Harvest Field: Anderson

What Has Transpired

2011-12-04T20:29:00.001-05:00

Supporters,

Some of you have noticed that you have not received your November newsletter. This is because right when we were going to write it, some things transpired. We are writing a letter early next week. Many of you already know the events that have transpired. For those of you who don't,

What has transpired:

For the past 2-3 months, our other youth pastor, Gabe, has been getting ready to leave for a new position at a camp 2 hours North of us. As far as we knew, The Bridge was going to hire his position and I was going to remain doing what I do: stay involved with the youth ministry, pastoring youth; along with some new direction of telling the story of The Bridge via videos, blogs, etc... During this time, we have been planning how and when we were going to break the news about Gabe to the students. Well, the date was set that he was going to work it into his message and tell the kids on Thursday, November 17.

After Gabe gave his message to the students on the 17th about leaving, it was all very sad and all, but everyone was joyful for him and felt like God had something good planned for him. That night after youth, I was approached by one of our board members who invited Kylee and me to join them at their board meeting that next morning, November 18th, at 9 am. We didn't really know what we were going into and prayed for God to have His way, that we would be quick to listen and slow to speak, that we would not react on emotion. We entered the back office to be told that they were in over their head financially, they wanted to rework the structure of The Bridge, and at the beginning of the year they were going to cut our positions. They wanted us to stay until the end of the year but would understand if we felt we had to leave.

Thursday, December 1st, I spoke to the youth ministry with a message that incorporated the events that have transpired, the fact that we need to leave The Bridge, and that we love them dearly, and that we want to stay in Anderson, so it's not necessarily goodbye. It was heartbreaking to give and there were a lot of tears. We are staying on with the youth ministry for what we have scheduled out for the rest of the year.

December 4th was our last Sunday at The Bridge and it was announced to the church our current situation financially and the changes that are being made. They played a picture video as a tribute to us, prayed for us and then had cheesecake. There were a lot of tears and hugs to go around.

What has been so hard is that we have to leave this beautiful family that we've been so fortunate to be a part of for so many years in order for there to be some healing to occur. The Bridge has been a wonderful place of employment and calling and ministry. It just hurts that this situation we got stuck in got so bad so quickly. It has really been a good situation we've been in for over 4 years now. We've done and gained experience in things that we would not have gotten anywhere else. We don't regret any of it!

Kylee and I have been so so so so grateful of ALL the support we've had over the years at The Bridge. God has blessed us so much by you and by all the hundreds of people we've come in contact with. This is a time of our lives we will cherish very dearly for the rest of our lives. Please keep us in your prayers, as we move forward, for God to clearly reveal what's next for us. We love this town and don't want to leave it if at all possible. We have a great community of love and support around us here in Anderson and would hate to see that go.

I've been dreading writing this email because our supporters have been so much to us over the years, we don't want you to think that it was all for nothing. The Bridge has really been incredible and what hasn't been incredible has really only transpired over the past couple of months. This is a ministry that we pray will continue to grow and change lives. It's a beautiful church with beautiful people with beautiful hearts. It has an incredible vision and a desire for openness that many churches fail to have. And we may be back. But for now, we will begin church-hopping and begin the healing process and pray for God to provide a clear direction of what's next. With each new day, our spirits slightly rise to a new level of excitement for what's next. This is progress and a process.

If you have ANY questions at all, feel free to contact us about anything! We plan on sending out one more letter for this year (next week) and perhaps one more once God reveals what we do next, so that everyone can be informed and praying! He'll provide for us. He always has. We were in this position right after we got married and He provided for us then: He provided you guys. Thank you.

Much inexplicable love,

Phil & Kylee

To Make The Lame Walk

2011-11-09T10:28:00.003-05:00

Last week, I told of a situation in a blog post about a friend who was mysteriously paralyzed and the need for deeper prayers.

I get to update you on how God used us to heal this man. Truly God has the power to make the lame walk. I posted an update on that story on our church's storyline site. Go and read it.

Be encouraged. God is active and moves mightily.

October 2011 and Why I Love Story

2011-10-25T17:22:00.000-04:00

Hello to our amazing supporters! This month's newsletter will be in your hands either by the end of this week or by early next week! Hang with us. Sorry for getting a little behind. Our goal is to get out a letter once a month. We've done that for 50 consecutive months now since August 2007. Some later than others and this will be one of those months. ;)For the time being, I'm going to include a post from my personal blog at PhilWrit.es including 2 testimony videos from our students:

Why I Love Story

When I read a book, I am told something about the author. All the lenses and paradigms that the author uses to view life goes into the formation of their ideas and their way of storytelling. If we enjoy a particular author, we research them and gain insight into their upbringing, struggles, successes. We now understand why they are the way they are; why they write the way they do.

Our lives are stories. Unlike a book, however, you can't devour it in a matter of hours. Often times why things are hard to go through is because we can't see past where we are, and we seem to be there forever. The nice thing about a book is that you know it is going to come to a close. When we are "in the thick of it" with our lives, we are often convinced or find it hard to believe that the thick with thin out, that the things that are difficult now will, indeed, come to a close. However, when they do, we are able to see the why's of our hardships and are able to feel better about going through them.

This is because we read our live, our stories, backwards. Because we are human and constrained by a measly two-deminsional timeline, we can only read present and past. In our eyes, the future is "yet to be written." But to a God not constrained by time, He has it laid out, and it's good (check out Jeremiah 29:11). I heard a quote once that said, "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." God redeems all. If not in this life, He has all eternity to work it out. He's that good and our stories are that worthy.

Our lives, our stories - the good, bad, beautiful, ugly - should be embraced. Without embracing them, we are saying they aren't good enough works. To say they aren't good enough works is to say God is a bad Author, that He truly isn't, as the Bible refers to Him, the "Author of life." However, just like a book reveals characteristics of its author, so do our lives reveal the true character of the living God. Our stories must be told; all of our stories -the more, the better.

Here's why:

In 2nd grade, I pooped my pants in gym class. We had to line up to leave in alphabetical order by last name and I didn't want to because "L" was in the middle. So I stood back and refused to participate. A couple of the kids at the end of the line were snickering. They could smell me. Now if some of those 2nd graders today were asked to tell someone about Phil, and that's the only story they knew, they wouldn't be able to give an accurate description...thank goodness.

In the same way, to truly gain a better understanding of who God is, we need more stories about Him. The more stories that are told, the more accurate picture of God and His character is attained. As we do so, and experience our own stories with Him that are worth telling, having a "personal relationship with Him" becomes much more meaningful and true.

The following is a video of a youth student from our church. I've been able to witness a lot of this guy's story, and through "the thick of it," it has been hard to see God. Now that we are beginning to read it backwards, it's incredibly evident that God is all through it. I love Dylan's story, and what it tells about God and His desire to rescue. Dylan is writing a beautiful story. Here's just a bit of Dylan's storyline. Hope you are blessed by it.

Can't see the videos? Go here.

Video of some of our Student Testimonies from the Missions Trip!

2011-08-18T16:59:00.003-04:00

Can't see it? Go here: http://andersonyouth.blogspot.com/2011/08/video-of-some-of-our-student.html

Recounting The Missions Trip And The Power Of An Eternal Love

2011-08-12T13:42:00.000-04:00

Last week I was on a missions trip with 20 high schoolers through the Minneapolis-based missions youth ministry called YouthWorks.

I got little sleep. It was well worth it.

We went down ready to help change some people's lives. Little did we know the affect it would have on our own.

Somehow I've been entrusted to preach every week at my church. These kids come and they listen. Some of it penetrates their hearts and sticks. But they sit, hear, and talk a little in small groups afterwards. The putting-it-into-practice part comes when you are immersed in it. Rarely will one sermon on one day a week at church cause an immersion, especially when, for many of these kids, going to church is a fairly new concept.

But on a missions trip...oh, on a missions trip, you get immersion. You almost have no choice. You are thrown into it. On a missions trip, you get to see why the Bible compares a church to a body. Church was meant to do, to be active and be alive. To change other people's lives is to change our own lives is to allow God to move. To love one another is to love ourselves is to love God. When we are living this way, we are living at the highest level. We are living in 3 dimensions: Others, God, You. I can honestly say that many of these students have gotten more out of this week of missions than I ever did in high school going to a church camp (...though camp has its place. I love camping ministry. Let's make that very clear).

We were designed to create community and live in it. That's what this week was. We created community and we had no choice but to live in it. We were thrown into it. And at first it catches you off guard. You are doing life differently than what you've become accustomed to, what you've become used to.

And you don't know it yet, but you love it. You love things to be different because, though you don't know it yet, the way you were doing life before was very self-centered. It was not community-focused. It was You-focused. And You-focused is not active. A You-focused way of doing life is stuck, complacent, and desires only to satisfy You. We are not fully alive when we are You-focused. You love yourself before others and this never satisfies you, because you are only living in one dimension - You.

A little over halfway through the week, we began to look past ourselves. All the students received letters from a parent or guardian. And we had to look past ourselves. A lot of us felt undeserving of the love and encouragement found in those letters. So it caused us to look past ourselves. The rest of the week God opened doors to a new way of living. Doors to help us see past ourselves and discover that all people, young and old, poor and rich, of all cultures, backgrounds and races, deserve love if for no other reason than for the sake of love's existence itself. For, we have been changed by love when we least deserved it. Can't we offer the same to others?

And that's when we fell in love with one another.

The last night we washed each others feet; an act of service that made you feel the power of grace, putting you in the place of experiencing the odd combination of feeling both undeserved and honored at the same time. We prayed for each other, hugged and cried. The night ended in a group-hug prayer. We were literally one, leaning on one another, one organism, a body, the Church. Christ's presence, the head of our body, filled the room. Love overflowed in the form of tears and words of truth and encouragement from one to another. We could do nothing else but build each other up. To tear down would be uncharacteristic of the body of Christ. To be self-serving would be inappropriate. God's spirit is what revealed these things to us in that moment. Love really was the only answer. It all hinged on it. Everything mattered because of it. That was truly all that mattered. Love. That's it. Nothing more. For all else, pales in comparison to the Love that God has for us and that we have for each other when we find ourselves united by Love beyond our own understanding. A Love beyond what we are able to produce ourselves. A Love beyond a broken world. The Love that was present before sin, that creates out of a desire for relationship, community, and wholeness. A Love unconditional. A Love eternal.

This. Was. All. That. Mattered.

For God is Love.

My life is a medium to help bring about a bigger purpose; a purpose bigger than my own understanding, but a purpose worth living and dying for.
Blog Home | Twitter | Facebook | Subscribe to philwrit.es by Email

Phil & Kylee ministry update 7/26/11

2011-07-26T23:54:00.000-04:00

Hey all. It has been a long time this I've updated you from this blog. In case you haven't noticed, we are reaching the end of July and there has yet to be a newsletter. If you have noticed, thanks for being the ones that care! ;) just kidding of course.

The last couple of weeks, the newsletter has been put on the backburner due to a couple of different reasons. A couple of weeks ago, Kylee's grandmother passed away. We made a quick trip back to MN after already being there for a week due to my brother's wedding. Kylee and her brother ran the funeral. This was a first for Kylee and they did it very well. However, it has been a draining week and a half. This Sunday morning, me, three other adults, and 21 students are setting off for a YouthWorks mission trip in Kansas City, KS. The last week has consisted of a lot of phone calls to students, parents, and people who have expressed interest in donating money for the students. I'm just trying to get everyone on the same page before we leave. There's not enough time in the day.

I'm really hoping to have a letter out by the end of Friday. This Thursday we are leaving ALL DAY with a bunch of students to go to the amusement park, King's Island, which is right outside of Cincinnati, OH.

Thanks for all your support! Pass the word on to those who didn't get this post/email. You are not forgotten about!

Please continue to pray for us. It's a busy time. But good things are happening.

Thanks,
Phil

2011-05-18T00:30:00.007-04:00

I'm writing this one on my flight back to Indianapolis after a beautiful weekend of celebrating my brother before he gets married. I'm also heading home to a death of a local student and the debris it has left in the hearts of many people. Several students in my highschool ministry knew Derrick Wilson. I would say hi to him at lunch. I would salute him and call him by his last name. He wore a uniform.

My church brought in a rap artist. The turnout was great and Wilson was there. Wilson wrapped his car around a tree later that night.

I get off-kiltered at the stark detour of death. Certain things that seemed important earlier now seem to pale in comparison. I got off the phone at the Atlanta airport with a student who explained to me how his group of friends had been split in half as of late. A feud had been ensuing for some time now. Wilson's death made that look like kitty poo. Immediately they experienced a reconciliation of their differences and a common understanding of the things that paled in comparison.

Certain things just don't seem very important when death puts life into perspective. I don't have a desire to jam to Party Like a G6. I don't want sober girls around me who "be actin' like they drunk." I want things that are of eternally valuable. Songs like that aren't. Its message has no eternal value. It's like those Magic Eye books where if you blur or cross your eyes just right, a colorful design that looked 2D now consists of some objects that pop out in 3D and the hidden meaning of the picture becomes more clear.

One of my students hasn't had a great relationship with his dad. And rightfully so. I wouldn't either coming in second to booze and being kicked out and left to find the friends that would let me live with them. However, this dad got wind of the death and met up with his son. Began to apologize for all that he has done and then noticed his son's Playstation. They played together till one in the morning.

When life is cruising right along how you think it should, it is 2D. When tragedy rears it's head, we get blurred eyes. Certain things pop out as 3D, as more important. What is important and what isn't is made clear.

It happens this way because dead things stink, and we get used to how they smell. It's like a stinky trash can you don't realize stinks until you go outside, get some fresh air, and return inside to be hit with a wall of stagnant stink. When life becomes fragile, we relearn to take care of it. The fresh air comes, the stink is no longer tolerable.

Students stuck a cross in the ground in front of the tree. Flowers and notes flooded the ground around it as the day went on. Some of my students loved on Wilson's family, expressing their deep gratitude for Wilson's life. A memorial was held after school Monday. The turnout was large. It was clear Wilson's life was one that changed other lives for the better, even through his death. And that's all we can do. Relearn to take care of one another, allow a tragedy to clean us of the trash and take advantage of seizing what pops out as more important.

A great article can be found here. Xavier Cortez (in the article) is one of my students.

Don't be Ordinary - Tell Your Story

2011-04-09T14:24:00.003-04:00

This is a post from my personal blog from 2 weeks ago:

In youth ministry it is easy to get into the habit of sticking with what works, especially someone like me: I am afraid of change. My room in highschool never got rearranged. When my sister moved out to go to college, I had an opportunity to move into a bigger room – her room. I didn’t take it. My younger brother did.

But one of the greatest things I’ve done was one of the biggest acts of change in my life: I moved 600 miles from home to go to college. One of the hardest. But one of the greatest.

At youth, I got used to every week being the same – our youth event comes each week, and each week I speak. I got used to putting together talks. I got used to being “the face.” I got used to it all. And so did the kids. But this month has been incredible. We did something out of the ordinary. The month’s series was called “The Beauty in Story.” Every week a new adult volunteer would approach that scary stage with their story in hand. There they shared. They shared their life. And life is messy.

When God created the heavens and the earth, the bible tells us there was disorder – chaos. He spoke into creation an order among the chaos. When we look at our lives, it’s easy to notice the disorder – the chaos. It’s messy. But there is order created because of chaos existing in the first place. The lessons learned, the redemption, the healing – that’s the beauty in story. That’s God creating order in our chaos. So it’s still happening. Turns out that’s at the core of who He is.

For the kids listening, they were able to see a possiblity of order being created among their chaos. Turns out that telling our story may not need to be so scary after all.

I’ve seen so much fruit come of ordinary adults doing extraordinary things – but there’s the room for improvement. It’s too bad that sharing our story has become some extraordinary action, some special act that only some can do. But our world has made it hard with the lie it has bought into – that people will be repelled because of your story. The truth is the opposite. The truth is that those listening are drawn in. In the dark, shine bright your order-being-created-into-chaos. Like flies to a lamp in the deep of night, people come. They see that they aren’t so lost after all. They see that it is possible for beauty to come of it.

I’ve seen student/adult relationships go deeper than they’ve ever gone before, and you want to know the most humbling thing?

I had nothing to do with it.

Tell your story and watch God have everything to do with it.

How to Reach a Youth Group Full of Broken Homes

2011-03-10T14:47:00.003-05:00

Recently one of my aunts emailed me asking for advice on youth solutions. They had recently experienced an influx of new teens into their church. On a Sunday the church hits about 150 in attendance, but, during the week, the youth are hitting about 40 and growing rapidly! A lot of the kids are from broken homes (divorced parents), and giving instructions to these kids have become a chore. Here's my response, I think it might be helpful to someone:

"Aunt Margie, Thanks for the birthday week wishes! ;) About your email, let me tell you I completely know where you are coming from. I feel for you and your staff... but I'm oh so excited for you! ... though my answer may not be what you're looking for...

This was my devotional this morning:

Genesis 15:6 (NLT): Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

Although Abram had been demonstrating his faith through his actions, it was his belief in the Lord, not his actions, that made Abram right with God. We, too, can have a right relationship with God by trusting him. Our outward actions - church attendance, payer, good deeds - will not by themselves make us right with God. A right relationship is based on faith -- the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who he says he is and does what he says he will do. Right actions will follow naturally as by-products.

As a leader that is always trying to figure out new and more effective ways to do things, I have found that there is no "system" to right something that has been wronged for so many years through nurture (or lack there of). There is no system to right a condition of the heart. God doesn't work that way. Galatians is incredible in getting this point across.

Here's where I understand where you are coming from. So many weeks I find myself yelling over the voices of these kids just to get them to play a game. I find myself getting frustrated and God reminds me of the bigger picture.

You mentioned broken families. Anderson is the 12th highest ranked city in the nation with the highest divorce rate. I think probably close to 65% of our kids are from families with divorced parents. Most of the kids that come to our church don't have parents that go to our church. In fact, we'll find some parents start coming to our church because their kids first felt accepted here. This is so cool!

We have also found that some kids that did grow up going to church became slightly annoyed with the disrespect and whatnot of these new kids. This is a great learning experience for them as well in the area of unconditional love and acceptance.

I lay down the rules. Share some tuff love. If they leave the building, then they left, for good. If they made the conscious decision to come here tonight, then they are in our custody and we are the authority. They have to do what we say, no questions asked. The nights that end up the best is when I then put on a smile, yell really loud and make it a party! Some may not play a game or whatever... that's normal. I pick my battles. You have to find that balance that works for you between being a parent and being a friend. In youth ministry I believe we have to lean toward the side of friendship. They have enough orders barked at them in their life and that'll probably hurt our ministry more than it helps. They have yet to understand our hearts and those who have barked orders have had a bad heart towards them.

Here we go about the condition of the heart. The reason they act the way the act is simply because they have yet to taste the unconditional love and grace of Jesus Christ. In order to be right in God's eyes, we are not required to keep to a list of do's and don'ts. We are saved by faith, not by works. BUT, works is a by-product of faith and keeps it alive (faith without works is dead). So it gets frustrating when we expect these kids to act all "church-like" when they've never experienced the life-changing effects of having Jesus in their lives. The change is from the inside-out. Confronting major downfalls in our lives are results of first allowing Christ to come in and reveal those downfalls to us. What I'm saying is that there aren't any quick fixes to the environments that get created with these beautiful kids. BUT because there are so many struggles these kids are dealing with, when one experiences the life-changing power of Christ coming into their life, it is SO beautiful...and worth it.

Over time they will get it. But it will require lots of patience. You'll get glimpses and that'll provide the inspiration to keep going. I find myself going away wondering if I did anything good for anyone. Then when I see their hearts one-on-one, I'm encouraged that God is always in it. The picture is bigger than me. We are providing a place that these kids don't even know that they are needing in their lives. Some kid may come for a few weeks then you never see them again. Don't worry, you are doing the work of planting the seed. Trust God will use someone to cultivate it down the line.

If these are the kids you are attracting, you are doing something right. I love the scripture when the Pharisees are scoffing at Jesus for hanging out with "those sinners." Jesus says, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have not come to call those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” And when those who know they are sinners confront their issues because you have stuck with them long enough for them to see it in you and taste it out of you, they will long for that same result. Christ's love is perpetuating. And it's like cool, refreshing water and when someone's in the desert, that cool, refreshing water is much more satisfying. It's frustrating for us who know our way out of the desert to be stuck in the desert with them. But this is what God did when he entered our sinful world as human and became a partner in the suffering. How patient was Jesus with those who didn't "get it." So we must also enter their sinful world as partners in suffering. But what a privilege that is, to be Jesus to them!

Stick with it long enough and you'll see the by-products of right action. It will be long and painstaking. But it'll be oh so worth it!

Don't know if that is what you were looking for. Hope this helps. You truly are doing something great!

Phil"

Moving into our new building!! Prayer Requests!!

2010-11-05T16:22:00.003-04:00

Hey all. Just letting you know to keep us all in your prayers! We are moving into our new building and finishing a TON of stuff this whole week so that we can be in on Sunday! It's soooooooo extremely exciting to see all this come together. There is so much to tell and so much I want to show you. Maybe I'll make a video to show you guys what it looks like soon. We are having a dedication service this Saturday night and our kick off Sunday is this Sunday. The most beautiful thing is that this Sunday land DIRECTLY on the date we began the church 6 years ago! We began November 7, 2004. This Sunday is November 7, 2010. There is SO much that still needs to be done in the next 24 hours. Will you please pray for everything to go well and for plenty of hard-working volunteers to make it happen. The building is so impressive and God is just shining through it all. I'm so excited and I wish you guys could be here to see it all come together. Truly an incredible sight!

Thank you!
Phil

Peace is Found in the Completion

2010-10-14T15:53:00.002-04:00

As one who speaks on a regular basis at my church, I was thinking today while preparing for what I was going to talk about tonight. I was thinking that there is only so much that I can do. There is only so much that any of us can do. As I write out my talk and condense it into a one-page outline, there is not enough room. Ever.

I have so much to say. God has so much to say. There is so much application that needs to be done in our lives and in the lives of our youth. I realize I can only do so much. The world is huge and the stats are alarming. And time is running out.

My pastor has visualized it to me by explaining it like a garage door closing slowly and we need to get them through. Time is running out and we need to get them all through. Time is running out every single day and many are missing their chance. Many are being left behind and I realize that I can only do so much.

But what I do is so much! What we all do here on Earth is so much.

What I do -- all that I can do -- is do what my God is pulling on my heart to do. I can only get his message out as much as my limited human life will allow and then at some point He comes in and completes it. He makes it worth it and redeems what wasn't enough. What was not portrayed correctly or what was not portrayed completely, we must trust Him that He will be faithful to complete it.

So all I'm going to do until I die is portray Him the best I know how, giving and screaming and showing and loving Him and His message. I may mess up on something somewhere, and I'm sure I have at some point. But that's how I am to do it. He is bigger and more in charge than I can ever be. He's in control and He'll make all things right.

These are the things that scare me. They disturb me at the core and I don't know that I will ever be at peace about these things:

91% of youths in Costa Rica say they do not believe they will go to heaven despite claiming to have accepted Jesus Christ. In Spain, 74% of the youth say they do not want to be a virgin when they marry. In Russia, 42% of the youth report having tried to commit suicide. In America there is a 720% increase in agnosticism and a 200% increase in atheism.

But what keeps me in it is knowing that all shall be made right when all is said and done. For He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. And He is right.

Philippians 1:6 - "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it."

Amen.

This month's newsletter

2010-09-16T13:42:00.002-04:00

Hey supporters! A couple things about this month's newsletter,

It got out a couple of days later than usual. Don't be alarmed, it's coming.

More importantly, we realized today (after I had already ran them to the post office) that we stamped about 20 of them with 28 cent stamps. DUMB! So if you still haven't gotten your letter after a few days, that is probably the reason for the delay. Sorry for our silliness. Won't happen again. Thank you all! We love you.

Phil and Kylee

A Personal Account of The Miracles Surrounding My Nana's Death

2010-08-12T22:14:00.010-04:00

This is Phil Larson writing about my experiences going home to celebrate my Nana's life and the grace God mercifully left behind. Her name was Maxine Sanders. She was awesome.

My Nana had her 83rd birthday a week before she died. I got to have an incredible 13 minutes of phone conversation with, which I will cherish for the rest of my life. That was the last time I heard her say my name. No one said my name like my Nana.

A couple days after the news of her death, just before we left to return home to MN for her funeral, I wrote a song. The song opened with a line and closed with the same line. The line: "Dear God who gives and takes away, please don't take away without leaving some grace." I drive, my wife in the passenger seat and my other set of grandparents in the back seats. The ride was contemplative and relatively quiet. My wife, reading a book, reads me this excerpt concerning prayer:

Let your soul speak for itself. Some souls hold conversation with God in music, and some in the sowing of seed, and others in the smell of sawed wood, and still others in the affectionate understanding of their friends. All souls are not alike. Utter your own prayer, in the language of your own joy.

Music is the language of my joy. My soul uttered its prayer in song. My God heard.

Arriving home for a funeral is a bittersweet experience, as most understand. My mom greeted me at the door, followed by my grandpa. A moment of hugging and crying with that man followed and will be forever engrained in my mind. My brother arrived and the family was all there. A full rainbow appeared over our house shortly following, similar to the one that appeared to Kylee's mom and her siblings after Kylee's grandpa's death.

(Click to enlarge)

As the next 24 hours ensued (which felt like a week), I heard the following stories which I will tell in the order that I feel most effective.

Eight weeks before her death, she had another trip to the hospital. On that trip, she claims that she "saw the light seven times." The first two were faint but the last five were strong and as she started to walk toward the light, it got bigger. So she deicides, 'I want to go to the light!' As she does, she feels a light grab to the back of her neck and hears a voice say, "You're not finished yet."

The next few weeks consisted of some pretty pivotal conversations with a lot of her family and friends, with the help of her birthday lending to a lot of phone calls. One in particular was with her sister Tiny, whom she was especially close to. Tiny's health was also not very good and their conversation was one of a realization that they probably didn't have a whole lot of time left. They told each other how they loved one another and, in a way beyond their understanding, said their goodbyes.

My Nana fell in the kitchen, hitting her head rather hard. She had emergency surgery, from which she seemed to recover from at first. Even joking saying, "What are we going to do with me!?" Oxygen levels dropped and the next day, she wasn't very responsive. The doctors said this was normal at her age with that kind of blow after surgery. The following day she was in a coma. She would take what seemed to be her last breath and my grandpa would say, "She's gone..." and then 20-30 seconds later, she would take another, followed by my grandpa, "There, She's gone..." It happened again. I've never been around someone who was dying. I guess this is what happens.

My mom recalled the week before she died, Nana saying, "Oh, I know how my funeral is going to happen. It's all planned out in the green folder." "Okay, yeah sure..." says my mom, kind of blowing off her mom's seemingly silly and random remarks. Upon her death, my mom, remembering that statement about the folder, wanted to respect her mom's wishes. She decides to search all of Nana's files. She kept lots of files: addresses, letters, quotes, verses, stories. Anything and everything that ever meant anything from or about anyone she ever cared about...ever. The folders she kept them in? All green. My mom searched through them all. Twice. She found incredible little sayings scribbled on pieces of paper, a story written by my oldest cousin when he was young, and an incredible and humorous poem written by Tiny about what would be written on Maxine's gravestone, which was shared at Nana's "viewing"/memory-sharing time.

My mom, getting frustrated that she couldn't find Nana's funeral plans, starts praying and pleading with God. Just then, my mom experiences God's still small voice, saying, "Green Bible." "But no, God, she said green folder..." "Green Bible," came the voice again. Not completely understanding because they already flipped through all the bibles, my mom goes for the first bible she sees. The next thing she knows, it hits here like a slap to the forehead, "Green Bible." She picks up the green bible. Opens it up. Written in it reads a very simply programmed funeral for my Nana by my Nana. In it, reads, "read poem - poem found in bible." Sure enough, the poem was in there. Here it is:

I am standing upon the seashore.

A ship at my side spreads her white

sails to the morning breeze and starts

for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch her until at length

she hangs like a speck of white cloud

just where the sea and sky come

to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says;

"There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all.

She is just as large in mast and hull

and spar as she was when she left my side

and she is just as able to bear her

load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone

at my side says, "There, she is gone!"

There are other eyes watching her coming,

and other voices ready to take up the glad shout;

"Here she comes!"

And this is life.

Whoa.

The service was incredible. Some funny little things that happened were the preacher quoting and talking about Michael Faraday, a person the tv show LOST based one of their characters off of. Us Larson kids love us some LOST. Nana's best friend's phone went off in the middle of the funeral. She didn't turn it off because, she says, "No one ever calls me!" She saw that it was from a friend who she hadn't talk to in a long time and called them back asking why they called her. This friend said that she didn't call her. Some of these little things were silly, but some people found encouragement in them. If someone can find encouragement in them, is that not God? Why couldn't it be?

In the funeral all five of us grandkids told Nana's life. We all took a page and read aloud the different parts of her life. My page read about how Nana met Grandpa and the things going on in her life during the time of them meeting. One of the things was a job that she had. She held a job for Trailways Bus Company. Small detail I just read over, right? Nothing profound about a bus company.

The same day as the funeral, my brother had a flight at 4 pm. He couldn't find anyone to take him. I offered that if no one could take him, I would as a last resort. No one could. And he tried. Still, no one. I drop him off at the airport. On my way home, I find myself listening to some kind-of corny worship cd my parents had in their car... but I was really enjoying it. Just really felt the presence of God there. And it happened like a movie... Some bus in front of the car in front of me in the left lane. The car moves over to the right lane and I speed up to make sure I was seeing it right. Something I would have just thought nothing of had I not read about it earlier that day at her funeral... Have you ever seen a Trailways Bus? Not me. Not until...

(Click to enlarge)

...I did that day. And as I roll back into Maple Grove, MN, I feel an amazing sense of peace, as if some supernatural force took some time to take a ride in my car. I felt my shoulders being massaged. I felt someone saying, "I see you, Philip. I see all of you."

The rest of the day was a joyous time of reminiscing on Nana's life as we looked through 4 full volumes of Nana's (well done) scrap books covering all the way from her and Grandpa's birth through the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Volume 5 was her current project that my mom will have to finish. This was an incredible 4 days and I got to meet some incredible people from Nana's life. They were so encouraging.

And so... the sweet outdid the bitter, for death is overcome and God is present in our pain. Victory in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And what sweet eternal life Nana is tasting! Some grace was indeed left behind. Thanks be to God!

I praise God for her life! ...and her many reading glasses...

(Click to enlarge)

Glad I got to reconnect with my cousin Ben (middle)

who I hadn't seen in a few years now. He won't be

living far away from us soon...

From Kylee About The Vermont Missions Trip

2010-07-06T10:38:00.001-04:00

We just got back EARLY this morning from a week long missions trip with our youth kids in Rutland, Vermont. It was an amazing experience. There were two other youth ministries there, one from Wisconsin and one from Illinois. We were split into five teams with our kids, and we each had a little bit different schedule. Phil and his students spent the week at Camp Thorp, a camp for people with disabilities and special needs. My students and I spent the first half of the week making trails in the woods at a park, and the second half visiting nursing homes and running a afternoon children's program.

Things learned/observed:

1. Avoid vans full of middle school boys at almost any cost. They smell. And after 17 hours, they REALLY smell.

2. Make sure your refrigerator is functioning before you leave your house for a week. If it isn't, it smells when you get home. It REALLY smells.

3. Really, almost anything can be fun if you are willing to make it fun. My favorite part of the week was shoveling out a large pit in the middle of the woods. All day. For two days. Our kids are hilarious!

4. I have also learned the words to almost every pop/dance song that exists. Plus some sweet car-dance moves to accompany them.

5. Phil is amazing with kids. I guess I already knew this, but it was a beautiful reminding. I mean, he is REALLY great.

6. Every person, EVERY PERSON, wants to love and be loved.

This was the strongest lesson for me. The last day, my students and I went to a nursing home's dementia/Alzheimer's wing in the morning and to the Kids Club in the afternoon. There was a lady at the nursing home named Anna, who alternated between pretty funny and pretty angry. At one point, the nurse handed her a baby doll. And this woman held it so naturally, she'd probably held a hundred babies in her life, and she just put her face down really close and whispered to her baby and rocked it. I lost it. She had probably loved and taken care of people her whole life, and now, even with her grip on reality slipping, she just wanted to love still. And she did it how she could.

We then went and played with a bunch of kids. I'd been pretty stressed the day before at the Kids Club because I was trying to keep track of all of my teenagers as well as all these little guys and worry about the programming at the same time. I decided to relax the next day, and I found a little boy who was playing with rocks in the parking lot. So, we played with rocks. We threw them at airplanes, we skipped them, we buried them, we unburied them... and he was laughing and smiling and loving it (Oh yes, so was I!)... but God really showed me that as simple as it was, that's all that little guy really wanted: to play with rocks and be loved.

Supporters!

2010-06-24T15:28:00.003-04:00

Greetings. It has been a while since this blog has been updated. I'm incredibly sorry for that. Over the last year, I've been trying to direct you to http://www.LarsonSupportTeam.com. However, the service that provides this ability to host your own social network is no longer offering free sites. Silly, silly... SO, we are going back to this blog being the main avenue to relay updates between monthly newsletters. The social network didn't really work as I wanted it to anyway. What you guys need is an easy way to be updated, not interaction on a social network...you guys are busy enough as it is, right?

ANYWAY, what's new? I'm glad you asked. The Anderson school systems are in a mediocre uproar due to all the changes this coming school year. I say mediocre because it has died down and I don't believe it is going to be a drastic as some people choose to believe it is. After a last ditch effort failed to keep highland a high school, I think people are coming to grips with Anderson High School being the only high school. I tell you what though, I'm pumped for one main Anderson high school. Most of the kids in one place makes my job a little easier and, I think, a little more effective. Highland will turn into the town of Anderson's only middle school. So one day will consist of me hanging out at the middle school lunch periods and another will be the high school's. I will basically be able to hit up almost every student in the town of Anderson over the course of 2 days a week. I really see this a being an effective start to a more unified Anderson (which, if you live here then you understand, we REALLY need). Our corrupt former school board was replaced by a much more decent one, including a long time friend of the family and my doctor, Dr. Scott Green! Like I said, I'm pumped for this next school year.

The summer is a little more chill, but it's really the silence before the storm. This Saturday, we leave for a week in the Green Mountains of Vermont to take 22 students on a missions trip. It's going to be SAWEEEEET! After we get back, Kylee and I have a week of normalcy before heading off to ANOTHER week long high school camp. AHHH!!! I'm going to be pulling my hair out by the end... but I'm super excited to see what God is going to do. It has been an incredible ride of seeing God work and making it possible for some of this kids to go! I'm....(you guessed it)... pumped!

Thanks for all you do and I'll try to update this blog more regularly.

love,
Phil

Loving Others Into A Loving God

2010-03-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

Are you ever in the minority on an issue. No matter what you say, you can not "win" because you are surrounded by a majority that can't see you side of things. What do you do when you are in that situation? Our default is to get offended, to let your flags fly and your words flow with little to no thought. Some of us shut down. The way I've handled things in the past varies. Normally I would begin by shutting down. However, if the right thing was said, it will jab me in the right way and I'll fly off the handle. I'm beginning to see this is not healthy. I'm beginning to see why the church can be an unsafe place, why some leave because they feel attacked.

The following is an experience from today and then a beautiful revealing of Christ that came shortly after my conversation. Keep reading, God showed me some beautiful things this morning.

I met with some youth pastors today and was met with a different point of view, a different theology and could have easily made myself believe I was being attacked. I was tempted to give in to that default of mine, but what would that have accomplished in the end? The moment we begin to embrace the questioning of others and the differing ways of believing the same God is the moment we become a safe environment to discuss. This is the moment we become the church as it was intended to be. I was not attacked but could have easily made myself believe that. We discussed and then departed knowing the bigger picture at stake is that we share in a brotherly love united as one in Christ.

All that to say, this conversation was good for lots of reasons, but I can only help you really see so much from some measly words on some measly website. The rest is for you to wrestle with. And God loves to wrestle.

I was met with a turn-or-burn theology today with good intention. Where I come from and the college I attended, good intention in that theology seems hard to understand. Where these guys came from, it was their custom, their church's understanding and, for some, wrapped up in their denomination. I may be portraying them wrongly but don't mean to.

(The next part is my theology, agree or disagree. I welcome both.) When it comes down to it, this theology gives no room for failure and portrays a divine love not powerful enough to save a life beyond the sin itself. One belief is that for someone practicing homosexuality, they're destined for hell. It is not until they are fully repentant and turn from that lifestyle entirely that they will receive the gift of eternal life in heaven. BUT if they were to slip up again, back on their way to hell they go. It is not until they get to the point of no more struggles in any of those areas that they will make it into heaven.

I guess we're all going to hell! Has anyone ever be an alcoholic? Those who were and have been sober for years know that all it'll take is for them to think they have it made, 'I'm recovered', to get to the point where they rely on self before the church only to fall right back into it. It is a daily process, a daily acceptance into the church that allows us to lean on each other. The turn-or-burn philosophy and a constant begging for forgiveness and repentance (...and hoping to God it works this time!) doesn't represent a God who is love, a God who truly forgives and forgets. They are telling me that philosophy can and should be done in love and I truly believe they are trying.

If any one of us (all of us?) is honest with ourselves, we are all recovering addicts of something. Some are more noticeable than others (such as homosexuality or alcoholism as opposed to performance addiction or looking at porn when you're alone at home), but they carry the same weight. Sin. Is. Sin. Wouldn't a God who is love, die for all sin for those who choose him. One man, one sacrifice, saves one time all things when we declare with our mouth that we believe he has the power to do so and we want to experience it. We don't need to keep convincing him of that. Why would a God who SO DESIRES for us to experience a relationship with him require perfection, when all he needs is a willing heart.

I shared with them a couple in our church who are homosexuals and have been burned by the church over and over again to point that when my pastor wanted to meet with them for coffee, they just knew he was going to ask them to change their ways or leave (turn...or burn). All he wanted to do was get to know them better. This is showing love, this divine love that goes beyond all circumstance and misunderstanding to bring about his ultimate desire for reconciliation with a world so far gone. Sure the Bible says a lot of things are a sin, but we are not defined by our sinful nature, as Paul writes in Romans. It is the sin within us, which is separate from who we are in Christ, that makes us feel like crap sometimes...but by no means trumps salvation.

Some of the discussion revolved around the fact that if they are not at least trying to rid themselves of this sin, then they weren't truly repentant in the first place. If you are like me, many times my sin is not evident until I've stood under love of God long enough that it begins to transform me...all on its own. I don't think that transformation happens right at the words, "Jesus, I accept what you did on the cross." There's a quote by C.S. Lewis, "Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done." Transformation is a daily action of renewing of your mind, understanding that you are in need of a being and a body beyond you, and placing yourself around the church or around those you see as filled with the love of God. Slowly and surely, the truth with reveal itself.

It may take minutes to days for some, it may take years for others. The fact of the matter is that everyone is different in their process of coming into relationships with anyone. So why would this be the same in developing a relationship with our God? And we should enjoy the process, the questions, the wrestling. God loves to wrestle because he loves that we are seeking, that we are asking questions. If someone in a particular sin where it is their lifestyle wants to keep coming to church to experience the body, let him seek. But make sure you surround him with God's love. The love will bring to light their struggles through the process. And, again, the process may take a long time but they know it will be out of love.

Exiting the coffee shop and climbing into my car, I sat and sighed. Looking into my rear-view mirror, I let out an, "Oh my..." of complete awe since I was out in a little town next door to my hometown. I was overcome with emotion (I think it was...love?), rolled down my window to bid good day to one of the homosexual women that these guys were saying was hell-bound just minutes before. I drove one block and had to park because I began to weep. My heart longed for her and felt the hurt of every Christian speaking this message of death into her life. I longed for her to feel loved, to feel accepted into the body of Christ, for her to understand that she is important. Then I longed for every Christian out there to see her the way I saw her right then and there. That she is your sister. Despite the hurt, she has kept seeking out a church where she can be used for the greater good of spreading this divine love instead of becoming a spectacle and outcast. I want every Christian to know the Jesus that took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi and said to them, "upon this rock (upon these failures and perverts and not-good-enoughs, these people in front of you that you see performing sexual acts with goats), I will build my church."

I drove a block to a park. It was perfect weather for a walk and came across a guy with a camera. He greeted me and I asked what he was doing. "For the past year I've been taking pictures of this blue heron. He lets lots of people come up close to it but I feel like it is different with me. It's like I have a relationship with this bird. It knows me and it is like it is saying, 'Yep, I'm beautiful. Take pictures of me!'"

Man, like this bird, people are delicate. The moment we are reckless and come at them swinging, they are going to fly away. Relationships take time. Showing people who we are called to be in Christ takes time. Bringing people to a true understanding of God's love and a self-revealing of a righteous way of living takes time. This guy has been working on this bird for the last year. It knows him well now and it knows what he is all about. It knows the purpose for him being there and it is not intimidated. It is willing to give this man a moment of its time, to share in the beauty of God's creation. God is the same way. He works in the process and takes his time in crafting his children to become who they were originally intended to be. All we are meant to do is help that process along as people slide in and out of our life. All you can do to help that process along is love and pray that they see Christ in that love. Since the scriptures say that God is love, they will see it.

That's all Christ wants and he is willing to hang around until you're ready to pop your head out of the tree line and give him a chance to get close to you. He thinks you're beautiful and wants to show you off to the world!

He'll Take Care Of It

2010-02-11T23:44:00.001-05:00

He will, because He does. He really does. He takes care of it.

To me, tonight was no different than every other Thursday. I did the majority of my prepping the day before, like usual. Then, after staff meeting and sending out our church's e-news, I usually take a gander over to the mall and find a quiet little table at the coffee shop to finish some of the preparing for my talk, the games, and my adult leaders meeting. I'm thinking 'great I got time, I'm on track.' Then, I hear... "Phil!"...

Every Thursday I have highschool lunch with my students and meet some of their friends. I got hooked into a table where after the first lunch with them, their 'leader' guy said, "Phil, you are the first Christian that I don't want to shoot in the face." This helps you to understand this guy a little. A complete jokester. The guy is hilarious, truly has a good heart, but has had some bad representation when it comes to the Christian faith. This guy cusses a lot and the guys that hang around him drop the F-bomb with every other word. Many of the jokes come straight from the gutter, especially sexually. A lot of uncomfortable moments and many opportunities to steer the conversation. This guy has a girlfriend. He loves her, you can tell. But at the lunch table, a good amount of the jokes come at her expense. She nervously rolls her eyes and chuckles. He dominates the conversation. She hardly has room to speak...so she doesn't.

..."Phil!" It's his girlfriend. She found me at the mall. I'm working on the programming of tonight's Aftershock when she comes to my table and starts talking! I've never witnessed so much talking out of her and I loved it. She was finally free to be herself...and she kept talking. I started to wonder if I would get finished with what I needed to, but God said, "Listen to her, this is good. This is a divine appointment. I brought her here." We talk about her boyfriend, what it means for him to respect her. She spoke so highly of him and I believed it. She says he's not like this when he's not around those guys at lunch. He's trying to show off. I let her know that I think it is good for her to demand a little respect. She talks about how they are really beginning to communicate about that. A new semester started and now they sit at a different table and it's getting better. I got to connect and really begin to understand her. Her own self, her own person...and it was awesome.

This month's series at Aftershock is called "Uncensored." We are dealing with relationships and this week dealt with relationships with our peers. These relationships are healthy when we are working together, as a team, collaborating and leaning on each other for help. The relationships become unhealthy when we begin comparing ourselves to our peers. We become jealous of certain things they own or traits they possess. We plot ways to turn things to our favor. Sometimes we use others for self gain or to elevate our status. This is when we begin to measure certain things about someone or ourselves as more important than other things. We begin to measure what is actually unable to be measured. How can these outwardly visible things, like beauty, athleticism, humor, popularity, truly be measured? They are simply opinions. To say the way that one person is is better than the way that another person is, is putting people in inequality. It is raising someone to a higher, more praise-worthy position than someone else, or pushing that someone else to a lower, not-as-important status. When we don't see our peers in equality, our relationships will become unhealthy.

We then broke off into small groups where we explored it further into dating relationships. When a guy is pressuring his girlfriend to have sex though she doesn't feel right about it, he are putting himself at a higher level than her, thinking he knows what is best for the relationship. A dating relationship needs to work at a level of equality, of understanding and shared visions and shared goals. Never is it a healthy relationship when we use someone for self gain, as bragging rights to our buddies, to elevate us to a certain status, or even trying to make someone change at the cost of losing ourselves. Scales get knocked off-balanced, equality is no more. What could have been a healthy relationship is now left in ruins.

For real, the games did not work tonight from a programming standpoint. The kids truly seemed to have fun though. I failed to account for some things with the games, and it could have been an absolute bomb. Part of it was that I felt rushed before-hand. I ran out of time due to my conversation at the mall. I was a little unprepared...from the programming standpoint. Turns out, though, God takes care of it. The mall conversation was important, worth the games not being polished. And the conversations I had later were also very much worth it.

Afterward, a kid came up to me. He mentioned some things were going on with him and his girlfriend. The message that I gave (in my mind thinking: God gave. I'm nothing. I was unprepared.) went straight to the heart of the issue and really helped him through some things he was dealing with. From what I understand about him is that this guy grew up in a church where God was very distant, not very personal. I feel privileged to be a part of introducing him to this God who is more than a list of do's and don't's. All I could think to say was "Keep coming back, man. Keep coming back."

Still after that, another kid, who I can't wait to hone his leadership skills, comes to me and asks me to pray for him. He is in a new relationship with a girl and wants to take it slow and remain on equal levels with her. She is going through some things with her family. He asked if I could pray about them together and about her as she's working through these things with her family. How incredibly honored I feel that God has placed me in this position where kids see me as their spiritually leader and desire me to pray for them.

But, as we all know, I am nothing. I am only a vessel. God flows through this vessel, even with all of its cracks and kinks. These holes are the very places he fills with his strengths...and He takes care of it. That's all I could think of on the way home, 'He took care of it.' And He'll take care of it again.

Effective Ministry: Finding Your Core

2010-01-06T15:37:00.002-05:00

I took a moment this morning to write out a list of what I call my core. I think we can take something from the fact that Jesus had 12 guys that he primarily focused on. Sure, Jesus' message was for the whole world...but after he left? He left everything up to those 12 that he focused the majority of his energy on to actually take it to the world, starting the wildfire that Christianity is. Jesus' life was a model. I think it's important to focus on a handful of people, let them become your disciples. God has given us the ability to do this. He has given us authority. Make a list of your core. Who are the students or peers that love you to the point of heeding your every word, taking what you say as gold (which is why everything you say needs to be thought out and purposeful and done with care. You have the ability to create a lot of hurt as well.) This is your core. These are your disciples. These are the people you need to seriously equip to the the point of them being able to reciprocate this disciple-making ability. They themselves are going to gather up a core. They are to equip their core to do the same. It's the ripple effect.

I also made a core-potential list. These are students that I see as having the ability to step up and lead if I only spend some time hanging out with them and speak some truth into their lives. Maybe this is where you're at. Maybe you need to make a core-potential list and brainstorm ways you can get involved in their lives.

These lists will change over time, which I think is important. People slide in and out of your lives and on into other people's lives. That's why the moment you do have with them is so incredibly important.

...Or, maybe you're not to this point yet. Maybe you have someone you are looking up to now and seeking out the wisdom of. Whatever the case, it is important to be in one of two situations: putting together/leading your core or being equipped by someone you view as a leader, being a part of their core, in order to one day lead your own core.

Being viewed as a leader is a very scary thing. You have the ability to totally empower someone or completely destroy a life. That's why it is always important, no matter how many people or who views you as a leader, that you are constantly seeking wisdom outside of yourself. I am in the process of learning this. It is taking me out of my introverted box of comfort to seek out others that I know will speak love, truth, and life into my own life. We all need that in order to give life. Reading is a huge thing too, and a extra hard choice for me. I find, though, that once I force myself to sit down and read, I NEVER regret it.

Today I got a text from a student that I had on my core list. We were talking about a year and a half ago and he voiced to me that he was thinking about dropping out of school. I advised against it and we both shared our reasons. He voiced to me what he observed about his situation from his point of view and I voiced to him what I observed about his situation from my point of view. Thankfully, lot of changes happened in this student's life over the last year and a half to change his mind. He was behind a little in school but was working really hard to catch up. My text from him today read, "I just finished talking to Poyer and laying out my schedule and when we were done, he congratulated me and said I was officially set and good to graduate on time." How fortunate do you think I felt that this student thought to text me so that we could celebrate this together? Having and leading a core is an incredibly humbling and rewarding experience.

Cores are effective ways to change this world modeled by Jesus himself. When the time came for Jesus to leave this earth, he had equipped and empowered his core enough to do the same work he did. They found their core and lead and empowered them to do the same and so on. This is how the world changes, through small and simple but effective communities as these.

Blog posts and more about our ministry at: LarsonSupportTeam.com

Loving Radically, Real Ministry

2009-10-29T00:17:00.001-04:00

Here's the deal. I met I guy while at Dunkin Donuts and we talked for a really long time. Have you ever experienced something that was so divine and incredible (even something small like a conversation) that we fear to tell someone about it because there is no way that they are going to fully grasp the same experience you had. If they're not going to fully get it and I'm not going to fully be able to portray it the way it happened, why try? Yeah, it was like that.

Basically, this guy was leaving and felt a tug by the spirit to come talk to me. After I told him that I was a high school pastor at The Bridge, conversation ensued. Come to find out our ideas of how ministry needs to be done today lined up. The old way of doing church is just that, old. It tends to (when done incorrectly) focus primarily on the keeping of legalistic traditions only to overlook the hurt and need in people's lives. So many people are so burned by church that they wouldn't dare set a foot in one again for fear of another burning, which is completely understandable. This guy and I come to find out that we know a lot of the same people and he went to college with my dad. Here's this 56 year-old man that tells me his life as a traditional Church of God pastor who hears from God "I didn't really like how you were as a Church of God pastor for so many years. Let's be done with this." This guy over the last 12 years, gets his whole view on ministry rocked when he decided to get involved in other, non-traditional ways of ministry. He begins to do ministry on the street, takes the living word of God to the homeless, lives with them and gains insight. It became more of a ministry to him as he began to truly understand what the ministry of Jesus was and how we tend to downplay it as "oh, that was then, this is now. Life is different now." Life is more similar today than we realize. Too often are we preaching to the choir, people. The choir don't need preaching to. They should be the ones preaching. One of my favorite verses is Mark 2:17 when Jesus says, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." What are we doing about that in our churches today? Would a homeless person feel welcome in your church. What about when they see what everyone else is wearing or how they are acting? What about when some traditions are being performed that they don't know about? Will they continue to feel left in the dark? Will they feel accepted? For some people who have been burnt by the church, this next time they show up is you only chance. Show them a Jesus that would accept them and love them, the same Jesus that hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors and all those "sinners" that were looked down upon by the "religious leaders" of that day. You got one chance to show them the church Jesus had intended all along. One chance or ... they're gone. "That's it! The last straw! This is no religion I want to be a part of!" Me neither.

"You're not as radical as you think you are," this guy tells me. Of course, I get a little defensive, telling him all the ways we are reaching out to the community, loving others who have never been loved and all this. At the beginning he asks me, "What is God doing? What can you see happening that is getting you excited?" I tell him how I came to The Bridge and how they only way we are going to be able to do this is by raising our own support. God keeps providing the money, God is providing in so many ways. I thought that was pretty radical right? No, he tells me "You're not as radical as you think you are. There are 2 places that I send these people on the street to for church and The Bridge is one of them. You guys are doing great things. But you are not as radical as you think you are there." We explore what that word means. He tells me, "You have one chance with these people that I send to your church or else they're done going to church forever. Do you notice them, are you creating a community that notices them, and then are you following up with them on the streets?"

We were sitting there talking for a long time. He asks me, "How many homeless people have you seen walk past this window?" I said that I noticed one and described him. He said, "Yeah, that was Paul. What about the other 3 (and he names them). He says, "I know 2 of those guys closely, the other 2 I just know who they are." He then asks, "Do you see Jesus is those people." I said (sheepishly), "I know that I should..." I mentioned my one time I went to a prison to do ministry there. He told me about this prison in Noblesville that he goes to twice a week (By the way, in no way was he ever portraying himself as better than me or a better Christian of whatever). He said that he goes there specifically because of the large amount of sex offenders that are in there. He said that the sex offender is the modern day leper to the church. "No one wants a sex offender in your church when there's a children's ministry, right? You know the ones down the street because they have already commited a crime and that information has to be made public." There is one on Kylee's and my street. We were warned by people on our block what he looks like and the car he drives. They all steer clear of him... This guy says, "What about the sex offenders who haven't done anything yet? The sex offenders that, given the right situation, snap and commit their first crime. That's why we need to see Jesus in everyone. All people need to experience this life-changing love of Christ before it's too late."

What are you doing to show that love? What aren't you doing? There's an urgency and expectation that needs to be realized in the church today. Does your church have that? Does it even want it? It's a big responsibility Jesus asks of us, to represent him. It is detremental to how Christianity is portrayed to the world and no wonder some people get a bad taste in their mouth when someone uses the words "Christian" or "Church." If you don't see it, please stop looking inward. Look at all the hurt. There's so much to be seen. Not only seen but noticed. Sometimes we see it and close ourselves off to it. We shelter ourselves from it. Jesus went straight for it, held nothing back and he gives us the same power to do so. Jesus was fully human. Some of the things he did seems superhuman... no, he was fully human. The same power that lives in him, lives in us. Everything he did, we can. This guy told me, "Don't let your generation fall into the same lie that my generation did: that we were living radically. The church isn't the head, Jesus is the head. We got really good at worshipping on Sundays a believed that was ministry. We came to believe that the only thing sacred was when we came together one morning out of the week to worship together."

Wake up church! Live outside of yourself. Real ministry happens in real life circumstances. Often the real life is ugly but that's where Jesus hung out: in the ugly, with the ugly. We are too quick to shut our eyes and ears to what we deem as "worldly" and "ungodly" but not quick enough to shut our mouths about it. That's not how change happens. There is no regard for people as people that way. They are just another number, another soul to convert. Look out! This is not the way of Jesus, this is not the way of the everlasting. That will never bring everlasting life. Jesus is grace, Jesus loves without condition, Jesus allows for self-discovery and never forces himself upon anyone! The choice is individual, and we better not feel like we have the responsibility to make them see what we see as truth. Truth is a personal discovery. God, Jesus, is personal discovery. It will never be provable to everyone, ever. Even when Christ seems so completely evident, people will still choose hell (Luke 16:19-31).

What are we to do? Simple. See Jesus in others and love them as Jesus would, seeing their whole person inside of them and paying attention to and identifying with their needs. Love. That's what it comes down to. Unconditional. Love. No strings attached. They don't owe you anything. You don't owe them anything. The love of Christ you have been shown needs to overflow and become the same love that you show everyone you come in contact with. And that's the only reason. But that reason is good enough. Because that love is radical.

The Simplest of Things Often Have Life-Changing Effects.

2009-10-08T22:33:00.001-04:00

Two weeks into this being a youth pastor thing and I feel truly blessed by the people that I have around me. This week was one of those weeks where I'm being reminded over and over again of the support that I have. I am so incredibly lucky to have people who love me enough to let me be and see how I grow. People who love me enough to encourage me as I continue to evolve into who God is making me and who he will continue to make me. Growth has to be an on-going process but if no one is there to tend to it, encourage it, help it along, it won't happen. Unfortunately too many people haven't experienced this kind of support so I hope to help offer that to them so that they too can experience the great joy of knowing that you have a group to get your back, to support you through hard times, and take joy in your successes. As corny as it sometimes sounds, simple joys and trips and experiences that come unexpectedly so many times end up being some of the greatest blessings one can experience.

My pastor always encourages us to "create memories." For small group this week, 2 high school students and I on a whim became extras in a movie that some Ball State students were putting together. It may not go anywhere but the fact of the matter is that a memory was created. It was a blast, hilarious, ridiculous, unexpected, imaginative, random...a memory. There are so many good people in the world and when they come together, great things happen. But the fact of the matter here is that they NEED to come together. The best things happen in a community, when we experience life TOGETHER. Love gets happened upon in being together because true love is not a one way street. Love, joy, happiness seems too cliche only because we been made to believe that it only happens in silly little chick flicks and gooshy ramantic novels... But these things are possible when we come together and be together and experience together and love together.

So what's the hold up? Everyone always has something that holds us back from this, because, ultimately, it is EXACTLY what satan DOESN'T want us to experience. So he brings into our lives the very things that we hate but are brainwashed to love only enough to realize we hate it only enough to feel we can't have it only enough to desire to have it only enough to ruin our lives as we continue to choose it over what is truly important, what truly matters... which are those who bring us life by experiencing life (its ups and downs) along side of us.

Take delight in the simple things. Don't take for granted all the things we deem as "cliche" that truly have the power to bring a smile to a face or brighten a day, or save a life...

I like this video. It is of an old neighbor of mine who used to live below Kylee and I. He gets it.

This word needs some redeeming. Will you help?

2009-09-30T22:14:00.000-04:00

I'm reading a book entitled: "unChristian: What a new generation really thinks about Christianity...and why it matters" by David Kinnaman. That's pretty self-explanatory. This guy runs surveys for research as a profession. His findings are pretty alarming but, ultimately, it starts with us who proclaim to be "Christian." What image are we portraying? FYI, he calls those who are not of the Christian faith "outsiders," for they are outside the Christian faith. But he does explain that he has trouble using this term because it has a tendancy to define them as what they are not. Here's an excerpt that I read and like. Can you relate or have you had a similar experience with those who proclaim to be Christian?

"One thrity-five-year-old believer from Claifornia put it this way: 'Christians have become political, judgmental, intolerant, weak, religious, angry, and without balance. Christianity has become a nice Sunday drive. Where is the living God, the Holy Spirit, an amazing Jesus, the love, the compassion, the holiness? This type of life, how I yearn for that.' Jesus was called a friend of sinners, relentlessly pursuing the down-trodden. What an irony that today his followers are seen in the opposite light! How can people love God, whom they can't see, if those of us who claim to represent him don't respond to outsiders with love?"

A lot of those outside the faith of Christianity appreciate what Jesus had to say and how he lived his life. It is becoming more and more evident to them that the church today is far too often claiming to be followers of Jesus without living his same lifestyle. This, understandably so, is not the kind of faith they want to associate themselves with. The book also talked about many young believers today who avoid saying that they are Christian so that they can distance themselves from the current "branding" of that word. Then, they say, it is easier for them to bring their friends into a relationship with Christ.

Hmm, interesante and sobering. I'm only 25 pages into the book but I'm realizing that it's time to wake up... actually it has been time to wake up for quite some time... It is time that this word "Christian" gets some redeeming. We are called to be that, the hands and feet of God. It is up to us, the way we represent him, our love which needs to be unconditional. If you have experienced this love, we are called to give it to others. How selfish are we if we hold onto this experience and keep it for ourselves. You are the light of the world! You have been given this power! Christ says, "Freely you have recieved, freely give." It is not to be abused. Representing our God is a life or death task. You have the ability to destroy his image to someone. But you also have the ability to represent the true loving God and also, maybe most importantly, restore that image to someone who has recieved a contradicting one. Let's wake up. The time is now.

On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.

2009-09-02T11:29:00.002-04:00

(A post I wrote a week and a half but forgot to put on here:)

It's like this. Kylee and I raise support in order to do what we do, much like an out-of-country missionary does. Sometimes I see ourselves as missionaries. Sometimes Anderson, IN is as foreign as it gets. For two years now, we've set our goal to raise a certain amount and have met it. We started out the first month of raising support mainly focusing on phone calls and whatever money came in, we bit the bullet and built up a little cushion in our support raising account. As money comes in from our supporters, it gets deposited into that account. From that account, we get paid. No money in the account = no paycheck. This has never happened. As the account begins to dwindle, God moves in the heart of someone and the account gains a little health...but not until we get a little wake up call first...

You see, the only time in the Bible where God actually challenges us to test him is in the area of tithing:
"...Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, 'How are we to return?' Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:7-10

During the first year, we were struggling to get enough pledges to meet our goal. We were challenged on the tithing end. We decided to tithe at whatever 10% of our goal was. Within the next month, we met our goal. And that has never stopped. There are plenty of similar stories where God has "thrown open the floodgates" and has blessed us beyond belief...and it keeps us humble; it keeps us in our place. This summer has been insane as we bought a house and moved on top of our normal responsibilities. Obviously this house thing has been a test on the financial end...and our account, it's dwindling.

I was reading in Genesis (I'm no saint, I don't remember the last time I purposefully sat down to read my Bible) and read through the story of Abraham's obedience being tested when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac...his only true son...the one through whom God promised would give birth to a great nation. Yet, Abraham agrees. As they are reaching the place on the mountain where they were going to sacrifice, Isaac is wondering where this lamb is that they were going to sacrifice. Abraham replies beautifully: "God will provide the lamb." It comes the time when Abraham had tied down his son and raised his knife when an angel stops him saying that the LORD has noticed his obedience and does not want Isaac to be hurt. God said that because of his obedience, he will make his descedants outnumber the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. Then God provided a ram that was caught in a nearby bush for Abraham to catch and use as a sacrifice. This gave birth to a saying of that day, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

It clicked for me and a desire to test God was renewed. Abraham knew that though his own reasoning made sense to him, God must understand the bigger picture and, though he would much rather do what made sense to him, he had to obey God. "God will provide the lamb." God will provide a way...or a way out. In the end, God is still God and things will work out as He plans, and that's okay. And God did, but not until Abraham was willing to sacrifice. You see, God needs a willing soul, someone with the desire to give up something for the sake of gaining God's way.

In order for God to provide where I need Him to provide, I must be willing to sacrifice. And sometimes sacrificing your money in today's economy can feel like giving up your firstborn. I caught up on tithing today and am another step closer to fulfilling our pledge to our church building campaign and I've already seen God give a blessing. We got a utilities bill from our last apartment and one for our new house for this last month, both of which I wondered were off. I went in and found out that both had errors and were going to end up being significantly less. Sometimes the blessings come quickly. Other times they don't, as when Abraham had to wait for the birth of Isaac that God had promised years ealier. And sometimes it does feel like we are stuck on the top of a mountain with no where else to go but down. In fact, it would maybe just seem easier to jump... but who's mountain is it? Let us not forget: On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided. So hang in there.

On Renovation and Relocation

2009-08-12T00:58:00.000-04:00

I have spent the past two weeks performing gross, frustrating, exhausting, and time-consuming tasks. I pulled up carpet and yanked up staples. I shoveled and swept away a bug metropolis off the patio (as Phil went on a "murderous rampage with liquid death" aka...bug sprayed the entire perimeter of the house). We've hauled garbage, scrubbed floors, painted, scraped, packed, unpacked. Our house is a mess...just one big stack of boxes and drawers and furniture and I can't find my tweezers and I have a uni-brow.

I'm loving this.

The more I work, the more I fall in love with this place. Every staple pulled (every blister added) is one step closer to making it OURS. One step closer to our dreaming. And God is teaching me that He feels that way about me too. Everything he works on, pulls out, cleans up, is him falling in love...him fulfilling the dream he's dreamed of me. This makes me feel beautiful and special...worthy and humble...loved.

Among these, I also feel displaced. Like I don't quite fit yet. Like it's not quite me or mine or...where should I put my toothbrush now? Things aren't the same...and someday this might be normal, but it isn't normal yet. And this reminds me of myself too. How, in going with God's "renovations" there is a certain level of not fitting quite right into my own skin at first...even if it is a somehow improved skin. Even if I know the metaphorical carpet was nasty...I am not sure what to do when the floors are stripped, swept, mopped.

I guess I'm learning about patience. God's patience because he loves me; he has the "vision" for me. He's gone from room to room. He's fallen in love. He's in it for the long haul. He's paid off the mortgage. And I've learned a little about the patience that I need...I learned it from my house. My house sits here, and it lets me fix it and clean it and love it. And it gives me a place to love others and be loved by them. What more does God ask from me?

Living Little, Loving Lots

2009-07-13T15:37:00.002-04:00

Today Kylee and I went to a pool to do some reading/studying/chillaxing. Then we came back and watched A Beautiful Mind.

While I was reading Becoming the Answers to Our Prayers by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove at the pool, I came across two quotes. One by Mother Teresa: “We can do no great things, only small things with great love. It is not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it." And another by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community." In A Beautiful Mind, John Nash (Crowe) struggles with schizophrenia and isolates himself from social activities. At one point in the movie, he returns to Princeton to talk to the Dean (a fellow former Princeton student and academic competitor). Nash mentions how he and his wife believes it would be best for him to gain some social interaction in a familiar setting in order to gain control over his life again. He just wanted to get permission to hang around the campus. The Dean (the name escapes me) agrees and says something to the effect of “that’s what friends are for.” Nash responds, “Is that what we are, friends?” The Dean says, “Of course. We always have been.”

While in the library, Nash learns to interact with other students and offers one his sandwich. Soon students gather around him and intently listens as he continues to share his wisdom and offer input on their theories and whatnot. Nash learns to love others and community is in turn built around him. Nash remains on the campus for the rest of his life, sharing many experiences with many others in community.

The first part of the quote, “The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community” is one that I have take to heart. I’m one for dreaming and loving what I dream. ‘What’s the best way to make this community come into existence and for it to remain successful?” Then, “How can I make it grow?” This is the wrong motive, this will destroy. The revolution of Jesus is to just love. That’s the Love Revolution. It’s easy, and it’s done in small things with great love, not in great things... not in things we deem successful by world’s standards (growth, return, etc.). Only through small things with great love will others catch the vision. Think about it: How many people were in Jesus’ community that he used the change the world through love? Only 12. But he focused intently on helping them understand this love that he offers. We must love on the micro level, not the macro. In micro acts, we build relationship and acts are personal and done in love. People (relationship-wise) get lost in macro acts. Acts are not personal and done only to fulfill worldly desires of growth, success, return, ego, recognition, whatev. This “love” will not change a person, it will not change the world. Live in the little and love lots.

The best way to commit to Christ and to the Father is by loving others. This gets me fired up:

"So whether it gets us awards or gets us killed, we have chosen to follow Jesus and to cry out with his prayer. His last words on the cross were a cry to his Father, 'Into your hands I commit my spirit.' We want to live and die with the same resolve. We will dance the revolution of God till they kill us, then we will dance some more."

My Call to Youth Ministry Explained.

2009-06-28T00:09:00.000-04:00

From Phil:

Summer of 2003, God really revealed himself to me. I was a full-time dishwasher up at Trout Lake Camp. God proved to me that he is extremely evidently active in this modern day world. The only reason we sometimes miss is just that, WE miss him. We don't look for him. God had been revealing to me some truths about him through someone in particular and God began to mold me and my faith. My faith started to become my own.

I remember filling in for a cabin's nightly devotions because the counselor was sick. I was put on the spot and out of my comfort zone and God delivered. I was speaking on the power of the Holy Spirit and that when we accept Christ, we have the ability to tap into that power. One of those powers, the ability to heal, was one that I had felt a desire to touch on. I found out the next day that one of the campers was not feeling well at all that night and after I talked about God's healing power, the camper felt well again. This was confirmation to this new kind of God that I had been learning about that summer. I began to actually BELIEVE that God had a call on my life. I sure had heard that before, but there's a definite difference when you begin to believe it. I also began to realize that I had a voice. I had something to say to the world. Something so worth saying that it can heal the sick (on so many levels).

Summer of 2004, I was a full-time counselor at the same camp. I had to give devotions every night to my campers, which was really nerve-wracking to me. Is there even enough to talk about God to do it every night of the summer to these campers who mostly could care less (yes)? Some devotions were prepared but some were derived from the experiences of that week within my cabin. One of my first weeks, one kid was being continuously picked on and scoffed at throughout the week. My devotions focus a lot on that issue without directly calling kids out (no kid wants to go to camp only to hear another authority figure scold them). At the campfire on the last night, all the kids went up and talked about how God had used me to change their outlook on treating those around them. They spoke specifically about the devotion time and how crucial that was to their camp experience. I was finding my voice. I had never lead in this capacity and I was out of my comfort zone and God was stretching and growing me. I truly FELT like a light to a dark world.

Summer of 2005, I was really out of my zone. I was "Head Counselor" at Trout Lake Camp. I no longer counseled campers but more or less counseled the counselors of the campers. I was becoming use to being a leader to kids...but being a leader to people my age or older? There is a lot about that summer that I would do over again but the fact of the matter was that I was again stretched and was grown that summer. I learned a lot of things, especially through error. One of the things that I learned was that my passion was in leading youth, not adults. You see, you can still be stretched and grown even when you are not lined up with your passion. But when your passion AND discomfort zone (where you are stretched and grown) are in line, there is nothing like it.

Summer of 2006, I stayed in Indiana to play gigs with my band. We had recorded an album earlier that year and played around that summer. I enjoyed the interaction that I had with the teens that listened to our music. Some would think I'm cool or something because I played in a band (...silly kids). This would provide an opportunity for good discussion. I had been told by someone that the song I wrote on the album had meant a lot to them and helped them through things. I really enjoyed this. What if, I thought, the band was more than just a band playing music, but a ministry movement. We started to become more intentional with our on-stage interactions at the shows and presented a five minute message. My wife began to speak at the shows and we knew that we wanted to be in ministry together. We thought that maybe this was it.

Summer of 2007, I realized that I didn't have to be in a band to change the lives of youth. In fact, it wasn't the band's members who I grew up listening to that greatly affecting my life, it was the youth leaders who lived life along side of me. Kylee and I joined The Bridge staff as "youth interns" and Raising Daybreak played its last show (ironically for The Bridge youth). And I was stretched for a time. I lead worship on both piano and vocals (never done that before, let alone either one by themselves). I occasionally spoke and met with kids one-on-one and discussed life's hard struggles (often not enough time in one week to get to that point at camp).

Summer of 2008, I continued to help out a little with the youth ministry at The Bridge as my primary role switched to the church's website designer and video editor. Sure I was stretched here, but I quickly realized that, again, I was not in line with my passion. I learned a lot about website administration and video production but I was not feeling fulfilled. Something had to be done about that.

Summer of 2009 (so much growth seems to take place in the summer), I officially became the High School Youth Pastor of The Bridge Community Church. What's this going to do. It's going to grow me. It's going to change me. I will be brought out of my comfort zone, speaking 20 minutes messages on a weekly basis, developing relationships and reaching out to as many kids as possible. Leading small groups and one-on-one's and developing both student leaders and adult volunteers. The greatest thing? I'm in line with my passion. I can see optimum growth for my near future as I am finally allowing God to grow me in the most expansive way possible. You see, I shied away from accepting this call of speaking because it scared me. I told people it wasn't my gift while I heard God saying, "You're only limiting me when you say that."

So here we go. I'm jumping in and not sure how I'm going to land. But that's the fun of it, and that's when God strengths are made perfect in our weaknesses, and that's when we truly learn to rely on him. If not now, when? Might as well be now. Embrace passion, embrace change, embrace growth and embrace discomfort...but discover fulfillment. Are you fulfilled? What scares you? That's normal. But don't be normal...and embrace it. Normal won't welcome change and change is was stretches and grows. And stretching and growing gives fulfillment. Does it scare you to be uncomfortable? So what, go in blind, with nothing, you have nothing to lose. That's what Christ asks of us. When we clinch too tightly to what we find comfortable, how are we ever going to take the hand of Christ and let him lead us. And Christ WILL lead you to true fulfillment.

The Hunt for Belly Boy

2009-06-13T15:49:00.002-04:00

Hey all. This is a video that we did during our series entitled, "Urban Legends." Sometimes laughter is the best medicine. I give you "The Hunt for Belly Boy."

Camp Endurance 2009 - Memorial Day Weekend

2009-06-04T22:00:00.001-04:00

Finding Comfort Uncomfortable

2009-05-12T11:36:00.001-04:00

There is a quote that I read. It says, “Between what is said and done... there’s a lot more said than done.” Man, that gets me. I do say I lot of things and I do want a lot of people to understand what I say, catch the vision and do it. Make the changes, live a righteous life, love your neighbor, give back to the world... And I continue to write these things, say these things and my own heart too many times doesn’t quite make it there. I’m concerned with my own life, my own success, that I fail to see the needs of those around me. I often want to fit in, so I often try to be the funny one, the likable, barely-scratch-the-surface kind of guy. When in reality, most people do crave the person who is genuinely interested in delving deeper. What keeps us from going there. Is it too much work? Too risky? Too... uncomfortable?

I often will go through a period of my life where “everything is good” and I become... comfortable. Usually after being comfortable for some time, I wake up and realize it. I become uncomfortable with being comfortable. I get scared and realize I’m not living genuinely and intentionally with those around me. I say “I get scared” because that is exactly the kind of person I don’t want to be. I’ve always told myself that I didn’t want to live a “normal” life. I definitely didn’t want to “conform to the patterns of this world.” And when Kylee and I met, that is an interest we both shared with each other (one of the many things that attracted me to her). We didn’t want to be “normal.”

You know, I think that is a desire that God instills in those who yearn after him. That’s what the ministry of Jesus was all about. Jesus broke the “social norms” and made a lot of people angry because of it. I think they got angry because they felt convicted. Often when we feel convicted, we are so stubborn and prideful that our default reaction is defensiveness. When someone challenges our beliefs or what we see as “socially acceptable” by living a life different from the way we live it, it becomes personal and we hate that feeling. “Who do they think they are?” “Do they even realize the image they are portraying?” “What are they trying to prove?” “Do they have any regard for those around them?” Do you find yourself dealing with these questions? So did the Pharisees. So did those who put Jesus to death. So did those who cared so much about their own way of life that they were too blind to see another way of life, another world, an alternative lifestyle to the norm. They became blind to the Savior of the world, because what they had going for them worked for them. They weren’t about to change. They weren’t about to sell everything they had to follow his lifestyle. And instead of realizing their short-comings and accepting their need for this Jesus to help them, they walked away from him trying to rationalize, “Well, if I can’t make myself sell everything that I have, then there must be something else I can make myself do that’s close to if not equal to that.”

The thing is, we will never fully be not of the world. Because we sin, we slip up, we find ourselves getting comfortable with what we have and forgetting about the uncomfortable state of the majority of the world stricken with poverty, famine, slavery, lack of clean water, abuse, neglect... But what we must come to realize on a daily basis is that we are in need of a savior, to become uncomfortable with our comfort, to learn from our feelings of conviction, to live in humility enough to remain open to an alternative way of life... This is a daily realization, a daily death to our own ideas of success and the common misconception of the need to achieve comfort. Perhaps in actuality there is more fulfillment in being reliant on a daily basis and knowing not what tomorrow will bring and understanding that today is a gift that you did nothing to receive.

See, the world tells us to be successful for comfort’s sake. But comfort leads to complacency and complacency leads to seclusion and seclusion is not living how we are designed to live. We are designed to live in community. And we are designed to live in community because we are designed to love. We are designed to love so that others, who have never experienced love, can experience love. And we need to experience love because the soul yearns for the very thing that brought all of creation into being in the first place: the love of a divine creator... and this love is not of this world... and this love is not comfortable.

Be the Eucharist, Heal the World

2009-04-11T23:39:00.000-04:00

I’m reading a Rob Bell book, “Jesus wants to save Christians.” It is a great book. It gives a very good portrait of The Bible as a whole. Bell’s book brings to light the overall message of The Bible in its context and explores well the reasons behind a lot of what is written in The Bible, especially its stories on empire and oppression (very applicable to someone living in the United States today...).

It had been about a week since I had picked it up. I left off in the middle of chapter 5 and read into chapter 6, “Blood on the Doorposts of the Universe,” a good bit. I was extremely delighted as to what it talked about, especially since it was Good Friday. It’s no coincidence. God just wants me to share with you what I read on this very day. His sacrifice is huge and is for everyone. So hear this message and give thanks for the sacrifice that was given on this day.

Many of you know the story of Moses and his encounter with Egypt’s Pharaoh. Pharaoh was seen as a god. He was believed to be sent by the other gods to govern and rule. After the Pharaoh died, his firstborn would become Pharaoh. Therefore, the firstborn was seen as the same rank as Pharaoh himself. The future of the Pharaoh’s reign depended on his successor’s survival. If the Pharaoh died, his firstborn would take his place. But if His firstborn died...?

So here’s these slaves of the Pharaoh, the Israelites, God’s child, His firstborn (Exodus 4:22). Here they were waking up, building Pharaoh’s brick, going to bed, waking up, building Pharaoh’s brick, going to bed... wake, brick, bed, wake, brick, bed, wake... No end in site, all hope seemed loss. But God heard their cry, the cry of his firstborn, and He answered. Moses was God’s voice and Pharaoh paid no attention, he didn’t let God’s firstborn go.

So then it was the night to change history. The Israelites, the slaves, were warned to sacrifice a lamb, an innocent animal, mark their doorposts with its blood and share in a feast, the Passover Feast. The Spirit of God rushed through Egypt, taking the life of the firstborn of each household that didn’t have the lamb’s blood on the door.

The next day Pharaoh’s firstborn was dead. He had no choice but to let God’s people go. This God was obviously more powerful than him, a god, and his gods. He couldn’t dare mess with Him anymore.

Years later as the time of Christ’s arrival approached, prophets far and wide came to realize that all of creation is in a sort of exile and, therefore, in order to redeem all of creation, there’s going to be a much bigger sacrifice offered than the blood of an innocent lamb. They began to prophecy of a coming suffering servant who will be a firstborn child among God’s firstborn nation, Israel. He will not only be the atonement of the sins of Israel but of all humanity.

In this Israel nation, Mary gave birth a firstborn, Jesus. About 33 years later, Jesus gets taken away to be that sacrifice. But before that happens, Jesus has a meal, a Passover meal with his disciples. He takes the bread and says, “This is my body,” and he takes the cup and says, “This is my blood.” Jesus is setting the stage as he is making Passover about himself. In the face of corruption and empire, Jesus chooses to take the path of the lamb. And this time his blood is not just on the doorposts of the Israelites.

In Colossians 1:15, Paul describes Jesus as “the firstborn over all creation.” Everything and everyone every where is being redeemed through the sacrifice of this innocent firstborn, the Lamb of God.

I like this part:

What do we do with such a huge sacrifice? The Scriptures continually say over and over again to remember and be thankful. The Greek word for thankful is from the verb eucharizomai - the Greek word eu, which means “well” or “good,” and the word charizomai, which means “to grant or give (now I’m not pretending to be smart here; this is taken directly from the book... cuz I’m not smart...) And this is where we get the word Eucharist in English, which means the “good gift.” Jesus is God’s good gift to the world. “Eucharist” is also the word we use to describe this ritual at Passover, a.k.a communion or The Lord’s Supper or Mass or whatever. We continue to perform this ritual, this meal, as a way to remember what God has done through Christ and give thanks.

But it’s far more significant than that. Paul continues to write how he is persecuted and struck down, but not abandoned or destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Though stuff is getting tough for Paul, he’s not losing hope. He says, “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:10). Just as Jesus allowed his body to be broken and blood poured out in order for us to receive His good gift, Paul is doing the same thing. He’s doing all that he can to spread the news of Jesus and it isn’t easy; it’s costing him something. He continues, “For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body” (2 Corinthians 4:11). In preaching of the good news of Jesus, there is something “being given over.” When we commit to healing the world with the message of Jesus, we must identify with the suffering of our neighbor, which is costing something. Paul continues still, “So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you” (2 Corinthians 4:12).

This is how the Eucharist works: if one thing is received, one thing has to be given. For someone to be fed, someone has to provide food. If someone benefits, someone has paid something. God gives the world life through the breaking and the pouring of Christ, and he continues to do it through the body of Christ. And Paul tells the city of Corinth that they are the body of Christ.

Those who follow Christ are living Eucharists. A Christian is a living Eucharist. The Church is a living Eucharist. You must allow your body to be broken and your blood to be poured out if you desire the healing of the world.

How do we do this? Paul meets them where they are. He says, “to the Jews I became like a Jew, to those under the law, I became like one under the law, to those not having the law, I became like one not having the law, and to the weak, I am weak” (1 Corinthians 9:20-22) Paul does not say the opposite like he did the previous; he doesn’t say ‘to the strong, I am strong.’ This is because Paul knows the power of identifying with the suffering of your neighbor. At an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting (Bell’s example), everyone is open with their struggles. No more are they hiding, no more are they putting on a front, no more are they pretending there is nothing wrong. I’ve experienced this with my church’s Celebrate Recovery meetings. Everyone shares, and everyone, in some way, identifies. Bell quotes Anne Lamott when she says that the most powerful sermon in the world is two words: “Me too.”

What are you doing to identify in the suffering of those around you. It seems to be the trend in most “Christians” to be the “pastor” and offer advice and a cure, as they look down their nose at this poor, struggling soul. What would happen if you listened and identified? If you met at the same level? If you put your pride aside? If you became a Eucharist? If you acted as Jesus? ...World: healed.

2009-03-16T11:17:00.006-04:00

There is a student in our youth group who plays guitar and writes songs. Sometimes he'll come over and have Phil record these songs in our music room. Last night, Phil played me his latest: "Lullaby." The lyrics were variations of "sleep so sweetly," "I'll never leave you alone," and "when it gets dark, I'll protect you."

I giggled as I pictured him giving the burnt CD to his girlfriend, thinking about how I would have eaten that up as a high school girl :). Phil told me, though, that when he asked the student if he was giving it to his girlfriend, the student said that he hadn't really had her in mind when he wrote it. He had been thinking more about his future children. ...this student never knew his dad and has a kind of rough relationship with his mom. How beautiful is that?

I love my job at The Bridge, my actual job in the arts ministry. I love working with adults and the creation process. It is challenging and fulfilling. In the last few months, it has seemed to me that my "call" to youth ministry was fading.

But...it's not.

In the past weeks, God has rebroken my heart for these students. I talked with one beautiful 16 year old who had started cutting herself again, who told me that, "she just felt like she deserved it." I've watched with pride as new students have stepped into positions in the worship team. I've been cried to, laughed with, yelled at, and hugged. I've been reminded of how confusing, and just how much work it is to find out who you are. And I just know that it's God in my heart, filling it with love for them, because I love them so much.

I think part of my frustration with youth is that I can't fix anything. You can't really even tell them anything. You give advice, but they don't take it. You teach them things, but they don't learn much from your teaching. I'm realizing now, though, that some things...you just have to learn yourself. Some pain, you just have to lean into. What's my role, then? Just to be there. And to stay there.

Random Update

2009-03-04T22:03:00.003-05:00

Howdy everyone. It has been a while since I've posted in here. Life's good. About a month ago was the ski trip (which I talked about before) and then followed by the next week at the Superstart conference. Some of you family maybe recognize this because Superstart is put on by CIY, Aaron Smith's employer. It was awesome to see my cousin that weekend. He was telling me about the High Schooler conference that is actually held on Anderson University's campus. He just sent me the link to it yesterday... looks like something we might do. It's cool sharing in the ministry of family and how God is crossing our paths so that we can be a part of each other's story of what God is doing. It was really cool to see Aaron in his element. The guy could have a pretty good paying job, have his MBA and all... but he discovered that having the sort of affect that he does in kids lives is far more fulfilling than any thing this world could ever offer. I drop off my rent every month in the business school at Anderson University and on my way out, I ran into one of my old professors. "Now, what are you doing these days?" (the typical question I get from him whenever I run into him...)... I told him that I was still with The Bridge... the next question was, "You making a lot of money?" ... I was quickly reminded of why I was turned off by that place... So much stock in stuff of this world. I've never liked money... It deters us from relying and creates complacency, which is nothing that we are called to be, as ones who are not supposed to be of this world. I believe God can indeed bless through monetary means but I feel that an over-emphasis in money as who we are, our identity, the topic of conversation after not having seen someone for quite sometime is placing it on the pedestal that cries for a more fulfilling object of worship and devotion. Wow... didn't know that this post was going to take this turn. Just don't let your job and money define who you are... okay? k bye.

Love,
Phil

Snow Blast 2009!

2009-02-11T14:29:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, we went to Michigan to go skiing/snowboarding at Timber Ridge. It was an awesome time hanging out with each other. Some new friendships were made and some were strengthened. I love trips like these because it causes people who wouldn’t normally hang out with each other to spend time together. That is how a group gets stronger and closer: taking you out of your comfort zone and putting you in a situation where you have nothing else to do but spend time with one another. Walls get broken down and people become vulnerable with each other and stronger connections are made.

On the way home (probably not 20 minutes on the road), the power steering went out. We exited the interstate in Kalamazoo to check it out and stopped as the brakes went out. Gabe did an awesome job handling the chaotic situation. People were called and Greg and Zonda left in another bus on their way to Michigan at about 6 p.m. or so to pick us up… A cop came by to help facilitate the situation and some guy from a church a block away approached the bus. He said that his church has a bus that could pick us up and take us to their youth center until our bus got here. We arrived, had a nice place to chill and unwind… and then their evening service got out and word got around about a stranded youth group in their youth center. We were met with smiles, games, and PIZZA (again… but we were hungry enough!). The wonderful people of Berean Baptist were so welcoming and accommodating. They understood what it meant to serve and the mission of the church as a body of believers living to support one another. They prayed for us, Gabe spoke words of gratitude, they drove us further a few more minutes to meet up with Greg and Zonda who took us the rest of the way home! We got in about 12:45 a.m.

A further working of God: We had to leave the bus at Berean, as it was broken down. We found out yesterday that a guy in our church who manages a garbage collecting business in Indiana has ONE client in Michigan… in Kalamazoo… He’s going to have a guy check on the bus and probably get it fixed.

God is much bigger than any issue we will encounter… this trip home was a simple reminder of just that. Honestly, I was frustrated at first, very tired, and just wanted to see my wife… but God had other plans… He created a memory that these youth will never forget, a memory that these kids shared together, bringing them closer to those they might not have ever met otherwise.

It was a good trip.

Phil

p.s. there is another blog that the bridge youth staff started to keep parents of the youth informed on the latest happenings in the youth ministry. That blog is bridgeyouth.wordpress.com. This is one that all of us on the youth staff have access to updating and can be another reference for you to keep track of this ministry you are investing in.

World Change Is Right At Our Fingertips

2009-01-20T19:20:00.002-05:00

Things I hate about the world today: The message that is communicated through mainstream media. It is so easy to be blinded by the message that true joy results from our circumstances or possessions, other than the truth of the matter: true joy is a result of a healthy spiritual and emotional well-being as well as the quality of the relationships we surround ourselves with (which help us lead to that healthy spiritual and emotional well-being).

Things I love about the world today: The ability to communicate a message through grassroots media. Anyone, anywhere, anytime can do this. If you are reading this, I am proof to that right now: ANYone. Who am I? In my eyes, nothing special. In the eyes of my creator, the kind of vessel He is looking for to communicate His message TO THE WORLD.

The best medium for WORLD change is not mainstream. In mainstream, there are a FEW main ideas controlled and manipulated by a HANDFUL (compared to the entire population with access to grassroots media) of people who have devoted their entire career to climbing the ladder of worldly success to gain this power. However, with new developments in social networking and communicating, it is grassroots media, that has gained its power through relatable information (everyday people, JUST LIKE YOU), that is doing the real world changing, because it is offering truly changed lives a stage to share from. Those who have developed a networking relationship with this changed life experience life change and share it with their networking relationships. When these networking relationships take this life changing information beyond the computer to THEIR world, a domino effect occurs and communities are changed, followed by cities, followed by a larger region, then a nation, then nations, then the world. God communicating His simple message to His listening children and His listening children relaying their Father’s simple message and awakening the ears of non-listening children is contagious.

Here’s a guy that I’ve developed this sort of networking relationship with. He is committing to eating only one bowl of rice a day until he raises $1,000,000 for hunger-related causes. Maybe you are to help him out in his journey. The second video is an inspirational video relating to my first paragraph.

http://www.simplesizeme.com
http://www.causes.com/simplesizeme

(PhilLarson.net)

Updates...

2009-01-09T12:43:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a couple months, I see.

This is Kylee writing...though you would have figured that out soon enough :) We had a wonderful Christmas break. We got to spend almost two full weeks in Minnesota visiting friends and family. It was great to see everyone, and it's always great to get home too. I feel like we're finally getting back into the groove this week at The Bridge. Things are going really well.

As you may know by our letters, Phil and I have been praying and asking you to join us in praying for wisdom regarding seminary and our housing. As far as seminary goes, we decided that it would be best to take a bit of a "sabbatical" this semester and drop back to only two classes. We'll see how it goes from there, whether I get back into a fulltime MDIV program, switch to a MTS degree, or just keep working part-time. The last two options mean that Phil and I would have to move out of seminary housing, as I would not be a full-time student. So, prayers in all of those directions would help.

I thank you all for praying for my sanity last semester too. Things got really hard there for awhile. I felt your prayers, and certainly feel them now that things have eased up.

So, this semester = sabbatical. I have half the school work to do, and I am not going to add additional hours to my work week at The Bridge. In the space created I plan on working on some art and doing some much needed reflection and writing...praying and resting. I'm excited to see what will come of this time...as I'm pretty sure I've never had such an opportunity before to be still. I'll keep you posted. :)

Video Intro to our campaign

2008-11-25T12:57:00.001-05:00

Check it out, my friends.

Prayer Rooms and Keytars

2008-11-10T22:42:00.002-05:00

The following is a blog written by Kylee on our personal blogsite (philandkylee.blogspot.com) but is definitely a story that you, our supporters, should hear. So I took the liberty of posting it to this site. God is truly incredible and is always faithful:

This last month I've been putting together a prayer room: the first thing ever to happen in our new building.

And...at every junction there was something standing in the way. The date I could get into the building kept getting pushed back. They found mold. Had to wait for mold tests...etc. Finally, last Friday (after some pushiness), a couple guys from the church and staff went over to help me seal off entrances and hang curtains. The city inspector rolls up and strolls in...does not even respond to my hello...and starts asking what we are doing there. He's talking about permits we don't have, how the labels on the fabric don't specify that they are flame resistant...on and on. Randomly, the guy in charge of that part of our building project pulled up and smoothed things out a little.

On Saturday we went back in to work some more. A couple hours in a guy from our church who is an Environmental Specialist pulled up and told me the mold tests weren't back, and we shouldn't be in there. After some clarification took place, they somehow got that worked out.

So, on the edge as it was...I wasn't able to get back to the prayer room setup until Wednesday. It started Thursday. I got a call on Wednesday from my pastor saying that the city inspector was being a thorn...that he wanted to set up a fire inspection on Thursday before he would let us be in there. Chris said I couldn't work on it anymore until after that. Umm...does anyone realize this starts TOMORROW?

I went into Reagan's office really angry. And I said, "You know, I have to believe that God wants this to happen. It's HIS prayer room, right? I wish he would get going on it. I've done all I can."

Wouldn't you know...

Chris somehow got a fireman from our church and the city inspector to meet on Wednesday. They walked through and the city inspector started talking about prayer. ...he teared up. ...he asked Chris to pray with him (there. in the prayer room). And then he said, "Eh, just put a fire extinguisher in here, and we'll call it good."

Really? Do I have any case to doubt Him? It happens time and time again. He is so faithful, and suprising...and...funny, right? Of course it would happen like that.

So, God is still bigger than Kylee...that's the report today.

In other news, Phil is preaching this week at Aftershock and just acquired a "keytar" which is flippin' sweet.

We are also needing some prayer on some decisions we need to make about my degree program and our future for the next couple of years. Stresses me out to make decisions that launch me into adulthood. :)

Definition of a Nation and a Faith Without Worldly Representation

2008-11-05T16:13:00.004-05:00

Election day yesterday brought out a lot of feelings. I saw the worst and I saw the best in people. People coming together and people splitting a part. I'm convinced the no matter what election outcome, the reaction would have been the same. Some people extremely happy, some people extremely distressed. As far as I'm concerned, the world's going to keep rotating and God will not be limited.

God does not NEED a certain outcome... NO political party is the "Christian Way." God doesn't NEED a political party in order for Him to do His work and for His works to be good. We are NOT a nation defined by one person. A nation IS defined by it's people, both figuratively and literally: "Nation - a large aggregate of people united by common decent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory."

Come on, people, where do we place our faith? In Country? In family? In the presidency? If we place our faith in ANYTHING of this world, our faith will crumble as easily as the world does. BUT if your faith is BEYOND this world, nothing can touch it; if faith is beyond this world, doubt may come and go as in any faith (and I think any and all doubt should be embraced), but it (doubt) will NOT TOUCH IT (faith). But you have the ability to decide whether your doubt will either rock your faith or push you to a deeper understanding of it by where you choose to place your faith.

Is your faith in God or in things of this world that "represent" God? For a long time I've been hearing that republicans "represent" God and those who are a part of a republican party "represent" the Christian way in going about things. Now, I liked and disliked certain things about BOTH candidates and NEITHER will EVER be a good representation of God and all the things that Jesus stood for because at some point they're going to fail us. Even if they may not fail you, they may fail me and vice versa.

A message to the world: Stop limiting your faith by letting it be represented by worldly things that will only pass with time. Let it be represented by the God who is beyond this world of rust and decay. Only there will we find an unwavering foundation.

A message to our nation: Let our nation be not defined by the abilities or inabilities of a president but by selfless acts of love among our neighbors, promoting peace by use of our lips, hands, and feet.

2 am beautiful (standing)

2008-11-01T18:17:00.001-04:00

2 am, again. Some things can be found at this hour that cannot be found elsewhere. Like, my husband's beautiful sleep breathing. Sometimes answers, conclusions, clarity. Sometimes the opposite. Sometimes Jesus.

I am just so tired.

I am tired of running. I'm running out of self. I have been for awhile. I think to myself, "lean on Jesus, and you can do it. Look at all of these people making it...your life is beautiful: challenging, creative, full of people that love you, full of things you love. Get it together."

This weekend, I will organize the pulling off of the creative end of a new series, a foot washing service, and a prayer room. Not just any prayer room either: a prayer room in a mold infested, dilapidated building. I will write three papers. I will not read all my reading and then I will feel guilty. I will talk to people, pray for people, and look forward to the next week of all the same intensity. Part of me loves this. Part of me is dying.

In the middle of this season of low lows and high highs...of knowing that if I could just get out of bed, then I can do it...if I can just push past tears one more time, then I will make it...if I can just get started, I'll feel better...Jesus has found me. Right here at 2 am.

Yesterday, I yelled at God. It might be the first time. I tell people it's okay to do. He already knows what you are feeling. I even used the word "freaking." I said to him, "JESUS. IF YOU WANT THIS TO HAPPEN, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HELP. PITCH IN. OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND FREAKING GET ON IT. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM ME? YOU PUT ME HERE. NOW TAKE CARE OF IT."

I screamed it, right there in my car driving behind Mounds Mall, crying like a maniac.

Today, as I painted in my moldy, dilapidated prayer room (with more people than I ever would have expected who just showed up to help me)...the city inspector walked in. He said we couldn't be there. He said we were against fire code. I rolled paint on the wall, and I fought back tears. He talked and he talked, and I rolled and I rolled. Phil stayed steady beside me. And we stood there, and we rolled paint.

And that's when I understood what it means to stand. Having done all to stand: stand. Stand because God promised he wouldn't leave me. Stand because God is bigger than me. Stand because he put me there, it's his work, and because he is "freaking getting on it."

And he did. And my prayer room is up. A lot of work yet, but it is up and it is okay and it is going to happen. Not by my strength, but by my standing.

Tonight, at 2 am, I sat at my drawing desk with Phil asleep in the bedroom. I could hear him breathing (can now) as I tried to draw up floor plans for the setup tomorrow and lists for Sunday. And I said, "Jesus, I am so tired." And he said, "Kylee, go to sleep."

So I wrote this note because I am moved to tears by my Jesus. My strength to stand. ...my strength to go to bed, wake up tomorrow, and stand some more.

Videos of recent happening at The Bridge.

2008-10-07T16:09:00.003-04:00

Hello our Prayer/Financial support team. These videos are here to get you excited about what God is doing at The Bridge.

The first one is the longest but most important and gives you a great insight into the sort of family we have at the Bridge and the new building God has blessed us with!

The second is a little promo video I made to show our future home and get our church body excited (FYI, if you are not a sports fan and don't know about Lucas Oil Stadium, the ending of the video is a joke...ha)

The third is the end product of the prayer room that Kylee put together with her team back in August. People from our church took 30 min. slots to spend time in there in prayer with the opportunity to express themselves in a number of different ways for a total of 21 hours over the course of 2 days.

Love that lingers.

2008-09-26T00:23:00.002-04:00

I'm reading a book by Shane Claiborne that deals a lot with stories of his experiences. The book is entitled The Irresistible Revolution, check it out. If you know me, not being able to put down a book means something for sure. Shane shares some remarkable stories along with some encounters with modern day miracles. However, what's even more remarkable is the practicality of showing love, especially to the "least of us." The least of us being the poor. Simple things go great distances and the results of love last longer than any result of any miracle. Jesus may have feed the 5000, but the next day they were hungry. Jesus may have raised Lazarus, but he eventually died... again. Jesus may have healed the sick, but some of those caught some other disease before they died. Love lasts. And everyone that Jesus did was with love. I think I like how "love lingers" sounds. It lingers... like a good fart. It effects it's surroundings and everyone takes notice. It causes people to react. It wakes the senses. Are you causing people to take notice and react? Are you waking their senses?

The book talks of a time when Shane and his college friends were at lunch complaining about the school food when one of them noticed in the paper that a homeless colony that had sought refuge in an abandoned cathedral was given 48 hours to leave the building by some catholic officials or prepare to be arrested. They of course found this absurd that the church wasn't loving their poor among them, their Jesus. Shane and his friends crammed the rest of their food down and made their why to the cathedral. They were embraced by the homeless and invited in to their community. There was a banner that read "How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday and then ignore one on Monday." Jesus was homeless. They were able to see the hearts of the people and were absolutely fascinated. No one was able to make it on their own but with the help of their community, everyone managed and survived. Shane and friends went back and discussed what they could do with time ticking down so quickily. They posted flyers saying "Jesus is getting kicked out of church. Come to see how you can help. Meeting at 10 p.m." They expected maybe 15 of their craziest friends. over 100 showed up. The next day they all went over there to offer their support and the numbers of these college students did not go unnoticed by the media. The media couldn't understand at first why a bunch of college students would risk going to jail for the "least of us." But the news helped the absurdity of the church kicking out the homeless to be realized by many watching it. Numbers continued to grow over the next few hours as people felt called to intervene as well - just a bunch of ordinary radicals united in Christ's true love, a love that acts, or in this case reacts.

Their last couple of hours before the deadline was spent in communion and worship. All were hugging, crying and supporting each other with encouraging words. A raise of hands was called for those who were choosing to stay behind and risk jail time. Shane, who had a little homeless girl on his lap, raised his hand and immediately she asked why he was raising his hand. He asked her, "do you want to be able to stay here?" She said, "Of course, it is my home." He said, "that's why I'm raising my hand." She hugged him and then raised her hand. When the 48 hours was up, they rang the bell tour and prepared themselves for what might happen. The officials showed up, opened their door and took no more than two steps before they noticed the crowd and climbed back in their car. That 48 hours came and went. Now that part was cool... but this might be my favorite... it's epic:

The college students knew that they had to consistently keep people over there for the next few weeks so that the officials would not take advantage of the homeless colony when the crowd was much smaller but also didn't want to flunk their classes. They had bought a cell phone and a blow horn. The phone was kept at the church and when the officials showed up, the phone called the student with the blow horn who then walked to the middle of campus and sounded the horn. The students would leave their classes, gather together and caravan out to the church. Also what is cool is that the teachers caught the vision and supported what the students were doing. In fact, the principal donated her bed to the homeless colony.

The story goes on but the point is that love lingers... it's contagious, wakes the senses, and causes us to act or react... And it's simple... but it involves us getting outside of ourselves and throwing ourselves to where God calls us to be, with the least of us. Do something this week that involves you to be among the "least of us." And cause love to linger.

and........... here's the new Aftershock opening video for this year (or as we are referring to it, this season)

Our Joyful God

2008-09-15T22:16:00.002-04:00

This evening, after my last class, one of our professors came and told me and several of my friends that our 8 am class was cancelled for tomorrow. As soon as he was around the corner we broke into a quiet but crazy dance.

Tonight I sat in my living room with four teenage girls and giggled.

It is so easy to look at our world and see it whirl-pooling down the drain. So easy to get overwhelmed by the hurt and brokenness. What is to love here? Surely the God who created, loves, and died for such a place must be miserable.

Here are some excerpts from a book I'm reading by Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy:

"...God leads a very interesting life, and...is full of joy. Undoubtedly he is the most joyous being in the universe. The abundance of his love and generosity is inseparable from his infinite joy. All of the good and beautiful things from which we occasionally drink tiny droplets of soul-exhilarating joy, God continuously experiences in all their breadth and depth and richness. He sees it, experiences it, knows it from every possible point of view, this and billions of other scenes like and unlike it, in this and billions of other worlds. Great tidal waves of joy must constantly wash through his being.

So we must understand that God does not 'love' us without liking us--through gritted teeth--as 'Christian' love is sometimes thought to do. Rather, out of the eternal freshness of his perpetually self-renewed being, the heavenly Father cherishes the earth and each human being upon it. The fondness, the endearment, the unstintingly affectionate regard of God toward his creatures is the natural outflow of what he is to the core--which we vainly try to capture with our tired but indispensable old word love."

I don't know. These words resound with me...because I've felt it, haven't you? For brief moments? The frailness. The potential. The beauty. And my heart, for just one moment, understands what it is to be "very good."

A quick note.

2008-08-15T23:12:00.003-04:00

A quick note about what I got to experience today. Today I took a two hour walk with a high schooler who hates God, at least the God he knew. He tried to commit suicide in elementary school, got sent away to a psych ward/school, came back, tried to strangle some kid, got sent back, and sometimes cuts himself today. He said that he felt like when he left the ward, that there was no follow up, that they didn't care what happened to him after that. They did there job and sent him off. The kid never knew his dad or even which one was his dad. Never even met one of them that had the possibility to be his dad. He tends to push people away when they get too close because people have only ever done nothing but cause him pain. God is not appealing to him because he saw God as an organized religion, consisting of a list of dos and don'ts, a God who squashes people like people do ants, one who doesn't care one bit about us. A judgmental-driven God. You want to know the most heart-breaking part about it is, the people who showed this God to him call themselves Christians. How dare he dress and act like that! The nerve! Turn from your ways or your going to hell! The "act this way or that" mentality teaches that a Christian is determined by deed and not the condition of the heart (by the way, not what Jesus taught). I heard his story and his frustrations and the kid had every right to view God that way. The whole saying about how we need to represent Jesus in the way we live our lives is NO joke. You could really lead someone to become a hater of God if you misrepresent Jesus, our God personified. The kid admits that he dresses the way he does and acts the way he does because that has always proven to draw dirty looks from people and push them away from him. Thank God, he has said the Bridge has totally rocked his world and completely changed his view on things. He's told me multiple times that for once in his life, people are accepting toward him. He can dress how he wants and act how he wants and no one bats an eye. He feels accepted as is and doesn't feel pressured to "put on a sheild," as he put it. My friends, this is Jesus... this is church. It ain't pretty, but it's church. We had the most amazing conversation and no he didn't "accept Christ", but that's not our burden to carry. Just show Jesus in all you do and that's all we are asked to do. This conversation is a building block and one that will be continued to be built upon our next conversation. Be Jesus.

God's will is bigger than the credit I give it.

2008-07-27T22:47:00.001-04:00

From Phil:

Wanna know what God is teaching me this year? His will is an every-day sort of will... What I mean: a little over a year ago, I graduated from college, not having a job but desperately looking... feeling the tug of ministry but ignoring it... wanting to do something with my Music Business degree though ALWAYS knowing in the back compartment of my mind that that’s not what He wanted for me... I was so consumed with trying to find “God’s will” only to find out that I was wanting my own, desiring only to place God in there somewhere when I got there. Anyone else try to do this? It’s selfish, sorry to say... Wait, no I’m not!

Music wasn’t working out, so the next thing that the world told me I SHOULD do is find a way to support my new wife... whatever the means, whatever the job...just get paid... and that’s what her dad wanted, so naturally it was something I had a desire to do, to prove to him and everybody else that I cared for her and was capable of supporting her.

Here was how it happened. I had a phone interview to get a job at a collections agency. I had been playing phone tag with a lady at the agency to get the interview details setup. This was causing a lot of stress, considering I was soon going to graduate and then head back up to MN to marry Kylee. This was going to secure at least some sort of job after we moved here... a job that promised to bring in the dough. Finally, the lady and I got ahold of each other and set up an interview. Her words were, “Now, you got to understand, some people will take your call well, but some will cry and some will yell and curse at you.” This was bothering to me, considering that I don’t enjoy making people’s lives miserable... I was truly struggling with taking this job... Basically, in my mind, I felt like I had more to offer the world than be the bearer of bad news to those unable to pay their bills. Of course, there is a place for that... but I didn’t feel like it was mine. I hung up the phone with the lady at the EXACT same moment something was slipped under my door.

FLASHBACK: During my second-to-last semester of college, I was in an Entrepreneurship class where our final project was to develop a business plan and present it. The plan ends up to be like 28 pages long and incredibly in-depth with counting in finances and things of that sort (that I now don’t remember how to do exactly...) I was in a group with two roommates of mine and another fellow music business major friend... In fact, we were all Music Business majors. My idea (and Kylee’s and my someday dream) was (is) to start a youth center type thingy, that would give teens in Anderson a safe and fun place to hang out around town (since there is not place like that in Anderson at all - this was a strong calling I felt placed on my heart during my senior year). Well that’s what we did, the Youth Center idea.. It was good. We got an A. I went to check my school mailbox later that week sometime. In it: a notecard that reads God will make a way.

...AND... WE’RE BACK: So here was I, one semester later, about to graduate, the end of my college experience, no job, desperate and doing what the world tells me I SHOULD be doing. I lost sight of what I felt God had laid on my heart. I set up my phone interview with the lady at the collections agency and hung up JUST as my Youth Center business plan was slid under my door by (I’m assuming) one of my roommates that was cleaning up his room so he could pack up to move out. I hadn’t seen it for probably 2 or 3 months. I stood still staring at the my heart’s calling in hard copy form on the floor in front of me as a rejuvenated clarity flooded my mind and quick-shoved my ill-motivated aspirations back on track. Called my fiance-soon-to-be-wife at the time next with the words “I don’t want to do this collections agency thing.” Came the words in a sweet tone: “I don’t want you to do it either.”

Thus began the trek to where I am: Married. Honeymooned. Moved to Indiana. Kylee needed a letter of recommendation from our now pastor for Seminary. I was still looking for jobs. After much thought, I decided I wanted to do something fulfilling (uh...duh!). I called and left a message for Youth For Christ of Anderson. I continued to look for three more weeks. We didn’t have internet connection at the time. I went to Anderson University campus to get on one of their computers. I wasn’t thinking and missed my turn. I turned around on a street. I got a call for Youth For Christ of Anderson and they were closing in 30 minutes. I happened to be turning around on their same street. I got goose bumps. I met a great guy. He talked to me about raising support. I sighed. Kylee and I prayed about raising support and just didn’t know. Next day, I ran into Chris, our pastor. He mentioned how he needs to meet with my wife soon to get that letter written. I agreed. Knowing Chris did Youth for Christ in other cities and had to raise support in order to do it for many years, I asked him if he would sit down and talk with me about raising support for Youth For Christ of Anderson. He said “eh... Youth For Christ of Anderson?” I asked, “Not worth it?” He said, “(insert name of guy in charge) is a beautiful man. I just think you’ll get frustrated with all that you want to do... But yeah, let’s talk about raising support. Come with your wife to our meeting.” We met at Starbucks. He said Kylee was “electric” and also said that “everything you guys want to do, you can do with us.” He invited us to prayerfully consider coming on the youth staff at the church.

I present this story that God be lifted up. As you can see, neither Kylee nor I did anything special. God just came through. The important thing that I want you to see is that God didn’t do it at one time or in a quick amount of time. It is important to notice that God’s will is not a goal to strive for, it is a day-to-day process. This confirmed a verse that had been a huge help in my life since I had graduated. I received a graduation card with a verse written down in it. Habakkuk 2:3 says, “But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” (thanks Uncle Ron and Aunt Chris) I believe that a lot of the times when we say that we want to “find out God’s will for my life,” we are basically looking for the career that we are going to let define ourselves. This idea of God’s will is very limiting to God. For goodness sakes, God is bigger than that, therefore his will is bigger than that. Therefore, his will is an EVERY DAY kind of will. To every day live a life glorifying to him. If we do that, he will guide us on a day-to-day basis in his will.

This has been what this last year that Kylee and I have been in “full-time ministry (a career, yes; a definition, no)” has shown me: an every day living out of his will. His will is NOT an end goal, but an ever growing, changing, and evolving process. A process that I will always be in as long as I choose to be. And I now see that I am defined as a child of God who has the ability to daily allow God to work in the circumstances around me and, therefore, guide me along the path of the everlasting.

I still have no idea who wrote the notecard that mysteriously showed up in my mailbox that read God will make a way, but that notecard has never left my wallet. It is a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness and his desire to daily reveal his will to his children who desire for it.

Summit Camp

2008-06-17T10:38:00.005-04:00

This last weekend, our high school students as well as the students from the Bridge in Decatur took off for Northern Indiana for our weekend high school camp. The Summit was the first event that Phil and I participated in at the Bridge last year. It was incredible to look back on all that God has done in us, for us, and through us since then.

It's hard for me to find words for this weekend. It's hard for me to find words for youth ministry in general. So many times I get frustrated with going to the basketball games...making copies...planning silly games...because I wonder if it all even matters. I wonder when I'm going to start "making a difference." It's taken a year to see that all these little things are what get to the "big moments." I am so impatient. But this weekend was one of those times it all came together, and it didn't only benefit our kids. It changed me, too.

Gabe decided that during our Anderson time, he would go around the circle to each student and have the others share what they loved about that person. This was huge...and different from most responses that I would have guessed, like, "I think you're funny." But our students took this opportunity to show love to each other in a real way...saying real things...speaking greatness into each other's lives. It was amazing to watch.

The theme for camp was "Transformed," with sessions centered on transforming our minds, actions, and heart. One session, the youth pastor from Decatur opened up a "Prayer Chair." Here, the students, if they want to, could go sit in the chair and tell their story...tell the others what they needed prayer for. And then after they shared, any student that wanted could come and pray with them.

Here is where I was changed. In hearing story after story of these students...dealing with things so hard to hear about...and then watching as their peers rushed forward to surround them and intercede for them. As I sat at one of my girl's feet and prayed for her, her tears kept falling on my hands. My breath was taken at the beauty of God's church. His real church. And I got one of those brief glimpses of what is lovable about us to God.

There are so many stories to tell. So much love for our kids here...I love watching them develop...love watching them fall in love with Jesus Christ. Love watching as they figure out who they are...where they are gifted..and start to get passionate about other people finding the same things.

Here are the videos from this camp (made by Phil Larson! :)

Videos for Camp Endurance

2008-05-30T09:23:00.002-04:00

Hey Friends and Family... This last weekend we had a middle school camp that we call Camp Endurance. Kylee and I spoke a session this weekend. It was a great time and many kids either accepted Christ for the first time or recommitted their lives. Check out these videos!

Blessings,
Phil and Kylee

It's been a while...

2008-05-12T02:16:00.002-04:00

Today, after church, Kylee and I napped for 5 hours and then at 9:30 went to Red Lobster where I had 3 glasses of coke. The result: it's past 2 a.m. and I'm not tired one bit.

I realize that it has been a long time since I have posted on this blog... Honestly, there is just too much to say and one blog post won't do it justice... so I just decide not to post at all... Well, that's not a good thing. You guys need to be in the know, right? Just letting you know that this post won't do it justice... but this post is of what I can think of right now at 2:20 a.m. as I try to get tired.

Kylee has been speaking more and more for Aftershock (reminder: this is our youth service) as Gabe was doing a lot of wedding planning. Speaking of: he and his now wife got married this last Saturday.. that was fun... now they are in Mexico for a week and we here in Indiana are jealous. I've been leading worship for Aftershock off and on, giving our main Aftershock worship leader, Joel, a break. I lead about once a month... sometimes twice... it's fun.. and it stretches me.. I'm not naturally a good singer OR piano player... God is good none the less and He is strong in our weaknesses.

May newsletters went out at the end of this last week, so if you haven't gotten them already, be expecting them in the mail sometime early this week. Kylee starts a month long summer class this week... which costs us a pretty $900! yay! ... .. .. .

None the less.. God continues to prove himself faithful in providing and the stimulus check will come in handy! Anybody else happy about that??

We have bikes now... and we ride them to work and back... lucky for us we live close to our office building... gas prices are not looking very good... so, buy bikes and don't drive! ... if you can.

I have a few videos that I want to post up here when I get around to it... they are clips of Kylee speaking at Aftershock and one has a few quick little edits of me leading worship... which is a treat ;) I'm sure you guys are just thrilled!! haha.

Oh! Kylee is speaking in the main Adult Services on June 22nd (which for you CHOGers is Camp Meeting) and both Kylee's mom, sister-in-law (and maybe brother), and my parents just so happen to be in town that same weekend!!! That should be fun... This is an amazing opportunity for God to use Kylee in such a huge way! We have about 1000 in attendance at our Adult Services and with Camp Meeting that same week, we could potentially have a bit more than that. Kylee is really excited and a bit nervous... (we just realized this about Camp Meeting today) I'm excited for my wife as I see how talented and amazing she is. People at our church are finally taking notice of how incredible she is and I'm so proud of her! God is moving in such a huge way down here. I wish each of you could be down here to see it!

My pastor thinks I'm really talented in making videos, websites, graphics, etc and I have really been put to use in that area a lot lately while continuing to work with youth... I hate to admit it but I'm becoming kind of the computer guy for the staff.. which I'm not totally excited about.. but I believe it's a role that God wants me to be right now (while I'm continuing being in kids' lives). But just like in a small business, staff in general have to take on several different roles, which is what Kylee and I are finding that we are doing - it's not a bad thing... but The Bridge (and most churches I'm sure) is kind of like a small business.

Kylee has a new cell number. Here it is: 765-631-2345 (yep.. she has a large straight in her number: 12345)

email us, call us, or reply to this blog post if you want to get a hold of us or have any questions or whatever... thank you for your continuous love and support!

larsonpa@gmail.com
kyleelarson@gmail.com

God's Faithfulness.

2008-03-20T10:15:00.004-04:00

Hello friends and family. We have to make known God's work here in Anderson, IN and how you are all a part of it. Starting at the beginning of February, Kylee and I made a commitment to be more purposeful tithers every month. We decided that we would tithe our 10% based not necessarily on what we had raised up to that point, but what our goal was ($30,000 for year 1 of being at The Bridge(one year being September 2008)). Of course I was scared at first but God quickly reassured us that He had everything in control. Tithing is the only thing in the Bible where God actually asks us to test Him (Malachi 3:10). Don't believe me? Go to biblegateway.com, type in the search (with the quotation marks): "test me" and you'll find the only other places in the NIV where those two words are together (besides Malachi 3:10) is in the Psalms where David is talking about how God tests him. Here, in Malachi, is our Creator asking us to test him! So we did. People, rejoice with us in this: In February, we had a one time gift of $2,000 and in March, a one time gift of $4,000. If all who have pledged monthly continue to give and our one time gifts (besides those 2 biggies) continue to roll in at the same rate as before, we WILL reach our goal!

As you have blessed us with your financial gifts, you are giving to the ministry and, therefore, are presenting tithes and offerings to God. How have you been blessed? We have heard stories of how God is intervening and working through each of you ever since we have gotten back in contact with many of you through having to raise support. God is on the move. If we haven't heard your story, we want to. You can reply to this blog, or email us, or call us (our contact info is in the left column of the blog). We want to encourage each other by getting out our stories about God's work.

On that note, below is a story. A story of one of our youth and the discovery he has made about God over the course of this past year. I have had the opportunity to be a mentor in this guy's life since I've been at The Bridge. To see God molding his heart has been one of the many joys of way I love doing what I do! Please watch. Blessings!

2008-02-19T12:05:00.002-05:00

Hello friends and family. I write out of complete awe at the beauty of our Creator. God has been so evident in the past couple of weeks and I hope that His blessings are as evident to you as they are to us. I have found this week to be a week of reflection on where I'm at in my life and where God has brought me from. Over this past Valentine's Day, Kylee and I have been reminded of the reasons why we fell in love with each other. We found a couple rolls of film that we decided to get developed and see what they were. Many of the pictures were from the summer we met... of us together in our early having-a-crush-on-each-other stages. It helped in remembering those reasons why we fell in love with each other and how God brought us together. We then went and watched "P.S. I Love You" (If you ever need a good date movie that will make you emotional, even for the guy, that's the one...).

In this last week, God has caused me to do a lot of reflection. Reflection about where I'm at spiritually, where I'm at in The Bridge, If I'm supposed to be where I'm at... etc. He has proved to me that if I'm actively seeking after Him, I will feel the most fulfilled and yet desire more of Him. If I'm actively seeking after Him, He will teach me things so that I can in turn teach others... And that if I'm not actively seeking after Him, I am running the risk of misrepresenting the image of God to others who look up to me as a spiritual leader. God is a God of accountability. Have you ever found yourself getting back into old habits and then one day realizing this is not your full potential, and then realizing that there is no better time than now to get off your butt and do something about it...? I think God sometimes intercedes and gives us that kick in the butt of accountability.

When we have become Christians, or at least an active one, we have made the decision to die to our old habits and become reborn in Christ... with a new objective of serving our Creator through serving others. When we do that, we are bringing Heaven to Earth. However, the opposite is true too: When we don't do that, when we go back to our old self of a lazy, stale life and loose that servant-like attitude, we are bringing Hell to Earth. The urgency of living a life glorifying to God becomes more evident in seeing that we are either bringing Heaven or bringing Hell to Earth.

I'm seeing that once I made a decision to live a life that is going to raise Heaven (not Hell...), God's blessings are poured out and are so incredibly evident. And many of those blessings have come from you guys: our supporters! We feel so blessed by the testimonies that we hear from you guys. Many of you have taken the step to support us (easy or not) and have had some incredible things to say. You have all been amazing encouragement to Kylee and me. God continues to provide the funds that we need to raise when it seems to be getting low. And that is proof that we are where we are supposed to be at this point in our lives and that God wants us to keep doing what we're doing. He is letting us know that as long as we keep moving forward in faith, he'll work out the details... and so that detail stuff doesn't need to be worried about by us. We thank each of you for allow God to use you! Keep praying. Anderson could always use more prayer.

God bless!

"SnowBlast 2008" and "The Shock"

2008-02-14T22:43:00.003-05:00

So we had a great weekend of fun with about 35 students last weekend on a ski/snowboard trip up to Kalamazoo, MI. What was great was that many of these kids that went on this trip don't normally get very involved in the church. We were able to develop some good relationships with them and a few of those students helped us tear down after Aftershock last Sunday. It was an awesome time to get to know them a little better.

Our new Wednesday night event titled "The Shock" (any surprises?) started last night. Basically this is taking place of small groups that we have had on Wednesdays since Aftershock started. Small groups were good in that they presented the opportunity to go deeper in discussion for those that showed up, but we found that for some students this is unfortunately intimidating to them and they don't come at all. The Shock is a fun night where we play a bunch of group games that draws a bigger crowd and then, from there, present a quick message and break the kids off into their age groups to discuss answers to questions that we ask based off of that message. We find that this way we draw kids that don't even go to church... which is what we're after.

The following is a video of our "SnowBlast 2008" weekend. Enjoy!

Egg Head

2008-01-31T22:42:00.000-05:00

Is anyone out there?! I am here to make good on our resolution to keep this blog updated!

Tonight we went out with some students to do a fundraiser called an "egg and beg." Basically you walk around and see how much money people will give you if you smash an egg on your head (and by "your" I mean not "mine")! One hour of egg smashing = $230. Nice.

We are raising money for a couple things. First of all, we have a ski trip coming up next weekend! We're headed up to Bittersweet in Michigan, and I'm going to give snowboarding another try. Phil is already almost pro. International Youth Convention is in Texas this year, so that's going to rock. We also have a middle school and a high school camp this summer to start planning. So, lots in the works.

We're also getting ready to launch a new Wednesday night thinger, which is called "The Shock" so far. This will be more outreach friendly, with less direct "church," and hopefully lots of students from all over the community. We'll meet as a large group for games & awesome other stuff, a short message, and then break off into small groups from there.

So, that's what's going on in a nutshell. Keep praying for us and our students! I'm going to post a video that we made for a series on Karma vs. Grace. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-08T15:35:00.000-05:00

Hello all. God has really used so many of you to bless us into complete humility. We are awed at how God continues to follow through on his promises to those how are faithful to Him. I pray that God blesses you all incredibly or uses someone to bless you in the same way that you have blessed us! For New Year's Eve, the Bridge youth had an all-nighter... it was a lot of fun, we had about 30 kids show up (which was good considering some last minute changes in putting the whole night together).

The evening opened up some good opportunities for Kylee and me to help out some kids with some issues, give advice, and develop relationships with. Your financial giving and prayers are allowing us to spend a good part of our week hanging out with kids and being in their world of friends and family and school, put together Wednesday night small groups that allow the youth to discuss things and challenge each other, and execute AFTERSHOCK, the big Sunday morning event that allows youth to step up into leadership roles and actively demonstrate their faith.

The following video is a quick one I put together that shows some of the things that happen at AFTERSHOCK. It's used to post on youtube, myspace, and facebook to help promote the event and attrack more youth.

God bless you all.

Christmas is upon us!

2007-12-13T10:29:00.000-05:00

Hello all! I don't know about you but I love the Christmas season. Even if Jesus most likely wasn't born around this time of year, it is the one time of the year where a lot of people finally seem get it right, for the most part. People seem to be more proud of their Christian faith than ashamed. People feel outspoken enough to display a lighted nativity scene in their front yards, saying "Look I'm a Christian and I'm proud of it!" They consistently (for like one month at least) listen to music with good lyrics filled with hope and love. Secular music artists find it okay to record full length albums with Christian songs like, O Holy Night, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, and so on. It's a nice break from the rest of the year when we just seem to lose focus on what's truly important: Jesus Christ and His impact on this world. Now I'm not saying that we should always display a nativity scene or other Christian symbols for all to see or always listen to "Christian" music (after all there are uplifting songs that aren't necessarily "Christian"). Some people would feel threatened by that if it were constant. What I am saying though is that we should take time to enjoy this season because it's a holiday that tends to bring (or attempts at bringing) out more good in people than bad. This season focuses on giving and not indulging. Through our giving we can witness how the Lord blesses it. And how fitting to start out a new year with these blessings. But will you keep them coming? A new year tends to prompt people to evaluate their past year or even perhaps their whole life, and sometimes causes them to realize how they could do it differently and make goals to change certain things.

As for me, I tend to worry. When I worry, I question whether God even understands what's going on. I've been working on this worry thing and this past year has been a lot of laying down my own plans and objectives for what I believe God has in store for me, and then watching Him make it all happen. I am having to continually learn how to stop worrying about things that I know God is going to take care of, and, when I do, He sees that I finally have the faith in Him to make it happen... And He responds. But in order to be in tune with God enough to understand that I have to let go in order for him to intervene, I have to by in rhythm with God. I have to daily be in relationship and in conversation with Him to be in rhythm with Him. The times when I actually find this easiest to do is when times are harder and uncertain: When worry has an opportunity to present itself. It's in those times that I feel that I need God the most, so He gets my attention. When things are "good," I tend to be comfortable with where I'm at and then forget about God and fall out of rhythm with Him. Though I'm better off by a worldly point of view, I'm worse off spiritually, which is far more serious. When I finally come to this realization, God finally gets my attention again... It's this unfortunate game we play with God. He just wants so badly to keep our attention. And that's all He asks of us. If we keep our attention on God, He will see that we are in rhythm enough to notice Him work and, in turn, give Him all the glory for it.

Anyway... that's what's on my mind at this point in time. Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers. Sorry it's been so long since my last blog.

Also: watch this video, it will move you like no other. It is from some youth convention down in Tennessee.

Love,
Phil and Kylee

AFTERSHOCK week one done.

2007-11-08T18:46:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, 11/04/07, Aftershock kicked off. And it went well. Responses from the students were INCREDIBLE. They were all astounded out how huge Aftershock is. Here are a couple of videos that I made for the Aftershock kick off Sunday. I thought you might enjoy watching them. The first is an intro video that will be played at the beginning of every Aftershock for quite some time. The second is a highlight video that was from the last Wednesday youth night that we had before the schedules changed to now Aftershock on Sundays and individual small groups on Wednesdays (hence the slides "end of an era" at the beginning and "a new beginning: Aftershock" at the end of the video).

Giving up control. Allowing God to move.

2007-10-24T11:15:00.000-04:00

Hello friends and family. It's been a while since the last update. Things are going quite well and, frankly, we at the Bridge Student Ministries are kind of in the quiet before the storm... You see, come November 4th The Bridge Anderson celebrates our 3 year anniversary! On this date, the church is launching two HUGE programs: KidStuf 252 and Aftershock.

KidStuf 252 is aimed for the young kids and their parents, teaching the kids in skits and songs about the love of Christ and inviting the parents to become involved in their kids' spiritual lives. Aftershock? You guessed it! It's for the youth and it's going to be big. Basically, everything that has happened on a Wednesday night youth gathering (games, songs, message) and more is going to become Aftershock on Sunday mornings at 11:30ish. The name Aftershock was arrived at by yours truly. I presented the idea of the name to the rest of the leadership staff and they liked it. When I looked up what an Aftershock meant, this is one of the definitions that popped out: A further reaction following the shock of a deeply disturbing occurrence or revelation. Now, one definition of "revelation" is: God's disclosure of Himself and His will to His creatures. Aftershock is going to a rockin good time where our aim is to empower the teens to make an impact to those around them, to create an "Aftershock" in their own world: at their school, in their family, at work, etc.

What about Wednesday nights, you ask...? Wednesday nights will be the nights that small groups meet. Each youth leader is involved with these small groups. I'm helping with the 10th, 11th, and 12th grade boys and Kylee is with the 8th and 9th grade girls.

I've had the opportunity to get closely connected with a youth kid that is a little unsure of what he believes. You see, he was adopted as a baby and his adopted dad became an alcoholic. His adopted parents (which, for him, are his parents) split up and his mom recently married a man from Anderson and he moved here with her. They got involved with The Bridge and he was thrown into a private school, Liberty Christian. He grew up going to a public school and isn't quite used to having chapels every Thursday. I asked him if he would consider himself a Christian and he said "yes." I asked him how he became a Christian and he said, "Because my parents that adopted me were Christian." Now, we know that no one is born into a relationship with Christ, it's a decision that God wants us to make. He wants us to essentially lay down our lives and give up control to let Christ come in and change the way our life is lived. Of course, I didn't want to come across pushy to him by any means. So basically after some questioning and prompting, he came around to saying that he doesn't want to give up control of his life. We wants to have control of how his life turns out. Well, I explained that with giving control to God, you in the end gain control over certain aspects of your life. Christ comes in and cleans you from the inside out and if you continue to be open to him, the worldly desires that you wanted to satisfy with your old life become less important in this new life with Christ. In the end, you are gaining control of your life. I think he may have gotten a little overwhelmed and said, "I'm still learning..." The kid is seeking, as we all have done and still often find ourselves doing, for what he believe. He's at a crucial time in his life where he is learning to make his own choices and decisions about his life, and it's the same with the rest of the kids in the Student Ministries. It is an exciting time, for sure!

Some of you have been praying for Alison, a girl we have mentioned in our previous posts. We got a message from Justine, a friend of hers that goes to the Bridge. Justine has been an amazing influence on her as well and has connected with Kylee and I quite beautifully. This is her message (for your information, "Shishka" is Alison's nickname:

Kylee and Phil, Something incredible and beautiful has come in the midst of all this. I find that trying to be joyful during a rough time is hard but a little bit easier when God gives me a sign. Shishka said "I think I might be coming back to this whole church thing." I just noded and said that was great (like the selfpreocupied person I am.). Then later on when we were in the car we were talking about a friend of ours and Shish said "I think she just needs something, just like I'm finding religion. " I totally agreed and that time it sunk in a little more but... not deep enough. Later when we got to The Bucks we didn't talk because yet again i was preocupied with myself and hadn't even thought more about what was going on. God is incredible, I'm still a tad bitter with a hint of anger and resentment but He knows that. Shishka has never known if there was a god. She's had many conversations with different friends and has been struggling with her personal ideas and beliefs, i had no clue that this was going to happen. She wants what you have. She wants the love you guys have. She sees the joy you exude, the peacefulness, and beauty you exude. She looks forward to Wednesday's... they are her favorite day of the week.

Thank you for your continuing thoughts and prayers. God is moving, there is not denying. Pray for Justine as well. She is a strong girl but is struggling as we all do at times. May God continue to pour out his blessings upon you all!

2007-10-01T23:34:00.000-04:00

This DVD was specifically made to inform those unfamiliar with the town of Anderson. It will give you more specific insights on the calling God has placed upon us.

God bless.

Never underestimate how God can use YOU.

2007-09-27T08:23:00.000-04:00

This title of this blog is something God has been teaching me for the past three years - to have confidence that God can use me to do great things for His Kingdom. I think of God and all that He is and all that I'll never know about all that He is (that He is the creator, the absolute beginning of everything), and I think 'why would God pick someone like me?' I mean, I'm as human as they come. I screw up all the time, make stupid choices, learn from those stupid choices, and often make those stupid choices again. Through my eyes, I see myself as a stumbling block to God, that I wouldn't be much help in furthering His Kingdom. What's great, though, is that God says I'm wrong in thinking that. There is NO way I could have gotten to where I am today by myself. God has chosen to bless me far beyond what I feel I deserve. But the cool thing is, God wants to bless me more! He wants to bless ALL of us more! I mean think about it, if blessing someone would help further the Kingdom of God (which is want God wants to do), why wouldn't He want to do it. But here's the kicker: YOU have to want it. Do you want it? Even if you feel like you are being blessed right now, He wants you to have more of it. Seriously.

I talk a couple of blogs back about two kids named Alison and Mickey who didn't want anything to do with God but went on the youth trip over a month ago. Kylee , Gabe, and I have connected well with them and had them over a few weeks ago for a movie night, along with their friend Justine (a Bridge kid). Alison got into talking about the rough stuff in her life and the night got pretty emotional. God moved in that moment. Keeping in conversation with them, they have seeked our advice in certain situations and Alison starting talking about how she doesn't understand why God is bringing all this "negative" stuff in her life. Alison just opened the door to talk about God! This was exciting and I did my best to explain how God uses some (seemingly) hard stuff in our life to bring about the good in the end. God sees the bigger picture on the other side of the pain and sometimes the pain is used to refine how you are just as fire refines and purifies gold (1 Peter). I talked about the athlete and the farmer analogy used in Timothy - how the athlete must beat his body into shape, how the farmer must persevere through the uncertainties and worries that comes with farming in order to reap the fruits of his labor. She said that it has changed her life and all of these things she continues to hold on through this temporary pain she is experiencing. What's more is that both Alison and Mickey came to Youth last night. This is an incredible step forward, especially since after the youth trip they both said that they would not be back...

Who knew that God would use me in the ways that He has used me. I know Kylee feels the same why and we are humbled and thankful. God is powerful, and He believes in you and wants to use you, if you will let Him.

Kylee has spoken off and on and I had the opportunity to speak at youth a couple of weeks ago (ironically enough on the problem of pain). Kylee is now starting up drama with the youth kids this week and I am switching on and off with another leader in leading the kids in worship (pray for me, I'm not a great singer). Though I'm not a great singer, I still feel this is what God is calling me to step up and do! It's excited to feel that calling and know that God (the creator of the universe) is behind me every step of the way. He will move when I can't, for his strength is made perfect in weakness.

God bless you all!

2007-09-15T15:40:00.000-04:00

We're about a month into this youth ministry thing. It's getting easier; it's getting harder.

It's easier because we're knowing names, building a little trust, a little respect. We're starting to figure out our place in the system (we even got an office yesterday)! Our support raising is well on it's way (58% as of today). And there are so many amazing new things starting up at the Bridge in the next month: a college ministry, a service on Sunday entirely for youth, and a new children's ministry aimed at parents too. It's an exciting place to be.

I say it's harder because every relationship gets harder. There comes a point when it's not just about football games or cute shoes or whatever else you can think of to talk about. There comes a point, when enough trust is built, when it starts to be about drugs, or drinking, or families falling apart. The conversation is about pain. Loneliness. How God could let this happen. And it's harder to hear it. Harder to find the next words or when to say them.

It's intense sometimes, and it probably will get more so as we continue to know people. But this is love, right? Pray for us to love how He loves. Pray for our kids as they are figuring out, some frantically and some joyfully, themselves, the world, and God. We are so humbled and so amazed that we even get to be on this journey. Thank you so much for joining us in it.

New Updates.

2007-09-01T10:05:00.000-04:00

So far we have 40% of our support raised in the first week of being (or trying to be) in conversation with our sponsors. Truly it is a humbling experience. I mean who wants to ask for money from people?! It honestly puts you in your place: helplessly reliant on God. We have just been grateful of all that has happened thus far and are excited to talk to more of our potential sponsors next week (after labor day, of course!).

Of course, financial support isn't all we need. What's even more important is the prayer support and just knowing that our Christian brothers and sisters got our back spiritually. If you can give, thanks... but also pray! If you can't give, that's fine... but please pray! Pray, pray, pray! Pray for the names Alison and Mikey and for more opportunities like last night...

Here's a quick update for you guys: a few weeks ago, we went on a student leadership retreat for the high school youth (as was shown in the dvd). A teen that goes to the Bridge invited a couple of her friends that don't really want anything to do with God. What an opportunity! Somehow that weekend Kylee and I connected on a deeper scale with the two kids, Alison and Mikey. They live in Indianapolis and find it hard to attend youth on Wednesdays in Anderson, not to mention that they don't want to come in the first place. Well a couple weeks went by and Alison came to our Wednesday night youth event with her friend from the church. They and Kylee set up a movie night at our place. That night was last night.

After the movie, Gabe (the head youth pastor) came over as well to hang out and see them since he hadn't seen them in a few weeks. God truly made himself evident tonight and Alison shared what she is struggling with. I won't go into details out of respect for her, but, let me tell you, my heart broke for her. Stuff that I never thought kids at her age had to go through she's going through... all by herself. She's having to grow up a lot faster than a kid should. However, her sharing opened up a lot of opportunity for us to share our own testimonies and talk about how God has pulled us through similar types of stuff. And that probably the reason we get put through that stuff and the reason that God doesn't just take it all away is that He sees the bigger picture of how much of a better person we become through it. As fires refines and purifies gold, so are we refined by our own trials. We talked about how there is hope through it all and that our God (unlike other religions and gods) actually KNOWS our pain. For Jesus himself experienced it and because he himself experienced it, we know we can run to him in it and he has compassion on us and lifts us out of our despair.

It's that common understanding of pain and circumstance between us and our God that offers an intimate relationship unavailable through any other religion or god. It is that sort of intimate relationship that gives us hope in despair and brings about the end good through the (seemingly) bad means. Do not lose hope for the God who knows pain and works in pain is in control and sees the final product. And the final product is good. We just have to trust it though we cannot see it. This is where faith comes in. And this is where faith becomes proof enough.

Think about it, if there were no God, bad would be bad all the way through. But good CAN come out of bad... everyone has seen it at some point in life. In fact, isn't good all the more beautiful and evident when it does come from bad? Is the fact that we even feel we have a basis for determining what's good and what's bad the evidence for a God, an ultimate good-bad judge, in the end? I heard a pastor on the radio the other day telling a story about him relating to a kid having a hard time making "good choices." The kid asks, "How do I make good choices?" The pastor says, "Through gaining experience." The kid asks, "How do I gain experience?" The pastor says, "Through making bad choices." The bad things are what God can use to teach us, to train us, to beat us into shape. Gabe was talking about how you build muscle mass. In order to build your muscles, you tear them and break them down. When you break them down, they repair themselves and become larger in size.

Alison was broken last night. But there is beauty in this brokenness. There is a glimmer of hope and the healing has started and the opportunity for learning about a Creator and trusting a God presented itself. And we all felt it. And Mikey listened. Please pray.

Here we go!

2007-08-22T12:39:00.000-04:00

Time to jump in. Time to go out of our comfort zone and meet these teens. Today Gabe, Kylee, and I went to Highland High School to hang out with them during all three lunch periods. Occasionally we'd find a Bridge youth and that made things comfortable... but we don't want to be comfortable right? When you are on new territory and are basically forced to talk to kids you don't know, there is nothing else to rely on than God himself to bring the kids along for you to develop relationships with and gain the respect to share your heart with them. That's what today was ultimately all about.

Tonight is the Bridge Youth kick off night where we have games and a band scheduled to perform. At lunch today we pushed for kids to come... and many of the conversations I had today ended with "See you later tonight." This is an exciting time. On Wednesday nights, the youth attendance has been steadily climbing since we've been able to be a part of it. All the credit goes to God, of course, as we are seeing these teens draw closer to each other and, ultimately, closer to God. They know they have a place to belong, a family to be a part of. Last week, the attendance was around 60. We'll give you an update on how tonight goes. Please be in prayer that those who are looking for a place to feel accepting will find it tonight. We're excited to see how God is going to work.

Packages went out 2 days ago (finally) and we are already hearing some responses about them. This blog is one of the many ways we will keep you up to date on what is going on. I'm sure we'll be talking to many of you soon. Thank you for joining our team!

2007-08-15T11:06:00.000-04:00

This video is to inform our sponsors what this mission is all about.