Student Life Camp Thursday

I can't believe we'll be on the road headed back to Lubbock in less than 24 hours. We have had an incredible week at Student Life Camp this year. As the youth pastor who's been planning for this week for over a year it's been a blessing to watch it play out and get to be a part of it. Last night was unbelievable. Stuart talked to us about the renewal of our mind (Romans 12:2). He challenged each of us to spend time with God and in His Word. That is the only way renewal will come about. We must replace the lies we believe with the Truth of God. This reality landed heavily upon myself and several of our students last night as we entered into our church group time.

We had several students share about some sin that they had been struggling with (a lie they had been believing), and their desire to repent. When one of our young men shared a struggle it opened the door for other young men and women to share some of their own struggles. I believe we saw some genuine brokenness unfolding in the room last night. It was emotional indeed, but it was so much more than that. Students were confessing some stuff that was embarassing and difficult. I am so proud of them for their courage and their passion to become more like Christ through changing their minds. I must admit that I wasn't expecting it, but it was an unforgettable experience. I've been a part of numerous camps, conferences, and ministry events, and it's no secret that usually the last night of camp is when the waterworks come out and emotion rules. Last night was genuine and I honestly don't know what can happen tonight that will blow me away the way the way our experience last night did.

I'm so thankful for Stuart Hall and his words this week. He speaks the truth and he's dealt with some real life issues. It's almost uncomfortable to sit through at times because you know he's going to challenge you to change something in your life. At the same time, he has made me hunger to hear the word and be in the word even more and for that I am truly grateful. It's been a great week and it's not over yet. Please pray for our last day and our long trip home tomorrow. I can't wait to see my beautiful wife and our sweet little baby girl. I love and miss them so much, but I know God brought me here for a purpose. Here a few more pics from our week.

Student Life Camp Wednesday

Things are in full swing here at Student Life Camp. I think we all slept much better last night after an eventful day. Yesterday afternoon our students participated in a photo scavenger hunt. I provided them a list of things to photograph and each photo was worth a designated amount of points. The pictures were both creative and hilarious and the students seemed to really enjoy this activity. Kyle Soucy, Chance Hoff, Thomas Yeates, Caleb Sessums, and Todd Cabe finished with the most points in this activity. They were rewarded with an ice cream cone from the grill/store on campus.

On Tuesday night, Stuart Hall talked about Matthew 5:6. People so often associate blessing with material gain. Stuart also spoke about the human longing to be complete and our longing for things that are not eternal. An idea that resonates among the teenagers and adults alike is that our most powerful desire is to be accepted. We want to be "blessed". The only way to achieve this completeness, this blessed life is to be righteous. That is where we fall short because as Romans 3:10 says there is none righteous, not even one! The bar is too high for us to get over. Stuart then pointed out that the only way to get over the bar is to quit - to acknowledge our helplessness and confess that only Christ living IN us is the only way to righteousness.

This morning Stuart spoke on the need to forgive as Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:30-32). He defined forgiveness as simply cancelling the debt that someone owes you. As forgiven Christians, our primary export should be forgiveness, and yet this is an issue that we all struggle with on a continual basis. Right now our students are in their family group bible study time and we'll all be eating lunch together soon. This afternoon we have some team building activities planned, and tonight will be another busy night with worship and church group time. I'm so excited to hear the comments our students are making about what God is doing in their lives this week. It doesn't hurt that we're in the mountains and the weather is incredible. We're having an awesome week that I pray will be another step on the journey for these young men and women.

Student Life Camp - Tuesday

I finally found some time to get on the computer and give everybody an update. Our week has been great so far. We have an entire cabin to ourselves. It's actually a sweet set up - secluded in the trees but not too far away from everything. After we arrived and got settled in yesterday, our students spent time in small group bible study and discussion (all the boys in one group, all the girls in the other). Our guys actually went longer in discussion than the girls, which isn't usually the case so I'm excited to see what God is going to do amongst them this week.

We then went to worship as a group with about 500 other students. Stuart Hall is a very gifted communicator and he definitely brought a powerful message last night. He talked about how doubt is something that so many of us struggle with because there is so much about God that is unexplainable. Our lives are overshadowed by what is unexplainable. He challenged us to "flip" (camp theme) what is unexplainable with what is undeniable about God, so that what is undeniable about God overshadows everything else in our lives. This really spoke to our students, as several of them shared that they have indeed struggled with doubt and frustration in their walk with God. I told our students that doubt can be a springboard to greater learning, or it could also lead to apathy and frustration. I reminded them that it's ok to doubt and challenged them to investigate their doubts.

Today is Tuesday and we were randomly chosen as the Youth Group of the Day! Student Life took our picture and interviewed our students. This information will appear on their website sometime later today. Our students are in bible study right now and then we'll have lunch together. Afterward, we are going to split our group into teams and have a photo scavenger hunt this afternoon. The weather here is dramatically different than back home. It rained quite a bit last night and this morning it was downright cold, but the sun is out now and it's going to be a beautiful day. Please continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to move without interference. Things are going great! Here are a few pictures (I'll have more tomorrow).
It was very foggy outside, but it actually makes for a cool picture.

Brothers.....what can you say!

More to come later,

Nolan

Ready for the Rockies....

We leave for Student Life camp in two days and I'm really looking forward to next week. I'm in the anxious mode right now of making sure I haven't forgotten any major details, and reminding myself to bring a toothbrush. The ten day weather forecast shows that the highest temperature while we're at camp will be 66 degrees. I am ready for a break from the 100 degree days we've been having lately. I'm anticipating an incredible week in the Rockies! I'm confident that our students (and myself) will have a great opportunity to grow closer to Christ and that our entire group will grow closer to one another.

My biggest regret is that I have to leave my wife and daughter behind. This will be the longest amount of time I've ever spent away from Avery, and it's always hard to leave Chelsea. She's my best friend and partner in ministry, and student ministry trips and events are so much easier for me when she's around. I'm praying that it will be a quick week for them while I'm away.

If you're a parent or a church member who is looking at this blog for the first time then you've come to the right place. I'll be posting updates (and hopefully pictures) throughout the week so that you can join our camp experience online. Please be praying for us as we travel to and from camp, but more importantly pray that God's will be done in the lives of our students. It's going to be a great week of camp! See ya soon!

Nolan

My Sweet Escape

It's mid July and life has been busy the last few weeks. It won't slow down much either for the next few weeks. We've made two road trips to Artesia already this month, and in a week and a half I'll be taking a group of teenagers to Winter Park, Colorado for Student Life Camp, and the week after that we're going to Schlitterbahn Water Park in New Braunfels, Texas. Summer is always a fun and exciting time in student ministry and I'm anxious to see what God does in the coming days. At the same time, part of me is ready to be finished with these trips and events and have a few days to catch my breath before school starts again.

I've been listening to a cool song by Run Kid Run called "My Sweet Escape" I really like the first verse:

"This is it, confidence is all I need
This is how You're going to save me from myself
From all that fails

I see You and me and everything in between
And I know I'm wrong but You long
To fuel the fire beneath these tired bones"

I often put a lot of pressure on myself which sometimes lowers my confidence to be able to accomplish the tasks before me. When I think of things that I need to be saved from (aside from sin), I often think of disease, death, and people/animals that could take my life. Ironically, my biggest threat in life is often myself. I truly need God to come in and rescue me from me. I am my own worst enemy at times. I'm so thankful that I do have a sweet escape, a refuge, a strong tower, that I can run to. To know that He longs to "fuel the fire beneath these tired bones" brings hope for the coming days. My bones will indeed be tired, and my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is my strength and my portion forever.

It's been a great summer so far, and the best is yet to come. In a couple of weeks, I'll be posting updates and pictures from Student Life Camp. I hope you'll stop by and check it out.

Separation Anxiety

Avery is seven months old today and she has recently entered a phase in her life that many children undoubtedly go through. She is such a sweet little girl and she is so much fun to play with, but if you have to step out of the room or outside her field of vision and she's not occupied she will commence frustration. She can't walk yet, otherwise she would probably just chase me or Chelsea down, so instead she starts to yell or cry. I'm sure this is ordinary for most kids, and while it can be difficult it's also a portrait of love and desperation.

When Avery was younger and we dropped her off at daycare, she didn't seem to notice our leaving near as much. Now that she has grown older and become more attached and familiar with us, she notices our absence and it upsets her. She'll grow out of this and the fact that she is at daycare around other children will probably speed up that process. I love being a daddy, and when she says "da da" (even though she says it to everything) it just melts my heart. Fatherhood has opened up a whole new realm of learning for me. Not only am I learning how to take care of a little girl and be a good father, I'm also learning more about my heavenly father. I think I have so much to teach Avery, and yet she is already teaching me some important lessons.

The separation anxiety that Avery is experiencing right now as an infant is actually a great lesson for me as a grown man. Avery exhibits desperation when she is separated from her parents. Our absence affects her life and that is unsettling to her. She desires to be in our presence. What an incredible picture God paints with this situation. The desperation and desire that my seven month old little girl is showing is the same desperation and desire that I should be showing in my relationship with Christ. The more I get to know Christ, the more attached to Him I become. When I am not close to Him, it should affect my life and I should have a desire to be where He is. I don't show my desperation by throwing a fit and crying, but it should bother me when I am not in the presence of the Lord. I should have separation anxiety.

Psalm 73:23-28 says: "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel,and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God.I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;I will tell of all your deeds."

This is one of my favorite Psalms and it speaks such a great truth. Asaph had separation anxiety, and he desired to be near to God. This is right where I want to be. This is right where I need to be. This earth has nothing I desire besides God. It is good for me to be near God. He is my refuge, the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. Like a child, I long to be in His presence.

Even Kings Die

So it's my day off and I've been up since 7am with Avery, which means not much is on tv so I've been watching the Today show. Michael Jackson's death has dominated the broadcast of course, with the occasional mention of Farrah Fawcett's passing. The Home Improvement reruns can't come on soon enough to provide some relief from this madness.

I do remember the pre-creepy days of Michael Jackson back in the 1980s. I recall in particular one summer trip to Ft. Sumner going to stay at my grandparents lake house. My brother had just purchased Michael Jackson's "Bad" cassette, and we listened to it for almost the entire trip. His music and career has undoubtedly influenced numerous musicians and people. He will always be known as the king of pop, but even kings die.

What has amazed me is the level of hypocrisy that is revealed when something like this happens. The same news anchors who have slammed and labeled Michael Jackson for the past several years (and with reason) are now expressing remorse and sadness at his passing. It's not just the anchors though. A local record store sold out of many of his cds yesterday afternoon when news of Jackson's death spread. "Thriller" quickly rose to the top of the itunes record sales. The question I ask is this: If you are truly a Michael Jackson fan, wouldn't you already own his albums? Funny how death makes people want to react in some way, and so many people react by becoming a fan.

I'm can't rightfully say much about Michael Jackson because I never knew him personally, but it's no secret that this man was peculiar to say the least. He thrived on attention. He loved the throne that accompanied being the "king of pop." He did whatever it took to gain and retain the attention of the public eye. I think it's also safe to say that some of his fans worshiped him. I remember seeing footage of grown women and even men crying at his concerts and growing hysterical when he was within 100 feet of them. Some people will write that off as fanatics being fanatics. I say it's mankind doing what mankind was created to do: worship.

Yesterday will always be a sad day for many because their king is gone. This isn't the first time a king has died and it won't be the last. Elvis, the king of rock and roll came to the same end and people mourned his passing. Countless other kings have come and gone throughout history. I often hear sportscasters call Lebron James "King James". While this may just be a moniker, it's a reality for so many adoring fans. Their king (whether crowned, or idealized) is the one whom they pay homage to. Kings will come and kings will go, but even kings die.

I think we have a fascination with kings. I know that I do. When I read the bible, I love to read about the ancient kings and how they led their people. I particularly love to read about King David, King Solomon, King Josiah, and King Hezekiah. I am even intrigued by the kings who were horrible rulers (King Saul, King Manasseh, etc..) One of my favorite movies is Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. We are interested in kings. Perhaps it's because we live in a nation that gained it's independence from a monarchy. We wonder what it is like to have a king, so we create our own using iconic figures. The one thing that all kings have in common is that they all eventually die.

One of my favorite names for Christ is the King of Kings. While Michael Jackson may be the king of pop, Elvis may be the king of rock and roll, and Lebron may be king James - Jesus is the only person to be able to claim the title "King of Kings." He is above all. And yes, this King of Kings did face death, but He above all kings and kingdoms conquered it. I am thankful that He is my king. He'll never die, He'll never change His image - He doesn't need the spotlight or a throne in order to be King. He is because He says He is. That's pretty stinkin cool to me. Even kings die, but my King lives.

The Pursuit

I love being a dad. This past weekend was Father's Day, and it was my first "official" one to celebrate. I guess technically I was a father last year, but Avery was still swimming in the womb so it was much different. I love that little girl and I am so thankful that she is a healthy growing baby. As all parents discover, life is a whole new ballgame when a little one arrives. It's like someone hits the fast forward button and you have to try to keep up with the action on the screen so that it doesn't freeze up and malfunction. It's complete madness sometimes.

Right now, our day consists of getting up (earlier than we used to), getting ourselves ready, getting Avery ready, taking her to daycare and then off to work. Then after work it's picking up Avery from daycare, going home and hanging out til mommy gets home, then cooking dinner, giving Avery a bath, and getting her ready for bed. By the time we both shower, it's almost time to go to bed and start the whole process all over again. I'm not complaining, because I know that's a familar routine for a lot of couples. It can be a viscious cycle though. Peaceful is not the word that I would use to describe that situation.

Psalm 34:14 says "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." This was our Redbud Student Ministry theme verse for Summer 2006. We called it "The Pursuit." Our t-shirts had an old school police car on the back, with the idea of a high speed pursuit. I read this psalm this morning and it reminded me of the need to be proactive. When I think of peace, I don't think of "world peace" where every nation gets along and nobody blows up one another. I think of the peace of God ruling my heart. I think of doing God's will and having the assurance that I am being obedient. Peace is not something that can simply be wished for and received, peace is something that must be sought after and pursued (even if you are one who thinks of peace as being world peace). In the midst of our crazy routine, I cannot expect to find peace through wishful thinking. You'll never find what you're not looking for. I have to be in pursuit of peace.

Life is and will continue to be busy, crazy, and sometimes flat out exhausting. In the midst of raising a child, being a husband, ministering to teenage students, and seminary I must seek peace. I don't want to go through the motions and do all these things in vain. I want the peace of Christ to accompany me in my actions. I want to lay my head down each night knowing that I have done my best to accomplish everything God has asked of me. If I want this peace I have to pursue it. I'll be honest with you, after I read this I thought, wow one more thing that I have to do each day. But Philippians 4:7 says this: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." By seeking and pursuing peace, I'll actually be lightening my load.

It's one thing to ask for peace, but it's another to have peace. Peace is found in the pursuit. Not really profound, but definitely on my mind today. Peace!

Where's my ladder?

Life has been kinda crazy the past few months, and Chelsea and I have faced situations and decisions that we've never faced before. There have been times when things felt hopeless. I'm always amazed at how God speaks to me in times such as these. I recently watched one of Andy Stanley's messages called "Hope". He said that hope is like a ladder in that we lean it against something we think will support our dreams and aspirations. At birth, we subconsciously lean that ladder against our parents. We depend on them to take care of us. As we grow older, we move the ladder of hope over to our own ability to take care of ourselves. For some of us that means we lean our ladder on talent, looks, popularity, wealth, a relationship, a career.....whatever we think will sustain us and hold us up. If you're a Christian, you involve God by begging Him not to let your ladder fall.

Usually the only time that I think about hope is when I'm feeling hopeless, helpless, or in despair. It's at these times that I realize that the wall I placed my ladder against wasn't as secure as I thought it was. When my ladder falls down, I feel hopeless. This simple illustration really opened up my eyes and forced me to ask the question "Where is my ladder?" The saracasm in me wants to shout back "It's hanging up in the garage!" But what is it that I have placed my hope in to hold me up? Is it my job? my family? an ideal situation? I've realized that I've felt hopeless because I placed my ladder against a wall that is destined to crumble. Paul says in Romans 8:21 that creation is in "bondage to decay." There is nothing in this world that is secure enough to hold me up (and that's not because I'm fat). If I want to put my hope in something secure, I need to move my ladder. I love what Psalm 33:22 says "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Andy Stanley put it this way "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we lean our ladder against you." I can find hope in a world that is hopelessly broken.

Welcome Sinner

I used to think the word "blog" was more of a bathroom term, but here I am blogging - throwing out my personal thoughts for the world to see. It will probably take me a while to figure it all out, but you have to start somewhere so here goes nothing.

We have a sign outside our church that says Welcome Center. (it's actually inside on the floor right now because we're having some work done to the exterior of our church)

The welcome center is connected to our sanctuary and mainly serves as a place to find information and be greeted by a church member. Riveting information, I know. Anyway,as I passed by this sign the other day, I wondered if there is a church that would be so bold as to put up a sign that said "Welcome Sinner". If we were to place that sign outside of our church would it be false advertising? Is this a place where sinners are welcome? The obvious answer is yes of course because we are all sinners. While that is true, I think we as Christians sometimes develop a mentality that we no longer fall under that category.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Interestingly enough God has always been after the riff raff - the ones that society (and the church) rejected. Rahab was a prostitute, Moses was a murderer, David was an adulterer and a murderer, Zaccheus was a tax collector (and a wee little man), and Paul was a Christian hater. The list could go on and on. God uses sinners. In fact, everyone that God has used has met that prerequisite.

The cool part about this is that means God can use me because I am a sinner. The challenging part is that it also means God wants to use people who are not inside our church. It's not about introducing them to our building, our programs, our staff, our church members or making sure they are greeted and welcomed. Sinners don't need a church, they need a Savior. Getting involved in a fellowship of believers will come after they become a part of the Body of Christ. I'll sadly admit that I need to work on this. As a youth minister, I love to have a lot of kids show up, regardless of their reason for being there. I need to be consistently intentional about introducing sinners to the Savior every time I have the opportunity. They need to know that my church is a place where that can happen. Welcome Sinner.