"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

Wow. What a week it has been and what a weekend it will be! We are just coming off an incredible Youth Emphasis Week for The National Institute. God really worked as Scott Distler (Grace Church, Lititz, PA) , Scott Greene (youth pastor at Warsaw Community Church), and Josh Finklea (youth pastor from Quincy, IL) spoke in chapels and worked with us on special youth ministry events. I have had great conversations about ministry with students as well as one student contact me who now desires to become a part of tni.

Starting tonight is one of my favorite things about working at CE National. This weekend is our annual training event for our Operation Barnabas leaders here in Winona Lake. This year will be the first time we are able to host all of the events in the newly constructed Russell Center and house everyone at the retreat center we call the Philemon Center. So 17 of us will gather from all around the country for a busy weekend.

I think what I like most about this weekend is getting to spend three days with people who really care about kids and want to do something significant to help in their spiritual development. This is my chance to hang out with the "already convinced" on the importance of youth ministry and this group puts its money where its mouth is. Plus they are just fun people who are positive, and encourage me in my walk with God. While I like Christmas too, I think this weekend is the most wonderful time of the year as it relates to my ministry at CE National and The National Institute.

The Older I Get...

The older I get, the more I think I am appreciating people who have invested in me through the years. Certainly this is true of mentors and youth leaders and teachers and the like. But it is also true of people who are my friends.

I was just thinking how much Ed Lewis has helped me professionally and personally. Way back in the 80's (okay, '87 and '88) I got to be on Ed's Operation Barnabas team. Those first two teams I helped lead, Ed was the Senior Leader. I learned so much about ministry during that time that it helped influence our family's decision to move back Indiana to work at CE National years later. And I am still learning a ton from him.

In a different vain, but no less appreciated, are other friends I get to rub shoulders with in ministry. I don't want to mention names (I did that in my first blog and Trevor Deck called me on it. Trevor--the list only included the names of people I had e-mailed and/or talked on the phone with that week... Do you now feel the love?)

I just wrote a thank you e-mail to one of those people. Here is a part of it:

"Most of all, I appreciate you. I appreciate your heart for God, your love for the church, and for your family. While I am thankful for the way that you ministry to Operation Barnabas adult leaders and teens, and to tni students, my life is blessed personally because of you.

Thanks again, brother. I appreciate your friendship and your investment."

So today I am especially thankful to God for the people He has put in my life that He is using to help mold and shape me.

You Know You Are From Indiana When...

I guess blogs are an opportunity to share what one is personally thinking, feeling, or experiencing. What I have been thinking about lately isn't very deep, but it always happens to me at this time of the year: "When is winter going to end and nice weather show up here in Indiana?"

Part of my problem is that I grew up in Southern California (note that anyone from So Cal capitalizes both the S and the C even though it is not grammatically correct because we would have no problem seceding from the rest of the state) and nice weather was always a given. I never had a day of school cancelled --even during the ten years I was teaching...

But now we live in Indiana. Not that it is a bad place or anything. In fact, it is home. But it is SO different than where and how we grew up that when my daughter forwarded me these comments about living in Indiana, I had to laugh out loud (or is that "lol"? I'm still learning...) So any Hoosiers, don't be upset with me, just enjoy the fact that we are different than many folks. And I am now a proud resident of Indiana even with our state's idiosyncrasies.
But--
You Know You're From Indiana When...

1.You drive for three hours and the scenery outside doesn't change.
2.There's three feet of snow on the ground and school is still in session.
3.You only go to the mall once a year 'cause it takes too long to get there.
4.While driving all you see is corn.
5.Anyone with a tan is rich.
6.A restaurant has an invisible wall in the non-smoking section and you believe it works.
7.Speeding consists of 2 miles over the speed limit.
8.You're proud to be called a Hoosier, even if you don't know what one is.
9.You have no problem spelling or pronouncing "Terre Haute"
10.Detassling was your first job. Bailing hay, your second.
11.You can stack hay, swim in the pond to clean off, and then have the strength to play a couple of games of hoops all in the same day.
12.You live in a city ... and there's a cornfield in your backyard.
13. the high school basketball game draws a bigger crowd than the movie theater.
14.You can see at least 2 basketball hoops from your front door.
15.The biggest question of your youth was "IU or Purdue?"
16.Indianapolis is the "big city".
17."Getting caught by a train" is a legitimate excuse for being late to school.
18.Everyone knows who the town cop is, where he lives, and whether he is at home or on duty.
19.You know what FFA and 4H stand for. .
20.There's actually a college near you named "Ball State."
21.You think the state Bird is Larry.
22. You drive down a back road and road kill is ALL OVER the road, and it doesn't phase you.
23.Your neighbors are Amish, and it's not big deal.
24. You often switch from heat to AC in the same day and back again.
25. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once
26. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching
27. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings)
28. You find 0 degrees "a little chilly."
29. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it no matter what time of year.
30. You drink "pop".
31. You know what "cow tipping" is.
32. You deny the Colts were ever in Baltimore.
33. You hang out on a three foot hill in the center of town

So really, I'm wondering, "When is the nice weather going to come??"

You Can't Out-Give God

We say it all the time--"We have never known a student not to be able to go on Operation Barnabas because of money." Some teens believe us, trust God, and then see Him do incredibly things by providing. Others are too afraid and never get to see Him work a miracle. These are principles that we teach to our own two kids, as well as to Operation Barnabas students and National Institute students, but I must admit I need reminded again and again of these same truths...So here's my story:

Our church, Community Grace, is interested in purchasing the house next door to our facility as it has come up for sale. A number of people have done a good deal of work to see how this could happen. We are now to the point where the leadership of the church is being informed of this opportunity, how this property could be used in kingdom work, and asking what we as leaders might be led of the Lord to do in providing financially for this purchase. Dana and I have been talking and we brought Nick and Bekah into the conversation...

The other night we talked as a family about this opportunity. We received some financial gifts in the past couple years, and even though they had been "tithed from", we felt convicted that we needed to do the same. We know there is no way to out-give God. He owns it all and it is our pleasure to be wise stewards of what he has entrusted to us. Now how He is going to provide for that?

So as a family we made the decision to give a gift-- for a specific amount. But we still didn't know where the money to cover that would be coming from. Did I mention that we always say "You can't out-give God"? Now it was time to be reminded and amazed.

The next day I went to get our taxes done. We had done some things a little differently this year with some of our taxes being withheld etc, so I had no idea how this was actually going to work out (but you probably have an idea of where this is going...). When we got done with all the paperwork, (2 hours worth!), we not only are getting back the same amount from the government we usually have gotten back--we are also getting back the exact amount that we had pledged as a family the night before for this project! I was so surprised, I had to share all this with the lady doing our taxes.

Reminded and amazed. Not just good teaching stuff, but a solid reminder to me right now--there is no greater joy than investing in the things of God. And at times that doesn't make sense. But it does to God.

So the next time someone wants to go on ob or to Momentum or on a missions trip or... and they really believe that God wants them to do this, I've got another story for them.

TK Starts A blog

There are a number of things I have never done before in my life--all 44 years of them.... Like hunting, sky diving, or bunge jumping for that matter. Not that I am afraid to, I just haven't gotten around to doing them. Other things are a little more cost prohibitive--like seeing a Manchester United game at Old Trafford in England or taking the whole family to Hawaii.

I don't want to make it sound like I haven't had some great opportunities.

I have been blessed to lead high school ministry teams all over the US and love it. I have a wife who is excellent at it too, so that makes it that much more enjoyable. And then you get to hear the stories of God using people you worked with when they were growing up--people following God's lead and going into full-time ministry. The Andy Wirt's, The Andy Brightbills, The Doug Kegarises, The Mark Artrips... I've also been to World Cup soccer games, even the 1994 Final at the Rose Bowl and to Game Two of the NBA finals when Larry and Magic were playing each other.

But one thing I am going to try doing that I have never done before in my life is to start a blog. I can't promise this is going to be a very good one to read, or that I am going to be good at it, or that I will even enjoy it. But as God puts things on my heart, maybe it can start some discussions that will be worthwhile for the Kingdom.

So there you have it. Now, I can start planning on taking my family to Hawaii or checking out the costs for tickets to a Man U game...