Back in the Saddle Again...

Well, I am back in the office and although the trip to Challenge was great I am glad to be back. Not leading worship for almost three weeks was good but it was tough. I had the itch to get back to it when I got home. Sunday was a good day. Worship service was wonderful as we celebrated the Lord's Supper and continued our series on "Going for the Gold." It is good to be home. I will share more later.

Peace

Challenge Is Over

The week in Salt Lake City at Challenge '08 is over. It was good week and I believe God was honored and blessed. There were approximately 5,500 teenagers at the conference and everyday they were challenged to take a step in their faith walk with Jesus. Even though I am a youth pastor and I have attended many events like this I am always personally challenged myself. This week was no different.

One cool thing that happened wasn't super spiritual but it was super cool. We made an attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records record for the world's largest Kazoo band/choir. Check it out.



Peace

"If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" James 2:15, 16

I was crushed tonight. I sat and listened to a man pour out his heart about how the church has failed to love the unlovable and my heart was crushed. As the church, as evangelicals, as people who say they love Jesus we too often fail to love people. We expect them to look like us, to wear the right clothes, to talk the right way, to live the right kind of life and then we will love them. We fail to love them just as they are.

One of my favorite hymns is "Just As I Am." "Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me and that thou bidst me come to Thee, o Lamb of God I come. I come." The reason I love those words so much is because I know that I was a terrible person that did terrible things yet Jesus saw beyond that. Jesus saw beyond the filth and muck of my life. Jesus bids us to come to him just as we are. "Come unto me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. Why then, do we not do the same? Why do we shy away from those who do not look like us? Why do we shun those who are from a "lower" societal status? Why are we afraid to step out of our Christian ghettos and go and love the world?

I pastor in a town of about 35,000 and my heart breaks for the lost. I am desperate to reach those who have been rejected and forgotten by the church. Our church does some good things that make a difference but they are "projects" that come along once a year and we seemingly forget about the need until the next year rolls around and we start planning the project again. I want to live out a life that lives and breaths brokenness for the community 365 days a year. I want our church to get beyond "projects" and make it our life.

I beg God to break our hearts. The words from a song we sang tonight are my prayer. "Let me not be blind with privilege, let me see the pain and suffering" With trembling I pray, God give me eyes to see the people around me as you see them. Give me a heart that breaks as your heart breaks for them. Give me arms that will hold them as your arms holds them. Give me love that will love them as you love them. Help me to be obedient and faithful to do what you have called me to do.

Help the church to make that their prayer. Help the church to show radical generosity of love. Help us to live out what we say we believe.

We Made It

Well, we finally made to SLC after a total of 34 hours behind the wheel, three hotel stays and a whole lot of sore behinds. Glad to be here and looking forward to a great week.

Chow

Lessons While Traveling

I have been really struck by Dueteronomy 6:4-8 as of late. The idea of teaching your children about God when you sit, lie down, walk, and when you get up has become extremely important to me as a father and something I try to make a reality in my day to day life with my son and daughter. As a youth pastor I try to keep this in mind as well. It is too easy to "teach" the students during the official youth group time but simply hang out with them the rest of the time. Today we were driving through Custer State Park in South Dakota and I saw something I had never seen before. The wind was blowing through through the grassy fields and the grass looked like waves in the ocean. It was the coolest thing. We pulled over to take a short video of it and I started to talk about how much our culture rushes through life and too easily misses the beauty of God's Creation. We sat and watched the fields roll like waves and had a "moment". It was way cool!

As we continued to drive we saw antelope, deer, prairie dogs, a (not so) wild burro, and lots of buffalo. The whole day was very long but it was so worth it to take the time to enjoy and talk about the wonders of God's marvelous creation.

Tomorrow we arrive in Salt Lake City for Challenge '08. I cannot wait to see what God is going to do this week in the students lives, my wife's life and in my life.

Shalom

Fun While Driving

Spent the past two days driving west on I-90. Went through God's country (a.k.a. Minnesota) then into South Dakota. If it wasn't for the bill boards advertising free water at Wall S.D. there would have been nothing to look at for most of the way. We did a loop through Badlands national park and that was pretty cool. That was my third time there and it was still fun. Then we did the free water thing at Wall and sat on the 8 foot Jackalope for a photo op. Finally made our way to Keystone, S.D. to see Mt. Rushmore. We stayed for the presentation and lighting ceremony. At first I thought about having everyone leave part way through but then I felt like the teenagers I had with me needed to stay and listen. I thank God for my country but I am not super patriotic so it is easy for me to rush through events that focus on patriotism. I realized that if I do not make an effort to help the teenagers understand why we have the freedoms we do they will take them for granted and not appreciate them. I truly appreciate the freedoms I have and know that they did not come without cost and the men and women who served and died for these freedoms have my utmost respect.

If you have served our country, thank you.

Peace

What a Day!

So here I was sitting at my desk reveling in the fact that I was actually ahead of things as I prepared for my trip with the youth group to Salt Lake City when I received a phone call from our mechanic. The words, "undrivable" and "death trap" echoed over the phone and stuck in my head like a misguided lawn dart. The church van, which was our transportation to Challenge '08, went in for an oil change and minor tune up. What they found was that the arm that attaches the front wheels to the steering column had completely rusted through and a solid bump while driving could snap it completely and send the van hurdling in any given direction. FUN! So after a few minutes of panic and a few more of prayer, I had an alternate mode of transportation. Praise God!

In less than 24 hours I am heading to Challenge '08 with a group of teens from our senior high. We will be doing the cheesy Americana stuff such as the Mitchell, S.D. Corn Palace, and Wall Drug as well as some cool things like the Badlands of S.D. and of course Mt. Rushmore. On the way back we will be camping in Estes Park, CO for three days. All this excitement sandwiches a great conference which will challenge us all to take the next step in our faith walk with Jesus.

I AM PUMPED!