Thoughts of a Follower

Dizzy Mummy

2010-03-22T10:05:00.001-07:00

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

2008 2009 school year of swift

2009-05-04T12:35:00.001-07:00

This is SWIFT's school year 08 09 video

MLB Predictions 2009

2009-04-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

After reading James' post, I figured I would need to post something so that way one could either be spot on, one could be off, or we both could be way off. Feel free to enter your predictions as well, but these last three days of baseball were pretty good, so here is my predictions....

American League
East- Tampa Bay Rays
Central- Kansas City Royals (I believe anything can happen in this division this year)
West- Texas Rangers
Wild Card- Boston Red Sox (I'd love to pick a wild card out of another division, but I don't think that's going to happen).

National League
East- Atlanta Braves- (This kills me to say it because I do not like them, but I believe they're back)
Central- Chicago Cubs
West- Los Angeles Dodgers
Wild Card- Houston Astros

(Yes I believe the Mets will collapse AGAIN and lose not only the East Division but also the Wild Card)

AL Playoffs
ALDS
Tampa Bay beats Kansas City in 4 games.
Boston beats Texas in 5

ALCS
Tampa Bay beats Boston in 6

NL Playoffs
NLDS
Cubs beat Braves in 4 Games
LA sweeps Houston

NLCS
Cubs get revenge on LA, but it will take 7 games.

World Series (AL wins All Star Game, Tampa gets home field)
Cubs win game 6 in Tampa to win series. The drought ends.

I hope I'm right except for the fact that I hope Chicago wins at Wrigley.

Let me know what you think.

Thoughts on spending/saving with wisdom

2009-04-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

I confess that I have not kept up on this blog really at all. I am trying to figure out the purpose of having it, or even needing it. I don't post about family updates, and I really don't post at all on my theological thoughts or anything. So, I will attempt to try to blog again a little more frequently- mostly on thoughts about God and how we as Christians should live them out to advance the cause of Christ. So, I will start with a topic that has been on my mind (and most likely others) a lot...

Thoughts on spending/saving with Godly wisdom.

When I first received my full time paycheck, I was like, "Whoa! That's a ton of money (how many youth pastors say that?)" I was honestly overwhelmed. I didn't have a clue on how to create a budget, maintain finances, or save at all. In college, I worked part time, and my three or four bills equaled what I made. Anything left over went to Buffalo Wild Wings (Sad, I know). So, I did something that may have been smart. I prayed for wisdom. I just began to pray that God would give me wisdom on how to handle these finances properly.

Almost two years later, I am thankful to say that we have not accumulated any more debt, have paid off credit cards, and are working to lower more debt and start saving. We've met with guys to help us begin to plan out, and if an extra expense comes, we have enough saved up to take care of it.

However, we know that the global economy is struggling. I've been wrestling with this. My natural reaction is that we (everyone in general) should save save save because you never know if a spouse will come home saying they lost a job. However, economists say that consumers need to start spending again. I get letters from Christian ministries everyday asking for more support because giving to them has been cut drastically. Churches are having to be very smart and really examine their budgets to make ends meet. I've seen churches not rehire after a staff person has left, churches freeze their budget, and other churches even do layoffs because the giving has dropped drastically to them.

These facts concern me because ministries do need resources to do ministry. Every week I pray for our youth ministry that God would give us 1) students to minister to 2) resources to minister with 3) fresh ideas and visions and 4) that we are in line with God's will.

After some prayer and discernment, we (my wife and I) have been looking to 1) make sure we make our financial commitments to ministries a top priority 2) continue to save as much and try to save even more than we did last year and 3) when we do decide to make a major purchase, see if we can make it in Freeport (are where we live that is struggling financially) in a non super chain store (like Wal- Mart) to help keep other business afloat.

Here are some thoughts that we came across and some plans that we are implementing....

1) Never skip on tithing. I know the debate out there that the NT never describes a tithe, but this is the amount that God has laid on our heart. 10% of our income to our church regardless. If comments say they're interested, I could do some future posts on my views of giving to the church.

2) Never give up on our Compassion child. We support a child, and we don't see this as a $32 bill every month. We will make other sacrifices if that needs to happen.

3) Create a list of what will go if you get into financial trouble. I know the first and second thing we will cut if our finances get in trouble. Sad to say it, but it is our subscription to Dish Network and Netflix. But, if things became hairy, they would go first.

4) Don't go into debt. Save up for the next thing you want, and then get it. We worked to save up for a new TV. We ended up paying less than if we put it on our card and paid interest. Yeah, we waited longer for it, but it is still here.

5) Creatively cut costs- I read articles that come up with ideas like this on MSN. One new thing that I read yesterday that we'll start is with your laptop, take the battery out while its plugged in to the wall, so that the battery doesn't constantly recharge- draining battery life and extra costs. Turn off power strips when you go home. I am excited to see what new things will come out to help cut some cost.

6) Support local economy. Sometimes, we are quick to drive off to a mall or somewhere else to get something when I could get it only ten miles away. Not only is the sales tax in Rockford ridiculous (I think I paid $8 sales tax on $50 game for my brother's Christmas gift) but it also keeps jobs closer to where I live.

What thoughts do you have about this? Any other ideas? Interested to hear what you have to say....

Thanks!

Wordle.net

2009-03-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a neat way we learned to express Scripture at YS One Day today. Just plug in Scripture, and see it is a Word Cloud. It's neat to see what is expressed and what sticks out. This is Psalm 23.

Best Christian Album Countdown of 2008

2008-12-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

Jesusfreakhideout.com released theirs, so I will release mine. This is entirely my opinion, so let me have it. This is based entirely on Christian releases, so sorry, no Coldplay here (that is a great cd though). A lot of people usually ask me for different Christian music ideas, so here it is, my best for 2008. We'll begin with honorable mentions. BTW- POD's new cd is not on this list and I only hope it serves as an encourager that they should've stopped after Satellite.

Honorable mentions.
1. Jeremy Camp- Speaking Louder than Before
2. Stellar Kart- Expect the Impossible
3. Sanctus Real- We Need Each Other.

The Countdown.
15. Superchick- Rock What You Got
14. Family Force Five- Dance or Die
13. Pillar- For Love of the Game
12. Underoath- Lost in the Sound of Seperation
11. Kutless- To Know that You're Alive
10. Ivoryline- There Came a Lion
9. Hawk Nelson is my Friend.
8. Chris Tomlin- Hello Love
7. Relient K- Birds and Bee Sides and Tennesse EP
6. Capitol Lights- This is an Outrage!
5. Fireflight- Unbreakable
4. Disciple- Southern Hospitality
3. Leeland- Opposite Way
2. Anberlin- New Surrender
1. Run Kid Run- Love at the Core.

I may have missed some. Sorry. I realized I almost forgot Leeland until halfway done, but that def deserved top five. Looking back, I think it was a year of fun punk and rock alternative. Hard stuff was really low this year. Pop was ok but still had the same sound for the past several years. Rap didn't even enter my radar, but Lecrae is probably the best Christian rappist out there, so if that's your style, check him out.

Things to look forward to in 2009- RED has a new one coming out in February, and Skillet is back in the studio in January, which is great because I think Comatose may be the best Christian rock cd of the decade. We may even be blessed with a new John Rueben cd. I think I heard about a new Switchfoot one soon too.

tyler

Best of 2008

2008-12-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

This will be my awards to best of 2008. I'm holding off on music (albums) for my next post, as I will count down the best Christian albums of 2008. Ok, here we go...

Best Movie of 2008- The Dark Knight
Best TV Show of 2008- The Office
Best personal moment of 2008- Vacation to Mexico.
Best book of 2008 (read, not copyright)-UnChristian (very eye opening)
Best Wii Game of 2008- Mario Kart Wii
Best Cub of 2008- Mark DeRosa

New adventure looking forward to the most in 2009- Beginning grad classes in graduate school. Hon mention- mission trip to New Orleans.

Jesus is a Friend of Mine

2008-09-18T07:48:00.001-07:00

This video makes me laugh every time i watch it.

Thoughts on things

2008-09-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Life Updates: Really not too much new. Still waiting for October 28 to come around, which is when I begin my class, but right now, keeping really busy with work, the family, and life. Sister got married a couple of weeks ago, and my other sister moved back home. Andrea spent a week in TN with her sisters, and she had a real good time there.

Ministry Updates: Things are going solid since school kicked off. I truly love my students and thank God for them everyday. Each one is very unique in their own way, which is awesome. We're keeping things small for a little while since they have an insane school schedule, so most of my focus has been going into making our weekly gatherings as effective as possible. I've also been extensively working on changing our preK-8 Sunday school curriculum. I am working with some other guys to host a community youth worship night to complete See You at the Pole. We're calling it See You After the Pole. We're also beginning plans for next summer's mission trip. Planning and working is hard for me to do, but I'm seeing the fruit of thinking ahead. Still, my love for youth ministry is just being with students and doing life with them. If I couldn't do that, I'd quit.

Things that bother me: Old women at Wal-Mart, how our political system is distorted (or at least it seems that way from what I was taught in school), friends who are hurting and there is seemingly no way to help them, cold weather.

Things that have fascinated me: God's grace, fruit that happens when God's children work together, amazon mp3 (seriously, cheaper than iTunes and DRM free). Mexican food.

Best movie seen lately: Actually haven't watched many lately. But for newer movies I've seen, it would have to be Street Kings. Disclaimer: very violent.

Best new music: This is a toss up. Four anticipated cds in the Christian realm have recently come out- Underoath- Lost in the Sound of Separation, Chris Tomlin- Hello Love, Krystal Meyers- Make Some Noise, and Family Force Five- Dance or Die. Well, the last two, both Krystal Meyers and FF5 changed their styles, and I am not happy with either, so that takes you two out and creates a final match between Underoath and Chris Tomlin. Which, you can't really compare the two. I still don't understand how I love both genres so much. Screamo, hardcore, super hard music versus powerful worship lyrics. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from the new Tomlin cd, and have been very pleasantly surprised, and I was expecting a bit more from Underoath, and most of the time, it works, but other moments it's like, same ol same ol, so I guess I'll give it to Chris Tomlin.

Things to do this week: Lot's of meetings and several games. Most of them are prepped, so my office work is minimal, so I"m going to begin studying for future talks.

Wierdest thought this week: "What will my chin look like if I wore a Batman mask?" Ok, I'll end on that.

Political Woes

2008-08-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last few weeks pretty engrossed with the presidenital campaigns and debates. First, I must commend Relevant magazine for getting its audience (primarily 20 something Christians) to begin to think about the issues and vote according to your convictions.

What Relevant (and myself) feel is that Christians have been a little too dumb in just quickly aligning itself with a particular party and a particular party. 4 years and 8 years ago (and longer) it has seemed that Christians have been told that voting for a particular person is the "Christian" thing to do. I've always sort of struggled with that. In fact, one candidate proclaimed four years ago "Jesus would vote for me, and voting for the other guy would be a sin!" The other guy- a self-proclaiming Christian. Something's wrong.

Truth is this. There are good things and bad things with both major parties. And that's what makes this difficult. I agree with the Republicans on right to life, limited government, lower taxes, and homeland security. However, their neglect to the poor and pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and love for big business (generalization) to me flies in the face of biblical values. What's worse, is many of my peers who voted on "moral values" in the last campaign just feel that they've been lied to. Nothing has happened to change these "moral values" issues, and yet we see larger gas prices, $10 billion a year spent on a war, and a very unstable economy, making the poorer people poorer.

I've enjoyed hearing how the Democrats promise to give good education to all, reach out to the poor, and make sure everyone has affordable health care, I can't support the stance of pro-choice (the choice to kill unborn babies) and support of same-sex marriage (something that spits in the face of God and his design of marriage).

What's even more interesting is to see how Christians are responding to the candidates. I've seen some Christians call Obama the antichrist, a hidden Muslim who will attack the United States when in office, and the worst thing that could ever happen to the United States (neither of which I believe). I've seen other Christians hail him as the greatest guy in the world, the potential to be the best president ever, and a guy who'll bring all the change we need (neither of which I believe as well).

Same with McCain. Some Christians have said he represents our values, while others are saying that McCain is just blowing Christians off.

To be honest, this is the one presidential election that I am back and forth on more than ever. I may start off the day leaning towards one, and finish the day leaning towards another. To be honest, I'm not sure what will happen, but what that makes me sure of is, then, that we don't have the best candidates avialable, and that's what makes me sad.

Maybe this year won't be the change that we're looking for.

That's why my hope isn't in our flawed political structure. My hope is in my perfect Father in Heaven.

SWIFT Summer

2008-08-21T10:45:00.001-07:00

SWIFT Wants the Sack Chairs

2008-08-15T19:42:00.001-07:00

Randomness

2008-08-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Life Updates: I got accepted to Indiana Wesleyan University's Master of Arts in Ministry with a concentration in youth ministry program. I will start on October 28, which means I have a little over two months of no school going. Then, it begins. It's all online, so I'm excited about that.

We just got back from Mexico last week, and had a blast. It was beautiful.

Book I'm Reading: Praise Habit from David Crowder Band. I've realized I've been reading far too many ministry books and not enough to help me come closer to God, so I've been focusing a lot on my own relationship with Christ.

Biggest Ministry Challenge: Keep momentum going.

Biggest Ministry Blessing: Five students going through a class on how to share their faith with their friends.

Best Moments of the Week (prediction): My one sister coming home after being gone a year and a half and my other sister getting married on Saturday.

Most Frustrating Moment of the Week: Having to throw away a ton of left overs. Not that frustrating, so it's been a good week.

Best New Movie: It's still gotta be the Dark Knight. Nothing else is worth my time right now.

Raft Trip Highlights

2008-07-25T08:57:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday through Thursday, 14 youth and adults went up to the Wolf River near White Lake, WI for two nights of camping, one day of rafting, and a great experience with God. Here a few personal highlights for me, and I'm sure the students have different highlights of their own as well.

We made it!
This was my first camping trip that I led with a group. Being responsible for food, campsites, reservations, forms, travel accommodations, devotions, lessons, and $$$ seemed to be a daunting task. I knew I had the possibility to screw something up big, but everything worked out ok, and for that, I'm very thankful, and more confident to plan future trips. I know guys who have trip planning down to a science, and I know that the more I do it, the more equipped I will be.

Students experiencing Christ.
Conversations at camp, commitments made at lessons, and messages received while at home are evidence that God moved at this trip. I believe truth was spoken, and I pray that this experience will lead to a greater movement back here at home.

Great time in God's creation.
To be honest, one of the greatest blessings was perfect weather. It didn't rain at all. It wasn't blistering hot. It was just a little cool in the morning. This led to more time outside rather than being in tents, which led to more conversations under stars and out in nature. It also led to a greater focus time during devotions out in nature, and I believe God was at work in that.

All in all...it was a good trip.

Updates

2008-07-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

I've been flying a million miles an hour trying to get things organized and planned for next week's raft trip, and I have a vacation coming up in three weeks, so I've been getting things organized around that, and my mind has been everywhere, and right now...I think it finally gave up, so here I am blogging, hoping to get it back....

Life update: I have applied to Indiana Wesleyan University's Master of Arts in Ministry with a Youth Concentration program. I like the fact I can do basically all of it online while still working in the ministry. I do have to pick up some core Bible classes before being fully admitted into the program, but I'm very cool with that. I'm excited to learn and pick up classes that I didn't get during my undergrad time at Northern. I'm just waiting to get accepted and figure out all the financial aid stuff.

Ministry update: Things are going well. We're doing a raft trip next week, and in about a week and a half, we're doing a ministry training day. I've also been very excited for an evangelism training class that I'm going through with five students. Sponsors are continuing to do an amazing job, and it's been a season to minister to one who suffered a loss in his family. The students are just plain fun and truly love each other. Several are taking their walks with God deeper, and that has been awesome.

Cubs update: I am excited about the Cubs, but Marmol is freaking me out. He did look pretty decent last night in the All Star Game.

Biggest frustration for the day: All star game. Come on! I think the implications for the World Series is not needed. The fact that the Cubs cannot have home field advantage for the world series because of a moment that took place when no Cubs were on the field! I wonder how many GM's are calling out Bud Selig today complaining about how many pitchers that pitched a few days ago had to be used because the game couldn't end in a tie because of a stupid rule. I don't blame the managers for what they did, the players, but all on MLB.

Best New Music: Well, between Kutless's new cd, Superchick's new cd, and Relient K's new ep, I will have to say Relient K for just the variety and refreshing new type of music.

Best New Movie: I have tickets for the midnight premiere tomorrow, and I know what the answer will be- The Dark Knight. I have this tremendous feeling this will be the Batman movie to end all Batmans!

Book of the Bible I'm reading: 1 Peter. I've been trying to dissect the smaller letters lately. I've always read them in one day and put them away. Now, I'm really digging in. Today was 1 Peter 3 relating to marriage.

Wife: Andrea and I have not seen much of each other this week. We've had meetings every night this week. Friday night will be our big night together.

Question of the day: If we were to buy a new computer, would it be a PC or a Mac?

Left to do this week: Raft trip meeting with sponsors tonight, get needed supplies for raft trip (after deciding what we need after tonight), Unite, help out at German Valley Days (inflatable rides and parade), SWIFT (thankfully a sponsor is leading this night) Super bonus, we have a graduated senior speaking the following week.

1 Year Anniversary

2008-06-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Andrea's and my one year wedding anniversary. We both made sure to get home early, and I surprised her with a bouquet of daisies (her favorite flower) and then headed off to dinner. She told me to surprise her, so I drove her to Rockford, pulled up to a McDonald's drive thru and said, "I'll even let you super size tonight." After she got mad for a bit, I drove her to JMK Nippon, where we had dinner reservations. I've never been there but always heard people rave about it, and it did not disappoint.

When we got home, we exchanged gifts. I got her a digital photo frame that she's been wanting, and she surprised me with a very authentic Derrek Lee home jersey. I was very excited about that.

It's so surprising we've been married for a year already. It seems like yesterday that we just started dating. It's been great though.

The Bible on your iPod?

2008-06-19T09:59:00.001-07:00

Air ! has partnered with Faith Comes by Hearing to allow you to download a New Testament onto your mp3 player for free. Click here to download your own version. I downloaded the NIV-Drama version.

It may sound corny at first, but think about it…if taking time to read is very difficult, and you have long bus rides, you can click on it on your iPod and spend time with God there. Nice tool.

Btw, check out my youth ministry's blog to find out what's going on in our youth ministry.

Do or does somebody you know want to buy a guitar?

2008-06-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

We are cleaning up our office, and we have an extra (by that I mean one that I got that I just don't have the time or the desire really to learn how to play it) guitar. It's a basic beginning guitar, but it is a Fender, and it really hasn't been played much at all. So, it's in really good condition.

With it comes a strap, a capo, and a carrying case. Andrea and I want to sell it all together for $100, but if you're willing to throw us an offer, we'll listen. We really don't want to ebay it because i hate dealing with shipping on ebay.

Anyways, if you are interested, leave a comment, and i'll give you a phone number to call me at.

What if?

2008-05-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

I just had an amazing breakfast with a student this morning. It was great to catch up with him, share what's going in life, and what God is doing. I just love how we were able to encourage each other with Scripture.

It reinforced my idea from the other day. Actually it's not a new idea. It's just refocusing. I'm asking myself, and I am in the process of challenging my adult volunteers to ask themselves, what if? What if all of us were passionately on fire for Christ our Lord? What would our ministry look like? Not that we all don't love the Lord, but what if each of us took it to the next level in our walk with Christ? What could that look like?

In my personal challenge for myself, I am just going to soak in Scripture. I am not going to read more than a chapter of Scripture a day, but rather than read a ton of Scripture at a time, glimpse, and done, I am going to soak it in. Read it several times. Know it. Pray it. Respond.

What would your life look like if you took your personal relationship with Christ to the next level?

Randomness

2008-05-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

How do you deal with discouragement? Like waking up in the morning and saying wow, i am not looking forward to the day. That was me today. I then ask myself, what causes the discouragement?

Low event sign ups, unreturned phone calls, parents telling me their students don't care for programs because they aren't welcomed by other students, apathy, etc. The wonder if what I'm doing is really making a difference. I don't know.

I really liked Kurt's article on youthministry.com about limping into summer, because I have used that analogy for the last few weeks.

Today I just prayed for encouragement (this isn't your hint to give me any, I don't know if anyone reads this anyways).

Last night, we heard of another pastor horror story. This time, it was someone very very very close to us. We got word that he and his wife are getting divorced because he had an affair with someone else. Wow. We took this one hard.

I can't wait for the new Kutless cd! Woohoo!

Movie Review: Dan in Real Life

2008-05-23T09:43:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since Andrea and I got to this one, which is weird, because I have been anticipating this one for a long time, even after a shoddy review from one of my students, who may be the biggest Steve Carell fan I've ever met, and that's saying something.

I can see why he may not have liked this one, as this is the most different I have seen Carell, and by far the most different I have seen Dane Cook (thankfully), and I loved this movie. We truly felt the emotions widower Dan was feeling, and laughed out loud more than once, which is very rare for the two of us. I definitely recommend Dan in Real Life.
Grade: A-

Book Review: Why We're Not Emergent

2008-05-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

One of the main questions I've had since I have begun my journey into ministry is, "What is up with this whole Emerging thing?" I had a youth pastor who loved Kimball's first book, and wanted to talk more about getting teenagers to "experience Christ," and then, just a few short years later, hear him say, "I'm really gun shy about the whole Emerging thing." During this time, I've only read one book on it, which was, the Emerging Church by Kimball. I must say I still enjoy that book, and I believe this book has a solid overview on postmodern thought and how to design worship gatherings to allow post moderns to connect to Christ. I did not feel that this book questioned the authority of Scripture, the idea that Jesus is the only way to God, that we cannot in any way know God. I've been told that the Emerging (Emergent) has whacked out theology, but I was never told exactly what it was, and I didn't have the time or the energy to read every McLaren or Jones book out there. This why, when I read a review on Greg Stier's blog, I immediately ordered Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be. by DeYoung and Kluck.

What I loved about the concept about this book is that these two guys read several pages worth of writings, books, and blogs by leaders of the Emerging movement. This included several books by McLaren, Jones, and Rob Bell. They go on to say that Bell may not call himself emerging, but his ideas are very similar to those in this movement. They offer a bit of history, and offer concise, kind, but direct criticism that is not overly academic or hard to understand. That is what I love about this book. It is very well researched, but it is understandable. It looks at some of the Emerging movement's wildest claims, and thoroughly shows out points that they may be wrong. For anyone who has wrestled around with the idea of what the Emerging Church is and how we should respond to it, I would recommend this book to you. I wouldn't call it the end of the conversation book, but I feel that I am more understanding of the ideas that some of the leaders of the movement have presented.

Grade: A-

SWIFT Fully Alive 07-08

2008-05-05T13:54:00.001-07:00

This is the end of the year video we made for our students.

Flatfoot 56 Concert Review

2008-05-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Four Local Bands, A Lifehouse Skit, and Flatfoot 56 at Highland Community College.

Initially, when I heard about this, I was pleased. Highland Fellowship, a local campus ministry that began while I was attending Highland was sponsoring this event. I was very pleased to hear this because when I was involved with the group, it was a struggle to survive. Anyways, when the main brain behind this event told me about this at Unite, I was very pleased to see an effort to draw people into Freeport for a local concert, and I know that Flatfoot has somewhat of a cult following. I knew they weren't going to draw in people by the hundreds, but I really appreciated the effort.

I was blown away by Trading a Lifetime for Forever for the fact that I know most of them are students, and that was their first show. Although they did mostly covers, I thought that they performed very well. Dustin, one of the guitarist, and I were talking, and I mentioned how I appreciated that they are trying to do a worship pop band. Most bands I know in Freeport are trying to do the hard rock, and most of the time it doesn't work, which leads to the following three bands....

Good college local bands, but note the note above...it didn't work. Most of the songs were almost laughable. Each of the three bands had good moments, but overall, in most of their shows I heard the question, "when does flatfoot come on?"

Crossroad's Lifehouse Everything Skit was pretty good. First of all, everything is lifehouse's best song (which isn't a knock on lifehouse, i love them, I just really really love the song). Secondly, you can just feel the emotion of the skit as the girl who initially started her walk with Jesus, and was pulled away by so many things in this world, alcohol, sex, depression, self-image, etc. Ultimately, Jesus came and chased her demons away to bring her back into his arms of grace. My only suggestion from the whole thing is to have had a speaker give a brief 2 minute follow up discussion about what the skit meant. It was a great skit, but I think that if I viewed it as a non-Christian, I wouldn't have had a clue what was happening. I mean I'm assuming the guy was Jesus, I could be wrong, it was never said.

I've seen Flatfoot 56 twice before last night. I've left each show saying the same thing: fun. Not my favorite music by any means, but it's a lot of fun. Whether it's the bag pipe, punk rock, Chicago references, or crazy circle pits, I don't know, I usually have a blast with them. Last night was no different. Circle pit was pretty good. Flatfoot is always friendly with the crowd. For the most part, the show was everything I expected, with one huge positive difference, they got to talking about their faith a lot more, and with their traditional end of Amazing Grace, they actually replayed it, and created a really nice moment of worship at the end.

Overall, it was a good night, and I would encourage Highland or other places to keep this up in Freeport. It's something new to do in Freeport, and gets people together. I know I was a little hard on the local bands, but they do need to start somewhere. I was pleased with the night, and it was good seeing a decent turnout for the event. If you're in Freeport, and HF does something like this in the future, I encourage you to go.

ty

Two Book Reviews: Love and Respect & Emerging Worship

2008-04-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Today was a great odd day, I finished two books! One I've been reading for my own personal quiet time, and the other as a way to re-think ministry. Anyways, here are the reviews.

Love and Respect: Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs

My wife and I received this book from the newlywed collection by focus on the family. My senior pastor gave it to us as a wedding gift. In it were several books, and my wife read this one first, and then asked me to read it, and we both came to similar conclusions.

First off, I'm not the biggest Focus on the Family fan. I think they do some things well, but a lot of the time they come off as whining too much for me, but I didn't let that stop my reading the book. Dr. Eggerichs wrote about the famous passage in Ephesians how women are called to respect their husbands and men are called to love their wives. For my wife and I, he repeated that line over and over and over and over again. The 2nd part of the book is actually probably the best part where he practically lays out how to love your wife or respect your husband. He has a good formula about how some married couples get on a crazy cycle, and by loving your wife or respecting your husband you then energize each other, and you are on an energizing cycle, but ultimately by loving your wife or respecting your husband you are pleasing God and receiving HIs blessing, therefore you are on the rewarded cycle. Throughout the book, Dr. Eggerichs does a nice job explaining the difference between a man and woman.

My biggest complaint about the book is that it feels that he is repeating the same thing over and over again, and he includes way too many letters from people saying that this discovery is great. It is a great discovery, but leave those for the acknowledgement pages. This book is over 300 pages long, and I felt at least 75 could've been cut out, and that would have made the important stuff stick out that much more. Instead, I grew annoyed with the book, and if it wasn't for love of my wife who asked me to read it, I probably wouldn't have made it 2/3 through.

Grade: C

Emerging Worship: Dan Kimball

After reading, Emerging Church, Kimball quickly became my favorite author on the emerging/postmodern movement. Now don't get me wrong, I think how to think about and handle the emerging movement is my single greatest struggle with Christian thought right now. I love how Kimball explains the mindset of the post modern mind and how to reach it for Christ. I love the fact about how the Emerging movement is focused on reaching the poor, experiencing worship with different senses, and breaking away from big big programming. However, there is controversy with this movement, as some are tinkering with different theology. I know several guys who are struggling with this stuff as well, and there are times I simply don't know, and I proceed with some of this stuff with great caution.

Anyways, this book is pretty good. Most of it deals with how to start an alternative worship gathering, and it gives you a checklist of things to think through before you proceed. I really enjoyed the 2nd half of the book where Kimball writes specific churches and how they reach out to those with a post modern mindset. I really enjoyed the last small chapter, where Kimball called leaders out, and reminded us that we have to be careful stewards with what God has given us as leaders, and we are not to be about creating more consumer Christians, but rather true disciples, who worship not because we use cool technology, but worship selflessly and sacrificially, the way Christ has called us to worship.

I'd say the one downfall is that he doesn't spend more time talking about the needs (percieved and real) of those we are trying to reach. I think there is a much greater discussion about this in the Emerging Church.

Grade: B+

I read a great review on Why We're Not Emergent By Two Guys Who Should Be the other day on Stier's blog. I ordered it yesterday and can't wait to get into it. I still have several other books on my shelf to get into, but the review by Stier made it sound like these guys are writing about what I was thinking. Can't wait!

ty

In and Out of Season

2008-04-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

2 Timothy 4:2 (Today's New International Version)

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

I was reminded of this passage the other day in a post, and last night I saw it in practice. I think in youth ministry, most of the time we are in season to do ministry (meaning, we are basically in the mindset to do it most of the time). I mean our "in season" would consist of our weekly program, church service, Sunday school, small groups, office hours, home and school visits, etc. We are there for one purpose, preach the Word and make disciples. Most of us are (or should) be in that mindset.

However, as I said before, I was reminded about the out of season the other day. When I get home, I like to collapse and hardly think about doing ministry. Many of these hours will be with my wife, maintaining our home, playing Wii, watching ESPN, visiting family and friends, paying bills, and participating in hobbies. I believe that's good, and if I didn't have that, I would burn out. But anyways, while I was in my out of season time (at home) I experienced this verse to the whole.

I was in season from 8:30 am- 7:30 pm last night (a very long day indeed), and I got home, and my wife was gone working late. I decided to throw on the running shorts, grab my new ipod, and run a few miles. During this time, I saw some parents, adult volunteers, and some students, and I did my typical wave to them (this is not out of the ordinary by the way, German Valley only has one real street). I noticed a group of girls who sporadically come to my program, and they had some friends with them. I waved at them and they all said "hi," and I remembered to say a quick prayer for them.

No more than two minutes later, I saw one of these girls (whom I have never met before) chase me down on a bike. Wow, that was wierd. She pulled me aside, and poured out her life story to me. I was blown away. This girl was hurting. It turned out that she had never really experienced real love before at all, and most of the people in her life used her to take advantage of her. My heart was seriously breaking for her. What blew me away even more was how much she poured out to me without ever really meeting me. I knew I needed to speak truth into her, so I just did a quick "what do you believe about God?" to her, and she told me she wasn't sure. I then asked her if she wanted to know what I believed about God, Jesus, and how it matters to us. She said yes, and I led her through the Gospel story right there in the middle of the street. She said she wanted to put her faith in Jesus right there, and she did. It was amazing (and very rare for this to happen like this too). I am so excited and getting students to help follow up with her for now that we can work to produce a disciple, follower, and daughter in Christ.

Are we prepared to do our work out of season? Are we prepared to take very hurting students and allow the grace of God to radically transform lives? It is scary. But it is worth it. Last night, I was reminded why I do youth ministry. To be honest, it was a good reminder Because during my in season, I feel the pressures, the complaints, the why don't you do this every day, but my out of season reminded me that we're not about doing things kids like, or have fun, or bring in as many students that we can possibly have, but we are here to love God and love people, and introduce the two, we are here to have students fall passionately in love with Christ, and live passionately for Him.

Are you passionately in love with Christ and passionately living for Him? If not today, I encourage you to take some time and just get away with him. Bring the passion back, and you will benefit greatly from it.

ty

Cross the Line Tour

2008-04-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Last night, a few guys, and I went to check out the Cross the Line Tour at the Chapel in Grayslake, IL. The tour featured Superchic(k), Disciple, KJ-52, Britt Nicole, and Starlit Platoon, a new band that has the drummer from superchick as their lead singer.

I am always excited to do long drives with students and adults. It is so great to talk, share, and get to know people. Last night was no exception.

I was amazed at how quickly things were moving through the night. Starlit Platoon and Britt Nicole only got three songs to do a piece, but they both used their time well.

KJ was probably my least favorite part of the night, but it was still enjoyable. I appreciate his heart and passion, and he does a great job in reaching out to students.

Disciple was the definite highlight of the night. However, the guys and I may be the only ones who would say that. Seeing the looks of 12 year old girls and their moms while Disciple came out roaring and rocking was sort of amusing. I know a lot of Christian tours like doing a mix up bag of artists to bring the whole family out, and this night was very diverse. However, the few hardcore disciple fans (like myself, who has loved them for the past five years) got a treat. And the 12 year old moms did enjoy the fact that disciple did slow it down for a bit with their after the world.

Then it was Superchick. Some of my guys waited to go meet Disciple, but the other half wanted to see them, so I went with that half. It was a great show. I was very surprised that they started off with "Stand in the Rain," but I understood why because they came off with an amazing ending with their remixed versions of "hero" "stand up" and then they closed with "beauty from pain." It actually reminded me of some old talks that I loved giving a few years ago discussing the pain that we go through. I no longer give them because I wonder if I trivialized all the pain we go through, and if I overused Romans 8:28, but I am going to prayerfully look back at them and wonder if it's time to give them some re-birth.

However, it was a great encouraging night to be with some guys and see some great bands. I wish I had pictures but I forgot to take my camera with me (that's why I needed the wife).

Well, time to get ready and visit the in laws. (insert comment here)

Busy Week Winding Down

2008-04-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of consistent thoughtful posts, but I doubt many will be happening throughout the month of April. Tons of stuff happening.

Anyways, this week has been good, but flying by. I'm in the midst of planning some summer events, finishing up some final talks for the school year (we take mid May through mid June off), meeting up with a youth and education classis committee to work on how to a) define what a successful youth ministry looks like b) create a library of resources for other youth ministries without a paid staff to use and c) pray for and work for new ways to empower our volunteers. I've also learned that completing tasks has been my default, so I am working now on just being more relational with both my relationship with God and my relationship with others.

This weekend should be pretty good though. Tonight, I am taking a car full of guys to see Superchic(k), Disciple, KJ-52, and Britt Nicole. They're telling me they want to come to see Disciple or ask out Britt Nicole, but I know the real reason, Superchic(k) rocks! I laugh at the fact though that we have all guys and no girls for this trip. Oh well, it will be a good night.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to take some students out for breakfast and catch up with them, and then my wife and I are going to visit her side of the family. Then Sunday is typical stuff, Sunday school (which I've turned it into being a student led discussion, which has worked out really well), church service, a few hours to rest, and then junior high and senior high SWIFT. I'm anxious to see how this weekend's talk is responded to. I adapted Griffin's choose your own adventure series to fit our format, and students voted on the topics, worship songs, games, discussion questions, etc to be used for each night in April, and I am revealing the votes in countdown fashion.

Hopefully in the next week or so you'll get some reviews on some talks, a book review, and a Superchic(k) review. But the key word in that is hopefully....Don't worry, I'm more faithful to my wife than to this blog!

Comatose Tour

2008-04-02T11:40:00.001-07:00

Last night, several students and leaders went to catch the Comatose Tour headlined by Skillet with Thousand Foot Krutch. These are two of my favorite bands, and I would rush to see just one of these two bands in a concert, but put them both together, and wow, it was amazing. If you get a chance to see the tour, go! Here are some photos!

30 Hour Famine Results

2008-03-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we finished up our 30 hour famine. It was our first year doing it, and I believe we did a great job. Students found sponsors and donors to support them while they fasted for 30 hours. Throughout the 30 hours, we came together and played games, served at a local EMT breakfast, and did a canned food drive scavenger hunt for our local food bank. We also hosted a pot luck to break the fast and celebrate with parents and church members who supported the students throughout the fast.

Another twist World Vision did was ask us to host a Sponsorship Sunday, and during this Sunday, we challenged members of our congregation to sponsor children through World Vision for only $30 a month.

We had a good turn out considering the fact we had to postpone this event. We were supposed to do this event in February, but we had a death in the family, so we postponed it to this past weekend. Our students raised over $4,000! I challenged them to $1,800, and they got that, they could dye my hair pink. Well, they did. We also sent off 12 child sponsorship packets. All in all, because of our students' efforts, more than 20 children will be taken care for the entire year.

I am grateful for the mission and this ability to teach students about mission in a local context.

New Hair color

2008-03-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

So I challenged my students to raise $1800 for our 30 Hour FAmine, and I said that if they did, then something cool would happen. That something cool would be my hair color changing to the color of their choice, which was green, but that cannot be found, so the runner up, hot pink, will be the color of choice. That will take place on Friday. Well, I normally have black hair, so I needed to pre-bleach it, and I now I am a blonde. This is the first time my hair has changed colors ever. Wow...

Bruce Carroll - While I Have This Chance - Compassion Int.

2008-03-12T14:35:00.003-07:00

I have a great respect for both World Vision and Compassion Int, so since I posted a 30 Hour Famine video, here is a video of Compassion Int. My wife and I sponsor a little boy, Sibo, from India. I can hardly grasp the fact that just $32 a month drastically improves this boy's and his family's standard of living. If you want to seriously make a difference in a life for someone around the world, seriously pray about sponsoring a child either through Compassion or World Vision.

30 hr famine promotion video

2008-03-12T14:35:00.001-07:00

This is actually last year's main promo for the 30 Hour Famine, but I wanted to share a promo video about what happens. We were supposed to do ours back in February, but due to a death in the family the day of the first part, we rescheduled ours to be March 21-22. We already raised $2,600 to save children's lives! If you wish to donate, go to www.30hourfamine.org.

What do Christians mean by...

2008-03-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of this afternoon working on a talk that I'm about to give in a couple weeks to a newly formed 20s ministry called Unite. This ministry is exciting because I am working with other leaders from other churches, and this is just a combined local ministry effort. It's been fun. We've been doing a series called What do Christians mean by that, and we've been addressing concepts that Christians talk about, and we're trying to present it in a way that can be grasped by a person who didn't necessarily grow up in the church. The trick is showing them why these terms matter to our lives now in 2008.

We've covered faith, hope, and love so far. Next on the list will be done by some other guys, and that will be salvation, holiness, and then I will give my talk on sin. Here are some of the main points I will convey...

What is sin?
Sin is a rebellion against God
Sin is universal.
Sin is a transgression of the law.
Sin is a violation of the character of God.
Sin is a condition of the heart.
Sin is unbelief.
Sin is pointed out by the law of God.

What are the consequences of sin?
Sin separates us from God.
Sin enslaves us.
Sin leads to spiritual depravity in society and in lives of individuals.
Sin leads to personal problems with us.
Ultimately, sin leads to death.

It's a lot of points, but if you want to see flesh to these bones, come to Unite which meets Thursday nights at Higher Grounds in Freeport, IL

Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God

2008-03-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

I borrowed this book from James, who has blogged extensively about this book. I just finished part one, and I must say I'm very intrigued. I'm praying that I will be stretched and to take what I learn and connect it to my ministry. I'm not interested in producing cookie cutter Christians, what I am interested in is experiencing Christ in a vibrant way, and leading students to do the same.

Chapter four was tough for me to swallow, and I'm going to have to spend some time in it. It's main argument is showing that we are not all called to lead, which leads me to examine my ministry. Who are the model students of mine (and many other) ministries? Those on a student leadership or ministry team. The fact is, I've been struggling with the fact that it seems that these ministries may have students who are producing more fruit that are not at this level than those who are on this level. I agree with Osborne's claim that perhaps not all are destined to lead. Others need to remain transformed.

I am anxious to dig more into this book. I hope to be stretched in a very good way that will help me, my marriage, and my ministry.

tv

Trying to Beat Marko's score

2008-03-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

In 3m 27s

Click here to Play

Insomnia

2008-03-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

So I must say I've been a lot more diligent in reading blogs, but I have been terrible in posting in mine. I should become a little better than that. However, not sure how many people actually read this.

So it is one of those nights where my wife is dead tired, and I am wide awake. It's been one of those weird day at the offices. One of those that I felt I did more for my ministry at home than at my time in the office. It's a nice reminder that being in youth ministry isn't a 9-5 Monday through Friday type of career. I'm lucky, and on other days, that may not be considered lucky.

This past week has seemed to be full of some blessings and then some, let's call surprises. But I am reminded that Scripture reminds us to pray for wisdom in our hard times. It seems that has been my prayer a lot for the past week. A time of prayer asking for wisdom.

This month is going to be crazy: the CORE, a fundraiser, planning and executing an Easter sunrise service, a rescheduled 30 Hour Famine, and two concerts coming up. not to mention I'm in the middle of my dating series. I've been spending so much time planning, programming, and doing administrative work that I just need to get out of the office and do some more intentional relational ministry. That is truly the most effective ministry. I'm looking forward to the CORE on Saturday, but I'm mostly looking forward to the near five hours in a car driving with several student leaders and adult volunteers. It will be a great way to just escape with them. The ministry training will be great, but not near as much as the ministry.

Tomorrow night is my "Love" talk to Unite, our new 18-30s ministry that my church has started with other local area churches. This idea is the brain child of a good friend, and I'm excited to be a part of church's coming together for a common goal and a common target audience. I'm excited to define what love means Biblically. Pray for me as I sometimes get the most intimidated by speaking to this age group.

Hope to be here more often.

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Leave Brittney Alone....not quite

2008-01-09T09:11:00.001-08:00

I know I know I know. Terrible title. My worst dreams at night are the ones that include that umm guy who begs the world to just leave Brittney alone. Well, to be honest, this guy may be onto something....

I was just visiting some current popular teen and culture websites to keep in the know about culture, and there is Brittney all over it. I even go to my popular news sources to find out how the world is doing, and it is continuously infatuated with Brittney.

Yes I know, no new news here Tyler. But I'm just curious to find out if anyone is like me, or like that odd guy. I don't know about you, but I am scared that we are watching a tragedy, and all anyone cares to do is write a story or take a picture. Worse yet, I've heard some pastors and others use her as an example to students as to who not to become.

Wait wait wait, I'm not condoning Brittney's actions or even will think of telling my high school girls to use her as an absolute role model, and they most likely will not. But who will they use as role models, those exact same pastors and religious leaders that spend time investing in their lives who they see condemning Brittney rather than loving her.

My heart breaks for Brittney. Not because I had a schoolboy crush on her so many years ago (to be honest, I sort of did). But because I see a girl who is so desperately crying out for help, and doesn't seem to be getting it. She, just like all of us, has that God sized hole in her heart that neither music sales, dance videos, perfume, hair loss, alcohol, kids, or K-Fed could fill. Only God can fill it. And He's willing to.

Please take time to pray for Brittney Spears. Maybe write her a card. Pray for those out condemning her, taking pictures of her, or making money off of her in her greatest time of need. Pray for her fans, her friends, and her family. Embrace this opportunity, and those like it as a time to show the love of Christ to the world.

That doesn't mean we leave Brittney alone, but that we rather give her what she needs, the love of Jesus Christ.

2007 Year in Review

2007-12-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

I love year in reviews. I don't know why. I guess I just like seeing where we have come in the last 365 days. Whether it is the Sportscenter Year in Review to Year End Countdowns to Newscasts highlighting the top stories of the year, it will always catch my attention. However, I really love examining my life in review for the past year.

I remember thinking this time last year that 07 was going to have some major life changes. In fact, it could quite possibly be the biggest year of my life. I don't think it disappointed. But, I realize that the big changes happened in the first half of the year, so here they are, in order of the month, the Tyler year in review...

January
Took my younger sister to a home to get help.
Went to Northern Illinois University to finish my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.

February
Saw the Goo Goo Dolls play with an unforgettable date. I say unforgettable because my roomate and best friend always remind me about it. Who was it? Well, it wasn't my fiance. But I got the ticket reimbursed.

March
Got 3rd in a pool for the NCAA tournament
Went to the House of Blues for the first time with my fiance, best friend, and his little sister to see Sherwood, Mae, and Relient K. Awesome place to see a concert!
Spring break was not too exciting-but relaxing nonetheless

April
Easter time with family
Baseball season started.
Endless wedding plans
Agape= Skillet and Spoken

May
Finished up position at Genoa Faith United Methodist Church.
Graduated from Northern Illinois University
Moved out of a room that contained three of the best possible roomates.
Moved to an empty house in German Valley
Started my position at Silver Creek Reformed Church in German Valley
Continued endless wedding plans
Saw my younger brother graduate high school.
Attended tons of high school grad parties.

June
GOT MARRIED TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!!!
HONEYMOON!
Andrea moved in and took the loneliness of our house away.
Beautiful weather

July
4th of July
A great moment at Happy Joe's celebrating Allissa's birthday
Have a great mission trip to Knoxville, TN with two awesome leaders and eight great students. I seriously couldn't have asked for a better mission team.
Enjoying a wonderful summer with my wife, friends, and students in our ministry.

August
Begin planning for school year.
Realize that a great summer is going to end.
Saw Skillet and Spoken play- again!

September
Begin school year ministry for the students
Continue to live life and love God

October
Fall is here.
Just continue to love my wife, my ministry, my students, leaders, and most importantly, my Savior.

November
Birthday month- Got my Bowflex Dumbbells
Thanksgiving- Quite possibly one of my favorite holidays

December
Christmas time was an absolute blur. 8 Christmas in four days.
Ministry was crazy busy too, but that was ok!
My wife and I are definitely ready for warmer weather!

Well there it is. The bullet points of the year. I know I didn't include much detail, but I want to keep others privacy protected. It was a great year. My prayer is that 08 will be just as great!

My Personality Test

2007-12-19T13:56:00.001-08:00

Top Ten Music of The Year

2007-12-15T06:47:00.000-08:00

Jesusfreakhideout.com released their top ten songs and albums of the year, and well, I didn't agree with much of what they said, so, here is my opinion. Top ten albums and top ten songs in Christian music!

Top Ten Albums
1. Thousand Foot Krutch- The Flame in All of Us
2. Spoken- self-titled
3. Falling Up- Captiva
4. David Crowder Band- Remedy
5. Everyday Sunday- Wake up! Wake up!
6. Project 86- Rival Factions
7. Relient K- Five Score and Seven Years Ago
8. Eleventy Seven- Galactic Conquest
9. Anberlin- Cities
10. Casting Crowns- The Altar and the Door

Top Ten Songs
1. New Drug- Thousand Foot Krutch
2. Hotel Aquarium- Falling Up
3. Dismantle Repair- Anberlin
4. Evil (A Chorus of Resistance)- Project 86
5. Everything Glorious- David Crowder Band
6. What do We Know?- Thousand Foot Krutch
7. Falls Apart- Thousand Foot Krutch
8. Find Me Tonight- Everyday Sunday
9. Love in Your Arms- Eleventy Seven
10. History Erased- Spoken

Something you may be concerned about

2007-12-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I don't know how much attention you have been paying to the news as of late, but if you have, there may have been several stories throughout the week that may have caused you to have been scared. Maybe have you ask the question, "Why, God, is this going on?" These such stories can include the 19 year old who went and killed several people at a mall in Nebraska last week to a person going and killing people at a church and at a center for Youth With a Mission just this past Sunday. My college that I graduated from, Northern Illinois University, even closed campus because of threats related to the Virginia Tech incident were written on a bathroom wall. Michael Vick, former quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, was sentenced to 23 months in prison because of his involvement in dog fighting and killing pit bulls. You may be like me, and asking "Why, God, is there all the violence?"

Although the question cries from our heart, I know the answer is simple. Sin. People's sin and our sin affects not only ourselves, but it also affects us. God has given us the perfect gift and ability to choose to follow Him and His ways. Unfortunately, some people in this world choose not to follow His ways, and they can go on to lead vicious violent ways. It says in the book of Romans that God allowed people to be given over to their sinful desires and their hearts. Because of the evil stored up in their hearts, these people are bringing this sort of violence onto the world. However, this is not that comforting for us who have chosen to follow God and live in love. We still may be asking "Why, God, why?"

We are not the first to ask this. In fact, David, a man who the Bible says was a man after God's own heart, asked God about the violence in the world.

"Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure." Psalm 7:9

Look at that prayer that David brings to the Lord. I think we should join in this prayer. It is so obvious that we live in a violent culture, and we should continue to pray and work towards making it a place of peace.

These people who are threatening the violence need to see that there is love in this world, and that love comes from a God who created them, who sent Jesus to save them from their sins.

Let's look at some other parts of David's prayer in this passage.

"My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. " v 10

"Those who are pregnant with evil conceive trouble and give birth to disillusionment. Those who dig a hole and scoop it out fall into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High." 14-17

Through this time of fear, we can remember some things. First, we remember who our shield is. It is God. He is the one who promises to protect us. God says that He will never leave nor forsake us. We remember that He saved us from our sin, and that He will bring judgment on the Earth. Read the book of Revelation. God is waiting for more people to come to Him and accept His gift on the cross, and then He will come back and destroy the violent, the sexually immoral, and those who did not accept Jesus as their Savior. Then the perfect world will be here. A world of no more violence, no more sickness, no more disease, and no more death will take place. We will have eternity with God. God is our shield. We can thank God for this promise, and we can share the message of the cross with others so that they can be protected by this great shield as well!

We see that those who create this violence will have to answer for it. If they have not received Christ as their Savior, they will have to pay for their sins. The Lord says that vengeance is His. We are His prized creation. The Bible tells us that if God is for us, who can be against us?

Spend time thanking God because of His righteousness, and join in David's prayer that the violence will end. If you wish to talk about this more or have any questions, please call or email or stop by. I would love to talk and pray with you about this if you want to. Thanks guys. Remember that God loves you and does not want this to happen either. I love you and am praying for you!

Tyler

The Winter Wonderland

2007-12-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

Well it's been snowing a lot lately, and ice and wind have been making it all very cold. In fact, one of my adult leaders for the youth ministry got her car stuck in a snow bank at our church this morning. (Never mind the fact that she felt she needed to drive in a backwards circle around the building, it was quite humorous).

This time of the year can bring great joy and for some people, great sadness for others. Andrea's (my wife) aunt has been very sick (battling cancer) for the last two years, and it seems that the final days of the battle are here. I must say that this sickness has brought some good though. Andrea moved back into town two years ago to be with her aunt, and that led to her and I going out for lunch for old time's sake, and that led to her becoming my wife about 6 months ago.

Andrea's and my history has been one that could make up a movie (at least in my mind because I experienced all the same emotions). It was a constant time of one pursing the other, then another pursuing the other one, times that we both were pursuing each other, and times that we both despised each other. Sometimes she was thrown in my life when I didn't want her, and there were times when she was ripped away from me when I didn't think I could survive without her. It was during one of those times that I needed to spend my life with her. I felt that being in love was being with a person that you could live with forever. It was being with a person that you couldn't live without. I tried living without in her in my life, and it was difficult. Wow. Hard times.

We both took times in our life to make sure that God was our number one priority in our life. I'm glad we did, because we learned to depend on Him. I knew I could live without Andrea. But romantically, not at all. Shoot I tried. Unfortunately, I broke some girls' hearts. Man, I wish I could take that back. There's about three girls in my life that I just wish I could say "I'm sorry I wasted your time." Because that's what I did, and I think they have scars to prove it. So if you're one of those girls (and you know who you are) and you're reading this (which I totally doubt you are), I'm sorry. I know you won't let me around enough to say that. And that's ok. To be honest, I more than understand.

Anyways, it's winter. And I hate it. Christmas time helps us get through it, but still, I can't stand leaving work when it's dark. I can't stand scraping off my car in the morning. I can't stand having to wear so many clothes (oh how I wish I could go through life with a pair of khaki shorts, t-shirt, and sandals) but I'm still thankful. Thankful for my job, thankful for my car and the fact that I can have one, and thankful for my clothes.

I love being involved with World Vision's Thirty Hour Famine. As a youth leader, that's one of the greatest things I love doing. Praying and raising funds for the hungry all over the world. I will post a link for you to donate if you wish in the future. Still, what a great way to serve the Lord by taking care of those so very less fortunate than us. At times, I wonder how I'm going to pay for life insurance. For these children, they wonder if they'll be fed anytime throughout the week. Wow. Our situations don't seem half bad.

I also love the fact that Andrea and I have a child through Compassion International. Sibo, age 5, from India. He's a cute little kid. It's so weird that our $32 a month more than doubles his family's monthly income. I'm so glad to give a little bit of what God has given me to help him be fed, clothed, healthy, clean, and educated. God truly does bless us to bring blessings to others.

Please bless others this Christmas season.

History Erased

2007-11-28T11:48:00.000-08:00

I pre-ordered a Spoken cd at one of their live shows, and I just recieved the cd (must have gotten lost in the mail!) Anyways, this song is a great song, and I think the lyrics are amazing and thoughtful....

On the heels of the sons of hell, the viper defines it's path.
How many times have you sworn to God that you would forget your past?
Spreading lies and taking lives, he stands beside and laughs.
this son of hell won't last

your fortress will fall.
history can't be undone, but it can be erased.

inside your heart is made of stone and slowly it begins to break.
you feel the chills run up your spine and they crawl upon your neck.
spreading lies and taking lives he stands beside and laughs.
this son of hell won't last.

your fortress will fall.
history can't be undone, but it can be erased.
fortress without walls.
history can't be undone, but it can be erased.

inside your heart is made of stone and one day it will break.
now their hearts have turned to stone with promises you break.

Yuck

2007-11-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

This week has been a tough week for sure. But it's been good. God has been teaching me and showing me new sides of myself throughout it all.

Don't you wish that you could just do things perfectly? Done one time, and boom, it's right. Man I wish I didn't get served "Humble Pie" all the time, but it happens.

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Sometimes I wish the world would do the same...

Mike Huckabee Ad:

2007-11-20T13:53:00.001-08:00

This does not mean I endorse Mike Huckabee. This is more humorous than informative!

The Fear of....Hell

2007-11-14T09:22:00.002-08:00

I had a terrible dream last night. A dream that haunts me, and a dream that haunts most people I know in ministry....what if they don't get it? What if those that you pour your life into, teach, share, and constantly pray for...don't get the most important message that you are conveying...the message of the cross! If they don't get it, then we have lost....not our ministry, but the souls. So my question is, how about you? Are you lost?

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

Look at that passage. As I have been reading the beginning of Romans more closely, Paul very clearly makes things obvious- ALL HAVE SINNED!!! We all have sin in us. I mean, let's think about the Ten Commandments

You shall have no other gods before me
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (Exodus 20:3-17, TNIV)

At first glance, the Ten Commandments seem easy to follow, but then think about it, have you misused the name of God once? I have several times when I was younger. Strike on that one. Jesus told us that when we lust over another person we have commited adultery with them in our heart (Matt 5:27-30). What about stealing? Have you ever stolen a small thing, even once? You can strike me on this one too. How about false testimony or lying? Even a small white lie ever? Yes on me, too. You see, Paul makes an obvious point- we ALL are sinners.

There is a common myth in our society that says that if you are good enough person, you earn your way into Heaven. That myth is completely wrong! You see, we all are sinners. We all have done poor things! We all fall short of the glory of God! How could we work to earn our way into Heaven? Isn't that too much pressure on ourselves.

John writes that we may be able to believe in the name of the Son of God (Jesus Christ) so that we may KNOW that we have eternal life. (1 John 5:13) Do you get that? We can know we can have eternal life in Heaven with God!

So, we all sin. Big deal, what's the consequence? Well, the consequence is big. Romans 6:23 says the wage of sin is death. The death is referred to the death that completely separates us from God. That's eternal death in Hell, a literal place that is separated from all things good and joyful, because God is the source of all things good and joyful. The wage that we pay for our sin is eternal damnation from God into Hell.

That consequence causes many people to doubt a loving God. But I need to remind you that our God is a holy perfect God. He is the source of all goodness and perfection. Sinful people cannot stand in the presence of a Holy perfect God. It will be destroyed.

So where does the love come from? When you realize it, you will see just how amazing and loving our God is. Let's look at the other part of Romans 6:23 "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Did you get that? We can have eternal life!! It comes through Jesus Christ, who was fully God and fully human when he was on the Earth. The love of God and Christ is fully explained more in the Bible. John writes the most famous passage in the Bible saying that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. "

Did you catch that? By believing, or accepting what Paul calls a gift, we may know that we have eternal life. We call and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and our eternal life and relationship comes through Him! It is truly an acceptance of a gift! This is why the message of the cross is so important! Jesus died on the cross fully paying for all of the sin who believe in Him! Not only that, He rose from the dead three days later!! He proved that there is victory over sin and death! There is nothing that we have done to deserve this gift. This is fully done by the grace, mercy, and love from God!

So the question comes, if I just believe in God, why do Christians try to be "good" all the time. The answer is that we are no longer slaves to sin! We don't come to Christ perfect, but when we accept his gift, God is at work in us throughout our time here in the world to make us more like Christ! This is a process called sanctification. I call this a relationship. When we accept this gift, it is only the beginning of a radical transformation of our lives. We accept this gift, and God sets us free from our life of sin, and He transforms us into more like him! We learn and know more about him in a personal relationship by communicating with God through prayer and learning, studying, and living out Scripture.

If you want to receive this gift today, I invite you to pray a prayer similar to this one:

God, I confess I'm a sinner (confess your sins). I know that I deserve to be punished for my sin, but I thank you for the gift that you have given me through your son Jesus Christ. He died on the cross and fully paid for all of my sin. I know that he rose again and proved victory over sin and death. I accept this gift and commit my life to you transforming me to become more like you. Through Jesus' name I pray, Amen

If you prayed this prayer, or if you still have questions, please go to your local church and talk to your pastor/youth pastor/ or any other Christian that you know and trust. Putting your faith and trust in Christ is the biggest decision that you can make in your life. I am praying that this message and blog has cleared up questions that you may have. The message is that we all are dead to sin, but we have forgiveness through Jesus Christ, who paid for all of our sin! Call on his name, believe in him, and know that you have eternal life!

Note: All Scripture used in this blog is from the Today's New International Version

hilarious video show

2007-11-14T09:22:00.001-08:00

A student sent me this video. I thought it was hilarious! Enjoy

Why I Love Fridays

2007-11-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

It's my day off. Wow, I feel so rested and recharged, and I feel like I'm ready to go out and do another week of ministry.

I absolutely loved the fact that I woke up at 8:30 so rested. Normally, on days off, if I have to wake up before 11 I get so upset. Then I get upset that half the day is gone. Shoot- no pleasing me.

So one thing that I definitely was not prepared for coming into marriage was the way to think about finances. Wow, when you have another person to care for, things come really into perspective. I just finished one of the books out of the "newlywed" collection box from Focus on the Family that my church provided Andrea and I, and it was a way to think about finances, and I was like whoa, I definitely have never thought of these. It's kind of overwhelming, but the main thing that I am praying for in that area is just wisdom.

Come to think about it, there were definitely a lot more things entering into marriage that I wasn't prepared for, but we're learning. I'm glad I knew the mindset early, that marriage is the beginning and not the graduation. Andrea is amazing, and I love the beginning of our life together. It has been mostly neat to learn so many things about spending life together. One thing that I have learned is how selfish I am. I was listening to Jeremy Camp's song "What it means" the other day and I resonated with it.

"Show me what it means to live my life a sacrifice."

Well it is almost 5:00 pm, and since I missed the 4:00 pm Around the Horn on ESPN, I must catch the rerun on ESPNews. Andrea is working at a dance tonight, and I am planning on attending my junior high student's musical later this evening. After that, I believe Andrea and I have a date planned with our DVD Player to watch the famous "Ratatoullie."

It should prove to be a crazy hectic weekend. Andrea is meeting up with her newly engaged friend, Laura, at IKEA (a store that I dread, so a big thank you to Laura) while I am spending the morning in accountability groups with some guys, the afternoon at a Paper Drive fund raiser with our youth, and the evening with our youth having a good time playing some Laser Tag and grabbing dinner. Sundays are the "marathon" days with assisting in Sunday school, church service, small group leaders meeting, and leading junior and senior high youth ministries in the evening. See why I love Fridays!

Intro...

2007-11-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

I've decided to get a more sophisticated blog. I don't really know why, but I have decided that facebook notes and myspace blogs should be a thing of the past (also, I've come to realize that no one checks out myspace anymore, so if I had a profound thought, no one would ever check it out.)

I can't promise a great blog. Or even a blog that will be updated regularly. But I can promise that at times I think I come up with great thoughts to help people understand the message of the cross. Usually, those great thoughts aren't so great, but I still love sharing the message of the cross, which may be the only thing that is great because it only points to the only person who is great, and that is our Heavenly Father.

Just a simple lifechanging message. Lifechanging it is. The first time I came to terms with it, I was a freshman in high school at an event in Rockford, IL. I don't remember the details, the programs, the lights, or the sound, but I remember my experience with Christ. I remember realizing that Christ walked on this earth. He was fully man and fully God at the same time. Wow! That doesn't happen often, or only once! Jesus came to die so that we may live and bring God glory through Him!

Wow, what a plan. A purpose to die so that I may live. So that all may live who have put their faith in Him. Can you honestly explain anything else more radical? That is radical love. Our Father sent His Son to die on the cross to fully pay for all of our sins, and all we do is accept this gift by faith and live a life of gratitude for this great gift. I think lifechanging is a bit of an understatement. But I think in general terms, we as American Christians, do not live in a life of gratitude.

So much energy of mine has gone into thinking about the new phases of youth ministry, finances, plans, goals, and visions, that I broke down two weeks ago and confessed to Jesus "I'm sorry, I have forgotten you!" It was actually two weeks ago today. You would think life after my confessing my sin would have been a ton better. Nope. It has actually been worse. Could it be that Satan found out I was onto something, and he has continued to try and divert me. Well, at times, he has succeeded. But, like Paul, I am working to keep my eyes on the prize, and never forget what that prize is, and that is eternity with my loving savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus, I am sorry for forgetting you.

Yet I know that You are lifechanging. My life has radically changed since I met You. All of what I have would be nothing without You. There would be no way it would be here: my wife, my friends, my calling. All of it is here because of You. Thank You for remembering me in my times of sin of forgetting You. Amen