Update

All,

I have had the swine flu all week and to be completely honest it was very difficult to sit around and do nothing for a few days. I tried to enjoy it but between my coughing and fever I found myself longing to be back at church, preaching it up a storm and counseling lots of awesome teenagers! I guess what I am saying is, it's a good feeling when your living the dream! I don't have the biggest house or the nicest car or all the money in the world but what I do have a purpose that when i lay my head on my pillow i can say to my self, WOW TODAY WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE! I love it..

Also take a moment to pray for everyone out there who is sick and not feeling well because of the flu season..

Last week I preached a sermon called Do you have the Guts? I really challenged the students to step up this year and be gusty when it comes to sharing our faith at school and inviting their friends to church. It says in isaiah "Forget the Former Things do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

My first point

1. Forget the Former Things
People are always going to try and get you to remember who you used to be before Christ or before you stood up for what you feel is right, so just know that. We can't be a generation that is always looking back but looking ahead so that people around us also can see how we focusing on the mountain mover not the mountain.
2. It's a new thing!
Maybe you have messed up your testimony at school or work or you think you have made a fool of God. The truth is we will all continue to make mistakes, that doesn't mean we should continue to make mistakes but I encourage every single one of you to understand that God's mercies are new every morning and that God wants to do something new with you this year! Another part of the verse says "do you perceive it?" Do we see our schools or work place how God see's it? Do we see how he could absolutely change the landscape of Virginia Beach this year? How it's ready to happen it we will just grab it with faith? I recently went out to Officer Dave's Football team practice where he is helping the green run rec football system by taking in troubled students and helping them by football. It's called the Tuff Program and it's workin. The team was featured in the front page of the paper and they have won back to back championships in the league, not to mention Officer dave has started this league that is reaching hundreds of youth and parents. Just imagine 3 years ago Officer Dave meeting with the Green Run Rec officials and them saying "Hey noone wants these kids, they are losers, troulemakers , and officer Dave saying "I don't want them"! but you see he saw something that noone was else saw.
So let me ask you do you see what noone else see's? Through the negativity and the fronts? Do you see what God can do in your World?
3. Be Gusty and Courageous
I then talked alittle about Joshua and how he must have felt after Moses dying. We love the verse in Joshua that says be strong and courageous but we fail sometimes to read the next part of the verse that then tells Joshua to do everything according to the laws and don't look to the left or the right and you will prosper.
4. Telling someone about Jesus Verbally is just as important as Living it!
We have so many Christians who don't live it flat out. They are right there in the locker room talking about girls inapprotiate, they are right there at the lunch table gossiping about someone, they are right there on the bus cussing just like everything else! The bible says we are to be be of the world but not in it.. How awesome would it be if we have a group of people from our church who Lived it! they didn't look to the left or the right!

Remember that God is with you!! If he is for us than who can be against us! Amen ...

Hope this encourages you and provokes you to be gusty and courageous this season of your life!

I'm Not Naked!

We had a great week at church last week with a guest apperance from some crazy aussies! John James and Pastor Andrew brought a great word and the youth seemed to really respond. I am getting really exicted about planning for the invite night this year which will be Oct, 1-2! We are thinking bigger than ever! We really need God's help like never before and I believe our church is up to the challenge! More info will come!

This week the Title of my message was I'm Not Naked lol. Pretty funny for a sermon title but we talked about Adam and Eve in the Garden and how when they messed up they hide from God. They sewed fig leaves together to hide themselves. Gen 3:7 is interesting because God is walking in the garden and looking for his creation like he does all the time and something was different this time.. They were hiding.. he asks Adam Who told you that you were naked? and you get this sweet sweet picture of the relationship our Savior wants with all of us, were there is no hiding from sin,guilt,shame and other temptation. Up to this point Adam and Eve had never hid from God before. Can you imagine what God is thinking?

Jesus confonts this mentality that we have to be perfect to come to God and that we have to put on the happy christian front all the time. Jesus said in Matthew 22:16 "Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean". My Points for the night were

1. The inside will always come out
2. Run into Gods Light not into Hiding
3. Don't Give Up

I think we all should strive not to hide our junk from God, because he knows everything that is going on already and being our Father he knows what is best for us. Don't give up if your out there and your struggling with something, continue to give it to God and Run into God's Light...

DONT HIDE!!!!

Your Faith

This was my sermon for last week and I thought it would be cool to share alittle about it. I came across a bunch of verses in Luke ex. (Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well.") Look at the part "YOUR FAITH" Interesting Jesus is God and he has probably passed a bunch of sick people but this guy gets healed and Jesus says to Him.. "YOUR FAITH" I think alot of times people view the church as kind of a nursery.. safe colors, encouraging messages, and it becomes without knowing it this breeding ground for people to come back every week with no empowerment to be the people that God has calles us to be. Jesus said because of your faith! What kind of Faith are we carrying around? Jesus said in matthew if you have the faith of a mustard seed you can say to this mountain be moved! ALl it takes is for us to mustard up a little faith LOL... Think of how many Christians sit around and wait to be feed when it's time for us to realize we are empowered, and motivated to do something incredible. It's like in Hebrews when Paul is talking about still drinking baby's milk when we should be eating solid food. Here are three ways for you to with God's help to have more faith in your life.
1. Take Chances
2. Use Opportunities
3. Dream Big

Mexico 2009

All,

Do you have moments in your life where you are so thankful for what God has given you and you realize how blessed you are? Well taking 45 youth to Mexico again this summer is one of those moments for me. It's not because i get to go out of the country or any other reason, other than I love the people at my church! I love the youth, I love their stories! I love their testimonies! I love their laughs! and their tears! I love being Pastor John and even when that comes as good or bad.

We had such a great time working in the colonials and serving the church. I just wanted to drop a line because I haven't wrote in a lil bit and I felt like this was such a cool experience. God is Good all the time!

Late June 12th...

Dear All,

I havent' wrote in a while because Life has been crazy! As far as my runnin bet, I am way behind as u can see in the graph below... It's not going to get any better because im going to Mexico in a week and then going to Orlando for a week after that... Yah I have a really busy SUMMER! CAMP! PROJECT TIMOTHY! WEDDING IN NEW YORK (IM DOING) lots of fun stuff....

So church tonight was amazing... we have been promoting a 3 on 3 basketball tourney, and it went very well. The atmosphere to the number of people was just incredible. I walked upstairs and I could hear youth talking over the sound of worship. I starting praying because I was like God if you don't speak to them , they are not going to listen. I walked on stage and just prayed with them and it was unbeilable. They loved the message and really responded to it.

I'm really tired but just wanted to right about how amazing God is and how he can use us right when we think it's out of our hands ... with God all things are possible!

JUST AWESOME!!!

Newtskins vsPJ

ALL,

HERE IS THE RACE