In case you haven’t heard, I am going to be helping launch a church with my friend, mentor, hero, Larry Bettencourt, in Chippewa, PA in April. I am so excited! Pastor Larry is one of my heroes, a mentor, and a lifelong friend. He was my youth pastor when I was 18, he oversaw me when I interned at Victory, and has mentored me for the past 9 years of my life.

I will be the youth pastor and do pretty much anything I need to do to help PL plant this church!

We will be launching on Sunday, April 17th, 2011 in Blackhawk High School at 10:30 a.m.!

We have been holding meetings on Sunday nights since January! Our launch team is growing and things are going really well! Starting something from nothing is an awesome thing!

You can watch this video to hear the story of Champion Life! If you live in Beaver County and you’re looking for a church, you will definitely want to check this one out! We know God is in this and we know God is going to do some incredible things!

For more details check out http://www.mychampionlife.com

While you’re at it, Like the church’s Facebook page!

Our Story of Champion Life Church from Champion Life Church on Vimeo.

Every Sunday while I’m doing X Stretch, I try to watch TED talks to hear from some of the most brilliant minds on the planet. The ones that I really enjoy, I post on here for you to watch.

Jessica Jackley started Kiva, which is a organization that allows you to lend to entrepreneurs in other countries so they can grow their business, so they can support their families, so we can help put a dent in poverty.

Watch this, be inspired, take action.

I just recently just finished my two year Cadre journey with Jeanne Mayo. Judy Gregory, one of Jeanne’s key staff members is convinced that Jeanne is one of the best kept secrets in youth ministry. After my experience, I would one up that and say she is one of the best kept secrets on the planet for ministry in general. The Cadre was one of the best experiences in my life

If You’re In Youth Ministry and You Don’t Take Advantage of The Cadre... You’re an Idiot!

Jeanne is the Real Deal -when you see leaders from a distance, it’s easy to question if they’re the real deal or not. Jeanne is! She has been in ministry for over forty years! She has so much wisdom, loves people more than anyone I’ve ever seen, and will literally do anything to enable you to do what God’s called you to do! I’m so grateful that I’ve gotten to get to know her and interact with her!

You Make Friendships that will Last a Lifetime -Looking back, the greatest things about the Cadre was the relationships you build. I have 5-6 guys that I know we’ll stay connected for the rest of our lives. People in other states, that don’t know your church or the people around you, who can give you perspective and encouragement to get through anything!

You will Have Life Experiences You’ll Never…I Stress Never, Forget - Jeanne is beyond intentional with creating life experiences for people. Things most people would never have the opportunity to experience. I’ll never forget my Cadre experience.

To Jeanne, Judy, Jordan, Bethany, Christina, Adam, the MC students, and everyone else who made this experience possible: Thank you so much. It’s definitely a huge mile marker in my life and ministry! You’re all such a huge blessing!