Giving Thanks

Today is a snow day.  In Oregon snow days are God's way of saying, slow down.  Every once in awhile like in 2008 it is God's way of saying stop!  As one that tends to live a fairly fast paced life, this is at times very difficult for me.  But it is good.  It is good for me to slow down a bit and appreciate being still and enjoy the beauty of the season.  That is what I am doing today.

As Thanksgiving approaches I find myself thinking about how this holiday is much like snow day.  Thanksgiving is a day set aside to slow down and focus on the things we are called to be focused upon each and every day.

I appreciated Pastor Dale's message on Sunday.  It was a good reminder that being thankful is a choice.  We are to choose the path of thankfulness every day; even when we may naturally resist it.  What does this really look like?  What does it look like to live out the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:1, "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus?"  We were encouraged to put into practice five statements to God to help us in this journey of thankfulness, and to discover the power that comes with the heart of a thankful person.

• Lord, I choose to be thankful today because it is Your will and the path of blessing.
• Lord, I choose to be thankful today for who You are and what You have done.
• Lord, I choose to be thankful today despite any painful or unpleasant circumstances.
• Lord, I choose to reject any despairing, critical, or complaining attitude today from taking control of my mind and emotions.
• Lord, I ask You for the strength and courage to live this way today in order to become a more thankful person.

I have much to be thankful for this year.

• I am thankful for the amazing family God has blessed me with.  A wife that loves and support me, and two kids that I am privileged to parent. 
• I am thankful for the many opportunities He has brought my way to love people in a way that He is seen and glorified.  
• I am thankful for the church family He has graciously allowed me to be a part of and serve alongside.  
• I am thankful for the ups and downs of this year,  the times of not knowing what was around the next corner, as they afforded me the opportunity to experience faith in a brand new way.

I am also thankful for humor.  Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

When Life Gets Strange

A lesson many of us learned very early on in life is, life is not fair.  The journey of life is filled with confusing, challenging and just flat out difficult seasons.  With each twist and turn the question most often posed to God is ... why?  Why God do you allow such pain and suffering.  Why God do you allow me to experience such difficult circumstances.  Throughout the ride of life, I have certainly asked my share of why questions.

A truth that we can hang our hat on is that God is for us.  God is for us in life's trying times and has a purpose for them all.  As I have emerged from the dark times in my life I find that I begin to see God's purposes for my life so much more clearly.

God's Word is filled with such stories; beautiful narratives of God's redeeming purposes. I think of the story of Job.  A man who when all of life's joys, comforts and pleasures were ripped right out from beneath him, continued to trust that His God would not abandon him.

I think of the story of Paul.  A man who gave his life to spreading the gospel to the world around him and at the same time found himself shipwrecked, hungry, beaten, and imprisoned.  Through it all he remained set upon the call and purpose God had on his life. 

The story of Ruth is yet another amazing story.  A story of God at work in the midst of pain, confusion, and loss.  A story of a young lady who travels through a very dark season, yet because of her faithfulness to do what is right, emerges experiencing God's incredible blessing.

It is as John Piper coins it, a "Sweet and Bitter Providence."



As we navigate the twists and turns of life may we see and experience God's presence and love. May we not look for reasons to explain God away, but rather see life's strangeness as a way to allow God to reveal His divine purposes for us.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

When God Moves You On

As I have begun my new ministry this week at Foothills Community Church I have found myself thinking quite a bit about how God strategically places us where He can best use us for His purposes and glory.  Over my years of ministry I have found myself serving in 6 different churches. I have served in Gladstone, Oregon, Chula Vista, Californnia, Milwaukie, Oregon, Tigard, Oregon, Sherwood, Oregon, and now in Molalla, Oregon.  What a ride!

In each location God has had me in, I purposed to stay until He said otherwise, and that is exactly what I have done.  When I commit to something, I am one that sends my roots deep.  I am not a flighty person but rather one that is committed for the long haul.  I value longevity and relationship.  It is for that reason that it has never been easy to leave one community and begin anew in a new one.  One thing I know, is that when God is in the changes of life, it is exciting and filled with good things!  In all the places that I have served, God has clearly led.  There is not one that I went looking for.  In every move, God has made it clear that that is where He wanted me.

This last Sunday I said goodbye to Rock Harbor Church in Sherwood.  We were honored with a beautiful clock to commemorate the time spent.  I  am thankful for the time God allowed us to spend in community with the wonderful people of Rock Harbor.  We truly experienced community with them and the beautiful thing about community, it doesn't have to end.

The apostle Paul has always been a role model to me.  He is a picture of one who was radically changed by God and placed in service for Him.  He was an individual called out by God for His extraordinary purposes.  In that call God had him on the move!  He had him moving from Jerusalem to Caesarea, to Rome, Athens, Philippi, Lystra, Cyprus, Antioch, Damascus, Thesslonica, Corinth, and Ephasus.  What a resume!  I would imagine each departure was accompanied by a few tears.  Tears of sadness as well as tears of excitement for what God had next for both Paul and the people in his life.

It's never easy to say goodbye, to move on from those you love, but when God moves you, you go.  You go with enthusiasm for what is next.  Obedience to God always results in blessing.  My family and I  reap daily the blessing of following God's lead in our life. We are now eager to experience life and community with the people of Molalla.  It is already beginning and how excited we are!

When God moves you on, follow.  Follow Him into the great adventure He has for you.  As you do, you will experience His power in your life like never before.  Follow him. Love Him, and experience what Paul shared with the people of Corinth when he wrote, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9).

A New Chapter Begins

It was with a mixture of sadness and excitement that I announced on Sunday my resignation as Associate Pastor at Rock Harbor Church.  It has been my distinct pleasure to serve along side the wonderful people of Rock Harbor as we worked together to make a difference in the community of Sherwood and beyond.  My family and I are grateful for the opportunity we have had to be a part of this wonderful community. 

In recent months the financial, and personal needs of our family have grown and have driven us to seek the Lord in how these would be met.  The way in which He has chosen to meet these ever growing needs can only be described as a God thing!

It has been through a great deal of prayer and listening to God that we have come to this place.  It has not been an easy decision, yet one in which He has clearly led.  We are saddened to say goodbye to our Rock Harbor community, yet at the same time excited about joining God in what He is doing in and through the community of Foothills Community Church in Molalla, Oregon.

Beginning on October 11 I will be taking a bold new step in my life.  It is on this day that I will be following God’s lead in stepping out of the student ministry world as I begin my new role as Associate Pastor at Foothills Community Church.  It is with eager anticipation that I move forward in my mission “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12).

To my family at Rock Harbor, know that you are loved and will always hold a special place in the hearts of my family.  It has been an absolute joy and privilege to join with you in moving God’s Kingdom forward.  To the students of Rock Harbor Student Ministries, my life remains open to you.  Never hesitate to contact me.  I am but a text message, Facebook message, email or phone call away.  You are loved.  Remain in community with one another and stay close to your leaders.  They are fully committed to loving and caring for you.  They are the best!

To our new family at Foothills, we are filled with anticipation as we look forward to joining you in your mission to reach the thousands of unchurched people in your geographic area with the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and to equip them to experience His presence and demonstrate His power.  We look forward to doing life with you and experiencing the kind of community that comes from together seeking the heart of God.

The ride continues.  Bring it on!

Church = Family

The Church is family.  For a family to operate within it's intended design and purpose, family members must be committed to sacrificially serving one another.  So it is with the Church.

Mark Driscoll nails it on this one...



He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice." Luke 8:21

Just Do It

Nike got it right. Don't just talk about. Don't just dream about it. Just do it!

Jesus also has it right. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24.

James certainly nailed it. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22

Why do we get it so goofed up? Why do we tend to dismiss the words of Christ, by merely discussing them, debating them, and even memorizing them? Instead let's just do them!

I appreciate Francis Chan's admonition.



Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6

HT to Adam McLane for the video.

A Summer To Remember

As summer comes to end, I find myself with a mixed bag of emotions. I am sad because it is my favorite season of the year and I hate to see it go. I rejoice because as I look back over the last three months of ministry, I sit back and celebrate; celebrate all the great things God has done in the life of Rock Harbor Student Ministries.

Through all our different events and gatherings, relationships were deepened. We grew in relationship with one another, we grew in our relationship with our God. It's been good!

Here is a look into the summer of 2010...



As in all of life, with the close of one season, a new one emerges. As we move forward I am confident that the good work God has begun, and continues to do, will continue long into the next season and all those that follow.

Grub Camp 2010

Over the last 20 years I have been taking students up to Indian Henry Campground on the Clackamas River, to take part in what has affectionately become known as Grub Camp. Today I returned from yet another great time on the river.

There is nothing quite like getting a bunch of guys away from their usual settings and routines to spend some quality time together. We laugh, we play, we have great conversations, and so much more.

I loved the words of one parent after her son returned home, "He came home desperately stinky and filthy and just happy as all get out. Thanks Pastor Brian!" Love it!

We have two slogans for Grub Camp. They go up as boys and return home men, and What happens at Grub Camp stays at Grub Camp!

Due to the the second slogan, I can't tell you everything we do, but this year's video should give you a pretty good idea.



Read more Grub Camp experiences here, here and here.

Dividends of Ministry

In my 25 years of ministry I have known many people.  Serving as youth pastor in six different churches has afforded me the opportunity to enter into and enjoy the relationships of many.  Not all have lasted.  Some have.  It is the relationships that last the test of time that are the real blessing.

Twenty one years ago I served as youth pastor at Gladstone First Baptist.  It was my first full time ministry. I often marvel, and at the same time feel so blessed, that a church took a chance on a young 22 year old with very little experience.  It was a great time; certainly a learning one! What I love most, is the fact that I am still in relationship with many of them.

This last weekend we once again got together.  How fun to see and hear of all the changes that life's journey has brought.  How great to see all the young families, many of which are loving and are serving the Lord.

All of us in youth ministry know that one rarely reaps in the same season in which we sow.  It is often years later that we see the dividends of time invested in students lives.  I am so thankful for what I saw this last weekend, and pray that God continues to do great things in and through all of our lives.

What a privilege and honor it is to play such a strategic role in the lives of young people.  I am blessed.

Missional Church

A good picture of what the church has been and where it should be going.

For The Love of The Father

With Father's Day approaching and the privilege I have to preach on that day, I have been spending a good deal of time thinking about what it means to be a good father.  In my estimation, there is not greater task in life for the man with children, than to father them well.

I firmly believe that our view of God the Father is shaped in great measure by how we view our earthly father.  I for one want my children to have a healthy and right view of God. It is when we have a proper understanding of God and His love for us, that we desire to live a life that pleases and honor Him.

I will be opening my message with this video.





Not too long ago, I asked my 5 year old son what he wanted to be when he grew up.  I expected to hear answers along the lines of a firefighter, or even superhero.  What he answered with, humbled me.  He simply said ... you.   It brought back memories of this scene a year early as I was mowing the lawn and how he quickly got his little play mower to mow along side me.  My son wants to be like me.  It is my responsibility to model for him a life that honors God, so that He may do the same.

May it be our desire to emulate our Heavenly Father, because of the love He has for us.
May it be our desire to obey Him and live for Him, not out of duty, but rather out of the love we have for Him.
May we as parents reflect a loving Heavenly Father to our children in all that we do.


UPDATE:  Hear Father's Day message here.

Sometimes It Blows Up In Your Face

Student ministry has been my life calling.  It is what God has called me into, and I couldn't be more thankful.  What an awesome privilege it is to be used of God to be a part of a person's spiritual journey, especially at such an important stage of life as adolescence.

Not everyone understands why I do what I do, and for as long as I have done it.  I have been working with students for over 20 years and I still get a charge out of a good water balloon fight with them.

One thing I love about student ministry is the privilege it is to belong to a tribe of other youth workers who feel the same calling and, well ... just get it.  A group of people that understand the value of giving of one's life to the task of coming along side teenagers and leading them into a relationship with the God that created them and loves them more than they know.

Each year Youth Specialities opens their doors to my tribe.  The National Youth Workers Convention is a time for thousands of youth workers to get together to be refreshed, recharged, challenged, and encouraged.  Read my thoughts and experiences at past conventions here.

I love the promo video produced for this year's convention.  It's a great picture of what I do, but even more the power of what happens when others get it.  Sometimes it just blows up in your face!