A couple years ago I got the opportunity to work at the NASCAR race in Fontana.  I admit it.  I like NASCAR.  There is just something about going around in circle for hours!  We work in the garage area (where all the cars and drivers are).  We guard the gates and make sure that only the right people get in.  The days are long with lots of standing around, but it is still really fun.  The thing about it that I enjoy the most is that it gives me the perfect opportunity to live out my faith.  No one there knows me.  I could go and be a totally different person and no one would know.  The environment there isn’t the best.  The language is rough. But leaning on God and being and example to others is awesome.  I am reminded of what life is like for my students everyday at school.  The choices they make about honoring God all the time.  It gives me greater compassion when they struggle, and when they mess up.  Living for God isn’t easy.  At times we mess up.  But man is it worth it!

As soon as I finish this I am leaving for the weekend.  Pray for me that I would be an example to those I work with.  Pray that they would see Christ through me.

There is a group of youth workers from around the US leaving Thursday for Haiti.  I have met a couple of these guys and they are the real deal.  They are guys with a heart for God and students.  I read a couple of their blogs on a regular basis and I appreciate their input into the youth ministry world.  I would ask you to be praying for the team as they leave and as they are gone.  You can get updates on the trip by joining their Facebook group or by signing up for prayer updates via email.  Marko, one of the guys going posted this video on his blog.  The organization they are going with Adventures in Missions put it together and it is great.  We are going to show it tomorrow night at Thrive Wednesday and challenge our students to do something to Help Haiti.

Brandon was one of my students early on in my ministry at JCC.  He has also been a student ministry staff, and is currently involved with our main service band.

To show support for Brandon a Facebook page has been set up where you can send words of encouragement to him and his family, and also keep informed of the latest news.

Thanks for praying and pass this on to anyone you know!  As Brandon said, “God is good, no matter what happens to me, God is good.”  Please pray.

As a lot of you know, Cecily Carrillo one of our former students and Thrive Staff has been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.  She is currently in Australia with YWAM and will be coming home soon for treatment.  Some of her friends have created a Facebook group and a website insupportodcecily.com to keep updated on her progress and well as encourage Cecily.

2009 was also about getting back to the basics with Thrive.  Our budget was cut pretty good as we headed into the New Year, and I really was good with it and excited about what was ahead for us.  All this happened as I was reading a couple books, Youth Ministry 3.0, by Mark Oestreicher and It, by Craig Groeschel.  I don’t know if it was reading these books at the same time as the Nicaragua trip, but seriously I was excited about the budget cut.  If I really believe that ministry is about relationships and not program then I don’t really need a big budget.  A $5.00 footlong from Subway goes pretty far!  Throughout the year we saw God do some great things in our students lives as well as in our Thrive Staff lives.  We saw God bring about something I had wanted to do for nearly 10 years, in His timing (I wrote about this a while ago), Thrive University.  Our first one was great and our second one is in a week.  Trusting God and His timing is always better than forcing something according to your calendar.

2009 was also a great year with my family.  Ministry schedules can be crazy with a lot of nights, weekends and weeks away from home, so you need to just make time to get away with you family.  In February we surprised our kids with a trip to Disneyland.  The kids thought we were taking them to school and then we asked them if they would rather go to Disneyland (we were pretty sure they would say yes!).  So off we went! Over Spring Break we went camping at Silver Strand with some friends.  It was WINDY and COLD!!  We could only go outside one day so we left early and came home.  Right after school got out we went camping at Santee Lakes.  It was a great time of relaxing, riding bikes and reading.  Just before school started we went to Palm Springs for a couple days.  Yes it was hot!  But the room had great AC and the pool felt amazing.  InSeptember Nikki and I celebrated 14 years of marriage.  We spent a weekend at the National Youth Workers Convention.  I know it sounds romantic, but we really look forward to it each year.  It is a great weekend of reconnecting and remembering why we do what we do.  As we start 2010 we are heading up to Big Bear for a couple days to relax before school starts up again.  I love my wife.  I love my kids.  I am thankful for having them in my life and for putting up with all the craziness that ministry can bring.