"Astonish people with the love of Jesus..."

Ephesians 3:20- God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (The Message)

A report was released a while back with information from a religious census that was very interesting. Among the other items in the report was a study of the 51 metropolitan areas in the United States with more than 1 million residents and their church attendance habits.  The city with the largest percentage of worship attenders was Salt Lake City, Utah. Number 51 on the list was Portland, Oregon. Then sliding in at number 50 was my home base of Tampa Bay. We ranked behind Las Vegas. More people go to church in "Sin City" than in Tampa Bay. That is not good news.  In a separate study, Tampa was ranked as the most stressful place to live in the United States.  As I heard one lady say in response to those two facts, "maybe they're stressed because they don't go to church!"  Hmmm...

This past weekend at Van Dyke Church (it's a large United Methodist church, although "Methodist" is seldom used to describe it!) Pastor Matthew Hartsfield unveiled a new initiative called The 320 Project.  Having worked in churches for nearly 30 years, I am always a bit skeptical of big new "programs" or promotional events.  But this one, based on the scripture from Ephesians 3:20 found at the top, blew me away.  It is a vision and means for taking Jesus to Tampa Bay in a bold new way- by doing everything possible as a worshiping body and then trusting the impossible to God.  And I for one could not be more excited!

The stated mission of Van Dyke Church is that "we connect people to a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ." Van Dyke has always been about loving people in the name of Jesus and connecting members to each other.  That's why the church has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, with over 3000 in worship on many weekends. As Matthew introduced The 320 Project on Sunday, he gave us 5 core values that will take the church into the future seeking to be bold for God.  As he said,"If you cut us, we bleed this stuff. And we are willing to give our time, talent and treasure to display these values to a broken and hurting world in need of Jesus."  Here are those core values:

1. Daring Faith- We are innovative risk-takers, praying and acting boldly, expecting God to create supernatural breakthroughs.
2. Fearless Service- We are action-oriented servants, pushing through all obstacles to astonish people with the love of Jesus. (AMEN!)
3. Passionate Excellence- We relentlessly give our best to honor God and inspire people.
4. Extravagant Generosity- We are adventurous givers, bravely sharing our resources to punch holes in the darkness with the light of Jesus.
5. Unshakeable Focus on the Future- We make outrageous investments in the next generation, raising spiritually heroic children and youth.

From there Matthew highlighted 7 points of the vision that is springing from the process that is The 320 Project. Among them were an outpouring of prayer, every member in ministry and mission, programming for at risk kids and the special needs community, a Leadership Center, irresistible facilities for children and youth and a wave a new worshipers coming to Jesus. I am not part of the staff at Van Dyke (they are paid to be good, while I am good for nothing!) nor am I part of the lay leadership. I am just a praying peon in pew. But this project moves me.  It speaks to what the local church ought to be.  It is a big vision, a big dream- and only possible with God. Which is the way it ought to be...

Most of my readers do not attend Van Dyke or even live in Tampa Bay. So why am I telling you all of this? First of all because I know that so many of you are pray-ers, and I am asking you to pray for Van Dyke and for Tampa Bay, that God will use this effort to cause a great move of the Holy Spirit in this area. And secondly, to challenge you to pass it on.  What is it that Ephesians 3:20 can mean to your church? What are the big dreams you need to dream and big prayers you need to pray so that God can do things work through you to do what seems impossible?  I think it's time for churches everywhere to do something unexpected and amazing and "astonish people with the love of Jesus." Bring on the Jesus Revolution!!!

Because of Jesus,

Psalm 51

Some of you know that one of my biblical heroes is David.  The shepherd boy who slayed the giant.  The boy who became a king.  The king who became a sinner of outrageous magnitude.  And the sinner who became known as "a man after God's own heart."  No other Psalm speaks to me in quite the same way as this Psalm of David, shared here from The Message. I hope it will give you the same feelings of forgiveness, hope and the glory of God that it gives me every time I read it.  Enjoy, and have a blessed day.

Psalm 51

 1-3Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. 
   Scrub away my guilt, 
      soak out my sins in your laundry. 
   I know how bad I've been; 
      my sins are staring me down. 

 4-6 You're the One I've violated, and you've seen 
      it all, seen the full extent of my evil. 
   You have all the facts before you; 
      whatever you decide about me is fair. 
   I've been out of step with you for a long time, 
      in the wrong since before I was born. 
   What you're after is truth from the inside out. 
      Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. 

 7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, 
      scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life. 
   Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, 
      set these once-broken bones to dancing. 
   Don't look too close for blemishes, 
      give me a clean bill of health. 
   God, make a fresh start in me, 
      shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. 
   Don't throw me out with the trash, 
      or fail to breathe holiness in me. 
   Bring me back from gray exile, 
      put a fresh wind in my sails! 
   Give me a job teaching rebels your ways 
      so the lost can find their way home. 
   Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, 
      and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. 
   Unbutton my lips, dear God; 
      I'll let loose with your praise. 

 16-17 Going through the motions doesn't please you, 
      a flawless performance is nothing to you. 
   I learned God-worship 
      when my pride was shattered. 
   Heart-shattered lives ready for love 
      don't for a moment escape God's notice. 

 18-19 Make Zion the place you delight in, 
      repair Jerusalem's broken-down walls. 
   Then you'll get real worship from us, 
      acts of worship small and large, 
   Including all the bulls 
      they can heave onto your altar!

Because of Jesus,

7 Things: Why College Football is Better Than the NFL

I have not always been a huge fan of college football. I grew up n NC, where in those days college football was just something you watched to pass the time before basketball season arrived. I would watch the games and I knew the players, but for me the REAL football came on Sundays when the Washington Redskins would play, and on Monday nights because those were the really big games. I am no longer a Redskins fan (I cheer for my local Bucs!) and Monday nights are now reserved for How I Met Your Mother, because those games barely matter anymore. But Saturdays are a different story. Saturdays during football season are now the best, most amazing sporting days of the year. And they are that way every stinkin' week!  I know that the NFL is revered in our country, so today I am going to blaspheme. Here are 7 ways college football is better than the NFL!

1. The Stadiums- Almost every college football stadium has a unique history and personality. I once posted a list of 10 college stadiums I would love to visit someday. I have no such list of pro stadiums. Many are ancient, and most are filled to capacity every week with rabid, screaming fans. Students and alumni who show up to support their teams in good times and in bad, dressed in school colors and acting like total idiots. NFL stadiums get loud on occasion.  College football venues are loud an hour before kick-off.  You just FEEL the excitement through your TV.
2. Mascots and Fight Songs- The NFL is a business, and it is so very often the "No Fun League."  College football is still very much a game, and the mascots are part of the fun! Whether it's Uga in his dog house at Georgia, Chief Osceola riding on to the field and slamming his spear in the ground at Florida State or the live buffalo leading the home team onto the filed at Colorado, there is a pageantry to CFB that the NFL cannot compete with.  And then there are the fight songs and the bands, which stir the emotions of the already rabid crowd. Today two of the most famous will be blaring as Michigan takes on Notre Dame in the Big House.  I am no fan of Southern Cal, but WOW what a great fight song!  And I convinced that Tennessee occasionally wins games just because the other team can't take hearing Rocky Top on more time...
3. Walk Ons-  The NFL has undrafted free agents, guys who teams take a chance on in the pre-season and who become surprising good players. But most of them were stars in college and all of them who make it in pro football will be paid very well for what they do.  In college, the walk on is given very little chance to ever play. He may toil in anonymity for 4 years, never getting a scholarship, before being given a chance. But almost every game you hear the story of a successful walk on. It's part of the college game. Let me put it this way- Rudy never played in the NFL, did he?
4. Traditions-  If you watched the amazing battle between Clemson and Georgia last weekend you may have seen the elaborate tradition that is the Clemson Tigers entering their home field. Circling the stadium in buses, unloading at the top of the hill, rubbing Howard's Rock and storming down the hill to fireworks and a frenzied crowd. I have no connection to Clemson, but that always gives my goosebumps.  And similar scenes are repeated at college stadiums all over the country every week, like the 12th man at Texas A&M and so many others.  Even bad teams have great traditions that make attending the game exciting.  
5. Every Game Matters- The Baltimore Ravens got blown out by the Denver Broncos Thursday night, but in the long run it really doesn't matter. In the NFL you just need to win enough to make the playoffs and then hope to get hot at the end. The team that is the best over the full season very rarely wins the Super Bowl. Georgia lost to Clemson by 3 points last week, and after 1 week their national championship hopes will hang in the balance every single game! And because conference rivalries are so intense in CFB, you can't take a week off. A 10-6 record often gets you to the NFL playoffs. A 10-2 record will NOT get you to the national championship game very often. Yes, I know we need a playoff system. But it is so great that is many ways every game is a playoff game!
6. Overtime- I know that many football purists hate the college overtime because it eliminates special teams and is played under different rules. But I LOVE it!  It's truly some of the most exciting football you will ever see, with each team getting a fair chance to score and to stop the other team.  And when it reaches the point of triple overtime where each team has to go for 2 after a touchdown...awesome!  
7. The Tim Tebow Factor- The NFL is a cookie cutter league. They have particular standards for every position and how is should be played. Anything that is really knew is immediately scoffed at. Even the NFL referees are saying that Chip Kelly can't run his offense as quickly with the Philadelphia Eagles as he did at Oregon. In college, coaches do what WORKS! Players that are considered far too small for NFL become stars.  Coaches run far more trick plays and weird, off-the-wall defensive sets. They use the gifts and skills of the players they have. It's like this- Tim Tebow was one of the greatest college football players to ever play. He showed with the Broncos a couple of years ago that if you design an offense for him (not an NFL offense) he can be a big winner at the next level. But he is currently unemployed. Why? Because the NFL is a business. And college football- while also a big money venture- is still very much a game. Risks are taken, and creativity is rewarded.  A league with no room for the Tim Tebows of the world needs to take a close look at itself.

So there's my list. I guess it goes without saying that you know where you can find me today! I didn't mention one other plus for CFB- QUANTITY! I can see parts of a dozen or more games every Saturday without even trying! I look froward to hearing from the NFL fans who will be certain I have lost my mind. But CFB will always win, because as much as I despise Alabama and Nick Saban they are still easier to stomach than the Dallas Cowboys or The Hoodie, the Pretty Boy and the New England Patriots! See you tomorrow! 

Nights of Joy

This weekend is the annual Night of Joy weekend at Walt Disney World. For over 30 years WDW has played host to the best in Christian music in early September. The ticket at the top is from the very first NOJ that I attended in 1994, shortly after we had moved to Kissimmee. You may notice that in those days it lasted for two weekends and had the same artists every night. Now it only two nights, with different artists each night.  But it still includes many of the very best acts that Christian music has to offer.

I would attend NOJ with a number of youth groups over the 12 years that followed that first visit, and I have many great memories attached to the event. From Kissimmee, we would go for just one night. Later, I would get us rooms at WDW and the groups would spend the weekend, which also included early admission to the MK. It was always a great time. I am the first to confess that the majority of the youth I took were not there for the music.  They might pause to listen to a song or to watch a particular artist, but most of them were busy on Space Mountain or other such attractions. But for me, the music was the thing!

From my very first NOJ and seeing dc Talk debut Jesus Freak at the castle, I experienced most of my favorite Christian artists in the Magic Kingdom.  I sang Breakfast with the Newsboys and heard Michael W. Smith unveil This Is the Time.  I heard David Crowder Band, Stellar Kart, the O.C. Supertones and Steven Curtis Chapman. I watched as Jars of Clay performed a thrilling acapella version of World's Apart. I saw Audio Adrenaline work the crowd into a frenzy on many occasions. And the aforementioned dc Talk, and the later Toby Mac as solo artist, were there almost every year.  I heard a lot of great music over the years.

That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the attractions as well, and there were non-musical memorable moments over the years as well.  Surviving the stampede the the ferry or the monorail in the early years when we were there for just one night was a miracle in and of itself. Riding Splash Mountain and being able to see concert stages all over the park. Having students complain after having been at the Magic Kingdom for 2 hours that they had "already done everything and wanted to go back the rooms and play video games." Sheesh. Riding The Haunted Mansion with people who were actually a little scared- and with my good friend Lisa Jewett, who was not. Being the object of a scavenger hunt by the youth of FUMC-Kissimmee in 2002 after I had left there and moved back to Tampa. In 2004 laughing hysterically when Ken, Travis and Philip from Wesley Memorial UMC tried to sneak out of their room at the All-Star Sports Resort only to lock themselves and have to call me and confess so they could get back in. Helping Lisa plan the 2005 trip even after I had been let go by the church, and having a wonderful time taking Will. Lots and lots of special moments.

I ventured away from NOJ and tried Universal's rival Rock the Universe once (2003). And just once ("my mother made me go to Rock the Universe once, Johnny. ONCE!" If you have ever seen the movie Johnny Dangerously then you are laughing hysterically right now. Trust me.). Before the weekend their customer service was abysmal. I didn't care for the staging and it was very disorganized. Plus there was a hurricane. So yeah...ONCE!

So this weekend I find myself quite envious of those who are spending the weekend at NOJ. I haven't been since 2006 (with the group from Waycross), and I am not sure when I might go back. I am not as "up" on Christian music as I once was, and I know longer know all the artists who are performing. But if I were in charge this year, here's what I would do.  Michael Tait is now the lead singer for Newsboys. Kevin Max Smith is not the lead singer for Audio Adrenaline. Toby Mac will be performing as usual. There needs to be a dc Talk reunion, and I am sure Disney could make it happen! Now THAT would be a night of joy!   Have a great weekend everyone!

Because of Jesus,

Remember When? (#TBT)

 Today I celebrate Throwback Thursday by asking anyone who was ever in one of my youth groups to read this post and answer the following question:  Do you remember? 

*  On my 28th birthday, someone put a giant sign in my yard at our little house across the street from Springfield Friends Meeting inviting the world to "honk."  They did...over and over again!  It made for quite a celebration.  Who did it?

*  Do you remember Burger Doodle, our once a month trips from New Garden and Springfield to various fast food shacks for dinner after YFYF?

*  Remember playing 4 On A Couch?  Remember how the guys team never won?

*  Remember mud slides and the epic Counselor vs. Staff volleyball games at Quaker Lake Camp? And does anyone besides me remember the summer of 1983 and Phi Quaka Laka?

*  At some point during the FUMC-Kissimmee years a train carrying Wendy's supplies wrecked near town, and my friend Eddie (who worked for the train company) got us huge boxes of giant Wendy's cups.  There were hundreds of those things...

*  Do you remember the day when the Wesley Memorial UMC youth group skipped our Sunday evening Graceland meeting and went to a local sports bar for dinner?

*  We had this Newsboys stand-up in the youth room at FUMC-K, and I am fairly certain I have pictures of 50 different youth in this very pose!  Were you one of those youth?  Obviously Catlin Esry was!

*  Remember when we used to play Kick the Can in the graveyards at New Garden and Springfield?

*  Do you remember playing Sardines?  How about Murder, the card game where if you got an "Ace" you winked at people to kill them?  Both of those games go all the way back to my own high school years in youth group.

*  Over the years many of our students got to eat at Kyotos, in Greensboro, Orlando or Myrtle Beach.  Were you there the night in Orlando the chefs honored us with our signature rice?

*  Do you remember camping at the Ponderosa, staying at the Betsy B, spending a week at The Spinnaker or crashing at the Ocean Surf Club?  If you do, you probably went to Myrtle Beach with me...

So there we go!  Which of those moments do you remember?  It would be awesome to hear some of your memories and favorite moments from over the years, so leave comments or e-mail me at youthguy07@aol.com.  Everyone who was part of those moments remains an important part of my life. What a blessing!

Because of Jesus,

The Preacher & the Bear

I once heard it said that youth ministry is like "herding cats."  You may know what your task is, but getting it done is a whole different thing!  I spent 28 years in the ministry and my own definition of student ministry is this: God using unlikely heroes to accomplish improbable tasks.  So you think your job is tough?   Try getting a 13 year old boy to sit still and listen for 30 minutes to a guest speaker.  Try getting parents to sign their child up and pay a deposit 6 months in advance of a mission trip.  Try convincing a 21st century teenager that Jesus knows more about life than Justin Timberlake.  To give you a better feel what youth ministry is really like, I present to you the lyrics of a 1937 folk song, The Preacher & the Bear.  This guy may have been the first youth pastor...

Now the preacher he went out walkin'-  it was on one Sunday morn.
It may have been against his religion but he took his gun along
He shot himself some mighty fine quail, and one little measly hare
But on his way returning home he met a great big...hmmm...
Grizzly Bear

Now the bear sat down in the middle of the road just as mean as he could be
And the Preacher he commenced to shakin' and he climbed a persimmon tree
And the bear stood up, and he rolled his eyes and he shook his ugly head
The Preacher looked up to the skies and these are the words he said
And these are the words he said...

CHORUS
Oh LORD, you delivered Daniel from the lion's den
Delivered Jonah from the belly of the whale and then
the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace so the Good Book do declare
Well LORD, LORD if you can't help me
for goodness sakes don't you help that bear!

Then the bear commenced to climb the tree and that made the Preacher mad
The Preacher climbed still higher- though it took all the strength he had
Just about then this limb give away and they both came a tumblin' down
And when that Preacher began to pray you could hear it for miles all around

CHORUS

Now they fought all the way down to the river and it was a terrible fight
That bear was really pourin' it on, and the Preacher- well he was doin' all right  (Yaaaay!)
He dragged that beast right down in the river it was...ummm...3 times in & out
Then the bear got loose & he limped away & the Preacher he began to shout!

Oh LORD you delivered Daniel from the lion's den
Delivered Jonah from the belly of the whale and then...
Now LORD it may not seem like much from where you sit up there
But the hardest job I've ever done...
was baptizing that bear!

And that's the story of the Preacher & the Bear!!!

Youth Pastors, volunteer youth workers and everyone who works with teenagers in the church, please hear this:  Every week (and often every day!) you are out there on the front lines for God- baptizing bears in the name of Jesus.  You are God's unlikely heroes accomplishing his improbable assignments.  Thank you all.

Because of Jesus,

A Wretch Like Me

No matter what style of church music you prefer, chances are that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ then you love the song Amazing Grace. The song speaks to the heart of us all, offering hope that no matter our condition or our failures God's love will be with us. I have sung the words to this wonderful hymn to many a strange tune- House of the Rising Sun, Sweet Home Alabama, The Theme from Gilligan's Island and Peaceful Easy Feeling.  It's the lyrics that make the song (pardon the pun) so amazing. The opening words remind us that the love of God whose name is Jesus came to save us from our sinful nature-

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now I'm found

was blind but now I see

Now I can't speak for you, but I know I am indeed a wretch. Wretch is defined as "a person who is base, mean or despicable."  A wretch is a sinner, and both God in heaven and everyone who knows me here on earth knows this to be true. Even my best days have bad moments.  Salvation through faith in Jesus was not something I got a long time ago and now I'm cured- I need to be saved from being a wretch each and every day of my life.  I know this about myself, and I understand why John Newton used that word to describe himself so many years ago when he wrote the song.

It is important to remember, however, that "wretch" is a word that we can use to describe ourselves.  It is NOT a word God would ever use to describe us! Don't get me wrong, I am sure there are many occasions when the Almighty finds my actions to be wretched- but God does not discount me as a wretch.  No matter our sinful nature and faulty behavior, we are God's beloved.  Scripture makes that abundantly clear.  In Genesis 1 we are told we are created by God in His own image. The Creator makes no junk. In Psalm 8 we hear that we are "created only a little lower than than the angels and given a crown of glory and honor on our heads."  That does not sound wretched.  Jesus himself says in Matthew 5 that "you are the light of the world." In Ephesians 2:10 we learn that "we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do his good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  We are fearfully and wonderfully made by the God of the universe. God despises our sins. But God loves us unconditionally. How else can you explain the story of Jesus? Our actions may be wretched. But there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less. We are not wretches when held in the arms of the living God.

In 1978 I attended a youth ministry conference in which a speaker named J. David Stone had us sing Amazing Grace, but had us substitute the word "someone" for the word "wretch." He had us sing it that way to remind us that in the eyes of God we are all somebody.  We are special, because we are children of God.  God knows the number of hairs on our heads and has a purpose for each of us.  Most of us (myself included) seldom need to be reminded that we can be wretches at times. But many of us need daily reminders that because of Jesus, we are forgiven. Our past is wiped clean and our hearts are set free.  When John 3:16 says that "God so loved the world" what it really means is "for God so loved YOU!" When we approach our lives with the understanding that the Creator of the universe and the Savior of the world love us no matter what, it changes us. It gives us power and encouragement. We become more the person God intends for for us to be. And as Todd Leet said from the pulpit of Van Dyke Church this past Sunday in his wonderfully inspirational message, what God sees when He looks at us is his masterpiece. His greatest creation is you.  And even me.

The bottom line is this- we need to believe that amazing grace truly is amazing! It is a love that is unconditional and limitless.  It is a love we cannot earn and will never lose. So sing the song with gusto and BELIEVE that God has indeed saved wretches like us so that we can be SOMEBODY in the name of Jesus. As Philip Yancey once wrote in his brilliant book What's So Amazing About Grace, "God loves people because of who God is, not because of who we are." The song offers us this final reminder:

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

Jesus will never leave nor forsake us. But he will ALWAYS love us!  Amen & Amen.

Because of Jesus.