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Our Students have Got some Skills

I posted a pic a few weeks back of Wesley sporting his OC shirt while getting ready to go hunting.  Well, he is 16 years old and this is his 12th deer and 7th buck…the biggest to date.  For you hunters, the deer has 14 points and rough green scores 181” gross.  Our students at the OC have got some skills. :)  If this pic gets you fired up for the season, then you need to contact my buddy Ben Steiger and get involved in his awesome Heart of the Outdoors ministry, shoot me an email and get you a DVD of the ministry, its a must for all Hunters, and would be a good watch on Thanksgiving when you are having a nice meal.  Ben is going to help me get my first deer this year, prayerfully.

See You At the Park

This evening I had the incredible opportunity to speak to 250 middle and high school students in Dayton, OH.  This event was designed to promote and encourage students to come out tomorrow morning to the annual "See You At the Pole" event. 

For me the best part about the rally tonight was after the service when Hannah and her friend came running up to me.  Hannah was the girl that I wrote about on this blog earlier this summer.  She had a huge smile on her face and the friend that was with her was also one of the girls that accepted Christ at youth camp.  I was so encouraged tonight when her youth pastor told me that her and five other students that accepted Christ at camp this summer are now coming to his youth group every week and have shown strong leadership in the student ministry at their church. 

Today please pray for the students who are going to be at "See You At the Pole" the way that I have been; pray that they wouldn't just show up and pray, but that they'd allow themselves to be the answer to the prayers today by promoting change in their school and taking the name of Jesus into their classroom. 

Chronicals of Florida 7

Last night I was able to be a part of 4000 student reaching for the heart of God with their voices and it was incredible!  It was the perfect conclusion to a wonderful week!  I expect the drive home to be pretty quiet because I gave them extended curfew because it was the last night and then let them stay up and talk after they came in.  We had a brilliant week for sure!

Chronicals of Florida 6

Last night was the best night yet!  The worship was great and Louie was right on.  We had some of our girls in the front of the pit and two of the worship leaders stage dove!  No worries because no one was injured although one of the guys got dropped.  Note to self: teens might not be the best crowd to stage dive to.  We had a Bible study by the pool last night and I saw that God is definitely moving in their hearts.  This morning Andy was great!  He followed up what I said last night with our teens at the Bible study which I thought was quite providential.  Speaking of Andy, the mission to talk to him was successful and I didn't even get arrested! That's all I have time to say for now...but I give full details later.  We are off to dinner and then the service. This will be the last service so please pray hard that we will allow God to speak to all of us tonight.

Chronicals of Florida 5

I am sitting in the arena saving our seats while everyone is off shopping and having fun.  Aren't I the nicest guy?!  I know some of you parents must be wondering if everyone is behaving so I thought I would tell you to not worry; all of these students are being very respectful and I have had very limited conversations with them about behavior.  All that said, let me ask you to do something, pray steadfastly for God to speak to them.  I was thinking today about how anyone who travels with teens and doesn't expect some mischief is in a dream world, but many times God will take the mischief and turn it into a doorway of change in their lives.  When I was a senior in high school my life was radically changed on a trip like this one.  I was there because it was Florida and I convinced some friends to go with me.  My parents never said no to a church event no matter where it was or what it cost because they knew what I know now -  it only takes a moment and everything can come together.  I'll never forget the day that this happened for me.  I had convinced my friends to hitchhike to a not-so-wholesome restaraunt, and then that night God used that to open my eyes during the service.  I've been doing this a long time now and I promise that God can leverage anything to bring someone to His side.  Pray with me that the teens will be receptive to His voice.   I suspect tonight we'll have another midnight swim, but we're going to have a little Bible study with them first so pray for us.

Chronicals of Florida 4

Last night we welcomed Louie Giglio to the camp and he brought a message on the cross.  It was a great message, but our group was still pretty tired so I could tell that they were struggling to follow such a theological message.  They confirmed my suspicions afterwards.  Some of our ladies decided to journey up to the mosh pit (front of the auditorium) to get crazy during the worship.  After the service we definitely had a Andy Stanley sighting, but I had to let it go...but tonight it's on!!!  Last night I had the most awesome 3-hour conversation with a couple of our young ladies and I am so grateful to see God's obvious involvement in our trip. It is beautifully hot today and we are all at the beach and pool right now so I must go for now, but I'll write later.

Chronicals of Florida 3

This morning Andy spoke on purity and he did a wonderful job.  The main point was that sex is not just a physical event; it affects us on a deeper level than anything else does.  We had lunch at Johnny Rockets and then we had the afternoon free.  The guys were going to head down to the beach to see if they could capture this huge turtle that they found last night.  Some of the girls went shopping and others were going to the pool.  It's starting to rain, so I'm not sure how the whole afternoon will turn out, but I'm sure it will be fun.  In other news, I haven't  been able to corner Andy...yet...but I located his vehicle so we will see how I can get in front of him.  How do I know it was his car?!  I just know!! 
Stay tuned

Chronicals of Florida 2

If anyone ever needs to know where a McDonalds is between Cincinnati and Daytona Beach, Florida we probably know where it is because I think we stopped at most of them.  Casey is hardcore though because she drove through the entire dark part of the trip.  It turns out she doesn't trust my driving skills. The 14-hour trip somehow took 18 hours, so we got in with just enough time to register, check-in the hotel, shower, eat, and get back for the service.  As expected, the service was incredible.  There are 4,500 people here and it was high energy last night for sure.  Andy Stanley spoke and introduced the main theme for the week, "Getting in the rhythm of God".  The three specific things he gave us were: Follow, Believe, Behave. Everyone was really tired, but the camp does a great job of getting your attention with sparks flying and such (for real there were sparks).  After the service, everyone had some free time to hang out at the beach.  Everyone was back before curfew which was awesome and then, of course, I kept them all up talking until way too late.  More to come later today!

Chronicals of Florida 1

So here we are and it is 1:40 a.m. and Casey is driving.  I am sitting over here fighting off sleep.  I will be able to give you the play by play right from the action because Apple is amazing for making an incredible phone and my sister is amazing for buying it for me!  Speaking of amazing...Brock is amazing...he planned and completed everything for me to just be able to show up and get in the van and go.  I can tell that most everyone now is getting tired and the text messaging is starting to slow down as they begin to drift off to sleep.  2 hours down 12 to go...I am going to be so tired when we get there that I'm not going to be able to start stalking Andy Stanley until probably Tuesday.  Another important thing to note is that Wes, Aron, and I are the only guys, which obviously means we need extra prayer this week.  God seems to keep putting me in environments where I have limited or no male support.  I was the only guy among 20 woman at the daycare and now this.  I guess He thinks I have more to learn when it comes to pastoring girls.  Talk to you soon!