strength

i was looking out my window this morning. what i observerd was cars passing by, people taking there pets to the vet, rain and wind. the wind though is something i started thinking more about. how strong wind can be but yet it is only measured by how you see other things move. in my case, it was two big birch trees. the wind was moving the branches all in one direction like it wanted to tear it out of the ground. the meteorologist this morning said we could have winds of up to 50mph. the strength of this wind was amazing. to see it move this tree like it was nothing. i know i could not be able to move it like the wind could.

then i started thinking about the tree. how strong is the tree if it can put up with 40-50 mph wind. the roots have to be strong, also on top of this the branches have to be pliable and strong enough so the tree would not fly apart. obviously this tree would have a breaking point. i am not sure what it would take, but at one point the wind could get strong enough to tear the tree apart.

a couple days ago i was driving. as i was i noticed there was a tree that had fallen on a car. the windows were smashed and the roof had a big impression where the tree landed. i wondered how hard the wind had to be going to break the tree.

everybody, everything has a breaking point. the point where they cannot hold on any longer. some peoples breaking points will tear people away from their faith, family and friends. everything they once knew could be gone just like that with a decision to turn away.

i guess i have decided that in my own life i would rather be a mending point. i want to be able to help so people never reach that breaking point. or if they have reached that breaking point help them to be able to help mend the brokeness they feel.

as i continue to watch the tree being morphed by the wind i know the wind will eventually die down and the tree branches will go back to there earlier resting spot.

communited

i have been thinking a lot about about community. how is it made up? how does a church reach that point? how is one to now when a church reaches a good sense of community? i have thought about family and what it takes to be a family. why is family so committed to each other?the commitment factor plays a lot into this idea of family and community. family will always be there for you. helping you out no matter what. family can be the greatest sense of community that anyone will ever have. however in the world today families are falling apart. or atleast held together by different standard and possibly non existent. a family that receives the greatest sense of community is one that worships and prays together. everyone has heard the quote "a family that prays together stays together."i think this can be the same in the idea of a church. how many times are we apart of corporate prayer that is really united. people will pray seperately and in different groups but the only time everyone is included is during the prayers of the services. so we might here some prayer but can one really base that the whole church is praying together with unity and in agreement.i think a church needs more. to stay united and together, a church needs to pray in agreement. how does a church pray as one. the pastor clearly showing vision helps. communiction is a big sense. if we know where we are going but the laity do not how can we pray together. if we never hear the laity pray then how do we know what they are thinking. we need to come together and pray together.a chuch family that prays together will better benefit God's kingdom together

real church

the past few days i have really been thinking about church. what is church? what does it take to have church? what are the components of a church? what would Jesus say if he saw the church of today.

the other night at barn bash i heard many people say that "this is what the real church should look like." and "i think this is what Jesus had in mind when he thought about the church.

the barn bash vision is not to push Christ on people but to build inroads or bridges into the community t0 show the love of Christ through serving.

there wasnt a huge push to have commitments made. there wasnt a rule that you had to be at this band or hear the message in the cafe. there were however christians serving free food, there were christians having a bmx demonstration. there was an acoustic set in the cafe where one could rest, have some coffee and listen to christian music.

there wasnt a "sanctuary" that had a "worship band" with a "message." there were however people who loved, sacrificed, served and showed grace and mercy to christians and the non
christians alike. it was amazing to see Christ represented through tangible stuff. i know saturday there were more seeds planted and watered than i have seen in along time. people are talking around town about how great it was to have a safe place to go, to know that they would not get in trouble or harassed for being who they are. people felt loved and appreciated. when people said thank you for putting in on, we responded by thank you for coming.

we might never know the outcome of what happened through this church we happen to call barn bash. it only meets once a year but i bet has a lot more impact then we realize and will be the only church that some of these people will go to this year, maybe even ever. but the community, the love and unity showed that night was amazing. that is without a doubt what Jesus wanted to happen. he wanted us to display love and servanthood in these ways. and this past saturday we built more inroads into the community and had community with them.

i kissed leadership goodbye

in a world where leaders are king, just ask jon maxwell. i have decided to kiss leadership goodbye. to tell you the truth i am not sure why leadership was ever that big of a deal in the first place. yes we need leaders. yes churches need leaders, and most definately every organization in the world needs a leader. but i am wondering about the focus that has taken place the last 10-15 years on leadership. "everyone is a leader" i have heard this statement many times. but i wonder if everyone is the leader then who is left to follow these leaders? we need more willing followers and workers who do not care about taking the lead.

you might ask, well you are a youth pastor. arent you a leader? and i would have to agree. our world however is to focused on what i can do as a leader rather than what can we do together.

when you get a bunch of leaders in one group. then their is a possibility of too many egos flying around. when i am in a room of people i can pick out the leaders very quickly. they are the ones trying to gather attention on themselves rather than allowing another to talk and share his or her idea.

i do not want more leaders. there are to many leaders or at least someone who wants control. i am tired of everybody trying to have a say in everything. many people are over opinionated just because they have a label of leadership. and of course there is a reason they are in this position in the first place. but my cry is not for another leader but yet for more servants.

Jesus came "not to be serve but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many." in many ways he displayed this and while he was a leader in respect he was much more of a servant than any other title He had.

yes i do understand the importance of leadership. and in a way i see a lack of leadership in homes and that is what i beleive to be a huge reason our society is where we are today. but if there were more servants, we would have more humility and less hostility. there would be less talking and more conversation. there would be cooperation and less individuality.

i dont want leadership to go bye in the concept of it is not good enough. but i want it to go bye for me. true leaders are humble, serving and want what they want but i want to be a leader who is serving others not for his own gain but rather because i have a heart for people and a love for seeing growth in an individual.

so goodbye leadership hello servanthood. i will try to be a servant. one with humility and integrity. one willing to compromise with others and for the good of others.

my hope is that you will will serve as well

update: barn bash

you think preparing so long for this event would ready you for what to expect. i am not sure why i was so overwhelmed with everything that happened but i do know this past weekend was one of the most exciting things that have happened in my two years as a youth pastor. there were over 1500 people. not that numbers mean everything but word is getting out that the church cares for the community. when people start talking about that amazing things will happen.

kids in the way performed an awesome show. during the middle of the set dave (the lead singer) talked and you knew from the first moment that it was annointed. people there maybe heard the gospel for the first time. we are considering about bringing them back for next year already.

enemy opposition is a skate team that will blatantly show God's love through every possible medium clothing, video, performance and mouth. good stuff all around.

i am not sure if we will ever see the "fruit" but i know there was a lot planted on saturday.

prayer request

this week is the busiest week in the life of anybody at pulaski wesleyan church. for the last five years they have thrown a festival called barn bash. each year adding to its numbers. the first year they had it consisted of 200 people, building to approximately 1200 last year. this year of course is my first year and literally about 85% of the church is taking part plus other area churches are now helping as it has become something we cannot handle alone.
we will have 8 bands in all including kids in the way, nevertheless and long since forgotten, and other local favorites
we will feature an extreme sports team from buffalo
will have hay rides, cornmaze, blow up games, and food
this is a way for the church to reach out to the community as it is only a donation basis to enter and everything is free including food.

i just ask for prayer and sanity as this thing goes on. we could do a lot for the kingdom on saturday. if you are in the area come on by.

certain of what we do not see

can one be certain of what they cannot see? is it possible to trust that much in something that is never seen to be truth. well obviously this is something that is hard to be able to do. more people than not have followed this concept of 'if i can not see it then it must not be true.' this is the concept most people probably hold as truth. one of the only truths that there is has to be visible. and even in those circumstances can there be absolutes with what can be viewed.

yet children will believe anything you tell them. it is part of their naitivity and innocence. i wonder if that is what Jesus is talking about, "having faith like a child." being naive and innocent enough to believe anything that is told to them. was i like this growing up(with parents)? or even in college(profs)? or now?

having faith is not easy. faith can be best defined as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." that is what makes faith so hard. it doesnt say faith is something that will be revealed tomorrow or that we will be able to touch Jesus' scars like thomas did. we cannot see and might never see the scars of Jesus. so for now we are stuck in a world without physical evidence of our resurrected Savior.

alot of converts today are children under the age of 13. is that because they are so innocent and naive that they will believe eveything told to them so they confess, believe and begin a relationship out of that is all they have ever been told or do they truly believe in their heart that Jesus is Lord. it is a hard concept for anyone to handle.

you might be reading this and wondering if i am possibly having a faith crisis. well i am definately not having a crisis but i now many who are. many who are falling away from what they have grown up believing and what they once proclaimed as truth. they see as a lie or at least that if God is so loving and gracious, why does there have to be so much pain?

what was once enough for them to believe as a child has now become tough. is this a problem within the church or an issue within the people themselves? did we not disciple them enough. and if we did then why are they falling away as i write this blog? is there a way to stop this trend. or is this bound to happen? i dont want to be convinced that this is what i will have to face as time goes on. as more people that have been poured into will eventually just dump everything they have been told and walk away.

going back to the idea of faith is "being sure of what we hope for." just makes us have to hope a llittle more. sometimes their is things that we cannot prove. as much as we read and dig perrper into the apologetics of Christianity. it still goes back to the hope, trust and certainty of what we do not see.

as i sit here and type this i am wearing a blue shirt, shorts and flip flops but I guess that you will just have to believe me.

desperation for critical thinking

i went to college as a kid from a small town, knowing little but thinking i knew everything. i had experienced a decent amount for an 18 year old but what was about to experience at iwu was eye opening for me. iwu had more rules then i had at home. but now that i have been a youth pastor for almost 2 years i look at some of the teens who have left and are leaving this weekend to start at colleges all over america. iwu provides a much needed structure for an 18 year old.

some rules i didnt agree with going into college and some new reflection on them for those who are entering as freshmen or are still so opposed to rules.

1. curfew for freshmen- 12 weekdays, 2 friday, 1 saturday--i really did not enjoy this. i would come into the dorm most evenings at 11:59. but obviously this is a standard not to off the streets but to help give you boundaries. who can learn by staying up all hours. by the time you are upperclassmen you will realize how important sleep and opening a book before 12 am is. also this is for the christian. when going to church after sleeping only a couple hours is almost pointless. are we not supposed to give God our best. if we are physically exhausted then can you worship well?

2. no rated r movies- i had issues through all of college with this rule. i thought the university was against us using discernment. but in reality they knew we did not have discernment. i do watch rated r movies now but very few. the value in most of them is low. but this rule really helped show me discernment rather than take it away. just in addition to this i watched "the great raid" this week. about a pow camp in ww2. really is an amazing movie of perserverance and faith shown through a true story of rescue and redemption. check it out. i urge every one. it is a little slow at first but give it a chance.

3. no dancing- actually to tell you the truth. i didnt mind this rule. i never did dance before iwu and still really dont care to learn.

i am sure there were more rules but these are the most talked about on the iwu campus. these help you to critically think about what is important and discern what is not. most rules are put there for protection rather than hindering someone to do something. and how you react to the authority is a clear indication of how one can and does react to God with the rules he has set forth.

a warning

how many times have you known something was going to happen? you have been warned by politicians, weathermen, pastors, doctors or other experts of a certain field that this will happen. it is inevitable. we hear the warning but do not do a thing about it, or do not think that it will actually happen. so many times we do not think it could happen to us. God will protect us and keep us from anything that we are unable to handle.

smoking is an example. doctors say do not smoke or you will get lung cancer. people dont listen to that so people end up suing tobacco companies because of the addiction that it can become. so yet another warning is put on the box by the surgeon general. warnings were created for protection.

new orleans is also an example of this. people know that there is a category five storm heading their way but for some reason they do not leave the area. maybe they thought the levies would hold up, many thought if they could survive camille then katrina would be okay as well. maybe they didnt have transportation out of town. (with 30-40% under the poverty level there alot of these probably didnt own their own vehicles.) maybe they thought God would protect them. but for one reason or the other they stayed against the advice of everybody. they couldnt leave their homes. it was all they knew and they had to stay.

we have many warnings still that are viable today. we have the book of revelation which says there will be an end of it all. we have paul warning us that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." and later him saying for "the wages of sin is death" and yet still "that if you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved." but yet we stay where we are comfortable. we stay where we think we will be protected.

even the disciples were warned not once but twice that Jesus would die and three days later rise from the dead. of course someone objected (peter) someone betrayed (judas) and when it actually happened (jesus dying and rising again) the disciples were dismayed with unbelief and it took a while to recognize who it was. and then even with the testimony of the other disciple thomas chose doubt over belief.

and yet we have come full cycle. we still have unbelief. we still experience warnings put out there. it is interesting that these warnings are there to protect us. if you follow these warning you can have life and live it to the full. but yet people people choose the way they feel most comfortable usually because that is the direction that their friends or family are going.

illustration: the parable of today

i really enjoy a good illustration. both preaching them and hearing them. the illustration helps me to be able to connect the message and the application. sometimes people have a hard time understanding exactly how to connect the two. but with the story comes the understanding of how, what and why it has to do with their life.

Jesus was one of the best story tellers, then and now. he had a way to be able to connect to the people in ways people were able to comprehend and apply it to their lives. the last couple days i have been looking at the parable of the sower. this is about a farmer who spreads his seed on 4 different surfaces.

1. pathway- hard place, where birds were able to eat the seed while others trampled on them.
2. rock- while a good place to use as a foundation. not a good place to place upon. there is no place to be able to collect moisture and not soil for nutrients the plant needs to grow.
3. thorns-while able to grow a certain amount. it has limitations and will eventually harm the plant.
4. good soil- this is obviously the choice of where he should have planted all his seed. it would have paid off in the long run.

obviously one of these were able to produce a great crop. while the other three were not. while Jesus loves to tell these stories he also shares with us how the story can be interpreted. if he did not then we might have been left with more confusion and misunderstanding of what could be a great story.

Jesus explains that the seed is the Word of God. The Farmer and The Word is of utmost importance in this story. The Farmer is the providor of the Word. If it were not for him than the crops would never had a chance to grow. The Word is the provider of growth. Without growth there would never be a crop to be harvested. The different types of surfaces and soil show the difference in human.

the path shows one who is willing to hear but is also a bit hard to penetrate through the surface. because of this birds are able to eat the seed and is trampled on by other people and animals. this surface does not bring growth because the hardness of the surface. this makes the seed able to be destroyed. application is this: do not let yourself or your heart to be hardened. be open to the things of God and what he has for you. let the Word penetrate the surface of your heart to not only the knowledge of what God's word says but also letting it effect your life and your relationship with God.

the rock shows one who does not have much depth. with this lack of depth it is also hard to grow a crop. the rock is not able to collect moisture so even if something does grow then is hard because of the lack of nutrients. this allows one to grow for a short time but does not allow maturity. it has no place to keep its roots and to become big and strong. application is this: when once a little bit of something would be enough to help you grow as a christian their is not enough rooting you to continue a relationship with Christ. this might be because of a lack of discipleship. it shows a lak of commitment and desire to grow.

the thorns display that there are many obstacles that could be a distraction or hindrance to growing a plant. the application is this. when one focuses on an obstacle in front of them they are more concerned with the object than getting rid of the object. this can be worries, blessings, money, lack of money. something that will distract your mind from where it needs to be. when taking care of a garden it is important to take out the weeds and thorns in order to help the plants to be healthy.

when one takes care of the soil, you not only get a good soil. you get a good crop. the good soil is important so the farmer can grow food to provide for his family. this can be applied to living a healthy christian life with healthy beliefs. if we take care of our spiritual lives then we will yield a harvest bigger than what the seed could have ever done on its on.

healhy soil is important. if you are the soil then how do you get to be healthy. work and effort are a must. if not then any field can be grown over in a short amount of time. starting with the weeds and then eventually bigger hindrances like bushes and thorns. the interesting thing is it is your choice to take care of the ground.

spirituality in america

this is the new title on the cover of newsweek in stores all across america today. and also a piece covered by matt lauer on the today show this morning. i am somewhat distraught but not suprised at what this report showed. in the interview on the today show 85% of those surveyed said they were Christian yet only 75% believed that their religion was the only pathway to God. And 95% of catholics believed they were not the only way to God. even matt and the guy from newsweek were bashing on us saying that we need to figure out what we believe because the two contradict each other. also on top of that they were somewhat relieved because it showed more of a view of tolerance for other religions.

no offense to other religions. you are people whom God loves but i cannot come out and say that you are another pathway to God. it contradicts everything i believe. i love you and pray that you will realize Jesus Christ is "the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but by me." what is wrong with todays christians? can it be pointed to the leadership? are we as leaders in the church failing our calling? or or some taking their calling to an extreme and preaching what people want to hear?

another thing mentioned in the interview is that people are looking to what best fits them. they are looking at what is best in their own situations.

"The bliss Cox felt was mingled with awe—the Holy Spirit was inside his very own body. That helps explain Pentecostalism's historical appeal to the poor and marginalized: rural Southerners, African-Americans and, more recently, Hispanics and other immigrants. It is burgeoning in the developing world. "For people who feel overlooked, it provides a sense that you're a very important person,"

earlier in the article it alks about cox bouncing around from one religion to another. is this what it has come to? where one wants to feel like an important person. where some of the leading books sold are "your best life now." and soon to be "you've got potential, how God maximizes your life."

i however this article is not all bad. there were some very good things to be said overall. one it is a wakeup call for us and ho we need to focus more on the idea of absolutes. it shows us our faults but through knowing our faults it helps us now how we can change. the article closes out with this statement. and this is one all christians need to hear.

Religious revivals are always exuberant and filled with spirit, he says, but the true measure of faith is in adversity and despair, when God doesn't show up in every blade of grass or storefront church. "That's when the true nature of belief comes out," he says. "Joy is appropriate to the beginnings of your faith. But sooner or later somebody will get cancer, or your best friends will betray you. That's when you will be tested."

to read more from this magazine on this topic go to: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032542/site/newsweek/

something my teens did

1. Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. You MUST. It is written.

through the night

saturday night i left michigan at about 8:30pm, destination- pulaski, ny. knowing that i would be on the road until at least 4:00am. i was not really looking forward to the drive at all. for one it meant me leaving a wedding reception full of friends and two i had just driven it the same route the day before. we had left 7:00am friday morning for justin and lindsays wedding. the trip ended up being a total of 47 hrs. 20 of them being in the car.

it was a great 27 hrs in michigan. catching up with friends, meeting new friends (fiances met since graduation), talking about memories and making some new new memories. ( i am rubber man, i am on a mission)

throughout this trip (the driving part) i had a lot of time to think. i ended up thinking about the people i was passing or the ones passing me. i wondered where they were headed physically but also spiritually. do they have a relationship with Christ. i also thought about what they were driving, how much did they pay for that vehicle. and i wondered if it were worth that amount. did they enjoy the vehicle or could they not wait for the chance to trade it in on a nicer model.

just thinking about how important peoples cars are to them made me wonder how much one would pay for salvation. how important is there soul? is it worth as much as they paid for the humvee or bmw. i like cars, looking at them, driving them, just not the idea of purchasing them. but what we drive can sometimes tell a lot about. if one drives a nice car you can assume they have a good job. if a teen drives a nice car one can assume that his parents have a really good job.

salvation is obviously not purchased but is a gift. however Jesus did ask the rich ruler to sell all he had, give it to the poor and follow Him. however the ruler walked away sad. the ruler had put a price on salvation. a cost that he was not willing to give up. why is it that the most important things in life can be turned down because of the cost.

i wonder if the ruler ever reconsidered and later sold all he had and given it to the poor and then went to follow Jesus. i wonder where that ruler is today and if he can say that he eventually made the right decision. i hope so.

it gets me thinking about people i have met in the past. the friends from high school who were in different religions, or did not have time for Christ and spent it worshipping other things. i wonder if it is possiple that they turned there lives around and have a relationship with Christ now. i wonder about others i looked up to and think to myself if they have slipped away and arent following Christ anymore. i wonder why they have chosen this path and if there is something to help them to bring back there faith.

understanding people is hard. knowing that they have been through some things and have put a cost to salvation is sad. to think they had it and let it slip away somehow is dissapointing. i pray for friends of mine like this. i pray someone in their life will help them out with this. unfortunately something made them turn away their faith. what was it? was it another person? was it the idea that God seemed distant? i pray for them and i pray for the same thing to not happen to me.

i guess that is the whole idea of trust.

friends

friends are an interesting thing. there will always be new friends, old friends, friends that you havent seen in a while, life long friends, friends for a season. i have recently just moved to a new place so i am adjusting to new people, hanging out in new homes and different restaurants. this weekend i am taking off for a wedding and will be able to catch up and/or see friends from college. so with all this going on i have started to think about friends of past, present and future. the different levels of friendships and how they have affected me thus far. in elementary you would play games, do the birthday party thing, have sleepovers. everything revolved around fun in high school you might start to have different groups of friends. church friends, sports friends, school friends. this would revolve sometimes to what season of the year it was. it would involve fun, discipline, commitment, studying and for the most part surface level friendships. it might be that you had a lot of friends therefore you didnt go deep with most. in college though things change, you are in the same community everyday therefore being with some of the same people a lot. so you really get to know more than just what they like but who they really are as a person. you do everything together and get to a level of friendship where there is not just a bond of friendship but also a bond that involves emotion where you feel comfortable to tell them anything and everything. this is a place of accountability, authenticity and community that you never thought were possible in high school. and then even though you move away from college you keep these friends. you keep in touch with them by email, verizon (the in network) and by scheduling vacation to see them. (unlike the high school friends where you would talk by email sporadically until it happened less and less, you would see them during college breaks and then maybe have less and less contact with until you eventually cut ties with. not purposely but you have less in common and you are headed in different directions.)

after college you have a sense that real friends are who you share life with. you have become so close to what will be friends for ever and then you are thrown into a world where there is less community then what you knew for the last 4 years at college. instead of being with someone everyday you now see them once or twice a week. they can still be good friends but what took the first semester (4 months)or less during your freshman year now takes about a year to achieve. not that this is a bad thing it is just... different, something that one will take a while to get used to. but in a way you are still longing for the community that you had in college. it will take a while to connect with someone on that deep level maybe ever.

all this to say that community is important. community changes over time where once in elementary we were okay with games, it just doesnt cut it anymore. we have been changed where the importance is the emotional tie of living life together, helping people get through the tough times, challenging them, encouraging them and pouring a friendship into a life dedicated to each other.

perception

the idea of everyone viewing something the same way is rare. sure i can look at a pencil and know that it is a pencil, and chances are everyone will agree with me. yesterday i was moving some staging and a couple of the guys mentioned hot it was, but i guess it really didnt bother me because i was used to sc weather. other people think that to live 2 hrs away from family is a long way but the past 6 years of my life i have lived about 21 hrs away. one persons taste buds might enjoy a pepperoni pizza but another might detest pepperoni. our senses, attitudes and ideas might be different than another. that doesnt mean that one person is right and the other is wrong. it just means there is a difference in opinion. now lets change direction a little with where this article is going. maybe i am a non christian looking at a church and all i can see is hypocrisy and how things need to be changed. i might believe in God but i want no part of the church because i have been hurt in the past. while someone else in that same church is growing under a discipleship class. loves everything about following Christ. it of course is the same church but yet the church is viewed differently because it is viewed by two different people. one perception of the same thing is slightly skewed from the other. but is one of them right and the other wrong? how can we as christian's help change the perception of those viewing the church as wrong or do we need to change the church from within. just a thought to get your juices flowing. i could of taken this idea and run with it a lot further but i want to hear from you the reader on your opinions.

new york, new york

when one moves, takes a different path obviously there will be changes. the changes will not only affect ourselves but the ones that we have moved away from. they will change the lives of those they come into contact in there new surroundings. families will be transformed, churches will be impacted and things will happen differently then one was used. change will always continue to happen. change makes us who we are and who we will become. change can be seen as a hindrance or we can accept it as a blessing. change can affect us for the better or we can become bitter. your life and mine will always continue to change. i hope and pray that we accept change with love and compassion. i pray that the people we can come into contact with will accept the change with love and desire. i pray that this change will not destroy our focus on who it is about. i pray that we will accept changes not as an inconvenience but as something that will challenge us and continue to mold us into who we should become. life is a blessing that we need to grab hold of and not let the small things that could distract us into being unacception, uncaring and undesiring to show love and acceptance of what is to come. we have just made the move from sc to ny. from the inner city to the farm land. from a smaller church to a medium sized church. from a place of security to a place of hope and desire. i am excited for the change. today is my first office day and it is combined with a funeral service. welcome to new york. jenny is putting stuff away at our apartment today and will eventually start the process looking for a job and get the process rolling of starting grad school next fall. my first service is on thursday (tomorrow). i have never had midweek services on thursday. i need to get used to that but it seems that everything here in pulaski, new york will be welcomed change. i have always been one who loves change, hopefully i can stay that way. hopefully when i start to feel comfortable here in my ministry with the youth then something will poke me in order to move. i dont want to feel comfortable so i invite the change. it is when one becomes comfortable that a stagnant behavior can begin. so i invite those who are comfortable to do something different. i challenge you to begin something new. hopefully we can stay committed with being open top the things of new.

a view from ben folds

this is the song jesusland by ben folds
Take a walk out the gate you go and never stop past all the stores and wig shops quarter in a cup for every block and watch the buildings grows maller as you go Down the tracks beautiful McMansions on a hill that overlook a highway with riverboat casinos and you still have yet to see a soul Jesusland Jesusland Town to town broadcast to each house, they drop your name but no one knows your face Billboards quoting things you'd never say you hang your head and pray for Jesusland Jesusl andMiles and miles and the sun goin' down Pulses glowfrom their homesYou're not alone Lights come on as you lay your weary head on their lawn Parking lots cracked and growing grass you see it all from offices to farms crosses flying high above the malls A longer walk through Jesusland Jesusland

in no way do i want to represent ben folds by talking about what this song means, but from my view point, it is a sad song. one looking at christianity and is saddened by the way things are going on. poverty is overwhelming but instead of taking care and training them we throw a quarter into their cup. you have the mansions that God prepared for his people but unfortunately no one lived the life they needed to occupy them. it mentions the televangelists that possibly do more harm than good. it talks about misrepresenting God in billboards and what i want to add; church signs. but yet there is still enough reason to pray for things to change in this thing we call christianity. we have a lot but are we willing to share it? while people starve we build extravagant crap that does no one any good. i definately do not agree with everything benn folds has wrote about but in a way it is good to see how someone views me and you as we label ourselves christians. their should be something more than changing our own life. obviously we must do something to reach out and change this perception of christianity. is it possible to change this view? is it possible to really change how people perceive christianity. i think in the past we have messed up here and there and will continue to mess up. is there something we can do?

weezer is back with "make believe"

not since 1994(blue) or some will say 1996(pinkerton) has weezer put out a cd this good. it is full of many songs that just elate you to think that weezer has finally come to a place in their music wher it has taken melody, lyrics and guitars from the blue album and progressed them into what is now a musically mature weezer. the cd starts off with the first single of this cd with beverly hills, this song is just ok compared to the rest of the album. with songs like "hold me" make me question the spiritual influence of the band. "I am.You are taller than a mountain.Deeper than the sea.You are. Hold me.Hold me.Take me with you 'cause I'm lonely.
I was closer to you back then.I was happier." great lyrics that probably are talking about a girl but i dont care. i know what is taller than a mountain and deeper than the sea. then in "peace" where they say quite often "i need to find some peace." the cd is also complimented by perfect situation, my best friend, freak me out. there is also a harmonica sighting in "haunt you everyday."

this cd is searching. searching for peace, a friend, possibly a lover. but also for purpose, direction, desire i am thankful that the weezer i knew in jr high and high school is finally back with make believe, making great music. i say thank you weezer. your fans are very appreciative.

next blog i will address the new song jesusland by ben folds

u-haul out of town

by this title one should be able to tell that jenny and i are moving. well that is correct. after some initial uncertainty about what might happen. but before i tell you where we are going, here are some of the ideas that we considered over the past 6-7 months

1. jenny being an rd at iwu (shatford to be precise) they were considering her before she removed herself from the process.

2. i going to asbury. then i visited josh and went to a class and decided not for me at this moment.

3. staying in sc to help with a church restart. considered this up until yesterday.

4. sent out my resume to multiple churches in maryland and michigan for youth ministry.

of course non of these things happened. things started to come together when i flew back home for my grandfathers funeral about a month ago. i ran into my home pastor from high school and he asked about my situation. i had told him that we just resigned that previous sunday. little did i know what he was planning. later that day he came to me again and said that his brother in law was looking for a youth pastor, and had called him about 15 minutes earlier and talked to him about me.
three weeks later jenny and i went to the church for an interview. it was a very good church running about 300. pastor bud fancy has 30 years of experience pastoring. including a short time being my parents pastor back in maine. the other assistant greg dakin is a graduate of bethany bible college and was a youth pastor and dyp before moving to new york a year ago. it is in a small town of 5000 very similar to the town i grew up in.
as for the youth group, they have been without a pastor for 7 months and in that time have dwindled in number. they really need some consistency and leadership. they have a barn bash every fall which last year brought in 1200 teens. this year they are bringing in the band, kids in the way.
if you are wondering where it might be it is in pulaski, new york. about 30 miles north of syracuse where jenny will hopefully be able to start graduate work in social work by january. things have come together really fast and at first scared me quite a bit. but i know this opportunity has happened for a reason. i just want to be faithful and be able to give it all the attention that i can from here on.
we will be finished with greenville first wesleyan on wednesday july 27th and we will be up in new york the following week.
please pray for us in this next journey

good bye greenville hello pulaski

prayer

i have been thinking about the concept of prayer lately. what it takes to pray, what it means to have a heartfelt prayer. i really still have no conclusions other than the whole idea of converstation between God and me (for some reason i do more talking then listening) but this next blog is dedicated to those of us who would like a better prayer life. this insert was written for the church newsletter that i am currently employed for the next 20 days. for those of you that do not know i resigned three weeks ago.

“Praying Well”

Prayer in my life has always been open ended. Sometimes it is hard to know exactly how and what to pray. Never really understanding what it takes to pray. No one ever really gave me a guide to say this is the right and the wrong way to pray. So for me to be writing something on prayer is not the easiest thing. But I want to talk to you about prayer. I want to tell you how not to pray and from that conclude ways that are okay to pray.

1. We do not pray to enhance our self. What good is a prayer when we are asking for God to bless us, to enhance our career, to pad our portfolio? It is not that God does not care about our financial situation but rather more concerned for our heart for others. If we focus only on ourselves we lose sight of what we can for others and how we can enhance the community of God.

2.We do not pray in front of others to sound godly. We pray in front of others so we can corporately agree with the prayers offered by the other person. There is something to be said when a group of believers come together and offer up the same prayer in unity rather than just a personal prayer time.

3. Prayer is not something to always pass on to someone else. This can be said for leaders within a group. What happens when a group prays together but never hears the leader pray? You can see into a person’s heart when they pray. More so than when you are just talking to them about a vision and purpose for the group of people. When a prayer is said you can see what is most important to them.

4. Prayer is not limited to certain times during the day. Most people will pray during the same time everyday. Maybe one will have a devotional every morning, pray before each meal and when they go to bed each night. Prayer is a continuous conversation with God. In reality he is always with us and hears what we say to our friends, our thoughts and really everything that goes on in our life. He knows our heart and will see through us to our core. Rather than praying and checking it off the list of things to do that day. Lets open our life as a prayer.

5. Prayer is not limited to us talking. In any conversation with our friends, if we were the only ones who talked. It could be very one sided, only hearing the opinions of one person rather than having a dialogue to see if God has a suggestion on the matter. Therefore we try to listen to God’s opinion.

Prayer will always be a work in progress. One week might be better than the other. But we need to make time for both personal and corporate prayer. It helps build us up. It encourages, challenges, humbles, leads, equips and helps us press on through the tough times. Prayer is something we all need; young, old, rich and poor alike. Prayer is the one common thing that we all have to connect to God. Music, preaching and opininions might drive us apart but prayer is what brings us together.

so that was the newsletter article, tune in later for some more articles on the idea of prayer and the conclusion of what and where jenny and i are going to end up in the next phase of our life.