Every time that I get the chance to talk with someone new about middle school ministry I get excited, to the point I can't really focus on anything because there is so much that I want to say. I really have to take a deep breath and gather myself and thoughts and stick to the basics. It is kinda like our faith, it is something that God wants us to share with other people and God is so good to us that there is so much that we want to share (or feel like we have to) but it is better, especially for a non-believer, if we just stick to the basics - and best when we just let the Holy Spirit lead.

All that to say, as I ramble on, God is really doing something exciting around us, and we have a real opportunity to make an impact for His Kingdom sake.

Attendance: Average
Lesson Topic: Week 4 of our "Back to the Basics" series (Spiritual Disciplines)
'Fun Factor': Average
Team Involvement: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 30 minutes
Student Response: Above Average

The lesson this week was aimed at getting the students to think about spiritual disciplines that help focus them on their relationship with Jesus and go further with it. I really wanted them to leave thinking about what disciplines they could add or start to help deepen their relationship. This wednesday I'm going to pull a couple aside and see how impactful it was, we'll see. All-in-all a great service the students are still dealing with God individually and focusing their energy on worship. It has really been amazing here since camp.

I had a great time yesterday, not only was it just a great day to get things accomplished, I got to do the mark and miller show. Mark Bricker and David Miller have a podcast that really gives great insight into what is going on here at the church, but also delves into the minds of two of our great pastors here at mcgregor. Anyway, it was a great time to talk about the middle school ministry to a larger audience that may not know what we are all about. You can check it out at this link: The Mark and Miller Show

This summer or back in the spring I took Jonathan to see the movie "meet the robinsons." I'm not sure if he really gets the movies or he just likes them because I do... either way it is cool with me. That is beside the point... one of the saying of the inventor is "Keep moving forward," which you find out later that is a quote from walt disney himself. The statement couldn't be more true, in our Christian lives.

I feel like I've been blessed to experience a lot in my life. Some of the things have been great: whitewater rafting in Georgia, North Carolina, Wyoming and Colorado, traveling all over the US, going on mission trips to Mexico, Trinidad and the Grand Caymans, a loving family (I've been spoiled my whole life with this), the list could go on and on. Some of the things haven't been great, but the bad experiences in life can't stand in your way, and you can't spend you whole life in the good times either. Some people get stuck in the past, but you have to "Keep moving forward..."

We can't let the past be a hang-up for us. Paul gives us a clear vision for what we should be consumed with in Philippians 3:12-13 "...I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I don't consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead..." The two things that grab me the most is forgetting what lies behind, and straining forward... forgetting is sometimes easy but a lot of times it hurts to move forward (straining).

God is going to stretch us far beyond ourselves, and our call is to keep moving forward in Christ.

Attendance: Average (third wednesday of MS ministry at McGregor)
Lesson Topic: Week 3 of our "Back to the Basics" series (Prayer)
'Fun Factor': Average
Team Involvement: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 25 minutes
Student Response: Above Average

We are continuing to be blessed by what God is doing in this middle school ministry. Every week since we began our numbers have increased and new faces abound. I'm so proud of a few of our students who are bringing unchurched friends with them. It was one of the challenges that was given at camp and several of our students are living it out. The message this week was fun to deliver... the students were with me pretty much the whole time, it was refreshing, especially following last week. God is an awesome God and He is doing something that is so much bigger than us, and He continues to give us evidence of it.

Great things can happen when we communicate the right way. Every part of the team knows what is going on all the time. If we use the body analogy, the head thinks about it and then sends the messages to the other parts of the body where the right part of the body does what it is told... then there is this cool thing that some parts of the body know what to do without the brain conciously telling it what to do... then there are parts of the body that we have to keep groomed, ie. finger nails, hair, etc.... and well I'm hoping you are getting the picture.

The biggest thing that I think is important for us in the middle school minstry is the team getting connected. You know what makes a body a body is that it is connected all together. Anyway... If we are to get connected we have to get to know each other, understand fully our roles within the ministry, understand what others roles are within the minsitry.

We are trying to implement some strategies that will allow us to be more connected in communication and have more dialouge, but nothing will strengthen what we are doing more than the old fashioned fellowship. As a team it is important that we get together and get to know each other.... so we will do both. I'm looking forward to getting these things launched so that we can take steps forward in communication.