Every day when i walk into my office and sit down, I have at least one to-do list going. Here are a few things on this week's collection of to-do lists:
1. Print Short Sale docs (we are desperately trying to sell our home right now)
2. Get a copy of the "You Are God Alone" book (for my wife...I promise.)
3. Purchase plane ticket for Rayden Hollis (my good friend who is coming to speak to Re:Generation students at our November Disciple Now event)
4. Purchase new small group curriculum (constantly on the list)
5. Finalize Re:Generation Student Ministry Budget (just finished it today...i feel like I just ran a marathon.)
6. Finalize Re:Generation Ministry Plan (yes, pastors should actually have a plan for how they are going to bring people to Jesus...)
7. Plan Saturday Morning Media Training (probably will be on the list for weeks...just isn't happening for me yet.)
8. Get Re:Generation Promo Brochure to Cristy Dunn (she wants to hand them out to her cheerleaders...awesome!)
9. Birth a new CYA (College and Young Adult) Ministry called "Revolution" (though not fully birthed...that sounds gross...we are getting somewhere...check it out in the previous blog post)
10. Finalize Disciple Now Theme and Concept and get t-shirts made soon (okay...that's two in one...my bad)
I hope you have enjoyed this little look into my Tuesday...I just wanted to give you the top 10. There are at least 10 more things on the various lists that litter my desk. If you'd like to know the rest, just make a comment and I'll post it all.
Til the whole world knows,
Pastor Kevin
College ministry has been on my heart for a long time, but God has really been driving it home to me over the past several months. As I see more and more young people entering the South Florida scene, and fewer and fewer of them getting plugged into Jesus through a local church, the burden I feel to stand against that trend grows heavier and heavier.
I'm a young guy...26 years old. College was just 5 years ago for me. The great memories I have of being a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants student at the University of Missouri are some of my best. God challenged me in those days. He grew me, taught me, and prepared me for the life that He is leading me in now. So my heart breaks just a little more each time I get a sense that rather than turning back to the God of creation, college students and young adults are doing anything but that. They are finding their satisfaction and placing their affections elsewhere. They are pouring their time into things that moth and rust will certainly destroy. They are hording what little money and material things they are able to get, as if those are the things that will carry us through life.
Even worse, those college students and young adults that are attempting to follow Jesus are largely being led astray these days. Those "church" leaders seeking to reach out to people like me and my friends are largely doing it in a way that revises Scripture profanely. They perceive that young people are constantly seeking after something new, different, challenging, unique, rebellious, or fresh to soothe their "itching ears"...and they are viciously taking advantage of it. How did we come to a place where established pastors or leaders in churches are publicly pondering questions like "Can the homosexual lifestyle and the Christian lifestyle be maintained at the same time?" and "Is Scripture really reliable and truthful in its entirety?" When young people come to believe that even the men of God in their lives are standing on a crumbling foundation, they begin to doubt that anything can really be true.
So we find ourselves at Sheridan Hills ready to stand up against these things, and ready to stand up for Jesus. The Revolution is here.
If you're a college student/young adult, and you would like to know more about Revolution, you are officially invited to a dinner at my home in Plantation on Saturday night, October 11th. If you'd like to attend, please RSVP with my wife Crystal at kccckw5@yahoo.com or call her at 314.255.6649.
Til the whole world knows,
Pastor Kevin
Baptism is an amazing thing to begin with. The beautiful picture of Christ entering the grave and departing from the world of sin as we enter the water, and the glorious resurrection of Jesus as we emerge declaring a new life of obedience to Him. Scripture points to Jesus from cover to cover, and I love when our Christian practice does the same.
Anyway, I had the opportunity to baptise 3 people in the Atlantic Ocean today. The water was rough, the surf was high, and I lost my glasses when a wave hit me in the face. Oh...and it was pouring down rain as I drove home nearly blind.
It was a pretty good day : )
I encourage you to check out the new, high tech, HD, game of "PONG" on the Media page. I just spent about 10 minutes playing it, and I am convinced the computer is cheating. It knows my every move. It's as if it's inside my head, anticipating what I will do. The computer is...a Pong Genius. Today, the world has changed.
We had an awesome night of worship and hearing from God last night at the 705. It changes me for the better to see students worshipping God so passionately on Wednesday nights. Big props to Jesus for what he's doing in our Student Ministry.
So we're in the middle (literally) of a series on The 10 Commandments. I was thinking about showing a sweet clip from the old school Ten Commandments movie with Charlton Heston (one of my wife's all-time favorites)...definitely look for that next week in the 705. Anyway, we focused last night on God's 5th commandment for His people, the first commandment with a promise, to honor our fathers and mothers. I would say that at least 30-40 percent of teenagers that come to me for advice, wisdom, or counseling are coming partly because they are struggling to live this particular part of Scripture out. For all the funny stories we have, and all the excuses we make about how we just can't be obedient to our parents, the bottom line is that God is glorified when we are honoring and obedient to our parents. We need to remember that God hasn't instructed us to honor our parents JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE OUR PARENTS! That would imply that they have earned the right...which would imply that by choosing to have children you earn the right to their respect. That's not biblical.
As a parent, God has given me a great gift in The 5th Commandment. He has commanded my children to, as the Greek would communicate, literally "prize and revere" me. As I think about that from the perspective of a daddy, I have to ask myself if I really deserve that. Am I worthy to be "prized and revered" by my boys? The answer is no. On my own, I'm not worthy of anyone's reverance. But, as I follow Christ and lead my family to do the same, we all begin to see the amazing benefit of operating as a family the way God intended. He gives us the Christian Family Handbook in Colossians 3:
As a daddy and a husband: I am to love my children, being careful not to intentionally frustrate or degrade them in any way. I'm to lead my wife in a way that makes her confident in my leadership
As a wife and mommy: My wife is confident in my leadership and follows my example as we raise our boys together.
As children: My boys are to obey my wife and me.
When everybody fulfills their role and these things are all working well, God is honored and glorified because His design and plan for family is working in a holy way! This is amazing!
Til the whole world knows,
Pastor Kevin
Today, millions of students across the United States gathered around the flagpole at school and prayed openly and in public. We had several students, teachers, and administrators gathered around our very own Sheridan Hills flagpole. It kind of struck me as funny this morning that I'm pretty sure none of us even knows that flagpole is there but once a year...ha!
Here are a few things we petitioned our great God for this morning:
We asked Him to raise up leaders for His Kingdom at Sheridan Hills
We asked Him to help us be resolved to honor Him in our school
We asked Him to empower us to be lovers of His word
We asked Him to heal a sick culture and bring to reconciliation a generation that has put Jesus on the shelf
We asked Him to heal the deep hurts in our country both socially and economically
We asked Him to give wisdom and discernment to our country's leaders.
May these prayers be answered, and may we continue to pray them in faith!
So right now I have a mohawk, and I must say that I'm very proud of some people at my church that I thought would go completely bonkers! It's just one of those things that, 3 years ago, I wouldn't have even dreamed of trying to pull off. It was just a different world, then. I think with all the economic crisis and worry filling people's lives, everyone finally is coming to the conclusion that the status of my hair is nothing to complain about. Anyway, I only have a mohawk in support of my friend Kurt's son Austin, who is just finishing up his stay in the hospital after 2 brain surgeries. By the way, my two oldest boys are rockin' the mohawk, too. Honestly, it's kind of growing on me (no pun intended). It's kind of a rush for me, as well. I think, "Wow...if I can pull off a mohawk, what other crazy things might I be able to do?" I mean, really crazy stuff. Like go down to Young's Circle and start talkin' to people about Jesus! Or do the dishes at home for no reason at all! Or actually act on my resolution to stop speeding when I drive, thereby avoiding multiple speeding tickets! Am I crazy, or what?
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