My Good-Bye to Asbury

The following is the article I published in our church newsletter this month, saying my final good-byes to the church I've worked at for nearly 4 years.

A Final Goodbye

I can’t believe this chapter has come to an end. What began as my first full-time job and an experiment in working with this new, strange denomination, has turned into a time in my life I will never forget and will always look back on with incredible memories. Mandy and I are truly blessed to have worked alongside you all for the sake of the gospel over the past 4 years. You have taught me so much about life and love and ministry and I am forever grateful. I cannot imagine a better group of people to live life with.

As I think back on the man I was 4 years ago, the way I lived my life, the way I looked at the world, I realize I am entirely different and owe much of that to you. An “annoying” YEAR of the theme “Peace with Justice” has eternally shaped my heart for the poor and downtrodden of this world, for the oppressed, depressed, afflicted and convicted. I’m not only not sick of talking about peace and justice, but I can no longer imagine myself at a church that doesn’t make that theme their focus.

I have also been blessed to work with such tremendous staff members. Dar, Brenda, Roxie, Duane, Cindy, Martha, and Kip have been amazing to work beside. What a blessing to work with such a great youth ministry staff and such amazing youth here. I thank you all for all you have taught me and I will treasure our time together in my heart forever. I pray that God would continue to work in your life.

If I had to offer one last word of advice, I guess I would challenge you to get rid of the religion in your life. Get rid of the petty rituals you’ve clung to just because “that’s what Christians do”. Stop living your life of faith as if it’s on a check list of things to do, and start modeling your life after the Savior of the Universe, Jesus Christ. Take seriously the words of Jesus when he tells you to daily take up your cross and follow him. Throw aside all those things that once bogged you down and run the race God has marked out for you. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…” (1 Tim. 6:12).

Grace and peace to all of you. God Bless.

Jason & Mandy

I'm Back

Hey to all my fellow bloggers. It feels like a lifetime since I have been on here. It is good to get back into a routine and I can't wait to restart the conversations with all of you.

I just got back from New Orleans at 7:30 this evening, where I had been for the past 9 days. I led a group of 28 to help rebuild the city in the wake of Katrina, and it was the best mission trip I've ever been on or led. We had such a great time, got a lot of work done, and were introduced to a new culture. I'm so blessed to have served with this group. We had 13 adults, 6 college students, and 9 high school students. I'm so proud of their hard work and great attitudes. What a great way to end my time at Asbury!

Mandy and I now sit 19 days away from moving, and it is really starting to become real. We are rapidly preparing for our garage sale this weekend, so our apartment looks like a war zone. Also, I have sort of bailed out of directing the camp I was supposed to be in charge of. I really feel like a jerk, but I really didn't know how stressed I would feel in June, and simply don't have the time or energy to devote to a week away at camp.

That's all for now. Talk to you all soon.

The Busyness Abounds

I'M AN IDIOT!

When Mandy and I decided to move to Seattle, I had this grand vision in my mind of one last month of ministry here in Sioux Falls where I would lead a mission trip, direct a camp, and then ride out of town guns blazing. Let's just say I shot myself in the foot.

While these are enjoyable activities in and of themselves, when you have already rented an apartment half-way across the country, can't wait to move there, and are desperately trying to cram your whole life into a 17' Budget Truck, you tend not to care so much about these once- important activities.

I'm really looking forward to the mission trip I am leading this coming week to New Orleans. I have yet to see the devastation of Rita and Katrina, and am anxious to be part of the rebuilding process. I'm not so stoked about the camp I have to lead for 5th and 6th graders a week after returning from New Orleans. Pray for me.

I probably won't be posting much here for the next 10 days. If you are interested in seeing what our team is up to in New Orleans and reading reflections from teenagers and adults alike, I have set up another blog that you can frequent from May 31 to June 8. We will be posting each night about the things we are doing and learning. Here is the link:

http://asburymissiontrips.blogspot.com/

Another "Last"

As the days tick down until Mandy and I pack our bags for Seattle, I will try to blog with caution and avoid being the guy who only writes and talks about another "last time" doing something here in Sioux Falls before moving. "This is the last time I will use this restroom. This is the last time I will say the word 'bucket.' This is the last time I will hop on one foot." You get the point.

With that said, though, I experienced a pretty big "last" last night. It was our Good Friday Service that is annually led by our high school youth group. This has always been one of my favorite services of the year. Our middle school youth group leads the Sunrise Service, and I would rather stab myself in the eye with a soldering gun than try to motivate a group of Tweens at 6:30am. The Good Friday service is different, though. It is so special to see the spiritual maturation that has happened in the lives of the students. They do such a great job of leading our congregation in worship and it is great to see the older generations finally recognize our youth as vital pieces of this "body of Christ" puzzle.

The students did great last night and I am so proud of them. I am positive that on Good Friday next year, sitting in worship somewhere across the country, I will be thinking about these students and missing them badly. May God continue to work in their lives long past my time here at Asbury.

A 'Fast' Weekend

This weekend I had the great privilege of spending about 24 hours with a fantastic group of high school students as we participated in World Vision's "30-Hour Famine". I was so proud of my students as they sacrificed their weekend in order to experience hunger and raise money and food in an attempt to end it worldwide.

The students and I went without food from Friday at noon until Saturday at 6pm. We spent the 30 hours watching a movie, playing laser tag, studying Scripture on hunger and poverty, and collecting money and food to help end hunger locally and worldwide. As I near the end of my time here at Asbury, I am so grateful for the experiences I have had with the students and parents and will never forget the impact they have made on me. Here's to 3 more months of making memories together.

Another Ski Trip...All Tired Out

One of the perks of being a youth pastor are all the trips you get to take with the students in the youth group. This weekend I was FORCED to take 13 of my students on a ski trip to the Black Hills. We had a blast! It was so great to see them try things they had never done before and the proud look they had when they succeeded. These times away from the everyday routine are such a great time to think deeply about life and I always cherish the trips with my students.

My body, however, did not enjoy the trip quite as much. I still feel young, as I am only 25, but my body just doesn't recuperate the way it used to. Here I am on Tuesday afternoon and I am still feeling the effects of this weekend's activities 3 days later. I had come home from the Black Hills on Wednesday night late and returned on Friday afternoon. After skiing all day Saturday I had to drive 6 hours home through bad road conditions and I am still feeling tired today. I'm too young to be feeling this old! Pray for my body!

A Great Final Winter Camp

Over my last four years of youth ministry while I have been working at my current church, one of the annual highlights of our ministry has been an event on the first weekend in January called Winter Camp. This event started as a little weekend getaway for just our church the year before I came, and has quickly turned into a district retreat with nearly 100 kids in attendance. And it is a blast!

We spend a ton of time having fun, but even more time focused on growing in our faith. This year's theme was "Finding Sacred in the Secular", where we used a number of different secular media outlets to teach truth about God. The sessions included a talk about God's redemption as seen in an episode of the Simpsons, a talk about who we are in Christ as seen through the U2 song 'The First Time, a talk about being the image of God through the use of Ben Harper, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow songs, and a showing of Hotel Rwanda.

I think the students walked away with a lot to ponder and hopefully God will continue to speak to all of their heart in the coming weeks and months. I am so fortunate to get paid to talk about Jesus Christ to people. What a blessing it is. I can't wait to see what God can do at my church in the next 6 months before I leave.

A Great X-Mas Party

Last night I celebrated Christmas with the students in our youth ministry and it was a great time. We had nearly 40 kids and we chilled at a restaurant and arcade for a couple hours while eating pizza, playing games, and shooting each other in laser tag (in which I totally dominated).

I am aware that in each youth ministry event in the next 6 months, including last night's party, I will experience the full gamut of emotion, from joy and thankfulness to pain and sorrow. Pray for me and my students during this time of transition that we would be able to say goodbye in a healthy way.

Adopt-A-Block Update

A few weeks ago I wrote about how the staff at our church had decided to Adopt-a Block. We want to get to know our neighbors and simply shower them with the love of God through conversation and service. I am proud to say that this has been taking place.

For the first time since I have been at Asbury, we are actually caring about our community enough to get to know the needs and try to make a difference. We have been meeting our neighbors every week now for about a month and it has been great. This past week we all raked leaves for two of our neighbors who might have had a hard time doing it themselves. Tomorrow, on the day before Halloween, we are going to do a reverse Trick-or-Treat, where instead of collect candy, we will go door to door passing out candy and getting to know our neighbors even more.

Pray for us as we seek to develop into people 'of' mission rather than simply people who 'do' mission.

the Overhaul

I few months ago I noticed this ugly, white delivery trucked parked in our parking lot at the college, and since then have not been able to stop thinking about it. My mind instantly began to process the many sorts of ministries and missions that could be done out of this vehicle.

Well, on Saturday afternoon I bought it. After jumping through all the hoops necessary at our church, the youth ministry has purchased this truck and we are now in the process of brainstorming ways that we can serve our neighborhood, community, and city through the use of this truck. We plan on helping people move, doing service projects like leaf raking, feeding the poor, and serving free ice cream to underprivileged schools in town. If you have any other ideas for ways this truck can be used, I would love your input.

The truck looks exactly like a U-Haul, so, to play on words, we are calling it "the Overhaul". We are praying that this truck becomes a tool to overhaul people's lives and our culture's way of thinking about the poor and the oppressed. God calls us to a complete transformation, an overhaul, and we want to be people who are not only being transformed, but are also transforming others and our society.

I'm Back

For those of you who tune in here from time to time, I hope you enjoyed hearing from some of the students in my youth group. This past week I took a group of high school students to serve on an Indian Reservation in Mission, SD, located in the 5th poorest county in the entire U.S. This was the best mission trip I have been on so far, including last year's trip to Panama City, Panama. I was so proud of my students for all the work they accomplished in other's lives and in their own lives.

Visiting the reservation is always an eye-opening experience for me, despite growing up 45 minutes from 3 different reservations. We can become obsessed with doing missions somewhere else and totally avoid the blaring needs in our own backyard. We can become calloused to the poverty and oppression in the world around us. In the words of Rob Bell, "The tragedy is when we think that our world is the world." I think that is so true because we can get wrapped up in the everyday things of our own lives and forget that there is a whole other way of life out there that is in need.

May we, as Christians, see the Gospel not just as a way to get out of this world, but as the only way to redeem this world we find ourselves in.

Thursday, Another Work Day

Today we woke up, had some cereal, and headed off to our work site. We ended up driving about a half hour to just outside st. Francis South Dakota. At our work site, we took off shingles of an abandoned house and took the roof off. They are going to use the walls of the house and bring them into mission and rebuild a new house for an alcoholics anonymous group. Tonight our plans are to relax, watch a movie and maybe play some extreme Frisbee with the cute Creighton prep boys :)

Posted by the wonderful: Boston and Brenna

Rest Day

Today was just a day for resting and relaxing. we did a lot in a short period of time. We didn't leave the house until 10:30 from there we made our way to Valentine Neb. just to walk around and check out the town. we ate lunch and made our way to the bad lands but after we were done they were the good lands. we made our way around there for a couple of hours after that we made our way to Wall Drug. There we visited all these different stores and statue things. It was pretty cool. We took a lot of pictures there. We ate at a cafe there. On our way back to mission, we were counting how long Neal couldn't talk. It is going to be a short night because we need to get our energy back for working at the site tomorrow. Bye!


Posted by: Ciara and Brenna

The Men and Ciara

Today We began our day going to our second work-site, where we tore out the old tile with a flame thrower(intense). We also started working on the bathroom installing a new toilet and vanity. The boys started out with a rude wake up call this morning with pots and pans by the girls. we had eggs and ham for breakfast, the we split up into groups, the boys and I (ciara) went to the house and began our duties. Neal and Luke worked on the window from yesterdays project. we went through some interesting obstacles such as: chris burning everything down in the house with the flame thrower. Max and Jason helping him. Jason tried to start a fire with no lighter but there was the ever happy handy napkin and toaster idea to get the flame. we can't wait for our chillaxin day tomorrow. And i can't wait for the boy's 6am wake up call!!
posted by:Ciara and Max
:)

Day @ the nursing home

Today, Boston, Tina, Mary, Brenna, and Katie took a trip to white river to visit the people in the nursing home. On the way we stopped and got coffee from a trailer drive up coffee shop. Boston's Face lit up! At the nursing home we met a guy named William Walks AKA Willy he's such a cool guy. He told us tons and tons of stories about his life and about his "girlfriend." Katie also met a 33 year old named Bernadine, who Katie became close with. So Boston, Brenna and Katie decided to surprise the two and we sewed them pillow cases with there names on them. Boston and Brenna also played a little beauty school and painted some ladies nails. The cool thing about the nursing home is that it wasn't like normal nursing homes. The people who worked there were really respectful towards the elders and didn't just think of them as old people, they thought of them as elders and really did have so much respect for them. Also we got to play bingo with them residents which was also cool because they get so into it and are really competitive. Tonight we listened to Shane Redhawk who talked about his culture and showed us some of the clothes they wear.
Some predictions: Boston And Brenna decided that we think a girl on our team has a crush on a guy on our team. But we're not for sure.
Some quotes of the day: a girl from the nursing home told Brenna to give her the cigarettes that she had in her pocket because she's not supposed to have them. (she didn't have any) and then later we found out that the lady steals cigarettes from nurses purses.

"coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee." by Tina and Boston and Katie

"you can stay here as long as you don't drink alcohol or smoke weed" by willy

Posted by Brenna and Boston

Monday Work Day!

Today we finally got a work day. I got sunburned! Katie, Neal, and I got to replace a window. Ciara and I have been taking long walks each night around the area. The other group got to make a fence for this family so their daughter wouldn't escape. Tonight we are all going to the sweat lodge. Each night we get to talk about our highs and lows of our day and what we are looking forward to and all that other good stuff. Last night, when everyone else was sleeping Katie and I were talking in our beds, and we heard strange noises coming from the guys' room upstairs. Katie goes "what are they doing up there?" and I go "Probably playing Spin The Bottle!" It is obvious that Luke is annoying his mom with his famous quotes such as, hey dawg, or you player. i think that she is ready to leave him here for a while. And Tina lost her nut last night(she had a bag a peanuts and she lost them!!).There is this really cute staff person that helps us on our work sites, so that was a plus! For dinner tonight, Mary(ciara's mom) made tuna casserole. It was amazing! Well i suppose i better get going we have a sweat lodge to go to. Bye!
Posted by: Brenna Randolph

sundays adventure

Today we began our week journey in Rosebud. The Ride was long, but in a way short. we enjoyed keeping each other company, and enjoyed annoying one another. Chris as usual listening to his punk rock music, Brenna and Katie passing notes to each other. Max keeping Jason company in the front. Luke chompin away on his very own homemade cookies. when we arrived we unloaded everything then we got ready for dinner. But it was strange because we kept hearing this knocking noise and thought someone was already getting to work with a hammer. and we go check and max is locked in the cellar by Chris and Katie. he was just waiting for someone to let him out. we will keep that mind when Neale gets on our nerves.

posted by: Ciara Millikan

Some Thoughts From Panama

First of all, we had a fantastic trip!! What a relief that everyone came back to their families safe and sound. We only had one big miscue, when David lost his luggage. He was a pro about it, though, so that made it nice. We were staying in a cockroach infested, mothball-smelling dormitory where you couldn't even flush the toilet paper after using the facilities. But surprisingly, everyone rolled with it pretty well. It probably didn't hurt, though, that the site ended up having a pool that we could relax in each night. It was great to come together as a group each night and spend time devoted to God in song, reflection on the day, Scripture reading, and prayer.

We were able to accomplish a ton while we were in Panama City. The men and some of the ladies worked with a construction crew from Panama to build a new and safer fence around a preschool and daycare and to build and pay for a roof over a school playground to prevent flooding during the 8-month rainy season. To get this fence up, we first had to dig down. The first day was spent digging a huge trench, 2 feet deep, about 18 inches across, and about 30 feet long. The ground was completely filled with rock, so our bulging muscles were put to the test that day, and we left the site feeling totally exausted. The next couple days were spent constructing a cement wall that would serve as the foundation and bottom half of the fence. I've never mixed so much cement in my life! I've also never sweat so much in my life. It was so hot and humid that after a couple hours of work, each of us had sweat through about every inch of clothing we had on. In addition to the digging, mixing, and pouring of cement, our week consisted of a ton of painting (thanks Nick) and a ton of cutting of re-bar and steel for the fence. And yes Manuel, I know I took third place in the hacksaw competition. "Move the Bricks! Ha Ha Ha!"

Most of the ladies spent their week serving in the school with the children. On the first day they were divided into classrooms, so throughout the week they were able to form relationships with the students in their class through playing games, singing songs, teaching English, learning Spanish, and playing soccer. About 2 or 3 times during the day the kids would crowd into a little gymnasium for a rousing game of futbol (soccer). These were great times of interaction with the kids as they looked forward to these games each day.

The girls who worked in the classrooms had an incredible impact on the lives of the children they worked with all week. Often it is easy to be discouraged about our accomplishments when our achievements are not visible. In life we must continually operate with an eternal measuring stick rather than a worldly way of measuring success. We must know that most of what we do in the name of God will never be rewarded here on earth, but that God is very much aware of all we do for the Kingdom. May we keep the faith and keep pressing on, knowing that all we do for God, whether seen or unseen, is greatly impacting the world around us.

I know it sounds cliche, but worshipping and serving in Panama really allowed me to understand that God is present everywhere and is being worshipped everywhere. The first morning was a Sunday and the team had the chance to worship with all the Methodist churches in the area, all at one unity service. This was a very powerful time of music, dance, and spoken word. Even though we could not understand much of what was sung and said, it was moving to know that there are followers of Jesus everwhere and they all worship the same God. Some of the hymns and worship choruses were familiar so we were able to understand the meaning because we knew the English lyrics.

On the following Sunday, the team was able to worship twice on the beach of the Pacific Ocean, once in the morning and once in the evening. These were powerful times to really experience God's creation first-hand, to witness the vast ocean and know that God is infinitely larger than that.

One thing God is continuing to teach me is how easy it is to compartmentalize our lives and our faith. It is so easy to act one way at one time and another later. If God has called us into leadership, we must recognize that we are called to be a leader 24-7, no matter who is around. We also must realize that God has called us into a lifetime of service and mission work, not just a week or two at a time. Whether we are serving at a church in Panama, or relaxing on the beaches of Panama, we must always carry an attitude of worship and service. Let's not continue to be Sunday morning worshippers who "praise God with our lips but walk out the door and deny Him with our lifestyles." Let us not continue to be mission trip servants who completely ignore the injustice in our world the entire rest of the year. God has called us to so much more!!