Sophie Update #5

Its hard to think what day it is right now... Sophie is doing much better! Thank you so much for all your prayers. She has been moved into a different room, but still in the NICU. Here is a picture of her new bed. We were able to bring her in a little stuffed giraffe and one of our students made her a sweet name tag! Charity also dressed her in some different clothes and got rid of the white hospital get-up she was in.
She has been taking her bottle at the fed times and that helps mom and dad feel much better. Thank you for praying for that. She took 60 cc's at her last feed. That is up from the 30 cc's she was at just about 36 hours ago.
There was talk of moving her up a floor and out of the NICU, but just before we left we were told that plan was scratched. It was kind of hard to hear, but we see the light at the end of tunnel approaching rapidly. She hasn't used her feed-tube in over 12 hours! The doctors put her on antibiotics for another day, so earliest we could leave would be tomorrow, Monday.
Today as I was changing her diaper she peed all over my hands. It was pretty nasty, but I am grateful that she is hydrated and doing better.
Please pray for:
* Sophie to keep eating
* Her appetite to increase
* She will keep eating her 50 cc's per fed
* Charity to get some rest
* Us to continue to be a light for Jesus
Thank you so much for all your prayers for our little girl, she is a true blessing from God and we are so thankful for all He has given us.

Sophie Update #4

Sophie is officially four days old now. She was being funny and kept putting her arms up like she wanted to ride a roller coaster. Today was a somewhat tough and long last 24 hours. We were extremely encouraged at the progress she was making and were hoping she would have her feed tube out this morning or afternoon. Sophie has had some trouble eating (taking the bottle) and if she wont take the amount required she gets the rest fed to her through the tube.
Last night Charity and I were both pretty heart broken. She has used the tube about 3 times in the last 24 hours. Every time she uses the tube it means at least 48 hours longer she has to stay in the hospital.
The yawn that Sophie is doing is how all the Benson family is feeling right now. Please pray for Charity to get some rest, I think she goes the hardest of all of us. We are trying to go to most of Sophie's feed times (8, 11, 2, 5 am & pm) and its getting rough on us. Thank God the hospital is only 2 miles away. Our family is tired and stretched right now. Charity and I go to the hospital, stay with Sophie about an hour, come home, eat and do it all again. About half our time is spent going to see her.
Please pray for:
* Sophie's appetite to increase
* Successful feed times
* Mom and Dad to be an example for Jesus @ the hospital
* Mom and Dad to get time with Jesus and some rest
Thank you so much for your prayers. We really do want to honor Jesus with our lives and this has been a huge struggle for us. We know that God is going to use this for His glory and we want to be involved in that. We are so thankful for our beautiful little girl; she is truly amazing!

Sophie Update #3

Sophie is doing better! Last night Charity and I were able to spend some time with her and she has been very tired. She will get on the bottle and just kinda fall asleep. The nurses have been very encouraging and telling us how she is getting better and her color is good. Last night Charity and I decided to just sleep through the night. It was hard being home without our baby. We sat in bed last night just talking about how weird it is.
This morning Charity went in at 5am. Thank God that her mom is here to help drive her. The nurse shared with her that at her 11pm feed she took her bottle in 30 min and then at her 2am feed she took it in 15 min! This is really what we need her to do so we can get her home sooner.

This morning we went to her 11am feed (we can't do the 8am or 8pm feeds because that is right after shift change) and she was the most awake we have seen her yet. Our nurse was very uplifting and reminding us how she is improving every day. At first Sophie would barely open her eyes to see us and was not that alert. Today she was looking all over the place and had great voice recognition. If you notice, this is her first picture with no oxygen. Please keep praying that she will be able to stay off and keep her oxygen levels up. It is so hard to see so many wires and tubes on our baby. Last night we had another win; she got her IV off!!! She still the deal in her hand, but they are not giving her fluids anymore.
Today I went to Starbucks and almost broke down when the lady casually asked how I was doing. I am not doing good. My daughter is in the NICU and I am confused. Charity and I both really appreciate all your prayers and continued support. Thank you for praying for Sophie.
Pray for:
* Quick recovery
* No more oxygen
* Desire to eat
* Mom and Dad to be strong and get rest
Thanks all!

Sophie Update #2

Well, its official... Sophie is 48 hours old. Today was a good day for her. We are starting to know her nurses that are taking care of her and they are both amazing ladies. The NICU is open 24 hours a day, but closes between 6:30 and 8 am & pm.
Today we were able to give her a bottle and try to help her get some much needed food. Here is a pic of me being pretty focused on getting her food. She needs to take about 30 cc's of formula (pray Charity can breastfeed soon) every three hours per the NICU.
They want us to be able to hold her when she eats. If you notice the formula taped to my shirt; that goes down the tube into her tummy and gets her the food she needs. Sometimes its just hard to grab your baby who has all these tubes and wires on her, but it also makes me thankful that I have a baby.
<--Tired face after eating.
Its pretty weird for us right now; we left the hospital but Sophie stayed. She had a really good day, but her lungs are still having trouble.
The staff is pretty convinced that her throat is irritated from all the suctioning that took place after birth.
I had to throw in the picture of daddy changing his first diaper, boy was that a full diaper! I did my best and got rolling, but Sophie must have been saving up because she pooped two more times while I was wiping her. Don't worry, I didn't get any on my hands! But look at that face.
Tomorrow I will try to get some pictures of Charity with Sophie up here and some more face shots for you all. In all reality she is a healthy, beautiful, little girl that just had a rough start.
Some specifics to pray for:
* Sophie's throat to heal
* Sophie to want to suckle
* Sophie's lungs test to come back better
* Her lungs to get strong enough to get off the oxygen tubes
* Charity and I to get some rest and a good night sleep.
Thanks so much for all the prayers and love!

Baby Sophie Update #1

Sophie is doing really good. She is still in the NICU and getting all her antibiotics; really she is on the road to recovery. Yesterday was a good day, but hard. When we went into see her in the morning she had her "hood" on. The doctors were concerned with her oxygen levels in her blood and this hood was over her head being filled with 100% oxygen. Honestly, it was pretty scary seeing her like this.
The next time I went into see her, probably about 2:30pm it was off. I started to cry. I walked into her room and thought my baby was gone, but just the opposite. Her oxygen levels had risen and she was able to get the hood off.
Over the last 18 hours the percent of pure oxygen she has been given is dramatically decreasing. Thank you all for praying for our little baby.

Last night I was able to hold her for the first time (the one time I didn't bring the camera).
Charity was able to spend some time with her last night and tried feeding.
This morning when we got down she looked amazing. She had just finished eating (she gained about 4 ounces already) and was sleeping. This picture (to the right) is her this morning. She still has oxygen in her nose and a feeding tube down her nose. The oxygen level is down to 21% and the pressure is 1/2 a liter (down from a liter last night). I spoke with the doctor and she has "Meconium Asperation"; which means she pooped in the uterus and inhaled it. She will be on antibiotics for 5 days (total) and hopefully we can take her home Sunday or Monday.
Please keep praying for Sophie and us. This is a draining time emotionally. We are leaving the hospital today without our baby (not the first people in the world to do this I imagine). We are just scared.
Pray specifically for:
* Healthy Lungs
* To gain strength in suckling
* The antibiotics to work
Thank you all so much!

Sophie Marie Benson 8-26-2008

Watch out world, here I come! Welcome Sophie Marie Benson into the world.
Charity and I went to the hospital at about 3pm. By 6pm she was dilated to 8cm and her water was broken. Around 8pm she was fully dilated and ready to go. Our doctor arrived to the hospital about an hour later and pushing began. At 9:44pm out came Sophie:











Here is the first time I held Daddy's hand:

















Check me out! Sophie wanted to sit up and see Mommy, she was tired:
















About 20 min later Sophie was taken to the NNICU (Neo Natal Infant Care Unit) because she had inhaled some meconium into her lungs. She will most likely be there for about 2-3 days. Please pray for God to work in a miraculous way in our baby's life!

2 days left

So I kinda messed up, missed the Sunday update and now its down to two days until our due date. Yesterday was fairly uneventful. We watched the Chargers game, they won, we went to bed. But at about midnight Charity started having contractions.
She timed them for an hour and was hurting pretty bad. After an hour and a half of those we went to the hospital at about 1:30am. I was pretty sure we were having a kid. She was crying from the pain and then we got there and no more contractions. Well... not no more, but much less frequent.
We stayed there till about 3am and then came home. Charity woke up at about 5:30 with more contractions, took a bath and started timing them. We called her doctor this morning and are going in at 11am to see what is going on. She has been having contractions all morning, so we are just in wait mode (that's what I call it).
Please keep praying that Sophie comes on or before the 28th. Thanks!

4 days left

Today has been a fairly mellow day. Charity is done with work so her and her sister went out and got their nails done. The contractions are not as frequent as they were a couple days ago, but much more intense. This is definitely running our lives right now. I go to work and keep my phone super close. Today is my day off, so I have been at home working on homework all day.
We are praying, and would love for you to join us, that baby Sophie Marie will come out sometime between now and August 28th (which is her due date). We were pretty sure we would have a kid already given how frequent and intense Charity's contractions were at the end of last week. But we are in peace that God knows when she will come.
Last night was the best night of sleep I have gotten since the contractions started. Charity slept through the night, mostly, and got rested up too. She is such a trooper, I have the best wife ever. Well, please keep us in your prayers.

The Weather is Crazy!

The weather is crazy right now. It was like 100 degrees today and now its all thunder, lighting and rain. The weather can turn crazy here in like 10 min and that is exactly what it did today! Rosie just jumped because the thunder is so loud, the lighting is getting worse as I write and I am kinda scared standing next to the widow as the rain pelts it! I love it when it does this!

What if...

I was talking with Jessica (Charity's sister) this morning and I was wondering; "What if Transformers, the movie, is really a documentary?" Wouldn't that be sweet! I grew up loving transformers and maybe the movie is a way to ease the public into the fact that robots live among us???
Ok, probably not realistic, but could be super cool!

We exist to impact lives

This summer we did a series from Doug Fields called "When People Meet Jesus". We looked at different parables of when people met Jesus and the change that took place in their lives. We decided that, every week of this series, we would have someone share their story about meeting Jesus.
Here is the video of Colton Scholfield's story of meeting Jesus. Colton is going to Carrol College and playing football. He is an amazing young man that loves Jesus and has such a great heart. This video is encouragement of why we do what we do. I came out here thinking that I was going to be a middle school pastor (now I'm the high school pastor) and realized that I am really a missionary in a dark place. I have the best job ever! I cant wait to see more and more of what God has planned for us to do here.

5 days left

Tonight it hits me again that in about 5 days I can be a dad. I don't want to say "will be" because who knows when Sophie will come out except Jesus. Today was pretty mellow, yet packed. I woke up early (for a Saturday to go to Men's Breakfast: amazing). Got home around 10 and spent some time with Charity and her sister.
Last night I started reformatting the hard drive on her computer because we got a Macbook. Apple is having a sweet deal right now, for the student program (working on my masters at Fuller Seminary) where you buy a Macbook and get a free iPod touch. We are selling her comp to help sweeten the deal and lower the price. Also going to sell the iPod on eBay to help out too (great idea I think).
Then Jessica (Charity's sister) had her boyfriend fly into town and we had lunch with them at the pad. After that Charity and I took a nap, read my Bible, bought a Dyson (comes with a free $40 gift card at Target), then went to Shaun and Krystal's house for dinner.
Today was pretty amazing. The contractions are not much today. She had for about an hour between 8-9pm, but they are almost done now. Not sure what to think. I know she wants the baby out, but God knows when is the best time. Thanks for all the prayers. We love you all!

6 days left

Today marks six days till Charity's due date. We are both pretty scared still. The contractions are still happening so I think we are just in wait mode. I have heard that it can take up to three weeks to get the baby out (not stoked). Charity is not in super bad pain, but I know she is feeling pretty bad. She had some gnarly contractions this morning during breakfast. It is so amazing having her sister her to help us through and work on all this. I am able to go to work and get some stuff done (nothing huge, too focused on making sure she is ok). It is nice, she just got a Macbook, so we can do video chat. I like to see how she is doing.
Please keep praying for us!

7 days left

Today we went to the Doc and Charity is officially dilated. Our Doc says she is a 1 and 1/2. This means the baby can come at any time. She also was able to feel the head (sounds crazy to me). We had to stay around and Charity was put on a contraction monitor. She was on for about 25 min and had about 10 contractions (I think that is good). She has had a few contractions that lasted longer than 30 seconds, but we still need them to last longer. We are really in just wait mode right now.
I am super thankful that Charity's sister is here in town with us. She drove Charity around to do some errands today. I talked with her about an hour ago and she had some more contractions, please keep praying for us. Sophie will be here before we know it. Also our Doctor told us Sophie is about 6 and 3/4 pounds (not the average 8 pound Benson kid).

8 days left

Today marks 8 days left until Charity's due date. We have the nursery set up already. The crib is there, the changing table, diapers, more clothes than I have, toys, books, bath tub things... you name it. I am so excited right now, but so scared. Charity's sister arrived in town last night, so we are pretty much covered (I think). Charity is getting pretty big but she is still so beautiful. I am so excited! The pic is kinda blurry, I took it with my phone, but it looks like she swallowed a bowling ball.
We have had so many people give us advice. I would love to hear one thing that you suggest for us. I don't care if you have kids or not, I just want to see what everyone is thinking.

SM Pool Party

We got a Pool Party tonight for all Student Ministry! This is gonna be sweet. Summer is ending and we gotta have some more fun before school starts. Well be at the McComb's house:
781 Vista Sereno
Henderson, NV 89002

Hit it up! Free BBQ, toothpick game, volleyball and some worship!
If you get lost call Marc: 702-553-5917

Lunch @ Pei Wei

Today I had lunch @ Pei Wei with an amazing pastor. Doug Meye came to Vegas about twenty five years ago to plant a church. Doug has some huge respect in the Valley and I was honored to have lunch with him (he even payed!).
We started talking about life and he shared his passion to lead and help younger pastors, I was so stoked. He shared some great advice with me and he is what I will take:

1) The Church is Fragile. This was just an all around statement. We need to be careful with it.
2) Ask people how they are doing: What are you excited about? What are you concerned about?
3) Care less about your impression and more about your relationship with God

He shared a story with me about pennies. He said that in every setting you have so many pennies. For example when you get hired, if people like you, you get 20 pennies to start with. If you got out and double the group and lead some key students to Christ in the first month you get 30 pennies. Lets say four months later you go to camp and something bad happens, like a discipline issue, you loose 10 pennies. He just asked me to make sure you make smart wagers with what you have. He shared about tenure and how that is so important. I am excited about his lunch and Doug speaking into my life.

Date Night

Tonight is the most important night of the week. Its not High School Ministry, Bible Study, Small Group or anything related to the church. Tonight is Date Night.
Charity and I do date night every Monday night. Its a time for us to put the computer away, turn the cell phone off and just have some us time. I love date night. It gives me the time I need with my wife.
To make date night effective we both have to really protect the time. There are about 100 things that I could be doing instead of date night. There are two things that are pressing right now: Pool Party tomorrow night and a fourteen page paper on Ephesians 6:10-20. Both of those can wait. Date night must be protected. If my marriage is not the second most priority in my life (God being number one) then anything can take precedence.
I think this is something good for anyone in ministry to consider and put down on their schedule. Show your wife that she is import and that you love; start date night and make it a priority. I'm out to dinner with my wife!

Why the waves stop

Have you ever been to the ocean and wondered why the waves stop where they do? I mean, really, what keeps them from just going and flooding the near by streets? Is it gravity? Is there not enough water in the ocean so it comes back? What about the gravitational pull?
Today I was reading in the book of Jeremiah and came across this scripture:

Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
Jeremiah 5:22 (New International Version)

God tells the waves where to stop. God makes that happen. God is such a God of order that He will not allow crazy things happen. I am very thankful that this world was created on purpose and not on accident. If it was created on accident the waves may not know where to stop and many people could get hurt.

Great Quote

Do not be angry that you cannot make others as you would wish
them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.
-- Thomas à Kempis

Cookies

Charity just made the best cookies! I know this is random, but I have the most amazing wife ever. And there is nothing that tastes better than warm cookies washed down with cold milk.

38 weeks

Today Charity and I went in for our 38 week baby appointment. If you are like me and didn't know all these baby terms at one time its all good. The baby is typically in the tummy (technical term) for 40 weeks. That means we are just two weeks away from the due date.
My thought (not medical advice) is that the due date is just a random guess to make women feel good and then they have a date that they can make their husbands due everything by. I am not insinuating that Charity is making me due things, I have actually self-initiated many projects. I want the house to be ready for Sophie.

The Cardinal Sin

I think that yesterday I may have committed the "Cardinal Sin"...
I bought a scale and my wife is 9 months pregnant (its for me though!)

Sunday Aug 10th

Yesterday was a really cool day church. The service wasn't the best ever (I am really talking about my part). I was the host for the day. That means I did the welcome and announcements. For the second service I was asked to lead communion. I found out in-between first and second service that it was my job because another pastor needed to go speak at one of our church plants.
I got up to do communion and talked about the need to remember. Then invited people forward to get their elements and return to their seat. Our staff was at the tables if people needed prayer. A man cam to me who is about 55 and rides Harley's. I could tell he was about to cry. He gave me the biggest hug and said: "Thank you for all you do with my boys". Those words made the day worth it.

Leadership Summit, Friday Morning

This morning a guy named Craig Groeschel spoke about "it". That sounds kinda funny, but he made some great points. I don't extensive notes or great points to write here (I will share some of what he spoke about). He shared about Acts 2:42-47 and what it would look like if "every day" people's lives were being transformed by the Holy Spirit. He talked about "it" and what churches that have it are doing. Churches that have it are committed to doing a few things and doing them well.
He shared his story about loosing it and being too focused on the ministry and not on his relationship with God, I know what that looks like and it hit home with me. He shared what he did to get it back and just what he needed to do.
"To reach people who no one is willing to reach you have to be willing to do things that no one else is doing."
Four things to ask yourself:
1) What are you doing that needs to stop? What can you cut out?
2) What is going trying to show you through what you love and are passionate about?
3) Those who have it are willing to fail, those who don't are scared to fail.
4) Organizations who have it are led by leaders who have it.

My New Thought

Last night Charity and I went to meet a potential pediatrician. Upon getting there one thing crossed my mind: every high school kid in American needs to come here. After sitting in the lobby for about 30 min, I decided that this is the best birth control ever.
There was a sick side (Charity and I decided that the kids should have to wait on that side).
The lobby is loud!
All you hear is screaming kids and cartoons
There was one kid running all over and not listening to his mom
All this made me think that we need to send all students there to just see what it will be like, who knows it may increase purity in America.

Drop Kick Action

This last week at Hume Lake, they did something called: "The Gauntlet". It reminded me of American Gladiator meets Wipeout. The goal of the game was to get across five of these floating pads. You had the option to stop and dance on the third, for more points, and then you need to get the ref off at the end. Out of the 28 participants only one person successfully accomplished the goal.
My first attempt I got jacked. Then I swam back to pad four (the only to go backward), jumped back to number three and charged it. I did a sweet drop kick... but still lost.

Leaving the nest...

Last night we had some students over to celebrate (not in a bad way) the moving on of one my wife's graduated senior girls. It was so amazing to see the students rally around her, encourage her and affirm her. She impacted many of their lives while she was in Vegas. Some things that I learned from watching the students last night were:
1. We all want to be apart of something. The students are so connected and they have some really special relationships.
2. God created us to be in those relationships. We were never intended to do life alone, just read about Adam in Genesis One.
3. Students are fun to be around. Students can either charge you up or drain you. Not everyone is called to work with them and when you are it is amazing.
4. Real relationships are formed over time and sometimes over hard times. Charity, my wife, has poured into the girl who left today and you can see the special bond they have.
5. Pour into others with reckless abandon. You can almost never go wrong by investing into the right person and that is how the Kingdom of God has grown.

The Dark Night

So we finally made it back from Hume (it was amazing, I will write about that soon) and then on like six hours of sleep went to Church. After church we all mobbed it to Panera for some grub. I had the Bacon Turkey Bravo and a bowl of Broccoli Cheddar. Then we headed over to Green Valley Ranch for the Dark Night. While waiting we went and played some video games.
The movie was amazing! We went with a grip of students and that made it better. The movie really was pretty crazy and the Joker was a great character. I love the part seeing that Batman is there to protect, but not always loved. That is how I feel as a pastor sometimes. Well its time to go home and see the wife.

Hume Lake: July 20th-26th 2008

This week we are taking a great team of leaders, students and some students who really need Jesus, to Hume Lake. I am super excited to see God work in this week. Hume does a great program that allows our leaders to spend time with students and really invest in them. We have had some last min sign ups, and have some last min drops. Please pray for us this week. Pray for safe travel. Pray for students to have walls broken down in their lives so that the Holy Spirit can really impact them. Pray for me as a leader to set the example to all we take.
Also, I just received a call from a former student in San Diego who her sister just got back from Hume. She told me that there is some sort of stomach bug happening at Hume right now. She told me that about half the camp had it (almost 500 students) which is a huge number. The bug lasts for 72 hours and causes the person to vomit about every 5 min (not sure how much is true, just sharing what I heard). It makes sense because Hume called me this week and told me that health department has asked them to call all the churches and ask them if they have any students with flu like symptoms to please not bring them or the student will be sent home. Please pray for us, I want to make sure that this is an amazing week for students and that God gets all the glory. I am asking all the people I know to pray for us.

The Church being The Church

We have a HS student name Kyle Watanabe who has Cystic Fibrosis, but you would never know it. I remember the first time he came to Mexico with me and I thought he had to do breathing treatments because he had asthma. Since then I have been to the hospital about 10 times for him, but he is a fighter. God has a huge plan for this kids life. He is so full of joy and models the love of Christ to others, he is some we can all look up too. About four months ago he called "Make a Wish Foundation" and they totally redid his 1970 VW Bug. It is amazing. We revealed it at the church and just seeing the people coming together and reaching out the VW community here in Vegas was super cool.
Here is a video of the event.

Worship Tonight

Tonight we had our summer nights Bible study and Marc Faircloth lead worship. It was one of the most moving sets of worship I have been involved in in a while.
We sang Mighty to Save and our church was just singing so loud and you could feel the Spirit of God moving in that room!

Staff Meeting

Today in staff meeting we were going over the new guest report and there was a lady who found out about our church from "a woman sitting at the slot machine next to me".
I love Vegas!

Get Smart

On Monday Charity and I went to see "Get Smart" with Steve Carell and it was pretty funny. The first 30-35 min was pretty tough, kinda like the office. The scenes were great but it was that akward feeling just like watching the office.
All in all it was a good flick. There wasn't much sexual stuff and not much cussing, the movie is not a must see but worth it.

BB is getting bigger

She is just straight cute right now! I cant wait to be a dad!
This is the pic from 28ish weeks ultrasound. This week will be 30 weeks, that is 75% of the way done.

Middle School Camp

We are at Hume SD right now, which is at Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego. We are here with some middle school students and one of the boys said the best comment ever:
"I am going to sit around tonight and see how many girls I can get to hug me. Last year I got 63"
I am not sure why that made me laugh so hard. Just a glimpse into the mind of a fourteen year old boy.

New Dad Top 10

Today I had breakfast with a mentor of mine that I really look up too. His name is Rob Hall. He hired me in my current position and now he works at an amazing church in The Bay Area called: "Central Pennisula Church". Rob Hall loves Jesus and really loves his family. I look up to him and the way he balances life and loves people.
Today at breakfast he gave me a list called: "New Dad Top 10"
1. Never stop dating your wife, just plan now to pay a babysitter!
2. When you come home be "hands on" as much as possible. (Diapers, cleaning, babysitting, ect.)
3. Give your wife time off! Let her out by herself from time to time.
4. Pray with & for your children from day one.
5. Read the Word with & to your children from day one.
6. Help your wife establish a routine for your children. (Nap time, eating & bed time especially)
7. With a new baby, your ministry will change...for the better! Parents will respect you more & you'll have to find a better "balance".
8. Say "NO" more often to ministry stuff & life things. You'll need to be home more.
9. Enjoy every moment & season with your kids, they grow up fast.
10. Travel with your kids, its so much fun!

When People Meet Jesus

So last night we started the series: "When People Meet Jesus" by Doug Fields. It was super sweet. It helps to have the graphics and notesheets the have done and be able to put your own stories to it.
We ended the message with a chance to receive Jesus and two girls re-commited and one guy gave his life to Jesus for the first time. It was super exciting! I love working with students.

I need commnunity

I am glad I waited to write this till today. This week has shown me how much we all need community and the relationships of others.
On Sunday my wife had her small group girls over for a luau party to start off summer and encourage one of our other leaders who is moving. Seeing the girls connect was amazing! I normally would not be there, but they needed someone to cook. Then I went and played video games.
That night we went over to a leaders house and played some volleyball. It was super sick. Seeing people connect with each other. This time was more for our college students but some of them are our leaders and it was just fun. Not only playing volleyball but connecting with other people from our church was great for me. I noticed, once again, my need for community and how people thrive in that.
Finally, on Tuesday I had small group with my boys. I have Junior and Senior boys so half of my boys are graduating. Hearing my boys just share their hearts to each other is so amazing. They have learned accountability early and it blows my mind. I wish that I had the relationships that they have when I was 17.
All this said, it made me think that we all need this. We need to pour into others, have people we can laugh with and have people we can share our junk with and pray with.

Valley of Fire

On Friday night Charity and I went to Valley of Fire. Its a place that is like an hour or so from our house and is is amazing. This place has all these crazy red rocks and some super sweet formations. We went out there and walked around just a bit. We saw this petrified tree that was super crazy. I have to say that I do hate the signs that say: "This tree is millions of years old." Not sure why do that.
After our little hike action we found a campsite and roasted marshmallows and made some smores. Then we laid out a blanket and just took some time to star watch. I think we all need to just take some time to watch the stars with someone who means the world to us. We needed that time to just chill and be with each other.

The Investment Mindest

I feel the need to preface this thought, for some reason. What I am writing is something that has been stirring in my brain and I hope that it can hopefully help someone.
About 2 months ago we had our adult leader meeting. We try to do these every 6-8 weeks where the leaders get some time to hang out and just connect. I then take about 30 minutes to share my heart. At this particular meeting I shared about the need for us to have roles that we all fit into. I have felt our leaders not feeling like they have a, “job,” something that they can own on Wednesday nights. After the meeting, which I thought went great, I was really excited to see the buy-in level increase and leaders plug in more. It seemed like neither of those things happened.
All of that said, it got me thinking about what I call the investment mindset. I don’t know if you have a 401K or not, but I feel like my retirement is similar to investing into students (you may think I am crazy right now, but keep reading). Every paycheck I get, 26 a year, I ask my church to take out a set amount and invest that into my retirement. I don’t, “see,” that money so I just tell myself that I never got it. I don’t really miss it cause I never really “see” it. Then twice a year I get a statement in the mail that makes me wonder why I keep putting that money in there. I open it up hoping that, for some unknown reason, my retirement will be huge… but it’s not. Then I have to remind myself that this investment will take time to mature.
That is exactly how I think many of us feel about working with students (and our leaders feel the same way too). How many countless nights have you sat with a student listening to their problems, counseling them, sharing scripture with them and praying with them to only see them make the same mistake? Or what about the time it takes to make camp happen and all the hours you put into it, then you have to leave your spouse for the week and you just wish you could see them. Think about the last mission trip you went on. How amazing was it or is all you can think about is how tiring it was? Does it ever feel like some of this is worthless? We have all been there.
See student ministries is just like my 401K. It would be nice to have that time or money right now. Sometimes the sacrifice doesn’t look like it will pay off in the end, but we need to keep reminding ourselves that what we do is so worth it! If someone hasn’t told you that in while just think about the students you work with that will never forget you, trust me, they will never forget you and the constant time you put into their lives. The investment is worth it!

BB is 24 weeks... and a GIRL

So we just had the appointment and got the final word that BB is a girl. We were told at 15 weeks that BB was 90% a boy. We went back at 18 weeks and saw nothing (by the way, our doctor is rad and does an ultrasound every appointment). For the 21 week visit BB had turned into a girl... WHAT??? Are you sure?
Then we just went back on tuesday and its for sure... BB is a girl!
I'm gonna be a dad. So many thoughts to hit my mind.

Greek: my life today

Today I am working on HW for my Greek class. We are translating the book of Ephesians and I am just in awe right now of the power of God's word. It is so easy, I think, for us to read the Bible and just take certain words for granted. When I have to look at the words and sentence structure in Greek it gives me such a deeper appreciation for Gods word. Next time you are reading, take it slow and ask God to show you what He wants you to learn, I think you will like it!

Rome

So today we landed in Rome. The train ride was short and we are both sick of public transportation. I would love to drive my Tundra right now! The train got in around 11 am and we walked to our room, its pretty sweet. From there we head to the Collusem, that place is super big! (I just tried to do spell check, and that doesnt work here. Sorry) I was in awe of how massive the place was. We heard the line was long, but we got hooked up. Just go in and buy the audio tour and you can get your ticket there. We were both so impressed with how the building of that structure took place, it was crazy.
After that we took a nap (I love vacation!) and now we are chilling just doing some laundry. Tonight we want to do the Trevi fountion and thats about all.

Off to Florence

On Monday morning we got up and caught a train into Florence. From there we headed to a small medieval town called: San Gimignamo. This town was super cool. It was a good stop on our trip. We have both been going so much and really caught some down time there. We had no internet in the town and basically just went to the supermarket to get meals. The first day we walked down the main street (thats all there really was) and checked it out. The next day we chilled some more and really got some relax time in. The town has a bunch of towers there and I went into one (charity is too pregnant to walk up the stairs now). The towers were once used to pour boiling oil on anyone who attacked the town!!!
The next day (Wed) we headed into Pisa. That tower is amazing. We were both not too sure what to expect but it was great. The town was so amazing and we both just loved it!
On Thursday we headed into Florence to check out the David. I didnt realize how big it was. The statue is about twice the size I expected. We walked around, saw an amazing church, walked around, did some shopping and then headed back to our little town.

Venice Day Two

So we havent been around a comp for a while so here is what has happened. Our next day in Venice was great. We went out to an Island called Murano. This is the place where they hand blow a bunch of glass objects. We actually got to see a man make a horse out of glass, it was so crazy. Venice has been great. The water system is a new idea to both of us, they have no cars there at all.
Later in the day it started to sprinkle a bit so we headed to get a Gondola ride. This is what Chartiy has dreamed of doing like her whole life. We LOVED it. The ride was so amazing. We started on the Grand Canel and were able to take the back streets the rest of the way. Venice is so beautiful. We had a great kiss under the lovers brigde, cuddled close and saw something not everyone will get to see. Venice was great!

Venice Day One

I normally dont Blog this much at all. I honestly only blog on random occasions but I feel that for this trip I really need to write this down so I wont forget it and its so amazing I want to share it with all.
Today we got to Venice by train. The transportation here is all by water. We got the youth pass (last time for me) that allows us to go all over. The Islands are not really that big. We got to our room (after wondering for a bit) and headed out to Saint Marks Square. The view was amazing. The Cathedrals here are all so rad. We had so much fun trying to kick the pigeons (maybe that was me) but I got one. We just got lost for the next 2 hours or so and wondered around.
We ended up finding the Rialto Bridge at just the right time, Sunset. We headed to that and it was amazing. We got some pics and then strolled the shops. The city began to close so we came home. I forgot to tell that I acutally wanted McDonalds for dinner and that is what we had.
Chao for now!

Stressa/ Isola Pescadore

I have been meaning to get here so I can write all that we are seeing. On Thurs morning Charity and I caught the train from Sesto C and headed towards the Alps. We got off in Stressa. From there we walked down to Lake Magorrie (SP) and caught a boat over to Isola Pescadore. We had the most amazing hotel room in the world (Hotel Belvedere). You really have to stay there if you ever make it to Italy. I dont think we have ever been that spoiled. Our room over looked Lake Maggorie and we had this amazing terrace that we could chill on. We ate lunch at this little restaruant that Charity loved and had the best fish she ever ate!!! From there we took a boat to Isola Bella, it was pretty sweet. We had so much fun just exploring the Islands and getting some time together.
On Friday we planned to get up and get a car to go to Swiss. We got the boat over to Stressa and went to AVIS. My bad, I forgot my Drivers License and we got the shaft on the car. We ended up taking a Cable Car ride to Montaronee which was super sweet. We saw the Alps from the top and I threw some snowballs at Charity :)
The view from the top was so beautiful! We got back down to our Island. We decided that we really own it now! After that we headed home for some chill time. I got to read the Bible about Saul and Charity took a nap. Shes 19 weeks pregnant so she needed that.
Then this morning we caught a train to Venice!!! I will tell you more about that cause this place is sweet.

Sesto C & Millano

So I had to take the time today to write about what is going on! Charity and I are offically in Italy. We landed yesterday morning into Millan about 6am. From there we caught a cab to our hotel (Hotel David) which is located in a small town called: "Sesto Calende". This place is beautiful! We are on Lake Magorrie and you can see the lake from the balcony in our room. We arrived and were beat tired. The people here are so nice, they gave us our room and we crashed out for like 5 hours. After getting up, taking a quick shower we headed out to check the town out. The streets are made of cobble stone and it is so quint here. Charity and I love it! We had gilatto and the best pasta for dinner.
Today we caught the train into Millan. From the center of town we took the Metro down to a HUGE castle. After wandering around there we headed to the most beautiful church I have ever seen. It was stunning, its called Duomo. We walked around Millan all day and then caught a train back home, had some great Pizza and now we are gonna crash! Tomorrow we head to Stressa, and stay on an Island for 2 nights!!!

Monster Jam

Yep, that's right! We are off to Monster Jam 2008 right now!! I am so stoked. Charity and I are going and we got free tickets which makes it even better. I wish I had a mullet to just round out the entire evening!

Its a boy!

Charity and I went to the Doc on Thursday and here is what we saw:

Although it is still early (15 weeks), our Doc said she is 90% sure that we are having a boy! What the pic shows is the feet on top, then if you move to the bottom you see the two butt cheeks and a little weenie in the middle! (Kinda weird talking about that) But we are so exited!!!

What we do...

"All I want to do is recapture what we used to live and breathe – we hold kids' hands, we listen to their stories, we take them seriously, and somewhere along the way, we bring them to Jesus. That's it. That's youth ministry."- Mike Yaconelli

Charity's Pregnant!!!

On thursday (Feb 7th) Charity and I went to her second doctors appointment. We found out about 2 months ago that Charity was pregnant and we are SO STOKED!!!

Here is a picture of when we found out. It was really cool cause my buddy Conrad was in town (he found out before I did). The funny thing is that one day Charity came home and I told her to take a pregnancy test, I knew she was being different, but the test showed up negative. A couple weeks later she came home from the gym and just broke down crying, that is when we knew she needed to take another test.

I cant beleive how exciting this is. On thursday Charity was 11 weeks pregnant and we got an ultrasound, it was so rad! The baby (who we call BB Baby Benson) was just moving all over the place. He (not sure of the sex yet) was moving his hands all over the place. It really looked liked he was dancing all over the place. The heartbeat is strong and we saw all the limbs, hands, feet, head, body, heartbeat, and inbillical cord. It was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen. I can not even tell you how excited I am.

Praise God for this in our lives!

Long Nights, Hurt Students, and Spots to fill

I think this is something that most youth pastors know very well. The nights are never short, there is always a student to talk to and it seems like I am always trying to fill spots for camp. I don't know how you feel about these things, but I wouldn't change them for the world. There are some people that I think God has just wired to work with students and I feel like one of them. I have often had people ask me: "Neal, when are you gonna be an associate pastor?" or "Neal, don't you ever want to do something more than that youth gig?"
To me its not "a youth gig" to me this is life. This is what God has created me for. Last night was long, and we had students that hearts are broken. It just hit me, again, that we live in a place that is not perfect. We strive for the place that is perfect, where we get to see God face to face and we can be done with this world. We don't live for what we can see, but for a place far better than here.
I will always have long nights, there will always be students to pray with and encourage and I one day, hopefully, we will fill the spots for camp. But until then I will keep getting up every day to: Love God, Love my Wife and do my best to point students to Jesus. They need it so bad, so please pray for them whenever you get the time!

“Nobody Made It!”

Kepler, the astronomer, was troubled by one of his friends who denied the existence of God and took the view of the universe which prevails in some circles today, namely, that it came into being of itself by mechanical methods. Kepler, in order to convince his friend, constructed a model of the sun with the planets circling round it.
When his friend came into the Observatory and saw the beautiful model, he exclaimed with delight, “How beautiful it is! Who made it?” And Kepler carelessly answered, “No one made it: it made itself.” His friend looked at him and said, “Nonsense, tell me who made it.” Kepler then replied, “Friend, you say that this little toy could not make itself. It is but a very weak imitation of this great universe which, I understood, you believe did make itself.”
—A. Naismith

The world needs you and I

God builds his kingdom primarily through ordinary people who are willing to use daily encounters to tell others about the salvation that is available in Jesus Christ.
-- Anthony Campolo

School, School and more School!

Tonight is a long one for me. I am a wuss now that I am old, I love to be in bed by like 10. I just finished my homework and it was a killer. I read a book tonight and just wrote a two page report on it. That would not be so bad in itself, but I did this on Monday night also. Tuesday night I was our Middle School Ministry and Wednesday night I was at our HS ministry. It has been a long week. I have school tomorrow night and Saturday morning. I have a 15 page paper and a written final due on Dec. 7th and I have NO clue when I will get to them. I am just tired of school right now and needed some time to vent.

If you read this and Love Jesus, will you please pray for me to finish school strong. I know that I am learning so much and it is good. I am in a leadership class and I want to be a better leader and I love the books, its just so much info to process.
Thanks for reading my rant!

PDYM

http://www.pdymblog.com/

A good laugh

Last night my pastor came to stop in and hang out with us for our High School Ministry. I was a little nervous, but not really. I was speaking on gossip and confronting issues when people talk about you. We are doing a series called Mind Games that looks at the Sermon on the Mount.
I asked one of my student leaders to find a clip from Mean Girls that would help show what not to do in a situation. The clip was great, I was laughing out loud... and then it happened. The girl said "f-ing". She didn't say the "f word", but she said "f-ing" I was scared. Then as the clip ended the girl says to the other girl: "catch you later beotch". I was so nervous, but realized that it had happened.
Just had to share that with you all.

Quote of the Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. -
"A man who won't die for something is not fit to live."

Death

Last night I preformed my first funeral service; it was hard. I will never forget the call that I got received ten days ago from one of my boys. He called at 9:45pm sobbing, he was broken. I was broken. How do you help a young man bury his father? How do you comfort a person who has lost someone? I was so nervous preparing do the service, I was scared. We arrived for the service last night and spent time with the family.
The service started and I asked God to help me. I prayed for God to guide and lead me. The thing that God did last night was show people that we are the ones who are left here to deal with death. It is our choice as to how we will lead our lives. God moved. I was able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the group of people that showed up and God moved. It was such an amazing service. I feel honored to know the family and honored to have shared in life with them.
Don't miss out on being involved in people's lives, we are not meant to do life alone. We are meant to die alone. God has a plan for us. Read John 14:1-6.

Lost it all

I wish that I could pretend that this was going to be happy. I got a call from my dad yesterday on our way home. I asked how he was doing and he told me that he was at a friends house because he lost his home. He and his wife were outside yesterday trying to get their carport back together because the winds were so bad. At 2:30pm the fire came over the hill (he lives in Santa Clarita). He told me that he went inside to get his car keys and check book, by the time they were leaving the house was on fire. He told me he was battling the flames to get out of his property (he has about 10 acres). He got some clothes from a friend and then stayed at another friends house last night. He went to his property today and his home is gone. My dad lost everything. Please pray for him, his name is Don Benson. Him and his wife are ok which is by God’s Grace. I am not sure where my dad is at with God, but please keep him in your prayers. I am praying that I will be able to go help him out next week with anything that he needs.

Hola

"How far you go in your life depends on your being tender with theyoung,compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerantofthe weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been allofthese."
- George Washington Carver

Studying David

I have been studying David for this series we are doing in our HS ministry and David was truly a man after the heart of God. David really lived a life that was worth living. You have to check some of these verses:

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”1 Samuel 16:7

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:45

In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. 1 Samuel 18:14

He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 1 Samuel 24:5-6

Check it!

I think that this is one of the gnarliest websites that I have been to. It will really open up your eyes:
http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.htm

Just call me Rev!

Ok, just kidding. But for real, this last Sunday September 23rd was my ordination service and it was so amazing. I am so pumped to have completed this. If you would have told me 8 years ago that I would be an ordained Pastor I would have laughed in your face and took another sip of my beer, for real. But over the last 7 years and 7 months God has changed this man. God has grown this scared, mislead kid into a man that loves Him.
My mom, dad, sister, Jerry, and Marilyn all came out for the service to support me. My kids were there in full effect and a bunch of people from our church that love me. Do you ever think: "I wonder what they see in me?" Cause at times I dont see it.
I have to step back and realize that God has a huge plan for my life and your life. It is just our job to surrender to that plan (which is super hard) and trust in Him (which can be ever harder). Focus on God and things seem to be alot more manageable.

Back in Vegas

I'm back in Vegas today. 6 days ago Charity and I went to CO for 3 days got home for 24 hours and then got on a plane for something I look forward to every year: The Gathering. The Gathering is a time to connect with like-minded youth workers all over the states. We had a great time laughing, connecting, sharing, coaching and coming up with new ideas together. This is by far something that I look forward to every year that I can attend.
This year Charity came and I needed that. I spend too much time traveling and being away that having her with was so great.

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.
- Mother Teresa

Balls of Fury Review:

I really thought that this movie would be more inappropriate then it really was. Don't get me wrong there were some scenes in it that were crazy, but not as bad as I had expected. My review is that it was hilarious. I laughed my booty off. My wife and I went with some students and were kinda scared of what it would be like. There was a humor in this movie that I haven't seen in a long time. The humor was creative and used at a great time. They used some funny lines and brought some characters that I have no idea of what was coming.

Christopher Walken was amazing!!! I loved his character and the Chinese Master was a great man. I laughed every time he was moved to talk to someone. He had some lines that the movie could have done without. I almost said; "Welcome to America" but there has to be a way to get this funny humor without the dirty words, I really think it could be done. If you want to see some dumb humor and have a great laugh then you gotta see this flick!
BTW: Panda's dead.

You have to ride a Mule

This is short but sweet. Charity and I just took a Mule ride to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It was so amazing. We met my Mom and Jerry at the North Rim a week ago and had a rad cabin to stay at. We stayed about 300 feet from the rim of the Grand Canyon. If you ever can go to the North Rim and take the Mule ride. Here is our pic, it was so fun!!!

This is half way down, there is a tunnel, a bridge and a great place to eat some grub down at the bottom by a sweet river.

When will it stop?

I don't know about you but I feel like we live in a society that is just so hurt and so bitter. This last weekend I went down to So Cal because my sister was getting baptized and Charity was in a wedding so it worked for me to fly in late Saturday night. Now this is one of those trips I will never forget. My plane landed in Orange County Airport 20 min early, which never happens. I was sitting on the bench waiting for my brother-in-law, Kevin, to come and get me.

As I was waiting I like to people watch, not sure how you all feel about that, but there was man standing in the close lane and talking on the phone. There was a woman behind him and her ride was pulling in and this man was standing right in the path that the truck needed to get his friend. Well this man on his cell phone starts yelling at the lady and then trying to get in her face, I was appalled. I grew in So Cal and I could not believe the way this man was acting. He was swearing at this women and the man who had come to get her, I was just really shocked at the situation and how someone could be so mad about something so little.

Well Kevin came and got me came a couple minutes later and we started driving back to his house. We were driving and chatting and just catching up. See just about four weeks ago my sister and Kevin had the toughest baby in the world, you just cant call him beautiful because he is a boy. So we are driving and there is man on the other side of the road and it’s dark and he was crossing the street. Well this lady driving starts yelling at him and swearing at him and just going crazy. She like totally slowed down so that he would hear all that she had to say and the dude just went off, there was middle fingers blaring and hate flying. I make it sound funny, but it really hurt my heart to think of all the pain that is in the world right now.

HUME

Hume Lake: July 22-28 2007
This year we took our HS ministry to Hume Lake and it was so tight. We had the best week I had had at camp in a long time. The messages that were given were just what I needed to hear. We talked about Daniel and looked at Shadrach, Meshach and Abendigo in a light I had never thought of.
The camp did all this to a Viking theme and made it so amazing. I continually feel honored to work with students and that God would use me. We a handful of students make life changing decisions and it is always a rad feeling to be a part of that.
Thank you Jesus for all I get to do.

Greek

Have you ever heard someone talking and they told you: "its all Greek to me."
Well that is how I still feel. I am currently in my fourth quarter of learning Greek and it's so stinking hard. One, of the many things, that taking this course has taught me is that hard things have a great reward. Learning Greek has been extremely hard, but so beneficial. I have learned so much about the original language that the Bible was written in. When you see some of the words and begin to understand what the meaning is and how it was used it really grabs your heart.
I know that most people will probably read this and just go on, but if you ever get the chance to take a Greek class, by all means please do it!!!

No one ever said life would be easy

I don't know about you, but no one ever told me that life would be easy. I learned that real quick when I was growing up. I learned that my family wasn't rich, we didn't have all the things that other families had. The funny thing is that I never cared. I knew that we had something that some of those families never had; we had dinner together.
My family ate dinner together at least 5 nights a week. My mom would say that we did this because she doesn't know how to cook and we never had the money for dinner. Every night we ate dinner at my grandma's house. It gave me a time that I could hang out with my family. My grandma would get us there and then shout: "Aubenbrout" which means "dinner" in German.
It was great
Then life went on and we all grew up. I miss eating dinner with my family. Even though life is not always easy, and no one ever said it would be, it is always worth it. I sit on my couch writing this and I am taking a break from doing homework. I think to myself; "Neal, you are 27 years old...you need to be done with homework!" I want to be done, but I know that God has called me to get my degree and I will get it. I will stay focused on the task. I tell myself; "No one ever said being a christian is easy." I think; "Why should it just be easy for me?"
I know that life will never be easy, but I know that it will always be worth it. The great times far out way the hard times and that is why I can take a break, write this and then go back to homework.
God has called me to something and I want to pursue that!

I'm Stoked

So today is July 6th 2007 and I am 27 years right now. In the last week I have gone wakeboarding two times. I was so excited the last time I went I was able to clear the wake almost every time and even landed it. I just wanted to write this not out of pride and a "look what I can do spirit" but out of a "Thank God that I am still alive."
I am so blessed to be alive today. I am so stoked that I get to spend time with High School students and go wakeboarding with them. I am honored that God has called me to serve Him full time in an environment that encourages me to spend time with students and hang out with them. We went out wakeboarding on Monday and it was so amazing. I am once again honored to do what I get to do, to see live change happen before my eyes every day and to know that I am loved by God.
What are you thankful for today?

WOW

The purpose of religion -- at any rate, the Christian religion-- is not to get you into heaven, but to get heaven into you.
-- Frederick Ward Kates

Quote

A science which does not bring us nearer to God is worthless.
-- Simone Weil

What is 100% certian for us all?

Remember how fleeting is my life.For what futility you have created all men! What man can live and not see death,or save himself from the power of the grave? Ps 89:47-48

I was reading my Bible this morning in Psalms and came across this verse and it just hit, every single one of us will die. Then it hit me: Where will I go? I thought about it and the joys of knowing Jesus and the blessing of serving Him and then it hit me even harder; what about those that do not know. I got scared for them, it made me sad. I started to ponder that. It made me think about my neighbors, all eight of them that live in our building and the other 400 that live in our complex; who will tell them about the hope that I have. Do they have that hope? Do they know where they will go when they die? What is their thoughts on it? Are they correct thoughts or lack of understanding?
From I see in the Bible it says that we all need to ask Jesus into our hearts to be our savior. We need to not only do that, but also to live for Him and His plans for our life. What I have learned is that the best choice you can make in your life is to live it for Jesus. None of us will ever be perfect, but I sure could use some guidance in this thing called life that I have trouble with all the time.

PODCAST

What is a podcast? That is a great question and my simple answer would be: a great way for you to hear what God is doing in Vegas and what students are learning about here.
How do you get our podcast? Another great question. Go to iTunes and on the left there is a section for podcasts. Click on that. Then in the bottom click on: "Podcast Directory". This will take you to all Podcasts. Go to the right side and click on: "Power Search". Then in the title line search: "Explode High School Ministry". That will bring up our podcast and from there you can listen to whatever you would like to.
Or all you have to do is have iTunes and click this link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=256652747

COULD YOU IMAGINE???

Burkina Faso’s human development index 2004
Life expectancy at birth (years)
1. Norway (0.965)
172. Central African Republic (0.353)
173. Guinea-Bissau (0.349)
174. Burkina Faso (0.342)
175. Mali (0.338)
176. Sierra Leone (0.335)
Adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older)
1. Japan (82.2)
150. Uganda (48.4)
151. Mali (48.1)
152. Burkina Faso (47.9)
153. Ethiopia (47.8)
154. Kenya (47.5)
1. Georgia (100.0)
125. Niger (28.7)
126. Chad (25.7)
127. Burkina Faso (21.8)
128. Mali (19.0)
Think about this next time we (I enclude my self) complain about being American. Did you know that Burkina Faso is the third poorest country in the world? You could live in Burkina Faso West Africa and make a dollar a day if you are lucky to be one of the 14% of the population that has a job. Otherwise you may be sweeping up sand to buy a bowl of rice for about a quarter. Yep, how does living on 25 cents a day sound???
See what you can do at www. compassion.com by sponsoring a child in need. Imagine what $35 a month could do in a childs life...

So true

The world is a dangerous place,not because of those who do evil,but because of those who look on and do nothing.
- Albert Einstein

I love my wife

Marriage:
I think that marriage is probably one of the hardest relationships that we will ever have in life. Marriage is tough, there are times that it is so hard and you think: "can I keep doing this?"
The answer is: "YES". God loves marriage. God created marriage to be a wonderful thing, He created it to help us!!!
The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Gen 2:18
The sad thing is that we, sinful humans, are the ones that have messed up God's original design so badly. I imagine that it hurts God so bad.
Today I want to challenge you to seek God's plan for your marriage. Love your spouse like God loves you. Put them before yourself. Buy them a gift, show them that you love them. What if today was the last day you could show them your love, what would you do...
Do that!
I put a picture of Charity and I up here in Hawaii on the North Shore. My wife went surfing on the North Shore that day and I am so proud of her!

I miss Hawaii

About two weeks ago Charity and I had the blessing of going to Hawaii.

Today I am sitting in my living room, on memorial day, finishing an Ordination paper. I wish I was back in Hawaii. Charity and I were able to sit on the beach, swim with turtles and most importantly hang out with old friends. I will write more about this later, I just needed a 30 second vacation to look at my pics again.

School

School is almost over. In about one month there will be thousands of kids that are out of school. They will be moving into the job place, they will be getting out of there homes and starting a new point in life. I often wonder things like: where these kids fit in? and Who do they have to look up to when times get tough?

My heart contiuneally breaks because I will be graduating some of these kids. On May 30th we are having our senior grad banquet and sending these guys into the real world. Did we train them right? Did we teach them how to live a God honoring life? Did we show them we care? Were we there for them? Did we model what we say?

Just some food for thought on what goes through my mind.

This is Crazy

Dear GOD:
Why didn't you save the school children at....
Virginia Tech 04/16/07
Amish Country, PA
Wisconsin
Columbine High School
Moses Lake, Washington 2/2/96
Bethel, Alaska 2/19/97
Pearl, Mississippi 10/1/97
West Paducah, Kentucky 12/1/97
Stamp, Arkansas 12/15/97
Jonesboro, Arkansas 3/24/98
Edinboro, Pennsylvania 4/24/98
Fayetteville, Tennessee 5/19/98
Springfield, Oregon 5/21/98
Richmond, Virginia 6/15/98
Littleton, Colorado 4/20/99
Taber, Alberta , Canada 5/28/99
Conyers, Georgia 5/20/99
Deming, New Mexico 11/19/99
Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 12/6/99
Santee, California 3/ 5/01 and
El Cajon, California 3/22/01?
Sincerely, Concerned Student

Reply:
Dear Concerned Student:
I am not allowed in schools.
Sincerely, GOD

Who will you be like?

Yesterday I was reading in my Bible about the kings of Israel (actually the king of Judah). I came to one of the last kings and reading about his life. Usaully you read that the man continued in the sin of his father and lead Israel incoreectly, it makes me sad. Then I came to read about a man named Josiah.
Josiah changed that pattern. Josiah lead Judah in the correct way. He tore down all the shrines and prostitue places. He removed all the false Gods from the Temple of the Lord. This dude was gnarly. He killed all the spiritualists and the mediums. He did what God wanted. Now I am not sugesting that you go and kill people and tear down places, but where is your passion for the Lord?
Are you following the sin of you fathers or making a choice to follow the plan of the Lord?

2 Kings 23:24-25
24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the LORD. 25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did — with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. NIV