It’s been a pretty sweet week… here are some thoughts:

New Season of Rev- Today we had our last service without a youth pastor. It’s been a little over a year of Sean, Zack, and I running youth. I am excited for a new season of Rev and to see it go to another level. I just helped move in our new youth pastor (Nathan Hurst), he is a great guy and I am pumped to see God work through him!

19 North - Zack and Lauren and doing a whole month series called “Co-Ed” which is on sex, dating, and the single life. It’s a great series. Last night ZB took talked to the ladies and Lauren talked to the guys. I would recommend listening to the podcasts! Also, we’re having the first ever Silver Ring Thing 20-something event at Victory through 19 North this Friday. Do not miss that!

Redefining Relationships – Craig Groeschel had a great blog series this week on redefining relationships. He talked about how the bigger a church gets, the bigger our families become, and as we just grow up in life, we have to constantly be redefining our relationships with people. I’m just starting to see this in ministry and I am realizing it is a very hard thing to go through. Craig’s insight really helped me out.

Loves Correction and Submission and Authority – I’ve been feeding on these two series by Keith Moore… they pretty much rocked my world. Everyone (especially young leaders) need to listen to these two series (along with all of Keith Moore’s series!!)

Fear Factor – So we’re having a month long Fear Factor competition at Rev. It’s been crazy! We had our 2nd round this past Wednesday and made students bob for worms in all kind of nasty junk. It was a blast and I’m pumped for next week… only 4 contestants left!

I’m going out to watch the Steelers game with some great friends tonight… until next time! Love you guys!

It’s been an absolutely insane 2 weeks! A lot of new seasons have started in my life and it will be a big season for making decisions and a lot of change.

New Youth Pastor - we’ve hired a new youth pastor! Pastor Nathan Hurst from New Orleans! He came to Rev 2 weeks ago and spoke and we got to hang out with him and his wife a while to get to know him. I am excited to sit under new leadership and see what I can learn, I’m excited that Rev is going to go to a new level, and I’m most excited to learn everything God has for me to learn this year through this new experience.

RMU Last Semester - I am finally in my last semester of college. I literally cannot wait until December! This has caused my Fall Schedule to be Insane!

Victory Bible Institute - I am starting my third year of Bible School…I can’t even believe that. It seems like Pastor Craig was just telling me they’d be starting it and now I’m in year 3. It’s been one of the most beneficial things I’ve ever done though!

Chicago Marathon - I’m literally a month away from running my first marathon! I’ve been training since March! That went so fast . . . it’s going to be tough, but I am excited to cross the finish line!

What’s Next? - Perhaps this has been the craziest thing I’ve been reflecting on. In the past 2 weeks, I’ve had situations come into my life that I’d thought would never be there and it’s just added to my phase of dreaming for the next 5 years of my life. I can’t believe I’m growing up… but here is what I know: God is big, He’ll lead me, and if I seek Him first, He will do super abundantly far above all I could dare ask, hope, or think in my life. (Eph. 3:20)

Messages Worth Listening To:

• Erwin McManus did a message on his podcast: “Is Jesus the Only Way?” – a must listen to for anyone!

• I started listening to 2 Keith Moore’s Series: One on Submission and One on Faithfulness. I would recommend them both as well. Especially for young leaders!

I was listening to Keith Moore and he said,

“I don’t know if you know me or not, but I’m the kind of guy, that if God tells me to do something, I don’t care if it’s completely and politically correct, I don’t care if nobody likes it, I’ll just do it, and I’ll do it again and again and again. Because in a few days I’m going to stand in front of Him and give an account for what I did and I won’t be able to say, “yea, but Lord, they didn’t like it and so I couldn’t do it…no no no… we’ll give an account before Him!”

I am in a wonderful season of my life in which I’m learning what I’m called to do and growing confident in that call. In Acts it says that if something is of God, it cannot be stopped! I know what God as called me to do and I won’t let anything hold me back from that call… I am pumped up about this! I will stand in front of God one day and be accountable for what He called ME to do. Not the person next to me, not my family, not my friends . . . ME!

I wish I could keep going on this… but I don’t want to keep rambling (and I have to go to class)… more to come! God is so good…