the update that i said was coming last weekend

whats up friends and family!!!  thanks so much for continuing to read this blog even though its been a whole week since i wrote last.

well, here are some of the highlights from the last 10 days....

---an encounter in north philly--i got to hang with a friend who does ministry up in north philly on the peurto rican side of north philly...we had a great time walking around talking and dreaming about what God is doing and is going to do in the city.  nes runs a flag football league for kids....they currently have 150 kids in the league and i visited the weight room they have.  it was pretty cool....so yeah, while i was there i also got to meet the pastor of his church and that was a real honor...well, as we were speaking and we were talking about the middle school called stetson which right across the street....police start flying all over the place and the pastor was saying how he felt with the economy and all that the city was on the edge...well, turns out at the middle that a boy had stabbed a girl there in the neck with a knife...this is middle school, yall... the violence that kids live with is incredible here....please pray for that school and for the new principal there who is trying to establish some boundaries and discipline and not everyone is buying in....pray that God brings peace to this kids who are surrounded with war.

---church planters meeting---last week i had the opportunity to hang with a friend of mine from college named jim...he is a church planter for the pca church...we hadn't seen each other in like 3 years....so he and i connected and he was like i'm coming to philly to go to this church planters meeting for all the pca and south baptist churches in the philly and surrounding counties...so he invited me to come along....and it was GREAT... see, i had some reservations about going because i'm obviously not a church planter...but i do want to plant kids in churches....this blew me away....i had been given a bunch of contacts of pastors that people thought i should meet...and you guessed it...they were all there!!!  well, actually, most of them were.  the group asked me to share and they prayed for me.  it was amazing.  they have invited me to come each month to their meeting and i'm going to be there...i meet one pastor whose wife is from roanoke and he is serving a russian jewish community mixed with muslims in northeast philly....he said his service is in hebrew, russian and english...how cool is God's kingdom.

---small group aka cypher group---well, i joined a small group at the church i've been attending...thats been cool.  oh, they call their small group cypher groups.  i'll explain some other time.  we meet in west philly.  turns out the guy that runs it for the west philly group lives like 30 seconds from me.  so that is cool, we had some mutual friends and i djed a show he performed out back in the day.  he is a rapper in the group everyday process.  but yeah, we meet each wednesday night and we talk about last weeks sermon at the church....its a cool concept.  and the group has married people, single people, old people, and young people in it.  the church assigns the groups based on where you live.  its a good time.

---friends---well, i have 2 i think...my roommate and then mac the guy from the cypher group. we have hung out some.  please continue to pray for me and getting a network of friends around me...(i do have other friends...but i'm saying those that are more my age and that i would go to the movies with or something.)  this week...ive been watching all my bruce willis movies at night.  i had no idea that i had so many...i watched the new die hard, 16blocks, armageddon(classic).  tonight i'm going watch bandits....rick my roommate invited me to go roller skating with some of his friends for a birthday party....but for those of you who know me.  you know, roller skating is not the place for me to make the first impression...lets just say....i normally leave covered in bruises...bc i can't stay up..i wipe out constantly.

--this week--please pray as we have a key meeting with a potiential committee member...it will be monday at noon...i think this guy is a scout for the nfl...kinda cool...(on a side note...look for me monday night...my committee chairman has season tickets to the eagles and they are playing on monday night football and i'm going with him....so let me know if you want me to make a poster or something with your name on it....chris dowdy has already put in his request.)

--pray that more money comes in...right now, alot of people have said they are going to give but not alot of people have given.  

--pray for me to continue to meet the men of the peace..

thanks so much....love you guys...

grace and peace

oh yeah, NO MORE GUN SHOTS AT THIS POINT!!

GRACE AND PEACE

new post coming soon

so yeah...i just typed this huge update and my internet went out....i'm trying to get past that so you will have to wait till tomorrow to hear about the end of my week.

scripture i have been meditating on today....1 corinthians 1:18--for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

think about what is the message of the cross today?

grace and peace

God's banner

its an amazing blessing to be marching under God's banner.  like to raise the flag with His emblem on it.  like...no one knows me here, no one has seen a kid at anything we are doing yet, no one by appearance would think i'm right for the job, BUT GOD...He continues to amaze with the doors that are opening.  the people i'm getting to meet.  its been sweet each day.

last night was our first official "family" committee meeting...i was great.  we started at 7pm and then came out of our room at 1030pm.  we even talked about stopping because it was getting late but no one wanted to leave.  its an honor to be working along side the men in that room.  God has handpicked each one of us to be apart. (the ephesians 2:10 movement of God)  He has picked us and prepared us for good works in the city of philadelphia and with whoever we come in contact with along the way.  

last night also marked the first night i stayed in my new place in south philly.  yes,yes.  it was funny, when i got engaged i bought some fireworks to shot off to celebrate the occasion.  needless to say, i never got to shot of the fireworks.  well, last night, i was greeted with a different type of firework in the middle of the night.   7 gunshots...i don't know where they were shot from...how far away they were...but i thought it had to be holy with the number of them being 7.  it marks a different type of celebration that will be going on on a daily basis here.  as kids and adults who have never heard the Gospel, get to and start a relationship with Jesus.  there will be fireworks and great celebration in Heaven.  its sweet....the liberty bell will be ringing.

of course, my prayer is for safety and wisdom...i know there is no safer place than inside the borders of God's will for me....pray that i stay there.  pray that i continue to meet the men of the peace.  God continues to bring them along.  pray for a meeting i have at messiah college in the city on friday.

finally, pray that i don't get ahead of God.  He has brought me here and i want to stay where i'm humbly following Him and not trying to take the lead myself.  

a friend of mine shared this scripture with me and others a few years back and it has always stuck with me....

mark 4:35-41

v.35  that day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."

v.36 leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.  there were also other boats with him.

v.37 a furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

v.38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.  The disciples woke him and said, "teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

v.39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be Still!"  Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

v.4o He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

v.41 There were terrified and asked each other, "who is this?  even the wind and the waves obey him.!"

so many things could be said about this passage its so rich...but the point i want to focus on is in the first 2 verses... it was Jesus idea to go to the other side of the lake.  He suggested it and that is what He wanted to do.  but in v.36 the key words "they took him along"  i don't want Jesus to be someone i just take along.  that i lead cause i can't.  i'm not God.  i want us here in philly to not get ahead of God as He has obviously lead us to this place but to stay within the safe boundaries of the boat (His will) and let Him lead us.  that is my prayer.

thanks so much for your love and for stopping by here.  please let others know the truth of Jesus where you are at.... God has good works set out for all us to do.

grace and peace.

new video link

hey, whats up guys!!!  i just wanted to let you know i put a link up for everyone to check out.  its actually from a study a college professor did recently.  the professor gave 40 digital cameras to women in north philly(north of spring garden street....which is actually the exact target area i feel like God wants us to go to first) to take pictures of their life.  so yeah, please pray for the countless stories like these that are in the city of philadelphia.  i know God is doing unbelievable things in this city.  i'm excited to be apart of them.  

ephesians 3:20--now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to  his power that is at work within us....

isn't it awesome that God is able, God is able....He is able and is going to do so many amazing things in Philadelphia...

grace and peace

some verses i have been thinking about lately

1 peter 2:12-live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

that is the prayer i have been praying lately....christians aren't taken seriously because we keep living contrary to what God wants us to. God constantly says to be holy because He is holy. i pray that i will live such a good life that even pagans will glorify God by seeing my life. the world doesn't know what to do with a person who is totally surrendered to God. i want to bring God the glory by surrendering to Him and doing the good deeds He has prepared me in advance to do.(eph.2:10)

ezra 7:10-for ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws to israel.

pray for me as i want to be studying God's word and committing it to memory. its been hard to get that in my daily life as my routine and time for things is so crazy right now. i'm excited that i'm joining this prayer group and then a separate small group at church. i really want a good community of people to hang with and break down scripture with and spur one another on to good works with.

also, i'm praying that i will continue to communicate the truths of Jesus as effectively and clearly and boldly as possible. please pray for me in this.

this past week in philly was great....let me give you one story....the church i have been going too called epiphany has an hour of prayer before the service starts in the sanctuary. well, i was in there praying. we had just finished and i hadn't even closed my bible yet and this man starts talking to me. he says that he and his wife are teachers in philly schools....(those are some of the people i need to be connecting with)...and then he asks me what i do...i was like...i just moved here to be the philly city director for younglife....he was like...he was a volunteer with younglife when he was in grad school 7 years ago....how amazing is that....and he is now on my prayer "hit" list of potential volunteers...isn't it awesome how God brings people along...you just sit and pray...and wait on Him....i could go on....

please continue that i will meet and have favor with the men of the peace in the city....thanks so much again.

grace and peace and HAPPY THANKSGIVING

city adventures

well, i think i have found a place to live.  that is exciting.  i will be living just outside of southwest philly.... its a perfect location bc it allows me to get away from the city but at the same time be close to city.  its still a temporary thing though bc ultimately i will be living in the city.

some observations about the city...

1.everyone walks around with a hoodie and an ipod...(or maybe talking on the phone..)  its like no one wants to be known but yet screams i want someone to truly know me.

2.i believe everyone loves the sports teams here so much bc they want something to unite them....something that is "safe" to talk about....its also something they can believe in

3.the city needs more believers walking the streets and talking to people....there is a certain fear about the streets....i have to honest...i get nervous myself(fearful)...its a tension that i have to fight each day....but i know scripture says...2 timothy 1:7--for God did not give us a spirit of timidity(fear), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline....scripture also says...that if you try to save your life then you will lose it....the one that is in us...is greater than the one in the world....so much to be said...

so yeah, please pray for me....the answer is Jesus...He knows us....He unites us....He is who we should talk about and be about....i want to be someone who is an open book...that shares the love of Christ with every person around me not just with my words but with my actions first.  st. augustine said..."share the Gospel, and when necessary use words."  1 thessalonians 2:8 says " we loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well."   i want my life and my words to be inline with the Gospel....that is my prayer.

also, i have a huge meeting with the president of eastern college on wednesday....pray for continued favor...God has done some many amazing things...

thanks again.

grace and peace.

God's provision

i'm absolutely blown away by God's provision.  He keeps making things happen that i couldn't of imagined.  psalm 40:5 says, "many, o LORD my God, are the wonders you have done.  The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were i to tell them, they would be too many to declare."  that is how it has been here in philly.  God is doing so many amazing things in my midst.  on sunday,  i had the privilege to go greater exodus baptist church.  we were going there to worship with the church that has already been so giving and loving towards us.  we were hoping that we could meet with their pastor dr. herb lusk.  i had my doubts that it would be possible on a sunday morning without an appointment.  well, God had different plans.  we ran into dr. lusk in the parking lot crossing the street as we were going in the opposite direction.  he invited us up to his office to talk.  he walked us into the service.  and at the end, he announced who were and gave me and then other 2 men with me a microphone to talk to the church.  wow, it went great.  afterwards, i got to talk to the director of their hope center(which is a center for pregnant women).  and then as were in front of the church about to leave, a man walked up to us and said he wanted to go into battle with us and help us anyway he can.  it was an outstanding day.  and dr. lusk's sermon was powerful....he talked about how Jesus is our answer instead of some political figure whoever it may be.  it was amazing.  i'm so thankful for the Lord and how He is allowing me to know that He is doing everything.  i'm the one that gets to show up and be faithful to Him.  praise God.

philly students

whats up friends....man, i have been doing some studying on philadelphia schools over the last couple of days...it is crazy..... in virginia, i thought we were doing good and we were in all 2 city schools. exciting right!!!

well, philadelphia has 84 high schools and a total of 207 schools and 180,000 students....that is incredible. those are just the kids that are in school. there are countless other kids of age to be in school, that aren't. in addition to that, that are alot of private schools that have students. of those kids that are in school...84% of them live in poverty. can you believe that? according to the former ceo of the philadelphia school district...tens of thousands of these students have a parent who has been incarcerated. this stats are mind blowing to me.

isn't it good, that we serve a God who is bigger than these issues. it would be easy to be overwhelmed by the daunting numbers, but God isn't. He has a plan. please continue to pray for these kids who need the opportunity to hear about Jesus. Kids who need to hear the living hope. please pray that kids hearts will be soft and ready for the light Jesus to shine on them like the sun rising in the morning bringing heat to a cold, dark place.

i have been continuing to have great meetings with people. i got to meet with a lawyer today who is so excited to be on committee. i'm so encouraged by people who take hold of what God is calling them too and letting nothing get in the way.

pray that i continue to meet the men/women of peace in the city. pray for favor at this bible study i'm going tomorrow morning. another 645am bible study...i'm becoming a morning person. those who know me maybe surprised by all that.

grace and peace and much love.

temple university

so wow...i was on the campus of temple university and north broad st. half the day today for a meeting....i forgot what college life was like.  there were people everywhere.  today, obviously was a busy day with the election and all.  i don't think i have been to a place where people were so passionate about it.  people had flat bed trucks going up and down the street blasting music and telling everyone to vote for obama.  in my lifetime, where i'm from, i don't think i have experienced anything like that.  they offered me free starbucks to vote.  to bad, i'm not from pa cause it was cold outside.

i can't wait till we have leaders coming from temple.  william penn and ben franklin high schools are so close to their campus.  all the leaders would have to do is walk a few blocks to be at the school.  i got the privilege to pray at william penn.  i thought it was interesting they had voting there while school was still going on.  especially when they were arresting people in other areas of philly for illegally being at the voting places.

God has big plans for philly, i know.  if He told us what they were, then i bet we wouldn't believe Him.  He is just calling me to be faithful to Him and He will continue to open the doors.  i look forward to walking in the streets with kids knowing that God has already gone before me....isn't it encouraging that He goes before us and we march under His banner(flag)....instead of how some people say, "i got your back"  which doesn't help when you are in front.

continue to pray  for wisdom and vision casting opportunities....and meeting with people of the peace...God's protection

thanks...i love you guys.

first full day

whats up friends....so yeah, today has been a full first day. i got to go to a mens bible study at 6:30 am.(yes friends, i was up at 545 for that event) it was a honor to be there and discuss the Word of God with great men. we discussed how God loved Jacob and hated Esau...yet, Jacob did everything "wrong" and Esau did everything "right." it was a very lively discussion.

from there i went to the office and worked on a budget for the year. my first budget as philadelphia city....around 135thousand dollars...nice. pray that we are able to raise way above that. we also worked on a list of potiental leader, donor, board members. its really cool how many people want to join together and serve the Lord in philly.

next, i had a lunch with my committee chair for philly. that went really good. God has brought up a man who is really excited about younglife in philly. so we meet for a couple of hours.

from there we went an meet with one of the vice-presidents from eastern college. great man. he is really passionate about kids from the city coming to school there. i'm hoping to get a bunch of our kids in roanoke and in the future in philly to go to school there. as we were leaving we got to talk to dr. black...the president of the school. so that was a God opened door because i've been told its hard to get a meeting with him. and this time all we did, was walk out the door and he was in the car next to us.

from there, we went and ran some errands. i really need a computer that works so went and looked at some apples.

from there we went back to the office till 5pm.

so yeah, a fun filled day. i thank God for all He is doing here. please join me in praying for the peace and prosperity of the city. that God will allow us to meet the men of peace...that God will give us wisdom in building the infrastructure of the ministry...
thanks so much friends. i love you guys. eph. 210

last night in roanoke

well, its my last night in roanoke!!! i'm emotionally drained...tears have been flowing. kinda crazy. if you would of told me at the beginning of the year that my life would look like it does now, then i would say you are out of your mind. it has been the hardest year....a broken engagement takes its toll on a person....i'm so thankful for all my friends and family here that have rallied around me in phone calls, meals. and prayers. i'm also thankful that you can count on Christ to be with you through any situation. i've gotten to experience and see His hand in my life so much.
now as i reflect on my time at acts2....wow, God has allowed me to be apart of some incredible things...i tell the kids each week that God is going to use them to change the world and He is doing that right now. we have one girl that is leading younglife in another city....we have hired our first staff person who was a kid in the program....we got other kids that giving their lives to what ever the Lord maybe calling them to do....on top of all that...their is no greater thing you can do than to share the love of Christ with someone....to watch Christ change their life...wow....God brings true freedom...and i've been blessed to see 100reds of kids give their lives to Christ and many more have gotten to hear about Him.
acts2 staff and volunteers....i love you...the heart of each one of you is precious....i've been so blessed by you....to have had the opportunity to lock arms together and do the Lords work...i love yall and will miss you alot.
THANK YOU GOD FOR CALLING ME TO ACTS2....I LOVE YOU....
GRACE AND PEACE ROANOKE. MY HEART WILL FOREVER BE CONNECTED TO THIS PLACE.

first blog on philly

whats up everybody!!!  Welcome to my first blog!!  i'm going to be using this site to keep everyone posted on what is going on with me in the city of philly.  as you know, i'm moving here to start younglife.  its an exciting time but i'm nervous.  i know its going to be a huge challenge and something that can only be started through the grace of God....please be in prayer for a few things this week.

1. i'm moving to philly on sat. nov.1...pray that packing and saying goodbye here goes well.

2. meeting the men and women of peace in the city....Jesus asked his disciples to search out the men/women of peace in each town they went too....

3.jeremiah 29...talks about seeking the peace and prosperity of a city....pray for the peace and prosperity in the city of philly

4. pray for safety

i could go on and on.  i probably will soon.  but thanks for listening.  i hope you have a blessed day.  more will be coming soon.