ACC - Leadership Online

I was reading this morning in John 11 – the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

I love the climactic moment when Jesus shouts, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43)

Jesus had to preface his command with the specific name of Lazarus – otherwise it would have been like the night of the living dead or the attack of the zombies – everybody in that cemetery would have been popping up out of the ground!

That is power! That is the resurrection power that is promised to me on judgment day. That is the power I experienced already as God as God brought new life to me though I was dead as a door nail spiritually. (What is a door nail, anyways?) And that is the power I continue to experience as God incrementally renews me from the inside-out.

As we approach Easter let us remember and be thankful that Christ has called us by name also - to arise and live for Him!

Who are you planning to invite to our Easter Celebration services on April 4th? Begin praying now and boldly invite someone you care about!

Peace,
Dave

I've been at a youth ministry training conference the last half of this week. It was great! Lots of good information. I wanted to share with you one thought that really stuck out to me.

In regard to developing a vision/mission for our youth ministry, the following advice was given to me: The vision has to come from what's in my heart...from who God created me to be...the mission to which He has called me. The following equation really helps unearth that.

Burden + Passion + Vision = Mission in Life

I think this applies to a lot more than developing a vision for the youth ministry! This is a process each of us should wrestle through. Dave talked recently about Spiritual gifts and how God calls each of us to participate in the church, not just observe. I think to really find our place in God's work, we need to take a look at this equation.

What Burdens you? For me, it's students (middle and high school especially). I feel burdened for them. I want to help.

What are you passionate about? For me, it's helping people grow in their relationship with God. It fires me up to hear about the things God is teaching someone. I love hearing stories of lives that are changed by the power of Jesus Christ.

Related to the first 2 areas, what would you like to see happen? For me, I want to see students connected in meaningful relationships with each other and with God.

Combining all these things brings us to our mission in life...the cause God has called us to be a part of. For me, it's helping students live a Christ-centered life.

If you can related to my mission in life, maybe serving in the youth ministry is something you should consider. If not, that's ok too...God has called and equipped each of us differently. If you haven't already, I hope you'll take some time to figure out what mission God has called you to.

Grace,
Chris

I often get questions from people about God. Hard questions. Real hard questions; the kind of questions that learned theologians and philosophers have been debating for centuries.

In recent years I have grown increasingly comfortable giving a three word answer: “I don’t know”.

I can hardly even begin to understand God and his ways. One of my favorite retorts – used only half-jokingly is: “I usually don’t understand my wife – let alone understand God!” (Spoken like any truly honest husband!)

I think that if puny little me could fully understand God – then he wouldn’t be a very impressive God.

So I’m cool with that. In fact, I actually take comfort in that. I do not need all the answers in order to trust him. His created world and the Scriptures reveal him to be powerful, loving, merciful, just and omniscient. My own personal spiritual journey has shown me this to be true. God has “proven” himself to me over and over again.

What I do know about God is enough. He is trustworthy. I can worship him, serve him and love him even if I don’t have all the answers.

You can too.

Peace,
Dave

I'm currently in the middle of a very busy couple weeks. In the midst of the busyness, I'm trying (sometimes with more success than others) to keep a healthy balance of things that refuel me. For me, that means things like:

Family Time Making sure to eat meals with my family, talking with my wife, and even getting down on the floor and playing with my daughter. These times remind me of the unique roles I play as Husband to Lisa and Father to Rachel.

Reading I LOVE sitting in a coffee shop with a good book. Having a little one at home makes this one difficult sometimes. I've had to scale back my expectations of my amount of reading time, but I know that I can't go without this one.

Exercise There's all sorts of information about the importance of exercise for our emotional/mental well being. I don't know much about that, but I do know that when I stick to a regular workout schedule, I have more energy and feel better about my day. When I'm stressed out, sometimes the best medicine is to head to the gym or go out for a run.

How about you? What do you do to refresh yourself? What kind of activities recharge you? I'd love to hear from you.

Grace,
Chris

(by guest blogger Allison Bies)

One of the most encouraging aspects of the Upward Basketball and Cheerleading league is seeing people serve according to their God-given design. This happens to be one of ACC's core values!

Many volunteers are needed to help the program run successfully. People of all ages help in a variety of ways. Some serve behind the scenes, and others are in a more public role. Spiritual gifts of service, administration, leadership, evangelism, and teaching are very much at work during the entire Upward season.

Here are some of the ways people help:

- Coach
- Instructional referee
- Time clock worker
- Concession stand
- Collecting Awards Program donations
- Transportation for our Awards Program entertainer
- Set up and clean up
- Coordinating cheerleading routines
- Explaining the gospel to children
- Presenting halftime devotions
- Supporting children on game days
- Prayer
- Advertising the league
- Evaluating players

Upward provides a way for people with different talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts to jump in. Volunteers can serve one time for a few hours or all season long. Basketball enthusiasts or those with no knowledge of sports work together. I myself lack a strong grasp of basketball's technicalities!

Finally, many volunteers are from ACC, but some do not attend our church. I see Upward as a community ministry and great picture of the body of Christ working together to lead families to God. This is a clear illustration of the spiritual gifts described in Romans 12:4-8. Many people who serve came to ACC through Upward, so it's awesome to see them giving back to the program.

Saturday games continue through March 13 with our Awards Program on March 14. Please come by to watch a game, support the concession stand, and cheer on the players!

Looking Upward,
Allison