National Youth Workers Convention (Lets go to Texas!) Day 1 & 2 recap

Well well...

Adam and I landed and survived the flight and made it too the hotel. After resting (being sick and traveling is not a good deal) I had dinner (CHicken and Dumpling) and it worked its magic and I was up and around for day 2.


Day two started with breakfast with the folks (mom and dad came to visit) and then I was off to the races. I walked through isle after isle of stuff.


Everything was available from shirts and banners to people who planned youth retreats for you. My favorite line from this was when Adam looked up and said that he does that now for much less than they were asking for.

Now to the important part!
Worship Leader Oh yea ...

The David Crowder Band

These guys are great!

We did serveral songs and had a blast! This set us up for the first message brought to us byBuster.

General Session #1: Buster Soaries

Normal faith is not what we need — it’s inadequate. We need to pray for astonishing faith if we want to see what God has in store for us.

In Matthew 8:5-10 the Centurion had faith that God could heal his servant from a distance. Whenever God is revealed, something happens!

How did the Centurion know Jesus could heal from a distance It had never been done before. Jesus touched other sick people or was in the presence in some way. The Centurion’s faith was astonishing. He believed God could do what He’s never done before. God specializes in things that have never happened before, not reruns.

This dude flat layed it down. He was both shouting and soothing all at the same time. I want to go to this guy's regular surmons.

I left feeling like.. Hey I can do this. I can have astonishing faith. Well... God can you give me astonishing faith please?!

For my session I learned about Mediashout and how to do all kinds of really cool stuff.

General Session #2: Mike Pilavachi
Mike spoke from his heart and told great stories that were both entertaining and heartwrenching.
This guy was
Jesus didn’t try to entertain anyone into the kingdom. He just had them hang out with Him through daily life and He taught them along the way.

He taught them and they owned their faith. They took the faith God gave them and declaired it theirs.

After this we went back to the Hotel and sat in the lobby and talked about theology with anyone who wanted to sit down. There was a feeling of community growing within our hotel and it was AWSOME (not the foil awsome but the real awsome)

Tomorrow I will try to remember some of what happend on Day 3!

What the ....?!?!

I just returned from a trip to the great state of Connecticut. Although I do not wish to move there the weather was great and I had a good time. The actual visit was not the point of the blog rant though it was one of the passengers on the way over to the Northwest.

While boarding a plane in Cincinnati OH., I notice this guy with a bird in a cage boarding the plane also. Now this was not a small bird cage, it was a gihugic cage. When I get on the plane I am sitting directly behind the dude and his bird. He is explaining to the lady in the row across the isle from him that his bird is an African Grey Parrot, with a 187 word vocabulary (which is more than some of the adults at church seem to have).

He explains that he bought the bird his own seat on the plane and would have gone first class if the plane was big enough. There were a couple of guys in the seat in front of him that were asking him about the bird as well and he told them “this bird is a chick magnet”. Now looking at the guy I could see why he would want props to get some attention and to be honest any guy could use a bit of help. Thinking nothing of it I put on my earphones and started listening to music as the plane took off.

When the plane started to descend the bird guy (for lack of a better term) puts on a hat. The back of the hat says JESUS. Wow I thought, this guy must have taken this hat from Jesus. I wonder if Jesus knows and if he wants the hat back…

The guy gets off the plane and I see the front of the hat which says …

JESUS is my BOSS!

The two guys from the seat in front of him, the chick magnet discussion, start laughing as the bird guy walks away.

“How many chicks do you think the hat will get him” one asks to the other?

This is a silly example of what other people can think of us when we follow Christ with our heart but do not follow through with our actions.

A few minutes later when we get to the baggage claim area and the bird guy’s wife comes over and gives him a welcome home kiss (I noticed the ring earlier but left it out to create a bit of drama)

Having a bird as a chick magnet is not a great idea when your married. We need to try harder to have Jesus seen in us throughout the entire conversation and plane ride. Not just when we get off the plane.

Peace

Testing testing...

During a recent disciple class we were discussing Abraham and Isaac and the test of sacrifice.

I started thinking about being tested and what that means. During the class we were discussing testing and temptation and we made the distinction between testing and temptation.

A test is something that is passed or failed on our own merit. Something we, through the urging of the Holy Spirit, can achieve. This is a righteous test that teaches us about ourselves and about the nature of God. Not a test so God can find out new information about us.

Temptation on the other had is an urging of the enemy. Satan sits at the gate and waits for a more opportune time. Yea I said Satan. Not the red dude with horns but the dude who with his fallen angels tempts me away from God and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Well maybe he is red and has horns but that is not the point.

Don’t feel like you are immune to tempting either… remember even Jesus was tempted. Satan has some pretty tough stuff to tempt God himself.

I thought it was interesting that during this study we found much more tempting going on in our lives than testing.

So whether you are being tested or tempted take strength from this: (James 1:2-18)

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

9The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. 10But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

13When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Shalom

Elevator Chat

While waiting on the elevator to go to my floor at work there were three ladies chatting about some news stuff they had seen on tv. They were discussing several things when the subject of the attempted murder and kidnapping found below came up.

Link here

The discussion turned toward the darkness of people in general. They started saying that the world was so messed up and they could not believe that anyone would do that.

The general consensus from this group was that there was no help for the world.

Here is my big opportunity to tell them about the love of Jesus and His redemptive plan and ding they get off the elevator at the third floor and wander out into the hall.

It felt so empty in that elevator for the rest of the ride to the 6th floor. I thought about the fact that I just stood there. Then I tried to blame it on elevator etiquette and the awkward silence rule but was quickly back to asking myself why I didn’t share the truth with them.

After a while of pondering I have concluded that I just chickened out…

AGAIN!

Why do I keep letting rules and fears prevent the truth from being told. I pray that I will be His instrument and then when my part in the chorus comes up I do nothing.

I hate that feeling…

I pray I will do better next time

Let's get it started in here...

There is just so much in this world that I enjoy ranting about so I hope this blog is seen as funny and profound at the same time. If not I have failed at my first task but the task of relieving my stress will still have been achieved.