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.