Zombies, Death, and Survival

Hello HS Parents!

This past Wednesday night we talked about Zombies. I realize that might seem like a strange subject for church, but zombie movies and zombie culture are really popular among high school students right now. It actually offers a GREAT platform for us to talk about death, the afterlife, and even people who came back to life in the Bible - like Lazarus and, of course, Jesus.

Most of our discussion revolved around the fact that the craze that is zombie culture right now has more to do with survival than it does zombies. The “real” story in all of the zombie movies and TV shows is that the people left alive are trying to stay that way. We discussed that this natural feeling to want to live is strong in all of us. In fact, when we see someone who fears living more than they fear dying (read: suicide), it is painfully clear that something is wrong mentally and emotionally. 

The bulk of our conversation focused on the eleventh chapter of John’s gospel. My main point was that no one that I knew had actually met Lazarus…because he was dead. Well, wait a minute…didn’t Jesus bring Him back to life? Yes, but he died…again. That’s what makes Jesus different than any of the people brought back to life in the Bible - they ALL died AGAIN. But He is the ONLY person in history who died, came back from the grave, and is STILL LIVING!!

If you haven’t done so in a while, give John 11 a read this weekend. Talk about with your students the feelings of Mary and Martha. Talk about what Jesus might have been feeling. If your students are into it, grab a Zombie movie from Red Box or catch World War Z on Netflix. You might find an easy doorway to a conversation about death AND life, abundant life, using something that is a “known” in their world already.

- MIchael

I Like Stress In My Life!

No. I don’t, actually. But if you took a look at some of my decisions you might think I like to be stressed. I mean, seriously, why else would I say yes to some of the things I commit to? Why can’t I say no to things that really should be a “no” in my life? Well…I wish it were that cut and dried. Or maybe it is, and I’m just trying to justify it.

Does any of that sound familiar? If not for you, it certainly is for your students. In fact, I think those of us who feel stressed have something in common: we are not alone. Most everyone I know deals with some level of stress in their lives that seems to be too much to handle at times. It makes us react in ways we later regret. It shapes decisions we make and dictates outcomes for matters that should be completely and totally stress free.

I talked about this with high school students this past Wednesday night. I shared with them that sometimes we don’t “look” like people filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, or self control. And I shared a stressful story with them from the gospel of Mark. Verses 35-41 of the fourth chapter report the time that the disciples were on a boat with Jesus. They were stressed to high heaven because of a storm that came up. Waves were rocking the boat and even spilling into the boat threatening, or so they thought, their safety.

When they go to look for Jesus, they find Him asleep at the back of the boat with His head on a cushion…not a care in the world - again…so they thought. He tells the sea and the wind to take a chill pill - and they do. Then He looks at the disciples and asks them if they still do not have faith in Him.

You may be in a spot right now where you need the Lord to speak some calming tones into your life. Some of the stress in your life may be out of your control. Other stressors in your life could be of your own doing. Take comfort that Christ is well aware of all of them and is able to speak a peace into them that we can’t understand. He is just as much in control when you feel stressed as He is when you feel no stress at all in your life. 

Take a minute or two this week to have a conversation about stress with your students. Ask them what it is that stresses them out. Then share a little bit about your own stress factors. Read that passage from Mark’s gospel and talk about how Jesus feels and desires to speak into those areas of your lives. Personally, I could stand Him to take a look at the wind and waves around me and say, “Peace. Be still.” Let Him speak it to you this week.

It's Not Just "Any" Friday

Hello HS Parents!

I’m sure you have already decided which Easter service you will be attending this weekend. Those of you serving have already mapped out what you’re doing, when you’ll be there and all that goes with that. I’m certain the opportunity to share a meal, a family egg hunt, a nap or all-of-the-above are mixed in those plans somewhere as well. And as excited as I am to celebrate Easter (I like to refer to it as Resurrection Sunday) with you, allow me to talk about today for just a minute.

This is no ordinary Friday. It’s three days before Christ rose from the dead; it’s the day He was nailed to the cross. It’s the day that represents the innocent Son of God who, having never committed a moral or legal infraction, was arrested, mocked, ridiculed, beaten, tried, convicted, sentenced, and ultimately executed. Today.

Naturally, the inability for the grave to hang on to our Lord is the core of our faith. He conquered death and hell when that stone rolled away and he came out of the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. But that history-changing, life-transforming event happened because He was, first, willing to take on your sin and mine. He was willing, knowing all there is to know about your thoughts, actions, jealousies and prejudices - and mine - he was willing to go to the cross. Even after praying to His Father to see if there was another option, He chose to follow, willingly, the will of His Father.

I love Hebrews 12:2 which states, “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

And Romans 5:8, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

The ONLY thing the held Christ on that cross was His willingness to endure it. Soldiers, protesters, the Sanhedrin - none of them possessed the power to hold Him captive. It was His heart for those He died to save (you and me) that made Him willingly carry that cross up that hill to His death - so that we might have life…abundant life. I don’t know that you and I are capable of grasping the scope of a love like that.

I love how Max Lucado states it in his book Six Hours One Friday: "Nails didn’t hold God to a cross. Love did. The sinless One took on the face of a sinner so that we sinners could take on the face of a saint!"

As you prepare for Resurrection Sunday, take a moment today to thank God for the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.

- Michael

Gatlinburg Winterfest 2015 Update

Students - PLEASE make sure your parents have joined the Remind text update with the info I sent you. Also - please make sure they read this post.


Hello parents

As you know, safety is our primary concern for this weekend. We have no interest in putting our students and leaders in danger.

We have been watching very closely the conditions/forecasts both here and in Gatlinburg. I have also been in communication with Winterfest leadership as well as the local rental company supplying our lodging. We feel we have enough information to make a judgment call now, but we reserve the right to adjust our plans based on the weather.

Some roads in Gatlinburg are horrible, but the main roads and the roads to our cabins are totally clear. We believe getting from our lodging to the conference center will not be problematic for us at all.

The forecast on Friday predicts snow beginning here around 1:00 PM and snow/wintry mix in Gatlinburg beginning around 8:00.

We believe leaving at 9am on Friday instead of noon will allow us to keep ahead of bad weather and get to the cabins well before any dangerous conditions impact traveling safely. We are not scheduled to leave the cabin until after lunch on Saturday, and warmer temperatures/rain are predicted for that time. If the roads are bad, we will stay in our cabins. This means we may miss parts of the conference, but we feel it is the safest approach for the weekend.

We will be taking extra food with us just in case we do need to say in the cabins, but we do not expect to need it. We just want to be extra cautious.

It will be a good idea for your students to pack a blanket with them just in case we lose power while we are there so they can bundle up to stay warm. Again, we don't expect that...we just want to be cautious.

Please make sure your students confine themselves to ONE SMALL DUFFLE OR SUITCASE!! Space is a premium while we are traveling since we'll be taking extra food.

If you have any questions, please call, text, or email me.

Thanks!
Michael

What's Love Got To Do With It?

I attended a wedding yesterday afternoon - actually, it was a re-wedding. The bride and groom are both friends of ours, and they had been married, divorced, gotten back together and decided to get remarried yesterday on Valentine’s Day. It was a very sweet ceremony where nearly 100 friends and family members gathered to show their support for the happy couple.

I always enjoy listening to another minister’s approach in officiating a wedding. The gentleman who performed the ceremony last night did a great job of talking about new beginnings and how the Lord never leaves us or forsakes us. He talked about how each of them was making a covenant, not a contract, before and to God. He painted a beautiful picture of what it means to LOVE each other - no matter what. I took comfort in his unique relationship with the bride and groom, and I thought of others whom I have been privileged to serve in a similar capacity. 

What struck me most, though, was how I saw Christ and His bride, the Church, in that ceremony. To use the officiating minister’s words, we live in a microwave age where most everything is disposable. Yet God, in His glory and grace, finds us to be worthy of saving. Worthy of sacrifice. Worthy to be loved. I took comfort in that because I feel like I don’t give Him a lot of reasons to love me. I took comfort because, thankfully, it’s not about me - it’s all about Him. What’s love got to do with it? Absolutely everything. And He offers it freely.

On this Valentine’s Day weekend, maybe we should be reminded to approach our spouses with that kind of love. To quote Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth - maybe we should be patient, kind, and gentle…maybe we should keep no record of wrongs. What if we loved our spouses with the agape love that God has for us - one that gives, and KEEPS ON GIVING, without expecting anything in return? What if we offered love freely, with no expectation that it would be reciprocated? What’s love got to do with it? Yeah, absolutely everything.

Don’t forget that this weekend a lot of our high school students will be heading to Gatlinburg. We’ll be leaving at noon on Friday. We also have our spring mission camp coming up to Coldstream Christian Retreat. Signups are going on NOW.

Please let me know if there’s anything I can pray about for you or your family.

- Michael

Driving Faith Home Pays Off...Sometimes

I was able to attend an event at our church on Friday night that was focused on young families. It was called “Family Experience” and was an incredible learning experience for me in several ways. Jared and Bridget had done an excellent job of preparing a night where moms, dads, grandparents, and kids could get together and learn about three different countries: South Korea, South Africa, and Greece.

I learned a lot about the culture of these three countries, and I even took away some thoughts about how I can better pray for both the Evangelicals in those nations as well as those who do not yet know Christ. But a bigger “a-ha” for me came with some intentional time with my son. I had decided that I was going to (on purpose, mind you), spend this time with him learning about our faith and how it is practiced in other countries. But I came away with something extra - confidence in how my son is practicing his faith here.

Now, hear me, ours is not a perfect home. For everything we get “right” regarding faith in our house, I feel like we get at least two other things “wrong.” But we are intentional about our faith. We pray together at meals, at night before we go to bed, and we read God’s Word. I have been better about this recently, but Carver and Kelley read Scripture together almost every morning. We do our best to find ways to connect our faith to things that happen to us every day. The fruit of that came out when I listened to Carver praying at the Family Experience.

As we “visited” each country, we ate food from that nation, played a game that kids play there, and watched a video about how we might be able to pray specifically for Christians and non-Christians there. When we got to South Africa, it was Carver’s turn to pray. I asked him what he saw in the video and then asked him to pray for South Africa however he felt led. What I heard was a beautiful prayer to God from Carver that sounded like he was talking to his Friend…maybe even his Daddy (not me, the other One).

I hope you’re not reading any degree of spiritual “have-to’s” in this. Do I think my son can pray well? Well, I’m not even sure we should be talking about it in those terms. Rather, my comfort came from listening to a little boy who already has a growing relationship with the Lord. No, he’s not a perfectly still young man who does the right thing in the wrong situation every single time. But his little heart is soft to the things of God. That broke me. 

I believe that Carver’s spiritual maturity at this stage in his life is directly related to mine and Kelley’s as well as our influence on him. It’s not magic; it doesn’t “work” the same for every kid or every family. And just because it’s like that now doesn’t mean it will be like that in the future. But for now, it would seem that the attention we are paying to “Driving Faith Home” is paying off. It is certainly setting a foundation for Carver that lends itself to a growing relationship with Christ. I’m thankful.

Don’t forget that Life Groups start back next week. Please let me know if I can pray about anything for you or your family.

- Michael

Final Step from New Orleans

On Monday, our high school ministry will take the final step in concluding our work in New Orleans. I will be traveling there to retrieve the Gladeville Baptist Church Mobile Shower Unit - or as we’ve lovingly called it for 10 years - The Shower Trailer. 

When we began this work in New Orleans a decade ago, we could not have known the impact it would have on our students. Our focus there became a critical part of our missions strategy for our high school ministry. And when I made the final arrangements this week to go get the shower trailer, I must tell you that it was a bittersweet experience - certainly an emotional one. There’s a finality about this last step in the journey that makes our God-led decision to move away from NOLA a reality.

What’s interesting is that it is the same for our host church, Metairie Baptist. Their pastor, Thomas Strong, told me that it is bittersweet for them as well. While they have treasured their relationship with us as much as we have treasured ours with them - that trailer is one of very, very few remaining icons reminding them of Hurricane Katrina. Clearing that small patch of ground where the shower trailer has rested for so long is another step their church can take to move forward - past the memories of such a horrific time in the lives of so many.

So while this last step has a bit of sadness attached to it, it is also a happy time. We are so grateful for what has transpired in a city that was for so long a second home to a bunch of high school kids and leaders from Gladeville, TN. Please join me in thanking God for the tiny role He allowed us to play in serving the people New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish. He is still shaping the future of our next long-term missions efforts for high school ministry at The Glade Church. I’m looking forward to following His lead again.

Please let me know if there’s something I can pray about for you or your family.

- Michael

I See Myself In My Son

From the title of this post, you might imagine that this is going to be a heart-warming moment for you…a moment where I share about the beautiful ways I see my son following in the footsteps of his daddy. I wish that were true. Actually, what God has revealed to me lately in the mirror image that my son is for me is how much I’m “getting it wrong.” Hear me, I do my best to model a life of Christ for my eight year old, but it sure is difficult to do all of the time.

This week in particular I have noticed how he responds to things that he does not like. There are the eye-rolls, the deep sighs, and the unhealthy way that he tends to handle confrontation…all things that when I see them - it’s like looking in a mirror. It makes me think of how many times he has watched me do those same things. Or even worse - it makes me wonder how many times he has been the target of that behavior from me. Real encouraging, right? I think not.

I’d like to challenge you to look at the lives of your high school students and see what characteristics you see in them that remind you of you. Then take a chance on being vulnerable with them and tell them that you struggle with those same things. Let them know that when you respond or react in a way that is unfavorable, it not only does not honor Christ, it’s setting a poor example for them. I think they might be relieved at your naming what they probably already know about you. And it would do them good to see you attempting to rectify those reactions…it might even motivate them to do the same.

Don’t forget that signups are going on right now for our weekend trip to Gatlinburg in February. Space on this trip is EXTREMELY limited, so please get your deposits in this Sunday. 

Let me know if there’s anything I can pray about for you or your family.

- Michael

I'm Reading The Bible

Hello HS Parents!

Well…it’s been a while. I hope those of you actually read these emails/blog posts will forgive the hiatus I took last quarter in sending/posting them; I am sorry. I’ve climbed back in the saddle, though, and I’m ready to go with the first email/post of 2015: I’m Reading the Bible.

As a Twitter user, there are several different people whose lives I connect with (at least digitally) on a daily basis. Students, pastors, friends, organizations, churches, comedians, bloggers, musicians - there are TONS of Twitter accounts begging to be followed, and I choose to follow a select, but rather eclectic, sampling of them. One of these accounts spoke directly and profoundly into my life last year.

An old friend of mine who is also a student pastor was using a Bible reading plan in YouVersion…similar to the one we are using as a church this year to read through the Bible. Every morning when I would check my Twitter feed, I would see a Tweet from this guy’s account that he had completed the daily reading for the plan he was using. And for some reason, I found it SO encouraging! 

Now, hear me - I read the Bible. Sometimes I read LARGE chunks of it in one setting. Sometimes I read it to research a question I’ve received from a student or parent. Sometimes I read it to study for a message or Bible study. Sometimes I even read it because I enjoy re-reading an old story I learned as a child (David and Goliath…I mean, come on! Now THAT’S a story!) But something struck me every time I saw this guy’s daily Bible reading post/tweet. 

I wondered, for example, if other people were encouraged by it like me. I wondered if some people found it convicting because reading God’s Word was not a regular practice for them. I also wondered if people thought he was being a little “holier-than-thou” by posting it. I suppose that was possible. But his posts always left me encouraged, AND INSPIRED, to grab a copy of Scripture and give it a read. 

This year I’ve started in on the Bible reading plan that our church has adopted for 2015. I started with two specific intentions: 1-reading it, AND 2-tweeting that I had done so. I read the first three days before I was finally able to click the “Share” link on the fourth day and share my progress. I must admit - it’s a little intimidating. I mean it took me three readings to get the courage to do it. I was pretty fearful. What if I can’t keep up? What if people think I’m trying to be hyper-religious or self-promoting? I guess those are great questions. But here are some others that have lodged in my spirit:

What if people are challenged to read God’s Word because they know I am? What if people are encouraged to “catch-up” if they’ve fallen behind in their reading (because I’m sure I will)? What if they, like I was with my friend, can be encouraged and inspired to read God’s Word because they know I’m reading it? What if my posting every single day can communicate what I really believe about God’s Word - that it changes EVERYTHING…that it speaks to every situation in life and offers Hope (in Christ) that no other medium can provide?

I want to ask you, as a fellow parent, to join me in reading God’s Word in 2015. I want to give you permission to ask me if I’m keeping up with the daily reading when we pass each other in the hallways at church. I want to challenge you email, text, or send a smoke signal of thoughts, questions, and insight provoked by your reading of His Word. I’d love to do this - together with you - for 2015. Would you join me?

Here’s a link to the YouVersion plan we are in for January.

To catch you up on what’s going on in our high school ministry:

This Sunday we will be continuing our focus on The Story of God’s Kingdom. We’ll be answering questions like:

1 - Why is it important to not only have faith, but to have faith in Someone with the power to save?

2 - How much attention to you give how you look on the outside versus how you look inside your own heart?

3 - In what ways could you offer hope to someone who has a hard time believing in God’s forgivness?

Signups will begin Sunday for our Gatlinburg trip in February. You should be receiving something in the mail about it today or tomorrow.

As always, please let me know if you have anything you’d like for me to pray about for you or your family.

- Michael

Eating Solid Food

This past Wednesday night we continued our series called “Alive” with high school students. We talked about the fact that just as our bodies grow and require a different diet as we get older, our spiritual health requires a different diet for us to mature as well. I shared with students that if they are dependent on other people to feed them God’s Word, their growth will be limited by the maturity and knowledge of the person they are choosing to feed them.

I asked them to consider making a conscious effort to read God’s Word for a week. To give them the best chance for success, I asked them to do three things:

1 - Pick a time. Picking a regular time to dive into God’s Word each day will help make it a habit.

2 - Pick a starting point. Many people (not just teenagers) get discouraged when they begin to read God’s Word. I offered some less intimidating entry points like 1 John or any of the four gospels.

3 - Write something down. I suggested that the best way to interact with reading God’s Word was to write down something about what they read. If they struggle with that, a good tact is to try to answer three questions at the end of each reading: 1)What does this reading tell me about God? 2)What does this reading tell me about myself? 3)What does this reading tell me about others?

I hope you will encourage your students to dive into God’s Word and give it attention DAILY in their lives. If you can read some of the same passages, it will help foster discussion about matters of faith when you are together.

- Michael

God's Word Is Not Boring!

This past Wednesday night we began a new series called “Alive.” This series focuses on the fact that God’s Word is ALIVE and effects change on lives when it is read. I challenged your students to look at the Bible beyond what many young people stereotype it to be.

For example, many of them related to these examples of what God’s Word is like to some people:

1 - A book your grandmother reads (it’s a book for “old” people)

2 - A foreign language book (difficult to understand)

3 - A history book (about dead people and past events)

4 - A magic 8 ball (you ask it questions and “hope” for the answer you want)


I asked your students to consider jumping into God’s Word by reading a verse a day. For some, a chapter a day might be more appropriate. It’s actually a great time for you to partner with your student to do this as our current Bible reading plan at church only tackles a chapter each day. You could read and discuss the Scripture with your students along with the rest of our church. PLUS - the reading is the text for our Sunday morning message and reflection series. It really is TOO GOOD for you to pass up! :)

Family Plus Update - High School Ministry

This past Wednesday night we completed our three week series on "Comparison." We wrapped up by looking at the parable of the talents. The main idea we wanted to drive home with students is that when we give an account to God for our time here on earth, we will NOT be judged on what we didn't have. Rather - we will have to account for how we used what He DID bless us with during our time here (talents, resources, abilities, etc.).

This Sunday we will be talking about "God Cannot Be Improved." We will discuss that because of His passionate jealousy for our worship, God condemns idolatry. We will talk about the dangers of idolatry because it distorts our view of God and corrupts our behavior. It leads us away from God and toward a false god who is powerless to save and transform us.

If your student has signed up for our high school mission trip to New York, the non-refundable deposit of $150 must be paid by Wednesday, September 17. This allows us to pay our deposits to our third party vendors. If you want to pay the deposit OR the full amount online, you can do so by following this link: http://goo.gl/RuJ4p7

Thanks so much! Let me know if there's anything I can pray about for or your family.

- Michael

A Psalm to God

As we began the 2014-2015 school year, I asked our worship band to complete an assignment together before they began leading corporate worship: write a psalm together.

At their first rehearsal they began by getting in a circle and sharing experiences of joy, pain, good times and bad and processing those thoughts with the group through the lens of Christ’s influence and care in their lives. It was a pretty powerful moment in a way I had not predicted. After their share time, each person in the group was charged with submitting a verse of text that captured their feelings.

After all the submissions were in, the group met and put their psalm to music. This past Wednesday night they shared it with the high school group during our corporate worship time. They lyrics are below; I hope you enjoy reading their hearts. I’ve included a link to a video of part of their psalm as well.

Please let me know if there’s anything I can pray about for you or your family.

- Michael


How can You take something from nothing
And make my world whole again
When it’s broken all into pieces (x2)
Pieces

Though I may walk upon the shifting sands
And I go through the weary times
I know You hold me in Your hands
You hold me close and mend my heart
You’ve always been here straight from the start

I won’t give up, I won’t give up
Cause Lord You are strong
I won’t give up, I won’t give up
You can carry me on
You can carry me on now

Cloudy days or stormy nights
You said You’d always be there for all the fights
My name is written in the palm of Your hand
With a nail scar running through You
Yeah, it’s a running through You

I won’t give up, I won’t give up
Cause Lord You are strong
I won’t give up, I won’t give up
You can carry me on
You can carry me on now

Don’t bottle up the emotions inside
When your heart is in the sands
Eventually you’ll break down
And end up crying in your hands
You still stand strong and help me heal (x4)

I won’t give up, I won’t give up
Cause Lord You are strong
I won’t give up, I won’t give up
You can carry me on
You can carry me on now

God's Law and God's Love

Hello HS Parents!

This past Wednesday in our high school meeting we talked about “The Comparison Trap.” We talked about the results when we look around at other people and compare ourselves to them: we never measure up! Our text was Ecclesiastes 4 where Solomon talks about how chasing after so many things in life is like chasing the wind - you’ll never catch it!

This week we begin a new lesson in our Bible teaching hour on Sunday mornings. We are going to be looking at God as a “Loving Lawgiver” as well as how His laws are given because of the love of His children. Trevin Wax states, “God’s love isn’t set against the Commands of Scripture; the Commands are grounded in God’s love for His redeemed people.”

If you student wants to signup for our October mission trip to New York, now is the time! Cost is $300; dates are October 4-12.

Please let me know if I can pray about anything for you or your family.

- Michael

Someone Ministered To Me

Someone ministered to me tonight at a worship service in Queens. 

When you’re a preacher kind of person it can sometimes be difficult to receive ministry from others. It’s not like you don’t want to ask for it or that you’re even hesitant to seek it. Rather, it’s just that the opportunity doesn’t present itself that often. I guess you have to be deliberately looking for it and chase it down when you spot it, or you need to be obedient if you feel the Lord leading you to reach out to another brother or sister for ministry. It could also happen, however, that the Lord will send someone to give you a gentle nudge. That was my experience tonight.

Our high school mission team had the privilege of attending a worship and prayer service tonight at our host church: First Presbyterian Church, Jamaica, Queens. As the service opened with praise and worship our group stood and participated as best we could. We didn’t know all of the songs, but we gave it our best shot and were happy to be sharing this time with members and guests of the church serving as our home for the week. 

After a few songs, however, the service shifted to a time of prayer. During this time the congregation was encouraged to get in pairs and pray for one another. My eyes looked across the aisle AWAY from my group and met the eyes of a retired age lady, and I knew this was who I would share the time with. I shared with her a couple of things that she could pray for me - specifically for my family (and me, I suppose) as I am really missing Kelley and Carver as we near the end of the summer. I also asked her to pray for our students; I want them to experience giving something back, but not in the name of “good deeds.” No - I want them to be sharing their energy, resources, and time for the sake of and cause of Christ. She reciprocated with some things that I could pray for her. It was a very moving time for me…but that’s not “really” where the ministry happened.

After the prayer time we moved into the teaching time and heard a message from a lay minister. She offered insight as to how one might find inner peace in this life. She declared that the peace we are all looking for is the peace that passes all understanding and comes only from Jesus Christ. It was a thoughtful, insightful, and biblical message. I very much enjoyed the content and her passion for Christ as well as her presentation.

As we moved into the altar call (their term, not mine), they offered a time for receiving prayer if anyone was interested. I watched a lady walk up to the altar; she was anointed and prayed over by the minister serving the congregation. Then she (the one who had just received prayer) stepped to the side to receive people as well. As that happened, I was struck for a moment that I might wish to have one of these women pray for me. I wasn’t particularly stressed, and I didn’t have this burning “something" inside of me just begging for relief. I just felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit and wanted to be prayed for. 

As I was rolling a ton of reasons through my mind about why I really shouldn’t go to the altar, the sweet lady who prayed for me earlier stepped into the aisle, turned around to me, and motioned me to come with her. I immediately stepped out and took her hands as she said to me, “Let’s go pray.". She led me to the altar and made a hand-off (pun intended) to one of the ministers. This sweet lay minister held me and prayed a beautiful prayer over me. I hugged her, thanked her, and made my way back to my seat. It was not earth shattering. It wasn’t hyper emotional. I absolutely did not feel the earth shake under me. But it was monumental to me; both of these ladies had ministered to me selflessly and with great passion.

I found myself thinking later about the exchanges I had with them. We have different backgrounds. We do not live in the same part of the country. We do not have the same (presumably) socio-economic standing. We are not the same color. We are not the same religious denomination. But we do share a belief that Jesus Christ is King. We share an utter dependence on Him and Him alone. We worshipped Him tonight - together, and we did so as one body and one voice. That doesn’t shake the earth, per se, but it shakes my heart and spirit in profound ways. I was thankful that someone ministered to me tonight at a worship service in Queens. 

Europe Update - Scouting Trip So Far

We spent our first couple of days with Ute in Bicester which is about an hour or so drive from Heathrow. Over that couple of days our high schoolers spent time talking with teenagers in the area, attending a youth worship service, and playing some of our NOLA games in an elementary school. It was INCREDIBLY informative...particularly the time we spent at the school. The teachers and volunteers at the school were able to see our students doing some of what they do best, and it also allowed our students to see how the children in England would respond to our games - it was a BIG win for both.

On our last afternoon in Bicester, we took a bus to Oxford. Our students were able to visit/see the Oxford Museum of Natural History, the Bodleian Library, Christ Church Park, The Eagle and Child, The Lamb and Flag, several different colleges at Oxford University, Hertford Bridge, Radcliffe Camera, Martyrs' Memorial, University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, and Carfax Tower. 

This morning we made the trip from Bicester to Islington (a borough of London) to meet up with our host church pastor as well as Alex. We were able to turn our 1.5 hour journey into about 3 or 4 hours due to some issues with the routing of our GPS. We finally made it, though, and were able to meet our host, have lunch, and head out to begin our work for the evening with Teen Challenge.

Tonight, after serving in Hackney with the Teen Challenge group of London, we were able to come back to our host church and debrief what we have experienced so far. We worshiped together and thanked God for what He is doing in this area and for His provision for us. In the morning after breakfast, each student member or our team will complete an assignment assessing how they could see the gifting and resources of The Glade Church being paired with the Bicester community. Afterward, we will begin working with our host church in Islington in the immediate area surrounding the church.

Resting While You Work

Sounds crazy, right? But I was able to do this just this past week!. Part of my job responsibilities for the new mission trip focus we will have in New York is scouting each aspect of the trip. That means that I visit every place we will go, take a look at our lodging and transportation solutions, and ensure that all the details are in order for the trip BEFORE we show up with students. One of the last pieces to this plan was to scout the road-trip aspect of our New York trip. I did that this past week. AND - I took my family along for the trip.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Maybe your job doesn’t include a road trip to the Big Apple or climbing into a car for sixteen hours (one way) with your family. Or even if it did, that might not sound relaxing to you. But that’s not the point. The point is that if you have a busy schedule that, for the moment, is inescapable - you should look for ways to include your family in that work if at all possible.

I do this on occasion locally as well. If I’m going to be working in our Student Life Center, I take Carver along to help and hang out. If I’m going to be doing some yard work around the house, I want to make a way for him to be outside with me. If I’m running errands for home on a Saturday, it’s nice to have him ride along so we can talk and maybe drop by McDonald’s so he can get a cookie or two. (He’s not an ice cream fan at all).

When we spend this time together, I do my best not to take any calls. In fact, I try to use my phone for just one thing - playing and enjoying music that he likes. That is something we enjoy doing together. And being in the car or working together provides a great opportunity to multi-task with a shared joy in our lives - music.

Get creative with your time. When you feel you can’t unplug and get some good rest - see if there’s a way to merge work and play so you are getting quality time with your family while fulfilling your other responsibilities. It’s not perfect by any stretch, but it’s better than none at all.

Let me know if there’s anything I can pray about for your family.

God Wants You To Rest

This is something I wrote this week for Preacher's Corner, but I thought it would be a great message to parents of high school students - especially as we near the end of the school year.

God Wants You To Rest

Have you noticed how busy we all seem to be these days? Most of the people I interact with on a regular basis are living extremely busy lives. They are always on their way to do something, coming back from doing something, or on the phone or computer scheduling a new “something” to do in the future. In fact, I can’t think of a single person in my circle of friends who I could consider to be living a life that models the rest that God outlines for us in His Word. (That broad statement includes my own disobedience in this area).

Many of the people I ‘m thinking about could be best categorized as workaholics; they have busy jobs with high demand that, on the surface, might seem to justify the constant activity that makes up their lives. Certainly such a pace must be worthy, right? I mean, come on, God wants us to take pride in and execute our work with His excellence and zeal, right? Of course He does! But doing so requires that we approach life and work with the balance He outlines in His Word. After all, when He finished creating the heavens, the planets, the stars, the earth and everything that walks, breathes, crawls, swims, flies, laughs, cries, bites, stings, and nests upon it - He took a break. He modeled rest for us right from the beginning...and not because He was tired.

So how might we add rest to schedules that are already overbooked with meeting the demands of bosses, friends, co-workers, spouses, family members, and the laundry list of other people we so greatly value in our lives? It won’t be easy, but it can be done.

First, we have to be intentional. We have to begin scheduling rest, on purpose, onto our calendars with the same, or higher, priority as the other things that dominate our time currently. If we have proven anything thus far, it’s that rest is not going to just happen for us by accident. There are WAY too many people and “opportunities” chasing and scratching for our time and attention to just leave our time to rest to chance. We have to be intentional.

Second, we have to learn to say no to things that are important in order to say yes to other things that are more important; one of those more important things is rest. There is absolutely no end to the causes that other people will allow you to care about on their behalf…things that are admirable, God-honoring and worthy of quality time being spent on them. But if your focus on those extra things takes over the time you have set aside to honor God by resting, you are stating to God that you have figured out a better plan than the one He modeled from the beginning.

Lastly, it has to be guilt-free. If rest is not a regular part of your schedule right now, practicing it might make you feel guilty at first. It might even make you feel like something is missing or that you are weak for needing good rest. Nothing could be further from the truth. A life that includes rest is balanced; it is healthier physically, emotionally and spiritually. Taking time to rest means you’re not just obeying something that God commanded, it means you are practicing something that He modeled. 

High School Missions - A New Chapter

Most of you know by now that we have completed our work in the New Orleans area. This summer we will turn our focus to New York City and the victims of Hurricane Sandy. We will be working on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens.

Robert and I visited there this week to get an idea of the work we will be doing; what we saw was something VERY familiar to us. We will be working with a group called “Friends of Rockaway” which is a companion group of Saint Bernard Project. We are familiar with their work as we have partnered with them before while working in New Orleans.

We were allowed to tour a couple of the work sites and, again, found some very familiar things happening. The homes we visited had been under about 4 feet of water and  were buzzing with volunteers working on drywall, flooring, and painting - all the things we learned to do while working in New Orleans! It seems like a great opportunity for us to use in another part of the country the skills we have developed while helping Katrina victims.

We are very excited about the work God is calling us to do in New York. Please be praying that we will find ways to honor God’s Kingdom as we serve those in need, and that we will be able to forge new relationships that will allow us to speak His message of Truth to individuals and families there.

- Michael 

Taking The High Road

A friend this week commended me regarding a situation where he had observed me “taking the high road.” We typically consider “the high road” to be the one more difficult to take. It’s the path less traveled by because it doesn’t really get glory or realize personal satisfaction. It’s usually the one that puts you in the second seat and others ahead of you. And to be quite candid - it’s a road that is usually more difficult to take. In fact, I would say that I’m not accustomed to the scenery of the high road because I feel that I take it too infrequently.

This week we started a new series in our high school ministry called “Entourage.” We talked about the friends around us, the kinds of friends they are, and the kinds of friends we are to them. We looked at the story of David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18, 19). Jonathan was a completely biased friend to David, but he was biased in DAVID’S favor! He moved out of the way to put David ahead of him, and only got “in the way” when it was time to protect David.

As adults, our relationships are not much different than those of students we love. We have to navigate situations all the time that define the nature of the friendships we claim to cherish. Our behavior in those crucial times will reveal our true hearts about those people, though, and show who we really love more - ourselves or others.

Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Then He modeled this love by dying on the cross for us. 

What kind of friends do you have? What kind of friend are you to others? Is your mindset “me,” or is your mindset “we?”

Let me know what I can pray about for your family.

- Michael