WOW!

I am always so grateful for our Oasis leaders. I continually stand in awe at how much they bless God, bless me and bless our students with their leadership and time. In a society that pretty much screams "it's all about me", they realize "it's most definitely not about me, it's all about Him". Each and every week, without fail, they breathe life, love and Jesus into our students. I wouldn't want to do Oasis without them. Along with Jesus, they alone are why Oasis is successful. It's not the flashy lights or great giveaways or awesome medias (although they're cool), it's them. They, along with Jesus of course, are the change agents in our students lives. I love them! I mean it when I say they're my heroes.

So tonight, when they gave Johnny, Chris and I each a cake and a gift card to the mall, they pretty much blew us away. Johnny said it best after Oasis when all three of us were upstairs having a late night talk, his word..."WOW!"

Music to my ears

Tonight was Schmucker's Christmas (Winter?) concert. It was music to my ears. They did an excellent job, but you definitely could tell which songs they like more than others...especially the guys. I know I'm not supposed to, but I liked it when you could hear them giggle.















I also loved looking at the stage and seeing so many faces I recognized. The original plan was to stay for all three grades. However, I only made it through the 6th grade...thanks to my friend Bob who gave me whatever bug he was carrying around on Sunday. Let's just say I hung out in the bathroom a lot today.

Ben and Kristen Stuckey

For those Oasis veterans who have been around for awhile, I just got the new photo of our beloved friends down in Alabama - Ben and Kristen Stuckey. I love and miss these guys like crazy. I always try to stop by their house when I head down south, but this month was a whirlwind kind of trip.

Props to the McFarlands, H.S. & M.S. Leadership Teams

Last Saturday they bought them and tonight before Oasis they wrapped them...over $500 of gifts and stocking stuffers. The 8th grade and high school leadership teams came together to adopt a family of eight kids this Christmas. In this particular family, grandma and grandpa are raising a boatload of their grandchildren. As you can imagine they really didn't expect to be doing this, nor can they afford to. However, their incredible love for their grandchildren surpassess all the inconveniences. This Christmas will be extra special because of you my friends! I am so proud of each and every one of you! Thanks to the McFarland family for organizing this event. Your heart for Jesus and hurting people is a beautiful sight to behold!

You are not the average bear Oasis!

You rock! Becasue of the nasty weather on Wednesday, I expected about a dozen students to show up for Oasis! Boy did you prove me wrong. Nearly 90% of you guys showed up. I love your heart for Oasis and your heart for Jesus. While you always need to use wisdom when it comes to driving in bad weather (give your parents grace), never lose that heart and hunger Oasis. You are loved by me, your leaders and, most of all, Him!

Jeanne Mayo

Jeanne Mayo has been one of my youth pastor heroes from afar for a long, long time. First, because she is an awesome youth pastor (Ministries Today gave her the title America's Number One Youth Pastor). Secondly because she is a female. Being a female pastor in a leadership position, it is really difficult to get that one-on-one significant face time with those who have gone before you that you have mad respect for. I'm not going to whine about it, but sometimes it pretty much makes me want to scream and other times it makes me want to give up. Anyway, Jeanne is doing this year long mentoring program known as the Cadre. To give you an indication how much she is sought after for her wisdom, you have to apply for it. I gave it a shot and got in, along with 19 others. We do a once a month conference call and meet with her personally twice a year. Last week (Monday and Tuesday) was our first time together. I was utterly blown away. First, she definitely knows how to throw a party. Second, her one liners were awesome. I've found that's the way I learn best, throw me a powerful one-liner and let me meditate on it. So, here are my two favorite from last week. They aren't hugely profound at first glance, but meditate on them for a while and I'm sure they will blow you away. Here you go.

"Sometimes it's not so much what is spoken, but what is sensed that matters."

Do people feel the grace, mercy, love and concern that I speak of? They've heard that they really matter to me and to Jesus, but do they feel it? When people are around me, do what they sense match my spoken words? The answer is, for various reasons, sometimes yes and sometimes no. Then, on ocassion, I think people sense the right stuff, but they need it spoken to them as well. Do I tell people I love them enough, even though my actions may scream it? I need to do better at both.

The other quote is what I'm glad to say that my senior pastor has mastered. I just don't think I've ever heard it put into words quite like this...
"Create attitudes (and culture), don't wait for them."

If you want an encouraging atmosphere, then be encouraging. If you want positive attitudes, then be positive. If you don't want gossip to run rampid in your ministry, then don't gossip. If you hate when people slice and dice each other in the name of leadership, then don't do it yourself.

Anyway, my time with Jeanne was off-the-chart. She's the real deal. In fact, the last night we had a Q&A time that started at 10 p.m. (yes, p.m.). She said she would stay up as long as there were four of us. She hung in there until 6:30 a.m. Needless to say, she is passionate about raising up and speaking life into youth pastors.

The moment of "sensing" that I will never forget is when we were talking one-on-one and I was giving some general background on my life and ministry. It was part of the bigger story, but in the midst of it I told her that my dad lives with me and struggles with being bi-polar. It was just part of the story, but at that moment she stopped me and looked into my eyes and asked me "How bad is it?" I was so taken back that I was like "How bad is what?" "His bi-polar?" I then went on to talk about how rough it's been since May. Friend, when she stopped me mid-sentence I was floored. What she said with those four words "How bad is it?", spoke volumes about who she is. She breathed into my life, "I heard you and I care".

I'm thankful to be a part of a church that encourages, allows time for and pays for us to receive the training to be the best that we can be. Thanks SMT.

G.L. and Q

I can't tell you how great it was to see Garrett and Quincey down in Atlanta this week! I knew I missed these guys a ton, but being down there reminded me why. First of all, they are just plain great guys. Second, they make me laugh a lot... a lot, a lot! After checking out some of the hilarious new videos Garrett has made, we all went out to dinner with their mom and step-dad to this incredible Italian restaurant their family owns. Great eats with great friends. It was an off-the-chart beginning to a couple of incredible days with one of my youth pastor hero's, Jeanne Mayo.

Hero Questions of the Day #23 - 26

Hey friends, once again I've been slacking on the Hero Question of the Day. For all you faithfuls out there, I'm going to throw out four of them today. Answer one or all four by posting your name and answers or emailing jgregory@gccwired.com with them. You rock my friends! I love doing life with you!

Question #23: But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, _________; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
Luke 1:13-15

Question #24: "I am the Lord's servant," __________ answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38

Question #25: Now there was a man in Jerusalem called _________, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
Luke 2:25-26

Question #26: There was also a prophetess, ______, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Luke 2:36-37

Miss Edwardsburg

I love going to events, plays, games and matches to show my love and support to Oasis and Lifeline leaders and students. That's why this morning I went to Patrick's wrestling match (win, lose or draw, Patrick will always be a winner in my book...he is off the chart awesome). And, that's why tonight I went to see Candace's Ms. Edwardsburg pageant. Can you imagine me at a pageant? I was totally out of my comfort zone, but that's ok because it's not all about me...tonight it was about Candace. Anyway, I get there and find out that Josiah's sister, Susanna, is also one of the contestants. Very cool! Even cooler is that Candance and Susanna tied for Miss Congeniality. We were proud and we were screamin'. To top it all off, Susanna takes the title and is named Miss Edwardsburg. Here are a couple of pictures from tonight. Bonus was watching Josh escort Candace and Josiah escort Susanna.

Can You Say Snow Storm?

Unless I'm nice and toasty under the covers looking out the window, I hate snow...especially when I have to drive in it! Tomorrow morning I head for Atlanta to hang out for a couple of days at the home of Jeanne Mayo - whom I'd have to say is the numero uno, top gun, head honcho female youth pastor in America. She's been a hero of mine from afar for a long, long time. What's even cooler is that I get to have dinner tomorrow night with Garrett and Quincey! Boy, do I miss those guys a ton! Pray for me and my slickery travel! I am going to do my very best to make it back for Oasis on Wednesday night, but no fear Johnny "the Middle School King" Keim has it under control.

In light of Thanksgiving

In light of celebrating Thanksgiving last week, did you take the time to verbalize what and who you are thankful for? Tell me about it by emailing me at jgregory@gccwired.com or post it to the blog for all to see. Even better, if it's a person that you're thankful for, go and tell them face to face. Today just might be the day they need to be encouraged, to have life breathed into them.

The tongue has the power of life and death... Proverbs 18:21

Ok, that's not really funny, but it kinda is

Someone did a "Last Picture I Ever Took" contest. Here are a few of the winners I pulled off the internet (thanks Kem for the link). I think my favorite is the golf one, probably cause I like to golf (notice I didn't say I was good at it). Before you freak out and think they're totally real, notice the golfer has a putter in his hand - unless he hit it like a 9 iron, I think we've just witnessed a little PhotoShop magic.

That's Note Worthy

Cool Conference Call with Tim Elmore

I was recently on a conference call with Tim Elmore (a leadership guru) and about a dozen or so other youth pastors. Here are my notes for you present and future youth leaders/pastors (sorry, if they are a little rough grammatically).

Three Cool Images that Help Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes (Habitudes) – You must consciously pursue personal growth!

Starving Baker – #1 Occupational Hazard in Ministry
Imagine walking into a bakery and you see a really skinny guy behind the counter doing everything. He’s so busy serving everyone else he doesn’t have time to stop and eat and he starves himself. That’s a picture of a lot of us in student ministry. We are so busy serving, serving, serving, that we don’t spiritually stop, eat and digest ourselves. Often times it happens because it looks so noble to be giving our lives away, to be investing and expending our lives for other people. As noble as it looks, after a season we burn out and end up just going through the motions. There is no power on our ministry. The starving baker reminds us that we have got to feed ourselves before we feed others.

If I stop growing today, I stop leading tomorrow.

It’s the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguish leaders from followers. – Warren Bennis

The number one problem in ministers in his generation is that they were trafficking unlived truth. – Dwight L. Moody

We’ve got to live it before we give lip service to it.

Oversized Gift –
Imagine your 5th birthday party and you open all your gifts, but your mom and dad say there are a couple of more in the garage. You’re thinking a bike or maybe a big water gun for the pool. You open the garage door and your jaw drops. It’s a bike and gun alright… it’s a Harley Davidson and a 12 gage shotgun. “Mom, dad… I’m five, not fifty.” The gift doesn’t match who you are. In the same way, you all have entered ministry most likely because you have a pretty big gift, there is a God given gift inside of you. And, what happens often is that we begin leaning on our gift rather than on our growth, or leaning on our gifts rather than our God. We wing it in our ministry. You think things like, “I don’t have to prepare for this, I can do this in my sleep”, our preparation level goes down and our discipline level is not high. We must continually stretch and grow.

Iceberg –
Imagine a huge photograph of an iceberg and you can see both the tip above the water and the massive amount below the waterline. The 10% above the waterline – the tip that you can see – represents your skill set, the 90% below the waterline represents your character. It’s always what’s below the waterline that sinks the ship. The major portion of your influence is below the waterline – it’s your identity, your character, your discipline, your emotional security, the values that you live by…that’s what people read and that’s what really influences. Again, it has to do with personal growth. It’s what you are feeding internally into your spirit man and mind that is going to make all the difference in the world.

Leaders have to keep growing. What got you where you are seldom keeps you there.


Question and Answer Time
One of two life verses for Tim (in response to a question regarding the D. L. Moody quote above):

And Ezra set his heart to study the law of the lord, then to practice it, then to teach the statutes to Israel. Ezra 7:10

Wise man, right order.

The question I asked him during the Q & A session was "What book have you read that refreshed your soul?" His answer was Your God is Too Safe by Mark Buchanan. I just ordered it so somewhere down the line I'll let you know.

Four leadership books that he likes...
Leadership and Self Deception by the Arbinger Institute
Certain Trumpets by Garry Wills
Good to Great and Built to Last by Jim Collins

Home Alone?...Hope Not!

I wouldn't want this starring me in the face on a cold windy night (the kind we have frequently in northern Indiana). My good friend, Ashley Johnson, sent this pic to me. Ashley lives right down the street from me and boy am I glad this one is in her backyard and not mine.

Hero Question of the Day

I've been skipping a few beats when it comes to the Hero Question of the Day. Post your answers or email jgregory@gccwired.com. Feel free to answer one or all. Have an incredible Thanksgiving my friends.


____________, ____________ and ____________ replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Daniel 3:16-18

When ____________ woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Matthew 1:24

While they were stoning him, ___________ prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 7:59-60

"Judy, I'd make the trip down just to hang out with you. I'd love that!"

That was the comment that one of the people at the workshop Corey and I did made to me last Friday. Do you have any idea how great that made me feel? It wasn't the ego stroke that made me smile (I've been caught in that trap one too many times), but the fact that even in my utter exhaustion God was somehow shining through. I really don't remember a whole lot about Friday, other than #15 wasn't in the handouts and I need to cut my second session down to the best of the best so that I can make it through...and I remember that comment! Go God...may you and you alone...receive all the glory, honor and praise! You Rock!

When the Smile on My Heart is as Big as the One on My Face

I love it when someone makes my heart smile... my leaders did that for me tonight! I will forever be grateful for the fact that from September through June, over 75 leaders of Oasis give me and our students 1/7 of their evenings each week. That's huge! Everything about them shines brightly for Jesus - their actions, attitudes, words and deeds.

Tonight, we had a leader's meeting and so many of them showed up that we ran out of both Chinese and Taco Bell. I've never had that problem before, but it wasn't anything that another quick food run couldn't fix (thanks Chris).

For all those present and future youth pastors out there, here's one thing I've learned through the years. While I can't repay them for what they sacrifice for our students each and every week, I can feed them well. That's why we've done Chinese (the overwhelming favorite), Chick-fil-A, Hacienda, Brunos, homemade and a few others. Tonight we added a few cool giveaways too - that was fun. I hope I beat them to heaven and get to watch their faces as Jesus shows them the impact they had on eternity that they were never able to fully see on earth.

Among many, a few of the leaders in particular that have made my heart smile are...
Karen and Wendy - They planned the entire high school leaders retreat and allowed me to just show up and play all weekend - spoons, kemps, capture the flag, ping-pong, indoor off-the-walls kickball and 3-on-3 basketball. After sitting at my computer for three weeks, it felt really, really good. I loved having the opportunity to speak what was on my heart and pray for each of the high school leaders as well.

The Five Star Boys - After hanging out with middle school students at Grissom on Wednesday afternoons, they high tail it from Grissom over to GCC to do it all over again. Thanks Seth, Jeremy, Josiah, Michael and Eric! A big Happy Birthday goes out to Josiah!

Blog-o-rama

As I mentioned in my last post, my whirlwind is over. So, you'll be seeing a number of posts at once. Our 8th grade leaders are currently working through Doug Field's "Help, I'm a student leader!" book. I've challenged them to highlight what jumps off the page at them while they read each chapter, then to figure out from among the highlights "the highlight to beat all highlights".

Here are mine...

When you take responsibility for the tasks other run from, you communicate your willingness to do what it takes to be used by God. (Chapter 2)

The humble leader doesn't need to brag, show off, or convince anyone of his greatness. (Chapter 3)

WOW - What a ride! I finally learned my lesson!

A month ago, a few friends heard about the schedule I would have to maintain in order to get everything done by Thanksgiving that I had said "yes" to. While they used words, they really didn't have to. Their eyes alone said something equivalent to "Are you nuts?"

It's been a whirlwind my friends. A month of working with no more than 3-4 hours a sleep a night (often times less) has left me beyond spent. The fact that I had to pinch myself on Thursday to stay awake while listening to one of my heros was my first clue, then I began seeing two of him (double vision is a trip). On Friday when I couldn't sit down because I desperately feared falling a sleep despite my surroundings, I knew I was in serious trouble (could be because after double vision day I only had 45 minutes of sleep that night). I remember a long time ago hearing about how a presenter fell asleep during his own presentation, on Friday (while I didn't) I had a new understanding how that could possibly happen. To say I was beat, would be a significant understatement.

However, there were great moments that occurred during that time that I will cherish forever. Speaking to 130 women on Genesis through Numbers and getting comments like "now I get it" left me inspired to work on a few things that have been rolling around in the back of my head for months. Giving a message on choices to a boatload of middle school students using a boatload of scripture was refreshing and reminded me how much I love to study God's Word and get new takes on things. Despite the predicament that I got myself into, having a number of old friends and new friends ask "How can I help?" left me encouraged and feeling warm and fuzzy.

Then there are some events where there was no other option than to go on autopilot, which I feel much regret. However, as God so often allows, I will get a "do over." Although time will be the true test, I think I got this lesson down. While I really don't want to live a balanced life, I do want to live a "healthy" life. "Healthy" would not have been a word you would have used to describe my life over the last month, but now I'm on a quest for it. While I know I will never fully arrive, I am committed to doing better. Once again, time will be the true test.

If you're interested in some reminders, when you are exhausted...
... your emotions are raw, really raw (fortunately I am relatively good at holding my tongue or I would have verbally (and regretfully) slaughtered a few people and left casualties along the roadside).
... your reaction time is significantly slower.
... your ability to think on your feet is almost non-existent.
... words don't come out of your mouth right.
... relationships are taxed.
... important people feel... and are...neglected.
... instead of enjoying what you do, your whole focus is just getting through the "next" event.

Life isn't meant to be lived that way. Sprint, sprint, sprint, sprint...rest is not cool; however, sprint...rest, sprint...rest, sprint...rest, sprint...rest is! That's all I have to say about that!

In the meantime, thanks Karen, Chris, Wendy, Carole, Loretta and so many others that had my back in so many ways.

Where's Waldo

Tonight we finish our series, "Where's Waldo - Training Your Eyes to See, Ears to Hear, Heart to Feel and Mind to Think." We're going to dive into an overview of Genesis, in particular Joseph's story. He stumbled in the beginning with "having a mind to think" when he, perhaps, could be found struttin' around in his coat and spoutin' off his dreams without thinking how it would make his brothers feel. However, in the end, he got it right! Come find out how. Oasis...You Rock...I am so very proud of you!

Who Can Make Judy Giggle Most Funny Photo Contest

I have two friends, whom I love dearly, that have the same favorite saying, it's "that makes me giggle." Just hearing them say it, makes me giggle. However, I decided I wanted to laugh more often, so I'm holding a little contest entitled, "Who Can Make Judy Giggle Most Funny Photo Contest." This is how you win, email me (jgregory@gcccwired.com) the funnest photo you can find. It has to be clean and there are bonus points if you're in it. However, keep in mind I will post a couple to this blogspot, so if it's too embarassing for you to see it posted, don't send it. The last thing I would want to do is embarrass you. I love you too much to do that. I'm going to declare the first entry to be Lanette's (the photo is below). That means that Oasis students, parents of Oasis students and leaders in Oasis are eligible to win.

Oh yeah, what do you win you might ask? A $10 coupon to your favorite fast food restaurant, along with two movie tickets.

Hero Question of the Day #19

____________did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
2 Kings 12:2

Post your name and answer as a comment or email jgregory@gccwired.com. You rock my world!

Funny Photo Tuesday

Thanks Lanette for the hilarious photo!

Hero Question of the Day #18

I am such a slacker (not really, just incredibly busy). Here is Hero Question of the Day #18 for those patiently waiting.

When he had gone a little farther, he saw _________ son of Zebedee and his brother _______ in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. Mark 1:19-20

Email me your name and the names of the two brothers or post them to the blog. You rock!

Go Colts!

Who is that wild eyed radical?

Just David Crowder, the leading worship artist this side of Zimbabwe! If you ever get the opportunity to see him in person, do not...I repeat...do not pass it up. We piled into three vans and a car to head up to Grand Rapids yesterday. It was worth the trip, not only to see him but to hang out with some dear friends and worship alongside a radical group of young bucks from Chicago. I thought I was a David Crowder fan, I couldn't hold a candle to these guys. A pleasant surprise was the guys, Shane & Shane, that played right before Crowder. Shane & Shane not only had some quality sound, but lyrics too. I'm heading for the store tomorrow to pick up their CD.

David Crowder (picture compliments of Loretta)




















Shane & Shane (pictures compliments of Loretta)

Hero Question of the Day #17

But ___________ stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Luke 19:8-10

Great job on answering the questions. Keep up the good work. Post your name and answer as a comment or email jgregory@gccwired.com them.

Oasis Guy's Retreat

"This retreat was one of the best retreats I've ever been to. There were many, many guys, if not all of them, that gave their lives to Christ or recommited their lives to Christ. I know that some of them might not live it out, but it was at least a step in their walk with Christ and it may lead to a full devotion to Christ later in life. Johnny did a wonderful job speak and so did Corey. I just wish that it could have been longer, and that we had better weather. The best time that I had there was Saturday night, I was able to talk life into a couple students, and they later on asked Christ into their lives."

This post was done by James Stogdill <-- He's awesome, Judy

Hero Question of the Day #16

Coming Soon... Pictures from the Girl's Night Out and Guy's Retreat. Until then, think upon Hero Question of the Day #16

Then _________ began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Acts 8:35

I laughed - It does sound pretty funny

Jason Simnick asked me "why I put a fish on the wall?" No J, I didn't pound a Blue Gil or Catfish into the drywall, although that would be kind of funny. The Discovery play was entitled "Once on this Island" and outside the auditorium/lunch room you could staple to the wall an "encouragement fish" made out of construction paper. On the fish you could write "great job", "you're awesome", etc. (one was kind of funny, it asked a girl out and had a box for her to check yes or no). Why they were shaped like fish I don't know for sure, but probably a play off the play title (ha ha) or because you encourage the cast with them (like how you "cast" when fishing...nevermind).

On a side note, if you haven't met Jason and his wife, Chrissy, at Oasis yet, they are an awesome couple with three great kids - Hannah, Josh and Abby (sorry I have no picture, Loretta will fix that for me). They both grew up in our youth ministry way back in the day when Rob was the youth pastor. Jason is one of the funniest guys I know (other than when he and my nephew terrorized my cat with a nylon - no wonder the cat is neurotic). I am grateful that Jason and Chrissy are both on the Oasis team. When I'm with them, it feels like being with family.

A Day of Discovery

Today was a lot of fun! I spent five hours at Discovery Middle School.

Five Star
We kicked off the Five Star after school program at Discovery today. It has a ton of Oasis students in it, which is way cool! I love it. I just get to hang out and talk with students for a change cause Seth is in charge... and I like it that way. I love Oasis, but sometimes I really enjoy just being a volunteer where I can focus on developing relationships and not worry about the video, cue sheets, Eagle's Nest guides, message, etc. However, I wouldn't trade Oasis for anything.

The Play
Afterwards, Ruby and I chowed down on some quality Chick-fil-A and headed to Discovery's play. We went to see Heather Stevens, but quickly discovered the mass amount of Oasis students involved in everything from "on stage" to "back stage". I'd try to list all the names I recognized, but I'd probably forget one and then feel real bad. However, I did put a fish up on the wall letting all the Oasis students involved know I thought they rocked. It was a pure delight. I was incredibly impressed with how well they sang, danced and acted. If I tried to sing, the dogs would start howlin'.

For your viewing pleasure, below are some shots I had Heather's dad (whom I have boatloads of respect for) send me. It was fun sitting next to the Stevens clan, Kristen and Ruby Tuesday... they rock too!

Hero Question of the Day #15

"I tell you the truth," he said, "this ____ ______ has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Luke 21:3-4

The answer really isn't a specific name, but more like a description of her. Post your name and answer or email them to jgregory@gccwired.com.

This is a great illustration of what Jeremy talked about on Wednesday. Jesus is more concerned about the condition of your heart than anything else. The heart of this lady was vividly on display when she gave all that she had. She was "all in". How about you? Maybe you're not there yet, but decide today to ask Jesus what your next step might be... then take it! I love you, I love Oasis, I love GCC, I love Jesus.

Everyone Needs A Chris

Chris (left) with Jackie at Feed the Children

I used to be horrible at delegating things to people. Seriously...really bad...a major weakness of mine! And then came Chris. Now a days, Chris would tell you that delegating is no longer a weakness of mine. Seriously...I'm really good at it! The reason I'm good at it is because of Chris. She's got my back, my front and my sides. I am convinced that there is no greater administrative assistant in all of the world. She's learned to ask me great questions...do you have this, have you done that, did you reserve the room...the shuttle...the whatever? Most of the time my answer is "workin' on it" or "no, can you do that for me?" She's also one of those people that will always take my call. Sometimes I'm zippin' through the office and can't find something or have a question, so I give Chris a buzz and, of course, she knows where it is or has the answer. I value that. I value her.

What's even cooler is that she cares about me! My dad's been goin' through a rough time over the last six months. He's just now coming out of it (thank you Jesus). She's one of my inner circle of friends who remembers and asks about him. I like that...a lot. A lot of people know about him and the illness he's been battling, but only a few people ask about him...that makes me sad. I think about that a lot. Do I do that to people? Forget to ask about their sick mom, their struggling teenager or how the school play went? I know I do sometimes. I hate that about myself. I wanna be more like Chris:)

McFarland vs. McFarland

Evan McFarland has been running our set up team forever! He is off-the-chart awesome I tell ya. However, Hilary, his sister, is now giving him a run for his money. I always new Hilary was incredible too, but she took it up a level a couple of weeks ago when she began leading her very own "girls set up team"... and it has some serious girl power. They now hold the new record for set up with a time of 30 minutes (previous time to beat was 45 minutes)! Wow! The hearts of our Tuesday night teams - guys and girls - are as big as the state of Texas. Thank you... thank you... thank you! I love what you do, but more importantly who you are. The McFarlands and crew rock. Below are pictures of some of the team (a few key players are missing, like Vito).

Hero Question of the Day #14

In those days _____ ___ _______ came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Matthew 3:1-2

This dude has three names... kinda.... more like one name and a title. Rock on. Post your name and answer or email them to jgregory@gccwired.com.

Hero Question of the Day #13

Ok, today's question is a little different. The verse I wanted to use is soooo very cool; however, it doesn't identify the hero's name in it who said it. So, I'm changing the question just for today. The hero is Isaiah, fill in the blank found in the verse.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send ____!" Isaiah 6:8

I love that verse because that's who I want to be 24-7. If God needs something done, I want Him to forever be able to call on me! However, I know I need the foresight of the Holy Spirit to do that (like we talked about on Wednesday). I need to be able to hear His voice and/or have Him push, prod and nudge me in the direction He wants me to go. Oasis you rock... I love you guys!

That's One Big Sundae & That's Not Chump Change

$2,180 - That's some major green!

When I posted about the 1200 boxes packed at Feed the Children, I forgot to tell you that we also had the opportunity to give Alan Jones (the son of Larry Jones, the founder of Feed the Children) our check for $2,180. While the 7th grade pulled out the win for most money donated, collectively we all have reason to be proud. The money will enable over 15,500 pounds of food to be delivered to hurricane ravaged areas. Hungry people will be fed because of you my friend. Way cool!

Over 100 seventh grade students feasted on this 100' sundae! The prize for the victorious seventh grade students who collected the most money for Hurricane Relief Efforts.

Hero Question of the Day #12

Wow! I can't believe how many students are emailing and posting the answer to the Hero Question of the Day. I am so proud of you... seriously. Taking time out to look up the passage each and every day or two is off-the-chart. It's a huge step toward getting to know our God and His Word for yourself!

When they had crossed, Elijah said to ________, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,"...
2 Kings 2:9

Post your name and answer or email jgregory@gccwired.com with them.

Meet the Leader - Carole

Carole Marzke is an amazing leader. However, what I appreciate most about her is that she is an awesome friend as well. Carole has been doing youth ministry alongside me forever. You know you have an incredible leader on your hands when they look forward to being here each and every week, year after year. Seriously, the only time Carole has missed is when she's been out of town or sick. That's pretty amazing. Love ya friend... hope to be doing ministry and life together for many more years to come!














Carole is about the sweetest person you'll ever meet. She's the queen of cupcakes in my book too! She has four great kids - Grant, Gabby, Gloria and Gracie - and one incredible husband named Dave. Below is Carole trying to look scary... somehow she still ended up with a smile on her face:)

The Feed the Children Team - Relentless I tell ya!

1200 boxes divided by 24 people = 50 boxes a piece! That's a lot of boxes!

On Saturday, October 30 we rocked Feed the Children by pumping out 1200 boxes of food. This isn't just food for anyone, but those in the Michiana area. When the people of GCC gather together in January to distribute food, it will be all the more special knowing that their student ministries helped boxed them with a whole lot of TLC.

John, Noah, Gabby, Grant, Ashley, Chris, Jackie, Rayne, Shelby, Tara, Lilly, Becky, Emily, Beau, Kasie, Andy, Hilary, Evan, Zach, Karen, Lisa, Carole, and Zeke... thanks for giving it your all. Not once, did you guys moan or groan. When it came to packing boxes, you were relentless for five hours... zowee!

If you build it, we will come!

When Karen and I heard about this corn maze, we had to check it out. We could of driven 20 minutes to a corn maze in Edwardsburg, but opted for this one 2 hours away in Sparta, MI. Why might you ask? It has a pumpkin launcher. It was worth the drive to spend some quality time together... and to launch pumpkins. Mike you gotta build us one of these things!

Up, up and away















Is that the sun setting? No, it's a pumpkin flying to its death.















Last, but not least, Andy launches the Great Pumpkin!















Team 1 -John, Andy, Zeke and, of course, Vito McFarland
They smoked everyone through the corn maze! Great job guys!















Team 2 - Hilary, Karen, Erica and Amanda















Team 3 - Steve, Evan, Bob, Kyle and Levi (aka Beaver Cleaver)















Team 4 - Kasie, Kalie, Amanda and me

Hero Question of the Day #11

Hero Question of the Day #11
__________ answered, "O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."
Daniel 6:21-22

Post your name and answer or email them to jgregory@gccwired.com

I hope you can all make it to Feed the Children this Saturday. We'll meet at GCC at 8:30 a.m. and return at 2:30 p.m. Remember to call (574.243.3506, x348) or email me if you are going by 7 p.m. on Friday. You Rock!

Eagle's Nest of the Week - Soul Candy

Soul Candy - It's good for the soul!

Stayed Tuned for Tomorrow Night's Eagle's Nest of the Week Picture Posting

Hero Question of the Day #10
From inside the fish _______ prayed to the LORD his God. He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry."
Jonah 2:1-2

Post or email (jgregory@gccwired.com) your name and answer. 24 more hours until Oasis... YES!

Hero Question of the Day #9

For all those Hero Question of the Day bloggers out there... I am so proud of you. Whether you just started answering the questions or you began day one, you totally rock in my book. As of yet, absolutely no one has answered a question incorrectly. So far, there have been 8 questions with 10 potential answers. Here are the tallies with two questions remaining before Wednesday's random drawing.
1. Brian 10 (entries into the drawing)
2. Shelby 9
3. Donald 9
4. Ambre 8
5. Kalie 7
6. Erica 7
7. Keena 5
8. Neil 3
9. Kayle 1
10. Renae 1
11. Kira 1


Hero Question of the Day #9 - This servant asks God for wisdom and God gives it to him...Big Time! Who is he? Post your name and answer as a comment or email jgregory@gccwired.com with them.

"... and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."
_________ answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
"Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
1 Kings 3:5-9 (Oops, posted the chapter wrong the first time)

I think that would be a cool thing to ask for in prayer too! I think I'll go and do just that! Night!

In Her Shoes

You know, sometimes it's great just to hangout with your mom. They need that sometimes... you need that sometimes. I have a great, great mom...and aunt...and sister. We decided to do a chick flick together tonight. Unfortunately, my brother-in-law busted his wrist big time racing at the speedway today, so my sister had to make a last minute run to the hospital and couldn't go.

They had picked the movie, and had I checked the kidsinmind.com website, I might not have gone. It scored pretty high (6 out of 10) on the sexual content for a PG-13 movie. However, after seeing the movie, I'm glad we went.

Basically it's about two sisters, one very successful (she's a lawyer) and the other definitely not (she jumps from one relationship to another - that's the junk part because they show some of that). They have a major fallout and the lawyer sister kicks her kid sister out of her apartment. The kid sister then goes down to Florida to live with her recently discovered grandmother. While there, her life is transformed. She leaves behind a life of lying, stealing, drinking and promiscuity when she realizes her life has meaning and purpose. I won't go into anymore details, but watching a life be transformed on the screen... or better yet in real life through a relationship with Jesus and by discovering how God wired you (your SHAPE as we talked about on Wednesday)... is just about the coolest thing in the world.

There are many more lessons in this movie about betrayal, forgiveness, sisterhood and how a learning disability can affect your self-esteem if you allow it. It would be great if an Oasis student who's SHAPE is producing movies would one day resurrect this film without the inappropriate scenes. The value of expressing Biblical principles by painting a picture using the arts (movies, drama, paintings, music, etc.) is powerful. I'm glad I go to a great church were we do just that.

Well, I gotta jet. I'm heading off to the hospital to be with my sister while my brother-in-law has his wrist operated on. Why go? Because sisters just do that for each other. Pray for him. He teaches guitar for a living... you need good wrists to do that. Remember, family matters... you matter... Jesus matters.

Off to Indy and Hero Question of the Day #8

Last night Grand Rapids, today Indy

Last night, some friends and I loaded up the shuttle and headed off to Grand Rapids for a Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman and Louie Giglio concert. These guys were off-the-chart. The fact that I was able to see them with my friends and sister made it even sweeter. Chris and Matt are worship leaders and Louie is an incredible speaker. All three have an ability to take you into the throne room of heaven in the blink of an eye. You can listen to Louie at the Northpoint's church website (Andy Stanley's church for those Andy Stanley fans like me). Here's the link: http://www.northpoint.org/sermons. Louie's Astronomical Grace and Significant Insignificance messages are awesome. I suggest you click on those. Of course, Andy's will rock your world as well.


Hero Question of the Day #8
Since I'm heading off to Indy, I'm posting tomorrow's question early. Hopefully I'll have web access, but I'm thinkin' not!

Then ________ sent this reply to Mordecai: "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."
Esther 4:15-16

Post your name and answer as a comment or email them to jgregory@gccwired.com.

Chicks take the Stage and Hero Question of the Day #7

Introducing Leah and Ashlee
While Mike, Scott, Jeff and Tom always rock the house for us at Oasis, it was very, very cool having Leah and Ashlee join them on stage. The female touch was very nice!




















Hero Question of the Day #7 - This guy not only wept over his sin, but he helped other people realize the sin in their life as well.

While ________ was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.
Ezra 10:1

Fill in the blank by posting a comment or emailing jgregory@gccwired.com the answer... don't forget to tell me your name. You rock!

Oasis - All Means All

ALL MEANS ALL
And now, O Israel (Judy), what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.
Deuteronomy 4:12-13

Tonight at Oasis, after an exciting game of Lanny-Ball, we talked about how God didn't stop at love Him and serve Him, but He went on to say "with all your heart and with all your soul". Really love Him like He first loved us.

We've talked about loving Him well over the last few weeks and to recap, Leah sang "About You" by ZOEGirl. The key points in recent weeks were to be "RELENTLESS", choose to be "ALL IN", find your "PILLARS" to come alongsdie you, because in relationships (with friends and Jesus) "PROXIMITY MATTERS".

Afterwards we went on to hit the other side... to SERVE Him because people are dying for us to breathe life into them, to perform spiritual CPR like we would physcial CPR. However, instead of breathing life into them by giving them air, it would be by speaking words of encouragement and hope into them, as well as serving those who not only need to hear about Jesus but see and sense Him through our hands and feet.

FIRST RECORDED CASE OF CPR
And the LORD God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And the man became a living person.
Genesis 2:7

We talked about our SHAPE - Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences. With my own life, I illustraed at age 12 what my SHAPE might have of looked like. I challenged them to fill out the SHAPE form, get an idea on areas in which they might be wired to serve and then go give it a shot. If it worked out great, if not try something else.

People are depending on us to figure out what God wired us to do - what He wired us to LOVE to do - and to do it not out of obligation, but as an ultimate expression of love.

Go Grissom and Hero Question of the Day #6

Five Star Rocks the House at GRISSOM.
Today was the first day of Five Star's after school event at Grissom and it was a HUGE success. Ninety plus signed up and most of them showed up. Technically, they are only allowed to have fifty. What a cool problem to have.

We kicked off playing Pac Man, Knockout and Dodgeball in the gym, then it was off to eat an enormous ice cream sundae for 90 out of gutters (yes, I said gutters), followed by some great, Great, GREAT words by Seth on seizing your destiny. If you missed it, you missed out big time... BIG TIME. The good news is that you will have another opportunity to sign up in January. For those that made the first eight week cut, it's gonna be a blast.

Hero Question of the Day #6 (written in blue since I spent my middle school years at Schmucker)

The LORD said to ____________, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.' " So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
Judges 7:2-3

Bonus question: If you read just a few more verses beyond 3, it tells you how many the army was eventually reduced to. What was the number (hint it's a lot less than 10,000)?

Remember you don't have to do the bonus question if you don't want to. Also, if you can't post for some reason, just email me (jgregory@gccwired.com) your name and answer.

Skyriders and Hero Question of the Day #5

Today at Skyriders was a blast. I love to watch students as they attempt their death defying tricks. All went well and no major injuries... that's the way I like it! You guys are awesome, talented and brave beyond words!

Hero Question of the Day #5
_______ was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
2 Kings 22:1-2