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If you are a believer in Christ, you are like a fighter in a ring (1 Tim. 6:12).  And every believer, just like a fighter, should have a trainer in their corner (if you don’t have a trainer you’ve probably been getting beat up.  Get one!).  A trainer is someone who teaches and motivates you and holds you accountable.  A trainer genuinely wants the fighter to win.  But a trainer cannot fight your battles for you.  He/she cannot even get in the ring with you.  The fighter has to fight.  As a fighter, you should listen to the trainer if you want to win but, in the end, you are responsible for your own effort.

And if you’re a trainer, there’s nothing more heartbreaking than being in someone’s corner and telling them what they need to know only to watch them give up. You feel sorry for them because you know how difficult it is to be fighting in that ring. You know that when YOU are in a fight your judgment can become distorted and the temptation to quit becomes so very strong.

For you Fighters (and we all are): Remember that during this fight you will get hit!  And you will make some mistakes.  But the biggest mistake is giving up!  The fight may not be going like you wanted, and you may not believe there is any hope to win, but with God all things are possible!  ONE PUNCH can turn this fight around!  The only way you can lose this fight is if you quit.  There is a false peace that comes when you quit (because it’s nice to not be fighting anymore!).  HOLD OUT for true peace, the kind that comes from the Holy Spirit, the kind that is still there even when all hell is breaking loose (Phil. 4:7)!  Also, be teachable and learn from your trainers.  God put them in your corner for a reason.  But this fight is yours and no one else’s, no excuses.  And last but not least, surrender to the Holy Spirit.  He is the only one who can be in the ring with you besides the enemy.  He can empower you with strength and strategy beyond what you are able to conjure up within yourself.

For you Trainers: I know how frustrated your fighters can make you.  They can be arrogant know-it-all’s, they don’t always listen and it seems like they give up way to easily.  But how will they learn to be patient if we are not patient with them?  How will they learn to listen to us if we don’t listen to them?  You will have some fighters that give up.  You were in their corner but you could not fight their battle for them.  God will continue to work on their hearts but even He will not make their decisions for them.  Let them go.  Paul had to let John Mark go but he eventually came back.  You never know.  Hang in there and keep training the ones that stick around.  All your hard work will pay off one day IF you don’t lose heart (Gal. 6:9)!  Set a good example because one day your FIGHTERS will become TRAINERS.

1 Timothy 6:12  “Fight the good fight of faith…”

2 Timothy 2:3-5 (Message)  “When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere.”

Taking a cue from 3D, we decided to launch a series called Bucket List at Chosen last Thursday.  I talked to the Chosen students about Abraham and the #1 thing on his Bucket List – a son.  It was a dream planted in his heart by God but it seemed impossible to achieve because he and his wife Sarah were 100 and 90 years old.  Eventually Abraham learned that with God all things are possible AND not only did God give him a son but He made Abraham the “father of many nations”!  During this series we are challenging the students to dream BIG!

So we asked the Chosen students to write out their own Bucket List during small group time and here is a selection from several different students:

• “To be a softball coach” – 6th grade girl
• “To cure an incurable disease” – 12th grade boy
• “To go on a shopping spree” – 7th grade girl
• “To go see an NBA game” – 10th grade boy
• “To see an NFL game” – 12th grade boy
• “To have money to buy a car and to build a church” – 6th grade girl
• “To go back to school.  I want to be a high schooler” – 8th grade girl
• “To be a beautician” – 8th grade girl
• “To own an ipod touch” – 12th grade boy
• “To turn my life to God!!!” – 8th grade girl
• “To be a musician” – 8th grade girl
• “To get a job and a car and a home for me and my mom to live in so we don’t have to stay with my cousin” – 12th grade boy
• “To pass 8th grade and always get good grades” -8th grade boy
• “To ride the tallest roller coaster” – 8th grade boy
• “To go to Woodland Hills Mall” – 7th grade girl
• “To go to Disney Land” – 8th grade boy
• “To be a model” – 8th grade girl
• “To have a good relationship with my mom” – 10th grade girl
• “To have a job” – 10th grade girl
• “To get a job and my own place for me and my baby and to have my own car” – 12th grade boy
• “To work on the police force” – 12th grade boy
• “To find a stable place for my daughter to live” -12th grade boy
• “To live in a safe neighborhood” – 7th grade girl
• “To go to the BET awards” – 10th grade boy
• “To meet my brothers and sisters” – 11th grade girl
• “To find my brother and sister” – 7th grade girl
• “To build my family a new house” – 12th grade girl
• “To get my G.E.D.” – 17 yr. old boy
• “Get my G.E.D.” – 18 yr. old girl
• “I wish I could get rid of my anger” – 6th grade girl
• “To go to a homeless shelter and share a sermon” – 10th grade girl
• “To go Ice Skating for the first time” – 12th grade girl
• “To see my grandma in heaven” – 9th grade girl
• “I already have a child but I want to get my education” -9th grade girl
• “Just to take care of my baby and watch her grow old” – 12th grade boy
• “To be baptized” – 9th grade boy
• “To get a makeover” – 7th grade girl
• “To travel to Jamaica or Haiti and build shelters for the homeless” – 11th grade girl

By reading this list you can probably guess what kind of environment many of these students live in.  Please pray for the inner-city teenagers in America!  They need to experience the life-changing power of God!

ALSO… Chosen is partnering with 3D to grant at least one Chosen student something from their Bucket List each week!

• When planning a pivotal week/month in your ministry area, don’t forget about the mental toll (not to be confused with troll – you need to watch out for these too) your activities will take from you.  It’s easy to look at a calendar and think “Oh I have enough time to do that”.  Time isn’t always the issue.  Prayer, rest, processing and debriefing are also essential
• If you need rest, rest.  It’s the same with prayer, processing and debriefing.  Don’t mow the lawn (I’m always trying to get out of this one!), don’t work on your house, don’t be a good parent (ok bad idea).  The point is DO what you NEED to do or else you’ll take time off without actually preparing yourself for the next big thing.
• If what you’re doing takes a mental toll, be sure to plan extra time for prayer, study and reading.  If you’re preaching or teaching more often, get some EXTRA prayer time in.  If you don’t plan these into your week, you’re planning to fail
• And while you’re working, walk in the grace of God (His ability to do what you can not do in your own ability).  Without grace, burnout comes quick!

On August 11th, the IMT program launched O2 for the IMT Team Leaders who are in their second year.  O2 is an intense training course designed to teach, stretch and unite Team Leaders and prepare them for a challenging year.  Because of a vow of secrecy we have all taken, I can’t go in to further detail.  But I can tell you that O2 has been nothing short of incredible!

Not only have the Team Leaders built chemistry, but the IMT Staff has as well.  It’s the first time many of us have worked together and I’ve been so impressed!  There are sure to be growing pains but so far we have flourished together.

A few days ago we asked the Team Leaders to discuss their goals for the year.  Then we gave them hundreds of sheets of paper and asked them to create a mosaic.  In a short time, the TL’s created “FamUnity” – a combination of Family and Community.  It’s one of their goals and now they have the opportunity to live it out.  More to come…

I’ve been standing around in awe.  I’m so honored by the element of teamwork I am witnessing right now.  There are teams of people working together to accomplish common goals.  Everyone has a different role but they’re all chipping in.  There are Chosen leaders putting in long hours so that inner-city teens can be reached.  There are IMT students serving on multiple levels including Chosen, Mobile Kids Clubs, Youth Ministry, the poor, Homes for Haiti and they’re even serving each other.  There are family members and friends who help Christina and I with our kids and our ministry projects.  The list goes on and on.

I don’t know how it happened but it’s happening.  It’s a sight to see.  To everyone who serves on the ministry teams worldwide: Thank You!  God has not forgotten your labor of love.

Unity is the most powerful earthly force!

I’m very excited to announce that I’ve recently been promoted to Director of the In Ministry Training program at Victory Christian Center.  IMT is a program within Victory Bible Institute for young adults who desire to be in full time ministry.  Christina and I both graduated from IMT in 2000 and it’s been a dream of ours to one day lead this team of young people.  We’ve known for a long time that God called us to do this but it’s taken a long time to get here (9 years!).  We’ve been through good times and hard times but it has ALL been preparation.  And looking back, I’m grateful for all of it, even the most challenging seasons.  I’ve learned that some dreams you must pursue and others you just have to wait for.  What you do while you’re waiting for your dream determines if that dream will ever come to pass.

I’ve learned so much from Ryan Stafford, the previous IMT Director, and I will do my best to build upon the great work he’s done.  He will continue to work at Victory in the area of production, managing Victory’s big stage presentations and lots more.

I will continue to be the Pastor of Chosen, Victory’s urban youth outreach.  It’s going to be a lot of work but now I will have some extra help from the IMT students.  I’m thankful to be a part of such a powerful ministry and my goal is to fuse these two ministries together and cause both to be better because of each other.

I’ve never been more excited about what God is doing in my life!

Jesus said “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few…” Or, in the words of Keith Green, “The harvest is great but the workers are late.”  That means we are in over our heads. It means that there’s so much ministry to be done but there aren’t enough people doing it.

I think we’ve done the right thing by helping Haiti. Actually, it was the only thing we could do. We are generous and ready to act but it seems we first need to see the devastation with our own eyes before we do anything.

I hope that as believers we will start searching for causes. Searching and praying because they are out there.

There’s so much to do.

“…therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” – Matthew 9:37, 38

After spending a lot of time in prayer (and even some fasting with the Chosen leaders), we’ve had some breakthrough’s at Chosen. First, our services have been great and we added a new bus for a route near Rogers High School.
Second, we launched small groups. This has been amazing because the Chosen leaders have really taken ownership over their groups. They love building relationships with these students – I think it’s the biggest strength we have as a leadership team. And the students are enjoying the small groups also because it’s a good chance to socialize and the leaders make the groups fun, not boring and not too serious.
Third, we’ve started the Chosen Chaplain program at Tulsa Public Schools. So far we’ve got 8 chaplains (Chosen leaders) who take 1 lunchtime each week to visit a public school lunch and meet new students, invite them to Chosen, build relationships and mentor students.
So recently, we’ve had some wins at Chosen and we’re looking for more…

I caught this video on CNN about a man who tried to climb K2 in Pakistan.  His name is Greg Mortenson and he didn’t make it to the top but got injured, almost died and had to be nursed back to health in a small Pakistan village.  He impressed me, not because he climbed K2, but because of how he spent his recovery time.  He noticed how the village lacked a proper school.  He saw kids writing school lessons in the dirt with sticks!  So he helped build them a school.  And then he built another one in a different village and has kept going and has now built 78 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan!

There are so many causes in this world that need attention but it seems like some of us have to see the need with our own two eyes before we truly believe something should be done.  Or we need to see it before we believe that we should be the ones to do something.  Sometimes we don’t embrace compassion until it hits us right between the eyes.  But even then some people still don’t embrace it.

Click Here to watch the story

A few years ago at Victory I knew a lady named Nancy.  I didn’t know her very well but I knew enough.  She was a Bus Captain for Victory Bus Ministry for years.  A little white lady who beamed with compassion and love for inner city kids.  That’s what her life was all about.  There were kids that got on her bus as 1st graders and didn’t get off until they were Bus Leaders as high school graduates.  She would do anything she could do to reach a young person for Christ and then to disciple them.

I’m praying for some Nancy’s.  I’ve got some incredible leaders at Chosen but I need more.  I’m praying for leaders to step up and become Public School Chaplains, Small Group Leaders and Bus Captains.  I’m praying for leaders that put others first.