Filed under: Entertainment, Uncategorized | Tags: barbarian way, gladiator, guy movies, Religion
I hit the Monday wall and caved yesterday after the craziest school year I can remember. I went to Blockbuster and rented Gladiator. This one liner came back to me almost immediately…
“What we do in life echoes in eternity”-Maximus
What are some of your favorite one liners?
Filed under: Element High School Ministry, Youth Ministry | Tags: element youth st. johns
this is a letter I read to our students our last night at Element St. Johns. We felt it really fit the mood and anticipation for our futures….. It is an excerpt of a blog from our good friends Jamie and Byron from ‘To Write Love on Her Arms’.
i hope you feel less alone when you look in the mirror. i hope it reminds you of community, that you’re part of a bigger thing. i hope it sparks some conversation that brings change like a fire on the coldest night.
You’ll need more than us. You’ll need more and better. You’ll need other people. You’ll need people to help you process, people to help you let go, people to help you remember what’s true and people to help you forget what’s lies. You’ll need the stories and advice of people with gray hair or white hair or no hair at all. Don’t buy the lie that suggests they have nothing to offer or nothing to say – they were young once too. They are stories still going and they’ve seen the places you will go. They’ve been stuck at times as well, just like you and me and everyone.
You’ll need coffee shops and sunsets and road trips. Airplanes and passports and new songs and old songs, but people more than anything else. You will need other people and you will need to be that other person to someone else, a living breathing screaming invitation to believe better things.
We’re saying the story doesn’t end here, that the air in your lungs is there for a reason. Perhaps we’re all in the business of better endings, you as much as us, the business of redemption. Yours and mine and all the characters around us, and perhaps that bigger thing. i’ll steal from Bono here and tell you that i believe we’re far from alone in this, that God’s been at this for a long time, this business of buying things back, making things new. If this is starting to sound too Churchy or spiritual, i’ll simply say that i believe God…(cares)… about your life, about your story, about your pain. And if those possibilities feel too far or they just sound weird, then rest now and we’ll get back to people….
Filed under: Element High School Ministry, Youth Ministry | Tags: element st. johns, grief
This is a guest blog from a great friend of mine, Tom Lester. He’s headed up our high school band for the past 19 months at ‘Element St. Johns’. This entry, written Jan. 15,speaks so much to what Element has been, & to the pain of 2009 – as we’ve lost 4 all under the age of 34 in just one month.
Last night, instead of having our normal Wednesday night youth service (called “Element“), we had a memorial service for two of our teens that died in a car wreck. It was a sobering experience for sure. This photo was taken at the table where kids wrote notes, prayers, and memories for their friends and left it at the table.
Those who know me well know that I’m not big “griever”. However, those who know me well also know that I do get deeply saddened by events like this. My son asked me last night if I was sad for the two kids who died. I told him “no… but I am sad about the pain that their friends and family are going through”. I didn’t know them well. I didn’t really even know them at all, but I know they were loved by many who will miss them dearly. For me, dying isn’t the sad part. It’s the void in the lives left behind that is sad.
Last night, I found myself thinking of lyrics to a song by Peter Gabriel as I watched the tears flow down many kids faces. Peter writes, “There’s nothing yet has really sunk in, Looks like it always did”. When I showed up last night, it was like any other night. Even with with photos of the kids, candles, and cards it was hard to “get it” that two of our teens were gone. I don’t even think their friends were getting it. I saw some walk around the place with a smile on their face, laughing with friends and then it would hit them and their face would change. Tears would roll down their face. Even if it was just for a moment.
I grieve for those left behind that have to deal with the new huge void in their lives.
I Grieve
It was only one hour ago
It was all so different then
Theres nothing yet has really sunk in
Looks like it always did
This flesh and bone
Its just the way that you would tied in
Now theres no-one home
Filed under: Youth Ministry
In a survey of a diverse cross section of our students who were leaders last summer, I found myself very surprised by what I learned. I’d like to ask a variation on those questions here to see what results I get from you. The first, about draw.
The second: about staying power.
Thanks for your votes!
Filed under: Family, Religion, Youth Ministry | Tags: adolescents, influence, nywc, parents, pastors, peers
At the National Youth Worker Conference last week, I heard a stat that peaked my interest. For the first time in a long time, the #1 influence on students is no longer ‘parents’. So what say you….which live person (outside of Jesus) is the #1 spiritual influence on your life? There are no wrong answers (unless you say it’s Tom from Myspace)…
Tomorrow’s going to be 39 degrees outside during Element at St. Johns. Inside, we’re planning on having pumpkin pie, cheesecake, and chocolate cake. We can’t decide on the hot drink. Which do you want…coffee or hot chocolate? Make your voice heard!
Filed under: Celebration Church, Youth Ministry | Tags: nashville, national youth workers convention, youth specialties
It’s been 3 years since I last attended the NYWC put on by Youth Specialties. It was a neat time that brought our youth team together as our youth ministry was taking on a multi-site look. I can point to that trip as a passing of the torch to middle school pastor Josh Turner and myself, as it was the biggest youth thing we’d ever been to.
This Friday, we take that trip again. This time, with our current youth staff… John Wyatt, Sean Kelly, Josh T., and myself. We’re at a unique point in our youth ministry history. Last time we went, we had 2 youth groups that totaled around 200 people. Now, we have 7 distinct youth ministries, with separate middle and high school groups at 3 separate campuses, and a thriving college group of 150+ at our Midtown Campus. I’d dare say there are 700 active students amongst those 7 groups. We currently have 3 more Florida campuses who will very likely launch youth ministries in the next 12 months. God is clearly entrusting a lot within us 4 leaders during this time.
Here’s what I’m looking forward to at NYWC, my first conference since Fermi Project’s Q Conference last April.
Filed under: Celebration Church, Youth Ministry | Tags: dreams come true, miracle offering, student ownership, year of a million dreams
What’s the value of our dreams coming to life if they die with us?
Or how about the dreams we give nothing towards receiving?
The first post I had in “do youth work” was advice for those who aspire to do youth ministry. In this post, let’s shift the perspective. What kind of ‘work’ should the youth do?
This week, I had the opportunity to speak with 3 of the most dynamic Christian leaders I know….
- Cristine Caine from Hillsong Australia- Intrnl speaker who also speaks at Joyce Meyer Conferences
- Spencer Boulter(6:8 Mnstrs-Costa Rica)in 12 months they’ve grown fr/ hosting 8 to 28 teams a year
- and Pastor Stovall Weems of Celebration Church-grown our church fr/ 7 to 10,000+ in 10 years
This is what they all said one way or another about this generation of teenagers.
- Cristine said youth ministry should-like Hillsongs United- be the leadership factory of the church.
- Spencer said if students can be trusted to minister abroad, we must trust them to minister here too.
- Pastor Stovall unveiled our global mandate to unleash the church planters and missionaries of tomorrow from within our ministries.
Students, in every nook and cranny of the world, must have ownership in ministry, otherwise they will simply be spectators that someday stop ‘getting their season tickets’….either when their ’season’ as a teen is over, or when some other ‘dream’ is presented to them that they believe they can achieve.
Many of those competing dreams are so small. Popular culture has dumbed down dream beyond belief.
Every night at Disney’s Epcot in Orlando, tens of thousands of dollars of fireworks go off for upwards of 30-45 minutes. As I watched this spectacle this past winter, I wondered…what’s the big message. Then it became clear, “Believe in your dreams”. This was such a theme that for the year of 2008, Disney has been running a promotion called, “Year of a Million Dreams”, where they’re giving away 1 million ‘dreams come true’ prizes.
910,000 of those dreams are worth between $4.76 and $16.75. Get a free dessert buffet. Stay late, or get a fastpass! And of course, a big dream come true for us all, free Mickey Mouse ears ($16.75 value). Is that the stuff dreams are made of?
This generation must invest in, strive for, and own a God-given dream. A dream that won’t die with us, but will continue for generations to come. That’s another reason I believe this miracle offering Nov. 15-16 for our Celebration Arena is for teens as well as adults. We must build this ‘Launchpad’ together…with our treasure, time, and talents. We believe from Celebration Church, God will launch thousands of future Christian leaders who will plant hundreds of churches and missions projects. I know so many of the hundreds of teens within our 8 different youth ministries at Celebration Church…at every campus from Hardee to Midtown. I really believe you teens will make millions of God dreams come true for people.
Students, give to God’s dreams for not just you, but the generations that follow you. In this way, you can truly make 2008 the ‘Year of a Million Dreams’.
-Big John
Filed under: Celebration Church, Family, Youth Ministry | Tags: dreams come true, giving, miracle offering
The weekend of Nov. 15 culminates in our Imagine Miracle Offering. Today, during our fasting and praying, I really was struck that every day has been a miracle offering from God to me. And that the church Rachel and I call home is a big part of His miracle offering to us.
We both grew up in small churches with very small youth groups. We really didn’t have anyone modeling to us what a good marriage looked like for a young Christian couple. I had big dreams in my heart to be the youth worker God had called me to be. I stood in a stadium in 1995 in Tampa FL at a Promisekeepers event, and there I heard God tell me that I’d be a man for Him, and that I’d make a difference.
It didn’t feel like I was making much of a difference 5 years ago when we first got married. After moving to Jax, Rachel and I began looking for a church. We visited a couple of churches, but no door opened even for me to be a youth volunteer…much less in a leadership position. At one chuch a guy told me I needed to help with stacking tables for 2 years, and then, maybe, maybe then i could become a youth volunteer. I was an 9 year vet of youth ministry, and sitting on my porch while a hurricane was swelling off the Florida coast in 2004, I wrote in my journal that maybe my time as a youth pastor was over.
then God’s miracle offering came to me.
Filed under: Youth Ministry | Tags: building influence, coaching, do youth work, substitute, teaching, youth pastors
‘
do youth work’ is my every Friday insight into youth ministry, a continuation of the conversations I find myself having all week with dozens of youth pastors, workers, volunteers, and leaders. i hope it’s a blessing to you- big John
In January 09, I hit the 14 year mark of working in youth ministry. At age 20, I hit the youth ministry streets full of vigor and fire. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew I loved God and loved kids.
With every year that passes, it gets easier and easier to become the dull knife in the drawer. Those competing for the hearts and minds of this generation seem to get younger (and cooler) , so you lose your “I relate to kids” age advantage faster than you can say Hanson. I found one of the best ways to bridge the divide is to go to schools. Not just for lunches. But to really ‘get your boots on the ground’ again.
Boots on the Ground is a mentality that comes from our military. As people are promoted and move up the ranks, those enlisted men will use the expression about who’s down and dirty every day and who’s not. It’s easy as a youth worker to find the wheels on your desk chair can get more worn down than those on your car.
Filed under: Celebration Church, Youth Ministry | Tags: Element High School Ministry, st johns county florida, Youth Ministry
Since my last update, we’ve had unprecedented growth at St. Johns Element for High School students. The last parent connect update I gave said this…
“We have a large number of influencers entrusted to us” and “A majority of our students in this mobile environment want to make this ministry much larger.” At that time, St. Johns Element’s record high school student crowd had been 85 students (May 2008 at the Blameless concert). Since that blog on September 12, we’ve broken that number 3 times, with 2 nights over 100 students.
Today’s the day we bury Ben. So many things run through my head on all of this..as in just under 2 hours I’ll be getting to the church preparing to somehow apply God’s word to wounds that are deeper and wider than can be fathomed.
Last night, I stood at his casket, hands on the side, and looked at the shell that was his body. His spirit is gone….. in the casket there were a couple cans of kodiak, a pair of racing goggles, a cross blessed by the pope that Big Ben got for him, a racing magazine, a letter from his sister, a toy motorcycle, and a couple other articles.
2 hours later, I was at Jason’s house, peering over into little Grayson’s crib. His eyes wide open, stairing at the puppy toys rotating above his head. it’s like he was just taking everything in…
And I knew that back some 17 years ago, Ben was in a place just like that.
And that last Tuesday, Ben’s wide eyes were opened for what seemed like the first time to him…like that baby, he was a newborn in the kingdom of God….seeing things he couldn’t have even dreamed.
1 Cor. 15:19-”And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.”
Filed under: Religion, Youth Ministry | Tags: bartram trail high school, ben geiger, creekside, jacksonville, motocross, motorcross, st. augustine florida
Last night at 9:45 pm one of the guys in the band I led bible studies for last year gave me a call. Landon told me his friend Ben, age 17, had died in a motorcross accident during some practice time.
Since 1995 I’ve gotten calls like this…. and I don’t think we’re ever ready for any of them. Kelly Hawkins died that year as I had just started working as a youth minister. That crushed my life beyond recognition. In the years since… Grandpa, Aunt Joyce, Emilio, Johnny, John, …the list just goes on.
Ben was a student of mine back in my high school teaching days. As a freshman and Junior, I got to know this kid…and during his junior year, he started coming to Celebration Church with his friends on Wednesday nights.
Today he’s gone. On September 16 of his senior year, he died tragically. The phone has not stopped ringing. I can’t finish one text without receiving another. Myspace is melting down with heartache. We hit both high schools today in our area, and both almost ran out of tissues. His family called back this afternoon, I spent some time with them, and I can’t find any words to describe one bit of this.
I love you Ben. You’re a trickster and quite possibly the funniest kid I ever met. Your friends are just ruined today. I lost count of the number of kids who cried around me at both schools-not to mention the middle school kids that look up to you. A days like a thousand years in heaven, so this earth is far behind you. For us, this day has been a long day too. See you on the other side.
For friends of Ben, feel free to leave a comment here with a story about Ben… I’m going to share a few at his funeral and others with his family. thanks so much.
Big John
Filed under: Celebration Church, Religion, Youth Ministry | Tags: celebration st johns campus, mobile youth ministry, st johns county florida
As more and more parents are visiting this site to get info on the heart and soul of our youth ministry, I wanted to offer this blog as a quick update on how our summer went for our high school students, and where we’re headed for them this all.
Our summer was basically divided in 3 parts: 1 prayer, Camp and Costa, and Rush Week/Fay
1 Prayer: For 4 consecutive weeks, our high school students got to chill in an ‘element unplugged’ atmosphere, and were treated with hearing from all of our Celebration youth pastors. Sean Kelly came out in first to share his paryer, ‘Lord make us desperate’- an appeal to worship God as our lives depended on it. Pastor Josh Turner came out with his prayer, “Lord make us trusting”, sharing his unique experience as a father to 2 children. Pastor John Wyatt came and shared, “Lord make us participators”, urging students from the seats to the fields of play in the ministry. I finished up with “Lord make us Multipliers”, urging our students to be part of a movement of God focused outwardly, even to the extent of praying about being part of ARC’s vision to plant 2000 churches by 2020.
Costa and Camp: You can check out stories from Costa here. We took 10 teens from St. Johns Campus. Rachel and I both went on this trip to build upon the foundational work that 6:8 ministries has been doing in the poorest areas of San Jose, Costa Rica for a few years now. Camp was a special time with Healing Place Church, especially with messages from our youth pastors along with Jason Laird and Tyler Tullos from HPC.
Rush Week was 4 nights in August ushering in the new year. Every Celebration Youth Pastor shared, as we tackled the ‘Deadly Viper Character Assassins’ in our Rush Series, “Guard Your Heart”. It was a kung fu inspired look at the weapons the enemy uses to dismantle us, with the main focus being our offensive and defensive postures in this carnage known as adolescence in the 21st century. Rush was followed by Tropical Storm Fay, which put off school for a day or 2, and also had Element’s Cunningham location shut down by the school board due to the uncertainties.
All in all, these 3 distinct seasons left me with a huge task and vision for week to week operations of Element St. Johns….
Filed under: Celebration Church, Youth Ministry | Tags: bartram trail, cr 210, creekside, high school, julington creek, mandarin, nease, roberts road, st johns county youth ministry, st. augustine
After tropical storm fay and her whackiness, our school calendar finally began this week. i can’t express how relieved, excited, nervous, anticipaitious (is that a word?) I am.
We begin our ‘Urban Legends’ series tonight at St. Johns Element, our high school youth ministry reaching the Bartram Trail and Creekside High Schools (and a few students from Nease High and Mandarin too!). If you haven’t checked out our weekly ministry, here are a couple fast facts
-Celebration Church is 10 years old, and has a weekly attendance of 6000-7000 on average
-We have 6 youth services on Wednesday nights, scattered across Northeast Florida. There are some 450-550 students attending these services.
-The idea behind a localized ‘campus’ youth ministry like St. Johns is that our students who love God and their friends can find a local expression of the worship, messages, fellowship, fun, food, etc that is geographically easier to bring their friends to….and also helps keep students from getting ‘lost in the shuffle’.
We meet in 3 counties on Wednesday nights. Duval county- at our Midtown Campus near the town center. Clay Count- at our O.P. Campus on Kingsley, and St. Johns Campus, at Cunningham Elementary School at 7pm. You can find more information at www.element633.com.
Lookin forward to speaking tonight. Schools in for fall! (cue Alice Cooper sequel song to school’s out for summer)….
