The Low Down

Friends, a gift from God!

Today was a great day to spend with friends. It's always nice to have one of those days in student ministry that don't require a deposit, a parent signature, and a three hour van ride to get some quality time with students. Today we placed some cones in the front yard of the church, pulled out the flags and aired out a fun game of backyard football. It was neat to watch some of the students exchanging names and smiles in a way that just doesn't happen on Wednesday nights. We ate some chili and watched some football in our student life center and simply enjoyed each other. Days like these remind me of the importance of seeing our students as individuals and not as an entire ministry. That it's the individual parts that make up the whole. It can become challenging week after week when the room is packed and the energy is high to try to create a perfect atmosphere of perfectly behaved people. However, the truth is that because there are no perfect people, there will always be some challenges. God simply wants us to remember that each person represents a life, and each life has both ebs and flows, ups and downs, successes and failures. My job is to just love people! That's why I love what I do. This Thanksgiving season, let me challenge you to never forget that your friends are a gift from God! So take care of them and love them to the best of your ability! 

Thanksgiving Comes as We Thanks-Live

Yep, it's really that time of year again. AND honestly I am so excited for Thanksgiving. I am excited that my wife's parents are coming to spend the holiday with us in Oklahoma and I'm anticipating the time I will have to set aside for my family. I can't wait. We are just a few days away from our Turkey Bowl and all of the ISM festivities. AND this November we have kicked off a brand new series at ISM with our students entitled, "Servolution". The series is inspired from Dino Rizzo's book that bares the same title and emphasizes our role as people who know how to serve. As I began preparing for this month's theme with our students, the plan that I had and the direction I was intending to lead was quickly changed. In my prayer time and preparation I genuinely sensed God speaking to my Spirit that during this season of Thanksgiving the message for my students and leaders was to be one about "thanks-living". Let's face it, one of the best ways that we can show our thanks and our grateful hearts is by learning to live out that life of thanks and serve others. So in a period of two days I digested Dino's book, Servolution and re-read the classic Gene Edwards, A Tale of Three Kings and God began to pour into my spirit about serving and how to encourage those He has intrusted in my ministry to become servolutionists as well. Last Wednesday night we unveiled the new theme and shared on what I called, "The Domino Effect" or the starting point of a servolution. If you would like to listen to that message you can do so by going to www.ignitionstudents.com and clicking on the podcast link. I hope you have an awesome Thanksgiving holiday this month. My prayer for your life is that when you have the opportunity to serve someone that you will step out and make a difference in their life as you serve them!