Fa La La La La La La La La... Sorry I'm still in the caroling mood :-). Last night a group of around twenty adults, teens, and children gathered here at the church and went out into the community to sing Christmas carols and collect canned food for the Monroe Food Bank. With a carafe of cocoa in hand and joy in our hearts we set out to spread the Christmas cheer around our city while working to help others in need. We had the kids who were four and younger ring the door bell or knock and hand the people in their homes a card that asked for canned food donations. It was inspiring to watch young children get excited as they ran to the doors of peoples homes to sing them songs and ask for donations. Every person who opened the door welcomed us with a smile and each person was extremely thankful we stopped by. One house had a sign that said no religion, no solicitation, no politics and one of the kids rang the doorbell before I could stop them. They opened the door and we apologized that we had seen the sign after we rang the doorbell. She told us it was okay and enjoyed the music as we sang about Christ and donated food. It's amazing how the season of Christmas softens peoples hearts, where at any other time they would yell at you for knocking on their door, they welcome you with a warm smile and a generous donation. Another door was opened to us and a women and her children grinned from ear to ear as we sang to them. After we finished she let us know that they had a really difficult day and that our singing lifted their joy and was exactly what they needed.
We finished the evening back at the church with cocoa, cookies and candy canes. We all had an incredible time spreading the joy of the season. People are open and soft to hear the message of Jesus Christ during this season. Don't miss the opportunities that are all around you during this time. One way to seize this opportunity is to invite everyone you know to our Christmas Eve services at 5pm, 6:30pm and 8pm here at The Rock Church.
12/13/07
11/7/07
U R Beautiful
You're Beautiful; you’re beautiful it's true. From the words of James Blunt, which I happen to be listening to right now that it might inspire me to write this blog post, you’re beautiful. How many of you out in the blogisphere have ever felt the opposite of beautiful? I certainly cannot count on my fingers and toes how many times I have felt ugly whether inside and out. I think all of us struggle with a desire to be beautiful, especially in the eyes of someone we like or love. We want to be beautiful. We want to feel beautiful and we want others to see us as beautiful and because of this desire so often we compromise our identity, our image and ultimately our beauty by trying to be beautiful in the eyes of another. Let me give you an example.
In 8th grade I was in "love" with this girl. I wanted so badly for her to like me yet every feeble attempt to do so failed. I changed the way I dressed, talked, and acted. I even changed my likes and dislikes to try and get this girl to like me. I wrapped up whether or not I was beautiful in this one girl and in doing so wrapped up my image and identity in her. When she ended up wanting nothing to do with me I was crushed. Not only did I not think I was beautiful, but because my identity and image was in her, I didn't know who I was or was supposed to be. As Matthew 10:39 says, whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. NIV. What does this mean? It means that if we try to find our beauty, image, identity i.e. life in another person, in an occupation, hobby, sport and on and on we will lose our life... our identity, beauty, image. BUT! If we lose our life to Him, if we say, "God I surrender trying to find myself in everything else and I lose my self in you," we will find our life, image, identity and beauty.
U R beautiful! We cannot look to others and other things for our beauty, identity and image. We've got to lose our self to Christ and in doing so find life. U R beautiful! You are made in the image of God, by the hands of God, according to His perfect design. You are perfect in His eyes and He calls you beautiful. Lose yourself in Him.
In 8th grade I was in "love" with this girl. I wanted so badly for her to like me yet every feeble attempt to do so failed. I changed the way I dressed, talked, and acted. I even changed my likes and dislikes to try and get this girl to like me. I wrapped up whether or not I was beautiful in this one girl and in doing so wrapped up my image and identity in her. When she ended up wanting nothing to do with me I was crushed. Not only did I not think I was beautiful, but because my identity and image was in her, I didn't know who I was or was supposed to be. As Matthew 10:39 says, whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. NIV. What does this mean? It means that if we try to find our beauty, image, identity i.e. life in another person, in an occupation, hobby, sport and on and on we will lose our life... our identity, beauty, image. BUT! If we lose our life to Him, if we say, "God I surrender trying to find myself in everything else and I lose my self in you," we will find our life, image, identity and beauty.
U R beautiful! We cannot look to others and other things for our beauty, identity and image. We've got to lose our self to Christ and in doing so find life. U R beautiful! You are made in the image of God, by the hands of God, according to His perfect design. You are perfect in His eyes and He calls you beautiful. Lose yourself in Him.
10/21/07
U R Made
"I am an accident." I cannot tell you how many times I have heard those words and every time it breaks my heart because U R Made. Each and every one of us is custom, tailor made by the hand of God. In fact there are three things we need to know about how we were made.
First God thought about you before He made you. In fact, you were thought of long before He even said, "let there be light." Think about it. God is creating the earth, speaking things into existence and when He gets to the creation of man He stops and thinks about how He's going to do it. He says, "Let us make man in Our image." He thought about it, He pondered how He was going to create you. He thought about the eyes, the nose, the ears, the smile, the personality, the family and the location you would be born. He even thought about the time period you would be born. You were and are thought about. If God thought about you so intricately how then could you be an accident? You couldn’t be, accidents are unplanned, and you were planned by the God of all creation. God thought about you and still thinks about you.
Second, God didn't just think about you He made you... with His own hands. Everything else in creation was created by the Word of God, but man was made with the hands of God in the image of God. You are hand crafted by God. He intricately wove you and made you in your mother’s womb. He made you! U R made. He gave you that smile, don't hide it or hate it. He gave you that family, love them. He gave you your personality, be who you are. You are made by the hands of God.
Third, you have the breath of God in you. Mankind is the only part of creation that God breathed His life into. The very first breath man ever took was the breath of God. Mankind is the centerpiece of creation because the breath of God resides in all of us. This is why no matter what you have done you can still accomplish what God has for you as long as there is breath in your lungs because that breath is God's and He designed you with a purpose in His image.
You were thought of, made by God's hands and you have His breath inside of you. He is the designer and you are His design. We have got to get to know our designer, so that we can live according to the design He set forth for us. You are not an accident, you have a design and the designer, God, has a plan for you!
10/18/07
Pugs!
My wife loves pugs! She has wanted one since I first met here and on Monday we had to go to the pet store to get food for our cat. On our way there as I am about to pull out onto the road, she screamed. With adrenaline pumping through my veins and eyes as big as saucers I looked at her and with an elevated voice asked her what was wrong. With joy and delight she said back, "they have pugs at the pet store." We got there and for 15 minutes she watched with delight as they laid on one another. They were pretty cute and after having to say no about 30 times to the question, "can we get one?" It is safe to say that in the near future there will be a puppy pug in the Warren household.
10/16/07
The ditches of prayer and the Word
I don’t know about you but I can tend to be an extremist. When I find a hobby I like I go to the extreme in that hobby and pursue only that hobby leaving my previous hobbies left to mourn my absence. When it comes to my times with God I have found the same to be true. I go through seasons where I am very Word focused and all of my time is spent reading the Word and times where I am prayer focused and all of my time is spent in prayer and recently God has been showing me that a balance is necessary.
Picture with me if you will that you are walking down a road. This road represents your spiritual journey. The easiest and quickest route is in the middle of the road. This is because it is the healthiest place for you to be. On either side of the road are two ditches. One ditch is the Word the other is prayer. (I cannot believe I am referring to the Word and prayer as a ditch, but go with me). It is extremely easy to find yourself only focusing on one and ending up in a ditch. While it may be the best ditch you’ve ever been in it still slows you down spiritually and creates an unbalanced spiritual diet.
In John 7:37-39 Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Water we drink when we find ourselves thirsting. The Holy Spirit is the water. Psalms 16:11 says that in God’s presence is fullness of Joy and Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is our strength. This means when we are weak we get into God’s presence, drink of the water, and get filled with joy and that joy becomes strength to us.
In John 6:35 and 48 Jesus says that He is the bread of life. Earlier in the book of John in the first chapter it says that Jesus is the word in flesh. Matthew 4:4 tells us not to live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (the Bible). All this tells us that the Word is our bread. When we read the word we stand in authority. Jesus used the Word to repel the devils temptation. When we read the Word we also receive faith Romans 10:17.
What does all this mean? Our natural bodies need both bread (food) and water to survive. If we only drink water we will become weak and eventually die and if we only eat bread the same fate awaits us. Spiritually if we only read the bible and leave no time for prayer or vice versa we will become spiritually weak and struggle to survive spiritually. Reading only the Word and not taking the time to pray leaves you in a thirsty place with little or no joy and grace. Praying only and not reading the Word leaves you in a place with little or no faith and authority. We need both. If you find yourself in a place lacking strength, joy, authority, faith, grace, evaluate your water and bread intake, get in the middle of the road and run faster than you’ve ever run before.
Picture with me if you will that you are walking down a road. This road represents your spiritual journey. The easiest and quickest route is in the middle of the road. This is because it is the healthiest place for you to be. On either side of the road are two ditches. One ditch is the Word the other is prayer. (I cannot believe I am referring to the Word and prayer as a ditch, but go with me). It is extremely easy to find yourself only focusing on one and ending up in a ditch. While it may be the best ditch you’ve ever been in it still slows you down spiritually and creates an unbalanced spiritual diet.
In John 7:37-39 Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Water we drink when we find ourselves thirsting. The Holy Spirit is the water. Psalms 16:11 says that in God’s presence is fullness of Joy and Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is our strength. This means when we are weak we get into God’s presence, drink of the water, and get filled with joy and that joy becomes strength to us.
In John 6:35 and 48 Jesus says that He is the bread of life. Earlier in the book of John in the first chapter it says that Jesus is the word in flesh. Matthew 4:4 tells us not to live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (the Bible). All this tells us that the Word is our bread. When we read the word we stand in authority. Jesus used the Word to repel the devils temptation. When we read the Word we also receive faith Romans 10:17.
What does all this mean? Our natural bodies need both bread (food) and water to survive. If we only drink water we will become weak and eventually die and if we only eat bread the same fate awaits us. Spiritually if we only read the bible and leave no time for prayer or vice versa we will become spiritually weak and struggle to survive spiritually. Reading only the Word and not taking the time to pray leaves you in a thirsty place with little or no joy and grace. Praying only and not reading the Word leaves you in a place with little or no faith and authority. We need both. If you find yourself in a place lacking strength, joy, authority, faith, grace, evaluate your water and bread intake, get in the middle of the road and run faster than you’ve ever run before.
10/9/07
Tire Trouble
As I was lounging around on my day off enjoying the football highlights on Sports Center and praying that the Yankee's would lose that night I got a call from my beautiful and incredibly talented wife. As she used the ever troubling, "you'll never guess what happened line," my mind ran through a gambit of thoughts and potential horror until she revealed the purpose for the call. "Um babe, my tire blew up and I'm on I-5 near Mountlake Terrace." She revealed that her friends husband was on the way and would fix the problem. Unfortunately I was relived that I wouldn't have to leave the comfort of my lay-z boy and Sports Center.
After a failed attempt to remove the tire, I was called out of the bullpen to retire the side. Annoyed I hoped into my car toting a hammer and some other tools, showed up onto the scene and pounded the tire off the car. Before this the gentleman helping proclaimed that I would be his hero if I could get the tire off. About 10 Seconds later the tire was off and I was another persons hero. We ended up a Les Schwab in Lynnwood and $270 later she had some new tires and I had new (badly needed) windshield wipers.
After we got home and I had a chance to process my reaction and emotions to the whole situation I realized something. I had changed. When we were dating if she had the littlest hang nail she couldn't fix, I would mount my trusty stead and don my shinning armor and come to her rescue. Now after two years of marriage she's in a real crisis and I'm annoyed. God began to confront me on this issue. Often serving others is not difficult, but serving those closest to you and who you love the most is. It's as if you get so comfortable being around them all the time you forget they need help too. It's often more difficult to serve a parent, a spouse, a sibling or a close friend than a total stranger and yet we should serve all regardless of how much they love us.
It's funny this happened because a week ago I preached on picking up a towel and serving others. We cannot sit at the table of life and just wait to be loved and serve, but rather we must get up from the table, pick up the towel, as Jesus did and serve. Where was my towel yesterday? It shows all of us need to keep growing even after we think we have it down. I learned a valuable lesson yesterday and died to self a little more. I will note however that I redeemed myself by vacuuming and doing laundry when we got home. :-)
After a failed attempt to remove the tire, I was called out of the bullpen to retire the side. Annoyed I hoped into my car toting a hammer and some other tools, showed up onto the scene and pounded the tire off the car. Before this the gentleman helping proclaimed that I would be his hero if I could get the tire off. About 10 Seconds later the tire was off and I was another persons hero. We ended up a Les Schwab in Lynnwood and $270 later she had some new tires and I had new (badly needed) windshield wipers.
After we got home and I had a chance to process my reaction and emotions to the whole situation I realized something. I had changed. When we were dating if she had the littlest hang nail she couldn't fix, I would mount my trusty stead and don my shinning armor and come to her rescue. Now after two years of marriage she's in a real crisis and I'm annoyed. God began to confront me on this issue. Often serving others is not difficult, but serving those closest to you and who you love the most is. It's as if you get so comfortable being around them all the time you forget they need help too. It's often more difficult to serve a parent, a spouse, a sibling or a close friend than a total stranger and yet we should serve all regardless of how much they love us.
It's funny this happened because a week ago I preached on picking up a towel and serving others. We cannot sit at the table of life and just wait to be loved and serve, but rather we must get up from the table, pick up the towel, as Jesus did and serve. Where was my towel yesterday? It shows all of us need to keep growing even after we think we have it down. I learned a valuable lesson yesterday and died to self a little more. I will note however that I redeemed myself by vacuuming and doing laundry when we got home. :-)
10/3/07
My blog, my blog where for art my blog?
To be totally honest, I struggle to blog on a consistent basis. If you've ever visited this page you can observe that I have not blogged in nearly five months. This makes me a bloser or blog poser. I have decide however that from here on out I will post on my blog about something every week. My goal is to work up to every day, but for now it will be every week. Sorry to those who have waited in patient anticipation for me post. I vow to thee that I will blog or my name is not TRAVIS LEE WARREN. Sorry got a little dramatic and theatric there.
Halo 3
Last Tuesday at 10:30pm I walked into Wal-Mart to purchase my very own copy of this years hottest game. The last time they released a Halo game I was there. Needless to say I am a fan and thoroughly enjoy the first person shooter. As we walked to the electronics section we discovered that a store open 24 hours was forcing us to wait outside in the cold to buy the game. Quickly I found myself an $8 fleece blanket purchased it and waited outside. Come midnight they began to let us in, in groups of twenty. I saw several people attempt to sneak in line and were met with contempt as the gaming community or nerd herd looked out for it's fellowman by protecting those who waited. At around 12:30 I purchased my copy and left with fellow gamers Pastor Rory and Shaun my brother. I took the following day off to play the game with the brotherhood of Halo fans. While have barely played the game it has lived up to the hype and continues to be a great avenue for fun!
5/9/07
TVM Saturday Nights
On March 24th we took a HUGE risk and changed our weekly youth service (6th to 12th grade) from Wednesday night at 7pm to Saturday night at 8pm for 9th grade to 24 years old. We also added more emphasis and man power (namely a band) to our Sunday morning Jr. High Service (6th - 8th grade). It has been an incredible ride and God has continued to show his faithfulness. Last year when I took over the youth ministry and became the full time youth pastor at The Rock Church we were touching 60 people a week. Now, a year later, we touch nearly 150 people a week with our Grid Friday Night outreach (40+ and most that come do not attend church), our Saturday Night Service (70+) and our Sunday Morning Jr. High (35+). All three have a different dynamic and are a lot of fun. Saturday nights, however, are crazy. From the foyer setup, to the music and lights, to the preaching it is an amazing service. One person came to me a few weeks ago and said, "I don't understand why this place is not packed with students." I told them that it would be an that it would take time. If you are a TVMer and have not been you need to come check it out. If you do come you need to invite everyone you know. God is going to grow this thing like crazy, so sit down, buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Worship
Sick Guitar shot
National Day of Prayer Sedro Woolley
Last Thursday five of my guy leaders and I went to Sedro Woolley High School to preach the word for the National Day of Prayer. A young lady in our youth ministry (Gina) set up a prayer rally in their auditorium and asked me to preach for 20 minutes. To my knowledge this is unheard of in this state. A school allowing a student to have a pastor come in and preach Jesus Christ and give an alter call before school. Maybe this is allowed, but rarely does a student put it together like Gina did. Huge props to her, I pray more young people in all youth ministries will begin to do the same.
At the event there were about 20 people, most of which were not Christ followers. In fact, there were several atheists there, including one teacher who was strongly against this event. There was even one person that professed to be a Buddhist. Side note when I gave the alter call I mentioned that the only way is Jesus Christ and he looked up and seemed to receive it. The title of my message was the side of the road. I told a story about blowing up my car and ending up on the side of the road. I also told a story about running my Dad over on the side of the road. Then I talked about the blind men on the side of the road. Many people have been run over by divorce, depression, drugs, situations, life and find themselves on the side of the road of life, blind and lost, waiting for someone to help them. The two blind me cried out, "Son of David have mercy on me." In doing so they received help. I encouraged them to cry out to Jesus when they are on the side of the road or when someone they love is in that place.
It was well received and afterwards three girls came to Gina and told here that they wanted to come to her church. One even told her that she was broken and in need. It was an incredible day with a ton of potential to grow. I am so proud of Gina and the team. Keep up the great work!
Sedro Woolley High School
The Auditorium
Me preaching
My brother and Adam
The infamous Justin Crouch
At the event there were about 20 people, most of which were not Christ followers. In fact, there were several atheists there, including one teacher who was strongly against this event. There was even one person that professed to be a Buddhist. Side note when I gave the alter call I mentioned that the only way is Jesus Christ and he looked up and seemed to receive it. The title of my message was the side of the road. I told a story about blowing up my car and ending up on the side of the road. I also told a story about running my Dad over on the side of the road. Then I talked about the blind men on the side of the road. Many people have been run over by divorce, depression, drugs, situations, life and find themselves on the side of the road of life, blind and lost, waiting for someone to help them. The two blind me cried out, "Son of David have mercy on me." In doing so they received help. I encouraged them to cry out to Jesus when they are on the side of the road or when someone they love is in that place.
It was well received and afterwards three girls came to Gina and told here that they wanted to come to her church. One even told her that she was broken and in need. It was an incredible day with a ton of potential to grow. I am so proud of Gina and the team. Keep up the great work!
Sedro Woolley High School
The Auditorium
Me preaching
My brother and Adam
The infamous Justin Crouch
4/24/07
Different levels of faith?
Pastor Jeff gave me these scriptures outlining the different levels of faith.
Weak faith (Romans 4:9; 14:1)
Lacking faith (1 Thess 3:10)
Little Faith (Matt 16:8; 14:31)
Seed Faith (Matt 17:20)
Increasing Faith (2 Cor 10:15)
Exceedingly Growing Faith (2 Thess 1:3)
Rich Faith (James 2:5)
Strong Faith (Romans 4:20)
Great Faith (Luke 7:9; Matt 8:10; 15:28)
Perfect Faith (James 2:22)
There are different levels of faith outlined in scripture. Faith needs to be obtained and built.
As I preached on Saturday, you obtain faith through the Word (Romans 10:17). You reach for the Word, listen to and apply inspired preaching and take part in sound teaching. You build your faith through prayer (Jude 1:20).
Weak faith (Romans 4:9; 14:1)
Lacking faith (1 Thess 3:10)
Little Faith (Matt 16:8; 14:31)
Seed Faith (Matt 17:20)
Increasing Faith (2 Cor 10:15)
Exceedingly Growing Faith (2 Thess 1:3)
Rich Faith (James 2:5)
Strong Faith (Romans 4:20)
Great Faith (Luke 7:9; Matt 8:10; 15:28)
Perfect Faith (James 2:22)
There are different levels of faith outlined in scripture. Faith needs to be obtained and built.
As I preached on Saturday, you obtain faith through the Word (Romans 10:17). You reach for the Word, listen to and apply inspired preaching and take part in sound teaching. You build your faith through prayer (Jude 1:20).
4/16/07
What a weekend
WOW! This is all I can say after experiencing what I experienced this weekend. It all started with our TVM High School and College age service on Saturday night. I preached a message on the door of fulfillment and how it is unlocked and opened with obedience. John 14 says if you love me obey my commandments. The point of my message was that if you fulfill the commands of Christ then you'll be fulfilled. The commands I was talking about are Baptism and Communion. After the alter call I challenged the young people to get baptized if they needed to. We did not announce the week before that we would be doing this, so it was completely spontaneous. 5 young people stood up and we sent them back to change (we had shorts, shirts and towels waiting). We then took communion together at the alter which was a somber and powerful moment. After communion I took the mic, walked over to the tube and began to talk some more as I took my shoes and socks off. I then got into the tub fully clothed and challenged those sitting down that needed to be in the tub to get over here fully clothed and get in. 11 people responded! This was my first time ever baptizing people and I got the opportunity to baptize my sister and her fiancé. Just thinking about it right now is getting me fired up and I probably won’t be able to sleep.
The story continues. This morning during first service Pastor Jeff Knight preached a similar message (we prepared them together) and we saw people respond like crazy. After he baptized those who had changes, he being fully clothed in the water, he put out the call to those still fully clothed and we saw such a powerful response I could not stop the tears from flowing. The next service was our Jr. High service, which had close to 30 students in it. I preached the same message as the night before and had an alter call. We prayed the prayer of salvation and I asked if this was anyone's first time. 6 kids stood up. That's 6 first time salvations! I then told them they needed to get baptized, so they went and changed. Like the night before I encouraged others to get baptized and 7 more students responded a total of 13. We all went over to the Worship Center and Pastor Jeff baptized the Jr. High students and the adults that were there. He asked for those fully clothed to come that needed to be baptized and again many came. It was unbelievable.
I was sitting next to a guy that was sitting next to his friend that just got saved the week before. He kept trying to get his friend to go up and get baptized, but he'd have none of it, so he turned to me and asked me to pray with him that God would work on his friend’s heart. We quietly did so, said amen and continued to watch. All of the sudden out of the corner of my eye there was his friend. He had snuck out and changed because God was working on his heart.
This weekend was incredible. God is doing amazing things at The Rock Church. I heard many people say they had never seen anything like it and I concur. There were eyes filled with tears, people standing and shouting for joy, and real life change happening at the waters of baptism. Today proves why all that we do is all about the weekend… because that is where all of our prayers and hard work produce a harvest in people’s lives. I love this place!
The story continues. This morning during first service Pastor Jeff Knight preached a similar message (we prepared them together) and we saw people respond like crazy. After he baptized those who had changes, he being fully clothed in the water, he put out the call to those still fully clothed and we saw such a powerful response I could not stop the tears from flowing. The next service was our Jr. High service, which had close to 30 students in it. I preached the same message as the night before and had an alter call. We prayed the prayer of salvation and I asked if this was anyone's first time. 6 kids stood up. That's 6 first time salvations! I then told them they needed to get baptized, so they went and changed. Like the night before I encouraged others to get baptized and 7 more students responded a total of 13. We all went over to the Worship Center and Pastor Jeff baptized the Jr. High students and the adults that were there. He asked for those fully clothed to come that needed to be baptized and again many came. It was unbelievable.
I was sitting next to a guy that was sitting next to his friend that just got saved the week before. He kept trying to get his friend to go up and get baptized, but he'd have none of it, so he turned to me and asked me to pray with him that God would work on his friend’s heart. We quietly did so, said amen and continued to watch. All of the sudden out of the corner of my eye there was his friend. He had snuck out and changed because God was working on his heart.
This weekend was incredible. God is doing amazing things at The Rock Church. I heard many people say they had never seen anything like it and I concur. There were eyes filled with tears, people standing and shouting for joy, and real life change happening at the waters of baptism. Today proves why all that we do is all about the weekend… because that is where all of our prayers and hard work produce a harvest in people’s lives. I love this place!
4/4/07
Working out?!
What am I thinking? I don’t really know, but I know that I need to get into shape. I gained 30 pounds last year and am struggling to keep up on the basketball court. Today was the third day of a workout and diet that my wife and I are doing. The workout program is called P90X (the x stands for extreme). The first day we did chest and back, it was crazy. It was full of pull ups and push ups and I don’t know that I have ever been sorer in my life. The next day we did plyometrics which is a jumping cardio exercise and I could only do 30 minutes out of 55, it’s intense. Today I got up at 6am with Gia and we worked our arms and shoulders. It is really hard and crazy. I have been limping around for three days in pain as my body attempts to recuperate. It’s a lot of fun but intense and the diet sucks :-). It’s a 90 day program, we’re three days in and in 87 days I will have a fine bod! Maybe… :-)
3/23/07
Commonly Asked Questions
The youth team put together some commonly asked questions about the youth ministry and here they are:
Commonly Asked Questions
What is TVM?
TVM stands for Total Velocity Ministries which is the youth ministry of The Rock Church and was founded by our Senior Pastor, Pastor Jeff Knight, in 1997.
What is Grid 29:11 or The Grid?
Grid 29:11 is the 8100 square foot youth facility of The Rock Church
What does Grid 29:11 stand for?
The Grid portion of a name is a cool name we came up with that has no meaning other than that it is cool. The 29:11 portion comes from Jeremiah 29:11 which says that God has a plan and purpose for all of our lives. The reason behind that is that it is our prayer that in the Grid our students will discover God’s plan and purpose for their life and find hope in God.
Can I attend Saturday Nights with my student?
First and foremost we would never want Saturday nights to replace anyone’s attendance to Sunday mornings. The most important part of anyone’s spiritual development is to sit under the word with their pastor. With that being said, you are more than welcome to come on Saturday nights with your student. In fact we encourage that you come from time to time to hear the heart of our youth pastor and show your support for you student. It is also a great opportunity to worship with your student. Another great opportunity to attend a service with your student is our Fuel service which happens on the 4th Wednesday of every month.
Can I attend Sunday mornings with my student?
While we do encourage parent participation we ask that for our Sunday morning service parents do not make a regular habit of attending our Jr. High service. This helps us preserve an atmosphere that is safe for our Jr. High students to grow. We also ask that on these days that you attend first service with Pastor Jeff and then attend our Jr. High service.
What do you teach my student(s)?
Every week either Pastor Travis or an approved TVM leader will deliver a message to the students. As Pastor Travis often says, we are not interested in sharing our opinions, but God’s and therefore we preach from the bible and not from opinion. If an opinion is shared it is represented as a personal opinion and not as biblical or God’s opinion. The topics of our message are driven by what Pastor Jeff is preaching on. At The Rock Church we want every age group, Children’s, Students and Adults learning about the same basic topics (i.e., friendship, adversity, relationships) so that parents can share with their children the insights they’ve learned and healthy dialog can come about as a result. For more information on the doctrine of the church visit http://www.therockchurch.info/about/beliefs.shtml.
Why are we moving TVM Wednesday Nights to Saturday nights at 8pm?
Out of the hundreds of reasons we have come up with there are seven that we specifically want to touch on.
1. The overall atmosphere – In order to reach this generation we need to provide two atmospheres: one that promotes relationships and one that promotes spiritual growth. Grid 29:11 provides the relationship building atmosphere, while our worship center provides the best atmosphere for spiritual growth because of the ability for creativity with the video and lights. The worship center provides the right atmosphere of those powerful “God moments” where He touches our lives and changes us forever.
2. Fuel Weekly – We are going to make our service that Fuel atmosphere weekly. What does that mean? It means service in the Worship Center, longer and louder worship and some of the creative elements that you would see at Fuel.
3. College target – There is simply nothing specifically targeted at our growing group of college age students. They have been pleading for us to do something about this and so we are.
4. Maturity – Combining College and high school will allow for greater maturity in all of our students and allow us to tackle real life and difficult issues or questions that young people have.
5. Athletes and availability – With the exception of the occasional dance there is nothing going on, on Saturday nights to keep high school and college aged people from attending our services. This will allow us to reach out to the athletes in our community that were unable to attend on Wednesday nights.
6. Compliments Grid Friday Nights (GFN) – GFN is doing so well attracting students who do not attend a church, but telling a student about church happening five days away leaves a lot of room for them to forget. With the service happening the next night, it will allow GFN to be a more effective outreach and we will have something for students to do on Friday and Saturday nights.
7. Jr. High Sunday morning worship experience – The Jr. High students are as important to TVM as any other age group and we desire to give to them a service that gives them the proper atmosphere to grow relationally and spiritually. To do this we feel that they need their own service. We are going to take our current Sunday morning model and add some new elements of creativity and fun.
What is the age group that can come to Saturday nights?
Saturday nights are targeted at high school and college age students and therefore the music, the message, and the overall atmosphere will be targeted at them. With that said, anyone can come. We will not turn anyone away unless there is a safety problem or concern. So whether you are in Jr. High, High School, and College or wish were one of those ages, you are welcome to attend. We do ask that if at all possible you make Sunday mornings your priority.
How, with older age groups attending, are we going to keep our students safe?
We will continue our check in procedures at our services for high school and college students. This means that we will have trained check in personnel watching who is coming through our doors. We will also have trained security personnel all over the building watching to be sure that our students are safe. One of their main purposes will be to watch for any individual who has ill intentions. Our student’s safety is our top priority.
Why are we separating out the Jr. High?
The Jr. High students are extremely important to this church and to Pastor Travis and we feel in order for them to grow relationally and spiritually as we desire they need their own service. We have committed to place as much emphasis and importance on Sunday mornings that we do on Saturday nights. In order to build community and relationships amongst our Jr. High students, they need their own time and their own space. We are so excited about adding worship to Sunday mornings, as well as other creative elements to make this the best service around aimed at Jr. High students.
What is our ministry philosophy?
Our ministry philosophy is to present the Gospel of Jesus in a real and relevant way to the generation. We believe that if the Gospel is presented in a way that is understandable it will be irresistible. To do this with the next generation relevance and creativity are needed. So we believe in using drama, current events, outreach, and secular music that doesn’t contain immoral messages and anything else that does not compromise our integrity or morality. We believe in providing safe and fun atmospheres where students can be themselves, walls can be broken down and they can receive the message of Jesus Christ. We believe in relevance, but we will not under any circumstance water down or compromise the Word of God to make it easier or safer for anyone to come to Christ. We also believe in setting a road map for student’s spiritual journey, so that when they graduate high school or in their early years of college they have gone through our TVM Steps. See below for a break down of the TVM Steps.
What are the TVM Steps?
The TVM Steps are a road map, a journey that we desire to take students on to give them a solid in their spiritual life. They are as follows:
Proverbs 4:12 “When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble.”
Step ONE: Be There: “Check it out”
Show up on Wednesday nights at 7pm, Sunday Jr. High service at 11:00am, or attend one of our small groups called Reach Teams. Regardless, come and see what we’re all about.
Step TWO: Come again: “Get your card”
Return for a second service to get your own Grid ID card. We welcome you back and cannot wait to get to know you more.
Step THREE: VIP Party: “Meet the team”
Every 4th Wednesday of the month from 6:00 to 6:45 we open the Grid just for you and provide you the opportunity to meet the TVM leadership team, as well as meet other students.
Step FOUR: Reach Teams: “Get plugged in”
Every week in a city near you a regional reach team (small group) meets for two reasons. The first is to hang out, have fun and get to know one another. The second is to discover how to become the man or woman God designed you to be. “Get plugged in,” build relationships with your peers and learn the Word.
Step FIVE: Encounters Retreat: “Get the Junk out”
Encounters Retreat is an overnight experience where we seriously deal with the sin of our past, present and learn that God has already forgiven the sin of our future. This retreat is necessary for all Christ followers who are on their journey towards the destiny God has for their life.
Now it’s time for you to get involved. At this point should you choose to make yourself available. It’s time for you to serve in the ministry and be a part of Connecting People to Life. Or if your current situation doesn’t allow for this, but only remaining faithful in coming, then make that your priority.
Step SIX: Student Leaders: “Lead your Generation”
Student leaders are just that, students who serve and lead in TVM. From the worship team, to greeters, to the café, to outreaches, to reach teams, these are students who give their time to help in reaching their generation.
Step SEVEN: Internship: “Next Steps”
The internship will give you the tools, skills and character to take the next steps of life. Whether that is college or a career, the internship should seriously be considered before continuing on. You will discover more of your purpose and destiny as well as build the character necessary for all walks of life.
What goes on in a typical TVM service?
While we try to change things up as much as possible to keep the Word relevant there are certain aspects to the service that rarely change. A typical TVM service will have some sort of opening, sometimes very creative, sometimes just a person welcoming people. We’ve started services with special songs, dramas, dances, videos and more. From there we typically go into a time of worship, where the worship team will play a whole range of songs that are relevant to that age group. After worship we might pray to transition or have someone let them know they can be seated. From there it is a surprise. We may do drama, video, poems or the offering. We believe in our students giving weekly to the vision of The Rock Church and TVM. We believe that God wants them to set a standard of tithing and giving in their life when they are young and that He wants to bless them. From there we preach. Typically messages are 20 to 30 minutes long and the content of them is geared towards the specific age group. Following the message we take an alter call for salvation and/or the topic that was presented that night. Following the alter call we typically dismiss the service then hang out in the Grid or the foyer for coffee, smoothies, games, etc.
What is Grid Friday Nights?
Grid Friday Nights is an open night at the Grid every Friday from 3pm to 12am. It is an opportunity for students from 6th grade to age 24 to come and hang out with their friends. Every portion of the Grid is open. There is skateboarding, billiards, foosball, video games, board games, café, basketball and more. In addition to these, we hold frequent theme nights and competitions. For a list of these theme nights and competitions check out www.myspace.com/grid2911. Grid Friday Nights is staffed with volunteers who run the café, security, and events. To volunteer see below.
How do I become a TVM volunteer?
Thank you for asking. We can always use more people with a heart to serve the next generation. The safety of our students both physically and spiritually is our number one priority, so in order for any person to volunteer they must fill out an application that can be picked up at The Rock Church office or the information kiosk during services. Once they have filled out an application we will do a background check on each individual and then check their references. When everything checks out okay, we then place each person in the area of ministry that they have requested or best fits their skills. After this is done each individual will go through a training time, then a period of job shadowing another volunteer and finally will be placed on the volunteer schedule where they serve the next generation. Additional training and meetings are sometimes required throughout the year.
How do we train our TVM volunteers?
We believe that the key to safety for our students and satisfied volunteers is to train people how to do their job effectively. In order to do this we schedule regular trainings on Saturdays before our youth service to train volunteers on their position. The training takes 2 hours, where we go over policies and procedures, safety concerns, the heart and vision behind first impressions, as well as play some team building games. Following the training is our Saturday night youth service where the new volunteers will job shadow another volunteer to see what is required of their position.
What is a TVM leader?
A TVM leader is someone who has been approved by Pastor Travis and/or Pastors Jeff and Melinda. TVM leaders are volunteers who direct different departments. They are the only people who are approved to teach, preach, and pray with students. Currently there are seven directors who lead in TVM. They are:
Dan Hudson - Jr. High Director
Jaisa Cohn - Café Director
Gia Warren - TVM Greeter Director
Justin Crouch - Grid Friday Nights Director, Production Director
Kyle Davis - Security Director
Stefanie Celix - Check-in/Guest Services Director, Follow Up Director
Jenny Brien - Events Director
Along with these seven there are several other individuals who are TVM leaders and help lead the way in the youth ministry.
What is the character of a TVM leader?
TVM leaders are intrinsically involved in the spiritual development of our students and therefore we take the content of their character very seriously. The requirements are taken out of our Connection Point manual and Acts 6:3.
Must be a person of good reputation.
Must be full of Wisdom.
Must be full of the Holy Spirit.
Must have regular quiet times.
Must be a Member in good standing. The requirements for this are as follows:
- Remain faithful in loving the Lord.
- Love each other.
- Consistent attendance to Sunday Church. This means you must attend one Sunday service a week, unless out of town.
- Weekly tithing to support the church.
- Strategic giving and offerings.
- Compassion with difference.
- Serving in the ministry.
- Respecting church and its leaders.
Proven Leadership skills/experience.
Proven communication skills.
Proven team building skills.
Proven planning and organization skills.
What is Pastor Travis’ favorite meal?
Pastor Travis’ favorite meal is artichokes and spaghetti with garlic bread. He also loves Chinese food.
If Pastor Travis could be an animal what would he be?
A Lion, Tiger or Eagle, but definitely not an Owl. J
What does Pastor Travis do on his day off?
First he sleeps in, and then prays, then any of the following:
Shopping
SCUBA diving
Hangs out with his wife
Video games
Reads books
Lays around in his PJ’s all day, yes all day.
Watches TV
Movies
Cleans his room J
Turns off his cell phone
Can Pastor Travis fix my car?
No, the last person you want working on your motor vehicle is him. As he has said in his messages, he is responsible for blowing up one car and nearly putting windshield wiper fluid in the oil compartment on his wife’s car.
What is Pastor Travis’ favorite scripture?
It changes but right now it’s Romans 12:1-2, sometimes its Galatians 2:20 and others it’s Jesus wept, so you never really know, but it’s going to be good.
Commonly Asked Questions
What is TVM?
TVM stands for Total Velocity Ministries which is the youth ministry of The Rock Church and was founded by our Senior Pastor, Pastor Jeff Knight, in 1997.
What is Grid 29:11 or The Grid?
Grid 29:11 is the 8100 square foot youth facility of The Rock Church
What does Grid 29:11 stand for?
The Grid portion of a name is a cool name we came up with that has no meaning other than that it is cool. The 29:11 portion comes from Jeremiah 29:11 which says that God has a plan and purpose for all of our lives. The reason behind that is that it is our prayer that in the Grid our students will discover God’s plan and purpose for their life and find hope in God.
Can I attend Saturday Nights with my student?
First and foremost we would never want Saturday nights to replace anyone’s attendance to Sunday mornings. The most important part of anyone’s spiritual development is to sit under the word with their pastor. With that being said, you are more than welcome to come on Saturday nights with your student. In fact we encourage that you come from time to time to hear the heart of our youth pastor and show your support for you student. It is also a great opportunity to worship with your student. Another great opportunity to attend a service with your student is our Fuel service which happens on the 4th Wednesday of every month.
Can I attend Sunday mornings with my student?
While we do encourage parent participation we ask that for our Sunday morning service parents do not make a regular habit of attending our Jr. High service. This helps us preserve an atmosphere that is safe for our Jr. High students to grow. We also ask that on these days that you attend first service with Pastor Jeff and then attend our Jr. High service.
What do you teach my student(s)?
Every week either Pastor Travis or an approved TVM leader will deliver a message to the students. As Pastor Travis often says, we are not interested in sharing our opinions, but God’s and therefore we preach from the bible and not from opinion. If an opinion is shared it is represented as a personal opinion and not as biblical or God’s opinion. The topics of our message are driven by what Pastor Jeff is preaching on. At The Rock Church we want every age group, Children’s, Students and Adults learning about the same basic topics (i.e., friendship, adversity, relationships) so that parents can share with their children the insights they’ve learned and healthy dialog can come about as a result. For more information on the doctrine of the church visit http://www.therockchurch.info/about/beliefs.shtml.
Why are we moving TVM Wednesday Nights to Saturday nights at 8pm?
Out of the hundreds of reasons we have come up with there are seven that we specifically want to touch on.
1. The overall atmosphere – In order to reach this generation we need to provide two atmospheres: one that promotes relationships and one that promotes spiritual growth. Grid 29:11 provides the relationship building atmosphere, while our worship center provides the best atmosphere for spiritual growth because of the ability for creativity with the video and lights. The worship center provides the right atmosphere of those powerful “God moments” where He touches our lives and changes us forever.
2. Fuel Weekly – We are going to make our service that Fuel atmosphere weekly. What does that mean? It means service in the Worship Center, longer and louder worship and some of the creative elements that you would see at Fuel.
3. College target – There is simply nothing specifically targeted at our growing group of college age students. They have been pleading for us to do something about this and so we are.
4. Maturity – Combining College and high school will allow for greater maturity in all of our students and allow us to tackle real life and difficult issues or questions that young people have.
5. Athletes and availability – With the exception of the occasional dance there is nothing going on, on Saturday nights to keep high school and college aged people from attending our services. This will allow us to reach out to the athletes in our community that were unable to attend on Wednesday nights.
6. Compliments Grid Friday Nights (GFN) – GFN is doing so well attracting students who do not attend a church, but telling a student about church happening five days away leaves a lot of room for them to forget. With the service happening the next night, it will allow GFN to be a more effective outreach and we will have something for students to do on Friday and Saturday nights.
7. Jr. High Sunday morning worship experience – The Jr. High students are as important to TVM as any other age group and we desire to give to them a service that gives them the proper atmosphere to grow relationally and spiritually. To do this we feel that they need their own service. We are going to take our current Sunday morning model and add some new elements of creativity and fun.
What is the age group that can come to Saturday nights?
Saturday nights are targeted at high school and college age students and therefore the music, the message, and the overall atmosphere will be targeted at them. With that said, anyone can come. We will not turn anyone away unless there is a safety problem or concern. So whether you are in Jr. High, High School, and College or wish were one of those ages, you are welcome to attend. We do ask that if at all possible you make Sunday mornings your priority.
How, with older age groups attending, are we going to keep our students safe?
We will continue our check in procedures at our services for high school and college students. This means that we will have trained check in personnel watching who is coming through our doors. We will also have trained security personnel all over the building watching to be sure that our students are safe. One of their main purposes will be to watch for any individual who has ill intentions. Our student’s safety is our top priority.
Why are we separating out the Jr. High?
The Jr. High students are extremely important to this church and to Pastor Travis and we feel in order for them to grow relationally and spiritually as we desire they need their own service. We have committed to place as much emphasis and importance on Sunday mornings that we do on Saturday nights. In order to build community and relationships amongst our Jr. High students, they need their own time and their own space. We are so excited about adding worship to Sunday mornings, as well as other creative elements to make this the best service around aimed at Jr. High students.
What is our ministry philosophy?
Our ministry philosophy is to present the Gospel of Jesus in a real and relevant way to the generation. We believe that if the Gospel is presented in a way that is understandable it will be irresistible. To do this with the next generation relevance and creativity are needed. So we believe in using drama, current events, outreach, and secular music that doesn’t contain immoral messages and anything else that does not compromise our integrity or morality. We believe in providing safe and fun atmospheres where students can be themselves, walls can be broken down and they can receive the message of Jesus Christ. We believe in relevance, but we will not under any circumstance water down or compromise the Word of God to make it easier or safer for anyone to come to Christ. We also believe in setting a road map for student’s spiritual journey, so that when they graduate high school or in their early years of college they have gone through our TVM Steps. See below for a break down of the TVM Steps.
What are the TVM Steps?
The TVM Steps are a road map, a journey that we desire to take students on to give them a solid in their spiritual life. They are as follows:
Proverbs 4:12 “When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble.”
Step ONE: Be There: “Check it out”
Show up on Wednesday nights at 7pm, Sunday Jr. High service at 11:00am, or attend one of our small groups called Reach Teams. Regardless, come and see what we’re all about.
Step TWO: Come again: “Get your card”
Return for a second service to get your own Grid ID card. We welcome you back and cannot wait to get to know you more.
Step THREE: VIP Party: “Meet the team”
Every 4th Wednesday of the month from 6:00 to 6:45 we open the Grid just for you and provide you the opportunity to meet the TVM leadership team, as well as meet other students.
Step FOUR: Reach Teams: “Get plugged in”
Every week in a city near you a regional reach team (small group) meets for two reasons. The first is to hang out, have fun and get to know one another. The second is to discover how to become the man or woman God designed you to be. “Get plugged in,” build relationships with your peers and learn the Word.
Step FIVE: Encounters Retreat: “Get the Junk out”
Encounters Retreat is an overnight experience where we seriously deal with the sin of our past, present and learn that God has already forgiven the sin of our future. This retreat is necessary for all Christ followers who are on their journey towards the destiny God has for their life.
Now it’s time for you to get involved. At this point should you choose to make yourself available. It’s time for you to serve in the ministry and be a part of Connecting People to Life. Or if your current situation doesn’t allow for this, but only remaining faithful in coming, then make that your priority.
Step SIX: Student Leaders: “Lead your Generation”
Student leaders are just that, students who serve and lead in TVM. From the worship team, to greeters, to the café, to outreaches, to reach teams, these are students who give their time to help in reaching their generation.
Step SEVEN: Internship: “Next Steps”
The internship will give you the tools, skills and character to take the next steps of life. Whether that is college or a career, the internship should seriously be considered before continuing on. You will discover more of your purpose and destiny as well as build the character necessary for all walks of life.
What goes on in a typical TVM service?
While we try to change things up as much as possible to keep the Word relevant there are certain aspects to the service that rarely change. A typical TVM service will have some sort of opening, sometimes very creative, sometimes just a person welcoming people. We’ve started services with special songs, dramas, dances, videos and more. From there we typically go into a time of worship, where the worship team will play a whole range of songs that are relevant to that age group. After worship we might pray to transition or have someone let them know they can be seated. From there it is a surprise. We may do drama, video, poems or the offering. We believe in our students giving weekly to the vision of The Rock Church and TVM. We believe that God wants them to set a standard of tithing and giving in their life when they are young and that He wants to bless them. From there we preach. Typically messages are 20 to 30 minutes long and the content of them is geared towards the specific age group. Following the message we take an alter call for salvation and/or the topic that was presented that night. Following the alter call we typically dismiss the service then hang out in the Grid or the foyer for coffee, smoothies, games, etc.
What is Grid Friday Nights?
Grid Friday Nights is an open night at the Grid every Friday from 3pm to 12am. It is an opportunity for students from 6th grade to age 24 to come and hang out with their friends. Every portion of the Grid is open. There is skateboarding, billiards, foosball, video games, board games, café, basketball and more. In addition to these, we hold frequent theme nights and competitions. For a list of these theme nights and competitions check out www.myspace.com/grid2911. Grid Friday Nights is staffed with volunteers who run the café, security, and events. To volunteer see below.
How do I become a TVM volunteer?
Thank you for asking. We can always use more people with a heart to serve the next generation. The safety of our students both physically and spiritually is our number one priority, so in order for any person to volunteer they must fill out an application that can be picked up at The Rock Church office or the information kiosk during services. Once they have filled out an application we will do a background check on each individual and then check their references. When everything checks out okay, we then place each person in the area of ministry that they have requested or best fits their skills. After this is done each individual will go through a training time, then a period of job shadowing another volunteer and finally will be placed on the volunteer schedule where they serve the next generation. Additional training and meetings are sometimes required throughout the year.
How do we train our TVM volunteers?
We believe that the key to safety for our students and satisfied volunteers is to train people how to do their job effectively. In order to do this we schedule regular trainings on Saturdays before our youth service to train volunteers on their position. The training takes 2 hours, where we go over policies and procedures, safety concerns, the heart and vision behind first impressions, as well as play some team building games. Following the training is our Saturday night youth service where the new volunteers will job shadow another volunteer to see what is required of their position.
What is a TVM leader?
A TVM leader is someone who has been approved by Pastor Travis and/or Pastors Jeff and Melinda. TVM leaders are volunteers who direct different departments. They are the only people who are approved to teach, preach, and pray with students. Currently there are seven directors who lead in TVM. They are:
Dan Hudson - Jr. High Director
Jaisa Cohn - Café Director
Gia Warren - TVM Greeter Director
Justin Crouch - Grid Friday Nights Director, Production Director
Kyle Davis - Security Director
Stefanie Celix - Check-in/Guest Services Director, Follow Up Director
Jenny Brien - Events Director
Along with these seven there are several other individuals who are TVM leaders and help lead the way in the youth ministry.
What is the character of a TVM leader?
TVM leaders are intrinsically involved in the spiritual development of our students and therefore we take the content of their character very seriously. The requirements are taken out of our Connection Point manual and Acts 6:3.
Must be a person of good reputation.
Must be full of Wisdom.
Must be full of the Holy Spirit.
Must have regular quiet times.
Must be a Member in good standing. The requirements for this are as follows:
- Remain faithful in loving the Lord.
- Love each other.
- Consistent attendance to Sunday Church. This means you must attend one Sunday service a week, unless out of town.
- Weekly tithing to support the church.
- Strategic giving and offerings.
- Compassion with difference.
- Serving in the ministry.
- Respecting church and its leaders.
Proven Leadership skills/experience.
Proven communication skills.
Proven team building skills.
Proven planning and organization skills.
What is Pastor Travis’ favorite meal?
Pastor Travis’ favorite meal is artichokes and spaghetti with garlic bread. He also loves Chinese food.
If Pastor Travis could be an animal what would he be?
A Lion, Tiger or Eagle, but definitely not an Owl. J
What does Pastor Travis do on his day off?
First he sleeps in, and then prays, then any of the following:
Shopping
SCUBA diving
Hangs out with his wife
Video games
Reads books
Lays around in his PJ’s all day, yes all day.
Watches TV
Movies
Cleans his room J
Turns off his cell phone
Can Pastor Travis fix my car?
No, the last person you want working on your motor vehicle is him. As he has said in his messages, he is responsible for blowing up one car and nearly putting windshield wiper fluid in the oil compartment on his wife’s car.
What is Pastor Travis’ favorite scripture?
It changes but right now it’s Romans 12:1-2, sometimes its Galatians 2:20 and others it’s Jesus wept, so you never really know, but it’s going to be good.
3/1/07
one year of youth ministry has taught me...
Today marks the one year anniversary since I came on staff at The Rock Church and I figured today should be the where I make my first post on my brand new blog. There are 5 quick thoughts off the top of my head that I have learned about life and leadership this past year that I would like to share with you all.
- Passion is not an option
Don't live life without it! Find something to be passionate about and be passionate. Life is too boring without it. Whether you are about to walk onto a stage and preach or whether you are about to sit down to dinner with your family don't do it without passion. Passion attracts others to your vision. Passion keeps you focused. Passion is a choice, so choose it and don't leave home without it. - Some things just take time
When I first became the youth pastor I thought I could change every student within an earshot of my voice and we would have a youth ministry of thousands overnight because I was PASSIONATE. Well... I was wrong, very wrong. First, it cannot be built by me, but by God and second, some things just take time. It takes time to cultivate a loving relationship with your spouse. It takes time to raise children the way God desires and yes it takes time to grow a ministry and change a generation. Time is your friend, so enjoy every minute of it! - Rest is a must
Passionate, vision filled, driven people will work until they collapse from exhaustion, but I have found that it is only when I take time to rest and do things I love that my passion is filled back up, my vision gets clearer and my creativity is reenergized. It’s easy, in the name of the vision, to work too hard, so take time off and rest. - In order to grow you must first grow yourself then your leaders
Personal leadership development is a must. If you want your ministry, your relationships, your children, your life to grow, you need to work on developing yourself. In ministry you not only need to develop yourself, but your leaders. The more your leaders grow, the more people you can affect, the more your ministry grows, the more people are changed. - At the end of the day share the love
Ministry, leadership and life throws us all kinds of situations and it’s easy to forget that we are here to help one another. It's easy with all the conflict in relationships and leadership to forget to share the love. Love covers all sins, it says in the Old Testament. When you find yourself frustrated and too focused on the task, share the love with those around you. People like to be around people who are loving.
This is my first of many posts. Last year has been one of the greatest of my life and everyday I love to wake up and reach this generation. Enjoy!
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