I'll ask for prayer: I'm an elder at my current church, but there's a church that's 3 minutes from home, that's losing their pastor. My wife and I happened to visit that church on April 26th (my bride's birthday), and the pastor announced he was leaving that church.
I'm feeling that God wants me to become part of that church.
God's been planting seeds in my heart to become a pastor since 2001. He's been working in me for 8 years to prepare me, change my heart, break me down to rubble, and then build me back up again. Painful? Absolutely. Worth it? Praise God for giving me the time of day!
Thus, I'm praying for guidance and for God to open doors, and tell me if this is the church that he wants me to serve, or if I'm to plant a church. Our area has churches closing left and right, so God's hand is what's needed for this to happen.
May God richly bless all of us.
chris gastardi
· 7 months ago
2 questions...can you explain the story behind the backdrop you guys chose for the stage in the Fuse building? And talk a little bit how you prepare your notes to teach on Wednesday nights...do your write your stuff down in your journal first then type your notes and place them in? BTW, Moleskine journals are what's up!
Cindy Gurley
· 7 months ago
Just like Brother Mike... God has been breaking me and molding me for what He wants me to become. I have been down a long hard bumpy road and have found that God has always been right there for me. I just had to stop trying to carry my load and let Him do it. From birth I have had many terrible things told to me by my mother about the church and Christians. I would go to church with my neighbors, here and there, throughout my childhood. I always believed there was a God, but I had so many different things told to me throughout this time that I learned a lot of untruths about God, the bible, and really life in general. Since being an adult, I am having to rewire my thinking and unlearn what my mother droned in my head all my life and relearn the Truth. God got my attention through a friend and saved me from giving up my life after my whole life fell apart over 2 years ago and has been rebuilding me ever since then. Believe it or not... I am now leading a home group. Through God's mercy and grace, I have finally listened to my Father and am on one BLAST of a roller coaster ride! I'm having so much fun and delight in doing for HIM what He has prompted me to do! I cannot explain the butterflies of anticipation that I get in my stomach when I can FEEL the Holy Spirit moving me and showing me the things God is doing in my life. I have had a lot of questions asked in my home group. Just recently one of the ladies was talking about Satan and how he can hear our thoughts. I immediately told her that the only one who can hear our thoughts is God. I could not back it up with scripture, but I told her I would find out and get back to her. If we are to tell the devil to leave us and get away from us and our family.. We have to verbally tell him out loud in the name of Jesus Christ to leave us because he cannot hear our thoughts. Right? Each day is a new challenge from God to find out what He wants us to do with each person we come in contact with or what we need to get from that person that God wants us to hear. I welcome it with open arms and I am thankful we have such a Beautiful, Glorious, Forgiving God!
Dave Simiele
· 7 months ago
How do you guys do multi-site youth ministry and what challenges do you face most in the multi-site youth model?
Neal Baskin
· 7 months ago
Do you think seeking celebrity type notoriety is a stumbling block for you? If yes, how are you combating those urges?
B.CooP*
· 7 months ago
yes i'll pray... as im sure others will too!
B.CooP*
· 7 months ago
back-drop was just a cool generic look that bought us several months of use... it's 1 piece of material... we got a connection w/ Third Day's set people and that's all i know....
2nd- my notes on Wed... okay i prep word docs for every sermon... i use those docs in our long range creativity to allow others to see and make suggestions... once those docs have been tweaked and prayed over... the day of my talk i print off all the scripture im going to use (that which will be shown on the CG)... i used to paper clip my bible in 3 or 4 spots and flip quickly... but that wears on your Bible a lot... This way i i can have it all on one page and it allows me to move seamlessly... focused on the message and not on flipping my pages ... etc..
B.CooP*
· 7 months ago
-Dave this is an in-season question... @ present we dont have a multi-site student strategy... They are autonomous in Greenville underneath Davey Blackburn...
We have been allowing this experiment to take place in an effort to see if there is a method of doing SM that can exceed anything we are currently doing (or have seen anyone else do).... i believe Bill Hybels refers to such efforts as a 'Flyer'... so we've been doing that in GVL...
As we begin to structure work through the process in the future i'll definitely be keeping the blog folks up-to-date....
B.CooP*
· 7 months ago
hmmm.... interesting question....
i think that i have to continually guard myself and my team and our ministry from pride.... -the enemy would love to take any confessed Christ-follower out w/ conceit... he HATES us... and pride is a massive weapon...
That being said... i have to battle flesh EVERYDAY.... we are told in Galatians that we have both Spirit and Flesh warring inside of all Christians...
So i 'combat' the 'urges' of my fallen nature by consistently feeding the Spirit and starving the flesh...
-I dont read my Bible because im supposed to... or to be a good preacher... or to gain notoriety... I read my Bible b/c without God's Word I DONT STAND A CHANCE AGAINST THE ENEMY! (neither do you)... Everyday... I get up wanting to pursue ME... wanting to fulfill ME... wanting to build MY KINGDOM... I have to DAILY KILL THAT... there's not a day of my life that i dont have to put that to death...
- The same holds true with Prayer... and Community... and Submission to Authority... and Accountability... Confession... Repentance... etc...
I truly dont know the perception from a distance.... but i'll be the first to tell you that my default setting is JackAss... I wake up everyday thirsting for God and hungry for His food b/c without it i'm a miserable... selfish-man....
I'll conclude by saying: The Bible has no context of ANYONE @ ANY LEVEL of society walking with God... Trending towards a smaller version of God and a bigger version of self.... In Fact, it is completely the opposite... To pursue Christ is to See Him as BIGGER AND BIGGER every day... and ourselves as smaller and smaller....
if that trend isnt a reality in my life... then i'm not walking with God... it's that simple.
chris pruett
· 7 months ago
well put man. love your insight. im leading a college group that is continuously growing. we are based out of Faith Community Church. We have guys/girls coming from western carolina and surrounding campuses in WNC and its growing rapidly. what are your thoughts on things to look out for that would get in the way of Gods move (including me, etc.) and how to avoid those and a few things that you have found that works as far as building hype in the group. thanks man fist pump
artgood
· 7 months ago
I recently returned to youth ministry after 8 years as a senior pastor. Youth ministry is my passion, and I am thrilled to be back in the trenches!
My question: Youth ministry has changed in the last 8 years. Students have changed in the last 8 years. How can I, at 35 years of age, best relate to students today, and would you recommend any resources (books, magazines, etc) to help me get back in the game?
Thanks!
greeves
· 7 months ago
Dang son, Preach!
Stuart McDonald
· 7 months ago
I posed this question to my Facebook folks last night and it's been VERY interesting:
In marriage, do you think that the use of condoms say that you don't trust God enough to believe that he can prevent pregnancy? In other words, we KNOW God can cause a pregnancy with or without a condom, but does using one (or any other birth control) give you the mindset that you're "making it easier" for God?
B.CooP*
· 7 months ago
Dont let anything shift away from Gospel-centeredness... Every service is about Christ... Every event is about Christ... Every missional effort is about earning equity to preach Christ... Every hire is about Christ... Every Purchase Order... it's about Jesus... The minute that He becomes back-burner... or a presumption... or anything less then PREEMINENT... = Failure
No other advice bro... doesnt matter the season yall are in... if you are seeking Christ in 1 room w/ 8 people and a Bible... or you are seeking christ w/ 100 rooms w/ a zillion people and a Bible... the answer is the same...
Jesus...
B.CooP*
· 7 months ago
love the question... here's my honest thoughts... DO NOT PURSUE RELEVANCE... you will QUICKLY BECOME IRRELEVANT...
The most RELEVANT thing 8yrs ago is the most RELEVANT NOW... Every student has an insatiable desire for something... for Love... Intimacy... Acceptance... Forgiveness... Belonging... etc... (just like every adult)...
those desires might show themselves in symptomatic ways NOW that differ from 8 years ago... or 80 years ago... or 8days ago...
Here's reality... I am not being sarcastic... JESUS IS THE MOST RELEVANT THING ANY OF US CAN PREACH... His Gospel... Forgiveness... Intimacy... Acceptance... Purpose... Vision... Gifting... Those Truths NEVER go away... so i'd say work to find a way to get an audience preaching those Truths...
(Books and Mags can be helpful... but nothing is more helpful then just good solid observation.... Get on campuses... Get to ball games... See there world... hear their words... be a people watching) - Then you have the evidence to see how the SYMPTOMS are coming out in the culture of your student audience....
Those are my suggestions... Praying you up Art... Best of luck...
chris pruett
· 7 months ago
thanks a ton man. we'll keep rollin with it and keep jesus in the center.
B.CooP*
· 7 months ago
i dont have an opinion on this really... i reckon i think their are bigger fish to fry... and im not married, so this question isn't in season... but since you asked and it is 'ask anything'....
im going to lean on the fact that God gave each of us common sense with a certain level of aptitude and i dont feel like im denying my Faith by using a condom... If anything i am Glorifying God via my Stewardship of common sense...
(and it's official... this is the weirdest question asked on an "Ask Anything Friday")
Jared Mathis
· 7 months ago
That is surely the weirdest question I have ever seen on here, but I have to get involved with this response...........
I almost tend to lean to the reality that I dont think God is concerned with the details outside of biblical principles (ie rubber or no rubber) of my sex life inside the bounds of marriage...... nor do I think he plays whac-a-mole when choosing who to impregnate. God's soverignty superceeds our cautions or precautions.................. With that said, common sense and stewardship simply do not denote faith.
All Comments
Is it Friday yet?
Sorry, couldn't resist.
I'll ask for prayer: I'm an elder at my current church, but there's a church that's 3 minutes from home, that's losing their pastor. My wife and I happened to visit that church on April 26th (my bride's birthday), and the pastor announced he was leaving that church.
I'm feeling that God wants me to become part of that church.
God's been planting seeds in my heart to become a pastor since 2001. He's been working in me for 8 years to prepare me, change my heart, break me down to rubble, and then build me back up again. Painful? Absolutely. Worth it? Praise God for giving me the time of day!
Thus, I'm praying for guidance and for God to open doors, and tell me if this is the church that he wants me to serve, or if I'm to plant a church. Our area has churches closing left and right, so God's hand is what's needed for this to happen.
May God richly bless all of us.
From birth I have had many terrible things told to me by my mother about the church and Christians. I would go to church with my neighbors, here and there, throughout my childhood. I always believed there was a God, but I had so many different things told to me throughout this time that I learned a lot of untruths about God, the bible, and really life in general.
Since being an adult, I am having to rewire my thinking and unlearn what my mother droned in my head all my life and relearn the Truth.
God got my attention through a friend and saved me from giving up my life after my whole life fell apart over 2 years ago and has been rebuilding me ever since then.
Believe it or not... I am now leading a home group. Through God's mercy and grace, I have finally listened to my Father and am on one BLAST of a roller coaster ride! I'm having so much fun and delight in doing for HIM what He has prompted me to do! I cannot explain the butterflies of anticipation that I get in my stomach when I can FEEL the Holy Spirit moving me and showing me the things God is doing in my life.
I have had a lot of questions asked in my home group. Just recently one of the ladies was talking about Satan and how he can hear our thoughts. I immediately told her that the only one who can hear our thoughts is God. I could not back it up with scripture, but I told her I would find out and get back to her. If we are to tell the devil to leave us and get away from us and our family.. We have to verbally tell him out loud in the name of Jesus Christ to leave us because he cannot hear our thoughts. Right?
Each day is a new challenge from God to find out what He wants us to do with each person we come in contact with or what we need to get from that person that God wants us to hear. I welcome it with open arms and I am thankful we have such a Beautiful, Glorious, Forgiving God!
2nd- my notes on Wed... okay i prep word docs for every sermon... i use those docs in our long range creativity to allow others to see and make suggestions... once those docs have been tweaked and prayed over... the day of my talk i print off all the scripture im going to use (that which will be shown on the CG)... i used to paper clip my bible in 3 or 4 spots and flip quickly... but that wears on your Bible a lot... This way i i can have it all on one page and it allows me to move seamlessly... focused on the message and not on flipping my pages ... etc..
We have been allowing this experiment to take place in an effort to see if there is a method of doing SM that can exceed anything we are currently doing (or have seen anyone else do).... i believe Bill Hybels refers to such efforts as a 'Flyer'... so we've been doing that in GVL...
As we begin to structure work through the process in the future i'll definitely be keeping the blog folks up-to-date....
i think that i have to continually guard myself and my team and our ministry from pride.... -the enemy would love to take any confessed Christ-follower out w/ conceit... he HATES us... and pride is a massive weapon...
That being said... i have to battle flesh EVERYDAY.... we are told in Galatians that we have both Spirit and Flesh warring inside of all Christians...
So i 'combat' the 'urges' of my fallen nature by consistently feeding the Spirit and starving the flesh...
-I dont read my Bible because im supposed to... or to be a good preacher... or to gain notoriety... I read my Bible b/c without God's Word I DONT STAND A CHANCE AGAINST THE ENEMY! (neither do you)... Everyday... I get up wanting to pursue ME... wanting to fulfill ME... wanting to build MY KINGDOM... I have to DAILY KILL THAT... there's not a day of my life that i dont have to put that to death...
- The same holds true with Prayer... and Community... and Submission to Authority... and Accountability... Confession... Repentance... etc...
I truly dont know the perception from a distance.... but i'll be the first to tell you that my default setting is JackAss... I wake up everyday thirsting for God and hungry for His food b/c without it i'm a miserable... selfish-man....
I'll conclude by saying: The Bible has no context of ANYONE @ ANY LEVEL of society walking with God... Trending towards a smaller version of God and a bigger version of self.... In Fact, it is completely the opposite... To pursue Christ is to See Him as BIGGER AND BIGGER every day... and ourselves as smaller and smaller....
if that trend isnt a reality in my life... then i'm not walking with God... it's that simple.
thanks man
fist pump
My question: Youth ministry has changed in the last 8 years. Students have changed in the last 8 years. How can I, at 35 years of age, best relate to students today, and would you recommend any resources (books, magazines, etc) to help me get back in the game?
Thanks!
In marriage, do you think that the use of condoms say that you don't trust God enough to believe that he can prevent pregnancy? In other words, we KNOW God can cause a pregnancy with or without a condom, but does using one (or any other birth control) give you the mindset that you're "making it easier" for God?
No other advice bro... doesnt matter the season yall are in... if you are seeking Christ in 1 room w/ 8 people and a Bible... or you are seeking christ w/ 100 rooms w/ a zillion people and a Bible... the answer is the same...
Jesus...
The most RELEVANT thing 8yrs ago is the most RELEVANT NOW... Every student has an insatiable desire for something... for Love... Intimacy... Acceptance... Forgiveness... Belonging... etc... (just like every adult)...
those desires might show themselves in symptomatic ways NOW that differ from 8 years ago... or 80 years ago... or 8days ago...
Here's reality... I am not being sarcastic... JESUS IS THE MOST RELEVANT THING ANY OF US CAN PREACH... His Gospel... Forgiveness... Intimacy... Acceptance... Purpose... Vision... Gifting... Those Truths NEVER go away... so i'd say work to find a way to get an audience preaching those Truths...
(Books and Mags can be helpful... but nothing is more helpful then just good solid observation.... Get on campuses... Get to ball games... See there world... hear their words... be a people watching) - Then you have the evidence to see how the SYMPTOMS are coming out in the culture of your student audience....
Those are my suggestions... Praying you up Art... Best of luck...
im going to lean on the fact that God gave each of us common sense with a certain level of aptitude and i dont feel like im denying my Faith by using a condom... If anything i am Glorifying God via my Stewardship of common sense...
(and it's official... this is the weirdest question asked on an "Ask Anything Friday")
I almost tend to lean to the reality that I dont think God is concerned with the details outside of biblical principles (ie rubber or no rubber) of my sex life inside the bounds of marriage...... nor do I think he plays whac-a-mole when choosing who to impregnate. God's soverignty superceeds our cautions or precautions.................. With that said, common sense and stewardship simply do not denote faith.