Life of a youth pastor .

Ministry endeavors and summer adventures!

by Leave a Comment

tumblr_navb1sdUaw1tf8ykeo1_500

This summer is flying by faster than my chickens… yes I do have chickens, and yes they run & fly when I call them, and yes they are trained… okay enough of that, back to summer.

UPGRADE 

The season started quite rapidly with the promoting of all grades at our church. This was a first for us, we previously promoted in the fall at the beginning of a new school year but missed the boat with many students feeling too old for their former program during the summer. Our previous 8th graders are fully engaged and now participating in our HS program, solidifying these friendships and program as part of their schedule before their freshman year begins.

VOLUNTEER RECRUITING 

During the same 2-3 weeks we were in the trenches of a church-wide volunteer series. “You are here: Do something.” It went well…too well. There are 500 people that expressed interest in getting plugged in and trying a serving/volunteer role at our church. 180-ish of those people expressed interest in serving within NextGen. This is great and all but with our small staff processing this many people you can only imagine the amount of work on top of what we are already doing – but we are doing it and really excited to see how many become weekly volunteers in our ministry.

GO! TEAMS

Enter GO! Teams. Go! Teams are the serving experiences we offer during the summer for kids/students 3-12 grade…yes 3rd graders participate! This year we had 6 different sites across the country, and 1 international site being in Haiti. Almost 200 kids, students and adult leaders served God this summer through kid’s clubs, feeding the homeless, prayer walks, relational ministry, refugee ministry, and a few small construction projects. This wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t had the help from our global serve leader Calla (my wife, she’s awesome) and her partnering with NextGen and our like-minded ministry partners to offer something truly special for our students.

This was the first year since being in youth ministry for 7 years that I did not lead a trip. I went as an adult leader on our Portland trip to shadow a team leader and give feedback, he did awesome! Portland is FULL of ministry opportunities, it is a city that is in desperate need of Jesus.

Getting back a few days ago, I realized there is much more work to be done this summer, but also much playing to be had!

Here’s what I have coming up – stay tuned for updates!

Work Hard

  1. Interview and accept 4 interns by September 1st for a 1-year internship in student ministry at Gateway. Interested? Apply now to our Leadership Development Program!
  2. Onboarding and training volunteers and small group leaders for the fall.
  3. Helping find a new staff member for our NextGen team. (Early Childhood)
  4. NextGen Family BBQ. Last year we had 800 show up to feast and meet our staff and small group leaders.
  5. Scheduling out the remainder of the summer and executing a 6-week trial run on new high school program hours. (we are trying a 4-6PM program time on Sundays, what works best for your highschoolers?)
  6. Wrapping up 2015 stumin poll and getting results out. (Sorry this has taken forever, but it’s still 2015 right?) Haven’t taken it yet? You can right here!
  7. Book reviews for Orange… I’m thrilled to read some of the latest from the Orange store, I just have to find the time!

Play Hard

  1. Next week I’m spending a few days in Geneva with my wife at our favorite hideaway. (Geneva, IL not Switzerland!) The Herrington Inn is a MUST for any couple wanting some R&R. It’s a real gem.
  2. We are buying a jeep from one of my former roommates in Chicago and driving it back to TX next week! 1,145 miles with Calla! 98′ XJ Cherokee Sport 4×4 4.0L 5spd for those Jeep freaks that want the details.
  3. Getting a few 14ers under my belt with Kenny Conley and flyfishing in Colorado. We are for sure going to climb Gray’s/Torrey’s peak.
  4. One week with no agenda, just resting and spending time in Ft. Collins, CO with my wife and her family.

Detouring to Celebrate Faith.

by Leave a Comment

detour

Though I don’t fly back to Texas until Saturday, today I leave Atlanta.

I got the call while on a small putting green out behind the hotel I’m staying at…my mom had called and told me that he had taken his last breathes. It’s so strange when you get news like this. You will never forget where you where, what you were doing, the weather and time of day. The news of death, that moment, seems to be frozen in time.

I’m driving 4 hours west to attend my grandfather’s funeral in north Alabama. He went to be with Jesus this week at the age of 87. I am grateful to be nearby so that I can be there for my dad and his family during a difficult time. Losing a loved one is never convenient nor easy. Though I wish the circumstances of my visit with family were different there is an amazing swell of hope in the air. My grandfather – James Clifton Parker knew the grace of God by placing his faith in the person of Jesus Christ. He now celebrates the eternal detour of a sinful world into the everlasting glory of God.

Many thoughts come to mind when one grieves the loss of someone. One particular thought I’d like to expound on…”It just doesn’t feel right.”

It’s not. We were not created to observe or experience death. We were created to experience life and life to the fullest. (John 10:10)  This is what God had planned for Adam and Eve, life to the fullest in garden…complete unity with God. But the former part of John 10:10 became a reality rather quickly, “The thief (Satan) comes to steal, kill and destroy.” Because Adam and Eve fell to selfish desires and the enemy’s schemes we now live in a world that experiences the consequences and ugliness of sin, our rebellion against God. One of these curses is a short physical life numbered by years. Though this is the case and unfortunate for us to experience, there is great news! Despite our rebellion God pursued us, His creation throughout history, ultimately giving up His one and only son so that we could be reunited with God, our creator. One of God’s greatest mercies is that He does give us the life intended for us in the garden, life to the fullest. For now we deal with a broken world ridden with death, but remember “He makes all things new.” (Rev. 21:5) Having a relationship with God here and now is just the pre-game show for what’s to come in eternity.

I’m looking forward to celebrating the life of my grandfather this weekend.

Changing Oil + Lucas Oil Stabilizer!

by Leave a Comment

Yesterday I took the day off to rest and get some things done that I had been putting off…one of them was changing the oil in my 2002 Toyota Tacoma. This truck is 10 years old with 106k miles on it…I have really put some preventive maintenance into it over the past year – new tires, changed the timing belt, new spark plugs, and a new muffler. These trucks are known for going 300k+ but the oil should be changed regularly. I usually just run the truck up to a Jiffy Lube for an oil change but will never do that again.

I decided to roll up my sleeves and get a little dirty. For the same price of going to Jiffy Lube I bought a better name brand oil and a nicer oil filter, not to mention the Lucas Oil Stabilizer. I am really happy about this little adventure. The project was super easy, I learned more about my truck and it is running better than ever before!

I heard and felt a difference in my engine performance after putting in the Lucas Oil Stabilizer.

Always read your owners manual and make sure you buy and use the right kind of oil, my Tacoma takes SAE 5w-30. You should never switch weights of oil, switching brands is okay but shouldn’t happen very often. I just made the switch from Pennzoil to Castrol GTX High Mileage.

Get my adventures in life delivered via email. Sign up in the top right corner of this page.