I Love College

I know everyone has heard that song “I love College”

1. Today is a a total new direction in my life, I am back in college!
2. Its a lot different then the last time I went.
3. I have a speech class that in 3 weeks has a open anything goes speech due. I may preach a sermon
4. It would be super cool if God used me to get salvation’s in my college speech class.
5. I was walking to the University Center after my second class and they had a outside DJ blasting Music in my ear, it made me feel like I was in a reality T.V show like the hills or real world, Weird!
6. Does anyone else get frustrated when people don’t call you back after you have called them several times, makes me not want to talk to that person anymore.
7. Last night was Doug and Mellissa’s last night at Cathedral of the Hills, I got really sad for the first time in a long time.
8. 3 years ago, God delivered me from drinking, partying, girls, and made me a pastor and my life was forever changed at Overflow College Ministries. WOW!
9. I start class to sell farmers insurance this wednesday night. Not exactly a church job like I want, but God has a plan.
10. People told me by selling insurance that I may forget my call, they are dumb! Paul didnt forget his call when he made tents, if anything this will make me a better resource for the kingdom.
11. College is deffiantly a mission field. Im excited about the challenge.
12. Yesterday Nicole and I went to church together, without me having to preach. It was really fun to just be able to go to church.
13. I am ready to be married!
14. I love Nicole!

New Directions

1. I am entering a new season in my life, one that I did not want to enter, but God has a plan, and I love the fact the he loves me and will take care of me!
2.  I am on the job hunt, its not as fun as it sounds.
3. I love hanging out at panera bread. I think they would make more money if they had more plug-ins though.
4. I had coffee with Chris Smith, the youth pastor at peopleschurch.tv today. He is a great guy and a even greater youth pastor.  He really gets what its all about, If you need to know how to make a youth group explode, I suggest that you connect with him.
5. I was having a bad day yesterday, then I got in the bible and re-read the book of Job. Wow I think I got it good!
6. I miss nicole a whole lot, she loves my good, bad, and very bad.
7. I miss muskogee and my family, If I would have followed Gods original plan I would still be there. Lucky for me God makes all things new!
8. I got to talk to Pastor Jason from Muskogee yesterday and today. When I am having a bad day I love talking to him, his joy is contagious, people like that in your life are a must.
9. I really have a fire in my heart to preach the gospel, I hope this will become possible soon.
10. I am close to being out of debt, I have made big strides the past couple of months
11. I got to talk to a old friend today that went through a huge fire. It was great talking to him. Pastors, we have to stick together, even through the bad!
12.  Nicole and I need a church home, I think I have it  down to a couple that we wil pick from.
13.  Im starting something called 21 days of renewal, I will tel more about that later

Change..

“We use a lot of creativity and new technology, cutting edge things to use in our church, some of us have turned from being contempory all together,but really what it comes down to is God changing a life, if God is going to change a life it will be on the other side us forgeting what we think we know about Church and letting God direct our path. As Simon Peter we must also push out into deeper water to get deeper results.”

God has really burned this statment into my heart. My prayer has become God let your will be done. That’s it. I really used to have this philosophy that change was the end all be all. Change is good, but I really think that we need to change with purpose not just to change for the sake of change.
I really believe that we as a christians have lost a lot of faith in the power of God. We can be old tradition church, pupose driven, seeker sensitive, contempory, emergent, we can be all these things. Is one of them better? I really think not. When it comes down to it, God will still move and he inhabbits the praises of his people. I really believe it comes down to this. Is God changing people through your church? If not what can we change to make sure we are relating to a culture that does not know God? Is your church effective at reaching people? If not what can we change?

Just a thought

Josh

Have you ever been Flogged?

I have this problem where I work too much. I don’t think its a bad problem.
I have really been learning the importance of having family time and time for rest. Both are biblical and very important.

Having said that, I do have a off the wall perspective on youth ministry and ministry as a whole that most will not agree with.
“Your Ministry will only grow as much as you are willing to suffer” . I know that sounds terrible and not fun at all. Ministry especially youth ministry to me is fun. Long hours hanging with leaders, planning services, hours of prayer, door to door outreach, going to schools. This to me is fun! So what do I mean we have to suffer? If we want and pray for a acts church, the church who added 3000 in a day, the church we all try to model after, then we truly have to do what they did. Paul says in 1 Cor. he becomes a Jew for the Jews and a gentile for the gentiles. He also says Run to win. He did not say be stuck in our own ideas and philosophy’s on how ministry should be. He didn’t say run to be second, third, or fourth. There was no bronze metal in the acts church. They lived on this principle. We have to tell the world about Jesus and save them from hell. Wow that seems so simple! It is! I think sometimes we put ministry in this box of roses. Ministry will not always be fun. Sometimes we can be stressed, Sometimes we can feel like quiting, sometimes we feel like we are hitting a brick wall. It is not easy being a Pastor. Sometimes we work so hard without any result. However I live by the principle if you are going to go somewhere you have never been then you have to do something you have never done.
I challenge us to realize it is not all roses and rainbows. Pastors in acts were flogged!! When is the last time you got flogged? When is the last time you truly suffered and felt even a little of what they felt in those days? I’m not condemning, just asking. Have you suffered? Have you done something you have never done?

We really have to get out of that silly traditional legal principle that ministry is 8 to 5 in our offices. Paul went where the people were at. He didn’t set and wait and wander why is youth group or church was small. When is that last time you did a outreach? When is that last time you walked houses in the community? When is the last time you went to a football practice? When is the last time you went to any kind of game?

You do not have to agree with my suffering philosophy. However no one can deny that God is a God who blesses those who dig the ditches, then he sends the rain. Just a thought.

In Gods Love,

Josh

Thursday Download

1. Last night was a awesome Youth Leaders Meeting at the FLAG!
2. We picked a new Brand and got logos worked out.
3. Vintage Youth Ministries “Be who God made you to be”
4. I’m working on getting podcast set up for youth and for Pastor Gene, this stuff is kind of complicated.
5. I am filled with Vision!
6. God showed be so much in my prayer time last night that I couldn’t stop crying
7. Incredible things are on the horizon
8. I miss Nicole more then anything right now!!
9. I miss my Aunt Robin and all the People at M1A
10. I’m learning so much from my new Pastor, I’m excited about all the knowledge I am gaining
11. I’m excited about prayer tonight, I cant believe more churches don’t have prayer meeting! Read fresh wind fresh fire then you will wish you had prayer services at your church.
12. I got to talk to my mentor PJ at M1A on the phone last night, hey that rhymed! That guy is such a man of God and has taught me so much. It is good to keep in touch with him
13. You might only find 2 or 3 God friendships in life, so hold on to them!!
14. I am in no way qualified, but I am thinking of writing a book called Sinner turned Pentecostal ha ha.
15. Our first Youth Service is planed for June 10th. Exodus the rap group will be live.
16. I am so stinking pumped about the future of Family Life and Vintage Youth. God is fixing to pour out some God sized increase!
17. God has been dealing with me a lot over the past couple of weeks on Loving People more then we preach to them, I’ll explain more later.
18. I have a dream to be a worship leader!
19. I wish I could sing.
20. I think it would be cool to be a singing preacher.
21. I love and miss Nicole a whole lot