I once heard someone say that our joy is robbed becasue we give our money without our time!

People don't want to give their money to something that's not tangeble.  Generate High just had a feast for Thanksgiving where 200 people ate a full on buffet with some of the best deserts ever.

 When we sent out the request for help in this event not one person out of 30 said how much money do you need, they said what could i make.  We had people tell us if they were staying or just dropping off their food?  Out of all the people that brought food, drinks, ect only 5 didn't stay the whole night, (they had kids to watch). 

The resaon those people stayed was not to be noticed, but to be used.  They brought the food, cleaned up after, and stuck around for the joy of the moment.

All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors. - John Calvin

people are yearning to be used to help bless others.  By the way we had so much leftovers we went and feed the homless at the park the next day.

Have a name calling competition with Jesus, see what happens!!!

Having a name calling competition with Jesus may be the best way to figure out who you are.

Matthew 16:15-18 “He said to them who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said you are the Christ the Son of the Living God.” “And Jesus said to him blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Simon Peter called Jesus the messiah and later Jesus said to Peter “I also say that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell will not overpower it”. You see Peter didn’t know himself until He knew Jesus.

He said your Jesus the messiah, well then your Peter the rock, (Peter means rock in greek).
The church is built on the statement of Jesus as Lord, that's the rock!

Jesus is begging for a name calling competition and wants to hear us call it out.

Last night heaven and earth collided with worship!

I can't wait to go home to heaven, but until then worhsip experiences like last night will definately suffice.

At Generate HIGH last night we had an all worship night that was absolutely amazing.  I had never seen more hands raised, more people on their knees, or more voices singing out then I did last night.  I guess a good word to describe it is passion!

With that was an incredible communion time/prayer, great job Jarrid for bringing "Ahavah" to our attention.  The kenya video inspired us for our next changing the world event as a Generate High family.

What really got me though was towards the end of the night everyone in the room flooded the front of the stage and when hands were raised it looked like a sea of people begging for Jesus. 

This never gets old.  10 people came forward to be prayed for, give their lives to Jesus, or be baptized.

150 letters went out last night to many who Aly and I know and love so much and that's when it got so emotional for me.  If you guys read this i hope you know how much giving those letters meant to me.  Love you all so much!  Can't wait for round two tonight.  

I AM GRATEFUL!!!

This morning we opened up in prayer with the words "because of you"...  I can say that because of you (Generate HIGH) My wife and i can laught, love, hug, and cry with a great joy in our hearts.

This week I was inspired to write a letter.  These letters are to the many High school students that attend Generate HIGH tuesday nights.  It's a letter of love and inspiration because my heart has been touched.

I looked back from this past year and realized one of the greatest influences in my life is this group.  They have moved me and inspired me in ways that I never would have realized without them.  I don't even think they tried to move me, they just show up worship, and i'm blessed.  I am truly grateful for their hearts and devotion to God.

One letter goes to the Girls and another to the guys as they have each poured somehting unique into my life.

I love all you guys!  I'm so proud of you!

In awe!

I was happy then, now i'm just in awe of her.  Rejoicing in the wife of my youth.

PERSONAL!!!

I enjoyed the most beautiful hike with my wife and dog yesterday.  Saturdays often create time for her and I to reconnect with eachother and God. 

I can say i don't know why He would choose to bless us like that, but the fact is we felt like David in Psalms 23.  we walked down that mountian feeling all the things expressed in this chapter.  We felt like we knew Him more, felt safer in His arms, felt rested although an intense hike, Felt like nothing could overpower us, saw beauty on a differernt level and ultimately grew closer to one another in the presence of His creation.

Tony Wood once said that "a change of place + change of pace = change of perspective.  Never felt more ture.

Fact is life gets busy, but what are willing to do to recconect with Jesus?

Ps:  I love my wife!

Visitation Vs Habitation

Visiting someone’s house is alot different than habitating there. Visiting involves 1 maybe 2 meals + shower + bed + other stuff. Habitating there involves 3 meals a day + snacks+ Shower(S) + TV + Toilet + laundry, you get the point.

You know what's amazing in churches; Christians get visitations by God and angels all the time Hebrews 13:2. Remember how good those feel. You get empowered, shake a leg, cry, and go crazy in a good way. Then because it's only Visitation In hours, minutes, or even seconds it's gone.

What about the habitation? 1 Corinthians 3:16 says He dwells in you as you are a temple. The habitation of God is everlasting and available every single day you breathe. Could you imagine the difference? Is it better having God for a day, or having God every day?

The challenge is to conquer the issue that keeps habitation of God from happening. And you cannot conquer until you are ready to confront. Go get em Tiger!

For more encouragement read about Benaiah 2 Samuel 23:20

Habitation Vs Visitation!

This hurt bad.

I bruised my tailbone jumping off these stairs Tuesday for Generate HIGH.

I landed on the bag just fine, but had no idea that 2 girls had been laying on it previous to the jump so the all the fluff was gone, so from 10 feet up i landed right on my tailbone.

ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch!

Nevertheless a great sermon illustration and great night.

I played the whole thing off well. no one even knew.

It's a progression thing!

Are you living in the past?

Remember the phrase “those who don’t learn from the past live there”. It makes a lot of sense right!

Think about this!
Burying the past things that have happened is a crucial part people’s lives. If there dead issues there is no need to hold onto them. There’s no reason to beat a dead horse, but what about the things that we bury alive?

You see there’s things present in my life today because of what happened back then that still influence me. Don’t get me wrong I’m a new creation in Christ 2 Corinthians 5:17, but I can’t bury them because I have not released/dealt with them fully.

Ever been in a psychologist’s appointment? They don’t drag up old things to taunt and hinder people; rather use the information from the past to determine the extent of which it’s alive in the unconscious today. Have you ever refused to look in your past because you still feel trapped in it?

For me I know exactly where certain traits come from and deal with them today. Visit your unconscious clean it out and make way for what’s next. If you don’t then all you have is old beliefs never allowing yourself to experience the new ones. This is why He said…↙

Luke 9:60 says “let the dead bury their own dead”. Jesus had no desire for people stuck in their unexamined past, they are useless to Him. Let the old things be buried, work on the ones that are still alive, and make way for the new.

“Those who don’t learn from the past live there”.

unberable!