New blog series: REACH

Tomorrow begins an exciting new blog series I'm calling REACH.

The question is, "Who will you reach?"

I've asked people in ministry from across the country about how they reach certain age groups. Each day will feature a new age group: kids, college, adults, skaters, and much more.

The idea stemmed from our study through the book of Acts that we're doing on Wednesday nights at Awaken. I've been so intrigued at people throughout history have been reached by the gospel in so many different ways by so many different people. I wanted to interview some people in ministry and see what they're doing to reach the age group they're targeting in ministry.

Some of the people I'll be interviewing are pastors in full-time ministry, others are volunteers, others are guys I served with at some point, and still others I have yet to meet face-to-face. I'll be wrapping up the series with an interview from Brian "Head" Welch, co-founder of the rock band, Korn, who recently gave his life to the Lord and now tours the country sharing his story with people of all ages. I'm excited to share the insight these guys have in ministry. I pray it inspires you to reach everyone you can with the good news of the gospel!

Stay tuned here each morning to read each interview!

Unsaveable?

Last Wednesday, I wrote a blog about how no person is unsaveable and no situation is impossible when it comes to God. That night, we studied that same idea in Acts 9 as we saw Saul of Tarsus, the serial Christian-killer, come to Christ! If anyone was at the top of the list of "Unsaveable" people, it was Saul, but God shredded that list and saved him and many others!

There are many modern day examples of Sauls. People who most people would never think could be saved. It's always incredible to hear their stories and I wanted to share a site with you that will encourage you, convict you, and hopefully inspire you. It's called I AM SECOND. The idea is to put yourself second and live for the One who really matters. There are lots of great video interviews on the site including Tony Dungy, Steven Baldwin, and even Brian "Head" Welch, who quit the multi-platinum rock band Korn after receiving Christ. There are also plenty of lesser-known people on there: couples, musicians, and many others, who came to know Christ after going through horrible situations.

Don't count ANYONE out.

Make sure to swing by the site and share the videos with everyone you know. This is a very well-built, professional-looking site with extremely well-made videos and powerful testimonies. It's a killer resource - use it for all it's worth!


As a side note, I'm working on a new blog series that will go up next week, featuring written interviews from people in ministry across the nation. The series will wrap up with a blog interview from Brian "Head" Welch himself! Stay tuned for more info about that!

Ministry on the Move

Pop-Tarts. They've become a normal part of my morning recently. I feel like I'm always running out of time, and Pop-Tarts work great for a quick bite as I'm running out the door to get to one of my jobs. Plus, I like to think that they count as my helping of fruit for the day.

Running around like crazy has also become a normal part of my life (even more so than before). I blogged a couple days ago about the challenges of working 3 jobs on top of teaching, planting a church, and having a family (and a life). Although it's a bit crazy, I've learned some important lessons about doing ministry on the move...

1. Budget my time.I've learned that time is like money - it must be budgeted. Just like money, you can run out of time (I find myself short on both all the time!). Although I know it's not a healthy routine, I've gotten accustomed to not sleeping much (I know this isn't permanent). My ability to stay up late and wake up early won't last forever, so I take advantage of it now. It's certainly not torture - most of the time when I'm up late or early, I'm studying the Bible. I live for that. Budgeting time is a challenge. My mind works on a schedule, so I have to mentally set aside time to study, work on graphic design for work, etc. Sunday is like my allowance from when I was a kid - I get to be a bit irresponsible with it. I can blow Sundays on sleeping in, playing with the girls, taking a nap, and other things that I usually don't have time for during the week. Sunday is like my energy boost for the week. No wonder God commanded us to take a rest!

2. Every place can be a study place (almost).
I really wish I would have kept track of all the places I've studied. I've never done it in as many random places as I have since I moved here. In Albuquerque, studying was the main part of my job - I got paid to do it! One day I'll get paid to do it out here, but for now, as the church grows, it's more on a volunteer basis, which makes it a bit more interesting. There have been quite a few times where I've found myself sitting somewhere when I could have been studying in prep for my next teaching, so I come prepared now. When I get home on Wednesday night after church, I print out my text for Saturday, so that I have it with me for the next couple days. Same thing on Saturday night - I print my text for Wednesday. If I have what I'll be teaching on paper, my earbuds, and my computer (with my full Libronix library that also syncs to my iPhone), I'm set. I can turn any place into a study zone. Here's a short list of some places I've studied in prep to teach (just to name a few): the bus driver lounge at work, a donut shop, countless coffee shops, row 3 of an empty school bus, a hospital cafeteria at 2am (after Jenn gave birth to Adalyn), a Jiffy Lube waiting area, a noisy charter bus headed to a winter retreat, many airplanes, and currently in the waiting room at the mechanic's shop while my truck gets fixed. My goal is to be like a Gospel Cub Scout: prepared for anything!


3. Ministry happens everywhere.
This has been a revolutionary concept that has lived itself out in my life (finally) in many different ways. As I've been teaching through Acts on Wednesday nights, one things that stood out to me a lot was the disciples' boldness to take advantage of any opportunity. Peter preached to the Jewish leaders when he was arrested, a crowd as they gathered at Pentecost, another crowd that gathered after a miracle, just to mention a few. Stephen did the same thing. Phillip did the same thing. So why wasn't Kevin doing the same thing? I knew that ministry could take place anywhere, but I wasn't living like I knew it. So, I challenged the people at Awaken (mainly myself) to go out of our way to create opportunities for the Gospel. As I did that, my eyes opened to the opportunities that were everywhere. I've shared my faith with many different bus drivers as we drove around town picking kids up. The other day, I talked to a co-worker about her life and some struggles she was dealing with as we sat in the bus driver lounge with other drivers while they watched Oprah! As she cried, Oprah's crowd cheered. Or maybe it was Ellen. They're all the same to me. I've shared with people at coffee shops, on street corners, in restaurants, and even the cashier at Walmart. Since there are hurting people everywhere, ministry can happen everywhere.


What creative places have you studied or prepped to teach?
Which unique places have you gotten to share your faith?

A NEW Work in an OLD Building

There's something cool about an old theater: concrete walls and floors, old ghetto paintings everywhere, secret passageways and dungeon-like lairs, and of course the vintage vibe that that all creates. That all describes the El Rey Theater where Jenn led worship and I taught last night for Calvary Albuquerque's college group, Renovate.

I love teaching anywhere I get a chance - I've taught at school Bible clubs, youth groups, winter retreats, main sanctuaries, conferences, class rooms, and even a girls' small group meeting in a home. I've had plenty of opportunities. However, out of them all, I can think of a few favorites:

Of course one of my favorites is my church family in Clarksville. I love the building that we transformed from a smelly old office building with broken-down bathrooms and peeling wallpaper. Most of all, I love my church family that meets there. God has done a great work there and I can only imagine what He has up His sleeve for the future. If you haven't checked it out, you need to.

Out of all the places I've gotten to teach, however, one of my very favorites is Renovate. I feel like I should have to pay to teach there...and I don't normally volunteer to pay! They used to meet at the Lobo Theater, another theater in downtown Albuquerque where Mars Hill Church now meets. Now, however, they meet at the El Rey. Sure, the Lobo Theater had bathrooms with doors on them and floors without holes in them, and modern uncreepy artwork, but the El Rey was super cool. The main reason it's so cool is because of the unique way that God moves there. The building really doesn't matter - it's the people who make it incredible. They love to worship and they love to hear the Word of God. With that combination, God is guaranteed to do amazing things. He certainly did last night as we studied through Acts 5. It was one of my favorite messages that I've taught so far in our Wednesday night study through Acts at Awaken (you can download it HERE if you'd like). God moved powerfully last night as we looked at these incredible men of God who weren't scared to lay it all on the line for Him. They lived radically:

Persecution? Perfect!

Whips? Wonderful!

Prison? PARTY!!

The verse that always stands out the most to me is Acts 5:29. As the disciples stand trial for defying Jewish authority and illegally speaking the name of Christ, they tell their Jewish opposition, "...We ought to obey God rather than men."
Imagine if we lived by that anthem! Look at what God did with a handful of men and women who lived by that motto and imagine what God could do in our generation if we lived that same way. That was the challenge and people responded! It's always exciting to see people walk to the front of the room in front of hundreds of others and proclaim their commitment to Christ.

If you're interested in listening to or watching the teaching from Renovate, check the service archive on their website. It will also be up in our service archive within the next couple of days.

The Land of Enchantment certainly was enchanting but we're ready to head home. As I sit here in the Albuquerque airport with my 3 beautiful girls, my prayer is that last night was not just another fun night with a bunch of college students, but that God revolutionized lives, and because of that, will continue to revolutionize a college, a city, and a generation.

Renovate, thanks for having us.

Clarksville, we can't wait to be back home. See you soon.

Documentary, Action Film, or Both?

I always enjoy news reports when the news anchor gets pulled into the action. You may remember back in 2005 when Al Roker was reporting on the incredible winds of hurricane Wilma on the Today Show. Of course, it's never enough for him to say, "Sure is windy out there." Instead, he has to try to stand in the wind. Not possible when gusts reach up to 135mph! In fact, even with a guy lying on the ground holding his leg to anchor him, the wind still blew him over! It made for some great TV.

I think Al and Luke, the author of Acts, would have been friends.

Tonight at Awaken's first Wednesday night service, we kick off the book of Acts with an overview message I'm calling "The Aftermath of the Ascension." Would the work that Jesus began on Earth crash and burn after He left? The answer is an emphatic "NO" when you look at the power of the Holy Spirit through some very ordinary men. Just like Al Roker, Luke wasn't satisfied with a simple documentary of the events happening around him - he had to be in the action. There are 3 distinct "we passages" in Acts where, instead of just interviewing people and detailing the facts, Luke joins the action. I think if a modern-day director turned the book of Acts into a film, it would have a documentary feel with a twist of action flick in there.

Luke is very detailed and covers many of the important events that led to the growth of the Christian church after the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. We should be grateful for the book of Acts, because without it, when we turn in our Bibles from John to Romans, we'd wonder how Christianity ever made it to Rome. Acts gives the answers. Although many films had unnecessary sequels that were obviously riding on the coat tails of the first film, Acts is a very necessary sequel. It gives us the background of the spread of Christianity, the story of the life of Paul and ministry of Peter, the answers to how Gentiles (like me) were included in the faith, and much more!

Make sure to join us on Wednesday nights as we journey through the book of Acts in a series I'm calling "To the End of the Earth." We meet every Wednesday at 6:30pm for our study through Acts and each Saturday at 6:30pm for our study through Philippians that kicks off this weekend. I highly encourage you to come in person, but if you can't make it, or you miss a week, download the teachings from our teaching archive or subscribe to our podcast in iTunes!

Oh, and if you're in need of a few more reporters who got pulled into the action they were documenting, these should help satisfy that craving...