Lifesavers

     I am no longer surprised by anything that our youth today do.  In fact I have not been surprised by the things they are capable of for a long time.  They are such forward thinkers.  The only questions are which youth will step up next, when, and what great thing will they decide to do.  I got the next answer to those questions on Wednesday night.
     There was an article in the hood county news on Wednesday about a Tolar youth organization called Lifesavers.  Two of our youth from Acton were featured in this article which gave Blane Morris and Matt Moody the chance to speak for a few minutes about Lifesavers.  Their mission is for kids to inspire kids to choose to make a difference in this world and their communities through simple acts of kindness.  The youth started the program to help others in need which has included collecting food and clothing for the food pantry, raising money and groceries for a janitor who was injured and out of work, adopting 40 Tolar "angels," and feeding 250 homeless and volunteers later this month.  They will also be collecting new unwrapped toys for Tolar Christmas for Kids and Families.

 *Our AUMC youth will be bringing unwrapped toys on Wednesday to donate to this program if anybody who reads this would like to bring some items to donate*

     These youth saw a need and met that need on their own.  And that is what we need from these young people is to be self starters.  See a need and meet a need in any way they can.  As long as we continue to have young people who think about the needs of others we have great hope for the future.

Thank you to Matt, Blane, and the rest of these Tolar youth.

Grace & Peace
Kevin

Making Disciples

"Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." (Mission statement of The United Methodist Church)

     It is a great mission statement.  But like with other things, it is easier said than done.  In the great commission the last thing Jesus says is "go and make disciples."  If Jesus said it than it has to be important, right?  It is easier said than done, but that is no reason to give it any less than our best.  So how do we make disciples?  It's a tricky question because there are so many ways to do it.  It's like philosophy which I liked more than math because a lot of times there was no right answer just the having an opinion and defending your answer well.
     So how exactly do we make disciples?  Well there are a lot of ways but I have found some simple things that a person can do to help make disciples.  At least these are the 4 Simple Things that helped me:
     1.  Family:  Having a family who believes in the importance of faith, church, and disciple making was very helpful to me.  It is much easier to believe in making disciples when your family believes in its importance as well.
     2.  Church ministries:  Not just going to church but being a part of a church and being able to participate in church ministries and contribute to the church as a whole.  One of the biggest influences on my life was going to youth group when I was in junior high and high school.  It made a huge impact on me.  I do wish that youth could have and been allowed to be a bigger part of the church as a whole, which is why I am have advocated for it for our current youth.
     3.  Mentors:  I think mentors get left behind a bit in how big a part they play in helping make disciples when we look at #1-3, but realize that mentors are of significant importance.  I did not have a so called "mentor" in name growing up, but looking back on it over the last few years I have come to realize they were there in a mentor capacity and still are today.  Mentors are so important because they provide honest feedback, are someone to lean on, you can bounce ideas and concerns off them, and they are there to help you unconditionally no matter the situation.  Mentors are huge in facilitating discipleship development.
     4. Understand that it is now about you:  Making disciples is not and will not be about you, it is about someone else.  But along with that, I have been able to walk with youth and others in their faith and that is rewarding to be able to have an impact on others.  And to know that those who disciples will make disciples, who will make disciples is what it is all about.

I know there are numerous ways to help making disciples so feel free to chime in.  There is no exact science on how to go about making disciples, we just do it.  My hope is that you find a way to make disciples that works for you.  It is of great importance and we are all capable of doing it.

Do or do not, there is no try :)


Grace & Peace
Kevin

Would it Matter

Notes from Last Nights Youth Message:

"You'll never know what your people did for these kids tonight.  You'll never, ever know."

"Here is the message I want to send to you: you are just as valuable as any other person on earth."

     These are a couple of quotes taken from the book Almost Christian in regards to something that occurred in Gainesville, Tx in 2008.  Gainesville State is a maximum security prison which houses high school aged convicted felons.  Playing football for them is an activity that is earned and they only play games on the road.

     Before a game in 2008, the head coach of the opposing team from Grapevine Faith had an idea.  He asked half of their fans to cheer for the opposing Gainesville State team.  He wanted to send a message to those players that they mattered.  Since they play all their games on the road they usually don't have many if any fans cheering for them.  In the years since, other high schools have done something similar for the team.  Below is a video about this:

     We may never truly know the impact that we can make on the life of someone else.  You can make an impact, even if you don't know it right away. You matter.  Everyone matters.

Grace & Peace

Kevin

God's In Crowd

"I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future."  (Jeremiah 29:11)

     That has been pretty much my favorite bible verse for a while now.  It just keeps coming up.  It came up again last night when Courtney Traylor delivered an amazing message to all of our youth.  (I have on good authority that Jeremiah 29:11 is her favorite bible verse too.)
     I cannot give justice to how passionate and meaningful Courtney's message was so I will just give you a couple points to think about that Courtney brought up last night.
     First, remember that in times of struggle, and times of trial even if you yourself don't realize it-God is there.  You may not realize it at the time but He is there.  Courtney talked about problems that youth face in school such as bullying and being popular or not.  And in those times God is always with us helping us get through it, we sometimes just don't realize it.
     Second, to quote Courtney: "remember that you are always part of God's in crowd."  I really like that statement.  Not all of us are going to be part of the in crowd at school.  I sure wasn't.  Courtney, by her own admission, wasn't either.  A lot of us focus on being part of the "in" crowd at school but what does that really even mean?  Who determines who's in and who's out?  And does that really matter.  No!!  We shouldn't worry about that.  The in crowd that we should worry about is God's in crowd.  And we are and always will be part of that in crowd.  We belong to God and there is great hope in that!!

Grace & Peace
Kevin

Bullying

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." ~Micah 6:8

Most of us have probably heard this verse.  What then does this verse say about bullying?  Well nothing directly about bullying but more so about the absence of bullying.  To paraphrase: We are to be just, love mercy, and walk in the way God wants us to walk.  And I'm pretty sure that any form of bullying doesn't fall under what this verse asks us to do.  Sometimes that involves going against the norm.

No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in.

But we feel like we do when we make fun of him.

Cause you want to belong, do you go along?

Cause his pain is the price for you to belong.

These are lyrics from a Christian music song entitled Hero by Superchick.  This verse is about bullying.  I'm sure we have all known someone or are that someone that this verse is talking about.  It may not mean a lot to everyone, but it means a lot to some.  

Think about the last line: Cause his pain is the price for you to belong.  What image pops into your head?  Is it the bully or the person being bullied.  To me the image that pops into my head when I hear that line is Jesus.  His pain=your belonging.  Even Jesus was bullied.  People lied about him, made up stories about him, mocked him, threw things at him, and spit on him.  And most of them did it to be part of the "in crowd."  So they could feel like they belonged.  How twisted is that?  And do you know what he didn't do?  He didn't fight back.  He didn't fight back because he took that abuse for you and me and everyone.  He could have been mean, but he wasn't.  We are to follow his example and be just, love mercy, and walk humbly.  We belong just as we are.  Just as God made each and every one of us.  There is no need to tear each other down.

Grace & Peace
Kevin

Converge and Beyond

"Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among you."~Matthew 18:20


     Last Wednesday was See You at the Pole.  Students from all around the area gather churches gather at their schools in the morning before school and pray for their schools and the community.  That night area churches gathered at Decker Field for Converge (our annual community SYATP rally).  Converge is defined as: to tend toward or achieve union or a common conclusion or result.  The point of the Converge rally was for area youth groups to come together for fellowship and worship.  I am not sure exactly how many church youth groups were present last night but it was at least 13.  We do not all believe the exact same thing which is okay.  But we are able each year (hopefully more this year) come together to fellowship and worship together.  And that is what is important.
     Having met and planned the event with other youth directors, it was great to see how the event came together.  All of the planning was simply and easily divided up among each youth leader so that everything was covered which included: a speaker, a band, a location, advertising, t-shirts, giveaways, and food.  And it came together without a hitch.  I think this was able to occur because there were no egos involved.  As the above verse says, we gathered together for a common purpose which was to praise and worship our Lord and savior.  It was a great event with probably around 400-500 youth from Granbury and the surrounding communities.  Everyone seemed to have a good time and got along great.  I don't see why we can't do this again and more often.  All it took was some planning towards a common goal of prayer and worship of Jesus.  I think that is all something that we can all "rally" around again and again.

Grace & Peace
Kevin

Almost Christian Part II

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance.  The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." ~C.S. Lewis

While reading through Part II of Almost Christian again, a few things stuck out to me that did not before.  I guess when we re-read something a little later we have changed a little bit and we find little nuggets of information that we may not have noticed the first time around.

For instance from page 53: "It is also possible that the "textbook" faith and well-adjusted outlooks of highly devoted teenagers-for Mormons and others-may be a better indicator of these teenagers' ability to win adult approval than an indicator of true faith."

It gets me to thinking that some youth may say they are highly devoted in their faith just to get approval from their parents or other adults.  They give as our youth say "a sunday school" answer when asked about their faith.  We as adults need to be keenly aware of this to better equip ourselves to know the difference.  One of the best ways for us to develop this awareness of devoted faith in our teens is to be around them, be there for them, and ask them questions.  In short, we need to be present in their lives.  I need to be there, their parents need to be there, mentors need to be there, and you need to be there.  Remember that the faith of all of us is still developing and we need to be aware of that and help each other out.

Highly devoted teens are able to (1) confess their tradition's God story (2) belong to a community that enacts this God story (3) they feel called by this God story (4) they have hope based on this God story.  Does anyone else sense a theme here?  Our youth (and by extension) all of us must be able to share our own God story with one another.  That is how we can reach young people.  All of Us!!!

Hope your reading is coming along well.  Check back next week: same Bat Time, same Bat Channel.


Grace & Peace
Kevin

Almost Christian: Part I

"Most American youth faithfully mirror the aspirations, lifestyles, practices and problems of the adult world into which they are being socialized.  In these ways, adolescents may actually serve as a very accurate barometer of the condition of the culture and institutions of our larger society."
~Christian Smith with Melinda Denton

     I hope those of you reading along with me are making progress in reading Almost Christian.  We talked about it on Sunday night with adults and a couple of youth and I again talked about it on Wednesday night with the youth group.  This study is to focus on us growing as disciples together.  What better way to begin than the quote above.  The faith of our youth is mirrored after the adults who are present in their lives.
     When I read books, I highlight and mark them up.  They are things that stuck out to me.  What stuck out to you?

Here are some observations from part I of Almost Christian that really stood out:
1.  Religious choices of young people echo our own (lackadaisical faith is not a youth issue, but ours)
2.  Faith is often viewed as part of a group of extra curricular activities (in my experience, often faith is down on the list with those other extra curricular activities)
3.  Not just youth directors but families, congregations, and mentors are catalysts for consequential faith.  This is key for youth to see what faithful lives look like (volunteers are valuable in lives of our youth)
4.  We "teach" young people basketball, but we "expose"them to faith.  (What are we teaching each other?  We need to be more proactive in teaching not just exposing others to faith)
5.  The chart on page 41:  The Devoted, The Regular, The Sporadic, and The Disengaged.  (I see and know at least a couple of youth that I would identify each all four of these categories)
     These are just five concepts that stood out to me.  It gives me great hope that research has shown that not just youth directors influence consequential faith, but others as well.  In a sense it takes a village to raise a child or youth.  There are so many of us that must be active in the lives of others to show our faith and live out our faith.  People (and not just young people) are paying attention and mirroring what they see.   Just some things to think about...
     Hopefully everyone is trucking along with their reading.  Check in with everyone via blog post next Monday.


Grace&Peace
Kevin
   

Two Sides to Every "Coin"

"Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray." (Proverbs 22:6)

"Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another." (Proverbs 27:17)

     There are two sides to every coin.  There are always two perspectives.  In much the same way there are two sides to a mentor/mentee relationship.  There is the side of a mentor (usually the older of the two) and of the mentee.  The perspectives of both individuals are are valuable.  Neither of them is better than the other.

Perspective 1: The Mentee (words from former AUMC youth Michael Horn)

     Although ministry can come in all forms such as being a teacher, a coach, or even just helping someone out, I chose Youth Ministry. With much prayer and consideration I made the choice to go into the church to do ministry. There are many reasons why I chose to become a Youth Pastor, for instance, the church is where I feel most at home and the calmest. God has given me many spiritual gifts such as leadership, public speaking, a loving and kind personality, the will to serve, and the want to listen and talk to others with my undivided attention (also I want to be a kid forever).  Kevin Anderson, I would call him my mentor. He gave me many leadership roles within the youth group. As I took on those roles I began to realize that God was showing me his calling for my life, I could not even imagine doing any other job now. My mission is to show that we are good enough for God just how we are, but God loves us to much to keep us that way and he will continue to change and mold us for the better. There is no need to try and be the biggest and the best. We are who we are and when we mess up or get torn down God loves us anyway. We are enough for God and do not have to prove our worth. As of now I am attending Oklahoma City University studying Youth Ministry with a minor in Sociology to become the best Youth Minister that I can be. Youth Ministry was and is what God has called me to do. I challenge you to let God help you find your calling.

Perspective 2: The Mentor (words from my pseudo big brother/father figure/mentor: Boyd Goodloe)

     It gave me a sense of pride and satisfaction to mentor Kevin.  It also felt good to know that I made a difference in someone else's life.  It was great to see how I was able to help and see God work in someone else's life.  And God using me to influence/impact someone else who God had placed in my life.  God builds those types of relationships to share His glory.
     From perspective one, I was the mentor.  From perspective two, I was the mentee.  Two sides of a Mentor/Student relationship.  I gained from both.  I learned from both.  No matter what role we are in, we can learn from the other person.  The mentee learns from the mentor and the mentor learns from the mentee.
     We have a great opportunity to do that.  One opportunity is you, the youth, can be paired up with a mentor if you choose to do so.  Adults who are willing to give of their time to help you.  And they will gain from the experience as well.  Another opportunity you have for that mentor/mentee relationship is to participate in the Reading Cube book study.  I asked the participants on Sunday night two questions: What do you want to gain out of the study?  What do you want others to get out of the study?  One of the adults wrote that he wanted to get fellowship with the youth out of the study and he wanted others to get deeper Christian fellowship out of the study.  Two sides of the same coin.  His two responses go hand in hand.  Young people and adults need each other.  Your youth council came up with the idea of this book study so we could study with other church members.  We encouraged church members to show up for the study and they did.  Let's learn from one another.  To paraphrase the two proverbs above: we can train one another and we can learn from one another.  Let's do that!!

Grace & Peace
Kevin

The Reading Cube

     We had our first introductory session last night for our once a month "book study" The Reading Cube at the church.  We will be reading three books this fall and meeting once a month to discuss them.  There is a reason that "book study" is in quotation marks.
     First and foremost our book study is not a book study, it is a discipleship study.  Let me explain.  If we were doing a book study we would just read a book, discuss it, toss it aside, and move on.  This class we will be doing is a part of our pathway of discipleship.  This is not specifically a book study at all, it is a discipleship study.  We picked books to read in a specific order that build on one another to help us look at how to be better disciples.  Discipleship is a process, we never stop learning.  My hope is that everyone views this book discipleship study in the same way.  That we keep reading and keep learning together.
     The first book, Almost Christian, gives us an idea what our youth are thinking and in doing so helps adults understand what role they have and can play in the culture of our youth.  And more importantly in the culture of our church.  The second book, The Lego Principle, speaks of our need to connect with God and connect with others.  After all we are called to love others and love God.  The third book, Multiply, focuses on showing us how to make disciples to make disciples until everyone knows Christ.
     I will be posting on my blog each Monday some thoughts about the reading.  My prayer this morning is that everyone involved has fun reading and learns more about how we can grow in our discipleship together throughout and beyond this study.

Happy reading,
Kevin

Darth Vader is Not a Good Apprentice

     Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) is the worst apprentice ever.  Of this, I have little doubt.  The reasons are three fold: he did not want to learn from other Jedi, he thought he was better than everyone else (including his master Obi-Wan Kenobi) and thus not prepared to lead, and he surrounded himself with a Sith Lord.  (Not Smart)
     The bible tells us that: "A disciple is not above the teacher.." (Matthew 10:24)  To paraphrase "an apprentice is not better than his master."  Clearly Anakin Skywalker did not get this memo or did not spend much time studying scripture.
     So what makes a good apprentice?  There is a lot of things that go into being an apprentice.  There are three things I would like to focus on.
     First, one of the best ways to learn a craft or trade is to follow someone around who knows how to do it.  If you want to be a gardener then follow around a master gardener.  If you want to be a teacher, go student teach with a teacher.  If you are studying to become a pastor, meet with and shadow a pastor.  No matter what you choose to do you can and should learn from someone who is doing it or has done it.  I learned about youth ministry by following around (interning) for my mentor, Boyd Goodloe.  I learned more from him than I could ever possibly express to him or anybody else.  If you need another example I give you the disciples.  They learned about Jesus and from Jesus by walking around with Jesus.  They followed him so closely that they got dust from his sandals on their feet.
     Second, as an apprentice you should know that eventually you will be asked to step out and lead.  In the New Testament, an apprentice named Timothy followed Paul.  Short version: Timothy followed Paul, Timothy learned from Paul, Paul eventually told Timothy "go lead a church, peace out yo."  Well, you get the idea.  A good apprentice follows the master/leader and learns from them.  They soak in everything they can learn from them and when they are ready they step out and lead.
     Our junior high youth want leadership opportunities.  I asked them last night to follow (ask) our senior high leaders how they can be leaders in the youth group.  Brittney (8th grader) stepped out and musically led a song last night by singing.  She didn't just decide to do that last night.  She has been coached by soundwave leaders, a youth praise band leader, and a vocal coach.  She wants to improve and lead musically so she has surrounded herself with those people.  Which brings me to my third point.  A good apprentice must surround himself/herself with the right people.  If you want to learn how to improve your singing go take lessons from people who have trained in that area.  You would not learn to sing by going to take singing lessons from me, although that would be entertaining and humorous it ultimately has no "musical" value.  Seems simple enough to me.
     To recap: Anakin Skywalker=bad apprentice.  He didn't want to learn because he thought he knew everything, he even whined about how Obi-Wan was holding him back because he was jealous.  He was never prepared to lead.  He was the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy and yet he chose to "follow" the Emperor.  And he surrounded himself with a Sith Lord, enough said.
     We as Christians are called to make disciples, to make disciples, to make disciples until the whole world knows Jesus Christ.  The way we do that is to follow other Christians, step out and lead other Christians, and surround ourselves with other Christians.  And we have a great model in Jesus and the disciples.  They followed and learned, and eventually led.  They followed around the greatest teacher of the faith ever.  And we can follow around teachers and disciples of faith too.  No matter if you are a senior adult, an adult, a student, or a child.  You can be an apprentice.  So today ask yourself:  How can I be a student of faith?

Grace&Peace

Kevin

Making Those Around Us Better

     So it's time for football season and Rev. Chris Mesa is beginning a football related sermon series entitled Coaching so I figured I could talk about some football and Jesus.

     John Elway was one of the greatest players in NFL history.  He came out of college as the most highly touted prospect, maybe ever.  He had the strongest arm in the league.  He was drafted #1 overall and then traded to the Denver Broncos.  He went to the Super Bowl in his 4th season, again in his 6th season, and then again in his 7th season.  Each time the Broncos got destroyed.  First by 19, then by 32, and finally by 45.  I even remember going outside to play football at halftime with my brother and friend Greg during the last game because the score was 28-3.  So why is it that one of the greatest players in NFL history couldn't win the big game?

     The answer is pretty simple: one player cannot win an NFL title all by himself.  No matter how much talent that player may have individually.  Even a great player needs talent around him and more importantly that player must be able to make those around them better.

     In Elway's 15th season, at the age of 37, he returned to the Super Bowl and won.  He repeated that feat the next season.  He was older and his physical skills had diminished, and yet he won.  Why?  The difference this time around was he had one of the top running backs in the league, a hall of fame tight end, and three hall of fame caliber linemen.  In the three super bowl that Elway and the Broncos lost Elway was the most talented player on the field but his talent only got him so far.  He was young, brash, and still learning.  In college Elway's teams never finished above .500.  He did not know how to make those around him better.  But in the latter part of his career, he was able to rely on others to help him win.  He made others around him better.

So let's ask ourselves two questions: 

1. Who do you rely on and who relies on you?  

2. Do you make others around you better.

     Jesus surrounded himself with the right people.  12 of them in fact.  It wasn't because they were the most talented people.  I have often heard them referred to as the B-Team.  Jesus made those 12 people around him better.  And they were responsible for started the church and spreading God's word.  Jesus had that kind of effect on people.

     I cannot do what I do what I do without help from others.  If I was the only adult here with the youth on Wednesday night eventually by the end of each meeting we would probably just jump on the couches, play football in the house, and play with toys.  The adults who help us allow us to reach our potential.  Discovery is our big youth event each year.  When I first got here Discovery was directed by and adult and youth leader.  The second discovery was led by a youth leader.  The third Discovery I directed because I was familiar with how things worked.  Each year since, I have given more of the planning responsibilities to our senior high youth.  And that is because the youth are more and more involved.  Myself and others are making those around us better.  Last year we went over the discovery curriculum and I wasn't feeling it.  So I asked the youth what they wanted to do and Mason said we should talk about Jesus in everyday life.  Hence, the theme of Finding Jesus.  And it was the best Discovery yet.  The day that discovery was over last year I received a text message with a picture that said: this should be our theme for Discovery 14.  

     Because of God I Am.....  So our theme will focus on finishing this sentence.

Grace & Peace

Kevin

"There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; and there are different ministries and the same Lord; and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.  A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good."  (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

Think Like A Child

     The bible says: when I was a child, I  used to speak like a child, reason like a child, think like a child. (1 Corinthians 13:11)  Wouldn't it be great if we could think and reason like a child.  I thought about that this morning while I was playing with Courtney and Carson before taking them to school.  Both of the kids woke up happy and wanted to eat breakfast and then play, so naturally being the big kid that I am, we played.  I spent about ten minutes saying to Courtney "I'm gonna get you" while she ran around giggling trying not to be caught.  Then she would give up, lay down, and gleefully laugh as I tickled her.  Then she would get up and we would do it again and again.  Not a care in the world for her other than eating breakfast and then playing with dad and big brother.  She has everything she needs.  She is so happy.  She gets so excited when Kathy or I gets home that she races towards us making this sound that can only be described as panting.  It is so cute.  That is what she knows and she is so excited, she gets everything she needs and that is what she knows.  And it works.  Not really another care in the world.
     I wish I could be like that more often.  Just this morning (after playtime) this is what happened.  Carson got himself dressed in shorts that were too small so he had to go change.  Carson couldn't find his shoes.  I couldn't find my keys. (turns out Courtney was playing with them) Courtney spilled a Dr. Pepper on herself and the carpet.  Carson screamed when he saw the big spider camped out on the front porch.  I forgot Courtney's sippie cup and had to go back home and get it.  And that was just a typical hectic morning.  All these events together caused me to get a little stressed when trying to get out of the house quickly.
     So I watched the video below that I had filmed earlier.  A short simple video of Courtney laughing.  She is laughing and happy because she was being cared for by someone she loves.  That is what she knows and that is what matters to her.  And that's it.  She doesn't get weighed down by a busy schedule.  She doesn't concern herself with ongoing issues.  She doesn't worry about anything.  I wish that more often I could be like her and only concern myself with being loved in that moment.  Sometimes I wish I could think and reason like a child more often.  Maybe I will.

Grace & Peace
Kevin

   

Block Out the Noise and Use Your Voice

Here are my notes from the baccalaureate address I had the honor of giving to our amazing graduating seniors last weekend.

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.”

With all our community has been through in the last few days let’s take a few seconds in silent prayer and think about all of those affected by the tornadoes last week.

So I was asked to speak today.  Needless to say, I was surprised.  It never really crossed my mind.  I struggled with what I was going to say to a bunch of graduating seniors, many of whom I am close to from working in Student Ministry with and being here in Granbury for the last 5 1/2 years.  I was assured by your valedictorian that I would figure out what to say.  And I hope I am remembering this correctly, but all she said when I let her know I would be speaking today was she said was that I would do awesome.  All it took were some simply heartfelt words of assurance, and I knew I would figure out what to say.  I gave a friend some advice recently that I think is always good advice.  I simply told her to be who you are.  That is what I plan to do today, because all of us, including me are created in God’s image.  So here goes.

I am not a very philosophical or sophisticated person. In fact I believe the last philosophical (if you can call it that) debate I had was over coffee with some youth and we came to the conclusion that the turning point in the Star Wars universe was when Anakin did not turn R2-D2 into a bad robot when he had the chance.  If he had Darth Vader and the Empire would have won.

But I found a philosophical quote that I think applies today:

"When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it.  Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all the work that had gone before."

I would like to take credit for this quote but I can't.  It's credited to some guy named Jacob Riis, I don't even know who that is.  I had to go look it up.  It's called the stonecutters creed.  I know nothing about stonecutting.  In fact the only reason I know this quote it was I saw a sign of it hanging outside the San Antonio Spurs locker room when I was watching a spurs game on television a few years back, so I looked it up.  Please no one tell me the score of the spurs game, since they are playing as I speak.  But I’m sure that won’t be a problem because none of you have your phones on you anyway.  But there is a lot of validity in the stonecutters creed that applies to each of you today.

You have hammered away at this high school thing for 4 years, you have hammered away at this school thing for 13 years.  And that doesn't even include pre-k.  So here you are.  All the work that has gone before has brought you to this point.  So now we ask to question that all of you probably want to know: where do I go from here?  Because you are not finished, this is not the pinnacle of your life.

One of my favorite church videos is a NOOMA video entitled Noise.  The premise of the video is that there is so much Noise going on around us in culture that sometimes we don't sit and listen to what God says to us.  I looked at my calendar for May recently and I have someone in my household has something scheduled 25 of 31 nights this month.  I can't imagine what you guys have been going through as you prepare for graduation parties, senior recognition, family coming in, and prom.  And that doesn't even take into consideration today and graduation itself.  Your life has probably been pretty noisy for the last few months and especially the last month.  There has been a lot of noise around you.  I suspect that just a few of you have a condition referred to as senior-itis.  But I'm sure that's only a few of you, right?

Right around the time I was asked to speak today I was listening to a new song entitled American Noise by Skillet.  It's only been available on iTunes for about a month and won't be released on cd until June.  I heard it and quickly thought it would make a good graduation song.  It speaks of letting love speak through the American Noise.  I would like to reference some of those lyrics today.  I can’t sing so I will spare you my less than stellar singing voice.  The lyrics go like this:

Angry words and honking car 
Satellites and fallen stars
Distant dark blue radios that whisper down my boulevards
Ghosts and chains rattle in the attic
Broken headphone filled with static 
Lonely room you’ve got nowhere to run
Three... Two... One for all and all for One

-Noise: Are we all so "plugged in" that we are missing the point?  Are we missing what's going on around us?  Is social media such as Facebook and texting becoming the substitute for face-to-face interaction?  The answer is a lot of times and in a lot of situations, yes.  But should it be?  You will need face-to-face interactions moving forward.  If you are going further in schooling you will need help with studying and you will probably have to do group projects.  If you are going straight into the work place environment you will need face-to-face interaction to learn and be proficient on the job.  You will need to depend on others at some point for help.  When you have those face-to-face interactions who do you want others to see?  You want them to see the real you, with all of your flaws.  Not one of us is perfect.  But each of you was created by God just the way you are.  Do you want someone to see a bratty kid or do you want someone else to see the face of Christ?  Don't overlook the opportunity for face-to-face interaction.  Face-to-face interaction will become much easier if you be who you were created to be.  Look past the static.  Get plugged in to who you are.  Do not be judged by what songs you have on your iPod.  Be judged and known for who you truly are, you are a child of God.

Times will be bad times will be good
Things I wish I hadn't done and some I wish I would
Cutting through the American noise
you’ve got a voice and a song to sing (and a song to sing)
Drink deep in the morning
Drink deep in the morning
See what the day will bring

-We have had tough times in just the last few days.  All of us in this room have been affected by the tornadoes in some way or know someone who has.  It is important to remember that we are all in this together.  97 of the 110 homes in Rancho Brazos were damaged in some way.  Everyone can help in some way.  It is hard right now, families were let back into their neighborhood just yesterday.  But we can all do something, if nothing else think about those affected and simply pray for them.  It is tough but the community has resources and has banded together to help: One for all, and all for one.  The red cross was turning bottled water and supplies away on Thursday.  Not because that were ungrateful but because the outpouring of love was so great that they already received more than they needed.  I saw a message on facebook thanking some youth for coming to help clean up some trees in pecan.  I spoke with a man from South Carolina who is bringing a team of 8-12 men with chainsaws down here for a few days to help out.  Another man from Michigan who works for an embroidery company is sending boxes of shirts to Granbury free of charge.  All those things are great but for me the lasting image I have right now of the tornadoes is not the pictures I saw in the paper or the footage I saw on the news, or the helpers I spoke with.  It is of two stories.  A Rancho Brazos boy named Jaire who I have played baseball with at Rancho Brazos, who I saw at their soccer game yesterday.  He comes up to me and says: “Hello Mr. Kevin, how are you and your kids.”  While his neighborhood and home have been damaged he asked how I was doing.  He was so thankful to be out playing soccer, having fun, and getting back to normalcy.  It will be tough for him in the months ahead.  But seeing the smile on his face was wonderful.  All of the kids from Rancho Brazos were in good spirits and checking and asking how all the weekly volunteers were doing.  They have been thinking about others.  Another lasting image I have is of a woman being interviewed in a church on Thursday.  And after the fear and devastation that happened she says:  "We will never forget what God did for us.  We will rebuild on the same spot."  Now that is faith.  That is what matters.  She saw what was important.  She was thankful to have her family and thankful to be alive.  She saw God protecting her and her family.

-There will be tough times, you can count on it.  I hate to have to tell you this but you will make mistakes, you will fail. It may be big or it may be small.  You may fail a test, you may fail a class, you may lose a job.  I had a 3.87 GPA in high school without studying very much at all.  I thought I could approach the next chapter of my life in the same way.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  I failed multiple classes in college (I even failed a class twice, which meant I had to take that class 3 times.)  I let noise such as video games, television, and music distract me from what was important.  I made mistakes, and I made a lot of them.  Which brings me to my next point.

-It's how you react to these mistakes that will define you.  I did not react well to the mistakes I made at first.  I did not use the resources I had at my disposal to help.  When I failed a test early, I dropped a class instead of working to get my grade up.  It didn't matter to me that it was a waste of hundreds of dollars that I had paid for the class in the first place.  When I had to tell my dad that I had failed a few classes, well let’s just say he was not happy.  When you make mistakes, learn from them, don’t repeat them.  If you repeat them it becomes a pattern and that patterns leads to you being in college for off and on for 10 years.  Don’t be like me in that regard.  Learn from others mistakes.  Learn from my mistakes.  Learn from your mistakes.  People might remember when you make a mistake.  I guarantee you that they will remember how you respond to your mistakes.

La da da da lift up your voice
Let love cut through the American noise
La da da da lift up your voice
Let love cut through the American noise
Slammin' doors and cell phone rings 
Hurricane force of silent screams 
Don’t know what to believe 
Bend the rule just to break it 
You're so tired you got to fake it 
But you just wannabe someone 
Three... Two... One for all and all for One

-Everyone wants to be somebody.  Everyone in this room is somebody.  Everyone in this room has an important story to share.  Whether you believe it or not, you do.  My story is important.  The teachers around you, their stories are important.  All 387 members of the graduating class….the stories are important.  We are all trying to find out who we are in God.  We need to get through all of the noise around us and seek who we are in God.  Because there is always going to be noise.

-My youth will tell you that I probably have attention deficit disorder, I have never been diagnosed by the way.  But that's only because I don't like going to see doctors.  Sunday school lessons that should take 30 minutes usually take about 50 minutes.  I would like to think that it is because students your age go off on tangents.  But more often it’s because I go off on tangents, I take an idea and run with it.  I generally go off on tangents about things of this world such as movies or funny videos.  When the youth bring up an example, I just pile on and get us further off topic and it takes a few minutes to rangle us back in.  All of this is Noise.  And I am the world's worst at blocking out noise.  I'm so bad at blocking out noise, I have to set an alarm on my phone to schedule a time to be noise free.  When I block out the noise and hear what God is saying to me, I leave my phone, my computer, my iPod my video games, all my superhero action figures, yes I have those, and everything else and just walk to a secluded place.  If I’m at church it’s usually the prayer garden.  If I’m at home it’s generally the backyard.  The place is always outside.

-In the first chapter of Mark it says: In the morning, while it was still very dark, he (being Jesus) got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.  And Simon and his companions hunted for him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you."  Jesus answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for it is what I am to out here to do."  (Mark 1:35-38)

If Jesus walked to a secluded place to pray, why can't I?  Why can’t you?  Jesus got away from all the "noise" around him and went to a secluded place to think about teaching, to think about how to spread the gospel.  Do you take time to listen to what others are saying to you?  Do you get away from all the noise and all the static to listen to what God has to say to you?  I hope so.

So I will end with this:  The song American Noise ends by saying:

No matter who you are you’ve got a voice 
Why don’t you use it 
Sing your own song take all the noise
and make it into music 

-A properly folded American flag was found buried in the rubble and debris.  The fire chief said if you find em, fly em.  May 15, 2013 the day we came together, the day we were made stronger.

The community of Granbury have used their voices since Wednesday.  As a community he must and are helping.  People have seen those affected by the tornadoes, people they probably don’t know and have stepped up to help in any way they can.  For everything you and your families have done, thank you.

So how are you going to use your voice moving forward as you graduate?  How are you going to tell your story?  Because graduation is one chapter in your life.  The rest of your story is yet to be written.  It's up to you to tell the world how your story ends.  Use the voice that God gave you.  Use that voice to help others.  Be who you were meant to be.  No matter who you are, you've got a voice….why don't you use it?

Community

     I got the opportunity to preach at the Well on Sunday and chose to talk about Community, here is an overview, in blog form, of my sermon:

     Last week Kennon talked about doing something.  Tonight we are going to talk about United Methodism and more importantly wesleyan theology and the practice of doing something in community.
     Theology is the study of the nature of God and religious beliefs.  Theology literally means to talk about God.  Our theology is accountable to scripture...

Acts 2:42-47: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.  All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.  Day by day, as they spend much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.  And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved."

     Koinonia is the idealized state of fellowship and community that should exist in the Christian church.  Sometimes we are not good at being in community.  Sometimes our heart and mind and are not in the right place or some people go to church once a week to feel good about themselves and get their card punched.  Sometimes we misunderstand what church is.  The church is no longer just inside the church building, church is outside the walls.  Sometimes we disagree on things and when we do we don't disagree with an attitude and spirit of love.
     But more importantly we do things very well in community.  When there is food and fellowship, we are there.  We are great in showing love and support for those in need.  We are great at meeting needs.  I would have never thought about a ministry such as the Washing Well, but luckily someone else did.  We are great at involving others in ministry when it is needed.  And when we agree well, we get things done very quickly.
     Community holds the idea of joint participation in something with someone.  When community is present sharing and giving becomes tangible.  Community is similar to the marriage bond, because the community has a common interest that can hold people together.  Community is about spiritual relationships.  It is something that is held jointly to honor God.

Luke 5:9-10: "For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.""

     Community denotes a unity of purpose and interests.  We are a community of faith.  We are called to go fish for people.  We are called to be partners with other Christians.  So go out and expand the kingdom.  Go out and share your stories.  Go out and spread the gospel.  Go out and fish for people.  The common interest in the previous scripture is that they would be fishers of people, or as one of our youth so eloquently put it: "they were no longer fisherman, they were people men."  (if you don't laugh then I guess you had to be there)

grace & peace
Kevin

Reflection: Resurrection Eggs

Holli Moore gave Carson a bag of Resurrection Eggs for easter.  The point is to open one egg a day for the twelve days leading up to Easter to remember Christ's journey and triumph over death.  Each egg has a different bible verse and object in it.  I used the eggs to lead chapel for the preschool this morning and they loved it. (once they realized there wasn't candy in them)  I have listed the 12 items and bible verses below for you to think about and remember in reflection today.  It's fun for kids and adults alike.  Enjoy

1.  Leaf-to symbolize palm Sunday (Mark 11:8-10)
2.  Dime-to symbolize 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-15)
3.  Cracker-to symbolize the Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-19)
4.  Wash Cloth-to symbolize Christ washing the disciples feet (John 13:4-5)
5.  Cup-to symbolize the cup He prayed would pass from him (Matthew 26:39)
6.  Leather-to symbolize the cat of nine tails that flogged him (Matthew 27:2,26)
7.  Thorn-to symbolize the crown (Matthew 27:29)
8.  Cross-to symbolize the cross (John 19:17-18)
9.  Die-to symbolize the lots cast for his clothes (Matthew 27:35)
10. Linen cloth-to symbolize the cloth Joseph wrapped him in (Matthew 27:59)
11. Stone-to symbolize the sealing of the tomb (Matthew 27:66)
12. Empty-to symbolize the empty tomb and our risen Savior (Matthew 28:5-6)

Have a wonderful rest of Holy Week
Kevin

12 Days of Reflection: Be An Intentional Disciple

All of us have all kinds of spiritual gifts and abilities.  Some of us think that our gifts are not as important as others, which is incorrect.  We should not squander the gifts which we are given.  We should do something great with those gifts.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  ~ Matthew 28:19-20

So the best thing we can do is imitate Christ and use our gifts (whatever they may be) to make disciples as Jesus commanded the disciples.  So as you reflect on holy week today ask yourself: how can I make disciples today?  And be an intentional disciple.

grace & peace
Kevin

12 Days of Reflection: The Woman at the Well

     In Sunday School last week we talked about Jesus and his ministry with the sinners, outcasts, and the poor.  One of the outcasts Jesus ministered to was the women at the well.  Most of us have probably heard the story of the women.
     As most of you know we are starting a new worship service at 5:30pm on Sunday evenings called The Well.  For today's reflection I have supplied a link to The Well website that talks about the woman at the well and the reason The Well was picked as the name of the new service.  I think it says it very well about how Jesus ministered to those who are different.  Enjoy

The Well

Grace & Peace
Kevin

12 Days of Reflection: Day 1

"No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light.  Then pay attention to how you listen; and from those who do not have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away."     ~Luke 8:16-18

     At youth last night we talked about the spiritual discipline of meditation while focusing on the above passage.  I read the scripture and the youth wrote down their first impressions of the passage.  Then they reread the scripture slowly and thoughtfully a few times to see what they picked up on the second time around.
     I will do a devotional for the next twelve days from now through Easter.  (there will actually be two today since this was last nights)  Just to reflect on and meditate on a certain passage.  As you read this ask yourself these questions.

     1.  What was the first thing that came to mind as you read the passage?
     2.  What do you think Jesus was trying to get at with the reference to the lamp?

Grace & Peace
Kevin