Being in the middle of our huge and really important discipleship weekend that we call underground, I was reviewing some of the ways that we try to get our students to sign up. You've all seen us do it. Ending everything with "you don't want to miss this!!" and "It's gonna be incredible."

I know that we aren't lying, I really believe in the events and activities that we do. I also believe whenever you get 100+ middle schoolers in one spot, you can't help but have an incredibly, amazing time. (I'm sensing some cringing as well as shock) Yes, I love serving middle school students.

I was glad to see that we weren't alone. I was examining a brochure from Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas and noticed that they were using some of the same language to promote their discipleship weekend. So I decided since "Don't miss this" and "it's incredible" is no longer original, maybe all of you could help us come up with something to say about our next events. We have two that we will begin promo on shortly... one is School's Out for Summer Lock-in... the other is Camp Spasm. Give us something original, and you may be quoted in our upcoming promo material. You may be used over and over again until we have to do something else like this to get a replacement for you promo blurb.

Please comment with your name.

here it goes..

1. Do you remember the plane that landed in the Hudson river. The one where the hero pilot "sully" stayed on board making sure everyone made it off... all I can say is wow. Anyway... I'm not saying conspiracy just yet, but they found the remains of animals "birds" that hit both engines, and scientists best guess that it was Canadian Geese. Could this have been a terrorist attack after all... What are they up to up there???? I think we should keep a close eye on Celine Dion and Shanya and anyone else with canadian ties... this could be a well orchestrated terrorist take over from our "friends" up north.

2. I really have plenty to do...

3. Kristi and I are an aunt and uncle... again... Congratulations to my brother Michael and sister-in-law Jenny for the birth of little Clark (their first).

Growing up in Louisiana, this day would have never slipped by me unnoticed. The whole month leading up to it actually. I'm talkin' about Mardi Gras people. It was a celebration that lasted for a whole month and then some. It is kinda like spring break at Daytona Beach.

Just knowing that it is fat tuesday took me down memory lane. Like getting a tasty king cake from Jay's bakery on O'Neil Ln. I used to always want to get the little baby inside, even if it meant that you had to buy the next cake. I also remember what followed Mardi Gras, because south Louisiana is predominantly Catholic, the cafeteria at the school I went to would serve fish every friday. I really didn't like it.

On that note, Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

Underground (our big discipleship weekend) is upon us. I'm really excited about everything coming together. We have such an amazing team of volunteers and staff! Even with the hardships that we are facing, I know that God is going to be glorified this weekend through crazy students, amazing worship, proclaiming his word, everyone's attitudes and hearts focused on God.

Please join us in prayer for what God is going to do this weekend!

I'm just hoping that someone out there is looking for a gift for me!Click Here! I'll also accept cash... and I already know that it is nowhere near my birthday and any other gift giving occasion for me. So I'm happy to wait. :(

On an even better note... and to confirm that I'm a fair-weather fan! GEAUX TIGERS! Baseball is going to be amazing this year. Men's basketball is dominating the SEC!! Track just had a great recruiting season... not that I really follow that.

They are my favorite team... I don't think I even have a hat???

Well do it now: Jonah 4

I think most of us know the story. God sends Jonah to Nineveh to tell them to repent. Jonah refuses to go because he doesn't like the people in Nineveh. Jonah was swallowed by a fish, repented, then he fulfilled his mission and the Ninevites repented.

There have been countless times in my very short time of serving God that I have found myself in a similar situation. Pouting about not getting my way (never to the point that I would rather die, yet). Going to sleep with a negative spirit only to wake up to the promise that "God makes all things new!" I realize that the times I don't get my way, I should be shouting out with great joy that God is on His throne doing the things that He wants. There are a lot of lessons in this short passage... I'm going to highlight a few (and maybe do them justice).

Avoid the "why me?" mentality. If God has chosen you to do something you don't like, you should be honored. Easy to say and write, really hard to practice.

Love people at all times. Never forget that God's Word had the power to change people's life, no matter where you are or where they are.

God's lessons come when we are considerably uncomfortable. OK this one is a little bit of a stretch in the passage. God is kinda humorous here. What is thought at first to be a help to Jonah (the plant) turns into a great object lesson that only God can do.

Being a part of a family is really hard at times. I can remember at times being at war with my brothers (2 older). I was normally like the air force, doing a flyby and then being long gone by the time they realize what just happened. They were both bigger than me... I had to be resourceful. Waring between brothers and sisters happens far too often, especially in church.

1 John 3:23 ~ And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

Sometimes the hardest and most unnatural thing to do is to show love to someone who is waring against you. Being the bigger person was often what I forgot to to do when I was younger and dealing with my brothers. It is far to important for us involved in the Kingdom to do more than just get along, but genuinely love each other. Maybe we should even go out of our way sometimes to show it.

The full passage here speaks clearly about the depth of our love for each other. Go back and read the rest. 1 John 3:11-24

it has been a while but... here it goes

1. I'm really motivated to get to at least 100 posts, but I know that when I get there I'll be a little disappointed with the reaction. I can see it now. ~ me... in a room... "yay.. I just did my 100th post!!!"... then I'll look around and realize, it's just me in a room, and I just did my 100th post. Wow, now that is depressing.

2. Tonight I was with a bunch of students at McDonald's and somehow got to thinking about the legendary SNL skit "DA Bears!"

3. I got nothing.... I should try this a little earlier in the night... when my brain doesn't hurt so much. Not that my brain is hurting, probably just a headache from staring at my computer for too long. But maybe, just maybe, tiny creatures crawled into my head last night when I was sleeping and they are flapping their wings behind and above my eye sockets. I'm normally not a conspiracy theorist... but this one does have me concerned... what if there weren't ever really headaches, but a calculated attack by the entire "bug world" to drive us crazy.... I really think it is working.

I guess it is a gift for me. I've never lived in a gray world, it has always been black and white for me. There are some times when I just have to pause and wonder what makes it so hard for some people to believe or even hold themselves accountable.

The Bible, for instance, is such a easy thing for me... but when I look around the web and even in some so called churches, people (that call themselves christian) can't take it as truth?!? I role my eyes and move on... but maybe I should spend a little more time here. I am leading a small group (in the grand scheme of things) of middle school students. This really matters and is relevant to this generation who is taught to reason things out in a gray world, and that sees compromise all around them.

We cannot let this generation see compromise on some important issues. The bible being the most important!.. It is the Word of God, Infallible, Inerrant and complete until the Lord's return. The issues that it talks about aren't up for discussion. I don't think that students need to sit around wondering if homosexuality is OK or where they stand on abortion. And if the Word offends you, it is probably for a good reason.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to teach hate, but share a concern for our students that are growing up in a world that is, at an even faster pace, teaching our kids to blur lines and gray things out.

When was the last time you did something really big?? When I was in high school and college I did a number of crazy things... they felt huge. One sunday my best friend and I loaded up a huge penske truck with clothes and headed to Mexico. What a huge impact that had on my life... really!! When I surrendered to ministry I remember feeling like God has this huge megaphone in my ear (which I have used since to really influence or maybe annoy students) saying "Steven, I'm telling you to serve me... DO IT... DO IT.... DO IT..." so I did. That was huge. I remember sitting on a couch in a living room sharing the Gospel with a family... and being a part of the family coming to know Christ. It was big.... after all of these moments, I felt like my heart was going to explode from this overwhelming sense that I was a part of something that was so far bigger than me.

I've really been challenged by this over the past month. I think I focus a lot of my attention on things that God doesn't care about... (TV, Politics, food...) and not enough on the decisions I've made, that add responsibility or on the fact that God wants me to do BIG things.

I had a wise friend council me... (1)more things, more problems... and even more recently another wise friend challenged me that (2)"less is more." So today I want to make a covenant with myself... better yet... I want to make a covenant with God... (1)God - I want more of your things (wisdom from your word, compassion toward others, and a heart of service even unto death) so that my problems would be worth dealing with. (2) God - I want to strip myself from everything so that you can have the rightful place in my life.

I'm ready to do something Really BIG again!