Posted by at 12th March, 2008
In interviewed some of our students about their experiences with our ministry here at Arlington Youth Dynamics. Here’s the video I put together for our banquet. Youtube dropped a bit of the quality, but you’ll get the idea…
Posted by at 22nd February, 2008
It happened a couple of days after Christmas. I received a phone call from someone I haven’t heard from in over a year—someone whom I never thought I’d hear from again. It was an old student wanting to have coffee and needing to talk.
Normally this wouldn’t surprise me, but the last time I had seen Jimmy was over a year ago. I remember that experience very well. It was just before our ‘07 snow retreat and Jimmy’s father was looking for help with his son. He was out of control and diving deeply into drugs. Jimmy’s father had heard about our weekend retreat and thought we could help. Jimmy showed up for the trip so incoherent he could barely speak. It was like having a child around, his brain was still fried by drugs. I spent a majority of that trip babysitting him. The volunteers and I prayed the whole trip for Jimmy.
The young man on the phone with me sounded very different than one I spent time with a year ago. He was sharp and articulate. Needless to say I was intrigued.
As we sat down for coffee Jimmy began to open up and share. For the last 10 months he has been in a rehab facility getting help for his drug addictions. During Christmas he was allowed to go home for a few days and he wanted me to know that he had changed his ways. He remembered the retreat and how people cared for him there. He remembered how we told stories about a loving God. He remembered about how Jesus offered him hope and new life. I sat there drinking my coffee watching the beginnings of a changed life in front of me. I was amazed, but that isn’t the end of the story. It only gets better.
When we finished our coffee, I invited him to attend this years’ snow retreat. Jimmy accepted on the spot.
A week later, he was so eager for the retreat that he showed up hours early. Over the weekend he shared his story with the other students. They listened and many of them who had been dabbling in drugs heard a stern wake up call. Every time we shared a message or read scripture, Jimmy was hungry to take it in. Any time we had discussion, he was the first one to share or ask questions. I was so excited.
Later in the weekend, we offered an opportunity for the students to pray to accept Jesus as their Lord. They closed their eyes and prayed. And with their eyes still closed, I asked if anyone had made the decision to raised their hand. Jimmy’s hand didn’t go up. I was excited for the students who had made the decision, but had hoped that Jimmy would have taken that step. We finished out the weekend in great fashion and I loved the time and the conversations I had with him.
A week later he called me up again. In that conversation he shared with me that he thought a lot about what we had talked about over the weekend and he decided to given his heart to the Lord. He wanted a new life and decided that Jesus was the only way. Then he informed me that when he graduates from high school, he wants my job as well!
I’ve always read about dramatic life changes, but this was the first one I was able to watch happen right before my eyes. From incoherent, to following after the Lord; God loves the prodigals.
His journey has just begun, and it won’t be easy, but he’s come so far already. The work God has begun won’t easily be diminished. Pray for this young man as he seeks the Lord.
Posted by at 10th February, 2008
“My work with teenagers has convinced me that one of the main reasons teenagers are not excited by the gospel is that they do not think they need it. Many parents have successfully raised self-righteous little Pharisees. When they look at themselves, they do not see a sinner in desperate need, so they are not grateful for a Savior. Sadly, the same is true of many of their parents.”
Lane and Tripp – How People Change
[ht: Joe Martino]
Posted by at 9th February, 2008
I was checking out Cory’s blog and stumbled on his link to a great website for devotion and focus in this season of Lent. It’s meant for students, but is actually a good reflective/contemplative experience for all.
You should check it out.
Posted by at 5th December, 2007
I first heard about this from Tim Schmoyer’s blog on “How to get an Xbox 360 Elite for free.” I was intrigued by the idea and thought maybe I should consider trying it for our youth. Well, lo and behold, I hear that Tim just got said free Xbox 360. So, if seeing is believing, I’m interested. So here’s how it works (text below taken from Tim’s excellent youth ministry blog – thanks Tim!)
HOW IT WORKS
It’s pretty easy to do. It probably takes about 10 minutes to setup. Click on the link below, register, pick an account type (referral is the easiest) and complete just 1 offer. This is not like other sites where you need to complete one offer on 2 or 3 different pages. And a lot of these offers are free trials with nothing else to buy and no commitments!
There are plenty of cool offers to choose from, such as Netflix, Stamp.com, BMG music, Blockbuster online and Gamefly, services you might regularly sign up for anyway. I’m going to do the BMG music membership for music for the youth. Another good offer is renting DVDs through Netflix (it’ll cost ya $9.95 to try it) – I’ve had it for years and I love it!
After signing up and completing your one offer, simply refer 8-13 people (depending on the free prize you choose) to do the same under your link. Then they will ship your 360 Elite or your selected item for free.
Step 1: Click on this link: http://www.360Elite4free.com/index.php?ref=4418438
Step 2: Sign up and choose an account type (Referral is the easiest)
Step 3: Complete just 1 offer (like Netflix or Stamps.com) and refer up to 10 people to do the same.
Step 4: Receive your Xbox 360 Elite for FREE!
Here’s a news report and also another one on YouTube that explain how all this works and proves that it is indeed legit.
Anyone wanna help our youth and work towards their own free Xbox 360 Elite?
Posted by at 3rd November, 2006
It’s take me too long to give the update on this one, but here goes anyway.
A couple weeks back, we took 9 students on a rock climbing weekend that was an amazing mix of challenges and breakthrough. The weekend was based out of the amazing Stonewater Ranch in Leavenworth, WA and we did our climbing in Icicle Canyon (which is equally amazing).
Leaving Friday, we got caught up in traffic. And with an old suburban filled with middle school guys, it was an odd mix of belches, gas, and laughter. Going deeper with these guys on the ride up wasn’t part of my plan, but it’s always amazing to see God’s hand of providence upon a situation. About an hour in our conversation steered towards heavy subjects. We all shared and discussed the worst pains we’ve ever felt, but physical and emotional. The guys really opened up and shared some deep things. It really set the stage for the weekend.
Saturday was filled with a great day on the rock. We had impeccable weather and lots of students stepping forward and challenging their fears either by climbing or rappelling. It’s awesome to see them conquer something they were certain they couldn’t.
Throughout the weekend we had some really impactful discussion times led by our staff and volunteers. The Lord orchestrated the entire time. It seemed that each speaker fit the mood of the kids for each occasion. Our first speaker Jessica was calm, then came Bronco who challenged them before we went climbing. The kids were pretty wired and crazy Saturday night and that was mine to speak. But who better to kamikaze a message than me! We ended the weekend with Janet really sharing her heart. It’s amazing and odd to actually see middle schoolers engaged and listening (because I don’t see it much!).
When all was said and done we had lots of re-commitments, and 2 guys prayed to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. Even the kids that were on the fence about the whole Christianity thing have agreed to start meeting with me weekly to discuss what it really means to be a Christian.
Youth ministry is never a pretty thing, but it’s awesome to walk away from a weekend like this feeling that the Lord was there and we were all used for His purposes.
Keep praying for these kids as we continue to follow up with them.
Could I have planned this? No way. God’s spirit was there a move in those students. All the praise is to Him and Him alone. 
(A student and I eat some gnarly hot sauce in Leavenworth)
