A Weekend of Huge Blessings

Huge Blessing Number One:
Friday at 1pm Krista and I were handed the keys to our new house. That was a pretty surreal moment. We still can't believe it. We had been looking forward to that day for years. Now we own a house and not just any house but a house we love and can't believe we have been blessed with. Of course after receiving the keys we had to go celebrate so we headed over to Chewys, one of our favorite restaurants and ate a late lunch and said things back and forth to each other like, "Can you believe we own a house?" and "Did that really just happen?" So Friday was a great day in which God blessed us in an amazing way.

Huge Blessing Number Two:
Saturday I had my DTS class all day so Krista took advantage of me being gone to get some of the girls in the youth group as well as our lady youth leaders and my fabulous Mom to help her paint the living room and kitchen of the new casa. Amazingly they knocked all of that painting out in an afternoon. That was a huge blessing. Krista was blown away by how many people wanted to help out and how eager they were to serve. After class I got to go to the house to see it and it looked awesome. Those girls rock. That was such a huge blessing to me personally because I would have had to do a lot of that painting if they hadn't served us in that way. That was a great act of love on their part and Krista and I felt very blessed again.

Huge Blessing Number Three:
Saturday night Jason and Beth, two of our youth leaders, call and ask me and Krista to see if they can come and see the house and then go out to eat. Now Beth had already helped paint the house but Jason had not seen it yet. So they came over and said nice things like, "I really like it" and "y'all did a great job picking this out" and other nice things you say to new homeowners. Then we went out to dinner and had some great Mexican food at Maudies. Then after dinner Jason insists on paying for our meal telling me that he won't let me pay because I just bought a house and I am probably dirt poor now. So that dinner was huge blessing number three.

Huge Blessing Number Four:
Sunday after first service Krista and I walk up to the High Dive to get things ready for The Gathering and there in the room is a huge cake in white and maroon with me and Krista's picture on it from outside of our new house. Next to the cake was an awesome tree in a very cool pot with cards tied the branches of the tree from different families within the church. They had thrown us a surprise party and the incredible Carol Hemphill had put it all together. She is amazing. Krista and I didn't know what to say. We felt so loved. When we headed home from church that day we opened up the cards and in them were lots of gift cards to our two new favorite stores Home Depot and Lowes. We couldn't believe it. What a huge blessing that was.

So this weekend was the weekend of blessings. Blessings from God and from the people in our church. Krista and I went back to our house last night and we talked about how cool it is to serve a loving God and to serve Him alongside of people that we love and love us. This weekend was a weekend we will always remember. Thanks everyone that had a part to play in it.

We are really blessed.

The NFL Draft

The NFL Draft was this weekend and so was my seminary class. At first I thought that was going to be a problem until I realized that the best weekend to have a seminary class is on Draft weekend. I say this only because of one beautiful fact; the class room in which I have DTS has wireless Internet and so I could be online the entire time. This made for a wonderful day of class on Saturday.

Seeing that I am in class from 9am to 4pm I was able to take some really good notes up to 11 when the draft started. Then after 11 I could manage a peak at the draft board on ESPN's website when my prof would get on a tangent, which he does often. I could see who had taken whom, read up on the pick in the chat box and then go back to taking notes. It was great. Seeing how the teams decided to not draft someone until the last second every time it gave me plenty of time to pay attention and yet the perfect thing to measure the day passing by and just enough to keep me entertained.

As for the draft itself the whole Brady Quinn thing was wild for awhile but the Browns ended up doing things right. I think Dallas did a pretty good job, I liked the trade with Cleavland, but I don't understand why we took a DE when we already have Ware and Ellis. We will have to see how that pans out. I think the Dolphins and the Eagles had the worst draft and I think the Patriots or the 49ers had the best. I can't believe the Patriots snagged Moss from the Raiders for a 4th round draft pick. That makes me sick. I don't see how anyone stops them this year. Oh well.

The Girls' Turn

I must admit, I am really enjoying this series. I hope I'm not alone in that.

It has been fun talking to the guys for the past few weeks and I really had a good time switching gears yesterday and addressing the girls. I am interested in getting some feedback from you though because that is the first time I have ever given a talk specifically to a group of girls. I hope what I said made sense. If there was any part of it that you have questions about I would love for you to post a question on here so I can try to answer it.

I also thought it was pretty funny/cool how Matt got engaged to the Lovely Lauren during this series. He says that decision was unrelated to these talks but I'm not buying it. In fact the next time I teach this series I am pretty sure I am going to have to mention that when I teach this stuff at least one person ends up getting engaged as a result. I think that might grab some one's attention. Anyway, congrats Matt. That is awesome.

Finally, I am really looking forward to next week. Not only do we get to hear in full the jr. high guys' answers to what a beautiful woman at 15 through 55 looks like, but we also get to hear from the Beautiful Krista. That should be fun. She is going to do an awesome job. I am excited that you girls will get to hear from her in this setting on this topic. I feel like God has given her a lot of wisdom in this area and I really want to give y'all a chance to soak it all in.

So yeah, that's what is going on in the Gathering from my perspective. Now it is your turn. Tell me what you think. I am just dying to hear.

24, Heroes & NBA Playoffs

So Heroes begins again tonight and 24 has taken a huge twist. TV land just got fun again. Then on top of that the basketball playoffs have started and so I think I might have to try to find some time to start watching the old big screen again. I hadn't updated this part of the blog in awhile because the beautiful Krista and me have not been watching much do to crazy schedules, but tonight I do believe we will be on the couch enjoying two great shows. For you 24 fan out there (Colin) I am interested in hearing what you think of the new direction the show has gone. Where do you think they are going with that? Who knows? That is why you have to love that show.

As for the NBA playoffs I have Cleveland and the Suns going to the Championship. The heat go down to the Bulls and the Don Nelson has Dirk's number and so the Mavs fall in the first round.

Guy Talks

Three straight weeks of talks geared towards being a young man of God can sting a bit. Yet, I really loved getting to talk straight with you guys about what it looks like to be a man of God. I always find these types of talks challenging and motivating. I don't know about you, but I want to be the man God wants me to be. I love that I am called to be an example of good and that God can give me the power to be self-controlled so that "after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified fro the prize" (1 Cor. 9:27). I love the idea that I can be used by God to do something great for Him...like reach this city and the students in this city.

How amazing would it be if our ministry was made up of guys that took this stuff seriously? Like if you guys really committed to live by a biblical code of conduct. Can you imagine the impact y'all could have if y'all pledged to be pure, honest, loyal, courageous, bold and servant leaders? And if you guys protected our girls and led them in what it looks like to follow hard after Christ in every area of their lives. And if y'all all gave yourself to a transcendent cause. If each one of you would just look to your own class room or band or lunch table or school and say this is what I am all about, seeing these people come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and then giving yourself to seeing that happen one day. What a huge thing that would be. By God's grace it can happen. We can be men that make a huge impact for God's kingdom. If only we will act like men.

I am interested in hearing from you guys about what we haven been talking about the past three weeks. I would love for you tell me what stood out and what challenged you and what you are doing as a result. I would also love to hear from the ladies about what you thought about these past three weeks and if you are ready for your turn starting this week.

I hope you all have a great week. I am looking forward to getting to see most of y'all on Wednesday.

Grace

So God has been incredibly good to me this past month. I mean really good. As you saw last week Krista and I bought a house. And not just any house, but a really awesome new house that we just love and can't wait to get to move into. On top of that, just the week before my Dad gave me his truck. Now you need to understand that I have wanted a truck for an incredibly long time. Krista can testify to that because I use to talk about how bad I wanted a truck all the time. Then on top of that, I love my Dad's truck. It is a man's truck. It is an old F-150 with just the right amount of dinks and dents to let you know that this truck has done its share of work but it has also been taken care of. It is a special truck. And now it is mine. I can't believe it.

I named the truck Grace. I always name my vehicles. My first car was called Daddy Long Doors because it was a tank and it only had two doors but the doors alone were the size of a Miata. I had to make sure no cars were coming on both sides of street if I was going to try to get in or out of that car because the doors were so long. Then I bought my Mustang which I appropriately named Mustang Sally after the great song by the same name. After I drove Mustang Sally into the ground I inherited Krista's Toyota Corolla that we named Cloe. Cloe the Corolla. I was happy to have a working car but I must admit I hated having to drive Cloe. It made me feel like less of a man. Even the horn on Cloe sounded feminine. I would get all angry and honk at someone and this polite little melodic sound would come out as if to say, "please don't hurt me but you are in my way and so if you would be so kind as to get out of the way if you want to then I would appreciate it but only if it is okay with you." I man can only go so long in a car like that before he finds himself listening to magic 95.5 and pulling over on the side of the road to admire some flowers. But then came the truck. Given as a free gift from my Dad to me. Given as a free gift to me because my Dad was given another vehicle from my Papaw as a free gift that enabled him to pass on his truck to me. So my truck was given as a free gift to me because another vehicle was given as a free gift my Dad. On top of that the way that my Dad first got the truck, that is now mine, was because it was given to him by incredibly godly man at Hill Country NW about ten years ago. Given the history of my truck the name Grace fits it like a glove. Grace, a free gift.

So yeah, God has been so good. In fact He has been so good to me over these past few weeks it has made me realize all the more what a good and awesome God we serve. For me, the backlash from the "health and wealth" gospel preachers has caused me to downplay the fact that God does like giving good gifts to his children (Matthew 7:9-11). I have realized I need to be able to separate the difference between trying to manipulate God into "blessing" me by doing good things or saying the right thing or having the right amount of quiet times or something with God loving me and giving me good gifts just because He is my Father and He loves me. I guess it all comes back to the idea of grace. God gives good things to His children as free gifts because He loves us, not because we have done anything to deserve them.

God has been showing me how much He loves me. He has been reminding me that though I have nothing of worth to offer Him he loves me still. He loves me so much He gave me a new house. He loves me so much He gave me my dream truck. And as I was reminded this past week, He loves me so much He gave me life through His Son's death and resurrection. He loves me more than I will ever know. He is an incredibly good God and I am amazingly blessed to be considered one of His children.

Finding the Right One

Easter Sunday was great. It is always one my favorite Sundays out the entire year. This year it was even better than usual because Baker, Josh and AJ were all in ties and Sean was looking snazzy in a suit. Amazing. I think AJ won though because he somehow pulled off a Sponge Bob tie without even getting much attention drawn to it. That says something about a man.

As for The Gathering I had a great time. For me, Easter just makes everything even more meaningful and special. I loved the band as usual, but I thought that they sounded better than ever. You could tell Jason was having a great time with the guitar and drum solos. It think he is an awesome worship leader. He keeps things fun and moving and yet at the same time he does a great job keeping us focused on God and he helps us see exactly why we are singing what we are singing. I love that.

As for the series, I am looking forward to the next four weeks. Two weeks on talking about what a young man of God is to look like and then two weeks on what a young woman of God looks like. That should be a lot of fun. I don't know about you, but I always liked hearing what the girls were supposed to be like. It helped me see what I was to be looking for and it was not near as convicting because it was all geared towards them and not me. So, girls enjoy these next two weeks and then guys look forward to getting to enjoy the two weeks focused on the girls.

My biggest encouragement to all of y'all as we spend time talking about what a man or woman of God is to look like is to remember that the stuff I am talking about is impossible to just "muster up" on your own. You must remember that it is only by God's grace and by His power that these things can be true of you. So like I said at the end of the talk, let these talks drive you to God for grace and power. Let it cause you to become more dependent on Him and let Him develop His character in you. Because when that happens then you will be the Right One. And that is a very good thing.

Revolution

This week I am going to try to take down this book called Revolution by George Barna. If you are not familiar with Barna he does all kinds of research all the time about the church and demographics and trends and stuff. He finds out some pretty interesting things. What he writes about in this book deals with the church and how new kinds of churches are popping up everywhere. He claims that the church is changing (hence the word revolution) and that it will not look anything like it does today in just a few years. I don't know if I agree with him but it sounds interesting and so I am going to read his book to see what he has to say. I'll let you know what I find out when I finish it.

Where & When

I thought Sunday went well. I hated not getting to be up there with everyone the entire time, but getting to lead the church in communion was very cool. Unfortunately though, I didn't get to hear the band or participate in the whole "Rent-A-Date" thing. So I need y'all to tell me how that went.

I heard Faith was a cool addition. The band is awesome. I am loving that.

I had a great time teaching, but I had so much to get across I know I talked really fast. I think that stuff we covered is really important though. I hope it made sense and some of that stuck. I know I said a lot, I hope you can remember some of it.

To rehash for a second, the key points were: As believers we need look to date only other believers and not only that but committed believers with good reputations. The other key point was that when it comes to when you should begin dating it is a stage not an age. I hope you found those four tests helpful. I really encourage you to spend some time thinking through those and hearing what God has to say to you through them.

That is what I thought about Sunday. Now it is your turn. Let me know because knowing is half the battle...

Owning a Part of Texas

This weekend Krista and I bought a house. We didn't plan on buying a house on Saturday, it just kinda happened. We were planning on looking at houses and we had been waiting until April to begin looking, but never in a million years did we think we would buy one the first time we went out looking. Turns out, I was wrong and now we are officially home owners.

On top of that our house sits on a nice plot of ground in Austin Texas. I love that. I now own a small slice of the greatest state in the nation. There are just a few things in life that make me prouder than that. As my Dad said, next to staking my place in Heaven owning a part of Texas is as good as it gets." I concur.

The house is beautiful. It is brand new, never before lived in, and just waiting for me and Krista to move in. It has a huge front porch great for the future swing we will put out there and drinking lots of lemonade.

I can't wait to move in and have everyone over. In fact I might just have to have everyone over while we move in. That way you can help carry a box or five.

Here are some pictures of the Box's new home. Feel free to let me know how awesome you think it is.

The Radical Reformission & Wild at Heart

So I finished my school reading last week and now I am reading two other really good books. I have really been wanting to read a book by Mark Driscoll for quite a while now and since I read something by Rob Bell I thought now is the time. Phil loves Mark Driscoll. I think he might love him in a pastoral your my hero kind of way. As I am reading this book I am finding out why. He really does have some great insight and so far the book is very inspiring. It is all about how we need to engage our culture with the timeless truth of the gospel. I couldn't agree more. I let you know more about the book when I finish it.

As for Wild at Heart this is one of my favorite books. I have read it a couple of times before but now me and Josh and Jake Franklin are reading it together and so that is cool. Maybe those guys will learn what it means to be a man. I wouldn't bet on it yet though. Especially that Josh guy. This should be fun.

So there you go, that is what I am reading.

Before You Say I Do

I thought this weekend was a blast. I hope you did too.

So we kicked-off the new series on Sunday. I am interested in hearing what y'all thought. I think we are going to have a lot of fun with this topic. I am about to read your surveys and I must admit I am very interested in what you wrote down.

Here are a few of my other thoughts about Sunday:

+ It was great to have Jason back. The band sounded better than they ever had before. I am already screaming encore. I love worshipping along with those guys.

+ The new look of the room makes me happy. I like it a lot...not as much as I love Krista but still a whole lot. I hope you like the room too. Smiles all around.

+ I think the series started off well. I enjoyed talking about it...a little too much because I went long again. I hope you hung in there with me. You have to give me a break though because I hadn't slept that weekend. Next week will be really good. Now that you know what the topic will be like you ought to invite your friends.

So those are my thoughts. I would love to hear yours.

See you all on Wednesday.

March Madness

I love March Madness. I love it so much I got married the weekend of the championship game. It just made sense. It was already one of the greatest weekends of the year so why not make it even better? So far this year has been the greatest March Madness ever because A&M might just go all the way. I was watching the game on Saturday and I thought I was going to die I was so into it. I think I scared Krista. I was yelling at the TV and jumping up and down. I almost hurt my hand banging on the the coffee table. I looked the part of a fanatic. If I had some body paint I would have been covered in maroon. So would of our couch, so it was good that I did not have any.

I am so glad we won. I am so very glad. I can't wait for Thursday night's game against Memphis. I really think we can take them. It's awesome that we are playing in San Antonio. If anyone has tickets I think they should give them to me. If I knew of someone who had tickets I think I would steal them.

So that is what I have been watching and what i will be watching come Thursday. I know we have our youth leaders RLG on that night but we will find a way to have it on. For that's real life.

Summary Sunday

Yesterday after church on our way to go meet my parents and my lovely sister Kaley for lunch Krista and I were talking about Summary Sunday. She said that she really enjoyed getting to hear from the students and she think that y'all get a lot out of it when you get to hear from one of your peers. I wasn't so convinced. Sure I love getting to hear from y'all too, but I am not sure that the whole idea of Summary Sunday has ever really taken off. I mean, I am not sure y'all really like it and if it serves its purpose. My hope in creating it was to give y'all the opportunity to share what God was doing in your lives as you sought to apply what you had been learning. Do y'all think that is happening?

I guess what I am asking is, do you think Summary Sunday should go? I would love to hear your input.

On a side note: Thanks Stan for filling in for Jason this week. You playing the guitar made your hair and beard look even cooler. There was even a moment when I found myself thinking that when I grow up I want to be just like you.

A Big Weekend

The weekend of March 23-25 is going to be huge. As a result it is almost all I have been able to think about. That Friday is the Spring Bash (which by the way you really need to get you and your friends registrations forms into me soon) and it is going to be awesome. So much fun packed into one night and a glimpse at what God amongst your generation to reach this city. How cool is that? Which is all the more reason why you really need to be reaching out to your friends and getting them to go to this event. Open yourself up to God using you to connect your friends to Him. There is nothing cooler. Not even a night full of craziness like this one. But if you can throw the two together then that just gets ridiculous. Man that night is going to be great.

Also, I have school that Friday night. Yeah. My class begins at 6 and goes to 9. Looks like I will be skipping a part of that class for the sake of good times. Come on, a man has to have priorities. But Saturday when you all go home and go to bed I will be going to class from 8 to 4. Ouch. I might have to keep a running blog of that entire weekend because I am sure it is going to be insane . I wonder how many times I will fall asleep in class. I'm thinking it will be between 8 and 12 times. Good times.

Then on Sunday we kick off our new series, Before You Say, "I Do." I really looking forward to that. The series I will be doing is actually an adaptation of a series my youth pastor, Bobby, did when I was in high school. That series really helped define and shape a lot about who I would date, when I would date and what I would do on a date. Even more it helped me prepare for marriage. Sure at the time I was not even thinking about getting married, but that was the point. It helped me see that I needed to prepare for a great marriage now if I wanted one later. Thankfully by God's grace He helped me do that. As a result I am incredibly happily married to the most amazing woman I know. My prayer is that this series will help y'all start making decisions now that will impact your future marriage. My prayer is that all of you will marry incredible spouses and have awesome marriages. That is why we are doing this series. That is also why you should invite your friends to come on March 25th to join us for this series.

This is a really important topic in every one's life. It amazes me how in our world today we are taught so many things. You are taught how to tie your shoes. You are taught how to spell (some of you at least). You are taught how to drive. You are taught how to play sports or how to play instruments. You are taught how to get into college. You will be taught the skills you need to do your future job. But when are you taught how to have a great marriage? Seriously. Maybe that is why over 50% of all marriages, Christian or non-christian, end in divorce. Over 50%. Is that what you hope for one day? Is that what your friends are hoping? Do you ever find yourself thinking, "I can't wait to fall in love, get married, have a few kids and then get divorced." No, no one does. Yet over 50% of marriages end up that way. That is why this series is a big deal. That is why I really am excited about it for you and for your friends. So come and hear what God has to say and bring your friends so they can hear it too. Because God is good and He wants what is best for you and He knows the way that leads to a great marriage. So come and get your friends to come so you can all hear what the best way is.

So that is what I have been thinking about. I can't wait for that weekend. I hope you are excited about it too and I hope you are getting your friends excited about it as well.

The Gathering: March 11th

I feel like there are three things worth mentioning from this Sunday.

1. Stan did a great job. The talk was definitely memorable and the point was important. We must obey even when it doesn't make sense. I loved the examples of what that looks like in our life that he gave at the end of his talk. Having to love people who seem unlovable (like your little brother or that one kid in your class...), having to serve people even when we would rather be served and being commanded to share the gospel even when it is not easy or what you feel like doing. If we could obey God in just those three areas we would really be doing something for His kingdom. I look forward to hearing from y'all about how that plays out in your life.

2. I miss Jason. To me it seems like it has been a year since Jason has lead worship for The Gathering. Getting to hear him in big church this Sunday was bittersweet. He did a great job and it was a great time of worship, but since he was doing it down there we didn't have him with us. Well maybe one of these days soon he will grace us with his presence again. In fact maybe if everyone who reads this just decides to post a plea to Jason to come back to us he might show up again. Join with me in proclaiming: " Jason and Beth don't go to that wedding next week, come back to us!!!"

3. No discussion groups. Yeah, sorry about that. I missed judged the time because we weren't having worship and yet I did announcements upfront. Sorry that I made us miss the discussion groups. I am a doofus. We will have an extended time in discussion next week though and I am looking forward to hearing from y'all about what God has been teaching you lately and how that has been affecting your lives.

So those are my three observations. Now it is your turn. Let me know what you think.

A Little Seminary Reading...

Well, I finished Velvet Elvis this weekend and so it is time to do a little school reading. Right now I am taking a class that covers the books: Ruth, Psalms, Jonah, Romans, Ephesians and Philippians. It is definitely a hodge-podge class but so far it has been pretty good. My prof is really smart and knows his stuff, so that is nice. The book I have to read this week is actually by him. It is called And I will Praise Him: A Guide to Worship in the Psalms. I think after reading this maybe I will be ready to lead worship on Sundays until we get Jason back. Okay, maybe not. But the book should be cool. I love the book of Psalms and my prof has really devoted himself to studying it (hence the book) and so I am looking forward to it. I will let you know what I thought of it when I finish.

Velvet Elvis?

So I started Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell last night. I am about half way through it and it is a thinker. For different reasons Rob Bell rubs me wrong, but he does have some interesting things to say in this book. He loves to question things. I am afraid that he enjoys questioning things more than he enjoys proclaiming the truth, but he does bring a new perspective. I am reading this book so I can really know more about this guy and what he is saying. He seems to be a pretty big deal in Christian circles right now and so I thought I better find out why. Anyway, this is what I am reading right now. I'll let you know what I think about it when I finish.

A Disappointing Week

Last week was a huge let down when it comes to tv land. It all started with me choosing Heroes over 24 and really went down hill from there. Sure Heros and 24 were both really good and I can't wait for tonight's shows, but the rest of the week was a flop. The biggest disappointment was getting home late after D-Groups just in time to see Acie Law hit one of the most ridiculous shots ever over the outstretched 7 feet long arms of Durant and then watching him do it again at the end of the first overtime just to watch them lose in the end. I couldn't sleep after that game. Man, we were so close. Then on Thursday night The Office was a re-run. Ouch. The Office is my second favorite show just after 24. It kills me when it is a rerun, even though I could watch the old episodes over and over again. I just like new things. Give me some new funny, that is all I ask. Then Krista's favorite show Grey's Anatomy was a rerun as well and so was CSI. It was like tv took a vacation last week. Oh well, I got a lot of reading done.

Now you may be asking how we manage to watch so much tv and that would be a good question. The answer is dvr and it is incredible. Nothing like watching tv on your on schedule like on a Saturday night instead of renting a movie and getting to fast forward through commercials. I am telling you the dvr might just be the greatest invention since the cell phone or the ipod or the flat screen television or the wii. No the wii came after dvr. Anyway, just saying the dvr was a good idea. Way to go on that one.

I am hoping this week's tv will leave me a little more satisfied than last week. One thing is for sure I will be watching 24 tonight instead of Heroes.

The Gathering Review: March 4th

Every Monday I am going to jot down a few thoughts I had about The Gathering. My hope is that you will do the same. I would like this to become a sort of forum for you, as the students, to let me know what you connect with and what you wish we could do differently. Since the whole point of The Gathering is to provide a time where students are challenged to grow in their relationship with Christ and provided the opportunity to worship God in an environment that is welcoming and accepting I need to here from you if that is happening or not. So, I will tell you what I think each Monday and, like I said, I hope you will tell me what you think as well...just don't try to hurt my feelings.

Personally, I am really enjoying the current series. Anytime I get to talk on a topic that I feel the vast amount of the world has wrong it is fun for me. In this case I don't enjoy it because I get to be right, but because this topic really affects our view of God. If you see God as someone always restricting you and holding His authority over your head you are not going to be drawn to worship Him. On the other hand, if you see Him as someone who loves you so much that He has taken the time to point out the best way for you to go then that realization alone is enough to cause you to want to worship.

Having said that, I thought I went a bit long on Sunday. I tend to do that when I get excited about what I am talking about. For those of you who come to first service and second service I am sure it can get old just sitting there and listening. So, I am sorry I went long. I hope you still got what I was saying and it has stuck with you.

Speaking of the talk sticking with you, that is one big thing I would like your feedback on. If you find yourself listening to me and then walking out of the church and already forgetting what was said I need to know that. If that is happening I am really going to need to change some things. The point of the talk is not fill time, but to lead to life change and you being challenged to grow. If you can't remember how you have been challenged then that isn't working so well. So let me know if you are retaining what I am saying.

As for the rest of The Gathering I really appreciate Jake, Zack and Devin filling in for Jason while he has been out pulling a Wedding Crasher. I thought it was very cool how most of you worshipped along with them. Leading worship in front of a good group of people can be hard but what I really liked with those guys is they brought God the best they had. And God loves that. I hope to see that attitude grow within our youth ministry. That every week we would come to worship God with the best we have.

As for the welcoming environment I think you guys are doing a great job with that. I love getting to see you hanging out before we begin talking with one another and chilling. I also heard that the Sr. High girls group did a little more talking in the Pink Room this Sunday. Krista promised it was true but I'm not sure I entirely convinced yet. But I was glad to hear that. It is on you, as the students, to really determine how welcoming the group is. So keep up the good work.

Anyway, that is some of my thoughts from Sunday. I would love to hear what yours are. You don't have to write a book or anything, but do give more than, "it was great" or "it was fine." Tell me what you like and don't like and tell my why if you can figure that out. I would love your help in making The Gathering the best we can for God's glory and your spiritual growth. So talk to me.