Make a wish

I came across this video. The fact that Ben Roethlisberger is my favorite football player on my favorite team makes it even better, but it is an amazing story regardless of what team or athlete you cheer for.

Elevate Wrap-up

Well, I had intended to post a few other updates during the week, but didn't really have a chance. Whenever I was back in my room I was exhausted. But don't feel bad for me. This isn't a bad exhaustion; it's the really good kind.

If I am going to be honest, I feel completely spent by God. But it feels really good!

If you have ever been there, you know what I mean.

This week I was able to hear the stories of teens who were able to share their struggles - some of them for the first time.

I was also able to witness the spiritual rebirth of some teenagers.

Elevate 2008 was a week I will remember for a long time.

I was reminded once again that today's teens don't want a simple, shallow answer. They don't want to be simply told what to do. My experience has been that they want the journey to be meaningful and real.

This week I was able to have some deep - and often challenging - conversations. Did I offer my thoughts and advice? Sometimes. But usually it was after a lot of listening. That can be hard for me.

One of the biggest lessons God has taught me over the last decade of working with teenagers, is that they often learn more when you say nothing than when you try to tell them everything. Often they just need an ear to hear them out and help them work through things.

The theme for this year was "Unashamed." If we really want this generation of students to be unashamed, we need to be willing to hear them out. Listen to their fears. Feel their pain. Be a safe place. And offer advice, but only after we have really listened to them and tried to understand their situation as much as possible.

As I have said before (and I am sure will say again), teenagers today live in a world that is vastly different than the one I grew up in twenty years ago.

We cannot just tell them, "I was a teen once, and..."

Yes, all adults have been a teenager. Yes, we understand some of the basic emotions they share with our experience. But, we are not in their schools. We didn't live in a culture exactly like the one they know today.

I know there are still things about their world I will never completely understand. But every day I strive to listen a little better, learn a little more, and love with reckless abandon.

I was reminded again this week that those three things are crucial in our calling to help teenagers grow in their relationship with God and bring the Kingdom of God to life in this world.

shine!
Jason

Elevate update #1

Well, the second full day of Elevate has come to a close. I am sitting in my room and about ready to call it a night. It has been a great couple of days!

Sunday evening was basically a time to meet new people and say hi to old friends. I spent most of the evening assigning 102 campers to their Choose Your Own Adventure selections. Yeah for Excel!

Monday we hit the ground running. It was a great day where we focused on going into the deep end. Keith Huey had a great lesson Monday evening. (For the record, I miss being a small group leader like I was back in the early 2000's. And that just made me sound old. LOL)

Anyway, one of the highlights of each day for me is the devo time for our youth group. We meet around 10:30pm each night and everyone has an opportunity to share what God is doing in and around them. Last night I heard some great things that God is doing. We ended our time together by pairing everyone up. We stayed in our circle, but each pair prayed out loud for their partner. It was really cool to hear everyone praying for someone else in the youth group.

Today we focused on our gifts. We have all been blessed with abilities and talents and were challenged tonight by Randy Speck to put those to use for God.

In addition to that, there was a cool concert featuring Riley Armstrong. As usual, Riley was both entertaining and thought-provoking. He has a way of shifting from comedy to a serious moment flawlessly.

Minor Measure, our own youth band, opened for Riley and rocked the house as usual. There should be a video from that soon on Facebook.

Tonight in our youth group devo time, we shared how God is amazing. I was really moved by some of the things our teens shared. We ended our time together by laying on our backs facing up to the sky. With our eyes open, we went around the circle and prayed. It was a great ending to a great day.

On a personal note, please be in prayer for the teens who are here this week. I have had a chance to talk to several teens (who are not all from our youth group) who are wrestling with some heavy stuff this week. Please pray for God to break down walls and pour His Spirit into their lives. I know that He can do more than we can ever ask or imagine, but let's ask anyway.

shine!
Jason

A reminder of why I love the Rochester Church

This past weekend, a girl that I have known for about a decade visited Michelle and me. Jamie was a teenager when I first met her and is now a young adult who is married with two children. She has a very painful past and is still in the midst of healing from that. In addition, her current life situation is in significant turmoil. I wanted to share with you a portion of a blog she wrote after her visit. It reminded why I love the Rochester Church so much and why - in spite of all of our failings and imperfections - I believe that God is at work in the lives of the people here.

On Sunday morning, I went to their Mosaic church service at Rochester
Church of Christ.  All I can really say is WOW! I’ve never been a part
of something that powerful. Jason gave a beautiful lesson on the three
attitudes of people, Condemning, Conforming, and Accepting. It was
wonderful!!! He used a powerpoint, and one of the pictures was of a
soldier with a little girl in his arms. It made me think of my husband,
and I started to cry. Michelle, who sat beside me the entire service
immediately put her arm around me and asked if I wanted her to pray
with me for him. She is such an strong person, and the type of woman I
can only hope to become one day. Then one of the elders, whom I hardly
knew and only met right before the service began - saw that I was a bit
down. He came and sat with me, with his arm around me, when he finished
with his communion. At the end of the service, Jason asked me to come
up front. With Michelle and this elder by my side, I did as he asked.
He proceeded to tell the church a tidbit about my past and present…
just enough for them to know that my soul was in desperate need of
repair. I will say this much, I couldn’t look at the congregation. I
know I shouldn’t be, but I am still very ashamed of a lot in my past.
He then asked if anyone would be willing to come up front and surround
me as he prayed for me. What happened next was such a blessing it
nearly brought me to my knees. So many members of the congregation came
forward immediately. “But these people don’t know me! I’m not a good
person!” is all I continued to tell myself. Their faith was unshaken as
they stood there, many of them with arms around me or hands upon me,
and prayed right along with Jason. I never imagined in my wildest
dreams I could feel such understanding and compassion from people I
didn’t know, nor did they know much about me! Many stayed after the
prayer was finished, to hug and console me. To show me love in a way I
never knew possible. To give kind words, open minds, and open hearts.
Amazing…

To the members at Rochester CoC. I want you to know how much this
weekend has meant to me. To speak with many of you was one of the
richest experiences I think I’ve encountered. God had to be smiling
when I came to Rochester, knowing that you all would take care of me.

There’s still a lot in my life I need to work through. A lot of
heartache that needs let go, and a lot of faith that needs rebuilt. It
will be a slow, and albeit painful, process. But with God and my new
family in Christ - I’ll make it through.

Thanks for being there for me this weekend all you folks up in
Rochester, and thank you to those who are reading this who were not
there.

Thank you, Jamie, for the words of encouragement! And thank you for the reminder than when we feel insufficient for the task, God will use us anyway to accomplish great things for His purpose.

shine!
Jason

The mission

Is being a Christian about standing up for what we believe in or being relevant to the culture we live in? Yes. We are called to be faithful and fruitful. Holy and helpful.

Unfortunately, many Christians tend to move to the extremes. Some will circle the wagons while others sacrifice their morals. It can be extremely challenging to live in the balance between the two.

The same God that says, “Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 6:14), also says, “Go into all the world.” (Mark 16:15)

Our mission is not to condemn the world or conform to it. We are called to be people of purpose and principle who are shaped by the Spirit of God. As we allow God to transform us into His image, we must strive to join God in His dream of restoring this world to what He intended it to be in the first place. Heaven is not just a future promise to wait for; it’s also a goal to work towards in the place we find ourselves now.

Let’s work together to become people who aren’t just waiting for Heaven; let’s make it our mission to bring the Kingdom of God to life here and now.

shine!
Jason

TPT

Last night after God's Big Backyard wrapped up, I had a chance to listen to the Teen Praise Team practicing for Sunday. Since this Sunday is Senior Ordination - the Sunday when we honor and commission our graduating seniors - Chris is using a praise team of teenagers.

They sounded good last night. It was really cool seeing all of these teens up on stage singing. I know that they will do a great job on Sunday!

I am really looking forward to this Sunday. From the TPT, to the seniors, to those students who will be sharing prayers and Scripture readings, it looks to be a great day. May God be glorified in all that we do.

shine!
Jason

Change of heart

Earlier today I received an email from a young adult who was a teenager at a previous church where I served as youth minister. (I have changed a few minor details to make it anonymous, but this person did give me permission to post it here.) I will let the email speak for itself, but I did want to mention that notes like this remind me of the power of God and encourage me to never give up in ministry.

Hey Jason! I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for bad feelings I had about you and the church I used to attend and that whole culture for a really long time. Until recently, I was extremely judgmental and so zealous for tradition - I held bitter feelings for a long time.
But I want to ask you forgiveness, because you should know that I have a huge change of heart. Actually, my views about God are far more radical than I ever would have imagined - but the love of God and an understanding of grace and relationship and joy and freedom has changed me. I read stuff about your congregation that you attend, not wanting the denominational name of "church of Christ" and women in leadership roles and just embracing the freedom of a new covenant, stepping away from the spirit of the law, I am SO EXCITED to see you all following the leading of the Holy Spirit.
So I don't know if you ever even knew I had judgmental and negative feelings toward you all, but I did. And God has changed me and convicted me to ask forgiveness. I love you guys and continue to pray for breakthrough, joy, freedom, and UNITY in the ENTIRE body of Christ :)

Thank you to this person for their encouraging words and thank you to the God who never gives up on us.

shine!
Jason

Parents sitting on the floor

Last night I felt the ground shifting below me.

No, we did not have an earthquake in Rochester Hills. It was something more substantial than that.

Maybe no one else noticed, but there was change in the landscape at the Rochester Church. No, it may not have been visible to many. It may not have been obvious to most. But there was a shift.

Last night was the first night of a three-night event called "God's Big Backyard." Part of me wants to call it a VBS, but part of me fears the baggage that may accompany that title.

This was something more.

It was a shift from babysitting with the Bible to families engaging in spiritual conversations.

It was a shift from dropping off the kids to sitting down with them.

It was a shift from children's ministry to ministry for families with children.

What does all that mean?

If you have read any of my past entries about LifeStages at the Rochester Church, you might remember that this is a fundamental shift in some of the ways we do ministry. We are moving away from ministry that separates and divides families, to ministry that brings families together. Yes, we still have "traditional" youth ministry and children's ministry events. We still offer age-specific classes and the like. But we are also challenging parents to more fully engage their role as the primary spiritual guide for their children.

I am so blessed to work down the hall from Dana Spivy. Dana is our Minister for Families with Children, and she is doing an awesome job! She is coming up on a year here at Rochester and, I believe, some of her dreams are beginning to take root. I know that this family-based event occurring this week is one of them.

So what's so different about this event as opposed to other VBS's?

Well, it may not seem earth-shattering to you, but instead of being grouped by ages, children are grouped by families. For example, Matthew, Michelle, and I were in a group together with parents and children of all ages. There were children in our group from Kindergarten through fifth grade. There were other parents sitting with their children as well. There were siblings of different ages sitting and learning together.

For way too long, the church has bought into the public education model that divides children up into age groups and teaches them separately. Is it any wonder that many teens look down on younger children as annoying? At the same time, I know many children who look up to teenagers as examples and role models. They need that and haven't gotten it enough. We have segregated groups that should be together.

In addition to that, we have robbed parents of many opportunities to sit down with all of their children at once and experience spiritual formation together. It was so cool last night seeing the Ockermans and all five of their children traveling together from class to class. I would guess the conversations about the Bible lesson were much easier to start since all seven of them listened to the same teachers at the same time.

Again, props to Dana. She is challenging us to go places we have not been before. And in the process, I believe a new era is dawning for our families with children at Rochester.

shine!
Jason

Matthew is Boomin!

Here is my little man getting down with Toby Mac! He loves the "Dance Praise 2: The Remix" game that we got at Seeds, the Willow Creek Bookstore. We found this game there when we worshiped at Willow Creek in Chicago on the college trip.

 

Look at me! NOT!

This past Wednesday in 180 Connections Unplugged, students were challenged to think of ways they could be more like Jesus.

We started the conversation by considering Jesus’ example. Here was a man who had every right to be the center of attention. He was God, in the flesh. If that doesn’t deserve headlines, what does?

But, instead, He often told people to tell no one else about what He had done. Jesus retreated to quiet places and didn’t seek out the crowds.

We live in a culture where we cry out for attention. People commit horrible crimes to get attention. People record themselves doing foolish and dangerous things to post on YouTube to get attention. People act out in public to get attention.

But not Jesus.

Sure, what He did attracted attention; but ultimately He pointed that attention back to His Father.

In a world that is so self-centered, God calls us to be people who are different. We are challenged to have different motives and different priorities.

Here is a question we all need to consider. How much different would the world around you become if you were less concerned about bringing yourself attention and more concerned about bringing attention to God and His dreams for this world?

shine!
Jason

Baptism as commission

This is the final lesson in a seven-week series that explores the
significance of baptism as a part of our spiritual journey. This lesson
was presented on Wednesday June 4, 2008. Click on the image below to
hear the lesson.

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Style over substance

Without taking sides or staking a position, I want to comment on this year's race for the Presidency. Is it just me, or is this race a matter of style over substance?

Now I realize that every race has a sense of this. Each candidate has to stake his claim on some issues and positions. Each candidate develops an identity and message. But it seems like this year boils down to two extremes.

On the one hand, you have Barack Obama, who says "change" more often than a cashier at McDonalds. He is the poster child of hope and change. The frustrating thing is that the vast majority of people can't tell you much about what he is going to change. This is even true of many of his supporters. Barack has only been a Senator for a short period of time and has not authored any significant legislation. He seems to have avoided almost anything that would provide a history of his position.

Then we come to John McCain. If there is anyone who embodies change, it is McCain. But this is a different kind of change. He seems to change his mind on issues all the time. He has so many positions, it's hard to tell which one he supports at the moment. If Barack is giving us no target to aim at, McCain is a moving target that never seems to stand still.

Now, I am going to say that I believe both men have some things they feel strongly about. McCain has been around long enough that I have been able to witness some of his interesting alliances and deals. I also read Obama's "Audacity of Hope." I am not an expert on either man, but I know that Obama does believe some things strongly and McCain is willing to take a stand.

So my issue is not with the men as much as it is the political system we have today. On some levels, things haven't changed all that much. But on the other hand, the lack of people willing to listen very long seems to have changed the way politicians communicate. I remember when I was growing up in the 1980's there seemed to be more substantive debate. It seems as though much of this has turned into sound bites.

While that is bad for politics, it is even worse for spiritual formation.

As I work with teenagers and adults, it doesn't seem like many people want to engage in the serious dialogue and study required for significant spiritual formation. Instead, people often seek out a short, quick-fix passage of Scripture or an easy answer to a challenging question.

Whether it's political dialogue or spiritual formation, we need to strive for more than a sound bite or a Bible verse taken out of context. If we want to be serious about following Jesus, we need to be serious about the way we engage in spiritual disciplines and discernment. Then we can move from religious style to spiritual substance.

shine!
Jason

The voice of youth

I often hear that teenagers are ignored and not included in big discussions and decisions in many aspects of society today. I am excited that this is not true at the Rochester Church!

Next Sunday, June 15, our entire church body will be having a special meeting at 10:00am. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the future of our Sunday morning schedule. We will be discussing worship times, Bible classes, and the future of spiritual formation for the Rochester Church.

Following the meeting on Sunday, the entire church body will be invited into a period of fasting and prayer as we seek to discern the best course of action as a church body.

The really cool thing for me is that our teenagers are being invited to join in this family dialogue. They are being invited to join the meeting, fast and pray, and engage in the process as we seek the input of the entire congregation.

My prayer is that our students will rise to the challenge and get involved in this process. This is an exciting time for the church at Rochester, and our teenagers can have a voice as we make decisions that will impact the future of our church family.

I have seen our students step up before and show their developing spiritual maturity and voice. I expect nothing less in the days and weeks ahead.

shine!
Jason

Satan in the circuits

Tonight, almost every piece of technology in the teen room was demon-possessed. When Chris got up to lead worship, the screen looked like an Atari 2600 game system. (If you were born after the early 80's, this probably doesn't mean much to you.) When we played the video of Nate's baptism, the sound was fading in and out. We had to restart the computer. Then the computer rejected my PowerPoint presentation when I tried to open it. As I started speaking, the volume was fading in and out again. Well, maybe it wasn't an evil spirit, but just the high humidity.

The only saving grace is that the recording kept going - I think. I haven't checked it yet to listen, but it looks like it kept going. I guess I'll find out soon. I hope that in spite of all of my frustration, God was still able to speak through me.

shine!
Jason

Baptism as Confidence

This is the sixth lesson in a seven-week series that explores the
significance of baptism as a part of our spiritual journey. This lesson
was presented on Wednesday May 28, 2008. Click on the image below to
hear the lesson.

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