ACTIVATE youth ministry

Don't care what anyone says, belly flops hurt!

Hey guys! This has been an incredible summer so far! We’ve had great weather so I hope you’ve been able to enjoy it! You ready for this though?! The new school year is only a few short weeks away. Summer always goes by so fast huh?! For some of you, this new school year you’re starting at a  brand new school. Some of you are going to college. Some of you are starting high school. Some of you are starting middle school. Whatever grade you’re about to begin, I hope you’re ready, because it’s right around the corner!  

I know that statement illicits a vast array of different emotions from all of you. Some of you are excited to go back to school, some of you are nervous or stressed out, and some of you are indifferent about the whole idea…

Our hope at AYM, is that you’re not only looking forward to going back to school, but you’re looking forward to going back to school and making an impact for Jesus! Here’s what I mean. Each year Lilia and I take some of you guys to the DR for a short term missions trip, and the excitement you guys feel is easy for us to see. You’re excited to see the people, you’re excited to communicate to them that there’s a God who loves them unconditionally and wants to change their lives from the inside out, you’re exicted about opportunities to pray with and for people, and as your pastors, Lilia and I love seeing that! We also love watching all of those things happen in the DR, and the change it causes in all of you. It’s amazing to watch, and that’s why Liia and I will always give you guys opportunites to get outside of yourselves and do foriegn missions. 

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6.16.10 - 7.7.10

This 4 week series will focus on not living life on “E.” Most of us drivers know, that more often than not, we’ll drive until our gas light pops on before we even think about stopping to refuel. After all, we’ve got so much to do, and don’t have time to stop! That mindset has even caused some of us have to walk to the “nearest” gas station with a red gas can that assures every car that passes by us that we ignored our gas light for too long :’(

Isn’t that how we view our spiritual tank too sometimes? Are we trying to go as far as we can, before we stop and refuel spiritually, ignoring all of the spiritual “gas lights” that may be going off along the way? Why is that?!

That’s where this series, “Refuel” comes in. Over the next 4 weeks, we’re going to look at why we wait so long sometimes to refuel spiritually, and why we allow ourselves to run on “E” when it comes to our spiritual life. We’ll look at some spiritual “gas lights” that may be on in our lives trying to tell us we need to stop and refuel. We’re also going to look at God’s word for some direction about connecting with God. When we’re living on “E,” as alot of us tend to do sometimes, connecting with God isn’t always easy because of our perspective!

Throughought this series we’ll see that connecting with God is not what we think it is, it’s easier than we think it is, and it’s potential impact is so much bigger than we think it is!

Make a pit stop at AYM Wednesday nights at 7pm, and “Refuel.” It’s never too early for a fill up!

Hey guys,
I’m super excited (don’t I say that about every series we do?!) about our upcoming series at ACTIVATE youth ministry, “dating.” Starting Wednesday night, 3.3.10 @7pm, we’ll look at the whole idea of “dating,” and the way it’s viewed in today’s culture. Everyone of us begins looking forward to meeting that special someone, “dating,” and falling in love one day, and that happens very innocently at a young age. I mean most of us were first exposed to the idea of “dating” and falling in love, during an elementary school playground wedding behind the tube slide during recess…

However, something changes as we get older. Our view of "dating" changes, and it becomes something different for us. Rather than an innocent desire at the age of 9, it becomes a driving NEED for us. Culture, company, circumstances, and consequences all creep into our lives and change the way we view "dating," and our motives to "date" change. "dating" becomes the thing that determines our status, our worth, and our value. If we're "dating' we feel attractive, feel like we're worth something and valuable; if we're not "dating" we feel not attractive, and feel like we have little worth or value. That driving need for status, self-worth and value often drives us to compromise, and make not so great decisions in the "dating" arena.

This series isn't about me, and what I think about "dating," rather it's an opportunity for all of us to look at the concept of "dating" and ask some questions about it. Why? Who? When? What? Why date? Who should I date? When should I date? What should "dating" look like? We'll also take a close look at God's word and see if we can't find better reasons, better options, better timing, and better methods to this whole idea of dating!

Hope to see you guys at AYM as we talk about, "dating."

-J-

 “But the fruit of the spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS and SELF CONTROL.” Galatians 5:22

Starts tonight 1/20/2010

Is your life filled with those things?! The bible calls them the fruits of the spirit, signs that are evident in our daily lives when/if we’re living in close relationship with Jesus. If you’re like me, there’s times where life doesn’t make it easy for us to display the right kind of fruit all the time! But, there’s something you and I can do to make us more consistent in these areas! Give God room! Yep, it may be time for us to allow God some room in our life to perform an, “Extreme Makeover.” Join us at AYM over the next 4 weeks on Wednesday nights @ 7pm starting tonight 1/20/2010! We’re going to look at the “fruits of the spirit” and see where we are in our lives, and try to…

1. PICTURE what the right fruits look like… 

2. Talk about the PROBLEMS that arise for us and make it hard to display the right fruits…

3. Make a PLAN to allow God the room He needs in our life to complete His “Extreme Makeover.”

See you tonight! ACTIVATE youth ministry… GET SOME!

Starts Wednesday 12.2.09 @ 7pm!

Hey Guys!

I wanted to let you know that tomorrow night at ACTIVATE we will be starting a new series called, “The Power of a Changed Life.” I’m psyched about this series for lots of reasons, but mainly because it’s goal is to convince you that being a Christian isn’t just about having Jesus as a savior, but following His example each and everyday, and living a changed life! When our lives are changed because we’re living differently than we did before, people notice! When you guys heard your peers share their testiomonies a few weeks ago, there was an undeniable sense of “WOW,” and that’s the power of a changed life! I’m praying you come to AYM on Wednesday night ready to listen and be challenged to live out your faith every day by following Jesus’ example in thought, word, and character. And leave understanding that living out YOUR changed life each and everyday will cause others to notice, and have that same sense of “WOW,” and turn out to be one of the most powerful influences in the lives of other people!