My First & Last Event With The Students

Having let everyone know a month ahead that I am planning to leave the church in pursuit of a new direction of ministry in my life has given me some time to reflect further on how much of a big deal this move is.

Of course, it also gives the students and their leaders enough time to plan a surprise going-away party for me before I leave. It was pretty cool, not only for the fact that the students impressed me by keeping a secret that well from me, but also for the fact that it was my very first surprise party ever! Thanks to all the students, leaders and parents that helped in planning and took time out of their Presidents' Day holiday setting it all up!

The goodbye party comes just days before my last event with the students. Chalk it up to irony, poetry or whatever, but getting to do the 30-Hour Famine with the students right before I leave is somewhat significant to me, since it was also the first big event I got to do as their youth pastor!

And, though I'm not usually one to change my hair style very often, it may also be interesting to the reader to note that the intiative and commitment of the students during the event resulted in my getting my head shaved bald, which lasted even to my ordination day! So, if history repeats itself a third time, it is very well possible that I may find my hair green on my last day at Cornerstone! Strange, that at some significant milestones for me at Cornerstone should coincide with an odd hairdo of mine...

Church family, thank you for supporting your students, as they take on the challenge not only to fast for 30 hours but also to impact their world by doing their part to save the lives of children. Remember to pray for them, and let them know you are doing so.

Students, as you start fasting on Friday, let me encourage you to trust God for the strength to make it through the day and through the weekend, relying on spiritual food and the Holy Spirit to grow us all, as we learn more about what we can do to impact our world!

I'm ready with the green hair dye at hand... :)

Just Green Hair

Well, the 30-Hour Famine is underway, and students are finding people to sponsor them, as they fast for 30 hours, from February 22nd-23rd! And, as an added incentive, I've agreed that if they reach their group goal of $5040 (which is enough to feed 14 kids for a whole year), I would dye my hair green! So, conceiveably, I may be sporting a new hair color on my last Sunday here!

You may seen another added incentive posted earlier on the website or announced somewhere else. However, after further consideration, I felt that I needed to rescind that offer, in light of what we are trying to accomplish with this event - awareness of world hunger and poverty, as well as what we can do to do be salt and light in this world. Therefore, the one incentive remains - green hair for Peter... IF they hit their goal! :)

What's ahead now?

I apologize for the blog-silence these past weeks. It's been a little crazy during the holidays and my vacation and the decision I've been wrestling with recently...

I know that the announcement I made in the worship services this past Sunday was a little jarring for some and that it opens things up for some questions, regarding the future of the student ministries at Cornerstone.

Despite the fact that I'll be gone in about a month, I'm still committed to developing things to the point that they'll still run after I'm gone. The vision will be the same; the mission will be the same. They may take on a slightly form when the new pastor comes on board, but the WATER elements will remain important parts of the student ministries. The Vision Blitz will be launched - though on a smaller scale as was first envisioned - and we will continue to seek God's will for the students and OSM.

It would be sin to believe that OSM will fall apart after I leave, especially when we have several committed youth leaders - who, by the way, do not have youth-age kids of their own - and many parents who desire God's good for their middle/high school students. To be sure, things will look slightly different, but I am confident that as we seek God through prayer and His word, we'll see Him do great things in these students.

Christmas craziness, BEGIN!

It has been a rough past couple of weeks, my trying to get over this crazy cold, gearing up for the holidays, etc. BUT, our God is good, all the time!

Next week we'll close up our Wednesday Night series, CSI: Christmas Scene Investigation, and Friday, December 15 we'll get together for our annual Christmas party, which comes with a couple of twists this year. One is that it'll be a progressive dinner, which will take place at three different homes, with three different courses of the meal at the different homes. Everyone will meet at the church at 5.15. sharp on Saturday afternoon, December 15th. And, as we hop from house to house, we'll eat a little and then play a little, and we'll wrap things up about 9.00 p.m. at the Riehns' house. For directions, see Peter, Jeanie or Richard!

The other twist in the Christmas party this year, is that we won't be doing the gift exchange thing, but rather we're asking each student to bring a new, unwrapped toy. All the toys received will be donated to the Lokahi toy drive.

We do need a head count for food and rides, so RSVP for the Christmas party by Wednesday, December 12th to Beth or Peter!

Students, don't get too stressed out at school with end-of-the-semester assignments, projects and tests, but do finish strong. Parents & families, don't get too wound up and bent out-of-shape with all the parties, get-togethers and gift-exchanges, but rather take time to step back and remember what's more important - that your yard looks just perfect with all its lights and decorations, or that people realize that Christmas is more than a cute baby in a feeding trough but that we celebrate a victorious king!

Not Thankful Enough

Perhaps one of my greatest flaws is the fact that I do not express my gratitude nearly enough as I should. Whether it is writing a thank-you card for a gift, shooting an email to a colleague, or spending enough time in prayer, thanking God for His goodness, I seem to fail more often than I give thanks for blessings in life.

The Psalms are filled with songs of thanks, because God has provided for us and protected us in ways we cannot imagine. The theme cannot be ignored. One contemporary praise song jumps straight out of the Psalms, opening with "Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King; His love endures forever" (Ps. 136.1). Perhaps the very first scripture memory passage of my entire life contained the words, "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise" (Ps. 100.4). You'd think I'd remember to be thankful.

The apostle Paul was perhaps the one authority on giving thanks, as he was imprisoned and persecuted for the sake of the gospel, yet he chose to set his mind on giving thanks for God's goodness. If anyone was to be given permission to forget to be thankful, it would have been him!

Perhaps we as God's people could learn to be more thankful on a regular basis. But, it would require a shift of thinking, a change of perspective. It would be a choice. God got on Israel's case all the time, because they FORGOT what He had done for them - getting them out of Egypt, providing for their every need, etc. Surely we can learn from their mistakes, right?

By the way, thanks for reading this blog!

Creative Arts going digital...?

The OSM Creative Arts Team did great leading in worship with the song "Made to Worship" yesterday morning during both services. The team, who has mostly been working on drama and comedy sketches, stepped out on a little bit of faith with only 4 members up on stage, but they did an awesome job of leaving their nerves on the side and focused on worshiping Christ!

The team's next project will likely be putting all the sketches they've been working on into digital format. Some of the team members' schedules have been getting quite hectic lately, so they're exploring the possibility of turning the live-action skits into videos to be shown in worship services. It may feel like a small taste of the filming arts, but hey, we never said that we were confined to just skits and songs! :)

Using digital video cameras and video editing software, we'll be able to be a little more flexible in working around people's schedules. This is also a great opportunity for others who want to learn the technical aspect of the creative arts, such as audio, video and computer multimedia! If anyone's interested, tell them to talk to me!

New Logo & The Not-so-Extreme Makeover

Trying to get back into the groove after my vacation has proved to be harder than I anticipated! Having been sick for the past couple of weeks and gearing up for the holidays, I was starting to wonder if we'd get this Vision Blitz project off the ground! But, it looks as though it's still going to happen!

We've already settled on the new OSM logo, designed by Angela Kawamae and inspired by a photograph that she took on her recent trip to Okinawa. Her contest-winning design earned her a gift book from Consolidated Theatres, good for a couple admission tickets, some drinks, and some popcorn! Congratulations! The new logo will be make its public debut at the launch of the Vision Blitz, which will hopefully take place early next year.

The Vision Blitz, a project aimed at spreading the word about the student ministry at Cornerstone was originally concieved alongside the possibility of an Extreme Makeover of the youth room. However, after much searching and earnest prayer, it seems to me that we'd make much better use of God's things if we focused on reaching out, rather than building ourselves up from the inside. We are still looking toward cleaning up the youth room and equipping it better for youth discipleship, but it will come at a more gradual pace.

Meanwhile, for 2008, we'll start to shift our focus toward making a significant impact on our community for the cause of Christ. This means gut-level praying for our youth and helping to raise up students that grow into godly adults who are on fire for Him! It's a task that is bigger than any of us, which means that God has room to work and do awesome things! After all, if we could do it ourselves, what would we need God for? One of the first noticeable changes will be in the direction of Wednesday Nights, which could possibly turn into a youth worship night that spurs students to look for ways to impact their world.

So, students and parents and others... keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to witness, serve and grow, 'cuz that's what we're here for. Already, there is the Zip-Love project coming up (which we're doing in conjunction with CFMM's homeless ministry), as well as a slightly different twist to our Christmas Progressive Party this year (details later). So, we can start right now!

So, though we won't have an Extreme Makeover of our youth room, we'll be working toward an extreme makeover of our community, all done in the power of the Holy Spirit. What an exciting time it will be!