Passionately Following Jesus
Frank Caliendo from Frank TV does some great impersonations in these two videos. The first one is of Charles Barkley and the second is of Jim Rome…its worth about 5 minutes of your day to watch these!
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=akB8gfCMTDg]
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=3s8BZjcP3qU&feature=related]
If you could impersonate anyone, who would it be?
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — It seemed like an almost literal answer to their prayers. When two New Zealand pilots ran out of fuel in a microlight airplane they offered prayers and were able to make an emergency landing in a field — coming to rest right next to a sign reading, “Jesus is Lord.” [Read Entire Article]
When is the last time God answered a prayer for you, and it was as obvious as Him putting a sign right in front of your face? Share…
The Georgia Purpose Driven Youth Ministry Network Lunch is being held THIS Thursday, May 29, at Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church in Atlanta Georgia. If you are a part of the PDYM Network or if you are interested in being a part of it, please make plans to attend.
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Cost: $5 to help cover lunch
For Directions visit: www.destinymetro.org or Map Quest: 1775 Water Place SE – Atlanta, GA 30339 – Phone # 770-509-9010 (Latasha Morrison)
This is a great opportunity to connect with other like minded youth workers who are facing some of the same issues and struggles that you do in the trenches of student ministry. Doug Fields sent us a special training video (Exclusive Only for the PDYM Network), free resources for all who attend, and other tools and resources for door prizes.
**I am doing a special drawing for everyone who RSVPs in advance, so if you are planning on attending, let us know!**
For more information on the lunch or to find out more about the PDYM Network and how to balance your student ministry based on the 5 Biblical purposes, contact one of these Georgia PDYM Mentors:
Nick Carnes (Me) – Email
Jeffery Wallace – Email
Latasha Morrison – Email
Hope to see you there!
For approximately 7 years I served both as a volunteer lead youth worker and as a full time youth pastor at a former church in our local area. I’ve seen hundreds of students come through the doors of our student ministry, some stuck with us, while others moved on. Many received Christ and others chose their own paths. I’ve sat and listened and shared with those who were broken and in need, while others felt they had their life in the palm of their hand with no worries in the world. I prayed and cried and sacrificed for student after student.
There were many days (usually Mondays and Thursdays) that I questioned whether it was all worth it. There were many days I wanted to throw in the towel and give up. There were many occasions where my heart was ripped in two because of the lack of vision for students by people who just didn’t get it, but then there was today…
The Payback. It was a long day and a very sobering one at that. Nicki and I attended two graduations that contained many students who I had the privilege of loving and investing my life in from our former church and in the community, but there were two who held special places in Nicki’s and my heart, because of their investment into our lives and into our family. We consider both Diana and Sequoia a part of our family; our adopted children. As I sat in my chair at each graduation, I could not help but to ask myself the question, “Did I do all that I could to help prepare these students for what’s going to hit them next?” “Did I help strengthen their faith to help them stand strong and hold to their beliefs?” – I guess over time I will receive my answer, but I believe because of the foundation the parents of these students helped lay for them, these students will continue to shine for Jesus throughout their life. My job was always to come along side the parents and support them and reinforce them in the life of their children as I pointed them to Jesus. These students made it. They have made me proud. And now as I look back, every Sunday was worth it, every mid-week student service was worth it, every small group lesson was worth it, every prayer…every tear…every frustration, because these students have the potential to change the world!
Who are you investing in?
Have you ever experienced one of those moments where you knew from that point on your life would be changed forever? Sometimes the realization comes hours maybe days later after the moment has passed, but then there are those times that in the present moment, it hits you!
One of my moments came when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Sure, its been several years since the hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast, but it was in that moment I saw things differently, and it affects me even today, it changed me then and the change has never subsided. I am sure the same would be said by those who survived the events of that summer and by those who spent months recovering bodies and doing the best they could to restore communities and cities and homes.
It was a Wednesday night that 6 of us embarked on a journey that transformed my life and the way I look at the blessings of God and the power that He possesses. I got to the office and was glued to the internet checking out the devastation that had wiped out much of the area. All of the staff pastors, two teenage guys, and another leader in our church decided to do something, so we rallied water and a few groceries and headed out after our midweek service, our plans were to make the 12+ hour trip throughout the night, hand out supplies and drive immediately back. Our destination was Biloxi, Mississippi. We didn’t get too far down the road and we experienced some significant problems with the RV, but we were not deterred from our goal. Fortunately we loaded up on gasoline at the last station that had it within driving distance, a couple hundred miles, we also carried numerous 5 gallon gas cans for backup. When we got to Biloxi, we were some of the first relief efforts in the area. The National Guard was there, but they were mostly scoping things out. All we had was a RV loaded with some groceries pulling a trailer full of bottled water. What was to take place was AMAZING! Continue reading “A Moment Like This”