prayers this last month - Jul 08

I'm behind a little with my prayer update because this has been the busiest summer of my life.

I've been going in a different direction this past month and it will continue for the next couple of months in my devotional time. This is effecting how my simple prayers are being made. Two things have changed:
1) I'm reading through the books of Acts and Romans with the CEV (contemporary English version).
2) I'm doing my devotionals with a focus on personal growth.

Here is the prayers I've wrote because of these changes:

Lord, may I connect with the people you have surrounded me with better. Help me to grow in this area.

Lord, I have know you since I was little - am I growing the way you want me to?

Lord, may I be about doing your "wonderful things."

Lord, help me to see people I can learn from and then help me to develop relationships with those people so that we can learn together.

Lord, thank you for sending Your son, thank you for blessing me through Him, and thank you for making it possible for me to turn away from my sin.

Lord, I want only what you want for my life - open my eyes to see you work.

Lord, my I be your instrument to confront where you need me to confront - that includes in my own life. May I do it in your timing but my I also be loving and caring in your timing as well.

Lord, I want to be open to You and only you but sometimes you use others - help me discern. Lord, my I be your subject no matter where or what I am doing.

Lord, help me to stay balanced and my all around me only see love and respect for you in my life.

Lord, I'm sorry - change me & molded me into something useful instead of this thing that am.

Lord, point me in the direction you want me to go - study by myself, with other people's influence, or a combination of both - I need you to guide me, pls.

Lord, may you put scales on my eyes if I keep being so cruel to you and others. Open my eyes to see You and only You.

Lord, I want to be your servant no matter what - but I'm too weak & too much of a wimp - help me Lord I need your strength.

Lord, I want to be all about you to the point that people see the change and are affected by the change.

Lord, take away the junk so I might be a useful tool in your hands.

Lord, may I look to you only - even if I have great men of God around me may I only see You. Lord, put a desire in my heart to share your truth by praying and caring for my kids, my family, my church, and my community.

Lord, I need your direction in my life, I have committed to focus on you and what you have placed me on this earth to do and to be less selfish, help me Lord, PLS.

Lord, may I be all about you until my body decays because of working for you Lord, you know all things and you help us through all things - open my eyes to understand what faithful suffering really is.

Lord, I thank you for sending the Holy Spirit in to this Gentiles (Mark Eades) life, may I be all that You want me to be.

Lord, open my eye to see you in a different light, may you cut me where I need to be cut so that I can be just that much more useful for Your glory.

Thank you Lord, for making it possible for me to find you, for being close, forgive me power to live, move, and making me-me.

Lord, penetrate my heart and mind with your word & may I be open to what you have planned to teach me through your word.

Mag Report - simply jr hi newsletter from Group - Aug08

I enjoy anything about middle school youth and this newsletter is a highlight for me when it comes in the mail. Now it will come to me electronically which I can start putting the whole newsletter into Evernote instead of just these simple blog posts I do - kewl - Thanks Group.

What I liked: Darryl Nelson – Partnering with Parent’s article reinforced what we do in the IMPACT ministry here at NCBC. His list of four imperatives of working with parents are hug & ones we use:
“1) As youth pastors we are not replacements for the parents – AMEN!
2) We exist to come alongside parents as they raise their kids.
3) Parents like to be informed.
4) Parents need to be encouraged.”

???: Kurt Johnston’s – Building youth ministry article is right on the money but some of his ideas are hard to balance between them. Like when he suggests that you connected young college kids with more mature parent volunteers to work with the kids and his idea to plug each volunteer into an area that they are gifted at is not an easy balance to do. Sometimes you have to prioritize what is the best way to ministry to the kids, parents, and volunteers and that isn’t easy to do.

Key statement: I was very encouraged by Kurt’s pray for us middle school/jr hi guy/gals in the Soul of a leader:
“Lord, may my brothers and sisters find themselves serving you in a setting that brings passion. And may their passion for ministry be smaller than their passion for you. May they burn long and bright for your kingdom. Amen.”

Something creative: Amanda Read’s – Discussion starter in the Plug ‘N Play was just brilliant and I’m sure that will become useful in a lesson we share in IMPACT.

Simple Thoughts

I haven't put down a "simple thoughts" post in some time and I was thinking about a few things this morning and thought I would put them down here.

1) Today I get to baptize my now 7 year son - what a privilege and a blessing.

2) This summer has been the most draingly wonderful summer I have ever had.

3) I've found myself being very selfish these days and I'm not sure why.

4) I've started walking again daily and my wife has joined me - praise God!

5) I'm enjoying an old on-line multi player game again - City of Heroes

MS 6th grade summer trip - final day

Well we just finished a great 6th grade summer trip that was really fun. We finished by joining Jeff's mom's at her farm house and what a wonderful time we had. It was really just a place to relax, play around, and I got to watch our wonderful intern really take everything up a level with the kids. She had them worshipping with their wonderful voices, she had them laughing, and just caring for each other in ways I have never seen them.

We made it home around 4pm where we debriefed the trip and sent the kids smiling home. If you would enjoy watching seeing some pictures of our final day please click on the picture.

Thanks to all the families of these wonderful kids, our drivers, and all the places we went to. It was such a blessing.

MS 6th grade summer trip - Day 2

Now I can relax - Wow! What a great and tiring day for everyone. I'm sitting here listening to no sound at all (well, except for Jeff's really loud snoring) as everyone is a sleep (including Jeff). We just had a day of playing, building bridges, getting to know each other, and for us sponsor's watch every kid come alive with excitement and energy. Some statements from the day:

1) Have you seen how much ______ is coming alive - it is awesome.
2) Your youth are so well behaved (from an older couple where we ate at).
3) Ride with me, no ride with me, no ride with me, etc (to almost all the sponsors from the kids)
4) I've never gone on that kind of water slide before - it was so much fun!
5) There are rides that are fast and then there are rides that are scary fast.

I can't say it enough - this soon to be 7th grader group have been wonderful and I'm very glad I was allowed to be on this trip. If you would like to see a short slide show just click on the picture.

Tomorrow we get to go to our wonderful host church - Orchard Hill Church. Then off to Jeff's mom & pa's place for some good grub, then home to CR for a 4pm debrief.

MS 6th grade summer trip - Day 1

Today was the start of our annual 6th grade summer trip and it has been a wonderful trip so far. We got a chance to go and serve at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank in Waterloo. They had a number of jobs for us and they kept us very busy for over 5 hours. Some of the comments made by the people we worked for:

1) you guys are real "go getters"

2) thank you for helping us here we needed it

3) these kids are only 6th graders - wow!

I'm very proud of our youth & sponsors and what they did. If you would like to see a slide show of some pictures we took please click on the picture.

We are off to the Lost Island water park tomorrow - going to be great!