RSS Subscribers: We’re Moving!

For all of you that have subscribed to the “Elevating a Generation” blog via RSS, please update your feed settings to our new student ministry blog location: http://www.elevationgeneration.org/blog/feed/rss.  Check out the new site here: http://elevationgeneration.org.

On that note, I have been so blessed by the friendships and community that has been fostered through this site.  I hope I don’t lose you as a subscriber through this transition. I have exciting plans that I will be announcing for this domain soon.  Stay tuned!

Vacation Bible School 2009

I had originally filmed and edited this video as a proud dad.  The camera focuses quite a bit on my daughters, Autumn and Cynthia, in the following footage.  Seeing them lead those little ones in worship really touched me deep on the inside.  I’m such a blessed father!  My girls are so special and dear to me.

Anyhow, as I was tagging this same video in Facebook earlier today, I was noticing how many STUDENTS were serving at the event.  It definitely was not limited to just my girls.  I’m so excited to see that so many of you answered to call to serve the children of our neighborhood and Destiny.  Great job guys!  You are my heroes…

Video enclosure: “Vacation Bible School 2009″

A Good Place To Be

I’ve been dreaming a lot lately. God is a GREAT God and has GREAT plans in store for Destiny Foursquare Church and the students of Elevate Student Ministries and I can’t wait to see where He takes us next! He doesn’t dream little dreams!

Most of you know by now that our family will more-than-likely be transitioning in the fall of 2010. Deanna is in her fourth year of her undergrad studies at the School of Mines here in Rapid City and we’ll be applying to several schools for acceptance into medical school next year. That’s hard to think about, in a sense. We’ve been here, growing relationships and sowing into this student ministry for eight-plus years now. But, all-in-all, I believe we’re in a good place at this juncture. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch this video-blog I published on the Youth Specialties site last month.

I truly believe that where we’re at right now is a “good place to be.” We’re in a place of seeking, knocking, and waiting on the Lord. When our dependence is on Him, it’s always a good place to be.

With this happening, I’m looking at the philosophy of ministry that has been structured at Elevate Student Ministries over the years and I’m putting a magnifying glass to it. How can we better “help the spiritually hungry experience God and discover their personal destiny?” I’m asking God to give me wisdom in preparing for the future. I have so much hope for the coming generation and we have amazing students at Destiny!

One of the small things that I’ve been working on before my departure is streamlining the student ministry web site – making it more functional and slick. Here’s a preview of what I hope to be releasing to the public within a few short weeks…

Another larger change is the scope of our discipleship ministry. I’m looking at the larger picture of what lessons / messages we’re teaching over the long haul and am developing a plan for taking students through an all-inclusive discipleship process throughout the next year. So excited to see how this develops in the late summer.

Of course, one big thing that we’re definitely thinking about right now is our first ever over-the-border outreach trip with students which starts in just one week! Twenty of us, six adults and fourteen students, will be traveling to Creel, Mexico as part of a missions adventure to the villages and an orphanage in that area. We’ll be partnering with our friends in Black Buffalo Global Ministries in our efforts. Please keep us lifted up in your prayers as we travel. We leave the morning of Friday, July 31st, and will be back on the evening of Saturday, August 8th.

So much more is in store for us than we even know! God’s plans for us are bigger and better than we can even think of or imagine. How cool is that?!

John Reuben’s “Town Folk”

I love the quirkiness that is John Reuben… and his creativity in video never ceases to amaze me…

video enclosure: “John Reuben’s ‘Town Folk’”

…But I Won’t Do That

Funny McDonald’s ad from Egypt…

Now THAT’S An Entrance!

As a youth pastor, going on ten years in student ministry now, I’m hoping that I get to some day perform a wedding from one of my students who can TOP this wedding entrance (this one’s pretty good)!

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Leeland’s “Love is On the Move” Preview

I’m a big fan of Leeland.  I love the “bigness” of their songs and the purity of Leeland’s vocals.  Check out these previews of their upcoming album “Love is On the Move”…

Visit Leeland’s official web site here.

Hills Alive 2009 in Pics and Video

A few cell phone pics and a quick highlights video from my weekend with family and friends at Hills Alive 2009.

I’ve always tried to volunteer and serve in some shape or form at the annual festival – especially since it’s “gone free”.  But, this year I ended up getting to bus around one of my favorite rock bands, Skillet, and their crew.  This, of course, was more of a treat than a task, but hopefully served well.  I don’t want to give away details for the band’s sake, but here’s a pic I snapped of some of the tech guys up at Mount Rushmore.  Fun times!

Of course, if you know me, I was following all the tweets this weekend through a Tweetdeck stream I had set up to follow the #HillsAlive hashtag and any tweets containing “Hills Alive”.  The stream never stopped moving all weekend long.  Wow!  Here’s what it looked like on my desktop…

Duckman seen walking the festival grounds on Saturday afternoon…

This is the view from where our family landed the chairs on Saturday…

The Afters played a great set — very impressed with their live sound…

Kutless rocked out, warming up the stage just before Skillet…

Who is this eating a fudge bar and the remains of a chocolate cream pie at the Shoup after-party back at the house?  Any guesses?

Sunday early afternoon — after church — was spent out in Summerset with family.  We had hamburgers off the grill — YUM!  We went into town and hit the festival at about 3:30 pm.  I went directly to a special youth workers meet-up / Q&A time with Casting Crowns.  Here’s a pic of the band chatting and taking pics with area leaders…

Clouds loomed and rain threatened Sunday afternoon crowds, but never really came in full force…

Sunday evening was more of a family night.  I stayed back in the chairs and watched the girls play…

Kella attacks with balloon sword in hand…

Long, but fast-moving lines extended from both sides of the porta-potties…

Kella and I waiting on the curb for pizza delivery…

And finally, here’s a recap video from the whole weekend…

Video enclosure: RSS subscribers can view here.

Follow the Tweets @ HillsAlive!

Hills Alive is this weekend.  If you’re on Twitter, there will be a lot of tweets to follow this weekend.  I just finished setting up my Twitter software to follow the #HillsAlive hashtag.  Should be fun!

<< Don’t know what Twitter is or what it’s about?  Check out this post. >>

Want to follow the artists who’ll be sharing the stage this weekend at Hills Alive?  Here’s a few I know of:

Avalon : @AVALONtheGroup

• Greg Long : @greglongmusic
• Janna Long : @jannalong
• Amy Richardson : @AmyKayR
• Jeremi Richardson : @jeremir

Casting Crowns : @castingcrowns

• Mark Hall  : @markhallCC

Downhere : @downhere

Everyday Sunday : @everyday_sunday

Hearts of Saints : @heartsofsaints

• Craig Felker : @craigfelker
• Jason Killebrew : @drumsforhost
• Joel Purdy : @joelpurdy
• LJ Granstaff : @ljgranstaff

Kutless : @Kutless

• Jeff Gilbert : @audiomafia
• Nick DePartee : @nickysixx
• James Mead : @jrmeadkutless
• Dave Lux : @davelux

Live Fish : @LiveFishBand

Krystal Meyers : @KrystalMeyers

Remedy Drive : @RemedyDrive

Skillet : @skilletband

• Ben Kasica : @BenKasica
• John Cooper : @johnlcooper
• Kory Cooper : @koreycooper
• Jen Ledger : @JenLedger

Any others that I’m missing?  Let me know in the comments and I’ll add them!

Bear Hunt Challenge

This is a fun up-front challenge we did tonight featuring a bowl full of whip cream with gummy bears mixed in… winner is the one who gets the most gummies out in the allotted time — no hands allowed!

video enclosure: “Bear Hunt Challenge“