Bubs Blog

Book Review: The Alchemist

2008-12-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

This book was actually a gift to me for Christmas - it ended up being the best gift I got all Christmas! (P.S. I think books make some of the greatest gifts ever - especially when you write in the covers). Let me first refer you to another review by Ben Rath here - he loved this book as well!

This book is different from the ones I usually read - it's a fiction novel - but it changed my life. This is a top 5 all time book on my list and a new requirement for anyone who loves to read!

Here are some of my favorite takeaways:

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting"

"To realize ones destiny is a persons only real obligation"

"He had to choose between something he was accustomed to - and something he wanted to do"

"If you can concentrate always on the present - you'll be a happy man."

"Someday - this morning will just be a memory"

"The closer one gets to realizing his dream, the more difficult things become"

"Another person was there - to help him toward his personal legend"

"In pursuing your dreams - you might lose everything you've won"

"Every second of the search is an encounter with God - when I was truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I've known that every hour was a part of the dream that I would find it. When I've truly been searching for my treasure, I've discovered things along the way I would have never seen had I not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible for a shepherd to achieve."

"When you are loved - you can do anything in creation"

I know a lot of you may not be able to get the context of these things - so GO OUT AND BUY THIS BOOK NOW!

Final Grade: A++++ Buy it Here

The Best of 2008 (Part 4)

2008-12-26T15:40:00.000-08:00

Highlights from 2008

Highlights:
1. Achieve breakfasts with PL
2. Running Revolution for 1 year with Sean and Zack
3. Laurelville Retreat with PL and 180 Youth
4. Seeing the Lion King – Broadway
5. Monthly breakfasts with Pastor Craig, Zack, Ben, Sean
6. The opportunity (turned down) to intern in Atlanta w/Catalyst
7. My Life – Parent Night – 3 amigos (Zack, Sean, and I)
8. David Crowder Band Concert
9. National Youth Ministry Conference in Cincinnati with Sean (Saw Tony Dungee speak)
10. ? and A with Zack and Sean at Revolution
11. On the Border Nights with the Boys
12. Resident Evil 4
13. Joel Osteen (Mr. Steidel taking my dad)
14. Sara coming to church for a few months
15. Spoke at Concord – 180 Youth
16. Wynne Lewis Conference
17. Pens making it to the Stanley Cup – lost to Detroit
18. Having breakfast with Pastor Kistler from MRBC (Middle school church)
19. Riley’s High School Graduation
20. Running Race for the Cure with the Bettencourts
21. Impartation Conference – Keith Moore
22. Starting to Blog/Twitter
23. Meeting Keith Moore
24. Healing Team Training
25. Lunch with Pastor John
26. Vacation in Canada with the Walczaks, Cory, Geisels
27. Spending a week with Nephew Michael
28. Getting an iPhone
29. Running the Great Race with PL
30. Siba Dinner with Laura when she got back from NYC
31. Going through I Timothy with PL
33. The Cadre Fall Retreat to Atlanta at Jeanne Mayo’s House
34. Light up Night in Station Square
35. Thanksgiving at the Mixters
36. Phone calls with Brad Cooper (Perry Nobles youth pastor)
37. Ryan Walczaks Wedding

Revolution Highlights:

• Pastor Nathan getting hired

• Fear Factor, Cedar Point, Silver Ring Thing, Third From First Concert, His Beloved/Geared events and Olympics, Lunch and a Movie: Prince Caspian and Madagascar 2, Pizza Eating Contest, Nerd Prom, Summer Scream Camp in Iowa (Camp in the Cornfield), 4th of July Party, Costume Party, Paintball, Turkey Bowl

• Series: Culture Wars, Say What, Only the Strong Survive, How to be Rich, On Your Own, The One, Story, My Revolution, Fear Factor, Going all the Way, Identity

19 North
• Roller Disco
• Broom Ball at 19 North
• Glade Run Halloween
• Video Scavenger Hunt
• Moving into the Main Sanctuary

Accomplishments:

• 1st year on staff at Victory Family Church
• Finishing my 2nd year of Bible School
• Running the Chicago Marathon
• Becoming a part of The Cadre – Jeanne Mayo’s Mentoring Program
• Leading my First Leadership Meeting – Taught on Teamwork
• Graduating from Robert Morris University
• Moving out of my House

That was 2008 for me - An unbelievable year - Really looking forward to 2009

What were some of your highlights and accomplishments?

The Best of 2008 (Part 3)

2008-12-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

The Top 3 Videos You Must Watch of '08

Beautiful_02- Single Guys Outtake from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-25T04:46:00.000-08:00

I hope this is the best Christmas ever for you!!!

The Best of 2008 (Part 2)

2008-12-24T06:16:00.000-08:00

A Bunch of Random Bests of 2008

Book Review: Wide Awake

2008-12-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

This is definitely a must read book by Erwin McManus. Here are some of my key takeaways:

If your dreams became the future of humanity - would the world be a better place?
When God is at the core of our lives - He becomes the inspirer of our dreams
You cannot even begin to live the dream that God has for you until you stop caring only about yourself
The world cannot afford for you to choose an easy and average life
You have no greater responsibility than to live the life that God created you to live
Do you expect the world to be different because of your life?

Your life is God's gift to you and to the world
The question is not will someone lead the way in creating the future for humanity - the question is -will you be one of them?
The dream and the future of so many across the world are dependent on the investment and compassion of those more fortunate
Is it possible that no matter how big your dreams are, how expansive your imagination, how ambitious your goals, they pale in comparison to what you would begin to see for your life if you would invite God into your life conversation?

Final Grade: A Buy it Here!

The Best of 2008 (Part 1)

2008-12-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

The Best Lessons I've Learned in 2008

1. People need You when they Need You
2. Anyone can give money – it’s when you give your time that it makes a difference
3. It’s not and never will be Your Ministry – it’s Mine – so be obedient and work hard -God
4. Our first purpose above anything else is an intimate relationship with the Father
6. The Power of Forgiveness and Unconditional Love
7. People need consistent relationships in their lives – not entertainment
8. God is my confidence – I don’t need to compare
9. God cares more about me, than what I do for Him
10. The World isn’t watching me as closely as I think
11. The best minute I spend today – is the one I spend investing in people
12. Speaking is a very small part of ministry
13. Don’t bed led by Opportunities
14. The importance of time with yourself
15. What scriptures am I standing on for the things I’m believing God for?
16. If I want to be sensitive to God’s direction, I need to be sensitive to His direction
17. 2 qualities of a successful Christian life – 1.) Love God’s Word 2.) Love God’s word
18. Don’t put your pursuit of a mate over your pursuit of God
19. Your biggest attraction can be your biggest distraction
20. If I’m going to be willing to go, do, say anything God asks me to do, so will my future wife
21. What am I believing God for (My Ephesians 3:20’s list)
22. You can disqualify yourself from the call of God
23. The Significance of Saying – Sarcasm/Dirty Jokes
24. Always be leading something
25. People aren’t all where you are
26. My life is but a vapor!
27. People are going to summarize your life in one sentence – pick it now
28. In myself – I can do, say, know, and am nothing – in Him – I am everything
29. God thinks I can do anything!
30. Never put periods in your life, use commas
31. Always ask – am I able to sustain this?
32. The Best Question Ever is: In light of my past experiences, current circumstances, and future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?
33. Jesus is THEE Standard – Don’t let anything else or anybody else set a standard for you
34. God is my Source – not my job, friends, family, etc.
35. The Power of being Diligent
36. The downside of being sarcastic – to be taken seriously – you must be serious!
37. Who I marry isn’t only about me – it’s about all the people I’m going to reach with my wife!
38. Getting in the Word for Information vs. Intimacy

Revolution Gets a New Website

2008-12-22T11:12:00.000-08:00

Since the arrival of Pastor Nathan, we've created an entirely new website for Revolution Student Ministries. It was the first time I was really exposed to what Word Press can do! I'm in the process right now of redesigning my site to look similar. Anyway . . . here are some cool features of the new website:

Student Blog - We're looking for students at Rev to blog for us on a consistent basis! It can be about anything related to God, Rev, ministry, etc.. If you're interested - let me know!

Leader Blog - We're also looking for Revolution leaders who'd be interested in writing consistently! Let me know if you're interested!

Live Video/TV Streaming - Here, we'll be having all of our videos constantly playing on a loop. We'll also do live services and events live stream and you'll be able to join us online and even talk on an online chat room.

Videos - We'll always have our latest videos posted here.

I'll let you navigate through the rest of the site yourself - if you have any questions ask.

Why you're online - Make sure you're:

Movie Review: Seven Pounds

2008-12-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

This movie was absolutely life changing - I am not only recommending you go see it - but commanding you to! I was literally speechless for a half an hour after the movie - I literally am writing an entire entry in my journal on thoughts I have from this movie. I can't talk much about it without giving a lot away - so go find out for yourself.

Here is the trailer:

Sunday Reflections 12.21.08

2008-12-21T08:28:00.000-08:00

Is Christmas really this week? I can't believe 2008 is coming to an end - Once again - I need a machine that can slow down time... Here are some thoughts from the week:

Here are all the articles/blog posts I thought were worth reading this week!

Dating - Keith Moore wrecked me on dating - he said, "Because some of you haven't been diligent - you haven't met that perfect person yet. It's been the grace of God you haven't because they'd probably look at you and just keep walking - you're not ready yet. Become what you want to attract!"

One of my good friends, Ryan Walczak, got married on Friday - I'm so happy for him!

I just watched this sermon (Developing an Attitude of Gratitude) by John Maxwell that was unbelievable - I would definitely recommend watching it!

I've been listening to Keith Moore's series on Diligence - Wow - another (like all of his) must listen to series!

Revolution (Our Youth Ministry) has a new website up! Check it out here!

I'm 2 weeks into training for the Pittsburgh Marathon with Scott Dozier and Chris Martin - through the process we're all going to grow spiritually, mentally, and physically - it's a joy to go through the journey with these guys!

This week I'll be conducting my 2008 review - I am so pumped! If you don't have a review planned for your year - I would strongly encourage you to!

That's enough for now... enjoy your Sunday

Ryan's Wedding Pics

2008-12-20T05:08:00.000-08:00

Ministry Lessons (Part 4)

2008-12-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

What I've Learned About Ministry so Far

Ministry is a Marathon, Not a Sprint - It's so easy to want to be where God might have you in 20 years right now. It's difficult to enjoy where you are and the journey to where you're going. If we can see the big picture of what God is doing and take each day for what it's worth - we'll enjoy the journey and in our life time accomplish all that God has planned for us.

Ministry is a Thankless Job - this may be hard to believe - but people in ministry do not hear "thank you" very often. When is the last time you thanked your pastor/pastors, church staff, volunteers for the investment they're making - trust me - it could change their life. Go thank them!

It's the most rewarding job on the planet - Though ministry is a thankless job, though it is a ton of work, though it requires an enormous amount of sacrifice, I don't believe there is anything more rewarding. To know that you're involved with something bigger than you and to know that as a result of your work - peoples lives and eternities will never be the same is so humbling. There is nothing else I'd rather be doing with my life!

Thoughts?

Book Review: Starving Jesus

2008-12-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

This one was a recommendation/requirement by our new youth pastor, Nathan Hurst. Overall, it was a great book about getting out of the pew/church and going into the world and actually do something for God! It was written by the founders of XXX Church - Great ministry for accountability if you're looking for one. Here were some of my key takeaways:

Christians have forgotten what the outside world looks like, feels like, etc.
When was the last time you stopped talking and actually went out and did something for someone?
Don't let His sacrifice go another day in your life without pulling someone out of their sin and asking them how you can help them
We've been creating Christians whose main desire is to please themselves
The world has come to identify us by what we hate or are offended by instead of what we love or why we love

Think of one person you can think of that needs Jesus, Now Go!
Your time should be spend: 1.) Drawing closer to God 2.) Blessing others
Churches need to challenge you to engage the world with your faith
Whose life can you change by giving them your time?

I'd recommend reading this book - the last few chapters are a little repetitive - but overall - a great read!

Final Grade: B Buy it here!

Revolution Christmas Party Pictures

2008-12-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

Ministry Lessons (Part 3)

2008-12-18T04:44:00.001-08:00

What I've Learned about Ministry so Far:

Character and Integrity is Everything - John Maxwell says, "To become the leader you want to be on the outside, you must become the leader you need to be on the inside." That is an absolute fact. Your talent or gifting may get you to the top, but character and integrity will keep you there. If you aren't building your character along the way - you will reach a point where the foundation you've built won't be able to sustain your success. The result - everything you've built will crumble.

Preaching from the Pulpit Accounts for 1% of Ministry - Maybe 1% is a bit extreme, but hopefully it gets a point across. So many people dream of being in ministry so they can speak in front of large crowds thinking it will be an unbelievable experience - they end up being very disappointed. While it is an honor and a lot of fun - it accounts for very little of what ministers actually do.

You will be Expected to Produce Results: I think one mindset that has taken over the Church has been one of "low expectations" when it comes to work. People get on staff at a church and are shocked when they find out they're expected to produce. I guess they thought they would get hired and get to pray, fast, and get in the Word all day. Jesus expects us to reach the world - that requires a ton of work, leadership, and sacrifice. I think the church should be the most demanding place on the planet! Be prepared to produce!

Thoughts?

Rev Staff Boy Band??? Oh My...

2008-12-17T18:09:00.001-08:00

Rev Staff Boy Band - Merry Christmas from I am Revolution on Vimeo.

Ministry Lessons (Part 2)

2008-12-16T17:08:00.000-08:00

What I've Learned about Ministry so Far:

If you're able to do something other than ministry, do it - This might throw you off, it certainly threw me off! I heard a minister say that he always tells young leaders that unless ministry is the only thing they could possibly do on earth - don't do it. Why? Because ministry (five-fold) is tough and if you're not called by God to do it - you'll never make it!

The Greatest Success you can have in life and ministry is impacting someone for the Kingdom of God: It's so easy to get focused on the wrong things in ministry - building your reputation, your influence, your kingdom...all these things will pass away. What really matters to God is people - they're His prized possession. If we're building people - we're already successful in God's eyes.

Everything I have is from Him and is for Him - James 1:17 says that every good thing in our lives comes from God. If we're naturally gifted in an area it's easy to believe that we can do things on our own, lean on our gifting, or believe that we are where we are today as a result of how gifted we are. We end up use our gifts (that God gave to us) to draw attention to ourselves instead of drawing attention to God. The reality is that God has gifted us for His glory. In ministry, we need to constantly be in a state of thanks to God for everything He's given us - and use what He's given us to build His kingdom, not ours.

Thoughts?

Ministry Lessons (Part 1)

2008-12-16T04:46:00.000-08:00

So I've officially been on staff at Victory for one year! It went so fast! I currently work for our youth ministry, Revolution, as a youth assistant. It is an absolute honor and privilege to work at Victory under the leadership of Pastor John and Michelle. I've been serving at Victory since August of 2003 so I've gotten the opportunity to see a lot of the behind the scenes of ministry. I just want to take a few days and share some lessons I've learned about ministry throughout the process. I hope it adds value to your life! These lessons are in no specific order...

What I've Learned about Ministry so Far

Ministry is spelled W-O-R-K - So many times people make the assumption that ministry is this glorious experience where things just magically happen and its a dream come true. I wish everyone could see how much work is really involved in reaching a generation. Be prepared to work hard...

If you wouldn't do it for Free, You Wouldn't do it at all - Often times people who are on staff doing things people would "dream of doing for a church" did the same things they're doing now on staff that they did for free in a volunteer position. Brad Cooper told me recently that, "People that want a position that aren't currently serving, often want to be discovered rather than developed." That will never get you anywhere. Are you serving right now with the same attitude, work ethic, integrity, etc. that you would if you were on staff at a church?

Faithfulness + A Servants Heart = Promotion - The Bible says promotion comes from the Lord. I believe that 2 keys to getting promoted are being faithful and having the heart of a servant. Keith Moore says he is often asked, "How did you get on staff at Rheema, become a healing school teacher, etc.?" His response, "When I got to Rheema - they needed someone to help with check-in so I helped there, they needed help setting up chairs - so I did, etc. - eventually they needed someone to teach healing school - so I did, then they brought me on staff." Are you faithful with what God has given you to do now?Be faithful and watch where God takes you!

More to come this week.... Thoughts?

Sunday Night Reflections 12.15.08

2008-12-15T18:53:00.001-08:00

Alright... so I'm a day late... but tons of things happened this week... here you go:

Here are all the articles I thought were worth a read

I am officially done with College (undergrad) forever! Glory to God

Pastor Larry came back and spoke at Rev last Wednesday - it was awesome!

We're currently making a new website for Revolution - it's going to be sweet!

Chris Martin is helping me with a blog makeover - he's a blessing!

This was the first official week of training for the Pittsburgh Marathon in May - I'll be training with Chris Martin and Scott Dozier - there are a ton of people running the half marathon - if you're interested let me know and I can hook you up with them!

If you haven't already - check out my friend, Zack Blair's blog - it's awesome! Him and his wife Lauren lead our college ministry at Victory.

I went to one of my good friends, Ryan Walczaks, bachelor party Saturday night - I interned with him at Revolution - back when we were not allowed to date (oh the conversations we had about being single!) Now he's getting mad - I'm so happy for him (his wedding is this Friday) Check out their website here!

That's enough for now......

Book Review: Tribes

2008-12-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

You have to read this book!!! I would rank it in the top 3 leadership books I've ever read! I just recently heard of and started following the author, Seth Godin. I would strongly recommend you reading his blog on a daily basis.

Here are some of my key take aways from the book:

For the first time ever, everyone in an organization - not just the boss is expected to lead
Suddenly, in today's world - the oldest brands are no longer the fastest growing, the most experienced business people are no longer the most successful, and the safest jobs are not safe anymore.
Life is too short to make mediocre stuff and hate what you do all day

You don't have enough time to be unhappy and mediocre

We choose not to be remarkable because we're worried about criticism

Trying to lead everyone results in leading no one in particular
You can worry about most people all day, but I promise they're not worried about you
The only one holding you back from becoming the kind of person who changes things is: lack of faith
The art of leadership is understanding what you can't compromise on
When you hire amazing people and give them freedom - they do amazing things
The organizations that need innovation the most are the ones that do the most to stop it from happening
Being charismatic doesn't make you a leader, being a leader makes you charismatic
If you organization requires success before commitment, it will never have either
We need You to lead Us!

Final Grade: A+ - a Must Read!! Buy it here!

Ask Anything Friday 12.12.08

2008-12-12T04:46:00.001-08:00

It's that time of the week..... let's get some conversation going......

Poll: Do you have a Year end Review Process?

2008-12-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

Do you have a year end review process in your life? ( surveys)

My Year End Review (Part 3)

2008-12-11T04:36:00.000-08:00

"Experience isn't the best teacher, Evaluated Experience is." -John Maxwell

My 2009 Calendar Planning

After I go through all the documents I've mentioned - I start planning my 2009 Calendar. We all need to schedule what our "ideal" year would look like. I really evaluate how I spent my year the year before and then I prioritize my year based on my findings. Here are some thing I make sure I plan:

My 2.5% - I heard about this on a lesson I listened to by Bob Biehl. You schedule 2.5% of your time to make sure the other 98.5% of your time is focused on the right things. I do this through:

Quarterly Reviews - I schedule 1 day a quarter to evaluate how I'm doing, where I'm going, etc.

Family Time - This is where I've really struggled to be honest with you... but my goal is to schedule a breakfast/coffee/hangout time with each family member once a month
Mentor Time - I figure out how many days a month I'm spending on purpose getting mentored - I talk to my mentors about going out for breakfast each month then schedule it.
Vacation Time - I have to get away at some point in the year....if you don't take a vacation - you need to!
My Required Time - Things that I need to do - Rev - I need to make sure I put in all of our events on my calendar so I know how much free time I have

One suggestion I would make to you would be: Go to the people that mean most to you in order of priority and ask them this question:

How much time do you need from me next year?

I.e.: Your spouse may need a date night a week, a mini-honeymoon every six months, and a vacation. Book it . . . then move on to your children - same thing, then clients, etc. and go all the way down the line.

What do you do when you schedule your upcoming year? Any thoughts or suggestions?

My Year End Review (Part 2)

2008-12-09T05:29:00.000-08:00

"Experience isn't the best teacher, Evaluated Experience is." -John Maxwell

My Bucket List, My Life Plan, Quarterly Goals, and Intentional Focus

The Second thing I do during my year end review is review these documents, evaluate where I am according to them, what I've accomplished, and what I need too change. What are they you ask? Here you go:

(If you'd like - leave me your e-mail address and I can send you my copies of these documents so you have a basic framework to work from)

Bucket List - This is a list of things I want to do to do before I die. Outrageous things like running a marathon, eating with the President of the US, specific places I want to visit, flying in an air force jet, etc.. I originally got this idea from this story about Lou Holtz. If you don't have one of these - I highly recommend you make one - dream as big as you can!

My Life Plan - So i just started this a few months ago after reading this post from Michael Hyatt. It is where you take the 7 major areas of your life, prioritize them, get a scripture you're going to stand on for each of them, write out a legacy statement of what you want to be remembered for in that area, write out where you are realistically right now on your way to accomplishing that goal, then write action steps you're going to take to get to the goal.

Quarterly Goals: This one is pretty obvious - I set the majority of my goals in 90 day increments. I review them - see how I did - and rewrite them for the next quarter. (Note: A lot of my goals are mini-steps I need to take for the goals of my Life-Plan)

My Life's Intentional Focus - This is basically an overview of my life... in it I include the following:

My Vision Statement for My Life
My Priorities
My Values
Principles I live my life By
My Strengths
My Weaknesses
Mentors that I serve and how often I meet with them
Potential Mentors
My Current Growth Plan
My Future Growth Plan - areas I need to study and get mentored in, in the future. (i.e. in 2009 I want to be mentored and study more on communication and writing - so I'm going to find books and hopefully some people that can mentor me on the subject)

More to come tomorrow - hope you're able to take some of these things and implement them in your life!

My Year End Review (Part 1)

2008-12-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

"Experience isn't the best teacher, Evaluated Experience is." -John Maxwell

One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is my year end review. I'll take a lot of time over the course of the last week in December to review and evaluate my year. From that review I plan out the upcoming year.

This week, I want to share with you the process I go through. I hope you'll be able to take some of it, adapt it to your life, and implement it. First up:

"My Journal Review"

I split my journal into several categories:

Daily Highlights - what I did that day
Funnies/Memories - any memories I don't want to forget
God - anything God spoke to me
General - this is when I just want to write out my thoughts
Scriptures - Any scriptures that really spoke to my heart
Blessings - anything that God really blessed me with
Prayer - things I'm praying about/for/ believing for/ etc.

I'll read my entire journal from that year and make a "Year End Report" of Several Things:

How I Spent my Time - how much time did I spend with mentors, friends, family,etc.
Highlights: What were the biggest highlights from that year
Lowlights: What bummers were there over the year
Themes throughout the year - Usually God puts one or two themes on my heart for my life throughout a given year (I'll explain this later)
Biggest Nuggets Learned: What were the greatest lessons I've learned?
Memories - I always type out ALL of the memories from that year so I have them
Scriptures - I make note cards out of the scriptures and stack them and go through them on a consistent basis

How do you journal? Do you have any suggestions for me? Did this help you?

Sunday Night Reflections 12.07.08

2008-12-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

Another week come and gone- Can someone please slow down time! I just got in from Rev's Leadership Christmas Party - it was a blast! Here are some thoughts:

We had an awesome all-worship night at 19 North - God did some awesome things in my heart . . . Love it
Here is a list of all the articles and blog posts I thought were worth a read this week.
Started a series by Keith Moore this week on Diligence (thanks Weav!) - it's awesome!
I officially had my last week of classes ever in college - as of Friday I'll officially be a college grad - WHEW!
I'm watching The Princess Bride right now - that movies awesome!
I'm tired - I'm going to be blogging on my year end review process this week - I hope it helps..
We had our Staff Leadership Christmas Party on Friday - it was a blast! We had a gift exchange game that got very competitive!! I ended up with a $25 gift card to Barnes and Nobles . . . I love books!
Pastor John had some good messages you need to listen to this week (Check out the podcast here)

Thats it... hope you had a great week!

Fall Highlights

2008-12-06T07:05:00.000-08:00

Fall is just about to an end and just like the summer - it seemed like I blinked and it was over! I want life to slow down!!! Anyway, here were some of the highlights of my fall:

Seeing Wicked - This is one of the best plays I've ever seen! I can't wait until it comes back around to see it again!

Revolution Fear Factor - This 4-week competition was awesome - there was nothing like seeing two girls in the finals eating Madagascar Hissing Cock Roaches!

Having Pastor Nathan Come on Board - After a year and a half search, we finally hired a new youth pastor! It's been 3 months and Rev is going places - fast! It's been a blessing getting to sit under Pastor Nathan's leadership!

Rev's "Going all the Way Series" - Our October series was awesome. Denny Pattyn came in and had a great message. My favorite part was the Wed/Weekend ? and A sessions we had. We had tons of questions asked of us on sex, dating, and the single life. It was awesome to see teenagers want to do these things God's way!

19 North Doubling - Zack and Lauren have been leading 19 North for almost 2 years now! Since this time last year, 19 North has doubled in attendance! It's so awesome seeing lives changed every week!

The Chicago Marathon w/PL - I ran my first marathon in 4:25:11! What an awesome journey it was with my friend/mentor Pastor Larry. If you're interested in running Pittsburgh on May 3rd, 2009 - let me know!
Moving Out - I finally moved out of my house!!! I'm now living in Cranberry with two awesome roommates! I'm loving it!

My Trip to Atlanta for The Cadre - This trip changed my life - Check out this post to see some of the things I've learned.

Light-up Night- One of my favorite nights in the Burgh! It was great hanging with a bunch of friends downtown!

Thanksgiving - I loved Thanksgiving! It was an awesome one this year!!!

Finishing School - Glory to God!! As of next Friday - I'll be a college grad! I'm going to go nuts!

What were some of your Fall highlights?

1st Episode of the Office I've Ever Seen - Hilarious

2008-12-05T15:16:00.001-08:00

Everyone always talks up "The Office" - I just watched my first episode - it was hilarious... I think I could get into this!

Ask Anything Friday 12.5.08

2008-12-05T04:29:00.001-08:00

It's that time of the week... leave your questions in the comment section.....

Kingdom Minded (Part 4)

2008-12-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ~Matthew 6:33

I'm a firm believer that spiritual maturity is when you realize that everything you need in life, God has already provided, and you're able to live your life making an impact on other people. Life no longer is about you - but about changing the world for the Kingdom of God.

I believe the first step to becoming Kingdom minded is to daily renew our minds to what God's Word says about our call to change the world.

Here are some principles that I am always going over and reminding myself of. These need to be embedded in our hearts if we're going to do what God called us to do:

We're Called to the World, Not the Church - Mark 16:15,16 and Matthew 28:16-20 we're COMMANDED to go out and change THE WORLD (Not the church). The church should be a place where we get equipped and matured to go out and change the world. If we're not changing our communities, cities, counties, states, and nations...we're off.

We'll Never Change the World for God if we Don't Die to Ourselves - Jesus said in Mark 10:39 and several other places that we have to lose our lives FOR HIS SAKE in order to find it. I truly believe that...so many people are looking for purpose in life. They'll never find it aside from God. We have to be willing to let go of our dreams, our desires, our passions and exchange them for His. Paul understood this when he said in Gal. 2:20 that it's no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in me.

We Need to See People the Way God Sees Them: Romans 3:23 says we've all fallen short of the glory of God. I think as Christians it's easy to forget that the only difference between me and someone in the world is God. Without the grace of God I too would be lost... it's so easy to forget where we were before we met God isn't it? Aren't you glad He loved you where you were at? We need to do the same for people...

We Need to Love People - In John 13:35, Jesus said that people will know your His disciples if you love one another. I think one reason the world has such a bad view of God and Christians is because we're not loving one another. The best definition I've heard of love is: Love always does what is most beneficial for the other person. If a stranger met you on the street - would they see love? Would they see Jesus?

That's enough for now... Thoughts?

Kingdom Minded (Part 3)

2008-12-03T06:23:00.000-08:00

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ~Matthew 6:33

Today I just want to touch on truths that I've learned and continue to learn throughout this journey of becoming Kingdom Minded. The rest of the "series" I'll touch on actually being Kingdom minded - how was can make an difference in the world we live in for the Kingdom of God!

Truths I've Learned Along the Way:

Not Everyone Will Like Me: The moment I realize this - it becomes very easy to live for an audience of One as opposed to living for an audience of 6.2 billion. Gal. 2:10 says, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." In a few days, I'm going to stand before God and be accountable for what He called me to do and I won't be able to tell him, yea, but Lord, people didn't like that... so I didn't do it. That won't fly... Learn to live for an audience of One.

God is my Source: I used to think I had to do all these things to get promoted, get noticed, get a job, get a raise, etc.. A huge lesson I've been learning is that my job is not my source, people are not my source, God is my source. He will promote me as well as provide for me. Is God your source?

Making a Difference in the Lives of Others is All that Matters: Mother Theresa said it all when she said, "A life not lived for others, is hardly a life at all." How true...

True Success is Doing What God Called You to Do Right Now: So many people think success is a destination - it's not. Success is a journey. The minute we place an expectation on a destination for our success such as when I graduate, when I get married, when I'm a senior pastor, etc., we're setting ourselves up for disappointment. The truth is if you're not enjoying where you are now - you won't enjoy your life when you get "there". Learn to be content and happy with where God has you RIGHT NOW and enjoy the journey.

He Must Increase, I must Decrease: This has been such a huge lesson in my life. I would highly recommend a leadership lesson by Louie Giglio called the Little Leader (I have it if you'd like a copy). When it comes to being Kingdom Minded - the best question we can constantly ask ourselves is: As a result of my life, is Jesus getting bigger and bigger while I'm getting smaller and smaller? Because when it comes down to it when people see me - they shouldn't see Bubba, and all my gifts and talents, but they should see Jesus and everything He's done for them. The only way we'll change the world is if He increases and we decrease.

What are some truths you've learned in this area???

Kingdom Minded (Part 2)

2008-12-02T04:03:00.000-08:00

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ~Matthew 6:33

Do you ever have those moments when God speaks something to your heart about where you've been missing it and you just want to fall on your bed and just cry? That's where I was when God was dealing with my life about building my kingdom versus building His. I've learned a long time ago that if I'm for real when I tell God, "Lord, I'll go where you want me to go, do what you want me to do, say what you want me to say" then I'm going to have to allow Him to mold me into the man of God He called me to be. Often times our refining process occurs through discipline.

Hebrews 12 tells us that God disciplines those He loves...it then goes on to say that No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening - it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way (v.11).

So when I was going through this - I had to look inside at be totally honest and vulnerable about the motives of my heart.

These are some hard truths I had to confront within me:

I cared more about pleasing people than pleasing God: I wanted people to see how great I was! Again, I wanted to build the Kingdom of Bubba, not the Kingdom of God. I was constantly trying to impress people with where I was spiritually, physically, and mentally.

I had an inaccurate view of success: I thought success was when you are in the spotlight, popular, and everyone thinks of you as a mighty man of God!

I thought I could get everyone to like me: I don't deal well when people don't like me - so I would do anything to get people to like me. I would often pretend to be things I'm not in order to get people to like me.

I was focused on me instead of others: I said that I wanted to add value to people, but really - I wanted to add value to myself.

I thought I could promote myself: I was naive enough to believe this - I tried climbing the ladder of success on my own instead of realizing that promotion comes from God.

Now - I am pretty hard on myself - I don't want you to think that all the motives in my heart were wrong because they weren't. A ton of them were perfectly fine - I'm just showing you some of the lies I bought into through this journey of becoming Kingdom Minded. Tomorrow I'll cover the truths I've learned through the journey.

When is the last time God's disciplined you and brought out some of the lies you've been buying into? Were you open to them? Or did you say, no that's not me...I'm not like that? I encourage you to take some time and write down the areas in your life God has been dealing with you in... be open and vulnerable and realize that if you'll be willing to walk through that journey that in the end - you'll be at an entirely new level spiritually!

Kingdom Minded (Part 1)

2008-12-01T04:54:00.000-08:00

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ~Matthew 6:33

I want to take the next few days and talk about something God has been teaching me and stirring up in my heart over the past year - Becoming Kingdom minded.

We live in a world that has everyone (including Christians) trying to build their own kingdoms, instead of Gods. Think about it - we're constantly trying to build our reputations through Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, serving in the church, etc.. (anyone else guilty of this other than me?)

A year ago I came on staff at Victory. I was serving both in the youth as well as 19 North. I remember when I got hired Zack having a conversation with me that I'd no longer be able to serve at 19 North because I needed to focus on youth. (Zack's decision ultimately changed my life for the better.) I was upset. How dare someone tell me whether or not I can serve! So I went home and had a few words with God. The conversation went something like this:

Me: God, what the heck! Why can't I serve at 19 North?
God: Why do you want to serve at 19 North?
Me: To serve You of course!!
God: No, you want to serve there to be seen by people so you get "glory" for it
Me: (Speechless)

Brad Cooper had a great quote on something God spoke to him in this arena that lined up with what God spoke to my heart:

"Stop working to build your kingdom when you could have mine!"

That was just the beginning of God taking me through this journey of becoming Kingdom minded. I hope over the next few days we can journey together through this concept of becoming Kingdom minded.

I am inviting you to be a part of the conversation - along the way, I would love to hear things God has taught you along these lines.

Sunday Night Reflections 11.30.08

2008-11-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

I can't believe tomorrow will be December... Thanksgiving has come and gone :-(

Here are some thoughts from this week:

Here are all of the articles/posts I loved reading this week

Pastor Nathan threw down the Word both Rev and 19 North - great message ... get the podcast!

I've been listening to some Marriage Enrichment sermons from Keith Moore that have been rocking my world - Check some out here

If you haven't been listening to "The Best Question Ever" by Andy Stanley - I strongly recommend you do!!! Get the podcast here!

Ladies - if you haven't been listening to "Beautiful: A Series for Women and the Men that Pursue Them" yet - DO IT!!! Listen here.

Everyone is getting on Twitter - if you're not on yet - what are you waiting for?

I did get lost on a run on Saturday - I intended on running for 40 minutes - it ended up an hour and forty minutes because I got lost in the neighborhood across the street -Ah!

Pastor Larry had his annual Jambalaya Christmas Party today - it was heavenly!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving - went to my dad's, grandma's, and then the Mixter's house to hang out with the Monaca crew - good times!

My Sister and I at Our Grandma's (I love you Sara!)

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!

Love you guys -Bubs

Book Review: The Truth About You

2008-11-29T08:08:00.000-08:00

I've heard a lot about the author of this book, Marcus Buckingham, but have never actually picked up any of his work. I recently joined Thomas Nelsons "Book Review Bloggers" initiative where you receive free books if you commit to writing a 200+ word review on them. The first book I requested was "The Truth About You". I choose the book because I have become a student of myself. I think it's important we learn about ourselves. What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? I was hoping this book would help me in the process.

When I got the book, I found out that it is more than a book. It is an experience! It comes with a DVD to watch, a book, and a "re-memo" pad.

The DVD takes you through 3 myths that Marcus Buckingham says people buy into in life.

Three Myths People Buy into in Life:

Your personality changes as you get older
If you want to grow - don't rely on your strengths- work on your weaknesses.
The best teams have well rounded people playing all the roles well.

He takes each of these myths and breaks them down, explaining why they're myths, then tells the truth about those areas.
The Best Advice You'll Ever Get

In the book Marcus teaches you 5 principles that he says is the best advice you'll ever get:

Performance is always the point
Your strengths aren't what you're good at, and your weaknesses aren't what you're bad at
When it comes to your job, the "What" always trumps the "Why" and "Who"
You'll never find the perfect job
You'll never turn your weaknesses into strengths

The biggest take away from the book for me was that strengths are anything activities that make you feel stronger. Of course this would mean that your weaknesses are any activities that make you feel weaker. We often think just because we're good at something means it is a strength - but there are a ton of people who are good at things they hate - you can't consider that a strength could you?

Homework

Marcus then challenges you to take the rememo pad and anytime you're doing something you feel strengthens you - write it down and to do the same thing with things that weaken you for an entire week. At the end of the week take both the strengths and weaknesses and try to come up with 3 strength and weakness statements - be specific! This is a great approach of learning your strengths and weaknesses.

Overall, I would definitely recommend reading this book. It can be read in one sitting, the DVD is only 24 minutes long, and the application of the principles will add a ton of value to your life.

Final Grade: A+

Buy it Here!

Free Books for Bloggers

2008-11-29T08:05:00.001-08:00

Thomas Nelson is offering a program that gives free books to bloggers. All you have to do is sign-up, request a book, and write a 200+ word review on the book you read. Then you can pick another one... I think it's an awesome idea!

Check it out here!

Ask Anything Friday - Black Friday Edition

2008-11-28T00:43:00.000-08:00

So it's 3:50 in the morning and I just got home from a great night of playing games, spoons, and having some great conversations about God.

I have to get up at 6:30 a.m. for the Turkey Bowl and I won't feel like typing this then... actually I'm still wired right now from all the coffee I drank...

Anyway... for those of you who aren't shopping today - let's get some conversation going...

You know what to do - questions in the comments!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T04:20:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for all of you!

Here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions:

Going for a run in the morning so I can eat as much as I want!

Watching the Macy's day parade

Eating a ton of food

Watching the football games

Hanging out with friends in the evening and watching a movie (usually The Grinch with Jim Carey - but this year we're switching to Elf)

I would love to hear some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions if they're out of the ordinary.....

Have the best Thanksgiving ever! Love ya - Bubs

Pittsburgh Marathon - May 3rd '09 - Are you in?

2008-11-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

Do you have a goal in your life to run a marathon? Maybe a half?

I am making it a goal to run the 2009 Pittsburgh Marathon on May 3rd.

I know in talking to a lot of you - some are at least interested in making the journey. The actual marathon training would start 20 weeks out from the marathon - so starting December 12th.

I'm looking (along with Pastor Moore) to get a group of people together who'd be interested in training together (mostly the long runs which usually happen on Saturday mornings.)

Even if you wanted to run the half - you could still train with us.

If this is something that interests you please let me know as soon as possible and I can start coordinating some things.

Remember - Anyone can run a marathon... if you have a desire to run one - don't miss out on this opportunity!

If you'd like to do some reading on running - I enjoy www.runnersworld.com

Thanksgiving (Part 3)

2008-11-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

As iron sharpens iron - so one man sharpens another. -Proverbs 27:17

I was thinking of things I'm thankful for and I really feel like I need to acknowledge some friendships that I'm thankful for. I always talk about mentors and family - but haven't acknowledge my friends yet.

People always tell me as I grow up that if I have one or two really good friends - then I'm extremely blessed. As I grow older - I realize the truth that is in that statement. So here are some friendships I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

Andrew Raisley - You're my roomie! I'm looking forward to sharpening each other on Saturday mornings. Thanks for always encouraging me to shoot for the highest and the best.

Ben Rath - It's been great getting to know you over the past two years. The life you live stretches me! Thank you so much for being a great friend and mentor. You encourage me to step out in faith!

C - Sweet Daddy C! As much as I rebuke Slicks prophecy... I do appreciate you. We've been friends since 2nd grade - so many good times! Love you bro!

David Faulk - Every time I talk to you a fire in me gets reignited for Jesus. Thanks for always being willing to listen and pour into my life.

David Riley - Riley . . . you're the man! I've had a blast hanging with you the past two years. Thanks for all of your encouragement and thanks for driving me crazy haha! I love ya!

Laura Steidel - You've never given up on me and always see the best in me and help draw it out. You believed in me when no one else did and for that I'll be forever grateful!

Scotty D - I've enjoyed getting to know you more intimately lately haha - God's got awesome things in store for you. Thanks for not letting me settle!

Sean Moore - You're one of my best friends bro! I'm so grateful we get to go through the journey of ministry together, have Words together, and help each other not settle for less than God's best.

Vanessa Phillips - We're best friends! haha... It's been a crazy journey! I'm thankful that we can always encourage each other and cheer each other up. Thanks for always being there for me!

Zack Blair - Thanks for always being there to listen to me and encourage me. Thanks for being obedient to God in every area of your life - I always look up to you and your example. I am so excited to watch you touch a generation of twenty somethings.

Obviously there are soooo many more - so if I didn't put you on here it DOES NOT mean I am not grateful for our friendship! All of you have added value to my life and if I interact with you at all - believe me - I'm grateful!

What friends are you grateful for in your life? Have you let them know?

Must Listen to Message on Boundaries

2008-11-25T11:51:00.001-08:00

If you're single, dating, or married - you need to listen to this message.

It will help you set standards and boundaries in your life and your relationships.

It is the third message in the series entitled: "Living on the Edge"

It will add a ton of value to your life - I promise!

Thanksgiving (Part 2)

2008-11-25T03:53:00.000-08:00

Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually. ~Romans 15:2

What are You Thankful for?

Some of you may be thinking this week - I have nothing to be thankful for - my life is a mess. I would encourage you make 2 things a practice in your life:

Make a grateful journal - pull out a journal or notebook and start writing down everything in your life your grateful for. Once you have done that, make it a daily practice, everyday try to find 1-2 things you were grateful for that day. I think you'll find you have a lot more to be thankful for than you think.

Make a "rainy-day" file - Pastor Larry got me on this one. Anytime someone gives you a nice card, writes a nice e-mail, or gives you something to cheer you up - stick it in a file and label the file "rainy-day" then when you're down go through that file and you'll find that life isn't nearly as bad as you think.

Who are you Thankful for?

I love that the verse above tells us to edify (build each other up). I think one of the best ways to do this is to let people know were grateful for them. Do the people that your thankful for in your life know you're thankful for them? If they don't - I encourage you to do one of these things over the holiday season:

Write them a letter/card - write them telling them how thankful you are that they're in your life and the impact they've had on you

Tell Them - does anything build us up more than people telling us how we've added value to their lives?

Buy them a gift - it doesn't have to be extravagant - just something that's says thanks for making a difference

Simple? Yes. Life changing - you better believe it. There is power in building people up... everyday strive to let someone know how grateful you are that they're in your life.

Who and what are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving (Part 1)

2008-11-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Phil. 4:11-13

Thanksgiving is already here - hard to believe. I want to take this time and challenge you to reflect on things you're grateful for. I love these scriptures because it teaches me several things I need to always remember to be thankful for. Here is what I learned:

God is Faithful - I think one reason Paul was able to say he'd learn to be content with much or little was because He knows God is faithful. He was faithful in his past, in his current circumstances, and Paul knew God would be faithful in the future. We need to learn this and be grateful for it~!

God gives us the Ability to Enjoy Life- We can be the richest people on earth, have all the "right" relationships and things, but be completely miserable. The Bible says God will make you rich and add no sorrow with it. When I do it Gods way - I'll always enjoy it and always be thankful for it.

The Secret to Life is Putting God First - If we'll put God first in every area of our lives - we will live the most amazing lives we could ever imagine. It really is the secret of life!!!

I love the quote from Keith Moore - "If it's good, it's God. If it's bad, it's you!". Everything good in our life is from God and for that I'm grateful.

First Thing I'm Thankful for: My Relationship with God

Sunday Night Reflections 11.23.08

2008-11-23T18:55:00.000-08:00

Is Thanksgiving really this week? Where did 2008 go? Where is life going? I find myself asking these same questions everyday. I just got in from a long day of church, paintball, riding people around, and grocery shopping... Here are some thoughts from this week:

Here are the posts/articles I thought were worth reading this week
Pastor Steve Moore got a blog (believe it or not!!) - Check it out here! I'm sure there will be tons of wisdom to come in that blog!
Atlanta was unbelievable with Jeanne Mayo and her team - I love them all!!! We got to go to the Martin Luther King memorial and hear a Pastor that walked with him speak into our lives - it was powerful.
I listened to the series "Are You on the Path" by Keith Moore during my trip - I would definitely recommend hitting that up.
Perry Noble continues his series for women: Beautiful, a series for Women and the men that pursue them... Highly recommend it.
Andy Stanley's third message in his series "The Best Question Ever" is out... download it immediately!
This quote by Perry Noble rocked my world:

"If you aren’t willing to fight for your vision…then you have no vision…all you have is a daydream that you are begging God to make come true."

Zack Blair tore it up as usual at 19 North listen to the podcast here.
Revolution has lots of changes coming up... I am so pumped. Pastor Nathan is doing a great job!

I have the week off of school... 3 day work week...turkey bowl Friday... I'm pretty pumped! Breakfast with my boys and a mentor in the morning - stoked!

Until next time.....Love you guys....Bubs

Why I Absolutely Love the Holiday Season!!!

2008-11-22T05:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is this Thursday! Last night a bunch of us went downtown for light up night. After the night was over I officially crossed over to Holiday mode and I am pumped. So... just as I did with the Fall, here are some things I love about the holidays:

Thanksgiving Dinner - Who doesn't' love Thanksgiving? Spending time with family, watching football... I can't wait. I also like going for a 5-mile run in the morning and watching movies with friends at night. What are some of your T-day traditions?

Starbucks - Isn't it great that Starbucks goes along with every season? I love Peppermint Mocha's and Gingerbread Lattes... I had a PM last night - Heavenly! It's one of my favorite places to go in the world.

Ice Skating Downtown - I love going to the rink at PPG with friends and ice skate... it's so much fun.

Holiday Music - Ok... so I even drag this into January - February. I love listening to holiday music. I am a huge Trans-Siberian Orchestra fan along with Josh Groban. Great Christmas albums!
A Christmas Carol/Trans Concert - I try to go to one holiday show every year (not sure about this year), but I love going to Christmas concerts and plays.

Decorating/Festival of Lights - I love decorating for Christmas as well as going to see decorations at the Festival of Lights with people.

Christmas Cards - I am big on this!!! I spend hours writing Christmas cards to friends each year... I take it very seriously!

Fires - don't you love fires in the winter time... it always adds to the experience.

Snow - I love snow until Christmas, to play in, and to go snowboarding - otherwise I could do without it. I always think of the movie Hook when Toodles says, "It's Snowing!!'

Those are just a few of my favorite things about the holidays. What about you? What are some of your favorite things about the holidays?

Book Review: Blueprint for Maturity

2008-11-21T12:28:00.001-08:00

Another Bible School read...very good and very easy to read. It is basically a book study of the book of Ephesians. I'd recommend it if you're looking dive deeper into the Word of God. I enjoyed it...

Final Grade: B Buy it here.

Ask Anything Friday 11.21.08

2008-11-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

So I just got back from my trip to Atlanta - it's time for Ask Anything Friday!

If you're new, ask a question on anything you want in the comment section and I'll answer it....

Lets get some good conversation going...

My Trip to Atlanta: Life Changing

2008-11-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

The Cadre: Phoenix Fall Retreat

I've mentioned it before, but I am in a youth ministry mentoring program with Jeanne Mayo called The Cadre. It is a program where Jeanne mentors youth pastors all over the country and twice during the year you get to fly down to her house to hang out with her and the other youth pastors in the group. If I had to summarize my 3-day experience in Atlanta in two words it would be: Life Changing. I won't go into detail on everything we did (if you'd like to know ask me in person), but I would like to leave you with some lessons I learned and some things God did in my heart:

The Power of Love - if I had to describe Jeanne Mayo in a word, it'd be love. As I watched hundreds of people call her "mom", I realized the power of loving others. She is a mom to everyone that comes into her life. I asked Jeanne how she got to where she is today and her response was, "I've made the decision to add value to people everyday". In other words - she chose to love people everyday and as a result thousands of teenagers, twenty somethings, and youth pastors lives have been changed.

The Power of Family - I love learning about raising great families (because I'm preparing for mine!!!). As I looked around Jeanne's house I could tell family was at the top of her priority list.
One thing that really stuck out to me was a "Mayo Family Creed" a document with 11 or 12 principles on it that defined their family and that they live by. The whole family had to sign it and at her sons wedding, he got a framed copy and had his wife sign it (that fires me up!). Her son actually wrote a book on how he was raised... they were very strategic with raising their family and it worked - I can't wait for mine!

The Power of Relationships - One of the things I enjoyed the most about the trip was forming and building new relationships. I met pastors and students from all over the country who love God. I would have paid a million dollars for that part of the experience. Having friends that I can go to that don't know everything going on in Pittsburgh and I can be totally transparent with and they'll love me for who I am. I love everybody I met!

The Power of Refreshment - I'm now convinced that we need to take retreats once or twice a year away from everything and just take time reflecting on our lives, meeting new people, and get refreshed. This was one of those weeks!

My Future Wife - Someone spoke into my life about this - they said... You think having a wife will fill a need in you only God can fill. Unless you fill that void with God, you'll get married and be terribly disappointed because you'd be expecting your wife to fill a void that she was never created to fill. (Sick stuff!)

The Unlimited Potential of Young People - There were over 80 Masters Commission students ages 18-23 serving us for the week. These are some incredible people who love God with all of their heart. Seeing what God was doing in and through them go me so pumped up I can't even put it into words. They are all going to go on and be world changers - we really do need to believe in the upcoming generation.

Respect - Jeanne "slapped" me in this face with this one. She said, "Some of you are sarcastic and try being funny all the time because that is how you find security. You need to quit that - if you want people to respect you and take you seriously - grow up and be secure in who you are." That hit me deep... reminds me of the whole "Am I going to be a leader or a clown" lesson.

Wherever you are - Be there - Jeanne stressed this principle! This is something I struggle with - a thousand things always going through my mind and I'm not always "there". She not only taught it, but modeled it. Making every second count - I need to work on this.

Legacy - The Cadre (youth pastor mentoring) is the legacy Jeanne Mayo wants to leave behind. A legacy of raising up leaders who will raise up leaders and change the world. It was amazing to see this unfolding before my eyes - I was seeing a legacy being lived out. I would love to do a mentoring group like this one day... What do you want your legacy to be?

I learned about 10,o00 other things and had one of the most incredible experiences of my life at Jeanne's. I wish I could go on, but once again, I've seemed to blog too much!!! I'll probably have more to come on this series... stay tuned.

Ask anything Friday tomorrow...get ready!

Love you guys - I missed all of you! - Bubs

Sunday Morning Reflections 11.16.08

2008-11-16T03:49:00.001-08:00

Ok... so it's 6 a.m. (I'm leaving for Atlanta tonight so I won't be able to blog then)and here are my reflections from the week:

Click here for a list of all of the articles I thought were worth a read this week
Michael Hyatt had some great blogs on increasing your online presence that you should read
I'm leaving for Atlanta tonight to spend a few days with Jeanne Mayo and 35+ other youth pastors - I'm pretty excited ...expecting God to do some big things! Whew!
One of my heroes (Pastor Larry Bettencourt) spoke at 19 North last night - had a great message you can listen to here.
Revolution is taking off - new website will be up soon, we're remodeling the youth center slowly, but surely...it's going to be awesome! Sean E Mo tore it up on Wednesday with a message on "Fun". It's worth a listen - Pastor Nathan is speaking this weekend (I'm anxious to listen!!)
Pastor John spoke on having a winning marriage that fired me up this weekend! Listen here!
Can you guys believe that Thanksgiving is almost a week away?
I think this Friday a bunch of us are going to go to light up night - you should come (just a thought)
Women - don't forget that Perry Noble is in the middle of a great series for you called: Beautiful: A series for women and the men that pursue them! Listen to it!

Anyway... I don't think I'll be blogging this week while I am in Atlanta - when I get away... I really do want to get away from everything and let God do a huge work in my heart. I'll miss you guys and I'll be back on Thursday! Have a great week!

Movie Review: 007 - Quantum of Solace

2008-11-15T07:50:00.000-08:00

Last night a bunch of us got to see Bond on opening night. It was pretty sweet. Troy Polamalu of the Steelers decided to join us in the theater which was pretty cool.

I thought the movie was pretty good. I am not a Bond fanatic by any means, but the movie at least kept my attention the whole time. I don't think I'd buy it or even see it again, but it was worth seeing in the theater.

Final Grade: B-

Are You on Twitter Yet?

2008-11-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

Everyone is talking about Twitter-for those of you who don't know what it is - here is a quick video for you to watch:

If you decide to join... here are some people/organizations worth following:

ME!
Pastor Nathan Hurst
Pastor Larry Bettencourt
Sean Moore
Cory Vogan
Revolution
19 North

Sign up... I know you want to! It'll change your life!

Ask Anything Friday 11.14.08

2008-11-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

It's already Friday - Thank God! Time is flying by!!

You know what to do... questions in the comments...

Let's see what you go...

Pictures of our New Place

2008-11-13T14:51:00.000-08:00

Don't You Wish Your Girlfriend was Hot Like Me?

2008-11-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

If you get bored... at least watch the last minute of this video - it's hilarious!

What is a Swanson?

2008-11-13T04:25:00.001-08:00

Questions with Swanson from I am Revolution on Vimeo.

Here is our video we played last night at Rev starring the one and only...Swanson!

Lets Hear Your Captions for This...

2008-11-12T06:32:00.001-08:00

Josh Griffin posted this over on his blog - I thought it was hilarious. If you had to add a caption for this picture - what would it be?

All About Me (Part 7)

2008-11-12T04:21:00.000-08:00

My Family (Part 2)

So yesterday I talked about the impact of my parents - today I want to hit up my sister, brother, and grandparents - here we go:

Grandma - My grandma awesome! When I was little I told her that she was the best cook in North and South America - today I believe shes the best cook in the world! My grandma is the typical movies you see in movies and want to cry because their so cute! She's a blessing... She taught me:

How to treat women - how to be a gentlemen (ladies - believe it! haha)

Pap - Pap: I call him "The Icon" . . . I'm pretty sure I got my sense of humor from him! He is hilarious! He was a pilot in WWII and has all kind of cool Nazi gear including a gigantic Nazi flag that I hope to inherit someday that he stole from the Nazi's! He taught me:

To Fish - He loves to fish - so many great memories of fishing trips when I was little
How to Treat Women - He was a stud... it's been passed down!
To be proud of family - He is a family man for sure and 100% Italian!

My Sister- Sara, I know if you're reading this - you just gulped....thinking what the heck is he going to say about me! First and foremost you better know I LOVE YOU! Here are some things I've learned from you:

How to make fun of parents for their quirks - What's in the fridge? ha ha

Repentance - When I was in high school I wasn't exactly on fire for God. For years, I beat my sister up verbally - calling her worthless along with some other things. As I've grown up I had to apologize for that and repent...huge lesson.

The Power of my Words: In calling her names and in now calling her beautiful and things like that - I can see it in her eyes the effect that my words have on her life. I need to carry this over into every arena of my life.

My Brother - So technically he is my half brother- but I consider him to be blood. He is 16 years older than I am! What I've learned from him:

The Power of Influence - being 16 years older than me I obviously looked up to him growing up. I wanted to be like him, do what he did, etc.. It's amazing how impressionable we are as children. It's a constant reminder that people are watching my life and I have to think to myself - am I leading by example - or am I showing them a bad example.

So there you have it - that is my family... if you have any additional questions - let me know! I believe this will be the end of this series! Thanks for reading!!

I encourage you to write each of your family members name in a journal and write the lessons you've learned as a result of having them in your life. It is eye opening...it will give you 100 more things to be thankful for during this season!

Have a great day!

All About Me (Part 6)

2008-11-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

My Family

I am going to wrap this series up by talking about my family...something I don't do as often as I should. Having just moved out allowed me to reflect on my past 23 years living at home (with the exception of living with Hot Karl Kober for 6 months at RMU) and how my family has shaped who I am today. I know that often I can undermine the investment of my family because of everything God has done in my life the past 6 years, but if it weren't for my family I wouldn't be the man I am today. So here you go:

My Mom - Whenever I go to my grandma's she always tells me that having me around is like having my mom around. I "light up the room" she says and when I think about it -that was my mom. My mom taught me:

To have fun - I definitely get my personality from my mom. I remember dancing with her every Sunday night to all night oldies on 3WS - awesome. I have millions of home videos of us just having fun when we were little. Dancing, Acting, etc.

To love traditions - my mom made every holiday and big days in our lives extremely special!

The Importance of Family - My mom always made sure we spent time together as a family - family nights etc.

I know that seems simple - but so much of who I am today is literally who my mom was . . . that's a pretty big deal!

My Dad - My dad has taught me a lot more than he gives himself credit for. Though I am not always the first to acknowledge this - he has taught me so much.

He taught me:

Character - my dad is huge on character, honesty, and integrity. He's helped me recognize that if I messed up - be up front about it (don't hide it) and apologize (This is a much bigger lesson than a lot of us think it is.

Confidence in who I am: I'll never forget his "famous" quote - "I am what I am and that is all that I am, I'm Johnny the Bus Driving Man!" He taught me to be proud of myself for who I am.

Being Selfless - my dad is one of the most selfless men on the planet. I can name like 2 times in his life where he did something for himself. He is constantly giving of his time, money, and gifts.

Sacrifice - My dad has worked weekdays (during the day)and weekends (through the middle of the night) for as long as I can remember to provide for our family. I've never had to suffer or miss out on anything in life because of my dads willingness to sacrifice his life in order for my sister and I to have a great life. Thanks Dad..

To Give - Because my dad is selfless - he is a huge giver. I remember every year on his birthday, he'd buy my sister and I presents and try to make it seem like it was an extra birthday for us.... he gives and gives and gives. I'm grateful for that example

Tomorrow I'll cover my brother and sister and grandparents!!! Yea baby!

Some of the best advice I've ever received is that when you grow up you have to look back at how you were raised and take the good and chuck the bad and remember that your parents did the best that they knew how. I know my parents did the best they could and I am extremely grateful for their investment!

How have your parents shaped your life? Thoughts?

Book Review: When God Writes Your Love Story

2008-11-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

I really do believe as we grow up and become busier and busier that we need to literally be led on what books to read. People give me books and recommend books to me all the time... and I've really had to be led on which ones I read and when.

This was definitely one God put on my heart to read and it was very beneficial. I think everyone single Christian needs to read this book... it will encourage you, open your eyes, and really deepen your faith when it comes dating or waiting for "The One or (the two, for those who've heard Craig Groeschels messages on dating)".

Great Book!

Final Grade: A Buy it here

All About Me (Part 5)

2008-11-10T05:29:00.000-08:00

Strengths the Strengthen Me

I'm going to wrap this series up this week - today with my strengths and then I'm going to (at someones request that I thought would be cool) do some posts about my family and the impact they've had on me. Next week - you guys voted on Cleaner and Closer - I'm pumped about that!

So I went over my weaknesses last week - here are some of (what I believe) are my strengths. I would definitely recommend asking people around you about your strengths and weaknesses - I think sometimes we think we're good at things that we're really not, and vice versa. So here is my list:

An Encourager - I am constantly trying to encourage everyone around me - I love lifting people up
Optimistic - I always try to see the best in everybody and every situation
Leadership - I think I have a lot of natural leadership abilities, however, natural abilities will only take me so far unless I develop them - this is a process.
Hunger for Growth - I am compulsive when it comes to learning - I'm constantly reading books, listening to sermons, asking people questions, etc.
Communication - I'm a good communicator
Planning/Organization - I actually really enjoy this stuff - kind of weird haha
Connecting with People - I usually tend to get along with almost anyone pretty easily
Networking - I'm pretty big on this . . . always trying to find people that can mentor me and pour into my life
My Natural Good Looks - I'm hot lunch haha
Faithfulness - I've tried to make it a point in my life to be faithful with everything God's blessed me with
Servant - I always try to go out of my way to serve others

I think if I had to nail down some of the things God's gifted me with - those would be it. . . Any thoughts from those who know me? Is that accurate? Totally off? haha ... let me know.

Sunday Night Reflections 11.9.08

2008-11-10T05:20:00.000-08:00

So it has been a really crazy week:

I moved out on Saturday with two of my friends into a 3 bedroom townhouse - it's pretty awesome! (I'll post pictures at some point) I miss my dad and my sister - Love you guys!

Rev was sweet - Pastor Nathan had a great message on Wednesday and David Faulk tore it up on the weekend! Our attendance has growing consistently - I am pumped about that

Andy Stanley's second message in his series "The Best Question Ever" is available to listen to - it's pretty good

I started listening to a series by Keith Moore called "The Truth about Temptation" - it's definitely worth a listen (but so is everything brother Keith throws down!

Here is a link to all the articles I thought were worth reading this week - enjoy!

I get to go to Atlanta next Sunday until Thursday to hang out with Jeanne Mayo and a bunch of youth pastors - I'm pretty excited - I've never been to Atlanta!

That's good for now - night world!

What Should I Blog about Next Week?

2008-11-08T04:30:00.000-08:00

I'll finish up my all about me series this week...What do you want me to blog about next? ( polls)

Ask Anything Friday 11.7.08

2008-11-06T21:01:00.001-08:00

Thank God Friday is here... It's been an interesting week... I'm pushing through though!

Let's have your questions.....Anything....Ask in the comment section!

Hope for the Next Generation

2008-11-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

This kid is 10 years old and he has me fired up. This is why I do what I do...

I Cor. 15:58 says this and I believe it with all my heart:

58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

If you're doing anything to invest in people ... you need to stand on this verse. You're making a bigger impact than you can imagine.

Another Message You Must Listen To

2008-11-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

If you're single - you need to listen to the message. Sean Moore suggested I listen to it ... it took my standards to an entirely new level.... Wow!

Go here and the message is found in March 2006 called Dating Delilah.

Listen to the whole thing! It'll change your life!

All About Me (Part 4)

2008-11-06T03:46:00.000-08:00

Weaknesses that Weaken me

We all have weaknesses don't we? John Maxwell encourages leaders to share their weaknesses with their followers/colleagues. Usually they say, "But, John if they know my weaknesses they won't think I'm the leader I am." In which John replies, "They already know your weaknesses - they're just happy you've finally figured them out!"

As I said, I'm a student of myself and I'm always looking for ways to improve. I usually find out my weaknesses by asking other people. In fact, I just learned another one from someone last night! I think sometimes we think we're good at everything don't we? However, I believe we need a strong dose of reality from people who love and care about us enough to tell us the truth about our strengths and weaknesses.

So here we go:

Insecurity - I think we're all insecure to some extent - this has been a tough one to overcome, but I'm doing it!
Gossiping - I've grown a lot in this area - I used to tell everyone everything!
Over Committing -Not being able to say No (I don't mean to drugs and things like that haha) I've been working hard at saying no to things in the past year
Lack of Rest - I love sleep - but I feel like I'm missing out on something in life if I sleep over 5-6 hours . . .
Delegation/Empowering Others- this is one of my greatest leadership weaknesses...I always feel that by delegating and empowering others that I'm bothering them ....thank God I have leaders around me who are lifting my lid in this area!
Taking time for myself - I hate being by myself! I love being around people! However, I'm realizing the importance of having "Bubba time" and that if I don't schedule it on purpose - it won't happen.
Unnecessary Jokes - Definitely forget to filter things sometimes....
People Pleaser - I want to make everybody happy...to battle this I constantly have to ask myself if I want to be a leader or a clown.
Control Freak - Didn't realize this until this year . . . I'm trying to let go!
Listening - I've recognized that I'm not the greatest listener when I'm talking to people...I'm trying so hard to break this!
Impatient - I don't like to wait for things...at all!
Getting Back to People - I'm not the greatest at calling people back . . .
Lack of Focus - There are always 10,000,000 things running through my mind at one time so it's easy for me to try to work on 10 projects at once instead of focusing on one!
Procrastination - I think we all procrastinate on things we're not passionate about... for me... it's school work! haha
Confrontation - this is another leadership weakness - because I'm so optimistic and love people so much - it's hard for me to have "hard" conversations with people. This is an area that I must grow in!!!

Now if you know me and you just read these and you'd say - Bubba! You have like 500 more weaknesses you forgot about... don't leave them all in my comment section! However, I would love your input... so come talk to me about them!

What are some of your weaknesses? Are you willing to admit them and surround yourself with people to help you overcome them?

All About Me (Part 3)

2008-11-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

A Few of my Not So Favorite Things

I'm a very optimistic person and try to see the best in everything so making this list took me a while! Please understand I'm not being judgmental of you if you take part in any of these things. I love people regardless of what they do - I just may not like what they do. Now that we have that established here we go:

People Who Don't Have a Relationship with God - They're missing out on EVERYTHING!
Drinking - don't get me started on this! Ahhh!!! I did a whole post on alcohol! (Culture)
Pre-Marital Sex - if people could only see all the long-term outcomes of this decision...
Drugs - I used to do a lot of these as well... that got me far in life (Sarcasm)
Our Cultures Values - just look around... it's so sad
The "Typical" College Experience - parties, parties, parties
People not having a Vision for Their Lives - we don't get to go through life again! People need to live for something bigger than themselves
Girls who don't Value Themselves - this breaks my heart when I see girls give themselves away to or date "crums" (listen to Perry Nobles new series) because they don't know what their worth (applies to guys as well)
Guys Treating Girls like Garbage - Ladies - DON'T SETTLE!

Carnal Christians- People who know the Word and talk a big game, but don't live it!
Needy People - I don't mean people in need. These are people who have no lives so they want to hang out with you and suck the life out of you!
Flirts - people that flirt with everyone! (Beware!)
Fake People - You can just tell their not genuine...BE YOURSELF...geez!
Being Late - I can't stand not being on time!
Afternoons - I am productive in the mornings and evenings (Coffee times!) - I dread 1-5 p.m.
People Talking During Movies - Pet Peeve - Definitely!
Funerals/Viewings - just not a fan... I'm sure I'll be a lot of them as a pastor though
The Pirate Ship and Magic Carpet Rides - I get sick every time I ride one!
Tangled Wires - One of my biggest pet peeves! Especially ear phone wires!
Winter - Except before Christmas and when I'm Snowboarding... I hate it!
Dirty/Unorganized Rooms, Cars, Etc. - I can't stand things being messy!
Talking on the Phone - not a huge fan (unless I'm in love haha)
Voicemails - if you don't get to the point in 10 seconds - I delete it!
Telemarketing - had to do a ton of this when I worked at Citizens - selling checking accounts over the phone - it doesn't get any better than that!
Bad College Professors - Seems to be the majority! I wonder how some of these people got hired!
Wasting Time - if I feel like what I'm doing is a waste of time and not productive - I go crazy!
Swimming - Like swimming laps -I want to do a triathlon in the future...we'll see
Watching TV - not a huge fan unless it's a sporting event or something
Bad Coffee - like the kind in our staff kitchen haha
Paying with Cash - I know this is a wiser thing to do, but I think it's a hassle
Long Lines - does anyone like these?
Working on Cars - this includes oil changes, inspections, etc.... I am going to hire someone to do this stuff for me later in life!
Not getting enough Rest - Believe it or not... I get grumpy without enough rest!

That is literally all I can think of....that was really challenging. I really don't dislike too many things. I'm sure there are plenty of more... but that is enough.

Thoughts?

All About Me (Part 2)

2008-11-04T03:44:00.000-08:00

A Few of my Favorite Things

Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens . . . just kidding. Here is a fun post on things that I love:

God - He is what I live for - pursuing God is my number one passion in life
Family - I'm pretty excited to start my own! I can't wait to make that journey!
Ministry - it's what I'm called to do! I'll never have to "work" a day in my life!
Seeing Lives Changed - Another thing I live for - my favorite thing about ministry!
Personal Growth - I've had a personal growth plan since I was 18 - I'll never stop!
Learning - I'm consumed with being a lifelong learner and learning something everyday
The Bible - God's Word - God speaking to me....could it get any better?
Traveling - I want to and I will see the world...(Every time I go somewhere new I sing the song "I've been everywhere" by Johnny Cash in the hotel ha ha)
Good friends - I love having people in my life I can laugh with, cry with, dream with, etc.
Getting Mentored - I'm always looking for people that can mentor me!
Leadership - One of my top passions in life! Thanks John Maxwell!
People - I wouldn't be in ministry if I didn't love people
Serving - I love serving people in anyway I can to be a blessing to them
Teenagers - I spend time serving these guys daily - Love them! So much p!otential!
Reading - One of my favorite things to do! (No fiction books please)
Achievement - I love actually producing something or hitting goals - it's why I live everyday on purpose
Bible School - I've learned so much here!
Starbucks Coffee - definitely addicted! (Spend $60 a month...not good for the budget!) Grande Coffee w/no room is my regular. Love Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Lattes
Dunkin Doughnuts Coffee - this is usually a treat for me - flavored coffee!
Yankee Candles - Another addiction! I have them everywhere at home!
Holidays - I love traditions so Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas get me fired up!
Decorating - you may think I'm gay for this... but I don't care - I love it!
MAC - definitely a Mac person - I hate PC's
iPhone - Greatest invention ever! Don't know how I lived without it!
Movies - I'm a huge movie guy! Only thing I want to pick when I get my house with my wife is the basement - huge TV, huge couch, surround sound, tons of blankets - YEA!
The Fall - my favorite season! I did a post on why in September!
Running - never thought this would be on here! Just ran a marathon - running is my time to reflect and spend time with God!
Pictures - people say I'm obsessed - but I love memories! I have photo albums of my entire life in my room! I love having that!
Hiking/Biking - I love the outdoors!
Bonfires - who doesn't love them?
Hayrides - enough said!
Cleaning - yea... I like things neat and in order....
Little Kids - not sure about babies under 2 years old...above that...I love kids!
Food - I love eating!
Eating Out - I love going to new restaurants and trying new things! And spending time talking and getting to know people over dinner!
Victory Family Church - this place changed my life and I work there!
Revolution Student Ministries - We're touching a generation of teenagers!
19 North - touching twenty somethings all of the Pittsburgh area - Whew!
Snowboarding - I can't wait until January! AH!
Social Websites - Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, etc... I'm on top of that
Early Morning - I love getting up early (5-6 a.m. and spending time by myself and with God)
Plays - I love going to see Plays!!!
Dancing - I could own you on the dance floor! (Believe it!)
Setting Goals/Reviews/Etc - I have a ton of systems for goals in my life - that's a whole blog series though
Christian Music - I listen to everything - mostly Christian music though
Rice Krispee Treats! - One of my favorite desserts!
Cookies - I am a huge cookie guy!
Vacations - this one should just be obvious (But I do like going different places every year - I want to see the world remember!)
Planning - It's just the way my mind works - I love planning things out!
Life - If you know me - I just try to live life to the fullest. When I say "I'm on fire" I mean it! I literally wake up everyday and cannot believe I get to live my life. I can't believe it! My life is awesome!

Certainly there are more - this was pretty general. What are your thoughts? Let me know!

Tomorrow - A Few of my Least Favorite things!

All About Me (Part 1)

2008-11-03T05:52:00.000-08:00

"I'm following everything I'll ever need, Finally Giving up Being Everything, I'm falling for you for eternity, right here at Your feet, where I want to be, I am Yours. "

-David Crowder Band (Foreverandever Etc...)

So you guys voted for me to blog "all about me" this week. While I want this to be a fun blog series, I also want it to be one that encourages you to become a student of yourself.

I put the lyrics above up for a purpose. While I have by no means "arrived", I do believe I am in a place in my life where I am finally giving up being everything. I mean -think about it...don't we spend most of our lives trying to be someone we're not? Trying to be the people we envy, trying to fit into groups we don't fit into at all, etc.. We try to be everything to everyone and we end up cheating ourselves out of who God created us to be.I think I'm finally in a place where I'm becoming confident who God called me and created me to be and it is a wonderful place to be in.
So over this series I am going to cover things I've discovered about me: My strengths (at least what I think they are haha), my weaknesses, insecurities, pet peeves, things I love, etc.. It should be a lot of fun.

Today I just want to leave you with some quotes that I hope will encourage you to become a student of YOU! Who God called YOU to be! He has a specific call for You! You're not supposed to be like the person you constantly compare yourself to! It's a very liberating thing when you can finally give up being everything, and become the person God created you to be! Here you go:

" The first and best victory is to conquer self."

"You can never conquer the mountain. You can only conquer yourself."

"God will help you become all you can be, but He will never help you be successful at being someone else."

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves

"The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself."

At the end of the series - I'll provide you with some resources on how you can learn about yourself. If throughout the series you have any questions or want to know anything else about me - just ask! Love you guys!

Sunday Night Reflections 11.2.08

2008-11-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

Is it me or is time flying by? It's November 2008...what the heck! Halloween has come and gone! Before we know it, we'll be putting up our Christmas Trees! Craziness! Life just flies by! Anyway... I had a great week... here are some thoughts/week review:

Ladies - if you haven't started listening to THIS SERIES (Beautiful: A series for women and the men that pursue them) yet - you better get on that!

Friday night I got to live my dream and actually take part in haunted house. A team from 19 north and I went to serve a local home for troubled teens. I was dressed up as a Chicken and popped out of a box! I scared tons of teenagers! It was awesome. Some teens referred to me as an "F***** chicken!" - lol

Denny Pattyn came and spoke to the youth at Rev on Wednesday - he tore it up! He spoke on sexual purity- yea baby! It was awesome. We also had a costume party - good times!

This weekend was the big day at Victory. At rev we had 180+ in attendance with 27+salvations - I am so pumped for the future of Rev, 19 North, and Victory!

During the big day announcements - I got shot with 4-5 paint balls at each service by Chris Marnik - it was .... wonderful

Click here to see all the articles I thought were of interest this week

Hope you had an amazing weekend! Obviously I'll be posting all about me this week since that is what you voted for... It's going to be hard to let you know all about me in a few posts - I'll do my best!

You're awesome!

Book Review: Church Shift

2008-11-01T07:22:00.001-07:00

If You Are a Christian YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!

Wow...I read this book in 3 sittings! Pastor Nathan gave me it to read and it has changed the way I view everything! The vision that was in my heart just got taken to a new level.

The author, Sunday Adelaja, literally transformed a nation for God. He goes into detail about all of the lessons God taught him through that experience about the church, God's people, the great commission, and the call of God on your life! I promise you that God will change your life through this book!

If you're a Rev Leader (we have copies that you can borrow-just ask).

Final Grade: A+++++! Buy it here!

Ask Anything Friday 10.31.08

2008-10-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

You know what to do....ask away!

What Should I blog About Next Week?

2008-10-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

If you're voting for (Other) please leave in the comments some things you'd like to see discussed on the blog!

The Most Dangerous Prayer I've Ever Prayed (Part 2)

2008-10-30T04:02:00.001-07:00

Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to the people? Who will go for us?" I said, "Here I am, Send me!"

Isaiah 6:8,9

Why it was easy for me to Surrender My Life to God

It seems as though the majority of the world looks down on Christianity and living a life sold out to God. They constantly are putting down Christians and laugh at you if you don't drink, party, have sex, etc.. Denny Pattyn (the CEO/Founder of Silver Ring Thing) came and spoke at Revolution last night. In reference to the MTV music awards where the Jonus Brothers got made fun of for their commitment to sexual purity, Danny confronted what he thought the issue was. He said:

"The world is afraid, because a generation is rising up with high standards - God's standards"

It's a generation that will not just go along with the culture because it is seeing the outcome of the road our culture is traveling on. I looked back on my life when I was at the "crossroads" choosing between living for God and living "in the world". I used to love drinking, drugs, and parties. It consumed me! So how did I go from loving those things to a man who prays to God everyday, Lord - I'll do what you want me to do, say what you want me to say, and go where you want me to go? One Verse:

It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him MUST believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek Him. -Hebrews 11:6

I love that verse because I think everyone believes God exists, but notice what the verse says that is not all you MUST believe. You must also believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. It was when I learned that God is good, God is a rewarder, God is faithful, He has a plan for my life, He is love, He is truth, and He is life that made it so easy for me to surrender my life to Him. When I talk about rewards, I'm not talking about material things (although God does want to bless you that way!). I'm talking about He wants to reward you with a life worth living!

His standards, His discipline, His leading are all out of His love for you. Love will always do what is most beneficial for us. I know that I don't always know whats most beneficial for me, but I know He does and that if I'll listen to Him, I'll be fulfilled in life. He is truth! Is there anything we should desire more than truth?

If it is a struggle to surrender your WHOLE life over to God... then I would encourage you to get in the Word and see how much He loves you, how faithful He is, and How good He is. It's easy to believe that God exists, it's a totally different thing to know He is a rewarder, but once you get that revelation, you'll never look back (Luke 9:62)

The Most Dangerous Prayer I've Ever Prayed

2008-10-29T05:13:00.000-07:00

Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to the people? Who will go for us?" I said, "Here I am, Send me!"

Isaiah 6:8,9

I remember early on in my Christian walk singing a song by Ryan Phipps called Launch Me. It simply said: This is all I have to offer...me. Followed by: Here I am send me, here I am touch me, Here I am launch me. (It sounds a lot cooler than it does reading it on a blog).

Looking back on my walk with God, I realized that making this the prayer of my heart (I tell God everyday...God, I'll go where you want me to go, say what you want me to say, and do what you want me to do) has been the most dangerous, yet rewarding prayer I could ever pray!

Dangerous because it's caused me to:

Make some of the toughest decisions I've ever made in my life
Get persecuted for no reason
Lose all my friends
Not settle for mediocrity or take the easy road
To be patient and trust God
Have times where I feel like I'm the only one standing up and living for God (can anyone relate?)

Rewarding because:

Since praying that prayer - I've lived a life that I couldn't even imagine living 5 years ago
I love my life! I have peace, I have joy, I'm not empty, I can sleep at night!
I got new friends that I wouldn't trade for anyone in the world
I'm making a difference in peoples lives
I never know whats next in my life... but I know it's going to be ridiculous because God is good!

I could list about a million other things in each category... I just want to challenge you to pray that prayer to God everyday. When you have an open heart and you're willing to give it all over to God. When you really put Him first in everything you do... it won't be easy, it won't always be fun , in fact it really can seem dangerous (stepping out in faith... not knowing what is ahead, while not leaning to your own understanding...tough stuff!). But I promise you . . . if you'll stick with it, if you won't compromise, if you'll trust Him...you'll be on your way to the most rewarding life you could ever live.

Get ready!

Perry Noble's Advice to Single Men!

2008-10-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

Beautiful_02- Single Guys Outtake from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

Book Review: The Spirit Controlled Life

2008-10-28T14:04:00.001-07:00

So it's back to having required reading at Bible School. It has it's pros and cons. On one hand, I get exposed to books I'd never read otherwise. On the other, I don't get to read as many books as I liked to throughout the year (nor the ones I choose to read).

Anyway-this book is basically a book study of the book of Galatians. It literally takes the book apart verse by verse! It was very insightful and I learned a ton!

After reading this book I promise you you'll know the difference between The Law and the Grace of God. It's very liberating! I enjoyed it!

Final Grade: B Buy it here!

Pastor Appreciation Month

2008-10-28T03:40:00.000-07:00

October is Pastor Appreciation month and I just want to recognize some pastors who have had a huge impact on my life!

Pastor Jeff Kistler - I attended Middletown Road Baptist Church when I got saved in middle school. This is when I figured out I was called to ministry! Pastor Kistler spent so much time pouring into me and loving me. He helped light my fire for Jesus as a teenager!

"Pastor" Judy Steidel - Ok, so she wasn't exactly an ordained pastor, but this woman ran a bible study of 80+ teenagers every week in her house. Through her bible study I rededicated my life to God and started going to Victory Family Church. She took me under her wing as a son and showed me what it's like when someone lives a passionate, sold out life to God. I still get fired up just thinking about her!

Pastor Larry Bettencourt - Ok... so without this man... I have no clue where I'd be! I interned under his leadership for 2 years. He taught me a ton about ministry, opened doors for me, and gave me my first opportunities to speak. I am so thankful for his leadership and now I am grateful for his friendship. He's changed thousands of lives and he continues to do that through his ministry (Finishline).

Pastor Zack Blair - Sounds weird to call him Pastor because we've known each other since we were freshmen in college! It's been awesome seeing Zack grow into his calling. He is now touching a generation of twenty somethings and he is constantly speaking into my life and taking me to new levels. I love this guy!

Pastor Craig DeBower - PC! I don't even think I need to say anything else! This man is a walking Bible! He was a CEO and now he is a Pastor... the man has a ridiculous amount of wisdom on the inside of him. It's a privilege to get to spend time with this guy!

Pastor Steve Moore - Over the past year I've gotten the opportunity to spend a lot of time with this guy! He took my leadership/ministry lid and blew it out of the water! My favorite line of his would be when something crazy would happen (pretty regularly) and he'd say to me, "Welcome to ministry!"

Pastor John Nuzzo - When I see everything happening at Victory... I just think to myself... What if Pastor John and Michelle weren't obedient to God? Wow... thousands upon thousands of lives have been impacted forever as a result of their obedience. They are touching a generation. I can't even put into words how grateful I am to sit under this mans teaching and leadership...what a privilege.

I would encourage you to think about the Pastors who've helped changed your life as a result of their obedience to God and write them a letter, buy them a gift, or simply tell them you appreciate them. Ministry really is a thankless job, you'd be surprised what just hearing "thank you" can do to encourage a pastors heart.

Beautiful: A Series for Women and the Men that Pursue Them!

2008-10-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of posts today... I know. I'm just trying to add value to your life! I had to put this out there... Started listening to this series today...very insightful!

PERRY NOBLE is doing a series at his church called: Beautiful - A Series for Women and the Men that Pursue them. (Click to watch message.)Or you could search for the Newspring Church podcast in iTunes and subscribe to it there.

If you're a woman - you need to listen to this series

If you're a man - you need to listen to this series

If you're a single man - Perry has some ridiculous advice for you! haha

LISTEN TO IT! It'll change your life!

Victory's Cardboard Testimonies (Part 2)

2008-10-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

Victory's Cardboard Testimonies

2008-10-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

This was one of the most powerful things I've ever seen. I've watched the journey of so many of these people and watched God transform their lives. I can't even put into words what seeing this does in my heart...God is so good.

Cardboard Testimonies

2008-10-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

We did this at our church this past weekend. It was so powerful. I'll have the one from our church up when I get it. Isn't it amazing what God can do in one person's life? Wow... gets me so excited to touch a generation of people for the Kingdom!

Going all the Way: Q and A Top Questions

2008-10-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

We're wrapping up a series at Rev called Going all the Way. This past Wednesday as well as the weekend we had the Rev staff and 2 of our leaders answer students questions on sex, dating, and the single life. Here are some of the best questions we got:

How much does a kiss mean to you?
Is it ok for gays to have parades or whatever according to God?
How far is too far?
How do you know when you've found "the one"
How do you tell someone you don't love them when they tell you they love you?
Is masturbation ok?
How sacred is marriage? If it's so sacred how did it get so demoralized in our culture? What is God's view of marriage?
Where do we need to get our love? Not the dating kind, but the kind where you know who you are and than you're loved and that we're important...and how?
What sort of situations should you avoid being in with the opposite sex?
How do I get over the brokenness of breaking off a bad relationship?
My entire family has never abstained from sex before marriage. How do I keep myself pure when I'm surrounded by that negative influence?
Is sex before marriage ok if you've been together a long time or if you're engaged (you know you'll be with them the rest of your life.)
What do you do if you have a bf/gf and your parents don't know about it?
Is it possible for relationships that aren't God-centered to survive? How does our society do it?
What are some specific standards and boundaries in your relationships with others of the opposite sex?
What if one of your friends cheated on their bf/gf... what do you do?
What is the difference/line between infatuation and real love?
What do you do if your parents are encouraging you to wear make up and date the "right" guys for your reputation?
How do you get over a broken heart?
Where do you see most people "miss it" when it comes to dating?
What if I've had sex with my bf/gf and can't stop... I know it's wrong, but it's so hard. What can I do?
What if I'm in a relationship I know I shouldn't be in, but I'm afraid to break it off?

Some great questions and there were many more... these were students 12-18 years old... it's cool to see they're interested in what God has to say on these subjects! The podcasts should be up soon if you'd like to listen...

Sunday Night Reflections 10.26.08

2008-10-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

Alright so for me... this has been an insane week. Have you ever had one of those? A week where your entire foundation gets rocked? If I had to pinpoint something that God taught me throughout the week it would be this:

When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is full developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing! -James 1:2-4

I think whenever "storms" come our way it really shows us where we are in our walk with God. It shows us if we've grown, if we're stagnant, or if we've backed away from Him. I think of the quote, "Tomorrow is the scorecard (report card) of how you handled today." If you've been putting the Word of God in your heart... it'll show... if you haven't...the storms of life will overwhelm you.

As for the rest of my week:

Ben Rath had an incredible message at 19 North - PLEASE LISTEN TO IT!

We has a sex, dating, and the single life Question and Answer at Rev both on Wednesday and the weekend. Good times! We had tons of great questions!

If you haven't listened to this message yet - DO IT RIGHT NOW!

Click here to check out all of the articles I thought were worth reading this week.

Our church had a ridiculous illustration this weekend... I'll post the video when it comes out.

See you tomorrow.....

Ask Anything Friday

2008-10-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

Ask Any Friday is here....so lets hear your questions... if you're new... leave a question as a comment and I'll answer you. Question can be about anything....

Lets see what you got...

YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE!

2008-10-23T14:34:00.001-07:00

Every student and twenty something ABOSLUTELY MUST LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE! (In fact, if you're breating you need to hear it!)

This message by Andy Stanley just took me to a new level! It's going to be an unbelievable series. I read the book a few years back... it's a must for your library!

To access message Click Here and subscribe to: THE BEST QUESTION EVER.

Without Love, We are Nothing

2008-10-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."

I Cor. 13:1-3

I want to talk about love for a minute. No, I'm not talking about love in relationships or in marriage, but it certainly applies in both of those arenas. I think love whether it's in our families, friendships, community, or any other arena of life is a journey. We literally have an unlimited capacity to love don't we? A husband and wife who are in love and have a child don't split the love they had for each other and give 50% to their spouse and 50% to their new child do they? Their ability to love increases. Literally our ability to love is limitless.

While I don't think we'll ever come close to tapping into our full capacity or potential to love, I do believe love is a journey, love is something that grows. Most importantly I believe that we'll never learn to love anybody the way we should until we experience the Love that God has for us. We can't give something we don't have and if we've never experienced God's love (He is love!) then we'll never know how to love the poor, the lost, our friends, our families, our communities, our nation, and even our world.

I Cor. 3 goes on to say that love has these characteristics:

Love suffers long and is kind
Love does not envy
Love does not parade itself
Love is not puffed up
Love does not behave rudely
Love does not seek its own
Love is not provoked and thinks no evil
Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth
Love bears all things
Love always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres
Love never fails

I think often we hear these things and think that is nice and I'll rehearse those versus at my wedding and everyone will think I know what love is! If I were to be honest with you, I think I am just starting to tap into (only touching the surface) of what true love is. It's one thing to quote a scripture, it's an entirely different thing to live it.

It's easy to love someone when you get something in return and everything is going alright. It's hard to love when we get nothing in return and perhaps, frankly, the other party doesn't deserve to be loved (the poor, the lost, someone who hurt us, our families, etc.). When these opportunities present themselves in our lives, I believe they are some of our first opportunities to love.

It's when we realize that when we didn't deserve to be loved and even though we deserved to go to Hell, God chose to love us. In fact, the Bible says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Thought I'm not going in depth on that, that is a love I cannot comprehend or understand.

If you want to experience a love that suffers long and is kind, does not envy, does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked and thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth, bears all things, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and never fails then you need to run straight to the feet of Jesus. It's only when we're willing to lay down our lives and all that we are: our faults, failures, dreams, and desires at His feet that we'll experience His love. And I would submit to you, until we've experience love (God) we'll never truly know how to or have the ability to truly love anyone else.

Run Your Race and Don't Look Back

2008-10-22T05:20:00.001-07:00

"You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn't God, for He is the one who called you to freedom. This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!"

Galatians 5:7

Doesn't it seem like it's so much easier to get off track in our journey with God than to keep going? There are always a million things trying to get our attention can capture our hearts. In fact, in Mark 4 Jesus talks about how easy it is for this to happen. People get the Word in them get excited about God and to do awesome things do Him, but because of the condition of their heart they get off track in their journey with God.

Some people hear the Word and ignore it

Some people hear the Word, receive it with joy, but don't build deep roots and fall away as soon as problems of persecution comes

Some people hear Gods word but it gets crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the lust of the flesh, so no fruit is produced.

In the verse in Galatians it says that a little yeast spreads through the whole batch of dough. As I've been growing up spiritually I've realized that if we open a door, even a little bit, to anything that God hasn't led us to, it will lead us off track. Maybe we think God's word isn't true so we ignore it, maybe we get persecuted a little bit or run into so problems and we draw back in fear and give in to the pressures of pleasing others, or maybe we get so busy in our lives that we're constantly worrying, constantly wanting to chase things that will never fill the void in our hearts, or we just aren't willing to give up short term pleasure for long-term joy.

However there is one more condition of the heart:

Those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!

I want to be someone who produces so much fruit in my life that it is ridiculous. I know if I am ever going to do that I am going to have to stay on the path God is leading me down. I've gotten of track dozens of time, but I refuse to not make the right corrections in my life and get right back on track. I will run my race and I know that when I look back on my life I'll be able to say that I fought the good fight of faith and I've finished my course. I'll close with these verses in Hebrews to encourage you:

Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

Hebrews 12:1,2

Are You on the Path?

2008-10-21T04:26:00.001-07:00

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (clearer and brighter) until (it reaches its full strength and glory in) the perfect day (to be prepared.)

Proverbs 4:18

It is so easy to hit a season in our lives where everything seems out of whack! We don't know what the next step will be in our lives, we're confused, scared, and worried. So many people get thrown off track during these times and let the troubles of this world overwhelm them.

One of the greatest lessons I've learned is found in the verse above. The path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter and clearer and clearer. I've learned that as a Christian, God did not intend my life to be this bumpy ride where I'm constantly getting knocked around, constantly in fear, and never knowing what to expect. No, God said that He will direct my steps and make my path clear.

So what am I trying to say? If your path isn't getting clearer and brighter... you're not on the path! Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When we're on the path it should be easy and you should have a peace about where you are!

One way I've learned to evaluate if I am on the path is by this standard:

If it's good it's God, if it's bad, it's me!

So let me ask you... Is your path getting brighter and brighter? Is your path getting clearer and clearer? Are you in a good place right now? If it's not . . . you may need to look at your life and realize where you've missed it. You may even need to go back to the last thing God asked you to do and make sure you were obedient. If you weren't, repent, and jump right back on the path!

God is so good!!! There really is no better feeling than knowing you're on the path and knowing that as you continue in your journey with God that the path is only going to get brighter and better! I am pretty fired up about being on the path! Are you? God has some amazing things in store for you.... get ready!

Anchored

2008-10-20T03:40:00.000-07:00

I'll show you what it's like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching and then follows it. It is like a person building their foundation on solid rock, when the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it has a strong foundation.

Luke 6:47-48

Zack Blair asked a question on Saturday night at 19 North that cut me deep. He asked, "Are you following Jesus because of what you can get out of it, or are you following Him because He loves you?" What an amazing question.

Over the past few weeks I've just felt like I was going through the motions spiritually. I have ten thousand things going on in my life and God became a checklist rather than someone in whom I have an intimate relationship with. I lost my intimacy with God and I literally don't know if there is anything that feels worse than that. I felt like my foundation in Him was weakening.

Saturday night during worship we were singing the song "Only You" by David Crowder and the it talks about giving all of your dreams and desires over to God. Then the chorus repeats over and over that "It's just You and ME" and for the first time in a long time I felt like I was alone with God. I didn't have anyone around me, any of the thousand things I needed to do this week going through my mind, or anything like that. Just simply me....and God.

It was a wonderful time to reflect on my life and God corrected me on a lot of things in my life. It was hard....but I'm so thankful He cares about me enough to correct me. He corrects us because He loves us and wants what is best for us. I know that if I'll build the foundation of my life on Him and His word that I'll be able to withstand any storm that comes my way (and they do come!) So on Saturday night I purposed in my heart a few things:

I will never let myself get so busy and involved in so many things that I don't take time where it's "Just me and God"

I will refuse to make decisions in my life unless I am 100% certain that God has told me to (if I don't have a peace... I stand... if it's hard... I continue to stand because GOD IS FAITHFUL)

I will never settle for less than God's best for any reason...

I will get 1 or 2 people in my life to meet with weekly to cry to, laugh to, celebrate with, etc. to let them know what is REALLY going on in my life

That Jesus Christ is the anchor and foundation of my life and I will not be shaken by any storm that comes my way because of that.

God is Faithful, He's been Faithful in my life time and time again. He has never failed me, disappointed me, or let me down. I need to keep myself in continual remembrance of how good He is and remember all of the unbelievable things He has done in my life.

I literally wonder how people who don't know God wake up every morning and live. I cannot imagine my life without God. I can't imagine Him not being my foundation and the central focus of my life. I can't imagine facing any situation and not having Him to lead me, guide me, and protect me.

If a storm of life came out of nowhere in your life (and Jesus promised us they will)... would the foundation you've built in your life be able to withstand it? Would you be able to, regardless of circumstances, to give everything to God and let the peace that surpasses understanding fill your heart because you know God is your anchor and He loves and cares about you more than you will ever be able to comprehend (Romans 8:38,39)?

Sunday Night Reflections 10.19.08

2008-10-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

So this was a rare week for the Bubs... I actually did not have a great week. You ever have a week that you just want to get away from everything? Where all the small things that bother you have all come together and exploded inside of you? I had one of those weeks, however, last night at 19 North God did some really cool things in my life and I'll be posting about it tomorrow.

As for the week:

Amanda Phillips got married on Friday... I love weddings!

I burned my thumb on a pop-tart... AH!

Rev - Wednesday at Rev Vanessa Phillips spoke and tore it up... it was an incredible message. Every girl should listen to this (guys too!). Listen to the podcast here.

This weekend I spoke at Rev... I spoke on having God arrange your marriage...podcast should be up soon

The ministry of helps training at Victory was awesome!

19 North - Zack had another great message... he had some lines that changed my life. Check out the podcast.

The Rath Faction - Ben took some ? and A this week... still answering questions... everyone should read his blog!

Perry Noble had a post that every guy should read

Pastor Larry now has a blog and twitter - check them out!

I have a lot going on in my heart in my life.... keep me in your prayers!

Words of Wisdom

2008-10-18T04:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I was at a wedding and the brides dad (Scoot Phillips) gave a wonderful speech that I thought was filled with perhaps the simplest, but some of the most profound advice for life.

He said that in his lifetime he has made millions of choices, but only three stand out. If he were to die he'd only want people to remember these three decisions that he made in life:

Making Jesus the Lord of life

Marrying his wife

Deciding to have children

He said that although his life hasn't been perfect, because of those three decisions, his life is full. Then he encouraged the newly weds that if they'll do those 3 things with consistency, they'll live a full live.

Loved it..... hope it helps you recognize what is important in life.

Ask Anything Friday

2008-10-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

Here we go... the 2nd ask anything Friday! I'm posting this tonight for a few reasons:

To give you night owls a chance to ask questions

I have a wedding tomorrow night so I want the questions early

So I can go straight to the gym when I wake up and don't have to post this then

So ask away... Anything you want... I'm an open book on Fridays (or Thursday nights)

Chicago Marathon: Looking Back (Part 3)

2008-10-16T05:49:00.000-07:00

And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's supper, shared their meals with great generosity-all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Acts 2:44-47

I love huge events and I love being around a ton of people... it's just my personality. It energizes me and fires me up when I'm in the midst of thousands of people.I think of events like the marathon which brought 45,000 people in just to race not to mention the thousands that came to cheer on their friends and family members. I went to the Great Race this year which had 6,000 people there and the Race for the Cure which had 15,000+. I've gone to a few country concerts this summer where 40,000+ people came just to hear somebody sing a few songs.

Usually when I am at these events I'll get really quiet (even to the point where people think I'm being a jerk or thinking I'm depressed). But in fact, it's quite the opposite, in those times I just look around and watch the sea of people... knowing they came to run for a great cause, see a great show, or to be entertained. It's usually a time of dreaming for me. Dreaming of what'd it'd be like if a crowd like that gathered to worship God and to hear the Word of God. Knowing that the majority of the people I am looking at feel a void in their lives that they try to fill through so many different means. Knowing that their greatest voids and regrets in life could be spared if they'd only develop a relationship with God.

That is what pumps me up about Joel Osteens church... every week 35,000+ people come to worship God and hear the Word and get their lives changed (and their are churches like that raising up all over the US already!) I truly believe if the church will learn how to effectively reach people then it won't be long before we see stadiums all over the world filled with people worshiping God. I think we can learn a lot from the events that draw in large crowds like the Chicago Marathon:

What the church could learn from the Chicago Marathon:

VISION - The Bible says that without a vision people perish. Sadly so many churches and ministries in America just simply exist to have church every week. People will go to great lengths (run 26.2 miles and spend a ton of money!) to see a great vision fulfilled. Could the people in your church or ministry tell you why you exist and what your vision is?

EXCELLENCE - When I start to think about running this event I get stressed! Imagine closing down a city, organizing 10,000+ volunteers, and making 33,000+ runners feel like they had an experience that they'll never forget. This was the best run event I've ever seen! The runners never had to worry about anything but running the race. They were organized and efficient. If someone came to your church or ministry for the first time, would they have an experience they'd never forget?

COMMUNITY - There was a book I wanted to buy about how Nike made the running culture into what it is today. It was incredible! From the expo to leaving Chicago on Monday I felt like was in a family. Everyone was wearing their Chicago marathon gear, encouraging each other, asking where each other was from, etc.. All because they had a common purpose. It sounds a lot like the community in Acts 2:44-47 doesn't it? If we'll realize that God has called all of us to reach a generation of people ... then we need to realize that our churches need to make people feel long they belong to a family-because they do-the family of God.

LOVE - We're commanded to love people! What does that mean? When people weep, we weep with them and when they're celebrating, we celebrate with them. Basically, we walk through the journey of life with each other through the good times and bad times. Throughout the marathon, people cried together, laughed together, encouraged together, and after crossing the finish line they celebrated together. Are we doing this for the people in our lives, in our churches, and in our communities?

I know this was long... but I am sick of going to places that get thousands of people to come just to hear a song, get entertained, and leave the same way they came. I long for the day where people come together for the purpose of worshiping God, growing spiritually, and having their lives transformed.

That day will come, but only when the church will provide a compelling vision, excellence in everything they do, a sense of community, and when everything is done in love. I can't wait until I can to any city in the US and see stadiums packed with people eagerly awaiting to hear the Word of God! That fires me up!

Chicago Marathon: Looking Back (Part 2)

2008-10-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

Encouragement Changes Everything

“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.”

-Jim Stovall

From 6:30 a.m. on Pastor Larry and I waited with 31,000 other people for the start of the race. The entire environment was unbelievable...31,000+ people all with one goal and one mission: to finish the 26.2 mile course. Some people were veterans trying to set personal records while others were running their first marathon determined to cross the finish line. What was amazing was when you had everyone united with the goal of finishing, suddenly you went from 31,000+ people with individual goals to a 31,000+ person team focused on encouraging one another to finish.

From before the starting line, along the whole 26.2 miles , and beyond the finish line there were thousands of fans cheering you on! In the beginning of the race I saw thousands of people with their names written in marker on their calves and arms.... I had no idea why until the race started. It was so other people can encourage them! It was amazing to me to hear the fans cheer for everyone (not just the people they came to see).

Throughout the whole race I saw churches, businesses, and families all cheering on the 31,000+ racers. It was incredible and it's amazing what just hearing things like: "YOU CAN DO IT!, "Keep going!", and "You're almost there!" can do for you when you're struggling.

This is a sign that a woman named Thanh made for Pastor Larry. She attended a summer camp PL spoke at over the summer where he put on his Nacho Libre mask. She liked it so much she made a poster for him and held it up toward the end of the race to encourage him to keep going.

Again, my favorite sign that encouraged me was around mile 22 in which a woman from a local church was holding up a sign that said, "YOU'RE ANOINTED TO FINISH". That just fired me up and really help push me those last extra miles.

So what is the lesson?

Everyone needs encouragement!

Encouragement can come from anybody! (You can encourage anyone!!)

You never know where someone is on their journey (they may be on mile 22 ready to call it quits!) and your encouragement may be what gets them through.

Encouragement is the most powerful when we're genuinely interested in someone else's dreams, goals, and desires.

As Christians, we're surrounded by a cloud of witnesses throughout our entire journey....cheering us on and encouraging us to not give up because what God has for us is unbelievable if we'll just keep going!

Are you encouraging people? I want to challenge you to go out and encourage 5 people a day on purpose! If you'll make it a daily habit... you'll become a constant source of encouragement to everyone around you in no time.

Movie Review: Fireproof

2008-10-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

When I watched Facing the Giants... I liked the message, although I found a lot of it to be cheesy. So when I heard they made a new movie I was hesitant, but I heard a lot of great things about this movie and decided to check it out.

Now, keep in mind... I'm a sensitive guy! I liked the movie a lot. I almost cried at several points throughout the evening!

Although I am not married yet, it helped give me a realistic view of what marriage could be like...literally Heaven or Hell on earth. Yes, there were still cheesy parts that I thought "AHHH IF YOU'D JUST TAKE THAT PART OUT THIS MOVIE WOULD BE A LOT BETTER!" Other than that though...I love how bold they are about Jesus and the love of God. There is so much truth in the message of unconditional love and loving not based on feelings. I wish all married couples would watch this movie.

It was an overall great movie and I think everyone should go see it....give them a bigger budget for their next movie (Facing the Giants 2??? Just a thought haha...)

Overall grade: B

Chicago Marathon: Looking Back (Part 1)

2008-10-14T04:43:00.000-07:00

You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs - Victory in spite of all terrors - Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.

-Winston Churchill

Chicago Marathon: 45,000 Registered, 33,000+ started, 31,401 Finished
My Stats:

Finished in 4:25:11
Place: 11, 386
Average Pace: 10:06

Well, we did it! Pastor Larry and I both crossed the finish line! The entire marathon was such an amazing event so I want to take a few days to talk to you about what the race was like, some things I leaned during the race, and what ministries can learn from the Chicago Marathon!

Today I just want to focus on one word: Victory. I love that quote by Winston Churchill! In fact, it really helped push me through in the tough times of the marathon. I had to keep telling myself Victory at all costs...at all costs...at all costs. I was absolutely fine while running for the first 18 miles, but shortly after that the temperature rose, I hit a wall, and to began thinking things like "this is so stupid, why am I doing this?" "I'll never do this again". Those last 8 miles were brutal! I remember around mile 22 there was a Christian group and one woman was holding up a sign that really pushed me through to the end. It said "You're anointed to finish!"

I think thats a huge lesson in our lives... we're anointed to finish what God has called us to do. Yes, there will be tough times, tough decisions, and we will need to keep fighting the good fight of faith. However, we need to realized that what God has called us to do, He has equipped us to do and we are anointed to finish and complete the mission that He has for us.

I remember the marker that said I have 1 mile to go. It's funny how 1 mile can seem like 5,000 miles at the end of a marathon. That last mile was a huge battle for me... I had to give it everything I had. I'll never forget when I came around the last corner and saw the finish line .2 of a mile away. I ran as hard as I could to cross that finish line. As I crossed... I almost starting weeping (there were too many people around to cry). However, the feeling that I had when I finished and they put that medal around my neck was indescribably. I had given it everything, I had conquered my goal, and came out victorious. I think Vince Lombardi said it well:

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious."

-Vince Lombardi

So my question to you is what has God called you to do that you're anointed to finish? I promise you that if you'll be faithful to that call and give it your all regardless of the circumstances that come your way... one day you'll cross the finish line and receive a reward for what you've done, and when you hear "Well done, thy good and faithful servant" . . . you'll experience a joy that can't put into words.

YOU'RE ANOINTED TO FINISH!

If you would like to see official pictures of me in the marathon click here. (They will not be completely done uploading pictures until Wednesday or Thursday.)

Pictures from Chicago... Post Coming Soon!

2008-10-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

Chicago Marathon: Here we come!

2008-10-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

I leave in the morning for Chicago and I'll be there until Monday afternoon! I am so pumped up to get away, spend the weekend in a city I've never been to, hang out with PL, and run the marathon!

If you would like to get live updates of our progress via text during the race click here.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!! Have a great weekend and I'll see you when I get back.

The Road to Chicago (Part 4)

2008-10-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

The Power of a Partner

"A genuine friend encourages and challenges us to live out our best thoughts, honor our purest motives, and achieve our most significant dreams."

-Dan Reiland

Another one of the big lessons I learned throughout the whole marathon training process was the power of a partner. Pastor Larry has been my mentor since I graduated high school in 2003. Since then we've done so much together and now not only is he still one of my mentors, but he is also a great friend. We decided to run this marathon together in January and we've taken the journey together over the past 10 months. I've had so many great talks with PL over our 3-4 hour long runs on Saturday mornings and I could not have done everything we've done if he had not been by my side.

If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in Heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.

-Matthew 18:19,20

Is there anything more important than who we take the journey of our lives with? From family, to friends, to who we marry. You will go no further in life than the people you surround yourself with. That is an absolute fact.

So ask yourself... do you have friends, family members, and a possible significant other that encourages and challenges you to live out your best thoughts, honor your purest motives, and to achieve your most significant dreams?

If not I suggest taking the advice of one professional speaker, "My friends told me I could never be a professional communicator. So I did something about it. I went out and got some new friends."

Who are you partnering with?