January 8, 2008
Fall, Winter, Spring,
Summer - Who are YOU?
Living is Saskatoon, we definitely know about
seasons. We experience all four of them quite well. We have
Fall, Winter (which we all hate), Spring and Summer. And thank
God that He has given us a very late Fall this year – I am so glad
we haven’t seen the extreme cold and snow yet. But I am sure it
is coming. Each of these seasons carries certain trends, rituals,
holidays and gatherings. What is your favorite season? I think
mine would be Spring. It is about new life, snow disappearing
from the ground, my birthday, and hockey playoffs. Just to name a
few.
Seasons happen, that will never change. But change
is a good thing for the most part. Variety is good for us,
although we may not see it that way at the moment. People react
very differently when change comes, but in all honestly it is more
about how you react at that moment. Positive change is
something I embrace, although I have no idea what the future may
hold, I look forward to change. It takes me out of my comfort
zone, challenges me to try new things, or see things in a
different light. It sucks at times, but I love the risk factor
that may come out of it.
With all of that said, we are now approaching a
season of change in our youth ministry. For years, beyond what I
can count, youth group has always been on a Friday night. But
that is about to change. Effective January 8th, 2009,
we are moving to Thursday nights – in a trail based approach – so
hopefully enhance consistency on our youth nights and to avoid
strong competition that comes with Friday evenings.
We are about to enter a new season. And as much as
change can be hard, it can really be a positive effect in our
lives. I hope you can get excited about this opportunity, I do
believe that it will make our youth ministry stronger and more
relevant. And make sure you pray, not only for success, but
attitudes, that will come with us in this new season of CHANGE.
PS
September 10, 2008
Passion
What
is it that you are passionate about? With the start of a new
school year are you passionate about being at school? Maybe you
are passionate about getting back and seeing some friends? Or
maybe you are excited to freshie a freshman? For me when this
time of year roles around I get very passionate about sports. I
love it, this is the time when all REAL sports return (sorry CFL
lovers), and no better team than my Canucks. Passion is this
emotion inside that drives us to do seemingly ridiculous things,
go after the impossible, and excites us for what lies ahead.
That
is a pretty powerful thought. Well, PASSION is going to be the
theme of this upcoming year. It is my desire for our youth
ministry to develop in PASSION – in particular for 3 things: For
God, For Relationships, and Sharing our Faith. If we say we love
God, these three attributes definitely need to be evidenced in our
lives. If we don’t have this PASSION for life, what are we here
for?
My
prayer for is that you desire to be more PASSIONATE for God this
year. It is going to be a great year, and I hope you are excited
to come along!!
-Pastor Shawn
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