Liver & Lima Beans (A Lenten Challenge)

The 40 days of Lent (which begins this Wednesday) are analogous to the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert fasting and resisting temptation (see Matthew 4:1-11).  Many Christians choose to "give up" something for Lent as their way of seeking to commune with the Christ.  You may give up Starbucks, chocolate, soda, TV or something else that you feel is a sacrifice.  Then at the end of the season we go right back to the things we give up.  This is fine, but...

This year, let the scripture at the top of the page (2 Corinthians 6:11, The Message) guide you through the desert.  The apostle Paul is telling us that Jesus wants us to live a WIDE OPEN life!  Don't be fenced in by the standards of the world around you; go for the gold.  For many years I joked that every year for Lent I would give up liver and lima beans.  And I never cheated on that promise.  It was easy- I HATE liver and lima beans!  This may seem like a terrible way to approach Lent, but in some bizarre way I was on to something. Liver and lima beans are not a part of my life.  This year, in addition to whatever you have chosen to sacrifice, consider this:  Give up something you never want to take back again.  Give up your anger towards another person.  Give up a sin that you struggle with.  Don't be fenced in; don't think small.  Pray today about opening up your life to Jesus.  What can you let go of and give to God that you never want to see again?  Jesus came so that we would have life- and not just any life, but ABUNDANT life (John 10:10)!  It's time to do a little spring cleaning...

Because of Jesus,

Flashback Friday: My Hall of Fame

From the very beginning of the blog I have been honoring students and adults who were of particular significance to my ministry over the years by inducting them into my own fictional Youth Group Hall of Fame.  To read their stories simply click on the links below.  To hear my dream about where I would put my Hall of Fame (and see what that has to do with the fabulous Betsy B, pictured at right), check out Terri Johnson's story!  Enjoy, and keep checking back.  The list will continue to grow.  If you would like to nominate adults or students from any of my groups, please feel free to use the comment space at the bottom, or e-mail me!

Inductees
Terri Johnson 
Quaker Lakers 
Jennifer Wood
Heather Beggs  
Mike Mercadante and Charles Freedle        
Ken Hill, Amy Simmons and Todd Farlow
Jamie Robinson
Springfield Class of 1996
Jennifer (Bob) Minnigan
FUMC-K Class of 1995
Vern Watson and David Johns
Adam Hill
Connor Lewis
Teresa Reep
Jacob Lupfer
Lisa Kraus
Spooky Tuesday
Jocelyn Sessions
Jerry Hanbery
Colleen Martin
Beth Edgerton, Darek Newby and Marshall Ratledge
Jay Osborne, Laura Wheeler and Jodi Coble
Butch, Barbara, Jon, Ben and Erin Moran
Amber Herrick, Chrissy Weaver, Lauren Carr
Marilyn Jones
Kissimmee Class of 1999
Dann & Kathy, Matt & Kristen, Josh & Sarah
Darin Miller
Andrew Lewis
Travis Aiken
Justin Overstreet
Nina Mock
The Gastler Family
The Class of 2009
Keri Vinson
A Very Special Wing
Shelley, Jeremy and Stinky Godwin
Cyndi Reep
David White
Jill Painter Watson

This list is far from complete, and I want to say thanks to every student and volunteer who has passed my way.  I have been blessed!

Because of Jesus,

In Ministry, Small Things Matter

It is hard to believe that for 28 years hundreds of students chose to share their lives with the insane man shown dancing at a 60's Revival Night at TNT (Springfield Friends Meeting) in the early 1990's.  But they did.  Over the years of my ministry there were many big events and earth-shaking moments that I have written about in the pages of this blog.  Today I want to take a look back at 10 moments that were perhaps a little more "under the radar," but that were significant to me. They made me laugh, cry or scream- or sometimes all three!  In no particular order, here they are:

10)  Now Batting for Jesus-  For many years, beginning in the 1970's at New Garden Friends Meeting, I had been involved with youth groups leading Easter Sunrise services.  In 1995 we continued that tradition when the youth group led the service down by the lakefront in Kissimmee.  We had a skit planned in which Matt Wheeler was to play Jesus.  It was one of those years when daylight savings time began on Easter Sunday, and Matt didn't wake up in time.  We had to "pinch hit" for Jesus at the last moment...and I am pretty sure we struck out!!!
9)  Sis Goes to Camp-  I had many great weeks at Quaker Lake Camp over the years, but none better that the week I convinced my dear friend from high school, Sabrina Perry (I called her Sis; we were that close), to volunteer as a counselor at Senior High Camp.  Best week of camp ever!
8)  "Wuv...Twue Wuv"-  I cannot express how much it meant to me when Nate Hill and Amber Herrick came to me and asked me to officiate their weddings, years after I had been their youth pastor.  It was two different weddings- they didn't marry each other...that would have just been weird!  :)  I also was blessed to do the service for Ken & Nicole Jewett.
7)  I Hear That A Lot-  A young woman came into my office at the Union Church of Hinsdale in 2000, crying and distraught.  She was 16, had just wrecked her car for the third time, and daddy was refusing to buy her a THIRD new Porsche.   I didn't need Toto to tell me I wasn't in Kansas anymore...
6)  SURPRISE!-  At the request of their parents, I helped put together surprise 16th birthday parties for best friends Heather Beggs and Keri Vinson in the youth room at Springfield Friends Meeting.  The parties were just months apart and involved a lot of the same people, yet somehow they were both surprises.  I loved being involved in the lives of the students I served.  I will never forget that Heather's birthday is August 25th.  She only gave us 18 months of weekly notices leading up to her 16th...
5)  Wet 'N' Wild-  Another Easter Sunrise in Kissimmee, another daylight savings time fiasco.  The city forgot to reset the timers on the automatic sprinklers by the lakefront gazebo, and they came on during our service.  A mass baptism was held that day...
4)  Hide, It's the Cops!-  One more Easter Sunrise story, this one from Tampa.  For reasons I never understood (for once the OOPS was not mine!), we decided to have the youth Praise Band play at an outdoor service in front of the church at 7 AM.  It was great for passing traffic to see; it was not so great for the sleeping neighbors to hear.  The police stopped by to inform of us of the complaints.  We lived next door to the church, andI think one of the calls was from Marilyn...
3)  More Weddings-  I was privileged to sing in a number of weddings over the years, including those of former youth and co-workers.  To Ken & Gilly, Holly & Mark, Matt & Kristin, Mike & Rebecca, Debbie & Tommy, Beth & Bob, Claudia and all the others- thank you for letting me be a part of your special day.  And for those whose weddings I was able to attend, thank you for the invitations.  It was always a "lump in my throat" kind of feeling to see friends beginning a new chapter of life.
2)  We Found A Friend-  While I was visiting Kissimmee from Chicago the week after Lisa Kraus's wedding, Amber Herrick called me about she and Chrissy Weaver coming by my motel to see me.  I asked if my other "Angel," Lauren Carr, might also be coming.  Amber said there had been a falling out (one of hundreds!) between them and they hadn't spoken in a while.  When they stopped by a bit later, Lauren was with them.  It was so cool that they had reconnected over my visit.  We then walked across the highway to Friendly's and had an amazing visit, with a conversation I will never forget.  No matter how hard I try...   :)
1)  Every Single Time-  Each time one of my students, parents or co-workers came into my office to talk to me about life, it was a sacred moment for me.  There are many stories to tell, but I will not tell them, because they were often deeply personal and intense.  They were sometimes scary.  Many times they were hilarious (Once in Tampa both the male and the female in a high school relationship came to me separately. They both wanted to break up.  Neither knew how to do it without "hurting" the other.  I could not make this stuff up!).  But no matter the topic or the reason for the visit, each time anyone trusted me enough to come to me with their joys and concerns, I felt humbled and honored.  And no matter how many big trips and huge events I was a part of, it was those moments that are closest to my soul as a servant of God.  I just hope my prayers were of more use than the little bits of wisdom I had.  And I am so glad that many still know that I am here if you need me.  As the Stellar Kart song says, "remember you've got me and Jesus..."  And thank God it's mostly Jesus!

Because of Jesus,

Activate!

For many years a major part of my programming and teaching (and even my sermons) was to use Contemporary Christian Music to help tell the story of Jesus.  My countdown may be finished, but Thursdays will continue to use great music from a variety of Christian artists to make you think.  Today we feature Activate from Stellar Kart's great 2006 album You Can't Stand Sitting Down (#12 on my countdown).  Check out the video below, and then take a closer look at the lyrics below that.  What is the purpose of your life?  What's holding you back from serving God?  What's keeping you from getting in the game and changing your world in Jesus' name?  Now is as good a time as any to start spreading the good news of the Gospel- because "there is a world out there in need, and now is the time for you and me.  Before it gets too late-ACTIVATE!!!"



ACTIVATE
Here's the plan I think I got it made
Life is easy
When you're sitting in the shade
Not too hot, not too cold
I think that's what I'll be
Now I'm nervous
And I've come undone
My head is spinning
Like the earth around the sun
I feel You drawing me away
From my complacency
I think I'm ready to go
Won't stop 'til everybody knows


This is the purpose of my life
This is the reason I'm alive
Don't have time to wait
Activate, activate
There is a world out there in need
Now is the time for you and me
Before it gets too late
Activate, activate


Make a move
'Cause talk is really cheap
You'll never start a revolution
In your sleep
Showing love to everyone
Is what it's all about
I think I'm ready to go
Don't stop 'til everybody knows

This is the purpose of my life
This is the reason I'm alive
Don't have time to wait
Activate, activate
There is a world out there in need
Now is the time for you and me
Before it gets too late
Activate, activate

One by one, everyone activate

This is the purpose of my life
This is the reason I'm alive
This is the purpose of my life
This is the reason I'm alive
Don't have time to wait
Activate, activate

There is a world out there in need
Now is the time for you and me
Before it gets too late
Activate, activate
Activate, activate
© STARSHAPED MUSIC; UNIVERSAL MUSIC - Z TUNES LLC.; WORDSPRING MUSIC INC

7 Affirmations of Faith

Yesterday at Van Dyke Church our Pastor, Matthew Hartsfield, continued his sermon series entitled Help!  After sharing the previous few weeks on the subjects of marriage, finances and children, Matthew turned his attention to the topic of stress. We learned that Forbes Magazine recently ranked Tampa as the 4th most stressful city in USAmerica, so stress is a part of all of our lives. He talked about how God designed our bodies to handle immediate stress, such as emergency situations and "flight or fight" reactions, but not to deal with the chronic day-to-day stress so many of us have in our lives today.  He spoke of the Apostle Paul and all of the stresses he faced in his life, as found in 2 Corinthians 11:23-33, and how he still kept his eyes on the joy of following Jesus. And finally he taught about the antidotes to stress as found in 2 Corinthians 4.  That antidote is Jesus.

At the conclusion of worship we all received the card you see below. Our challenge was to memorize the scripture and keep the affirmations that will help reduce our stress front and center in our lives.  I offer you that same challenge today. There will be stress in our lives, but we need not carry it.  Turn it over to Jesus. Or as Ray Lewis said (Paul said it first) at the conclusion of last night's game, "If God is for us, who (or what) can be against us?"  NO ONE!  Have a blessed and stress free day!

Because of Jesus,

My Top 10 Super Bowls

It's Super Bowl Sunday, one of the great USAmerican holidays! Parties are thrown, beverages are consumed, and MILLIONS of chickens sacrifice their wings as we enjoy the championship game of the NFL. I am old enough to have watched at least part of all 46 previous games, and the Super Bowl has always been special to me. Among other things, I am among the very few youth pastors to have ever had the actual Lombardi Trophy visit my office, back in 2003 (see picture) and I will be headed to Winners Sports Bar again tonight with my family and our friend Lisa Jewett to watch the Ravens and the 49ers do battle. This being the 10th anniversary of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers only Super Bowl victory, I thought it might be fun to look back and share my 10 favorite games. You will notice right away it is MY list- no mention of a Patriots victory to be found anywhere! So here we go...

10) III- The New York Jets upset the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in a game that Broadway Joe Namath guaranteed they would win. (1969)
  9) XXXI-  The Green Bay Packers beat the New England Patriots 35-21 and Brett Favre get his only Super Bowl win. (1997)
  8) VII- The Miami Dolphins finish the season 17-0 with a 14-7 win over the Washington Redskins. (1973)
  7) XVI- The San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in the game that turns Joe Montana into a legend. (1982)
  6) XXV- The New York Giants beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19 in Tampa as Scott Norwood missed a game winning field goal on the last play of the game. (1991)
  5) XLII- The Giants bring an end to the Patriots run at unbeaten immortality, 17-14, in a game featuring the unbelievable "helmet catch" by David Tyree. (2008)
  4) XLVI- The Giants take down the Patriots again, 21-17. That's 3 Patriot losses on my list.  That is not an accident!  :)  (2012)
  3)  XIII- The Pittsburgh Steelers hold off the Dallas Cowboys 35-31 in one of the first real Super Bowl thrillers! (1979)
  2) XXXIV- The St. Louis Rams and Kurt Warner defeat the Tennessee Titans 23-16 as the Titans game winning drive falls one yard short as time runs out. (2000)
  1)  XXXVII- The Bucs win, dominating the Oakland Raiders 48-21 and getting Jon Gruden and company their rings.  (2003)

So there's my list- I'd love to hear yours. Enjoy tonight's game.

A Moment With Mullins

Happy Groundhog's Day, and happy birthday Carl Semmler and Patsy Hill!

I don't know about the rest of you, but it seems like my life is full of turmoil. It doesn't seem to matter how much I seek God and try to find inner peace, the circumstances of life rise up and smack me around on a regular basis.  In the midst of such turmoil I have often found much peace in the words of the great Rich Mullins (pictured) song Sometimes By Step (street name O God You Are My God).  It was a song we sang often at youth; or at least the chorus was sung often:

O God You are my God and I will ever praise You

O God You are my God and I will ever praise You

I will seek You in the morning,

and I will learn to walk in your way

and step by step You'll lead me

and I will follow You all of my days

Step by step.  So often we want to move in leaps and bounds in our walk with God, and we forget that the path is narrow and the road is hard.  This chorus has always been a prayer for me, and we sang it with youth at every stop since Springfield Friends Meeting.  We seek God.  We learn to walk- in baby steps so much of the time.  And it is when we allow God to lead, and we follow, that we actually make progress.  Step by step.

As moving as that chorus is, it is the verses to the song that have so often reminded me that we all struggle with faithfulness and righteousness on this side of heaven.  From the first time I heard Rich playing the song on his hammer dulcimer while it was being written at Guilford College in 1990, there was something almost haunting about it.  The lyrics take you on an adventure, drawing you closer to God and then reminding you just how tough the journey is as we seek to truly be Christ-followers.  Read this amazing bit of poetry, and find yourself in the journey:

Sometimes the night was beautiful

Sometimes the sky was so far away

Sometimes it seemed to stoop so close

You could touch it but your heart would break

Sometimes the morning came too soon

Sometimes the day could be so hot

There was so much work left to do

But so much You'd already done

Sometimes I think of Abraham

How one star he saw had been lit for me

He was a stranger in this land

And I am that, no less than he

And on this road to righteousness

Sometimes the climb can be so steep

I may falter in my steps

But never beyond Your reach

That last line- "I may falter in my steps but never beyond your reach"-  has carried me through some of the darkest days of my life.  The knowledge that no matter how far we fall in our sinful lives we are never out of God's hands is such a comfort.  The reminder that there is much work left to do- in our own hearts and minds as well as in the world we live in- is also a reminder that we cannot do it alone.  We need Jesus.  As Rich once said, "God is right.  The rest of us are guessing."

I survived (and my family survived) my world collapsing because we never forgot that the grace of God is present in our lives no matter what we might have done.  I am not defined by my sin; I am defined by Jesus.  I hope all of you have discovered this truth as well.  We often think of praising God from the mountain tops.  Sometimes we must praise Him from the deepest valley.  And when we are at that place, there is no better refrain than this:  "O God, You are my God and I will EVER praise You..."

Because of Jesus,