You Say You Want a Revolution?

Trip to the Cities

 Each year, the first weekend in December we take a trip to the cities to do a service project with our Senior Highers. This year we had 15 teens and 4 leaders go on this adventure that had a facelift! What was once a one day event has transformed into an overnight!

We departed around 7:30am Saturday Dec. 5th on a cold winters morning. We loaded the bus with our gifts we wrapped for Operation Christmas Child the month prior, gathered up and took off! Our first stop was the MN headquarters for OCC in Richfield and quickly got all 96 gift shoe boxes filled with gifts unloaded and reloaded into the warehouse. our next stop, People Serving People in the downtown area. We didn't know what was going to be asked of us when we arrived but we were willing to do whatever was needed! We watched an informational DVD about what PSP does in the twin cities area and then proceeded down to the cafeteria to do some work. Over the course of the next few hours we wiped and cleaned tables, swept and mopped floors, cut onions and washed dishes and best of all, met some people who were in need and had a chance to spread some joy! What a blessing to see our teens playing with the kids that had come down to lunch that day and also coming out of their comfort zones and talking and sharing with the down and out in the Twin Cities area.

  
  

After we departed from PSP we took "The Scenic Route" as Dustin Overcash would describe it past the new stadium on the U of M campus during prime game time...lol! good times on the bus. next stop...the MoA!

   

We arrived at the MoA around 3pm and let the kids go shop and do whatever for a while. Many shopped, Luke searched for Legolady, I embarassed people...and barbie (it is my calling...) good times! As Dustin and I enjoyed some delicious food at Famous Dave's, an odd number flashed across my Cell Phone display. I answered it and who was it? None other than our very own Luke Korthuis calling from the Mallcop prison! LOL! Lesson learned, don't go to the MoA without your cell phone or ID...and don't walk around with people who look younger than you with ID and no cell phone, hehe. below is a picture of Luke, John and their jailer who delivered the boys to me outside our BBQ heaven, haha. Last stop for me was Best Buy to pick up an HDMI cable for my TV/PS3 (which by the way is awesome!) and to rock out on RockBand for all of Best Buy to hear and enjoy! Good times were had by all!

We waved goodbye to the MoA and headed off to the Hovda hotel (AKA my parents house) and crammed 20 people in! Lots of treats to be had, Elf to watch, forts to be claimed and lego's to be built, sleep happened around 2am and morning and it's frigidness came all too soon, but delicious Eggbake and rolls helped fill the cold void, thanks Mom!

Our final mission before we would return to Willmar was to go to church, this year we chose to go visit our old pal Efram Smith at Sanctuary Covenant. HE WAS ON FIRE! what a great service about being All in the Family and how we are linked to Jesus and he to us, it was an eye opener for a few of our students who are not so used to the "AMENS!" and hands flying and whatnot!

What seemed like alot of stuff to do believe it or not happened all in about a 30hour time period, thanks all who came and leaders for your help in making this trip the success it was!

Boy's Day Out

On October 15th 2009, my boys Luke Korthuis, Nick Aaker and I decided to take a trip to the cities and help build shelving for an ARC Value Village Store. We got to the location in the Roseville area around 10am and began assembling. There were a few other groups there and we got a ton of work done in just a small amount of time! (We raced most of the time in our own minds against everyone else as to see who could get the most done the quickest...good times!) after viewing an informational DVD on a wobbly table and Nick stepping on the foot of an old lady ("That's my sore foot!") we headed off to our next adventure, the Mall of America!

 

The Mall was a great time as always, new adventures seem to pop up each time we go, but it seems this years adventures revolve around Luke! (more on Luke in the Trip to the Cities post!) We shopped and got quite the assortment of new clothing. My favorite store being Old Navy where i scored some good deals and a great new sweater vest! The sparks flew when we arrived at Legoland and a special someone who worked there showed us with great enthusiasm many sets that had been built! (many by herself!) I think Luke's heart was won when she pulled the Star Wars Lego AT-AT out of the display case and allowed it to wander the floors in hulking grace and elegance. Thus the tragic romance between Luke and the Legolady was born...more to be told of this romance if she ever works again when we are there...

With the mall behind us and night falling we made our way home. And what a great roadtrip it would be. You see, The IPod was filled with songs that needed to be sung as loud as we could possibly sing them, many of them from the hit FOX series GLEE! Twas a great day filled with fun and memories, thanks Luke and Nick for a great day! 

CHiC2k9!

CHiC is yet another one of those Covenant acronyms that has been around for quite a few years! CHiC stands for Covenant High in Christ and for the last 4 sessions has been in Knoxville, TENN. CHiC happens once every 3 years and is a highlight for anyone who has a chance to go! (this summer marked my 5th ChiC and was the best one yet!)This summer we packed a bus driven by Santa Claus with 30+ students and leaders from FCC to head down for this amazing week!

Highlights of the week included some amazing lessons from such speakers as Efram Smith, Judy Peterson, Steven Furtick, Shane Clayborne and the list goes on! Add to this some amazing musical performances by David Crowder, Third Day and Flyleaf (lol flyleaf) and the CHiC band and you have a powerful time of spirital growth! sessions on human trafficking, serving with Feed my Starving Children and many lessons on being Undone for Christ made it a life altering week. oh, did i forget to mention impromptu dance session, white water rafting, pool parties, ultimate...and the list goes on...what a week!

I had a chance to put together a list of "thoughts" that i gathered from sessions, preachers (not speakers) and other guests and pray you might take one of these thoughts as your own!

-who defines what is normal? who or what was normal during Jesus time? how do you put people in a box and judge them...Jesus loved and cared for everyone, normal or not, how do we live this?

-in Jesus time, the leper in the courtyard would have to yell "Leper coming thru!" when he entered a public place. this was a mark on him that everyone was aware of...if you had to wear your sins on the outside like the leper wore his pain, what would you have to yell when you enter the courtyard...

-what are you CHRISTIAN (loves God and obeys him) or Religious (life is a show/act) which am am and then how can i improve on what i am?

-"Live for the kingdom and not for yourself!"

-"The gospel should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed."

-never be discouraged by the boxes someone else may have been given. you are unique and your box is just as vital as anyone elses!

-2 Cor. 5:13-15 Christ compels us to live for him...to be out of our minds!

-when you are passionate for God you may:

disrupt other peoples live...and this is a good thing!

have others point fingers at you or be jealous because you may have something they want!

scare...or inspire others! (both ok too!)

-other Christians are often a huge deterent to another persons passion, joy, excitement and life for Christ. don't be that in anyones life...

-what would your life look like if you were truly on fire for God? what would your school look like?

-"Knowing" God compels you to live for him AND to spend time with him...how well do you "Know" him?

-GOD PROMISES HE WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU IN GOOD OR BAD!

-don't judge your relationship with God with what has happened in the past...tomorrow is a new day. live for him NOW!

-stop making excuses about making changes in your life...Satan wins when you fail to change.

-LOVE others for their benefit-not for yours!

-if people loved others as much as they love themselves...this world would radically change!

-"be a man worthy of killing." (movie King Arthur)

-inspire others that they might want to follow in Christ's footsteps that you leave.

-your character matters more than what you say.

-we need to seek to actively dispel Christian stereotypes, 3 things non christians see in the church is that they are: homophobic judgemental and hypocritical.

-confess your mess before God and men or live a life of fear and lonliness.

this is a sound bite of things that I and our students took away form CHiC 2k9. if you have any questions or need to talk visit me on facebook!

have fun looking at pictures!

Revolution: Boot Camp!

    Ever have a dream that you wanted to make a reality? I have...or did, till this last weekend when it came true!

    Welcome to Revolution: Boot Camp! A youth group driven worship team based out of First Covenant Church in Willmar, MN! for 10 years in youth ministry i always dreamed of being a part of making a youth worship team happen, but it wasn't till I met my bud Brian Daniel that it would happen. You see, Brian is the worship pastor at our church and I am the youth pastor. It's like peanut butter and chocolate, when ya mash em together, they make good stuff!

    This last Fri-Sat we worked with around 15 students to help them develop their music skills and teach them some about what worship is. after about 15 hours of working together, these great teens put on a music set for family and others and they rocked the house, I am so excited to see what the future holds for these students as the Revolution has only just begun!

    Oh, and also for those of you that have never been to Club 3 degrees in MPLS, go! great music, great environment and good times all around! DecemberRadio was the highlight of the night for me, they rocked my face off...literally...it's still on the dance floor at the building in the cities, what a great way to start Friday night of Boot camp!

    A few songs that i really enjoyed working on were Salvation Is Here, Me and Jesus, Hail to the King and Let The Praises Ring! God is good, all the time!

A Thursday to Remember

    Well, this is my first official blog, you can thank Brian Daniel, a good friend from FCC, which is my church here in Willmar for those of you that don't know...oh, and for those who don't know, FCC stands for First Covenant Church!

    Well, the Thursday I am speaking of was yesterday, April 30th 2009. The previous night, which was Wednesday, and doesn't count, was pretty sweet too...ok, i'll include a little of Wednesday too! The story begins in the mountains of California, more specifically Lake Tahoe , (actually it begins at In and Out Burger for lunch, Jesus would like this restraunt...) the drive was amazing and when we got to the lake, it was breathtaking. my first mission was to walk in the lake...it was cold. then i gathered sweet rocks, which were smooth. Then we ate dinner at a fancy place called Gar Woods, where they served wet willies, and had sweet food, you know, the stuff you see in movies that you never eat yourself...except i did this time. Then i did 2 photo shoots and got a picture with 2 babes, good times.

    Thursday was the start of our THRIVE conference that we came out for.

 What a day! oh, food update first! Paul Martins American Bistro for lunch...French dip...wow. dinner at Chevy's, a mexican restraunt go figure...once again soooo good. My first seminar challenged my thinking on how to be an effective member of a team and what that looks like...but little did i know what was in store for that day! Lincoln Brewster and the Bayside Youth Band...Ray Johnston, Sherwood Carthen and Franklin Graham...all in one day, oh! and crazy games and free ice cream and other good stuff. here are some of my thoughts from these powerful leaders:

- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

- "Beware of spending too much time looking back at what you once were, when God wants you to become something you have never been!" Oswald Chambers

- Fear paralyzes and is freed by faith...Fear is the dark-room where film is developed.

- "All kingdom advancement is the result of sacrifice."

- Be on the frontside of what is happening...cause God will be there where we get there.

- Habakkuk 1:5!

- Leaders need to know the times and survive the famine! (more info in an upcoming blog!)

    And then there was Lincoln Brewster, he led us in some powerful and inspiring worship that evening! check him out! more to come in new posts about some of the incredible seminars i went to, people I met and speakers that brought the incredible word of God!