J6 Student Ministry Blogs, Talks, and Whatever

Where has the summer gone?

2011-07-06T10:09:00.000-05:00

The summer is half way done, where did it go? We've all been scattered to the winds, vacations, camps, get-aways, work, etc...but now what? We're not done yet but we have to continue to look towards the fall. What does God have for us at J6, at CrossRoads, and in The HUB? What is your vision? I think we all agree we want to continue to grow, continue to reach people but what does that look like? What does it mean to have a missional mindset and for J6 to reach people? That's on all of us to make it happen.

Focal Point

2011-06-17T10:47:00.001-05:00

The following is an excerpt from a book called "Missional Renaissance" by Reggie McNeal:

"I travel by plane almost every week. This means I get to visit a lot of airports. On a fairly routine basis, airports get confused about what they're there for-and for whom. They think that if a bunch of planes are on the ground, close to the hub, and the concourse is full, they are winning. Of course, when his happens, it means a bunch of people aren't getting where they want to go. They're stuck at the airport, like flies on flypaper."

This is the same idea for the church, or in our case The HUB. This is exactly where the idea for The HUB came from, an airport. It's awesome having The HUB and we're grateful for it but it can't be our destination but just a connecting place. The vision is for The HUB to be just that, a hub...come, connect, and GO into the world.

The Importance of Being Real

2010-10-14T02:43:00.004-05:00

We just did a series entitled SHOUT on Wednesday nights and it's all about sharing your faith, the essence of what we're all about. Many times during teachings, we use stories or examples of different things to reference what we're trying to get across but this time, we just laid it on the line. We confessed shortcomings and hypocrisies when it comes to sharing our faith with those around us. In short, shared our faith. Since then, I had a young lady approach me saying she didn't want to be a hypocrite any more. As we got to talking about that and what brought her to that point she begin to share how she felt alone in this and that she was the only one having struggles. When she realized there were others that felt the way she did, she became able to share that and overcome. Had we given any other story that night or any other example, she may have not realized the importance of God's grace and love. When we fall, we must confess and make things right. When we hurt others, we must ask their forgiveness. In our shortcomings, God is glorified by His amazing grace, but we must realize that it is all about Him and nothing about us...and then live that out.

Another Summer is Upon Us

2010-05-31T16:39:00.003-05:00

Here we are at the end of another school year, heading into another busy summer schedule with J6. It would be very easy to look at our summer schedule and think it's all about fun but that wouldn't be true. We have a lot of fun stuff but even in the fun times, we must seek the "God moments." Always seek the "everything's spiritual" in all we do. We have many great events for digging into the word of God but those don't have to be the only times we grow spiritually.

Commissioned

2010-05-05T20:52:00.003-05:00

The elder stands in the front of the room. The single candle he holds in his hand is the only light in the room. He speaks words of wisdom over all those present. He calls forth to the leader to come stand before him, places his hand upon the leaders shoulders, and begins to speak. He prays over him and lights the candle in the leader's hands speaking great words of power and authority in the Holy Spirit. Upon amen, that leader turns and calls those that serve along with him. They come and stand before him. Ten in all, warriors in their own right, stand in a straight line. Shoulder to shoulder with one another they stand, their own candles in hand. The leader goes down the line, lighting each one of their candles and then has the ten turn to face the room. He then prays over them a similar prayer the elder prayed over him and announces them to go carry their lights around the room. As the ten move to their places in the room, the leader announces for any who wish to stand with them, take their candle and join the leader of their tribe. Young men and women stand all over the room, take up candles of their own and seek out their tribal leader. Candles were now being lit all over the room as leaders prayed over their group members. As prayers finished, the group came back together. The leader spoke again.

"You receive these commission, this charge, because we believe you are ready. We don't believe you are perfect or that you will not mess up, but we believe that you will pursue love."

The elder stood once more praying for the entire group and on amen, they all blew out their candles.

If you think this story is cool, you should have been there when it happened at our Wednesday Night Happening.

Lead by Example

2010-01-10T11:59:00.001-06:00

1 Corinthians 11:1 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible if not my favorite. It simply states,

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

Quite possibly the boldest statement a leader could make, follow me, no matter what. This verse, however, calls a couple of things to my attention.

One, it calls accountability into play. By making a statement like this, it puts you in the spotlight. Everyone will be watching you to see how you respond in all sorts of situations. Knowing the eyes of so many will be on you, you will be more likely to think harder about what you’re doing and how you go about doing it.

Secondly, you have to chase after Christ. If you claim you’re going to live in the example of Christ, you need to know what that is. You can’t follow an example if you don’t have that example in front of you to follow. No one is asking for perfection, not even Christ, but He is asking you, and me, to chase after Him with all we’ve got.

As a member of the J6 Leadership team, you can’t expect anyone you lead to do anything you’re not willing to do. That includes bring your bible, read your bible, or pay attention during teaching times for just a few small examples for Wednesday nights. There are so many more things you need to lead by example every other day of the week. How you treat people, what you do with your time, energy, and money, and what you do with your alone time.

The challenge is for you to realize how many eyes are on you and think about what direction you are leading those people to. Are you leading towards Christ, or away?

In Who's Name?

2009-10-08T15:44:00.004-05:00

We've all heard stories of knights riding across the country side "in the name of the king." When those knight's came in the king's name, they not only came representing the king but with all of the authority the king has. Our King, Christ, the King of kings, has all authority and with His name that we carry, we carry his authority. If we decide to come in the name of J6, CrossRoads, christians, or [your name here] we come with all the authority those names have, which is none! We must decide who we represent and make our stand.

So, What's going on...

2009-10-03T13:34:00.003-05:00

Things have been exciting around J6, lots going on. We've moved into the HUB, our very own facility and we've pretty much outgrown it. Our 5th Quarters have been great, including a very interesting Open Mic Night 5th Quarter. We've had a few very successful fundraisers that are helping out a lot with expenses of upcoming events. God has been so good to us. So now, we must use what God has given us for His Glory. We'll continue to grow and we'll need the place to do so but without us pursuing Christ, it's just another building with people in it.

This is Your Castle!

2009-08-13T12:31:00.003-05:00

The following is lines from the movie "The Last Castle" starring Robert Redford:

"Take a look at a castle. Any castle. Now break down the key elements that make it a castle. They haven't changed in a thousand years. 1: Location. A site on high ground that commands the territory as far as the eye can see. 2: Protection. Big walls, walls strong enough to withstand a frontal attack. 3: A garrison. Men who are trained and willing to kill. 4: A flag. You tell your men you are soldiers and that's your flag. You tell them nobody takes our flag. And you raise that flag so it flies high where everyone can see it. Now you've got yourself a castle."

A good friend and brother of mine is heading off to boot camp soon so it's made me think of my time in service. God is so faithful though to remind me of the battle I'm in now and how much greater this battle is than any I fought while in the Marines. I shared with some students just the other night as we stood around the flagpoles at the middle school and the high school to pray a very similar statement as the one from the movie.

We look at all the things going on within our schools and think to ourselves how much the enemy has reign there and it's just simply not true, he only has reign where we allow. As I seek to lead students in and through this battle, I have to tell them the same thing Robert Redford's character General Irwin tells the men with him, "you are soldiers and that's your flag (the banner of Christ we carry) and nobody takes our flag. You raise that flag so if flies high where everyone can see it." Proclaim the ground you walk as Christ's. Just know that when you do, the enemy will come but in the power of Christ you will stand. There will be some who look at your flag and mock or even try to tear it down, stand your ground. HOLD MEN! STAND AND FIGHT!

Wow! Where has the summer gone?

2009-07-06T16:58:00.002-05:00

We've made it through another awesome Student Life Camp, WE HAD 11 GIVE THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST...AWESOME!!! and looking back, it seems like the summer is just about wrapped up and school is about to begin again. Let's finish strong! We still have a few more fun events on the horizon and some cool Wednesday Nights coming up. I want to really encourage all of you to dig in and get into God's word. Start building consistency and developing that time so when school starts, it won't be hard to continue.

Smells Like Smoke

2009-02-07T16:01:00.002-06:00

We had a great time last night for the Guys Night Out camping trip. We set up camp, built a fire, worked on some team building skills, Colby taught how to use a compass, had some MRE's, and slept out under the stars. This was an awesome trip and if you missed it, you missed a good one. We'll plan on camping again before the weather turns warmer. I don't think anyone took any pictures but we all have some good stories to tell.

Have a Merry, Merry Christmas!

2008-12-03T13:58:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to send a reminder, as cliche' as it may be, keep Christ in Christmas. Through the hustle and bustle of all the business of shopping, running from party to party, and everything in between, there's more to it. Take some time to do these things. Spend some time with family. Make sure to take the time while you have the chance to work on relationships with your family members. Secondly, spend some time with friends. Just like your family, spend some time visiting with friends. Really spend time and talk with them. Lastly, at least for this blog, do something for someone you don't know. There are so many people with so many needs, some you can see some you can't, throughout this holiday season. Be conscious of those around you and do what you can to help them. It may be buying them something to eat, giving them a coat because they're cold, or just visiting with them and allowing them to talk with someone.

Floatin' Down the, uh, roadway...

2008-10-24T08:06:00.002-05:00

Well we made it! We had a very successful homecoming parade. Yeah, you could look at things and say the teepee blew over and yeah that was dissapointing, but we wouldn't have had room on the float for everybody if we had it on there. I know some of you thought it to be boring having to sit down the whole time but I appreciate you following the rules. I hope you all had a great time. Our thought behind this was, like everything else we do, is to make His name known, Christ's name if you're not sure. Yeah, we had some fun, acted like crazy people, threw candy, cups, and beads at, I mean to people, but how is that making His name known. If our lives are for Christ, then by being there made His name known. We showed our community we are here, and that's a good start. The other thing is, LOTS of people saw all of you on that float and now they know you're associated with a church. Some of you are like, big deal, I go to church, and you're right...and wrong. J6 is about Christ, and we want everything we do to point people towards Him. Your school, your jobs, your community is now watching you knowing that you're a "Christian." Your move...

Nice Job!

2008-10-13T08:48:00.003-05:00

We had a very successful boxed lunch fundraiser this past sunday. I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who helped to make it such a big hit. Whether it was serving, cleaning, cooking, or making deserts, thanks. We'll look to do another boxed lunch sell next month and perhaps a Wednesday night sometime coming up. Nice job guys!

Family Time is Great Time!

2008-10-03T10:23:00.002-05:00

This past Wednesday Night was our Family Time Wednesday Night Happening, and it was a blast to say the least. We had some music, dancing, games, and "getting to know you" time. Check out the photo page on our website for some pictures and a funny video of a supposed dance competition...hmmm.

Even throughout all the fun we had, the central theme of family was important and we cannot neglect our family. Of course I mean you can't neglect your real family, but we're talking more about the bonds of family we share in Christ. All of us, brothers and sisters, sharing life together. How disappointed are your parents when you're mean to your brother or sister? How much more do you think God our Father is disappointed when we're mean to our heavenly brothers and sisters. We must unite as one family, one love, and support one another.

Independence Day Sucks!

2008-09-26T07:34:00.002-05:00

I'm just about done with a book called "The Shack" by William Young. If you haven't read it, you need to, if you have read it, you may want to read it again. For me, the central idea behind this book is letting go of our preconceived notions of God and relying on Him/Her completely. It explains in such imagery the reason we struggle in a world as we do, because we want our independence and God, being loving as He/She is, gives it to us. (By the way, to understand the he/she thing, read the book or talk to me)

I just shared with the leadership team the idea that when we give our lives to Christ, our lives are no longer ours to have. When we want it to be our life, we are declaring our independence from God and saying, "we don't need You." While doing that, we're deciding we're going to judge God. Judge God you say, what do you mean? I'm not judging God. When you declare your independence from God, you're saying, "God, I don't trust that You know what's best for me, I'm in more of a position to run my life than You are."

For me, as I pray I just ask God, "is it because I'm so selfish, or am I scared to let go and trust You? Do I really believe I know better than You do?" My brain keeps telling me, surely not, but my actions keep telling me yes, obviously I do.
Here's the kicker, people will fail you. Your friends, your youth pastor, your pastor, your parents, your brother or sister, your girlfriend or boyfriend, they will all fail you at some time. They're human and that's the best they can be. Christ will never fail you. He always knows what's best for you, despite what you can or cannot see. For you to trust Him, you must know Him and know that He loves you more than we could ever grasp. Declare your dependence on God. Let go of what you think you know and live for what is real.

Parents Lunch

2008-09-22T08:53:00.005-05:00

I'd like to say thanks to all of you who attended or helped out or both at our Youth Parents Lunch to make it a huge success. I really appreciate you giving your time to let me share what God has laid on my heart and I really appreciate you allowing me to spend time with your students. Here's a few pics from the lunch.

...& a video.

Our Improper Fraction

2008-09-20T00:20:00.012-05:00

Well, we did it. We finally had a football game on a Friday night. No hurricane this time. Unfortunatley, our Broncos didn't pull it out but it was a well fought battle. We did get to have our 5th Quarter though...and it was FUN! (by the way, 5/4 is an improper fraction, hence the name) We had pizza, sodas, candy, m & m's (which Terri & Leila divide by colors), some yatzee, and a dodge-ball match. As always, we had a great time. Check out some of the pictures below.

Oh yeah, there must have been something in the water, or the coffee, or maybe the soda, but some of our girls started growing mustaches...

I'll post some more pictures on Our Website later on.

Another Safe Journey

2008-09-14T17:51:00.002-05:00

Well, it's looking like we made it through another storm with not too much damage. I hope everyone made it safe. Once again we need to look around us and see what we can do to help those around us. It may be giving some food or clothes to someone who lost theirs or it may be just helping your neighbor pick up leaves and branches from their yard. This is the time when the church should stand up and show the love of Christ.

Kick Off Night!

2008-09-10T21:56:00.004-05:00

Well, kick off was tonight and no I'm not talking about the football game. J6 Student Ministry had a very successful unveiling tonight. We ate some ice cream, had some fun games, had a great time, and Eric wore a tux! I'll have some more pictures up on j6students.com real soon. It was an exciting night. Sorry if you had to miss it. Probably have some video footage soon too!

Here We Go

2008-08-25T15:25:00.000-05:00

J6 is off and running, and that's a reason to celebrate! Everybody Dance Now!