“Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.” I John 5:14-15 There is a key word in this scripture from I John that I simply can’t stop thinking about. That word “confidence” just keeps jumping out at me and stirring in my heart. As young adult ministry leaders, we should (and often do) find the latest and best resources available for small groups and Bible study. We strive … [Read more...]
Featured Resource — Pray Like This
Have you ever wanted to know God more intently and invigorate your prayer life, but you just didn’t know where or how to start? If your answer is yes, you’re not alone. Prayer is, without a doubt, the most dynamic discipline in a believer’s life. Yet it may be the most misunderstood and the least taught. Pray Like This, a new six-session study by Steve Gaines shows believers that following Jesus' Model Prayer will lead them to fall more in love with God and grow in their desire to engage in conversation with Him. Groups who dive … [Read more...]
No Better Time Than Now!
I’m convinced that when a young adult asks me to pray for something for them, they REALLY DO want me to follow through with ACTUALLY praying with and for them. At that moment! And what a powerful opportunity it is for us to show that we really do trust the Lord when we stop and pray when they've been honest with us as they face the questions of life. Recently, I was having a conversation with a young adult and he was sharing with me some of the struggles of finances, jobs, and questions in his life. He asked me to pray for him in … [Read more...]
Prayer is to Preaching as Preparing the Soil is to Planting the Seed
My wife and I recently just moved from the great nation of Texas all the way to Ankeny, Iowa to join a church planting network whose aim is to plant next generation churches on every major college campus in the Midwest. Everyday at 10:02 a.m. across the whole network, we stop and pray for God to send out laborers into the harvest. In Luke 10:2 (hence the reason we pray at 10:02), Jesus says, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his … [Read more...]
Jesus Loves Pancakes
As you read this, hundreds of college students are in Panama City Beach, Florida this week and next week (March 4-10 and March 11-17) to do something that can only be described as counter-cultural. College students and leaders from churches and collegiate ministries all over the United States are taking part in Beach Reach 2017 where they'll be pointing their peers toward the hope that is in Jesus and Jesus alone. They'll do this by serving them, loving them, and being a light for the gospel in a place that can be quite … [Read more...]
Prayer is to the Church as Fuel is to a Fire
Prayer is to the church as fuel is to a fire. Have you ever tried to reignite a smoldering fire? The most important part of the process is getting down on your knees and slowly and persistently blowing on the little flame until it catches some other twigs on fire and picks up some steam. In fact, a fire can be almost dead but if you blow on the smoldering coals, that fire will reignite. Prayer has the same effect on the church. Have you ever sprayed lighter fluid on a campfire that's already burning? What happens? The … [Read more...]
How Can We Live Lives of Authenticity?
Buzzwords. They're everywhere. If you work in the business world, you might hear buzzwords like "synergy," "move the needle," "drill down," or "best practices." In the church world, you might hear phrases like "relevant," "missional," or "creative." When I graduated from college and took my first job working at a church, the word “authenticity” reached buzzword status. It had been spoken to the point that the meaning and value of the word was deluded. While the buzzword is still true and relevant, listeners have begun tuning it … [Read more...]
7 Prayer Practices for Every Day
A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening." ~ Soren Kierkegaard For those of us struggling with perpetual busyness, the Apostle Paul’s instruction to “pray constantly” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) may not be as out of reach as we once thought. Here are a handful of creative ideas for weaving conversational prayer with God into your daily routine: Pair Up. Form a unique prayer alliance with a fellow Christ-follower. Take … [Read more...]
8 Simple Ways to Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices
The lifestyle choices you make now will affect the rest of your life. It takes patience and consistency to experience lasting change. Here are ways to make positive choices in important areas of your life. 1. START WITH PRAYER Center your mind on Jesus for a few minutes every morning. Turn over to Him the things that burden you. Seek wisdom and to know Him more deeply. Ask for the strength of the Holy Spirit to guide you through the rest of the day. 2. CREATE A SCHEDULE Post college and young adulthood is the season where … [Read more...]
3 Things to Remember When Sharing the Gospel
I’ve been in reflection mode after spending parts of the past three weeks in Panama City Beach, Fla. helping with Beach Reach 2014 (check out the Facebook page HERE). If you're not familiar with Beach Reach, here's a quick run down of what happens. College students from campus ministries and churches all over the country come to Panama City Beach (one of the hot spot destinations for college spring breakers) to provide free van rides, serve lots of pancakes every day, and genuinely share with the thousands of spring breakers that … [Read more...]