives and attempt to use them to steer us away from God. And, he wants nothing good for us at all. He hates us with an never-ending hate and has only one goal for each of us ... to steal our joy, kill our relationships, and destroy our lives. That's his plan. And, unfortunately, pornography has stolen so much joy from people, wrecked so many relationships, and destroyed so many lives in the process.

The good news, we do have a choice. We do not HAVE to give in. As tempting as pornography can be for people of any age, but especially a teenager with hormones raging through their body, there can be victory. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says there is always a way of escape. James 4:7 - 8 say that we can resist the devil and he will flee. We can draw near to God and He will draw near to us. And, Romans 8:2 says that it's Jesus that sets us free! The enemy will always try to feed us his lies. And, it's important to not simply just ignore his lies but to replace his lies with truth ... the truth of God's word. There is hope. We do not have to give in. Sometimes it takes lots of help from friends, counselors, accountability partners, churches, and many others ... but we are not powerless to overcome temptation. And, every time we say no, it makes us stronger and builds character, and ultimately points to a Savior who offers us freedom.

If you are struggling with pornography and would like to find help, here are a couple of websites to check out:

XXX Church

Setting Captives Free

11-16-99 Thoughts on Being a Pastor

2011-11-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

I found some notes in my Bible dated 11-16-99. I specifically remember listening to a man who was speaking on what it means to be a pastor. I vividly remember his talk and intentionally kept the notes in my Bible, but haven't looked at them ... well, probably since 11-16-99. But, for some reason I felt the need to look at the notes yesterday. Here's a major thought I wrote down on what it means to be a pastor/shepherd in God's church:

What's the most important thing a pastor should do? Most will say studying to be able to preach well. That shouldn't be. Pastoring is not just a Sunday morning event. Shepherds typically are not "exhorters" They typically like to love on people and see them grow. The number one passion of a shepherd should be the sheep! Be a good shepherd first. Be with the sheep. Don't let the number one priority be preparing for a sermon.

I'm so glad I took just a few minutes to look over those notes because it was a great reminder of what my role is. Sure, teaching and preaching is important. It's the way to communicate truth and vision. But, that truth and vision is best received by people when they know they are cared for and loved by the person doing the sharing. When I think of my role with teenagers, I know I'm not the best communicator, but I also know that at the very least my student know I'm crazy about them. And, over time, that has allowed me to often speak truth in to their life.

I rarely will have a student come up to me after I speak and tell me what a great job I did or how thankful they are that I shared what I shared. But, if I go to one of their events, it's rare that they DON'T tell me how thankful they are that I showed up. I want to give me best efforts to preparing to speak truth to our students because I take that role very seriously, but I hope I never allow that to get in the way of just being with our students and sharing life with them.

Axis Wrap Up - Guys and Girls Finale

2011-11-04T11:31:00.000-04:00

We ended our Guys and Girls series at axis Wednesday night in a great way! We split up the guys and the girls and talked specifically to them about issues they specifically face. The night went really well and I think both our guys and girls came away challenged and encouraged.

Our girls had the great opportunity to hear from Shelby Norris. Shelby is a friend of my wife and has a truly inspiring story. She talked to our girls about the things she struggled with growing up as a teenager. She was very inspiring. She's also a dancer so she incorporates dance in to her story and everything really seemed to connect with our girls. I was so thankful she was able to share with them.

We did a Q & A time with the guys and let me tell you, some of the questions were pretty intense. But, as I opened our time up I told the guys no questions were off limits. We really wanted to speak openly and honestly about some of the struggles guys have and many of the questions they wrestle with every day. It was a very honest time and our guys really seemed to appreciate the honest answers I tried to give to their questions. Again, just a really good night.

Some of our middle school guys before our Q & A time.

We did a fun "Stupid People Tricks" bit during the night. There are some very strange talents in our youth ministry! It was fun to see some of them on display ... although I feel really awkward staring at Josh's stomach.

For our senior high time we had our team that visited Urban Hope share about their experience. But, to do that, we started out bringing one girl from the team up in a very serious way. We mentioned that she was going to talk about a life changing experience she had in Philadelphia on the mission trip and just as she was getting ready to talk ... she started dancing to Cotton Eyed Joe. The rest of the team then began to "flash mob" the dance with her. It was lots of fun.

This is Shelby sharing with our girls. Her story and the way she presented it connected so well with our girls.

Urban Hope Mission Trip

2011-10-31T16:21:00.000-04:00

I spent the past 4 days on a mission trip to inner-city Philadelphia at a place called Urban Hope. I had the opportunity to take 7 of our high school students and 3 of our former student leaders (now in college) on this trip and it was an amazing experience! There are so many reasons why I love teenagers and I was reminded of several of them while on this trip. Here are a few:

- Not a single complaint out of our group. Even when things didn't turn out the way we were expecting a few different times ... even when the weather turned absolutely nasty ... even when kids were shivering from the cold ... even after 24 hours in the van ... not a single complaint!

- They worked incredibly hard at whatever they were asked to do.

- They initiated conversations with several homeless people and tried to turn those conversations in to "spiritual" conversations.

- They prayed for and with people.

- They literally danced ... yes ... danced for a homeless person.

- They were so much fun and brought so much energy with them. Lots of laughs!

Here are a few of the pics from our trip.

This is our group with Ed Lewis ... our point person on this trip. Ed is in his 60's but is as young a person as you will find. He has worked for CE National for, well, as long as I can remember, and has just recently transitioned his role at CE to spend half of the year in Winona Lake, IN (the headquarters of CE National) and the other half of the year in inner-city Philadelphia. The reason he did this is because he wanted to try to have more of an impact on people. I've always had so much respect for Ed, but my respect has definitely grown over the years and our kids just fell in love with him. He was such an encouragement to work with.

On Friday night we spent some time making meals for homeless people. Here is part of our group getting some sandwiches and other good stuff ready to be passed out.

After making the meals we headed in to "Center City" to initiate conversations with some homeless people and pass out some meals and hot chocolate. It was a cold night and the hot chocolate definitely hit the spot for many. The best thing was just seeing our kids talk and talk and talk with homeless people. They prayed with them and just really showed love to them. It was such an encouragement for me to see.

The weather was a definite obstacle on our trip. Who would have thought that there would be a pretty big snow storm in October? But, there was. It rained, then sleeted, then snowed the entire day on Saturday really disrupting some of the outdoor stuff we had planned. But, our kids made the best of it and still tried to initiate conversations with people in the middle of the storm by going door to door. They also shoveled the sidewalks around Urban Hope. The above picture is at a rest stop on the PA Turnpike. We decided to leave earlier than planned on Saturday night because of the snow. I'm glad we did. The trip to this rest stop (which took about an hour and a half) was pretty slick the entire way. The snow plows hadn't hit the toll road yet, so things were just really slippery. While at the rest stop we found out that an accident about 10 miles ahead had shut down the toll road. So, we just waited at a rest stop (that had no power by the way) for over an hour. By that time, the snow plows had made it through and that helped tremendously as we made our way to spend the night at my hometown in South West Pennsylvania.

This was my 6th trip to Urban Hope and I love the ministry there and the opportunities for ministry it provides for our students.

My Vows to My Daughter

2011-10-24T16:28:00.000-04:00

My wife and I celebrated the 1st birthday of our beautiful daughter Torah over the weekend. With each of our three kids, we combined a 1st birthday celebration with a dedication. Each one has been incredibly special to us. The dedication is more to keep my wife and I accountable as we raise our children. We invite several of our friends to the dedication and make it clear to them that they have the right to hold us accountable. We cannot, nor do we even want to try, to raise our children without the support and accountability of our close friends and family. So, these things are a very big deal to us.

My wife and I each write vows to our kids for the dedication. Pastor Jon, our children's pastor, challenges us on what it means to be Godly parents and his challenges are always ... well ... very challenging! My wife and I then say our vows to our children. Below are the vows I wrote to my Torah and also some pics from the evening.

"Torah, I have no greater responsibility than being a husband and a dad. I look at that responsibility as a gift from God. It is so much fun being your dad. I had certain thoughts of what it would be like to be your dad a year ago at the time but you have far exceeded any of my dreams and expectations. You have the warmest and sweetest smile ever and when I hold you, I feel at peace ... like all is right with the world. I just love being your dad.

But, I also take the responsibility of that gift very seriously. I am the guardian of our home and I gladly welcome the responsibility that comes with that to love you, protect you, nurture you and teach you about a God who loves you even more than I do. Because of that I will:

1) Grow in my relationship with God. For me to have any chance to be a Godly dad to you, I need to first nurture and feed my soul with the truth of God's word. I promise to pursue God and do what it takes to know and serve Him deeply so I can give to you out of a heart that is being filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

2) Love your mom and cherish every day with her. Carol, you are my first priority in our family and our kids will never have any doubt about that. I will honor you, cherish you, say 'no' to things to be with you, and will always be faithful to you. Our marriage will provide a sense of security for our kids and I promise to love you how you most feel loved and to never, ever bail out of our relationship.

3) Do my best to be a picture of God to you without taking His place in your life. As much as I do not want to, there will be times I fail you. There will be times I let you down. But, through my actions and my words, I will teach you about a God who never fails and will always and in every situation be all that you need.

4) Date you often and always be a gentleman to you. No man loved you before I did and I will teach you the right way to be treated by any man fortunate enough to catch your eye and unfortunate enough to have to deal with me as your father.

5) Do my best to instill a sense of confidence and humility, security and yet dependence upon God, and I will teach you that true beauty flows from a confidence of knowing you are a daughter of the King of the Universe.

6). Finally, we named you Torah for 2 reasons. The word 'Torah" in Japanese means 'attack' but we decided to go with the Hebrew meaning instead. :) The 'Torah' is the Hebrew word for the first five books of the Old Testament. It's here where we read about God revealing Himself to mankind for the first time. Secondly, the word means 'doctrine' or 'teaching.' So, my prayer is that your life will reveal God to others and teach them how to live for Him.

I don't know what awaits us as we journey through life together, but I am so thankful to be your dad and with God's help, will live up to the calling I have received."

Pastor Jon challenging my wife and I.

One of my favorite pictures ... everyone praying over Torah, Carol, and I.

She LOVED her cake!

She tore in to her cake and threw most of it on the floor ... but had so much fun in the process.

Torah sleeps with a stuffed elephant so a friend from our church made an elephant cake and an adorable "smash" cake for her to enjoy.

Axis Wrap Up - Modesty

2011-10-21T16:49:00.000-04:00

Continued our Guys and Girls series at axis Wednesday with a talk on modesty. I really tried to talk specifically to our girls about how a guy thinks (which can be scary) and also challenge our guys to guard our thoughts and honor the women around us. It was a really good night that seemed to keep the interest of both the girls and the guys. I tried to speak tastefully yet candidly about the topic.

I tried to explain the difference between how a guy and girl think when they see something. What a girl may think of as "cute," a guy will often think of as "hot" and there-in lies one of the main differences between guys and girls. Guys are very visual and I tried to explain that any outfit that a girl may wear that calls attention to the most private areas of the female body because it's too tight, too short, or too revealing, will automatically be an "eye magnet" for the guys and will often cause a guy to fantasize about her sexually. Yes, guys are just naturally visual, but this is not an excuse to lust or to fantasize. I tried to explain to our girls that there are still many guys out there trying to battle this every day and keep their thoughts pure, but also let them know there are many guys who do not.

I focused on two main things during the night: 1) The reason why many dress immodestly. I really believe its an issue of self respect. I tried to explain to girls that how they dress on the outside is often a sign of how they may feel on the inside. Skin tight, revealing clothes are often a sign that a girl feels very insecure and only feels like she has her body to offer to others. I desperately tried to explain that dignity and self respect and confidence all come when a girl begins to understand what it means to be a daughter of God. True beauty flows from a confidence that you are a daughter of the King of the Universe. 2) How to dress to be pure and not to lure. I didn't want to go all "legalistic" on our girls and say they can't wear this or that or whatever it may be. I offered two Bible verses for them: 1 Corinthians 6:19 - 20 and Philippians 2:4 which talk of honoring God with our bodies and looking out for the interests of others. We can dress in such a way to honor God and also serve. I offered some guidelines for dressing modestly which you can find right here.

It wasn't the easiest talk I've ever done but I'm glad to have had the opportunity to do it. I care so much for the girls in our youth ministry and truly desire the best for them. I know that many girls simply do not understand the mind of a guy and the importance of modesty. It was a great night with some great discussion in our Chat Groups too.

Daughters Playlist

2011-10-12T12:38:00.000-04:00

Was asked to come up with a play list for our Daughters series at Grace which started this past Sunday. In case you're interested ... here it is:

1. It Had to Be You (Harry Connick Jr.)

2. Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars)

3. The One You Need (Shane and Shane)

4. The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra)

5. Daughters (John Mayer)

6. She’s Got a Way (Billy Joel)

7. Just Fishin’ (Trace Adkins)

8. Beautiful (Christina Aguilera)

9. Cinderella (Steven Curtis Chapman)

10. This One’s for the Girls (Martina McBride)

11. Beautiful for Me (Nichole Nordeman)

12. Maybe I’m Amazed (Paul McCartney)

13. All American Girl (Carrie Underwood)

14. You Make Me Feel So Young (Frank Sinatra)

Daughters Series at Grace Community

2011-10-08T14:34:00.000-04:00

I'm excited for our new series at Grace tomorrow called Daughters. We'll be speaking specifically to women, but men are going to get a ton from this too. Below is our graphic for the series.

Also, to promote our series we went out in to the community on Friday morning and evening and passed out over 2000 free bracelets to ladies with the word "captivating" on them. Cool bracelets that also support a cool cause. The bracelets were made by MudLove and a portion of each purchase goes to supply clean drinking water to people in Africa.

Our prayer throughout the series will be that women will be filled with a sense of beauty and confidence that comes from our God who sees them as captivating!

Axis Wrap Up - Guys and Girls

2011-10-07T14:59:00.000-04:00

We started a new series at axis Wednesday called Guys and Girls. Our church is beginning a new series this Sunday called Daughters and so I decided to team up with our church as a whole (I often try to do that because I believe our youth ministry is part of the whole church and when we can team up we should) but morphed it a little bit and will be addressed girls one week, guys the next, and vice versa for the rest of the month. Each time I speak to a specific gender, I plan to show a video for the opposite gender that is just for them. This week's video was for the guys. It's about 5 minutes long and my wife described it as "never getting those 5 minutes of her life back" ... but our guys just really seemed to love it. Here's the YouTube link to it.

This week I spoke specifically to girls and used the main thought of "Yes, be concerned with your outward beauty, but focus the best of your time and attention to your inward beauty." My nearly 3 year old daughter, Mercy, LOVES to feel beautiful. Put a dress on her and she twirls and spins and looks in the mirror and will just wait for me to comment on how she looks. I love telling her how beautiful she is. There's absolutely nothing wrong with desiring to look and feel beautiful. But, what I also try to do is tell my daughter when she does beautiful things. So, if she shares a toy, I will often say "Mercy, sharing is a beautiful thing." If she obeys mommy and daddy I will often say "Obeying mommy and daddy is a beautiful thing." So, I'm trying, at an early age, to help her see that beauty is not just some we do on the outside ... it's something that is developed on the inside as well. We looked at Proverbs 31 and discussed some of the character attributes of the woman talked about in that chapter. What's interesting is, never once, is physical beauty mentioned. Her beauty comes from her character. She spends more time becoming the right person and, in so doing, becomes a beautiful person.

Our girls and guys are under so much pressure these days and I'm really praying this series speaks truth in to both our guys and our girls. The way to rise above the pressure is to allow God's truth to scream louder than the lies that have snuck in to our hearts.

I passed out the lyrics to a Nichole Nordeman song to each of our girls as they left. The song is called Beautiful for Me and the lyrics are:

Every girl young and old has to face her own reflection
Twirl around, stare it down
What’s the mirror gonna say
With some luck, you’ll measure up
But you might not hold a candle to the rest
“Is that your best?” says the mirror to the mess
But there’s a whisper in the noise
Can you hear a little voice
and He says

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?
You might agree if you could see what I see
Oh
‘Cuz everything about you is incredible
You should have seen Me smile the day that I made you beautiful for Me

If it’s true beauty lies in the eye of the beholder
Want my life and what’s inside to give Him something to behold
I want a heart that’s captivating
I wanna hear my Father say

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?
You might agree if you could see what I see
Oh
‘Cuz everything about you is incredible
You should have seen Me smile the day that I made you beautiful for Me
Close your eyes
Look inside
Let Me see the you that you’ve been trying to hide
Long ago, I made you so very beautiful
So I ought to know you’re beautiful

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?
You might agree if you could see what I see
Yeah
‘Cuz everything about you is incredible
You should have seen Me smile the day that I made you beautiful
You’re so beautiful
Beautiful for me
So beautiful for me
Has anybody told you?

Axis Wrap Up - The Path

2011-09-30T15:24:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of the year we did a series at axis called The Path ... the idea that the direction you choose to go will determine where you end up. In our series opener we gave kids an opportunity to write down what they wanted to be known as by the end of the year. We took pictures and have those pictures hung up around our building. You can see some of the pictures right here. Our church did the same thing at the beginning of the year with the theme Legacy. It's October 1st tomorrow and with only 3 short months left this year, I wanted to ask our kids are they becoming who they wanted to be? Are they setting themselves on a path that will take them where they want to go?

It was a good challenge and a hard challenge at the same time. I really tried to convey the idea to our kids that every path will take them somewhere. Some of it was funny. Some of it was pretty convicting. All of it was truth that I desperately wanted our kids to catch.

During my entire teaching time I had all of the pictures of our teenagers and what they wrote down at the beginning of the year scrolling on the screen the entire time as a reminder ... are you on a path that is taking you where you want to go.

We had some really fun elements during the night including "Cotton Eyed Joe" Just Dance, some prize give-a-ways, some great testimonies, and a very moving time of worship at the end of our night. Below are some pictures from the night.

Football vs Baseball

2011-09-30T15:01:00.000-04:00

In honor of the MLB playoffs starting and the NFL season in it's 4th week, thought I'd post this classic Football vs Baseball bit. Funny stuff.

Baptisms at Grace

2011-09-26T12:42:00.000-04:00

I was absolutely thrilled to see 51 people get baptized at Grace Community yesterday! I just love celebrating when people take that step and I love how our church celebrates that step of obedience as well. Baptism is a way to "go public" with your faith .... to let everyone know that you are embracing Jesus' way of life. It's also a symbol of the forgiveness we have in Jesus Christ and how He makes us clean before God. Yesterday was particularly cool because we had "planned" baptisms, but Pastor Jim also gave an opportunity for spontaneous baptisms as well ... a chance for people to go public.

One of the teenage girls in our youth ministry led the way for spontaneous baptisms. I was so proud of her and loved seeing a teenager step up and lead in this.

Dad's were able to baptize their children and you can see what a special moment it is.

I had an opportunity to baptize someone who is a volunteer in our youth ministry and also in my small group. Really felt honored and humbled to have that opportunity.

At the end of each service, we give the church a chance to congratulate those who got baptized. Baptism is a big deal and we try to make it a big deal at Grace. I just love how our people respond and are just genuinely happy when people "take the plunge."

Angel's Landing Hike ... Intense!

2011-09-20T14:30:00.000-04:00

On our last full day in Utah we decided to do one of the more dangerous but best hikes in Zion National Park. We tackled Angel's Landing. The Angel's Landing hike is one of the most famous hikes in the world and we didn't want to miss the opportunity to do it. Angel's Landing received it's name when explorers in the early 1900's were in the region. When they saw this monolith, they said that it was so difficult to get to that only an angel could land there. Round trip, the hike is 5 miles. It's physically challenging and strenuous, but not overbearing. The first two miles to Scout's Lookout are filled with switchbacks and inclines. It's not easy, but again, not overbearingly difficult. The real challenge is the mental battle that you face when you get to Scout's Lookout and face climbing the last 1/2 mile to Angel's landing. The actual ascent to Angel's Landing consists of a narrow trail carved out of the rock with 1400 foot drop-offs on either side of you. At points in the hike you are literally climbing straight up on the rocks and at other points you're walking on a narrow piece of the trail with nothing on either side of you except air and 1400 feet to the bottom!

This is a video that shows a portion of the trail and gives a really good sense of what much of the hike is like. The park has placed chains along much of the 1/2 mile ascent that you can hold on to for an added sense of security, but if you're afraid of heights, this hike is not for you.

Once to the top of Angel's Landing it was just amazing. The view was absolutely incredible! And, the sense of accomplishment you feel after doing the hike ... it's a good sense of pride. While at the top I thought of the workers who actually carved this trail and how difficult that must have been. I was also reminded of the 10 people who have died on this hike since 1983 and it left me with an eerie sense of "this hike isn't over until we reach the bottom." For me personally, all of my senses were engaged and I felt so focused on getting myself and my wife back down that I nearly forgot to enjoy the moment of being at the top.

Things got a bit interesting when we reached the top because it started to rain. Making it to the top of Angel's Landing was challenging, but getting back down was just as challenging, if not more so. And, the rain really added a new dimension because the rocks became a lot more slippery and even holding on to the chain proved difficult because it was very slippery as well. But, thankfully we made it and would love the opportunity to do the hike again.

Me after finishing the entire 5 mile hike. Both Carol and I were soaked from the rain, but we felt so exhilarated.

I believe this part of the trail is called Refrigerator Canyon. It was shaded and cool and had a few different spots where you could climb and explore. Above is me doing just that.

The view from Scout's Lookout.

This is Carol and I at the top of Angel's Landing. The view was amazing!

This is the view from the top of Angel's Landing. At the lower right of the picture you can see Carol's shoe. Only about 1400 feet to the bottom. :)

Emerald Pools and Weeping Rock Hikes

2011-09-19T11:29:00.000-04:00

On our 3rd day of vacation in Utah we decided to take some easier hikes. The first two days were filled with hikes that lasted the entire day so we decided to take a few different shorter hikes on this day. We spent some time at the Zion Lodge and also just looking around the Visitor Center. But, we also did 4 smaller hikes ... the Lower, Middle, and Upper Emerald Pools and also to Weeping Rock. The Emerald Pools made for a really pretty hike. Getting to the Lower Pool was not difficult at all. Most of it was on a paved path. Once there, though, we were greeted by a small water fall that had a small pool of water at the bottom that was "greenish" in color ... hence the name Emerald Pool. The scenery around the pool was very pretty and I can only imagine what it would look like after a rain storm because I'm sure the water fall would be much larger.

Getting to the Middle and Upper Pools was a little more strenuous. Lots of climbing, but the trail was very well marked. And, again, the scenery on the way was really pretty. We started our morning a little later than the previous two mornings and we were fully exposed to the sun on this hike, so even though these trails were not as strenuous as the ones we had been on the previous two days, it just felt hotter.

The Middle Pool was just a very shallow pool of water while the upper pool was larger and deeper and looked more like a small pond. Honestly, we weren't that impressed with the middle pool but the Upper Pool was surrounded by large rocks that you could climb which was lots of fun. Carol and I climbed up some large rocks, found a spot in the shade, and just sat for a while taking in the scenery.

The Weeping Rock trail was a short 1/2 mile trail to the top, but very steep. Weeping Rock is a large formation of rock that has a natural spring coming out of it year round. Again, after a rain storm, I'm sure the amount of water coming out is much greater and would really make for some beautiful pictures.

We spent most of the day outside taking lighter walks and hikes and really enjoyed being active, but also giving our legs a bit of a rest.

The view from the start of our morning hike.

The small water fall at the Lower Emerald Pools. This part of the Park was very pretty and is considered a "hidden treasure."

Our view from high atop the rocks at the Upper Pool.

The view from Weeping Rock

The entire area where we were standing was very wet from the natural spring coming out of the rock. I would love to see this place after a rainstorm and see water just gushing from the spring.

Bryce Canyon Hike

2011-09-17T13:05:00.000-04:00

During our trip to Zion National Park we discovered that we were only about 1 1/2 hours away from Bryce Canyon, so we took a trip there our second day in Utah and spent the day hiking through part of the canyon. We had originally planned to ride through the canyon on horseback, but decided we wanted to have a more "hands on" or should I say "feet on" experience. So, we hike and we were both so glad we did. We were at an elevation of over 7000 feet at Bryce Canyon. We loved looking at what God had created and just stood in awe at so many different parts of the day. We were able to hike to both one of the highest points of the canyon and to one of the lowest points of the canyon, so it was a full day for us.

The weather was perfect for most of the morning and into the early afternoon, but we noticed that temperatures would quickly change depending on what part of the canyon we were in. While walking to the bottom of the canyon it was fairly cool because the rock around us provided a lot of shade. But, once in the bottom of the canyon we were in the full presence of the sun and it definitely got hotter. Not overwhelmingly hot, but I was definitely working up a sweat. We were able to get our 5 hour hike in just before a thunderstorm arrived, which caused a dramatic drop in temperature. A thunderstorm at Bryce Canyon is a pretty amazing thing to watch. You can see the storm coming in and the lightning far off in the distance is spectacular to watch.

If we are ever able to go again, we would definitely take the 18 mile drive around the canyon so we could see everything and would consider spending a night so we could see more of the canyon.

We were surrounded by the "hoodoos" the entire day.

Walking to the bottom of the canyon was one of our favorite parts of the hike and when we finally reached the bottom, we were greeted by a narrow slot with high walls of rock on both sides. It was an incredible sight!

This was part of our view from the spot at the bottom of the canyon where we had lunch.

The view from "Inspiration Point." I thought it sounded like a place to "make out" and so I made the offer to my wife ... she didn't fall for it. :)

While at the bottom of the canyon, this was pretty much our view the entire time. It really was an incredible view and we loved being able to experience it on foot because we felt like we were part of the canyon ... which I guess we were. Definitely worth the trip!

The Narrows Hike

2011-09-16T14:32:00.000-04:00

While in Utah on vacation we did several hikes. Our hike through The Narrows was our first one and really set the tone for us the rest of the week. There are a few different ways to do this hike ranging from a few hours to a few days. We hiked 7 miles and we went from approximately 9am to 3pm, with a nice stop for lunch.

About 75% of the hike is through the Virgin River. The water was about 65degrees and the depth of it went anywhere from ankle deep to over our heads. Cardiovascularly it wasn't incredibly difficult, but you really did have to watch your step in the river and by the end of our hike, both my wife's legs and my legs were fairly tired from walking upstream and downstream ... both of which have their own unique challenges.

The scenery was just amazing! Again, it was the first hike of our vacation and I can't really imagine a better way to start our hiking in Utah. The rock formations themselves were just amazing, but then you combine that with the sun hitting the rocks ... well, seriously ... breathtaking.

On our hike up the river we encountered a few spots where the water was up to our chests. On the way down, we actually floated through those really high sections which was really a lot of fun ... once getting past the chill of the water. If you do the longer hike you'll also need some special shoe wear, a walking stick, and a "dry bag" ... all things you can rent from a great place called Zion Adventures.

What we really enjoyed most was doing the hike together and we really liked the variety of things we encountered. Some of it was on dry land, some climbing over rocks, some in low water, some in high water ... it just gave us a fresh variety and made everything so much fun. If we ever go back, our plan is to take the 2 day hike and spend time camping while we do it.

We loved being surrounded by the river and the rock.

This part of the hike was close to the junction of Orderville Canyon and Wall Street ... two of the really breath taking parts of the hike. We had lunch at the junction and it was by far the best view we've ever had while eating a lunch. Really made the peanut butter and jelly taste good.

If we weren't in the water or walking on sand, we were climbing over rocks ... lots of rocks. Again, the variety of what we were hiking on really kept things fresh.

Axis Wrap Up - Whatever It Takes to Reach People

2011-09-16T11:48:00.000-04:00

We wrapped up our Whatever It Takes series this past Wednesday at axis with the challenge of doing whatever it takes to reach people for Jesus. Pastor Jeremy shared on this night and did a great job of explaining that it's just natural for people whose lives have been changed by Jesus to want to share their story. He confronted a lot of the fears that people have about sharing their story and challenged us to simply be willing to walk through those things and talk about the difference Jesus has made in our lives.

He spoke from Luke 5:1 - 11 and shared how Jesus makes us fishers of men. He talked about many of the frustrations of fishing and said that when we talk to others about Jesus we'll experience many of those same frustrations. But, it's always a "win" when we do.

We wrapped up our night by challenging our kids to write the names of friends who they want to try to reach or at least invite to axis on bobbers. It was a great way to finish up our night.

We had several fun elements throughout the night but one was 2 of our kids dressing up in costumes and greeting everyone at the doors.

Some of our kids watching a fun game we did at the beginning called "Hawk a Sausage." Yep ... pretty much just spitting sausage out of your mouth. Lots of fun!

Reading through Luke 5:1 - 11.

Jeremy wrapping up the night by challenging us to "get our lines in the water."

Our Utah Vacation

2011-09-15T16:17:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since the last entry and that's because my wife and I were away for the past nine days on vacation and I wanted to take a "tech fast" while I was gone. Carol surprised me in June by telling me she had planned a trip to Utah for just the two of us to celebrate my 40th birthday. We spent 5 days in Utah hiking and it was simply amazing. Most of our time was spent at Zion National Park with a day trip to Bryce Canyon as well. We had a very active vacation filled with hiking at least 5 miles per day and we were able to experience God's creation hands on. It was so refreshing. I plan to write more about each of our hikes over the next couple of days but for now here are a few pictures from the vacation.

Hiking to the bottom of Bryce Canyon. We spent the entire morning and afternoon hiking the canyon. It was so much fun.

This is me at the top of Angel's Landing. Angel's Landing is a nearly 6 mile hike (round trip) strenuous hike that is, to say the least, intense. Since 1983, 10 people have sadly died on this hike because they've fallen off of the cliffs we hiked on.

This hike was through the Narrows. 75% of the hike was in the 65 degree Virgin River. So fun!

It's called The Narrows because you're surrounded by rock on both sides ... as you can see. This was our first hike of the week and both Carol and I felt like we "came alive" on this hike. It was so refreshing and adventurous.

From the top of Angel's Landing. You can see Carol's shoe in the bottom right corner. It's about a 1500 foot drop from there. That was one of our favorite hikes!

We've both come back refreshed from our trip and just loved the time away with each other. It's not often that we are away from our 3 kids, but on this trip we were and I felt like we made the absolute most of every day that we were away. By the end of each day we were both exhausted, but it was the sort of exhaustion that you feel good about ... knowing we didn't waste any time but made the most of our moment together. It was an amazing trip and I wouldnt' have wanted to do it with anyone else other than my beautiful wife.

Whatever It Takes to Serve

2011-09-02T13:16:00.000-04:00

We had a really fun night at axis Wednesday as we continued our Whatever It Takes series. We spent time talking about doing whatever it takes to serve. As followers of Jesus, certain things should set us apart. One of those things is how we help others. We can stand out by how we help out. We looked at Mark 9:33 - 35 and talked about how embracing Jesus' way of life means we embrace a life of serving others and putting our own wants and desires aside in an effort to help others. We watched this video which is an incredibly inspiring video of someone willing to sacrifice to help another.

I also used the illustration of holding a mirror in front of me. As long as I hold a mirror in front of myself, the only person I see is me ... I don't see "you." But, once I put the mirror down, my eyes are taken off of myself and now I see "you." I used that illustration to discuss the idea that as long as we are only focused on ourselves, we'll never be servants and never living life the way Jesus asks us to live.

We also sent a team of students and adults out to "bless" somebody. It was totally random and kids were chosen on the spot by one of our adults. They went out in to town and tried to creatively serve someone. It was really cool to hear their stories when they got back.

Next Week: Do Whatever It Takes to Surround Yourself with Positive Influences.

What Learning How to Swim is Teaching Me

2011-08-29T12:13:00.000-04:00

Over the past month I made the decision to learn how to swim. You can read about that decision here. It's such an amazing experience for me and what I'm finding out is I'm learning more than simply how to swim. As I learn to swim I'm actually learning a lot about myself. Here are 3 of those things:

1. I jumped off the diving board for the first time ever last week. Well, I didn't really jump. It was more just stepping off. As I went to do it a second time, my instructor told me that very thing. She said, "You're just stepping off the diving board. Try actually jumping this time." And, I remember looking at her and saying "You pretty much just summed up my personality in those two sentences." I definitely move slowly in to things. I don't think I over analyze, but I definitely "proceed with caution" more than just diving in to something. It's been a strength and a weakness at various times in my life. While I never just want to throw caution to the wind, I realize that I really need to work on being more bold and moving more quickly with decisions and dreams/goals I set for myself, my family, and our youth ministry.

2. So much of what holds me back in the water is in my head. I have jumped in several times, always come back up, tread water, swim, etc., yet there is still a strong sense of anxiety that I feel any time I do those things. 39 years of fear doesn't go away over night. I'm learning that I need to continually speak truth to myself and not just speak the truth, but believe it. That simple concept will not only help me with swimming but will help me in life too. I truly desire to allow God's truth to soak in to my very soul.

3. None of this has come natural for me. I've really had to be intentional about making the decision to learn how to swim, intentional about taking the lessons, and intentional about practicing. Most things in life don't just happen. I've been reminded that hard work is a good thing. Setting goals and then having a plan to meet them is a good thing. If I want to get to a certain point in my life, I need to intentionally set myself on a path that will take me there.

Whatever It Takes

2011-08-26T12:54:00.000-04:00

We started a new series at axis Wednesday called Whatever It Takes. We are teaching about our 4 core values (Know God, Serve Others, Surround Yourself w/ Followers of Jesus, Impact Those Who Don't Know Jesus) and asking the question "Are we willing to do whatever it takes to do those 4 things?" It was a great start to our series and I'm thinking of taking it a step farther and making it our theme for the rest of the year.

I started out by showing a video from a Date Line NBC video on Aron Ralston. This happened a few years ago but his story is incredibly powerful and inspiring and speaks to the idea of being willing to do whatever it takes. You can watch the Date Line special on You Tube right here. Or, you can watch the movie 127 Hours or read his book Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

On this night we looked at Exodus 33:11 - 17. These verses are incredibly powerful and talk about the type of relationship Moses had with God and that he was willing to do whatever it takes to spend time with God, learn from God, and be known as God's. I spent some time fleshing that out to our kids and it basically came down to the idea that God doesn't make it complicated for us to know Him. It comes down to the basics ... read your Bible and pray. The Bible is God's way to talk to us and prayer is our way to talk to God. If we're willing to do whatever it takes to know God more we have to read our Bible and pray.

I talked with our students about the different opportunities that we offer as a youth ministry to help them know God better. I feel like we offer good and simple opportunities to our teenagers and if they are willing to take advantage of them, it will really help them in their walk with God.

It was a good night and a good kickoff to our series. Lots of fun games, some good testimonies from students, and some good opportunities placed in the hands of our kids to help them know God better.

Next Week: Do Whatever It Takes to Serve Others

Walking Through Some Fear ... And It's Benefits

2011-08-19T14:26:00.000-04:00

For as long as I can remember I've been afraid of water. Not afraid in the sense of I can't go in the water. I could go in, wade around, go under, etc, etc. But, when I got to a point that the water was over my head and my feet could not touch, I'd start to freak out. So, I guess you could say I have more a fear of drowning than of water. I'm sure the DSM (the big counseling book with all the clinical diagnoses) has some name for it, but I'll just call it "the thing I've been most afraid of my entire life."

I've spent my whole life in the "shallow" end of the pool. I've forced myself to avoid water because of the anxiety and fear it stirred up in me. And, it was fairly easy to avoid it because I don't HAVE to go in the water if I don't want too.

But, what I started to realize this year is that I don't want to pass this fear on in my family. As a dad I'm the "gatekeeper" of my home and I take a personal responsibility for what comes through our doors. I don't want fear to be one of the things I pass on to my kids. So, I decided to walk through some of my intense fears and take some swim lessons. I'll only be able to take my family as far as I've gone myself and I just don't want my fears to hinder my family. So, last week I took my first swim lesson. Yesterday I took my second swim lesson and thankfully my teacher doesn't "baby" me. She's like "OK, just do it." So, for the first time yesterday I jumped in to water that was over my head ... and I came up! I treaded water for the very first time in my life! And, it was AWESOME! Don't get me wrong, I still have some fear. I need to re-train my mind. 40 years of fear doesn't leave easily. But, now I know I can do it.

Ironically enough, the very next day, my son jumped in the deep end without a life jacket and swam ... and then jumped in again and swam some more ... and again, again, again ... probably like 50 times! Now, I'm not taking credit for that. My wife is the one who's been working with him all summer and he's been to the same swim instructor I'm going to now, but he's never jumped in without the life jacket before and it's "ironic" that he did it after I was willing to do it.

As dads, we'll only take our families as far as we are willing to go ourselves. I don't want my fears to hinder where my kids go in life ... and there are many that I need to walk through. But, it's so worth it! My son jumps in at 4 and I jump in at 40. I'm glad that both of us don't need to stay in the shallow end any more.

Ezra jumping off the diving board!

Swimming to mom. Seriously, the kid swam the entire length of the pool from shallow end to deep end. I have no idea how he did it!

The Axis Fall Kickoff

2011-08-19T10:15:00.000-04:00

We had our youth ministry's fall kickoff on Wednesday. Honestly since the first of this month, I have had, as my son calls them ... the "shivers" ... because I've been so excited about kicking off our fall. In youth ministry the fall always brings with it a fresh group of students, a new excitement, and new opportunities. We had an awesome summer and we took just a bit of time to reflect on it during our night, but the focus was moving forward in our youth ministry and really seeking to follow God's lead.

We talked about walking through our fears and being willing to take a stand. We showed the clip of "The Tank Man" of Tiananmen Square in China and how this one man with two shopping bags said enough was enough and he took a stand. That stand stopped a regiment of tanks. We looked at the life of Jesus' disciples from the moment Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:43 - 50) up to the Day of Pentecost. What's amazing is that the disciples ran away when Jesus was arrested. They were so afraid and they deserted their leader and friend. They watched Jesus be beaten and killed and even denied knowing who Jesus was. And, after Jesus died, the disciples were still so afraid that they locked themselves in a room and hid because they thought they would be next. But, these same disciples who were so afraid were the ones who God used to literally change the world. And, the difference was the Holy Spirit. God's very presence indwelt these men and when they finally realized whose they were and who was on their side, it changed their lives from the inside out. And, from that moment on "people took note that these men had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13).

My challenge to our kids was to take a stand and live differently. There should be a distinct difference between how someone with the Holy Spirit and someone without the Holy Spirit lives their lives. Do people "take note" and see that we have been with Jesus. We ended our night with a challenge for kids to come forward and respond to Jesus ... if they needed Him and His help in their lives ... if there was something they needed to get right with Him. It was awesome to see kids respond and I believe this night really helped set the tone for our fall.

Our response at the end of the night

Some of our girls enjoying time with each other.

A new game we tried called "I Love Planking"

An interview with some of the kids who were on mission trips over the summer.

The band.

Next week we begin focusing on the 4 core values we have as a youth ministry and helping our kids know how they can get plugged in to each one.

I Really Love My Church

2011-08-15T12:36:00.000-04:00

I really love our church. I really do. We spent time yesterday simply celebrating the opportunities we had this summer to be Jesus to people. Here are just a few of the things "Gracies" were involved in:

Mission Trips to Ethiopia, Thailand/Cambodia, Urban Hope, and Nicaragua

A summer-long mission team called Operation Barnabas

Hi-Five Sports Camp

Summer Soak

Momentum Youth Conference

20/20 Vision Conference

One Name Worship Event

Elkhart County Fair Parade

Community Hope

Those are just a few of the things that we had opportunities to do simply in June, July, and August. And, the list could go on. I'm just thrilled to be a part of a group of people who, not only desire to learn about God and passionately pursue Him, but also to go out and do the things that allow us simply be Jesus to other people. The church truly is the "hope of the world" and I'm thrilled that our church is trying to offer hope to people in our community and around the world.

We celebrated that yesterday by hearing testimonies of what people were involved in and how God moved in their lives. There really is power in our stories and hearing the stories of what God did through people was so encouraging. It really was great to celebrate that.

We also sent out teams of people with $50 each and asked them to creatively bless someone in our community. It was so fun to see the pictures and hear the stories when they came back toward the end of the service.

But, we also tried to keep the mission in front of us. So, we did a little "under-cover" operation. We strategically placed a few people around our community and in our church.

He posed as someone needing help with food at a busy intersection near our church.

She posed as a lady who car was broken down only 1/2 mile from our church.

She posed as a lady in our church cafe sitting alone, looking very sad and crying.

When we showed the pictures of these people in the service, there was a bit of surprise in people's eyes. It was incredibly encouraging to hear these people share that, yes, some people truly did stop to offer help, but also very challenging to hear them say that most did not. Most just walked past or drove past. The idea behind that was to NEVER rest in the past. We can celebrate the past, yes, but always move forward, always stay on mission, always look for the opportunities that God will provide every single day.

It was a great service that was wrapped up by "commissioning" students and teachers as they start school this week and then by commissioning each of us because we are all on mission to be Jesus to people no matter where we are.

Gaining a Heart for God

2011-08-09T11:26:00.000-04:00

I received a really good email reminder today from Simply Youth Ministry about the importance of connecting with God. Thought it would be good to share.

I (Josh) did a survey on my blog not too long ago asking youth workers to share about their Bible reading and personal time with God. The results from the more than 400 votes were staggering – almost 10% of youth workers hadn’t cracked their Bibles in a week and only 18% considered their Bible reading “solid”.

Here’s the deal – we get it…there are certainly seasons where you are closer to God than others. Certain times of the year or patterns that lend themselves to spending time with God, or that make it tough to do. But if we were honest …it’s fair to say that if youth workers aren’t reading their Bibles, the whole thing is going to collapse sooner rather than later. And if we’re being really honest … we would admit to you that from time to time we’ve been caught up in the pace of youth ministry and not connected significantly to Christ either. And if we’re being really, really honest…we would admit it happens more often than it should.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing …”
John 15:5

Youth pastors are great fakers. That’s pretty harsh, but honestly – most Christians are good fakers. We pretend that we’re walking with God by using the correct Christian subculture language. We count listening to Gungor on our 4-minute commute to the church office as our devotions for the day. We subscribe to the Verse of the Day on Twitter (@abibleverse) and every once in a while even look at it.

You can fake it for a while … but not forever. Too often we hide behind charisma, talents, gifts and abilities when the real us is dying in a spiritual pile. This type of shallow spirituality makes us an easy target for the Enemy and prime candidates for a sudden stumble or fall. God has gifted you, but don’t arrogantly think you can lead without him. Follow THE leader!

Recommit to a genuine, ongoing relationship with Christ as you minister in His Name. Good youth ministry starts with a leader whose heart is sold-out to Christ. Good youth ministry is done by youth workers connected to the vine. Let today be the first day when we start to change the statistic and t is rare the youth worker who isn’t connected to Christ daily.

Here’s some practical advice from youth workers in the trenches who are finding creative ways to spend time with God:

• Before you look at any screen, spend time with God.
• Take the first few minutes of your office hours in prayer
• Pray with your spouse before bed each night - Is it okay for me (Kurt) to admit that this one is tough for me?
• Block out one afternoon a month to reconnect with God
• Use one of YouVersion.com’s reading plans on your Evo

May God bless your ministry this week as you serve and stay connected to Him!

The Mess Fest

2011-08-08T15:33:00.000-04:00

One of the funnest ... and messiest ... things we do in our youth ministry is the Middle School Mess Fest. It's called "Mess Fest" for a reason. With games like "The Table of Doom", the "Slopstacle Course", "Human Hotdogs", and "Get to Know My Fish" it's pretty much impossible to stay clean.

Here are a couple of pictures from our night.

It's Been Over 9 Years

2011-07-26T14:11:00.000-04:00

The above picture is me on my very first Sunday at Grace Community Church (I'm the good looking one, by the way.) It's hard to believe that I've been here over 9 years now. It really hit me when I realized that I baby sat and changed the diapers for one of the students that just entered our middle school ministry this year. Yikes! But, these 9 years have been an incredible ride and I've seen my walk with God grow more in these 9 years than in the previous 31 years of my life. One of my desires has always been to stay in a ministry for a long time. Some people are "starters." They can move from place to place, get things rolling, and then move on. Nothing wrong with that, but that's not me. I've always had a desire to stay at a ministry and invest as much time as possible in the people there.

I've been the youth pastor here long enough to see many things come "full circle." For instance,the very first student I met when I came to Grace Community is now married, in my adult small group, and is serving as one of the volunteers in our ministry and is doing an amazing job! I love seeing that!

I think longevity gives you some credibility. It lets people know you're committed to them and to the ministry. It allows you to lay down some roots in the community. It helps you (especially in youth ministry) gain some respect from parents and add a sense of "professionalism" to the position of youth ministry. They see youth ministry is not just some young guy playing C.O.D. and eating pizza with teenagers all the time (although that can be part of it). And, I think it adds a sense of trust for teenagers. Whether they admit it or not, teenagers, I believe, long for a sense of security and stability. In an interpersonal world that is experiencing so many changes, it's nice to have a sense of security at home and at church. Staying in a ministry for a long period of time helps students feel secure and be more willing to trust you.

The picture below was taken just a couple of weeks ago. Personally, so much has changed for me. Since that first day over 9 years ago, I've become a husband and a dad. I have a few more ... OK ... a lot more gray hairs, and although I weigh the same, the weight has positioned itself a little differently now. But, the one thing that stays the same is my love for and belief in teenagers. I have no clue where I'll be at 9 years from now. But, if I'm still effective and still being used, I believe I'll still be working with a group that so often gets overlooked ... our teenagers.

What's In A Name

2011-07-20T15:13:00.000-04:00

My wife's birthday was on Sunday and some friends of our got her this necklace for her birthday from a place called Etsy. On the necklace are the names of our kids and I thought it was a great gift. They actually put the necklace on the Etsy website, so guess I'm not the only one who likes it.

I love our kids' names and Carol and I really try to put lots of prayer behind choosing the names for our kids. Here's why we chose the names we did:

Ezra - His name means "helper." Our prayer for him is that he would be just that ... a helper to others. Something really cool is we chose that name months before he was to be born. When Carol was 9 months pregnant I was diagnosed with cancer. In the midst of a really difficult, heart wrenching time something that brought joy to both of us was knowing we were going to meet our first born in just a few short weeks. I wanted him to be a helper to others, but never imagined how much help he would be to me in one of the most difficult times of my life. God answered that prayer even before Ezra was born.

Mercy - After going through 7 months of chemotherapy, doctors told me that most likely I would be infertile and we wouldn't be able to have any more kids. But, even 7 months of chemotherapy couldn't keep the Yauger genes down. :) We found out we were pregnant and really just felt like God lavished his mercy on our lives by allowing us to get pregnant again. It was also a time when Carol and I were both being faced with so many injustices in our world. We had made a connection with Feed My Starving Children and learned how to help world hunger in one small way. I went on a mission trip to inner-city San Francisco to an area called The Tenderloin and spent a week helping homeless people. It's also the same year that, as a church, our hearts were broken for orphans. We started an orphanage called Asia's Hope and also saw teenagers (yes, teenagers) at the Momentum Conference raise over $90,000 in one night to give toward Asia's Hope. We saw God's mercy in so many ways that year and honestly knew that had to be our daughter's name. Mercy can be translated as "kindness, goodness, grace, favor, and compassion." and we pray that our daughter will always be a picture of God's mercy to everyone she meets.

Torah - The "torah" is the Hebrew word for the first 5 books of the Old Testament. In those books is the story of where God first reveals Himself to mankind. He revealed Himself and shared His story with man so that we could realize that He longs to have a relationship with us. I believe God is all about relationship and longs for us to know Him. The idea behind the word "torah" is to inform, instruct, direct, and guide. Our prayer for our beautiful daughter is that her life will always reveal God to others and that she can inform, instruct, direct, and guide people to a relationship with Him.

If God chooses to bless us with more children, I really look forward to praying over the names that we'll choose for them and to continue to pray for them for the rest of my life.

Back from Momentum

2011-07-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

Got back Sunday afternoon from a week long youth conference called Momentum. It's the annual youth conference we attend as a youth ministry and is associated with our fellowship of churches. Did a little math and this was year 23 for me. That officially makes me old.

A couple of take-a-ways for me:

- There's nothing like spending a week with teenagers to help you get to know them more and really dig deeper in to their lives. I really tried to be intentional about that and encouraged our adults to be intentional about it as well. Don't be afraid to dig a little deeper and ask the harder questions ... questions that will help you get beyond a "surfacy" conversations and help you see what God is really doing in a teenager's life. I loved the conversations I had with kids and there's just something about being away that helps kids feel a bit more comfortable sharing. Love that!

- Our worship times were incredible! Man, getting nearly 2000 people together focusing on God and singing all out to him ... it was a cool picture of heaven to me. Below is a pic of our band, which was able to lead worship a couple of days at the conference.

- One of the things I love about Momentum is that it's not just a conference where we sit and listen but we sit, listen, and then go out and do. The speakers were great! Jeremy Byng and Aaron Keyes were incredible worship leaders. But, what I loved seeing our kids go out and serve. We volunteered at a nursing home, worked at a community center and also help bust up a house that will be turned in to a youth center. Below are three pics ... one of one of our kids helping demolish the inside of the house, the other of our kids praying over the house when we were finished working, and finally one of us helping fill 300 back packs with school supplies for school kids from hurting families.

- I just love our teenagers. We had so much fun on our trip! As a group we decided to have a "mustache" day an "ugly hat" day and also an "80's" day. It really helped bond our group and just allowed us to have fun together.

I've gone to Momentum for 23 years because I believe in what happens there. I've been impacted not only as a student there, but also as a leader. And, I love seeing this conference have an impact on my students as well!

To Be Told ...

2011-07-11T12:04:00.000-04:00

Had the chance to share at Grace Community yesterday from John 9:1 - 38. I believe that God is active in our lives and that the story of how He is active in our lives may be exactly what someone needs to hear. John 9 is one of my favorite stories in the entire Bible and I love the fact that when this guy was being hounded by questions ... questions he didn't have the answers to ... he didn't freeze up. He simply shared his story. "I was blind, but now I see." And, that, I'm sure, is the story he shared the most for the rest of his life ... I was blind, but this is what Jesus did for me ... I can see.

I also 3 people to share their stories with us. We had 3 people from various walks of life and various backgrounds all share how Jesus has made a difference in their lives. It was powerful!

Your story may be exactly what someone needs to hear today. Take time to reflect on the difference God has made in your life and don't be ashamed to share it. Our personal story is woven in to God's greater story and it may be what God uses to bring somebody to faith in Him.

Another Reason Why I Love Our Church

2011-07-08T11:40:00.001-04:00

I love that fact that our kids are surrounded by so many positive influences at our church. Below are just a couple of pictures of that going on.

Galen is in our small group and Ezra just loves him because he thinks he looks like Peter Parker (which he does, by the way.) Ezra is always trying to shoot him with his Spider Man web.

Katy is one of the girls in our youth ministry. Ezra just had a blast with her at our Fireworks Party. You can see why.

Kelsey and Lauren are both in our small group and also on our youth team. I loved the fact that our kids just felt comfortable enough to go up and sit on their laps and also that Lauren and Kelsey really enjoyed the time with our kids.

This is a picture that was taken by Rusty. I just love the fact that he was sensitive enough with taking pictures at our Fireworks party that he didn't just take pictures of our youth ministry but looked for great family pictures like this one of my wife and our daughter Torah.

There are so many other people I could mention that have impacted our family so much ... the ones who primarily watch our kids when my wife and I both work on Tuesdays, the Hilers, are from our church and formerly in our small group. Pastor Jon and his wife and Pastor Jeremy and his wife have spent signifcant time watching our kids. And, our primary baby sitter when my wife and I go out on dates is Alaina, a girl from our youth minsitry who our kids just love and we simply trust with our kids. Coni, who often gives our kids gifts out of the blue. The list could go on and on.

I am just so thankful to be a part of our church and see more and more each day how the church can truly be family and can truly be the hope of the world!

Our Youth Minsitry Summer Strategy

2011-07-08T11:29:00.001-04:00

Summer has always been a challenging time for our youth ministry. We don't take the summer off as a youth ministry, but our numbers have always gone down dramatically during the summer. And, in my 9 years at Grace Community, I've tried to do different things to bring more kids in over the summer and nothing has really worked incredibly well. But, I believe this summer has been our best to date ... not because of having more kids come, because we haven't, but because of what we've been doing with the kids that have come.

I focused my summer strategy on 5 core values that I have in youth ministry ... 1) have kids serve 2) have kids develop a sense of community with each other 3) have kids plugged in to the church as a whole 4) have kids share their faith and 5) have kids seek to know God more. I feel we've been doing that well this summer. Those are my only core values, but they're the three I focused on this summer.

We've done several different things to have kids develop a sense of community in our youth ministry. This was one of our best ... the Fireworks Party. Everyone had a great time and it was fun for me to see kids enjoying each other and enjoying being with our adult leaders.

We didn't know it when we moved there 9 years ago, but our house is at the perfect location for our local 4th of July fireworks. We have the party at our place, cook out, play lots of fun games, and when it finally gets dark, we sit back and enjoy the show.

We've killed two birds with one stone at Summer Soak. I prepped our teenagers weeks before the summer began that in the month of June we'd be serving our church through Summer Soak. Summer Soak is a once a week ministry we have for elementary aged kids the month of June. We play a ton of water games and kids just have a blast. Any of our teenagers who came on a Wednesday night were plugged in to helping lead a team. It had our kids serving and it also had them involved in the church as a whole. Teens were serving side-by-side with other adults from Grace and it was awesome to see. Below is a picture from the Bible study time at Summer Soak.

First Wednesdays is something our church does once a month in the summer in order to develop a sense of family with each other. We cook out, play games, and have other things going on for adults and kids. It's a fun way to spend an evening in the summer. Our youth ministry plugs right in to this. It not only has them rubbing shoulders with the entire church, but it's also given us an opportunity to serve. We've had kids helping serve food and also organizing a dodgeball tournament and a 3 on 3 basketball tournament. Below is a pic of some of the kids getting ready for 3 on 3.

We've had a mission trip to Nicaragua in which kids shared their faith as well as served and we'll also be going to our summer youth conference next week giving kids and opportunity to learn more about God, serve, and share their faith. And, we have a something called Bibles and Donuts ... pretty simple ... we study the Bible and we eat donuts.

Our summer strategy has been fairly simple and yet pretty effective for us this year. I think I've tried too hard in the past to get fancy with what we've done and this year I tried to stay simple and true to some of my values in ministry and it's worked out great for us.

Our Staff on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno

2011-07-06T10:42:00.000-04:00

Scott Avey, our "tech" guy at Grace Community and all-around great person was on a segment of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno called The Difference Between Moms and Dads. It's hilarious! Check it out.

The Promise

2011-07-04T20:55:00.000-04:00

This is one of the most inspiring and challenging videos I've ever seen. It speaks of commitment and dedication and simply holding true to a promise ... something each of us could learn from.

Miss Indiana Is Part of the Blue Crew

2011-06-27T13:33:00.000-04:00

A big congratulations to Jackie Jerlecki for winning the Miss Indiana pageant this past Saturday night. Her family is a part of Grace Community. Great job, Jackie and we'll be pulling for Miss Indiana! Above is Jackie and her parents Matt and Natalie.

Final Nicaragua Update

2011-06-24T10:35:00.000-04:00

I've had a few days to recover and process our mission trip to Nicaragua. A few of my thoughts below ...

I was reminded once again that our "struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12). I seriously felt like this trip was some of the most intense spiritual warfare I've experienced. From the very beginning of the trip, there were things happening that were really trying to get us discouraged and unfocused ... a delayed flight, missing our connection, missing an entire day of ministry, luggage never arriving, a robbery, sickness. It was intense and I kept challenging our kids to pray and pray hard. I was also reminded of one of the Bible verses we had students memorize this summer: 2 Timothy 1:6 "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." There was a battle, but we have the secret weapon ... the Holy Spirit! I saw the Holy Spirit work in my life and the lives of our kids. It was awesome to see.

Last year on our trip there were definite "God moments" (which you can read about here). They were very clear "whispers" that I truly felt like God was speaking to me. I didn't hear God in that sense this year, but I felt just an overwhelming urge to pray, encourage our kids to always stay positive, and to just give back and serve in every way I could. While they weren't "whispers" like last year, I felt like those three things were an overall "theme" that God was laying on my heart. I just felt like those were the things He was really wanting me to focus on while there.

I was also reminded of how the importance of allowing myself and the kids in our youth ministry to see poverty. It needs to bother us. If we don't see it, it won't bother us. I wanted them to be as hands on as possible ... so they cut up the raw chicken, they made the meals, the smelled the dump, the held the kids, they used the same bathrooms. It's easy to ignore it if we don't see it, if we don't experience it. But, stuff like that really needs to bother us ... it needs to stir up a holy anger inside of us until we get to a point where we say "I've just got to do something!"

By the way, the girl that I'm sitting next too .... 24 years old. No joke! Living in a garbage dump will cause things like that to happen.

One of the challenges our kids had was that they often felt bad about only being in a place for a short period of time. So, we'd often go to a place for a couple of hours, serve, play, etc ... and then we'd have to leave. Our team was feeling a tension ... what's better ... to stay longer in one place or to hit several areas for a shorter period of time. I don't know if I necessarily have a good answer to that. Honestly, on our trip we did both. But, I was just reminded that no matter where we're at or how long we're there if we love people the way Jesus did, it's always a success! My challenge to our team was, yes, there are going to be times when we are only at a place for a short period of time ... what are you going to do with that time? Make the most of it. Honestly, in the big picture, we're only on this earth for a short period of time. How are we making the most of our time here?

I love teenagers! I love seeing what they can do. I love seeing them do things they don't think they can do and then have a huge smile on their face after they do it. Youth ministry (as any ministry) is not easy. I, like probably every other youth pastor on the planet, at times get frustrated, discouraged, tired, angry. I sometimes wonder if what I'm doing is having any impact. And, in my deepest, darkest moments I will sometimes ask myself "Why bother?" But, it's trips like this that remind me why I'm in youth ministry. They remind me of how much teenagers have to offer. They remind me of how amazing teenagers can really be. They remind me of how much I actually learn from teenagers. They also remind me of how fun teenagers are. I had such a blast with our team! Seriously, laughed and laughed and laughed. They will often make me feel old and help me feel young at the same time. But, I've certainly come back refreshed for ministry with teenagers.

Again, thank you for all of the prayers. They were certainly needed and felt.

My Auto-Reply While In Nicaragua

2011-06-22T09:38:00.000-04:00

Thanks for your email. I'm unable to respond though because I'm out of the office for one of the following reasons:

1) After the Osama bin Laden mission, the US governement has hired me again.

2) I'm turning my flabby white thighs in to flabby tan thighs.

3) I'm learning to bowl over-hand

4) I'm taking a group of wonderful teenagers on a mission trip to Nicaragua. I'd appreciate your prayers.

I will be back in the office Wednesday, 6/22.

Nicaragua Update # 6 ... My Own Dad Fest

2011-06-20T01:35:00.000-04:00

Today was our last full day in Nicaragua and I believe our kids gave their best today. We started out our day by going back to a church that meets near the orphanage. There were both orphanage and community kids at the church ... probably close to 80 children. We helped with the Sunday School and it was so much fun! We sang, we played games, we joined in on small group times. It was just a blast. For me personally I was moved to tears trying to sing along with the kids music that was in Spanish. It was just an incredible reminder that there is so much more out there than American Christianity. It was such a worshipful experience even though I didn't understand a word of it.

After a nearly 2 hour ... yes, I said 2 hour Sunday School, we played games with the kids. I played catch with some Nicaraguan kids and over an hour and loved it! Catch is one of my favorite things to do. I've always enjoyed it and love doing it with my own kids as well. After a quick lunch we made our way to an outdoor sports complex where we met kids from the orphanage for an afternoon of playing in the park. We played volleyball, soccer, basketball, and played on swing sets. It was a hot afternoon and that, combined with playing with kids on a very hot morning meant we were all pretty tired after about an hour. We passed out some drinks and snacks and then said our goodbyes to the orphans. Very hard to do.

Morgan giving one of the girls a HUGE hug good-bye.

Becca playing with sidewalk chalk with one of the girls before Sunday School.

Playing some basketball at the park.

Cody saying goodbye to an orphan boy named Michael.

This is Juan Carlos. He's 18 years old and, if I'm not mistaken, has been at the orphanage for 10 years. He has had a wonderful place to stay, received Jesus as His Lord and Savior, received a great education, learned English, and is currently learning the trade of being a tour guide. Notice which one is used to the hot weather and which one is not. :)

Today is Father's Day and I'm missing my family terribly. I've been away from them for 11 days now and am pretty much going crazy. I'm in love with my wife and kids and simply cannot imagine life without them, so missing Father's Day is tough. Our church also had our annual Dad Fest and I was not able to be a part of that and really missed it. But, I went in to this day telling myself that I can try to be a dad to the orphan kids that we were going to spend time with today. It really gave a fresh meaning to Father's Day for me and if I couldn't be with my own family today, I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to be here in Nicaragua with kids from the orphanage.

Thank you for your continued prayers. We leave tomorrow afternoon and it's going to be a long day of traveling. Pray that we continue to be on mission all day tomorrow. Pray for good travel. And, please pray that our kids will not forget what they have seen and learned on this trip and that it will continue to shape them and make them more like Jesus. Thanks!

Nicaragua Update # 5 ... The Dump and The Orphans

2011-06-18T23:43:00.000-04:00

Another great day on our mission trip in Nicaragua. We actually were able to take the morning off (which was well needed, especially with some of the health issues going on right now ... 3 of us are having some stomach problems). Anyway, we spent a low key morning at the market doing some shopping. It was a fun way to spend a couple of hours and our kids were learning how to barter with the best of them! I don't think any of them paid full price for anything. :)

After that, we headed to La Chureca. La Chureca is literally a garbage dump where people call home. We drove in, were overwhelmed with the smell, and saw many people rummaging through the garbage to find items to sell or things to possibly eat. We were there to meet with Maria who runs a church and a school in the dump. We spent an hour there with kids, were able to feed them and spend time playing with them.

After that we headed back to the orphanage to spend the afternoon in English class with the kids. We broke up in to groups and just talked through some different assignments they had. I personally spent time with two of the teenagers (Michael and Joseling) and was just amazed at how they wanted to soak up everything I said. They had such a desire to learn English!

We spent an hour in class and then had "recess" which consisted of soccer and basektball ... on the same court at the same time. Made things interesting. But, what made things more interesting was when a HUGE rainstorm hit. It rained so hard for about 40 minutes and nobody stopped playing. The court was flooded with water and it just made things more fun. The smiles on our kids' faces and on the orphans faces was priceless. Watching everyone run and play and throw water on each other and just ... well ... bond was just great.

Some homes we saw at the dump.

Laramie holding a 5 month old baby girl who lives in the dump. She was such a cutie!

The kids from the dump were so loving and just wanted to be held. Our guys and girls nearly spent the entire time just holding kids. They simply did not want to be put down.

In English class at the orphanage. This was such a fun experience ... just sitting across from the kids and helping them learn English.

Hannah in the middle of the incredible rain storm that hit in the afternoon. Our kids were soaked!

We have one more fully day left. Tomorrow we will spend the entire day at the orphanage and every one of our kids is really excited to go back. Please pray for us as we help lead a Sunday School and as we help with some sports programs in the afternoon. Also, please pray for some of the health issues on the team. Nothing serious, but a few of us have been hit with ... well ... diarrhea and nausea. Pray that we'll all be feeling better by tomorrow and that no one else gets sick. Also pray that we'll really try to make the most of our last day here. Our kids are learning so much and being challenged in so many ways and I have just been so impressed with them. I shared with them this morning that I had expectations of what I wanted to see them do and they have far exceeded any of my expectations. You would be so proud of them!

Nicaragua Update # 4 ... Hard Work Does a Body Good

2011-06-18T00:41:00.000-04:00

Today was much different than our past days in Nicaragua. We spent most of our morning and a good part of the afternoon doing some pretty intense physical labor. We visited an orphanage and part of what they are doing is starting gardens, not only so they can grow food but also so they can teach the kids how to garden. It's really cool. So, we spent our day digging up ground, throwing away stone blocks, putting together raised garden beds, and filling those beds with dirt. It's the end of the day here and I'm beat. It was good, hard work. Our kids did amazing, once again. It was at least 95 degrees outside and the humidity was really bad, but they worked hard all day, got filthy, and loved every minute of it. One of our teens told me that when she works like this at her job, even though she gets paid she just doesn't enjoy it. But, today she felt good the entire day working hard because she knew it was for the kids.

After our work, we toured the orphanage which hosts approximately 45 kids. We then went back to where we are staying, cleaned up, had dinner, and then went back to the orphanage for a "talent" show. All in all, a great day! I told our kids that at the end of every day they should feel beat because of giving their all on the trip. Well, I don't think we'll have any problem feeling beat tonight.

The kids LOVED being hauled in the wheel barrows! I had just hauled about 30 loads of dirt in incredible heat in a wheel barrow that was broken. But, these kids wanted a ride and I was glad to give it to them.

Again, our kids just did amazing today. I was so proud of them for working so hard. They were so dirty at the end of the day ... mainly because of me throwing dirt on them trying to keep things upbeat. :)

Not sure who Katy was thinking of when she was swinging that sledge hammer, but she was swinging with some authority!

The orphans at the talent show.

I'm certainly not fluent in Spanish, but think I understood what this meant. I love the actual picture ... just in case you weren't sure what to use those things for.

Our church supports Asia's Hope orphanages. Those are our kids. I've never been able to go on a trip to Asia's Hope and certainly hope to be able to do so at some point. But, being at this orphanage was probably as close as it could get to actually seeing our kids at Asia's Hope. When leaving I was tearing up just thinking of these kids who have no parents, no family. My heart broke for them, but at the same time I was so happy for them because the people at this orphange really cared for the kids and had a specific plan for each child that comes in to the orphanage. It was so great to hear about what they try to do with each child. And, the pastor that runs the orphanage looked at these kids in the same way that our pastor and church looks at Asia's Hope ... they were his kids. I loved the experience today and am so thankful that God allowed me to be there.

Please continue to pray for our trip. 3 of our kids STILL do not have their bags! I'm dealing with a bit of a stomach issue at the moment. And, we still have 2 full days of ministry ahead of us. Pray for strength, continued amazing attitudes, and that we'll just be a clear picture of Jesus to every person we come in contact with. Thanks!

Nicaragua Update # 3 ... Bumps, Bruises, and a Kick in the Groin. But So Worth It!

2011-06-17T00:02:00.000-04:00

Today was just awesome! Thanks so much to those of you who spent time praying for our team. Your prayers made an impact. Today was, by far, our best day of ministry ... and the most exhausting. After an entire day spent with kids, our team incured several scrapes, a few cuts, some bruises, and I received a shot to the groin that hurt so bad all I could do was just sit there and laugh. Thankfully, that was not caught on tape! I believe my voice is an octive higher now too.

Anyway, we spent our day on a mountain called Pochocuape. It's a mountain full of tin shacks that peope here call home. We walked the mountain and invited kids to the school early to play some games with us. We had so much fun playing with chalk, playing tag, playing soccer, and just loving on kids. Our teenagers did absolutely amazing, and, I'll say it again ... I am so proud of them.

After a morning spent playing games, we went to one of the local homes and the family made lunch for us. Any meal in this area is not small ordeal. It's all cooked over an open fire so getting everything ready is a challenge and takes quite a while, but it's every day life for the people here. I was amazed at the hospitality in this small, incredibly humble home. And, the meal of rice, plantains, and vegetables was amazing!

After lunch we got a meal ready for the kids at the school, took the meal to the school, and played more games with the kids. We also fed them, what probably was their best meal of the day. It was hot! We were soaked with sweat. Many of us received a few minor scrapes and bruises. And, we were pretty tired at the end of the day ... but what a day it was! I felt like our kids really gave their best today and our debrief time afterwards was incredibly powerful as our kids were faced with poverty on levels their had never seen and as their hearts just broke for these children. Again, your prayers were answered!

The team at the end of our day. What you can't really see in this picture is how dirty were really were ... and you definitely do not have an appreciation for the smell.

Leah with one of the girls at the school.

Hannah with a few boys from the school. I think they had a crush on her.

Several of our kids getting food ready at a home.

This is outside the home where we had lunch.

Your continued prayers would be appreciated as we spend an entire day at an orphanage tomorrow.

Nicaragua Update # 2 ... A Great Day and Another Challenge

2011-06-16T00:42:00.000-04:00

Today was our first full day in Nicaragua and what a day it was. After breakfast we started our day looking at 1 John 4 and what it means to love one another. Then, with much anticipation we headed out to do our first day of ministry. We went to a feeding program. So, the chicken and vegetables we bought at the market yesterday were cut up and mixed with some Feed My Starving Children "Manna Packs" and we were able to feed kids what was probably their only good meal of the day. We also spent time playing with the 50 or so kids that were there and sang some songs for them.

Some of our kids cutting up chicken to be boiled up and mixed with rice and vegetables.

Katy was an excellent stirrer.

The first two kids that arrived. They loved getting their picture taken.

Each kid would bring their own bowl and spoon. We would then take their bowl and fill it up for them and take it to them where they were sitting. Each of us felt so honored to be able to help out and it felt good knowing we were giving kids a good meal and, more importantly, trying to be Jesus to them.

We took about 10 minutes to sing some songs to the kids that were their. They had so much fun and loved laughing at us when we tried to do some dance moves. It was such a fun experience and our kids did amazing!

After about 2 1/2 hours with that group of kids, we headed out to grab some lunch before we were off to our next feeding program. We needed to stop at the market and get some more chicken, so we decided to eat lunch at the market (at a fast food chicken place similiar to KFC) and then we were going to be on our way. But, one thing I've learned on this trip is that the enemy is throwing challenge after challenge at us and really trying to disrupt our mission. Anyway, while waiting for lunch, my sister-in-law (who is the contact person for our mission trip in Nicaragua) was sitting at the outdoor table with the rest of us when she felt something "brush" her leg. She didn't think anything of it until about a minute later when she looked down and noticed her bag was missing. That "brush" was someone swiping her bag from her that literally had EVERYTHING in it ... her passport, her phone, her driver's lisence, and money that was going to be used to pay some of the teachers at the "dump" we were going to visit next. There were several teachers and they were getting paid a six month salary, so there was a couple thousand dollars in her bag ... gone. So, needless to say, that threw the rest of the afternoon off schedule. We had to contact the police, fill out a report, the police actually had 3 suspects in custody but nothing turned up. It was about a 3 hour ordeal for us. I felt so awful for my sister-in-law! Our team spent time praying over the situation.

I remember talking to our team yesterday evening and just sharing with them how important it is to pray about what we are doing. I just felt in my heart that we really needed to pray and pray hard for our trip and I shared that with our kids. I still feel that way. The enemy is doing much to try to distract us. Some bad stuff has happened, but honestly our kids are still focused and more focused now that I've seen them the entire trip. Their attitudes, again, have been amazing and I am just so proud of them for being so flexible, understanding, and still on mission. A few of them even mentioned in our debrief time tonight how they knew that they were told that they really needed to be praying, but some of them just weren't taking that incredibly seriously. Well, they are now and I feel like everything that has happened has really caused our kids to become more focused and more intent on praying, serving, and helping. Maybe that's what our team needed.

If you think of it, I'd really appreciate your prayer covering as well. Ask for spiritual protection. Ask for wisdom. Ask for continued good attitudes (our kids still have not received their bags). Pray that God will use us to do incredible things for Him. Thanks!

Nicaragua Update # 1 ... There's Always a Challenge

2011-06-14T23:08:00.000-04:00

We arrived safely in Nicaragua at just before noon Nicaragua time today ... finally! We are having a great time so far, but have already been faced with several challenges for our team. Before we left I met with our team a couple of times. One of the things we talked through was the importance of being flexible AND our "no complaining" rule. We take what comes at us and we stay positive throughout. Well, our kids are doing AMAZING with those two things right now.

Our initial flight from Chicago was delayed because of mechancial problems. We were on the plan for an hour. The took us off. We were in the airport for over another two hours waiting in line and trying to find out how we were going to get to Nicaragua. By the time our flight took off, we had already missed our connecting flight in Atlanta and there were no other flights to Nicaragua that day. So, we got to Atlanta and after another nearly 2 hours waiting in line, we received hotel and food vouchers. Through it all, our kids' attitudes were stellar! I was so proud of them.

We boarded our flight to Nicaragua this morning at 10am. The flight was great. Everything was fine ... until we got to baggage claim. Six of our kids did not receive their bags. Keep in mind we've all been in the same clothes nearly two days now. All of us were ready for some deoderant and some fresh clothes, so when we found out that 6 members of our team didn't receive their bags, it was a blow. But, again, through it all, they stayed positive and upbeat and made the most of every situation. I am so proud of them!

I remember talking to our kids about the fact that when we step our and serve and share the love of Jesus with people, generally something will happen that will challenge our attitudes and the enemy will often throw stuff at us to try to distract us and get us focused on other things. I definitely feel like that's been happening but, we are here. The bags are supposed to be here by 1:30pm tomorrow. And, we are all ready to start serving. Again, I could not be prouder of how our kids are handling the things thrown at them and tackling everything with prayer.

Our team before we left for the airport.

"Cross-eyed" pictures are the "in" thing with this group. So funny.

We spent some time at the market today buying food for kids that we'll be serving the next few days. The meat part of the market is definintely an experience!

This evening we had some fun doing "cheer" stuff. We have a few cheerleaders on the team and they wanted to teach everyone how to do some stands and jumps. Fun, fun! If you're a cheerleader you'll understand a term I learned this evening ... "Pinch a penny in your butt!"

We sorted all of the food we bought and got it ready for the kids. Some of our team had a little too much fun with the food.

Your continued prayers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Don't Date Until ...

2011-05-25T09:48:00.000-04:00

We wrapped up the final month of the school year at axis with a series on dating. I personally feel like it was one of the best series we've done on dating in my 9 years at Grace Community. I've seen so many teenagers either take dating TOO seriously at this stage of their lives or the simply don't take it seriously enough and give too much too early emotionally, mentally, and physically. So, we tackled 4 different topics

Don't Date Until ...
- You're Willing to Slow Down (If you are dating, move slowly, be patient, don't give too much too fast)
- You Know What a Man Is (Focused on what God calls out of us as guys)
- You Know What a Woman Is (Focused on Proverbs 31 and 1 Corinthians 13)
- You're Willing to Ask Questions (Took Questions from students)

As much as I want our kids to have great relationships ... as much as our kids want great relationships ... God wants them to have great relationships even more. We tried to focus on how to make that happen.

My next few posts will be an attempt to answer questions on dating that we didn't get a chance to answer at axis last week. There were a TON of awesome questions. I think it will be fun to try to offer some practical advice.

Our Smart Phone Addictions

2011-05-17T14:38:00.000-04:00

My good friend Jeremiah (aka Jeremiah) brought this article to my attention today. I thought it was a really good reminder about how to control our phone usage and become addicted to the "Crack-berry."

The Family Catch-up Post

2011-05-17T13:25:00.000-04:00

It's certainly been awhile since the last post. The schedule has been very full lately and I just haven't made the time to update the blog. But, here is the update and it will revolve mostly around family ...

We had AMAZING Mother's Day services at Grace Community. It was really fun for me to watch our son be a part of the Mother's Day music. In case you're wondering ... he is the one in the middle getting a little more in to it than everyone else. He really like the "drum" part of the song. Also, you'll notice he's wearing a tie. My wife really wanted him to wear it for Mother's Day so she pulled out all the stops to bribe him to do it ... a lollipop AND a Spider Man cartoon after church.

To celebrate our son's 4th birthday, we decided to go camping. While we still buy gifts for our kids' birthdays, we are trying to focus on doing more experiential things. So, we went camping for our son's birthday. Yep, me, my wife, our 4 year old, 2 year old, and 6 month old. It was so much fun! But, bedtime did prove to be a challenge. Here is Mercy peaking out of the tent when she was supposed to be going to sleep.

Torah continues to grow and grow and is just the most beautiful baby! I describe her smile to others as peaceful and warming. Seriously, when she smiles at you the world just become a better place.

The Mini-Van Winner Is ...

2011-05-08T21:53:00.000-04:00

For Mother's Day our church had the awesome opportunity to give away a mini-van to a single mom in our community. We ran an essay contest in which people were to nominate a single mom and explain why she could use a new mini-van. We also had 10 runner-ups and those ten received $500.00 each. It was such an awesome privilege to be in a position to be able to honor single moms in that way. Above is a picture of Heidi, the winner, before she drove off for the first time in her new van. This video is on Pastor Jim's blog and shows how we told her that she was chosen as the winner. It's worth your time to watch it.

I Could Really Use $10

2011-04-30T11:23:00.000-04:00

On June 13- 20 I'll be leading a group of teenagers on a mission trip to Nicaragua. I'm trying to raise $900 to cover the expenses of the trip. I'm trying to ease the financial "ask" as much as I can and figured that $10 ... while still a lot ... isn't too difficult to give. So, I'm humbling asking for 90 people to be willing to give $10 in order to help with this trip. I've never tried to raise money in this way before, but again, instead of asking for 9 people to give $100 thought I'd attempt to make it easier financially and attempt to get 90 people to give $10.00.

If you feel led to help support me on this trip, I would be incredibly grateful! Any donations can be given through Grace Community Church (20076 County Road 36 Goshen, IN 46526) simply by filling out the form below. But, most importantly I would covet your prayers. If you'd like to read about some of our experience our experiences in Nicaragua last year, you can do so by going here.

I have prayerfully considered donating $___________________ to Rich Yauger for his mission trip to Nicaragua.

Name: _____________________________________________

Due to IRS regulations, Grace Community Church cannot refund your gift if I cannot go unless the whole project is cancelled. All gifts will be used for ongoing short term ministry. Please make checks payable to Grace Community Church. NOTE: Please do not put my name on your check in the memo line or you will not be able to receive tax credit at the end of the year.

Don't Date Until ...

2011-04-29T14:07:00.000-04:00

I really believe that dating is one of the fastest things that can derail the life of a teenager. I'm not against dating by any means, but I am against dating the wrong person and in my 9 years as the leader of our youth ministry, I have unfortunately seen many lives derailed because of poor choices in dating. So, we started a new series Wednesday night at axis called Don't Date Until ...

Wednesday the topic was Don't Date Until You're Willing to Slow Down. Relationships have a tendency to move SOOO fast today. You like her, she likes you and all of the sudden teenagers are moving faster than a NASCAR pit crew, moving, in my opinion way too fast emotionally and physically. I really believe that, especially at this stage of life, dating for a middle or high school student should move slowly. The healthiest relationships for middle or high school students are the ones that progress slowly and in stages. So, I shared 5 things that would help teenagers know "why" to slow down and "how" to slow down.

1) Realize It's OK to Be Single. Genesis 1:18 talks about God creating men and women with a desire to be together ... and that's a good thing. But, there's a difference between a desire for a boyfriend/girlfriend and feeling the pressure to have one. I think teens feel a lot of pressure these days to be dating, but it's totally OK if they aren't. The more a teenager realizes that the less pressure they may feel to move in to a dating relationship.

2) It Probably Won't Last. Two of our wonderful adult volunteers were high school sweethearts. They have a wonderful marriage now and great stories to share. But, they are by far the exception. A high majority of high school relationships will not last beyond high school. If a teenager feels that the relationship they are in is meant to last forever it will often cause them to make some stupid mistakes in an effort to keep the relationship lasting forever. They'll begin to force things ... and if you have to "force" a relationship at that stage of life, it's not the right relationship for you. Remembering that a majority of high school relationships will not last will take the pressure off in dating, keep things balanced, and, I believe, make dating more enjoyable.

3) Think More About God Than Dating. God should receive the best of our attention, but we often focus on a guy or a girl way more than we do our God. I challenged our kids to think about what it would be like if they spent as much time focusing on God and His promises for their life as they did a potential date. Our lives would be dramatically different.

4) Set Standards. Set values and standards and don't compromise. Sometimes I think the only values kids have in dating is a pulse! We shared some fun values for them to set like "If there's drama, they don't meet mama." And, "If they ain't fun, they ain't the one." But, also talked about setting serious standards for anyone that we may go out with ... are they a follower of Jesus? How do they talk? How do they dress?

5) Put Limits on the Amount of Time You Spend with Someone. This is very important, especially at a teenagers stage of life. I asked for a show of hands of kids who had a "best friend" and then all of the sudden their best friend started dating and it was like they dropped off the face of the earth! A majority of kids raised their hands and you could tell it was a serious issue with the kids in our room. I just feel its important to limit the amount of time you spend with someone you're dating (especially in high school) because you're not meant at this stage of life to invest all of your time in to one person. That happens in marriage, but even then you still need a healthy balance of other friendships.

Next Week: Don't Date Until You're Willing to Be a Man.

Some High Flying Fun at Church

2011-04-25T20:32:00.002-04:00

Here's a link to our local paper's article on Grace Community's Easter Egg Hunt. I love the quotes from our people. They totally get the reason behind why we do this.

Monday Miscellaneous

2011-04-25T16:42:00.000-04:00

- Whew! Definitely recovering from a busy week last week. Lots of amazing stuff to be involved with: 5 Star after school program, seeing over 2000 shoes be shipped off, figuring out Bible studies for our youth ministry, working on securing tickets for our summer mission trip, organizing the deposits for our youth conference, Communion, our community Easter Egg Hunt, and being a part of the largest services we've ever had at Grace Community on Easter. By the end of Sunday night, I was a bit tired ... but it was a good tired.

- To my knowleged, our Easter services were the largest that we've ever had at Grace Community. There was so much excitement in the air and you just knew God was going to do something BIG as we celebrated Jesus. I love our church and how God moved on Sunday. Our theme was "Everything Changes When You Flip the Switch." It's the idea of the difference the power of the resurrection of Jesus can make in our lives. We gave people an opportunity to respond to the Gospel and if people made a decision we asked them to come up front and "flip a switch" which turned on a light. Below is the very first person to come up on stage and "flip the switch." You can read about the experience on Pastor Jim's blog. By the end of the day, every light on the board was lit up! Woo Hoo!

- After our services, we had our Community Easter Egg Hunt. We had over 28,000 eggs, 200 hundred pairs of sunglasses, $400 in cash, 16 bikes, and numerous gift cards to be given away. It was such a great day. Below are a few pictures from the event.

Volunteers laying out over 28,000 eggs

We're estimating there were over 4,000 people on our property ready to be a part of the Easter Egg Hunt

We had 2 fire trucks drop sunglasses and cash prizes from their fire ladders to 7th - 12th graders.

- This morning I made my annual trek to the cancer center for a routine scan. Scans are just a part of my life now ... something I get to experience once a year ever since being diagnosed. Always a strange feeling. I feel great. I feel healthy. But somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought "it could always come back." I don't dwell on it or really even think about it much. But, laying on the CT table always brings up such pleasant thoughts. I get to meet with my new oncologist Wednesday and am expecting good news.

Axis Wrap Up 4-20-11 Rescued

2011-04-22T12:05:00.000-04:00

We had a really powerful night at axis on Wednesday reflecting on what Jesus did for us on the cross. We focused on how Jesus' body was broken so that our broken relationship with God could be healed ... so that we could be "rescued."

We set the stage for the night by watching this video which really shows the impact of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We then gave our kids an opportunity to take the "bread and the cup" because Jesus said "Whenver you eat and drink, remember ... I've rescued you!" (1 Corinthians 11:24 - 25). We then gave kids an opportunity to write or draw something to express their thanks to Jesus. It was an awesome experience and I loved reading what kids wrote.

To close the night I simply shared the Gospel. It wasn't anything fancy. I just explained the Gospel to kids and gave them a chance to respond. I was so excited to see kids ask Jesus to take charge of their life! I'm always amazed at God's love for us.

We Have Enough

2011-04-18T20:15:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update from my previous post ... over $52,000 was raised and that's enough to build a new, PERMANENT home for our orphans in Cambodia on the land pictured above! Woo Hoo!

The Yaug Blog

The Only Thing That Counts ...

Axis Wrap Up - Uncommon Attitude

6 Ways for Men to Pray Over Their Families

1. SCHEDULE PRAYER

2. PRAY FROM BED

3. PRAY BEFORE SCHOOL

4. PRAY AT DINNER

5. PRAY BEFORE BED

6. PRAY SPONTANEOUSLY

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My Auto-Reply While In Nicaragua

Nicaragua Update # 6 ... My Own Dad Fest

Nicaragua Update # 5 ... The Dump and The Orphans

Nicaragua Update # 4 ... Hard Work Does a Body Good

Nicaragua Update # 3 ... Bumps, Bruises, and a Kick in the Groin. But So Worth It!

Nicaragua Update # 2 ... A Great Day and Another Challenge

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Don't Date Until ...

Our Smart Phone Addictions

The Family Catch-up Post

The Mini-Van Winner Is ...