I was talking with a Youth Pastor friend the other day about Pastoring students in this post Facebook era. He was concerned about a student of his who was putting stuff on their facebook and was worrying about them. I started to think and wonder about how truly things aren’t much different when me and this YP were in youth group together. Meaning we would have great services and really feel connected to God in the service and want to change our lives but then the next day or a couple of days later we would be in some form of trouble. But then the next time we would be in church and we would pursue God like it never happened. I realize that some of that for me at least was fake and putting on a show but not all of it was. There where some genuine times while I was in high school that I was pursuing God but I also had a lot of faults. My YP never new about them unless I told him or my parents told him.
The difference between then and now is FB and students put everything from how they feel to what words they used to cuss out the science teacher to what their mom was doing that morning that made them so mad.
As a YP it’s hard to have a deep conversation with a student about their relationship with God and then only to see the next day they got suspended from school for getting in a fight over a girl. It’s hard to balance when and what to engage each student with. I was called a FB creeper the other day because I engaged a student who in small group was expressing his struggle with sin and so I’m challenged him on some of the things that he was doing and putting on FB.
I don’t mind being called a FB creeper by this kid in my small group but I don’t want to be know as the pastor who knows all the dirt and creeps on pages. You would think students would be ok with this since they put it on FB but they aren’t.
So it’s a thin line that my team and I have to balance to be engaged with students and trusting God from week to week with these students. Using the info we get for prayer and when the Holy Spirit opens the door for us to engage we do so. I know the stuff me and my youth group friends got into and so I know my YP was worried and probably prayed often for us even though he didn’t have all the facts.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Please pray for...
Clint Dobson and family. I met Clint and his wife Laura of 2 yrs this past fall while I went to El Salvador on a scouting mission trip to build a clean water well. He’s 28 yrs old and has been the Pastor of North Point Baptist Church which is a campus church of First Baptist of Arlington Texas for 2 yrs.
On Thursday a man somehow got into the church offices and murdered Clint and put his admin Judy in the hospital fighting for her life. Please pray for Laura and their family and the recovery of Judy and for Clint’s church during this time.
Thank you
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Ownership
When I was 16, I was given my first car. It was a 1980 Ford F150. (It happened to have been my now wife Brittany’s father’s truck that he cherished and took very good care of for years.) My parents bought this truck and gave it to me as a gift. It was some gift.
I “sort of” took care of it for a while, but after a few short weeks, the newness wore off and it just became “a truck.” Don’t get me wrong, I loved it. I loved that my parents gave me this truck...I loved being able to take my friends around in it...and I loved taking girls on dates in my very own truck. However, it was often months before I cleaned it or washed it...and forget about oil changes, they were always long overdue! I was in a few fender benders here and there and never took the time to get them fixed. The bottom line is that I just didn’t take good care of my truck.
Needless to say by the time I sold the truck 2 years later, it was not the same truck it once was. Long gone were the days when it had been cherished and “well-nurtured.” Brittany (my wife) told me after we were married that every time her dad saw the truck he shook his head and openly said that he regretted selling it to us. (I hope he didn’t feel the same way about me marrying his daughter! I think I have taken much better care of her than I did of that truck!)
Right after I graduated, I saved a little money and bought a 99 Mitsubishi Mirage. At the time of purchase, it only had 7,000 miles – so it was almost brand new. Then I was the one making payments – I had real “ownership” of this car. I had a full-time job and my parents regularly reminded me that this car was my full responsibility. But somehow this car was different – I washed and waxed it weekly. I cleaned it every other day...I changed the oil ahead of schedule. I even started investing money into and making it an even better car. I really loved it. I took pride in it – I had ownership in my car.
This past summer, my wife and I bought our first house. Leading up to this purchase throughout our 6 years of marriage, we lived in 5 different apartments that we rented and never really took “extra” care of because we knew if something happened – someone else would have to come and take care of it. Plus with our track record, we knew we would likely move in a year again anyway. I found myself treating my apartment just a little better then I did my first truck. There was no pride – there was no ownership of the place we lived in.
Well last summer that changed...and just like my car, our home has been cared for with pride and ownership. Cleaning, mowing, and organizing is now a welcomed part of home ownership for us. I am so proud of our house and look forward to taking care of it (I may re-think it when loads of things need repairing!) But I am enjoying it very much and want to show off our new home.
When I think about ownership and ministry I think back to the disciples. It was easy for them for those 3 years following after Jesus just to fall in line with what Jesus was doing or what He was saying – to go along for the ride! It was easy to take orders…I would imagine they didn’t own their ministry in the same way Jesus did – you can pick up on that with some of things Jesus says to them (Mark 9:19, Luke 22:46).
You can also see their commitment to the ministry after Jesus died. They all went back to what they were doing (John 21 1 – 3). They just didn’t pick up the ball and roll with it. But, thank God there came a time when these disciples rose up and took ownership over what they had learned the past 3 years with Jesus. That time came after Jesus rose and then ascended into the heavens (Acts 1:6 - 10).
These disciples were not the same ones that fled when Jesus was captured – these disciples had taken ownership over their calling – they took ownership over what Jesus had been telling them for the past 3 years. Further, they took what Jesus started and continued the movement and started churches. Thousands of people started moving into a relationship with God because of what these disciples were doing. I mean they took ownership to a new level with the giving of their lives – their daily lives and their death to this ministry – this calling that Jesus started.
Ownership by Webster’s standards basically means to “have or hold as property to have power or mastery over.” When I think about ministry and specifically our ministry at VERB, I want us to have OWNERSHIP over whatever we are doing for VERB…to have power to hold as property. To take pride in what we do at VERB…whatever role we may have to play in it. As Pastor Steve would say “The stakes are never higher then what you do for the church (because what you do for the church – you do for God).” Whatever we do at VERB has eternal effects! Students may come into a relationship with God and change the course of their future by your very involvement at VERB. What an awesome thought.
We should take pride in everything that we do at VERB because of those stakes. You are involved in VERB for a certain reason – why is that? When you think about what you do when you are serving – do you take pride? Do you think you take ownership over your responsibility? Or are you lacking? Ownership I think is vital – because I think as part of this team you have a stake at what happens at VERB and you are a very important member of this team. With ownership comes risk – just ask Jesus or the disciples. There has to be risk when you take a chance on having ownership over something – especially a ministry where people are involved because people have sin and when there is sin someone is always going to get hurt or left disappointed. If we never want to get hurt then we should never take risks because with every risk we take there is always the chance that we will get hurt. Even as simple as becoming a part of Student Leadership – it’s a risk and there is a high chance that you could get hurt.
But the good news is that the benefits far outweigh any risks. You could be a part of something that can and will change your life and the lives of your friends and family forever. I hope that you will take this journey with me as we embark on making VERB a ministry where students can come and find a real relationship with Jesus Christ and develop friendships and relationships with people like you.
I “sort of” took care of it for a while, but after a few short weeks, the newness wore off and it just became “a truck.” Don’t get me wrong, I loved it. I loved that my parents gave me this truck...I loved being able to take my friends around in it...and I loved taking girls on dates in my very own truck. However, it was often months before I cleaned it or washed it...and forget about oil changes, they were always long overdue! I was in a few fender benders here and there and never took the time to get them fixed. The bottom line is that I just didn’t take good care of my truck.
Needless to say by the time I sold the truck 2 years later, it was not the same truck it once was. Long gone were the days when it had been cherished and “well-nurtured.” Brittany (my wife) told me after we were married that every time her dad saw the truck he shook his head and openly said that he regretted selling it to us. (I hope he didn’t feel the same way about me marrying his daughter! I think I have taken much better care of her than I did of that truck!)
Right after I graduated, I saved a little money and bought a 99 Mitsubishi Mirage. At the time of purchase, it only had 7,000 miles – so it was almost brand new. Then I was the one making payments – I had real “ownership” of this car. I had a full-time job and my parents regularly reminded me that this car was my full responsibility. But somehow this car was different – I washed and waxed it weekly. I cleaned it every other day...I changed the oil ahead of schedule. I even started investing money into and making it an even better car. I really loved it. I took pride in it – I had ownership in my car.
This past summer, my wife and I bought our first house. Leading up to this purchase throughout our 6 years of marriage, we lived in 5 different apartments that we rented and never really took “extra” care of because we knew if something happened – someone else would have to come and take care of it. Plus with our track record, we knew we would likely move in a year again anyway. I found myself treating my apartment just a little better then I did my first truck. There was no pride – there was no ownership of the place we lived in.
Well last summer that changed...and just like my car, our home has been cared for with pride and ownership. Cleaning, mowing, and organizing is now a welcomed part of home ownership for us. I am so proud of our house and look forward to taking care of it (I may re-think it when loads of things need repairing!) But I am enjoying it very much and want to show off our new home.
When I think about ownership and ministry I think back to the disciples. It was easy for them for those 3 years following after Jesus just to fall in line with what Jesus was doing or what He was saying – to go along for the ride! It was easy to take orders…I would imagine they didn’t own their ministry in the same way Jesus did – you can pick up on that with some of things Jesus says to them (Mark 9:19, Luke 22:46).
You can also see their commitment to the ministry after Jesus died. They all went back to what they were doing (John 21 1 – 3). They just didn’t pick up the ball and roll with it. But, thank God there came a time when these disciples rose up and took ownership over what they had learned the past 3 years with Jesus. That time came after Jesus rose and then ascended into the heavens (Acts 1:6 - 10).
These disciples were not the same ones that fled when Jesus was captured – these disciples had taken ownership over their calling – they took ownership over what Jesus had been telling them for the past 3 years. Further, they took what Jesus started and continued the movement and started churches. Thousands of people started moving into a relationship with God because of what these disciples were doing. I mean they took ownership to a new level with the giving of their lives – their daily lives and their death to this ministry – this calling that Jesus started.
Ownership by Webster’s standards basically means to “have or hold as property to have power or mastery over.” When I think about ministry and specifically our ministry at VERB, I want us to have OWNERSHIP over whatever we are doing for VERB…to have power to hold as property. To take pride in what we do at VERB…whatever role we may have to play in it. As Pastor Steve would say “The stakes are never higher then what you do for the church (because what you do for the church – you do for God).” Whatever we do at VERB has eternal effects! Students may come into a relationship with God and change the course of their future by your very involvement at VERB. What an awesome thought.
We should take pride in everything that we do at VERB because of those stakes. You are involved in VERB for a certain reason – why is that? When you think about what you do when you are serving – do you take pride? Do you think you take ownership over your responsibility? Or are you lacking? Ownership I think is vital – because I think as part of this team you have a stake at what happens at VERB and you are a very important member of this team. With ownership comes risk – just ask Jesus or the disciples. There has to be risk when you take a chance on having ownership over something – especially a ministry where people are involved because people have sin and when there is sin someone is always going to get hurt or left disappointed. If we never want to get hurt then we should never take risks because with every risk we take there is always the chance that we will get hurt. Even as simple as becoming a part of Student Leadership – it’s a risk and there is a high chance that you could get hurt.
But the good news is that the benefits far outweigh any risks. You could be a part of something that can and will change your life and the lives of your friends and family forever. I hope that you will take this journey with me as we embark on making VERB a ministry where students can come and find a real relationship with Jesus Christ and develop friendships and relationships with people like you.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
VERB Newsletter
This week at VERB:
Sunday night: We start a new series called "R.E.A.C.H." in which we will be focusing on Evangelism! This week we will be covering the R of reach and how to be Real about their relationship with God and their friends!
Wed Night: Continuing on in our study of Jesus this next week. We will be discussing "Jesus as the Confronter"
IMPACT: Were taking High School students to OC for the weekend Mar 25 - 27. Space is limited for this event. Cost for this event is $160! Email me at jason.harris@hertiagecc.net for questions!
Also - if you would like to join our text message service email me your name, cell number and your cell provider. And we will add you to the service.
Sunday night: We start a new series called "R.E.A.C.H." in which we will be focusing on Evangelism! This week we will be covering the R of reach and how to be Real about their relationship with God and their friends!
Wed Night: Continuing on in our study of Jesus this next week. We will be discussing "Jesus as the Confronter"
IMPACT: Were taking High School students to OC for the weekend Mar 25 - 27. Space is limited for this event. Cost for this event is $160! Email me at jason.harris@hertiagecc.net for questions!
Also - if you would like to join our text message service email me your name, cell number and your cell provider. And we will add you to the service.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
VERB Newsletter
Coming up this week:
Friday Night: Movie night in the VERB Lounge from 6pm - 9pm
Sun
day Night: Last week we told the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and challenged them to join the rebellion against what culture has to say about how we should live as followers of Christ. This week we continue on with our series "No way that happened" and we will be talking about Courage and telling the story of Jael!
day Night: Last week we told the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and challenged them to join the rebellion against what culture has to say about how we should live as followers of Christ. This week we continue on with our series "No way that happened" and we will be talking about Courage and telling the story of Jael! 
Wedensday Night: In Small groups were in week 4 of our discussion on Jesus! This week we will be tlaking about Jesus as the Salvager!
Impact: Were taking High School Students to Ocean City for "Impact" on Mar 25 - 27 $160! Space is limited adn if you intrested in going contact me at: jason.harris@heritagecc.net
Monday, February 7, 2011
Last Night of R.U.N.
At VERB (our Student Ministries at HCC) we have been in a series over the past 3 weeks where we are look
ing at R.U.N. R - Reveal Yourself, U - Utilize your toolsaround you, N - Never give up or in. What we were doing in this series was looking at the life of David and pinpointing some key element's of his story that would help us have a fighting chance against temptation! Because we all know that it doesn't matter who we are or how old we are until the day we die we will have to fight temptation. I believe David gave some great insight into those very things that we would need to fight against those temptations! I think it was a great topic and hopefully it was helpfully to a lot of students!
ing at R.U.N. R - Reveal Yourself, U - Utilize your toolsaround you, N - Never give up or in. What we were doing in this series was looking at the life of David and pinpointing some key element's of his story that would help us have a fighting chance against temptation! Because we all know that it doesn't matter who we are or how old we are until the day we die we will have to fight temptation. I believe David gave some great insight into those very things that we would need to fight against those temptations! I think it was a great topic and hopefully it was helpfully to a lot of students!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Starting next week
I'm going to start next week with a VERB newsletter that will cover what we will be talking about on Sunday nights and wed nights and cover upcoming events! I hope it will help keep you informed! It will appear on this blog and each time I post something I will send to either your email or FB!
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