Crazy cool video

I saw this video from YouTube on another blog and I had to show it here. We should totally do something like this sometime.

Wind of Change

The wind of change has been blowing recently in my life and I can't help but think of the Scorpions song, "wind of change." It always gets stuck in my head when I think of it and pretty soon I'm singing at the top of my lungs TAKE ME TO THE MAGIC OF THE MOMENT ON A GLORY NIGHT WHERE THE CHILDREN OF TOMORROW DREAM AWAY THE WIND OF CHANGE. Then I'm whistling the tune in the song and pretty soon I'm wearing acid wash jeans and rocking the mullet! ;-)

Seriously though a ton of stuff has been changing and I cannot help but be excited beyond expression. I've been working feverishly to make some changes in the youth ministry that will cause our impact to multiply overnight. In the spirit of all this change I also changed my hair style and changed my clock forward an hour (day light savings). A whole lot of change happening and I am stoked.

I'll be writing more about it soon!

Vision

"Where there is no vision the people perish," Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)


When I close my eyes and dream out our church reaching out to youth, do you know what I see? I'll tell you! I see...

- Thousands of students gathered at the Everett Event Center once a month hailing from cities all over Snohomish County. Not just attending, but a real, passionate devotion to Christ.

- GRID Campuses in Sultan, Duvall, Woodinville, Snohomish, Lake Stevens, Everett and Marysville.

- Services happening at the same time in different cities with different worship teams and different leaders touching a generation.

- Leaders taking the role of Campus pastors and overseeing hundreds of young people.

- A momentum and synergy in the youth of Snohomish County.

- A love in the hearts of young people. A love for each other, a love for community, a love for parents, and above a love for God.

- Holiness in the midst of a culture where nothing is sacred. A generation of young people against evil, but not people, they love the people who are in darkness.

When I close my eyes this is what I see.

When you close your eyes what do you see? What do you see for your life, your kids, your community?

Friends

Yesterday Gia and I got the opportunity to hand out with our best friends, Adam and Randa. It had been far too long since we spent some time together and as I was laying in bed last night awake from the Red Bull Ak and I partook of and I thought about how fun and refreshing it is to hang out friends who have the same values, goals and vision that you do.

Adam and Randa are two of the most loving, loyal and fun people I know and I get the incredible honor of being their friends and having them involved in our youth ministry. Gia and I had an incredible time going to Borders and watching a movie with them. We then went to their house where Adam and I played Guitar Hero 3 while they made my Mom's special spaghetti, which was delicious. We all ate it while watching last weeks episode of lost (crazy). All in all one of the funnest days I've had in a while.

In this life we need friends that refresh us. We need friends that bring the best out in us and that we can let our guard down and just have fun with. Make sure you spend time with friends like these and the next time your out with them buy them dinner or a movie to say thank you for all the good times!

GRID Tonight!

We have our weekly youth service tonight and I am preaching a message titled Purity, what it is... Today also marks my two year anniversary of becoming a full time youth pastor. It has been an incredible two years and I'll try and post something about the two things I've learned in two years this weekend some time. I've learned more than two, but to keep it short I'll pick the two biggest and run with it.

Also I was up all last night sick with the same crud my wife had, but I'm feeling a little better today and will be ready to preach come 8pm!

Mitosis Promo Video

This year's speakers at Mitosis are Frank Damazio, Senior Pastor of City Bible Church in Portland, OR and Tony Morgan, Chief Strategic Officer of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. Also joining our guests will be Ken Holsinger, Creative Pastor of Capital Christian Center in Boise, ID. These three leaders will invigorate your spirit and refresh your God-appointed vision in building the church.

Guam here I come!

I recently got invited to speak in Guam for a week at a youth camp. I got the approval and all I needed was for to purchase an airline ticket and I was on my way. The airfare for a trip to Guam is around $1700, so I was asking God how I would pay for it. A couple in the church came up to me on Sunday, told me they heard about my being invited to Guam and that they would like to purchase my ticket! Praise God! I'm so excited and cannot wait to take an impartation of passion, vision and God's presence to the young people of Guam. My prayer is that we leave that place on fire for their city, their island and their generation!

The trip is June 15th to the 22nd, so be praying for a mighty outpouring on the island and for a day of SCUBA diving ;-).

Mitosis

This conference is a MUST attend. It is going to be incredible. I cannot wait for the impartation that will come from the high caliber leaders that will be speaking at it. Get signed up today at www.mitosisconference.com. Here is the graphic, I'll upload the promo video as soon as I get it.

FUEL THIS WEDNESDAY!!!

Fuel is coming up tomorrow night at 7pm! It's going to be an incredible night of worship and inspired preaching.

Tomorrow nights message will be preached by yours truly and is titled Prison Break!
See you there!

Possessed by Purity

We are all possessed! You're possessed, I'm possessed, your momma is possessed, your daddy is possessed, everyone of us is possessed.

Dictionary.com defines the word possessed as:

1. To have as property; own.
2. To have as a quality, characteristic, or other attribute: possessed great tact.
3. To acquire mastery of or have knowledge of: possess valuable data.
To gain or exert influence or control over; dominate: Fury possessed me.
To control or maintain (one's nature) in a particular condition: I possessed my
temper despite the insult.

4. To cause to own, hold, or master something, such as property or knowledge.
5. To cause to be influenced or controlled, as by an idea or emotion.

We are all possessed by either the flesh or the Father. Either our flesh has property and ownership, it gains or exerts influence or control over our lives and dominates us, or the Father does.

If we are possessed (owned) by the flesh we will fulfill or walk according to the lust of our flesh (Gal 5:16).

If we are possessed (owned) by the Father we will fulfill or walk according to the spirit (Gal 5:16)

It's our choice to be owned by the flesh or the father. Look to Psalm 51:10 for a prayer to begin the shift from flesh to father. (It's not a bad idea to pray the whole thing over your life either.)

To maintain this ownership of the Father pray Psalm 139:23 over your life. Pray these prayers and watch your life become possessed by purity!