Aaron and I will be at the NYWC in San Diego this weekend, October 19-22. I'm looking forward to being there for so many reasons. We went two years ago and returned so refreshed, blessed, and challenged. There is just something very cool being with thousands of other people that share your passions and are just as freakish and crazy as you!
Watch this space. Wi-fi permitting, I plan to blog from the event.
National Youth Workers Convention
Grace Point Staff
We as a church staff recently had our photo taken.
I have been a part of the team for nearly 8 years now and feel so blessed to serve with such great people...my friends.
What Teenagers Look For In The Church
The Barna Group has just released the results of their recent study on "What Teenagers Look For In the Church." What they found is very interesting and I believe very insightful to those of us that minister to teens.
I thought what the president of The Barna Group
concluded was dead on. "Helping them connect with God, learn about their faith, and serve others, in a loving and relational environment are their top desires from a church. Keep in mind that young people are not spiritually transformed merely by attending a church, knowing a few Bible stories or being friends with the youth pastor. It takes addressing teens on a much deeper, personal level - such as developing their intellect and vocational passions as well as cultivating their curiosity for the complexities of life."
You can read the study summary here.
Connections
One of things I enjoy most about blogging are all the connections I have made. I have made many connections, and friends, with people all over the country as well as around the globe. Most of which are fellow pastors. I have now made another connection and a very fascinating one at that.
I received an email the other day from someone I had never met. She asked me if my great grandmother was Nina Brenizer, and had enclosed a picture of her. She asked if Nina was my great grandmother and if the little boy on her lap was me. Much to my surprise when I viewed the photo...it was me!
Seems this person has been doing research on her family tree and came across this photograph that had my name written on the back. She then googled my name, found this blog, and sent me the email! The picture was taken in Salina, Kansas in 1968 when I was 1 1/2 years old. Pretty cute kid eh?
After I confirmed with her that that was indeed me, she then sent me a scan of the back of the photograph as well as an early picture of my great grandmother and great great grandfather. Turns out her great grandmother is my great grandmother's sister, and that apparently, makes us 3rd cousins. Fascinating connection!
The Dance
One of the things that saddens me the most as a pastor to students is when I see a student surrender their life to the Lord and then slowly allow the influences of the world to creep back in and push Jesus out. I have seen it time and again and it breaks my heart.
On the other hand there is one thing that I love to witness in a student's life. I love to see a student that has come to the realization that they have moved away from Jesus, and return to Him with an increased love and surrender and joy. It is a beautiful picture of God's tender love and grace.
This video of a skit performed at Winterfest 2006 does an excellent job of portraying God's love, grace and joy. Allow yourself to enter into it and you will be moved.
May we all enjoy the dance. May Jesus always be our everything.
Faith Hope & Love
On Saturday September 29, the world lost a wonderful person. Jan Geist was a friend and inspiration to many. Her life was one of extreme faith, much hope, and lots of love. After a 9 year battle of cancer she was set free from her suffering and is now enjoying the tangible and immediate presence of her Lord.
Jan's life and story touched countless lives. Many are recounted at a web site the family has set up. See it here.
Jan touched our family's life in a very special and profound way; a very unselfish and loving way. It is a picture of real faith and love. The following is what my wife, Robin posted on the family web site.
I was part of Jan's Bible Study group in the early days when there were only a small handful of us. We met in a very small room, around a very small table at church. I loved the small intimate feel of our little group. It didn't take long for us to get to know each other in a very personal way. My prayer week after week was that I would have a baby - it had been several years in the trying. My study buddies agonized with me, and prayed so fervently for me. It touched me so deeply. At the same time, Jan was battling her breast cancer. Over time, we had all come to love Jan so deeply, we loved her like a mother. She freely shared her life experiences and her wisdom with us each week. I think all of us inwardly feared for her life, and wondered how we could live without her there.
I was not about to let Jan die if there was something that I could do about it - so, I struck a deal with God. As passionate as I was to have a baby, I was more passionate about keeping Jan with us. I told God that I would gladly give up the privilege of being a mother, if he would keep Jan here with us. I felt that we and the world in general needed Jan so much more than I needed to have a baby. I had contented myself with being childless, as I witnessed Jan have a long period of remission from her cancer. I was truly happy, and God strengthened my faith through it all.
It was about a year into Jan's remission, when I had cause to wonder if I should take a pregnancy test. After three positive tests, I believed the impossible - I was pregnant! How was this possible, and what about my deal with God?
I could not contain my excitement as I proudly walked late into my Bible Study group the following Wednesday. They must have read it all over my face as I told everyone that I had good news. I literally saw some holding their breath as I made my big announcement. I will never forget the response of those precious women - I felt so wrapped in love that day. There were tears and screams of joy all around the table.
As I was walking out to my car after study that day, I received the most touching news of all. I met up with Jan, and I proceeded to tell her about my deal with God, and of His boundless and awesome love for me - blessing me in this way in spite of our "deal". Through joy filled tears in her eyes, Jan told me that she had also made a deal with God, that she had felt strongly prompted by the Holy Spirit to pray for me - to ask what God would want her to "give up" for my happiness. She said that she had told God that she was willing to give up her very life for me, so I could have a child. I was astonished by such a love as that - I was speechless. Jan lived the words of the passage in scripture, John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends".
Jan was the special speaker at the baby shower on December 14, 2004, for Benjamin Andrew Eberly - my son. I just finished watching the DVD of her message of our special bond in Christ. I pray that my son becomes the man of God that would make Jan proud to give her life for.
I am forever in awe and inspired by Jan Geist. I can only hope that I can one day attain the kind of wisdom and intimacy with God that Jan had, and now has in His presence.
Last April I preached a message entitled "Is Jesus Lord of Your Hardships?" Part way through my message I had Jan share some of her story with us. If there was ever someone who knew how to keep Jesus the Lord of her life amidst hardship, it was her. Her testimony was truly amazing. Hear it here.
9 Years Ago Today
It was 9 years ago today that I married the most wonderful woman I have ever known. Robin is my best friend and my love. I am eternally grateful to my God for the gift that she is to me, one that I do not deserve.
It is because of God's wonderful love and grace that we are together. A gift that we remember and celebrate often. A gift that we celebrate in full today.
Happy anniversary hon. I love you.
Middle School Retreat 2
Our Middle School Fall Retreat this last weekend was great! It was a great time of hearing from God, worshiping God, serious play, good food, late nighs, and living in community.
Here's a peak at some of the action.
Already looking forward to next year!
Middle School Retreat
Today we leave for our Middle School Fall Retreat at Camp Tadmor. This will be the eighth year we have done this retreat. It is always a highlight of our ministry year.
This year our speaker will be, well.....me. I will be speaking on four important spiritual disciplines, prayer, time alone with God, witness, and mission. I would appreciate you praying with us that God reveals His heart to each of us this weekend.
The weather is even supposed to be nice!
Here is a glimpse of how it looked last year.
Love Wins
There is a guy who stands in front of one of our local middle schools wearing a sandwich board handing out tracts to students as they arrive for school. He's the kind of guy that is quick to tell kids that they are heading for hell if they do not repent. This is very confusing to my students. I have been asked several times recently, who is that "Jesus guy" and why is he doing what he is doing? They see him as mean, rude and condescending. They don't see much love.
While I appreciate the fact that he is concerned for the eternal destiny of middle schoolers, I wish he knew and understood the kind of damage he is doing. I wish he knew that the Good News that he is presenting doesn't sound very good. I wish he understood that by simply showing love to students, he would see far better results. When we show people the love of Christ, when we love people like He loves, we earn the right to be heard, and people respond.
Jesus told us to love Him and to love our neighbors as ourselves, and that there is no commandment greater (Mark 12:29-31). What we could accomplish if we would just show love. I like the words of G.K. Chesterton, "The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.” Let us not just love those we agree with, but let us love all. Jesus does not see good guys and bad guys. He sees a lot of bad guys, some have embraced Him, and others that have not.
May we learn what it really means to love as Jesus did. May we indeed be prepared to give an answer to those who want to know the reason for the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15) yet may we do so in love and not in anger.
I appreciate Rob Bell's video, "Bullhorn." Here is a clip.
One Anothers
For the past five weeks Pastor Steve has been preaching through a great series entitled Doing Church Together. Yesterday's message, Wise is the Connected Christian, Part 3, was fantastic. You can click here to hear it.
The core of the message was that the church is to be made up of contributors not consumers. In light of my recent post Consumerism And The Church I thought it appropriate to post some thoughts from the message.
God desires to show Himself to the world through the Church. In all our imperfections He desires to reveal His presence through us. He could do it a lot better Himself, but instead prefers that we do it. C.S. Lewis was quoted saying, God "seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye." There are two ways that the task of revealing God's presence is accomplished ... love and unity.
In a consumer based church this task is not possible. The Church must not be made up of consumers but rather contributors. Throughout the New Testament we find a number of "One Another" statements all pointing to the fact that we as God's people must be focused not on ourselves (consumer) but rather focused on one another (contributor). Here are a few:
• Accept one another. (Rom. 15:7)
• Instruct one another. (Rom. 15:14)
• Serve one another in love. (Gal. 5:13)
• Carry each other's burdens. (Gal 6:2)
• Be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Eph. 4:2)
• Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Eph. 5:21)
• In humility consider others better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
• Spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Heb. 10:24)
• Do not slander one another. (James 4:11)
• Don't grumble against each other. (James 5:9)
• Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. (1 Peter 5:5)
• Comfort one another. (1 Thess 4:18)
• Forgive one another. (Col. 3:13)
• Meet with one another. (Heb. 10:25)
• Minister one to another. (1 Peter 4:10)
• Be at peace with each other. (Rom. 12:10)
• Honor one another above yourselves. (Rom. 12:10)
May this be what the world sees. May His presence be clearly seen through us, His imperfect Church.
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