Last night I had the privilege of attending the NBA All-Star Jam Fest in downtown Phoenix. It was an incredible event. I actually managed to learn from the way they did things.
As you entered the Jam Fest they had a row of volunteers waiting in a high five line. There were flash bulbs going off, screaming fans, game announcers, the whole nine yards just as you were walking in. What a great way to greet people. You make them feel like they are the people everyone is here to see. It is definitely a concept we should pull into ministry more often. If you want to do the full arena effect then more power to you but even a simple high five or handshake can turn a persons entire attitude toward church around.
The next learning experience for me came from the players and workers. Everyone was accessible. It wasn't impossible for you to get your favorite players autograph or ask him a question. You could easily talk to, and have fun with the staff and volunteers. I didn't meet a single person who was acting like they didn't want to be there. Everyone genuinely looked and acted excited the entire night. It should be so much easier to do this at church. I've talked before about the concept of church needing to be exciting. We should love being in a place where people are hearing the gospel for the first time. If volunteers for the NBA can get pumped volunteers in God's house better start showing excitement.
Lastly, I learned that when everyone does their job, things run smoothly. This one is pretty easy. Everyone had a place and role and they all stuck too it. There were workers who stayed in the same spot the entire night, but they did so with a smile. Each worker had a task and I never asked a question that could not be answered. If I didn't get the answer I was looking for it was because I was asking the wrong person so I was directed elsewhere. We should be able to do this as a church. We should be prepared to fill our role in whatever ministry we are a part of and we should keep our mouth shut if we don't know the answers.
I learned a ton from a great event. I really enjoyed the way the NBA put this event together. They are doing a great job and I can't wait to experience something like this again!
I had a chance to visit one of the most dynamic youth ministries in the country last night and it freakin' pumped me up!
Pastor Sam and I went down to ELEVATE at Tucson Victory Assembly last night and man was it worth the trip. God is doing so many incredible things in their ministry. They had incredible worship, and awesome pastor, and most importantly a deep move of God.
After service we had the chance to go out with Pastor Waylon and he let us in on the secret to success in their ministry...
Prayer & Fasting.
Man how I've missed that. I do pray everyday. I've fasted before. But God still needs me to use my own mind to make things great right? Well the answer is of course he wants us to use it, but the greatest ideas won't come from the mind they will come from Him speaking to your Heart. I believe that what pastor Waylon mentioned about praying and fasting is groundbreaking. They do both, and the results are unmatchable. I think ministries across the world have to get back to basics. I believe that leaders pray but maybe not enough. I know he challenged me. He pushed me back to mothers milk mode and then God let me know that he just wants to talk. Instead of trying to figure everything out by myself, or with a team, or through and book, why not ask God how he feels about how we worship Him?
I know pastor Waylon challenged me and I hope his key ingredient challenges your ministry. Let's get back to basics. Let's spend hours on our knees before God instead of hours submerged in a book or blog written by man. I think the latter is important but it should never overtake the first.
Click here to check out my cousin, Estevan's website. He is an 11 year old boy who is a lot stronger than most men. He developed a tumor on his brain that was later diagnosed as cancerous. Right now he is going through the fight as well as trying to be a normal preteen kid. Go check out his story!
This weekend I had the opportunity to learn in a way that I never have before. It was a crazy weekend mixed with my dad being admitted to the hospital, sleeping on a cot, and being a passenger in a car sliding sideways on ice.
The thing is that I managed to stay in a good mood the entire time. I don't know how it happened, but it happened. I spent all night Thursday and early into Friday morning waiting for my dad to be admitted into the hospital. The emotions of that were overwhelming. I had no clue what what was wrong my dad, I felt helpless, and all I could think about is that it would effect him for a long time. I was worried that he wouldn't be the same. I knew he was fine but I didn't know what the lasting effects of whatever happened would be. After they ran test after test after test I chose to leave for a winter retreat that I was a guest at. My mentor spoke at the event and I was going along with him to learn and speak some. So within a 36 hour period I went from the ER to sleeping on hospital room sofa cushions, to driving up north to hang with a bunch of students I didn't know at all. To say the least I was a little bit disarray.
When we arrived up north everything changed quickly. I knew that these students didn't know what was going on in my life and that the focus of the weekend was on their lives. I knew that God was planning on reaching those students and that he would take care of my stress privately. So I smiled, unpacked, and fellowshipped with each and every student. We played games all weekend, spent time talking, and even had a chance to go sledding. I learned how to adapt to students that I am not normally around. I learned that no matter what church a student goes to they still like to have fun, they still make me laugh more than adults, and they all have very real struggles in life. Somehow no matter what is going on in those students lives they still managed to make me feel welcomed and appreciated even though they had just met me. I ran on little sleep, cold showers, and a few phone calls here and there to check on my dad; but none of that effected my mood. For the first time in my life I can honestly say that in a stressful circumstance I managed to stay joyful the entire time. God placed me in the right spot around the right demographic of people that would allow me to focus on something other than my stresses a home.
It was a great learning experience and a blessing from God to be able to go to that retreat. The lesson I learned about myself and my God will stick with me forever. He knows exactly what I need and somehow provides for me each and every time.
How has God met your needs in the past week? Maybe a phone call from a friend?, a few extra dollars to by groceries?, maybe a church that surrounds you with people that care?
I love church! Whoa, I can't believe I just said that...
Two years ago I would do everything I could to miss a service. I wanted to hang out with friends, make stupid decisions, and be a teenager. The last thing I wanted to do was go to church. It's been a weird love/hate relationship between me and the church. I loved all my friends and leaders at church, shoot, I even enjoyed the service. What I couldn't stand was the feeling I had every time I would walk in after doing something stupid. I knew that I wasn't living the life I should and walking into the church did nothing but make me feel guilty.
In a way, the church was doing it's job. If I was going to attend church every week and fake that I was in a deep relationship with Christ, I should feel awkward. I should feel like I need to change, like something isn't right, like there is so much more. On the other hand I shouldn't feel condemned, and I never did. As I'm older now and God has changed my life radically I see that people knew. That my pastor, friends, and leaders knew that something was wrong. They even had the discernment to know in detail what things were clouding my life. The thing is that not a single one ever condemned me. They all loved me, welcomed me, wanted to spend time with me, and tried to keep me away from the things that were holding me back.
Now that my life is different and I am an active part of my church, I love it whole heartedly. I love how when your relationship with God extends to your everyday life, church feels like a party for everyone who has been talking to God throughout the week. Church is a place to collaborate with people who have been where I have and people who are experiencing life before Christ. It's a place where I can grow, worship, and hang out with people that I will spend eternity with. It's not even about the music, sermon, or multi-media, for me it's about being in a place that feels slightly like heaven. It's a place where every race, age, and social status can come together and worship a God that transcends all creation.
It's back to work for me. Today marks the opening of Spring Training for me. The A's truck will arrive in Phoenix and I am going to spend the day unloading that truck and preparing the clubhouse for players, coaches, and staff.
I can't wait for the season to begin. If you don't already know, I work for the Oakland Athletics during Spring Training and the Arizona Diamondbacks regular season. I have grown up playing baseball and have a heart to see the players changed and living for God. I want this season to be different. I want to take the initiative to be able to witness to the players and my co-workers. I know God doesn't need me, but at the same time I believe he has put me where I am for a specific reason.
The most influential people in the world are the ones who need God for our sake. They are the ones kids admire and adults want to be. It's the athletes, actors, musical artist. This demographic of influence has the potential to do so much for the Kingdom. I believe that God has put me in a place to influence. I serve the players and I know that by doing so I have an in that most people don't. Being able to be around world renown people allows them to let there guard down, which in turn allows the Holy Spirit to work it's way to the heart.
Again, I believe this year will be different. I know God is going to use me in huge ways. I'm prepared and better equipped to share the gospel with these people. I know that God has heard my prayer and will provide opportunities for me to witness. I know that others are constantly praying for me as though I'm a missionary to a strange foreign land. In some ways it feels like I am...
Who are you called to reach? What is your demographic.
Where can you witness somewhere that nobody else is?
This is "Her Morning Elegance" by Oren Lavie. He is a singer, song writer, playwright, and theater director from Tel Aviv. This video to me is an example of pure human creativity. It's great to see what gift God has given to all people. He created us with just a hint of the creativity he has himself. It's in all of us.
What have you done to cause your creativity to thrive?
I feel extremely blessed. I'm not about to sit here and tell you how great I am, but instead how great my God is. He provides all my needs. He died on a cross for me. He prayed for me before he died on that cross. He rose again three days later and still wants to spend time with me in eternity. He opens a countless amount of doors in my life. He protects and guides me. He loves and forgives me.
Now get something from this. He doesn't just do this for me, but for all of us. I am a screw up. I have made a ton of mistakes and stupid decisions in my life but for some reason God still loves me. It's almost like when Jesus died it took that sin away from me (note the sarcasm. I know it did). I don't know if you know this or not but I am so pumped up about Christ redeeming power that my whole life is about sharing it with others.
I feel blessed to be called into full time ministry to share Jesus with students that are at a place I was in life. They are constantly being influenced by a corrupt world. I pray that if one thing gets across to the students I will someday pastor, it's that they don't have to find their value and joy in sin. God is more than enough for all of our needs.
I know you may say you know all this. You may have heard it in church your whole life. But do you get it? Do you get it, or do you still make the same stupid decisions you did before God blessed you and brought you into His kingdom? Think about the decisions you will make today. Are you still going to go to that bar after work? Are you still going to check out that website on your computer? Are you still going to make that phone call, even though you know it's someone you shouldn't be talking to? Are you still going to tell your kids not to do something that you do all the time?
Last night I had the privilege of attending the NBA All-Star Jam Fest in downtown Phoenix. It was an incredible event. I actually managed to learn from the way they did things.
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