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Hey there high school and college students!  If you're looking to invest your time for a semester in your field of study and get some valuable experience in an internship, the Semester Internship Program may be just what you're looking for.  Sheridan Hills always has opportunity for those with specific interests, and you could be a part of some major projects in which ever semester you choose.  Stop by the High School Ministry Office today and pick up an application!


til the whole world knows,


Pastor Kevin
 
 
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There's basically nothing you can do to change it.  SCHOOL IS STARTING.  As horrifying as it is to see the end of summer come, we might as well enjoy the beginning of the school year together!  If you are a 9th-12th grade student, come hang out with us at Fall Party 2010.  It's completely free, completely fun, and you'll meet lots of new people.  Start your school year off the right way.  Come to Fall Party!


til the whole world knows,


Pastor Kevin
 
 
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I get asked this question, in one form or another, ALL THE TIME.


High schoolers and college students, in particular, have some kind of crazy, unrelenting, psychosis when it comes to dating relationships!  Partly, it's just the normal process of growing towards adulthood and wanting to find someone to share your life with.  But mostly, it's a big mess of hormones, poor judgment, and a desire for status.


So maybe you are asking questions like this one which I recently received from a student on Facebook.  (All names, genders, and circumstances will be changed for confidentiality.)


"Kevin, there's something I need to ask you about.  I've been dating my boyfriend for 4 months.  When we started dating, he hated the church and wanted nothing to do with it.  Now he's starting to come around and wants to start coming to church with me.  I don't want him to come to church or change his beliefs about God just to make me happy.  How can I make sure he does it for the right reasons?

"Obviously, this girl really cares for her boyfriend and is concerned about him spiritually.  I applaud that and encourage that kind of compassion.  BUT...there's a whole lot more NEGATIVE about this situation than POSITIVE.

First things first...let's define the purpose of dating.  You may disagree with me on this, but its MY BLOG! : )

The purpose of dating is NOT to have a good time, NOT to hook up or be friends with benefits, and NOT to "fill a void in your life.

"The purpose of dating is to assess a person you are attracted to, and who is mutually attracted to you, for MARRIAGE.

Teenagers:  You say, "But I'm not ready for marriage!"

I agree.  Thus, you are not ready for DATING!

Dating someone who you know you'll never marry is pointless.  You're simply putting yourself in a position to be tempted to do things that married people do and thus, break commandments you shouldn't be breaking!

If you're in a dating relationship and can't see yourself pulling the trigger on marriage within the next 2-3 years at the most, you're setting yourself up for heartache, disappointment, and you may be WASTING one of the greatest parts of your life!

Second, if you choose to date and you're aim is to honor the Lord with your life...DON'T DATE SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T SHARE THAT GOAL!

2 Corinthians 6:14 says this,

 "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?"

REMEMBER:  GOD DOESN'T NEED YOU TO "SAVE" HIM BY DATING HIM.

REMEMBER:  GODS NEVER EXPECTS US TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING GREAT FOR HIS GLORY (LIKE WINNING YOUR NON-CHRISTIAN GIRLFRIEND TO CHRIST) BY DOING SOMETHING THAT HIS WORD SPEAKS AGAINST (LIKE DATING YOUR NON-CHRISTIAN GIRLFRIEND).

Did you catch all that?

Teenager:  I hear what you're saying..."You can't help who you fall in love with!"
Can I challenge you in two ways?  First, can you be mature enough to consider the thought that you may not have the slightest clue what it means to love someone in a way that would support a marriage for the rest of your life?
Second, can you be responsible enough to truly seek the Lord in your relationships by placing a boundary in your life concerning who you will and will not spend significant time with?

God wants your heart.  Are you constantly giving it to someone else?
God wants to bless you.  Are you always derailing that process by serving your selfish desire, instead?

If you:A.  Want to live your life in honor and service to Jesus
and
B.  Are in a relationship with someone who doesn't feel 100 PERCENT the same...

BREAK. UP.
Plain and simple.  I know it's hard, I know it may not make sense.  But you HAVE to get past the feeling that you have a better perspective on your life and what you need than God does.
If you can't honor the Lord COMPLETELY in your dating relationship, then it isn't a relationship you should continue.  I promise you, God has something better for you.

Third, if you actually decide to take my advice and break it off, what should you do to combat the inevitable awkwardness and weirdness that can keep you from maintaining a friendship?

1.  Communicate very clearly that you want to be a friend to him/her.
2.  Communicate very clearly that you're goal is to honor God with your life.
3.  Communicate very clearly that you want him/her to experience the same joy, satisfaction, and peace that you find in your relationship with Christ.You made a mistake.  

You entered into a relationship you shouldn't have, and you ended it.  Don't make the follow up mistake of ruining the picture of faith this person has developed by watching and observing you.

Be a Christian.  Be a friend.  Those are your responsibilities.  You should never feel the burden of whether or not this person will accept Christ or whether or not this person will start coming to church.

THAT'S NOT YOUR JOB!
The Holy Spirit is all over that, you simply need to do two things.  LOVE GOD.  LOVE PEOPLE.

I'm praying to see a generation of teenagers wake up to the fact that they don't need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be normal, that Jesus is truly enough, and that God's plan for them as it concerns relationships is so much better than their own.

til the whole world knows,

Pastor Kevin
 
 
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We got back from Student Life Camp at Stetson University on June 25th, a little over 2 weeks ago.  I was tempted to blog about our amazing week at camp as soon as I got back, but I didn't for a few reasons.


First,  I wanted to let the experience settle in for me, as a pastor, before I really archived it forever.


Second, I wanted to give some of the students who made huge decisions at camp time to talk with those they are closest to before I addressed them in this blog.


Third, I was exhausted and needed time away.


So now I'm sitting in the office at the sprawling estate of my wife's parents in St. Louis with a little time to blog, and blog I shall!


I honestly wasn't very expectant about camp this year.  In fact, I was already writing off the whole Student Life thing before we even went.  Last year's camp at Daytona was a fun little thing to do, but mostly disappointment in my mind.  I've been planning for several months to go in a different direction with camp for next year.


But Stetson was TOTALLY different from Daytona.  Our students were challenged in every way.  Our adult leaders and college leaders were challenged, and I felt like I was seeing them grow before my eyes.


The community was real.  The unity was strong.  The chocolate pudding was off the chain.  And the Holy Spirit was evidently working among our group.


A lot of kids made a lot of decisions.  I don't know about all of them (we took 37 kids and I honestly haven't been able to talk to everyone since we got back), but I want to publicly encourage and give a shout out to a few.


Jillian ~ I saw a huge change in you at camp.  I praise God for convicting you of your sin, giving you a spirit of repentance, and giving you the courage to admit your great need for Him.  Every time a student isn't afraid to admit they need God and want Him in their lives, I am inspired.  You inspired me, Jilly Jamz.  I am praying for you every day, and it gives me great joy to see that you have found real, genuine community with the other kids in our student ministry.


Sydney ~ You are strong, and I don't think you know it.  You recognized a great need in your life at camp...one that you were afraid to admit.  And you did it.  Having it all together is a great character trait to possess.  Having the courage to admit when you don't is an even better one!  God has given you great character, and great potential for leadership.  You have everything in you to be a world changer.  Seriously.  I am really proud of you.  


Emeli ~ I asked you on the bus ride home what God did in your life at camp.  You said, "I became a Christian last night." As surprising and different as that might sound to some, it is the sweetest thing my ears can hear from a student, no matter which student says it.  What I see in you at church is a young lady who seeks the Lord.  What I see in you outside of church is EXACTLY THE SAME.  That speaks volumes about you, sister.  I am thankful to be your pastor, and to watch you grow in the Lord.


Austin ~ I will NEVER forget the conversation you and I had at camp on Thursday night.  You were the classic example of someone who understood faith, but needed to know repentance.  Don't be ashamed of that...what a gift salvation is!  You were honest and open and real...something I love about teenagers.  One of the cool things about South Florida is that people like you just sort of "drop in" from the sky and land with us.  I'm really glad you and your family put the landing gear down at Sheridan Hills.  I can't wait to see you grow and mature in your faith, and to see you serve in the Kingdom!


I don't want to de-emphasize any of the other decisions that were made at camp (shout out to Ileana for surrendering to the call on her life for overseas missions!).  I'm so proud of every teenager that committed to letting go where God said let go, and picking up what God said to pick up.


The hard part:  Are you REMAINING?  If you went to camp, you know exactly what I mean.  We are two weeks out of one of the greatest weeks we can remember. 
 Are you back to normal?  
Have you gone back to the EXACT SAME ROUTINE?  
Is anything different for you? 
 Did you make a decision that lasted a week?  
Or did you make a decision that lasted a lifetime?  
Jesus was worth sacrificing your pride and status while we were at Stetson...is he still worth it back home?


Are you chasing down every piece of wisdom and guidance you can get from God's Word?


Are you sending up every prayer and desire of your heart as you pray and talk to your Savior every day?


Have you said goodbye to that useless relationship you were in before camp, so that you could enjoy the relationship with Jesus that you either started or renewed while you were there?


As I said two weeks ago at The 705, this is the hard part.  This is the part that requires real sacrifice and dependance upon God in your life.  It separates disciples-in-training from deserters-in-hiding.  It's not arriving that is such a thrill, it's the journey you take to get there.  Journey with Jesus, students.  Remain in His love.




til the whole world knows,


Pastor Kevin
 
 
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Looking for blog material today, and I stumbled across a note that's been on my desk for a LONG time.  The heading of this sticky note says * I WANT *.  This is my ever growing Wish List of things that I would like to have for ministry.


I share this for a few reasons:


1.  Other youth pastors.  Maybe you guys don't know about these things and should look into them.


2.  Posterity.  It's nice to look back through the years and remember what you were thinking, doing, and hoping for!


3.  Potential contributors.  If you are reading this and you love me...buy me stuff!




WISH LIST:
1.  "The Emergency Response Handbook for Disaster Relief"  (from Group Publishing)
2.  Mafia Cards (Google them...they are awesome and make Mafia 100% better)
3.  "College Ministry 101" by Chuck Bomar  (Chuck is the College ministry guru and I really need to read this book!  Buy it used...I'm not picky
4.  2 ministry interns for the Fall of 2010 (I have 2 interns now who are awesome and are making ministry better at Sheridan Hills.  You will be paid in chewing gum.)
5.  2 ministry interns for the Winter of 2010 (see above)
6.  ESV Study Bible, leatherbound (best study Bible available...me likey.)
7.  "The Dangerous Book for Boys"  (BOUGHT IT!)
8.  Adult Leaders who are passionate about mentoring and discipling teenagers (have a few of these already...need several more...RSVP immediately...psst, hey parents of teenagers:  it's okay to be involved in student ministry even if your kids bellyache about it!)
9.  "College Ministry Video Training Bundle"  (can never put enough investment in college ministry...they will be creating our culture for the next generation!)




Hope these resources and "wishes" are helpful to you in ministry!  I'm sure the list will grow so check back frequently!


til the whole world hears,


Pastor Kevin
 
 
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Let's all pretend that it hasn't been 5 months since I last blogged.  Ready? Set?  Pretend!


Well, I'm going to play catch up over the next few days.  


The first thing I wanted to recap is the single most important event that our student ministry has participated in since I began as Pastor to High School and College students in July of 2008.


We are all aware of the earthquake that hit Haiti this year, and so many people have made significant life changes in order to help the people of Haiti.  I've been to Port-Au-Prince twice this year, and God has really burdened not just me, but our students.


After the earthquake happened, Karla Aparicio and Audrey Aurigemma, two student leaders in our ministry, came to me with the idea of doing a benefit concert in order to help the people in Haiti.  Thus, Mission:Haiti was born.


We had 3 different bands play, countless volunteers contributing to the effort, and over 300 people attended.  We were hoping to raise $1,000.  God blessed us with a matching donor, which would turn our $1,000 into $2,000.  We felt like this would be a HUGE accomplishment for the kingdom and a great win for the student ministry.


At the end of the night, Mission:Haiti had raised a total of over $5,000 for the people of Haiti!


Malachi 3 is a chapter that is, in many ways, about trust.  We all, to some degree, battle between trust in money and trust in God.  To that, God says, "Test me in this, see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."  


I saw a room full of young people (and some older folks!) put their trust in what God could accomplish with their own money in a place a thousand miles away for some people they don't know.  


If you don't know how awesome that is, then you need awesome lessons.


Maybe even more awesome is how Mission:Haiti brought our student ministry together.  We rallied together around one cause:  living out the gospel of Jesus for the people of Haiti.  


That's a bit more meaningful than a bonfire, I think.  We have now completely rethought our approach to events in student ministry.  Why waste time, money, and resources on things that accomplish nothing for the kingdom?


We'll still have fun, because I can tell you that it's a lot of fun changing the world together!


Big thanks to all who were involved with Mission:Haiti, and continue to pray that it's impact grows!


Click here for Mission:Haiti pictures!



til the whole world hears,


Pastor Kevin
 
 
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Something I'm super pumped about in our student ministry right now...a group of cool, godly, relevant ladies has risen up in our church with a heart to mentor high school and college-age girls in our church.  This is SO needed in EVERY church, and I think it will probably have as big an impact on our student ministry as anything we've done.  Thanks to the ladies who are stepping up and investing in this generation of strong young ladies, and I ask you to pray with me for the girls who will be participating!

Til the whole world knows,

Pastor Kevin
 
 
 
 
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Imagine this:

You receive a card in the mail.  It's nicely wrapped and packaged, and you're kind of excited to open it.  You tear off the ribbon, open the envelope, pull out the card, open it...and it says this:


You are invited to come to my house
Hope you can make it!

You stare blankly at the invitation, confused and a little annoyed.  You ask questions like, "When am I supposed to be there?  Who sent this?  Where is the house?  Should I bring anything?  How long will the party last?"

You can't make a decision to go or not to go...because you have no idea what you're committing to.

Or maybe you can do what I've seen hundreds of teenagers do:

You write a note in reply that says, "I'll be there." 
You jump in your car and drive, though you don't know where you're going.
You bring nothing with you because you haven't been asked to.
You choose a direction on the highway because you haven't been given one.

You were confused by the invitation.


We had a great time this past weekend at Rock the Universe in Orlando.  We saw some great concerts, rode some great rides, and made some hilarious memories.

During the Sunday morning worship service, which was @ Universal Studios, I witnessed yet again an extremely confusing invitation time.

The speaker was engaging.  A former All-American wrestler and a current Lifeway executive, he told some funny stories and challenged several hundred kids to prepare educationally, physically, and spiritually for the life that lay ahead of them.

All of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, I hear him say, "If you'd like to begin that relationship today, I want you to stand up."

Maybe 50 kids stood up.

The speaker then led the congregation to rejoice in seeing so many teenagers become "part of the family" of Christians today!

With no mention of the cross, no mention of sin, no mention of repentance...students who stood up were told that they had just become a "part of the family".

I saw two teenage guys stand up on the front row in the center section.  The first one to stand up was dozing as the invitation was given and seem to be awakened from his sleep as soon as the speaker said, "...i want you to stand up..."  So what did he do?  He stood up!  The kid next to him very reluctantly stood up, looking all around himself in every direction, as if asking, "Should I be standing up?"

The speaker stood directly in front of that second kid and said, "Welcome to the family.  This means we'll be seeing each other in heaven!"

Listen...I'm not trying to drag anyone through the mud.  But as preachers, as teachers of the Bible, we have a great and constant responsibility to preach the gospel FULLY (Romans 15:19).  We can't leave out sin.  We can't leave out the cross.  We can't leave out repentance. 

And we certainly can't offer someone the assurance of salvation simply because they chose to stand up out of confusion.

I'll be honest.  As a pastor to high school students, I was pumped that my kids stayed seated.  I'd rather have those conversations one on one than have to clean up that kind of theological mess.

TEENAGERS:  Count the cost of following Christ.  It's not as easy and pain-free as some make it out to be.  It is, however, worth every minute.

YOUTH LEADERS:  If you can't, or are unwilling to, approach sin, the cross, and repentance while giving an invitation, then leave it to someone who will. 


til the whole world knows,


Pastor Kevin
 
 
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Hey guys!  Real quick...super pumped about the next sermon series coming up in The 705:  Call of Duty: The High School Battlefield


We'll spend 4 weeks talking about some series battles that I've seen a lot of high school Christians face as they try to live out their faith in an often very anti-faith atmosphere.


Week 1:  The Battle of Priorities
Week 2:  The Battle of Self-Image
Week 3:  The Battle of Self-Righteousness
Week 4:  The Battle of Authority


Totally pumped about jumping into this school year!


til the whole world knows,




Pastor Kevin