Ever wonder what it takes for a youth pastor to get ready to go on a retreat? I thought I would video the packing process! Enjoy…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmpEYFyXryA]
Last night was incredible. I’ll tell you why. Last night was Junior High youth group. And do you know that it was the first youth group that I have been at as a youth pastor where I haven’t taught! Last night was the first night for our new intern, Josh Adams to teach. Josh team taught with a good friend of mine, Matt Thompson. They rocked it. Let me tell you what,they were funny. If you weren’t there, they were funny, and they were serious, and they were able to get the point across. Serious props to these guys!
I can’t wait to see where our Junior High ministry goes!
Okay, and here’s the second amazing thing. Last night sometime between 12:00 and this 8:00 am, the salt lick reached over 20,000 hits! Amazing. Here’s the proof.
How cool is that? Thanks to all of you guys who keep coming back and checking it out each day. I’m excited to see what kind of a community God may be building here at the saltlick.
Tonight we are headed out with The Refinery, (Senior High) for our winter retreat. I am pretty pumped about this one! I love the winter retreats.
Oh, and next Sunday night @ 5:00 pm we will launch our new service at FBC called, The Five. The 5 is a worship service that encourages transformation in people’s lives and the culture around us. We are looking to make a difference here in Doylestown. I’m excited, I have the honor of teaching and providing leadership to this service. So, come check it out. 5:00 at First Baptist Church of Doylestown.
What new stuff is going on in your life?
~Peter
Let’s be honest with each other today!
What have you been dealing with?
I read Pete Wilson’s blog, as I usually do, and I was struck by this one post that he wrote about going first. Here it is. You should read it. How many times have you heard someone say, “I have an unspoken prayer request”? I am always a little annoyed by the “unspoken”. It’s kind of like, I want to really do life with you. I want to know what eats you up, and what destroys your heart, and your soul. What squashes the fire? And you respond with Unspoken. Well, let me go first today.
You can pray for me, and believe me, I would be honored if you would pray these things for me!
- Pray for a place for my wife, kids, and I to live. We have been living with a family for the last several months. We are craving our own space. The family has been greatly generous and loving towards us. It has nothing to do with them. Just everything to do with the desire to be together again as a family unit.
- Pray for me to lead the ministries that I have oversight with, with integrity of heart and skillful hands. But pray in that order. Integrity first. Skill second.
- Pray for me as I am taking on leading and teaching “The Five”. This is a new service here at FBC that is seriously trying to make a difference here in this community by unashamedly preaching the Bible in a real life changing culture making way.
- Pray that God would give me great creativity as I teach and lead. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel. I want to discover teleportation!
- Pray for Godly guys that would surround me and hold me accountable.
- Pray for my wife
- Pray for my kids
- Pray for me as I still deal with the loss of my Dad. It continues to be something that weighs on my heart!
- Pray that I would be a great husband to my wife and dad to my kids.
- Pray for times of refreshing and encouragement in my life! It seems easy for Satan to find things to discourage me with.
- Pray for all the details to work out for my potential enrollment at Biblical Seminary starting this fall! (finances!!!)
Seriously though, if we can’t live life together and be honest…. Come on… Let’s not have the unspoken. If you leave a prayer request in the comments, I will commit to praying for it! Let’s be able to develop a community here!
So grateful!
~Peter
Here’s the good news! I am so excited to introduce to you our new intern! His name is Josh Adams! I love this guy. He is an incredible young man who loves the Lord and loves students. He is tons of fun. I am pumped to see what God chooses to do through him!
Today here at FBC we had the red cross in for a blood drive. Now, it’s been a while since I’ve given blood. So, I figured today would be the day to give again. I checked over the whole list of things, and guess what… I qualify! I can give blood. So, I did. I filled the bag in 5 minutes flat. Just so you know, it took our intern 10 minutes. I guess he has a few things to learn huh?
Well, we were making it quite the competition… The nurses were coaching us and laughing at us, and just having a good time. All was well, until… UNTIL… all was well until this happened…
I’m not feeling so well…
I think I’m gonna pass out… (commotion, all around…)
Amazing! It was too good not to get this story on tape… ENJOY!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG1BVaX8iwE]
AMAZING
~Peter
What has God done in 2008? (in no particular order)
God Has…
- settled Tiffany and I here in Doylestown.
- broken my heart for the need’s of people.
- poured out blessing after blessing during times of serious financial need
- kept each one of us safe and healthy
- seen us through the creation of a Junior High and Senior High Youth Group.
- grew those groups spiritually
- grew those groups numerically
- worked in the lives of over a hundred teenagers here at FBC
- placed a burden on the hearts of people to give over $20,000 to the youth ministry
- cultivated rich friendships in my life
- grown my relationship with my wife to the degree that I didn’t know was possible
- stretched Tiffany and I in ways we couldn’t have imagined
- freed my dad from the limitations of sickness, disease, & brought him to the place of wholeness, and perfection
- allowed me some very special and intimate moments with my dad in the last few days
- gave me the strength to give testimony at my Dad’s funeral of not only who Dad was but who the very God that Dad served is
- given our youth ministry 21 solid youth leaders who not only love God with all their hearts, but also have a passion for students
- given me an anxious anticipation for the ministry that is to come in 2009!
What has God done in your life in 2008? It has been pretty quiet around here lately, through the holiday’s I have been spending extra time with my family and loving it! Let’s keep up the conversation in 2009! Thanks to each one of you who come back and read everyday! HAPPY NEW YEAR…
~Peter
Well today is December 29th. Can you believe that? Today I spent the morning with my wife and kids on the beaches of LBI and driving around looking at all the old familiar spots. We went to our second apartment, we went to the different places we loved. Then we met a friend for lunch. It was great. It felt like old times.
After all this nostalgic reminiscing, it made me think… “what has God done in the last year?” So, I’m challenging myself to take a look at the last year, and analyize it. I want to look back and see what God has done in my life over the last year. I want to take some time to think about it, but then I will share some of it with you.
So I challenge you with this question… “What has God done in your life this last year?”
Share with us! Let’s give God some praise…
~Peter