Switch hitting

It's true that I am a cubs fan and It pains me sometimes to say this but one of my favorite baseball players of all time is New York Yankee legend, Micky Mantle. One of the great things about Mick was his ability to “switch hit”. Switch hitting is being able to bat right or left handed. Having a switch hitter in your line gives you options depending upon what the opposition throws at you. I think that's what this “switch” most reminds me of. Wes is multi talented and although I feel like I'm still in the minors sometimes I think God has given me the ability to take on different ministries. At my previous Church I was both Worship leader and Youth Pastor and learned a lot in both roles. So before I get to the questions I just wanted to say how excited I am to work with the young people at Legacy, I believe we are destined to see God do great things in our lives and in others.


1.What was your initial reaction when Shane proposed this idea and how do you feel about the switch?

My first thought was, “has Shane been reading my journal?” All kidding aside I was very surprised. It was something I felt God working on my heart about but I didn't want to give it too much thought. I just trusted that God would lead me and I would do my best to follow. I feel great about it, both Wes and I are very excited to be taking on these new ministries. And I think that's the way we are both approaching this, as brand new ministries.

2.This is a big change. What aspects of your new role are you excited about the most?

Communicating. One of my passions is communicating God's word in exciting ways. To take a truth, examine it and then relate that truth in a way that will connect the best. Much of preparing for worship is delving into God's word. It's such a vital part of preparing your heart and the more I do it the more I see things that God wants shared with everyone and it gets me excited about sharing. I believe God has given me a clear vision for what this youth group can be and that is also very exciting.

3.What strengths do you think Wes will bring to your former position?

Experience. I was very fortunate to attend the kids' camp this year and one of the great things about it was seeing Wes lead worship. Getting up in front of a group of adults can be hard sometimes but getting up in front of a group of kids that will verbally protest the playing of songs they don't like during worship, that's altogether different. I also saw that Wes had a real heart for worship, God and people. I think it's also important for everyone to know that Wes has already been highly involved with the worship at Legacy. Every week Wes and I would sit down and plan the songs together. He was a great help bouncing ideas off of and probably kept me from doing anything too crazy.

4.What do you think will be your greatest challenges in your new role?

I think one of my greatest challenges will be not trying to do everything myself and it is a challenge that I am excited about taking on. I believe God has given me a fresh perspective on delegation and my goal is to create an adult leader driven youth ministry. This means a lot more involvement on the part of all the parents and adult leaders and in order to accomplish that we will need to develop close relationships and communication. I really believe that strong adult leadership is the starting point. As our ministry grows I won't be able to develop real, lasting relationships with every student just as a pastor doesn't know everything about everyone in the Church. So it's important to have a small group where trust is earned and truth is spoken.

5.What benefits do you think this will bring to Legacy?

I think it's important to remember all the changes Legacy has brought about for each former congregation and also know that we have not yet arrived. In fact, we have a very long journey ahead of us. In order to do life together we have to be where God wants us to be. I think this has been a very God led event just like many things before in the history of Legacy Christian Church. I think we will see a band under the leadership of Wes that will continue to get better and a worship service that will be intimate and real. I think we will see a Youth group grow in such an infectious way that it reaches the church as a whole and becomes the example of what doing life together can really accomplish.

6.What long term changes may we expect from this switch?

Youth ministry, like most other ministries is very repetitive, and it should be. Our content is the Word of God and it will never change. We will always preach Christ and principles from His Word. Even though we have a constant in the area of subject matter our context should always be changing. God's Word is living and has the ability to speak to our hearts and minds is very different ways. The problem with many ministries is they focus so much on what they are going to talk about that they don't have time to be creative in the way they communicate. The first and hopefully longest lasting change will be the implementation of The 7 Checkpoints. The 7 Checkpoints is a list of the most important things every teenager(or person) needs to know for life. The checkpoints are authentic faith, spiritual disciplines, moral boundaries, healthy friendships, wise choices, ultimate authority, and others first. What's great about the checkpoints is that they make room for any subject from the Gospel message to honoring your father and mother. This will become the spring board for every message series and small group discussion. I can not over emphasize the importance of this new curriculum I really hope it sets a foundation for the future of our students and adult leadership.

7.Where do we send our large, expensive presents?

To my wife. I think without her support and encouragement through this transition I would feel a lot less excited. She is the one that has to put up with me so I think she deserves presents. And If you need any gift ideas she likes flowers, purple, and the cubs. OK, maybe that last one was me.

Truth to Life

Hope will not disappoint those who trust in You, cause you tell the truth.
Not like a man who'd lie through his teeth to save his dignity.
-Andrew Phillip

It's amazing how powerful truth can be. Truth is one of those things that we all know but it's so hard to live out. Many times truth and reality just don't seem to mix.

I think that's why small groups are so important because many times we hear a message on Sunday morning but then Monday we are left wondering how exactly does that apply to me.

Start doing life together and you will realize that small groups are a powerful way to share faith with each other and bring truth to life.

Richly Dwell

When I want to go my own way
when my walk becomes my run
the gentle sound of Your heart beating
draws me back into Your arms
-Andrew Phillip

Last night we talked about worship in the midst of worshiping. Andrew shared this verse.
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God"

I love that; let the word of God richly dwell
It starts in what we are allowing into our minds, what is saturating our souls. This is a big challenge for me to be wise about what I allow into my heart and mind.