72students

Leadership Development

2011-05-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

A Simple Pattern for Leadership Development
I Do, You Watch
I Do, You Help
You Do, I Help
You Do, I Watch
You Do, Someone Else Watches You

Who are you developing?

Mentos

2011-05-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

Made me laugh! Pretty funny stuff. I remember when we did this and almost hit the worship center roof. Good times!

Mentos

Bowlin'

2010-10-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

It is coming back. I remember the bowl cut. I might have to see if I can find an old picture. Enjoy this video from Tripp & Tyler show at Catalyst '10.

For the Youth Pastors

2010-10-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

I thought this was pretty fun. Just a reminder to be yourself.

Dad Life

2010-07-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

For all the dads! In Case you missed it. It makes me laugh every time!

MXP-7.27.10

2010-07-27T21:49:00.001-07:00

Today has been amazing!!!! We have seen God at work all around us. This morning my team worked at the Warehouse sorting clothes (actually resorting them for the second time. had them separated then they told us they wanted them by season not by gender). The work was very tiring due to the heat but God sustained us. This evening my group went to Cooper's Court to do Kid's Camp. The kids got their a little late because they were on a slip-and-slide but were vary excited to listen to the story, make a craft, and play some kick ball and octopus. After the camps were over, we came back to the church for worship. The students got a double dose of me because I led worship along with Bobby Ross & Andrew MacKenzie and delivered the challenge. The message was on examining our relationships. We looked at the life of Job and how he kept his eyes on God even when he lost it all and all his friends gave him really bad advise. Here is the really exciting part about the day. Amber Sklar one of the students who came with us to MXP gave her life to Christ. It was awesome!!!!! That never gets old to see a student cross from death to life. The angels are celebrating. Pray that Amber will fight the good fight. It was truly amazing! Tons of other students responded and asked for prayer and accountability. Cool stuff! Continue to pray that God's favor is on us. The students are doing an incredible job. Wow! is all I have left.
Josh Britt

MXP10-7.26.10

2010-07-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Monday

Today we went to the church for the morning meeting, where we talked about our assignments for the day and did morning devos. After that we went to the sites we were assigned to and did our work for the day. I worked at the Cowboy Church moving rocks and gravel to prepare for laying a new floor. After we finished we came to the host homes where we swam and played pool during the afternoon. We went back to the church and had dinner which was amazing. We then went to our kids camp at Summerville Homes. We did recreation, crafts, and a bible story. I did the lesson tonight on Elijah at Mount Horab. It was a great time and the kids had fun. They all said they couldn't wait until tomorrow. After that we went back to church for worship and a lesson taught by David Little. We are now at the host homes getting ready for bed. Thanks so much for praying for us. We are having an amazing week. We can't wait to share about all that God is doing.

Andrew Mackenzie

The Volunteer

2010-06-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

Night Without a Home

2010-05-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

Night Without a Home : May 7 & 8

Poverty in the United States and around the world is consistently rising. 80% of the world lives in poverty (less than $10 a day and most much less than that). We must take notice and do something about it. Jesus told us to care for those in need, but so many times we are isolated from those needs and impoverished people. A Night without a Home will give is just a glimpse into the life a person who has no home to go to each night. This will be an experience you don't want to miss!

You might be asking, what are the details for the event?

What we will do: We will eat a meal together on friday night and make our own home for the night here at The Brook. The next morning we will eat breakfast before we leave. We will have various thought provoking things throughout the evening.

Time: Meet at The Brook at 6:30pm on Friday and end by 8am on Saturday morning.

What to bring: Great Attitude, 1 change of clothes just in case

What not to bring: Any electronics of any kind

Disclaimer: This is not a lock-in. Our goal is not not stay up all night but to experience just a glimpse of what it might be like to be homeless.

If you have any questions, you are welcome to email josh@thebrookchurch.com

Are Your Students Addicted?

2010-04-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Students are constantly connected these days. One of the ways they stay connected is via texting on their cellphones. Recent findings show that students are actually addicted. What about your students?

Teens "Addicted" to Texting
Four out of five teens admit to sleeping with their cell phones or keeping them near their beds. In fact, nearly one out of three teens between 12 and 17-years-old send over 100 texts a day, reports a study by Pew Research Center^®. The average adult sends just 10 text messages per day, but older teenage girls — aged 14-17 — send about 3,000 per month. One 16-year-old girl, who sends about 4,000 texts per month, now has carpal tunnel syndrome and needs surgery. [CBSNews.com]

Some final thoughts:

It is important to help your student set healthy limits. Taking the phone away at night can help improve your child's sleep. Students are learning habits both good and bad and texting at this rate can be harmful to their health. Help your students make wise choices both spiritually, physically, and mentally.

Rescued From an Ordinary Life

2010-04-08T23:19:00.000-07:00

Rescued From an Ordinary Life

Students are faced with difficult circumstances every day. How they respond to adversity not only reveals the condition of their hearts, but is also a clear indicator of Jesus' influence on their lives. Rescued From An Ordinary Life is a life altering exploration of John 10:10. Josh Britt divides the verse into four parts - and each week he teaches on a different aspect; instructing, challenging, and encouraging students to respond to a God who wants to rescue them from an ordinary life and give them a better life than they ever dreamed of. Come every Sunday from 4:45pm to 7:00pm for this life changing series.

April 11 - When God Came Near

April 18 - Watch Our for the Thief

April 25 - A Life Well Lived

May 2 - Living Today with Hope for Eternity

Join The Movement

2010-03-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

A student approached me after church with an idea of how we can share the message of Christ during the easter week. This is what she decided to do.

I want everybody to join me THIS friday, good friday, to draw black circles on your hands (like nail marks) to represent how when you decided give your life to Christ you died with Christ of your sins and follow him. This will give everybody an opportunity to share the true meaning of good friday with everyone :) wear them all day friday 4/2/10 and tell all your friends!

Share this with your friends and repost it to your blogs, twitter, facebook, etc. Lets start a movement!

Top 10 Reasons to Go to Big Stuf

2010-03-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

We still have some space available for Big Stuf, June 7-11! This will be a summer event you don't want to miss. You want to do whatever it takes to get there with us. I've listed 10 reasons why you should go to Big Stuf.

Top Ten List

10. The drive with your friends to the beach. Time just hanging out and asking Josh...7000 times how much further. It's been 20 minutes for the last 6 hours!

9. You can't get a beach trip for a week for $375 anywhere else.

8. Growing in your relationship with Jesus! This will be a week you grow in both depth and width in both wisdom and knowledge of God.

7. Trying to take your leaders down in the pool.

6. Staying up way to late talking about how things will be when you get back home.

5. Days at the beach. Who can beat that? Time in the surf with your friends and several thousand other students.

4. Worship! The worship will be incredible. It will be memorable and powerful. The Band will rock every morning and evening.

3. Have I said the beach yet?

2. Powerful communicators will bring truth with amazing creativity and energy. Doug Fields, Jared Herd, and Stuart Hall will bring it.

1. Have the most life changing experience of your life. (bring a friend with you to)

Big Stuf will be amazing! Sign up today at www.72students.net. It will be worth every penny.

Help Our Kids This Easter Season

2010-03-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

In order to make our "Easter Eggtravaganza" a success our kids, we need your help. We need a total of 300 dozen (yes, I said 300 dozen) plastic candy filled eggs (no chocolate please) to be donated no later than March 28th. We are asking you as students to please consider having you and some of your friends help out with this. If you could donate a dozen candy filled eggs that would make a huge dent in what is needed and you might even be able to do more. This is a great way to serve the children of our church and community. Lets make a difference!

New Series Starting This Weekend

2010-03-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

The Cross
People wear a cross on necklaces, sport one on bumper stickers and even slap on across T-shirts, but what does the cross really stand for? What does it really mean? Over the next two weeks, we will take a look at the cross in a different way, a way that moves beyond gratitude and nostalgia to a way of life. The cross teaches us that we live so we can die, and we die so we can live.

Week One (3.21.10)
Most of us think of the cross as the place where Jesus died for us. That is true. But it’s also about more than that. The cross isn’t just the place where Jesus died. The cross is the place where we die too. It’s not just an event that happened thousands of years ago. It’s an ongoing part of being a follower of Jesus. This week students will discover the ongoing, sacrificial life Jesus called His disciples to lead—a life characterized by the cross.

Week Two (3.28.10)
If the cross is where we come to die, then how do we live? Because the cross is not the end of the story. There is also an empty tomb. The cross isn’t just about death, it’s about life. We die to something, but we also live as well. After all, Jesus says: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10 NIV). This week, we’ll talk about not settling for a half-life, but a life that is full.

We hope you will be our guest during The Cross. We meet each week from 4:45pm to 7pm on Sunday nights at The Brook. This is for students in the 7th - 12th grade. Hope to see you soon. Leave a comment with any questions.

We Need Pictures

2010-03-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

We need your help. We need you (our 72students) to send us 5 or 6 pictures of you doing everyday activities like brushing your teeth, walking your dog, doing your homework, working at your job, helping out with chores, hanging with your friends and family, etc. Send your pictures to Robert Ross at robert@72students.net by Friday, March 19^th. Feel free to use your cell phone or your digital camera to capture these activities. You don't want to be left out of this one. Start snapping!

5 Ways to Make Your Student Indifferent to God

2010-03-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

5 Ways to Make Your Student Indifferent to God by Mark Cox

In youth ministry, one of the hardest things I’ve had to experience is leading students into a growing relationship with Jesus, while their parents are doing the opposite. In a lot of cases, the parent wants the best for his/her teenager. It’s just that their definition of “best” might not match up with mine. There are some hard-and-fast rules to engage if you don’t want your teenager to care about God. The following are just a few.

1. Make sure their extra-curricular activities are priority over church. You should always make sure that their scholarships are intact, and that they don’t get kicked off the team. That’s definitely more important than their relationship with Christ and eternity, for that matter.

2. When your teenager screws up, ground them from church. Of course! If they don’t care that you take away their TV, cell phone, or friend time, hit them where it hurts. Take away church. Yeah – that oughta do it.

3. Don’t call them out when they need guidance. Always let them make their own mistakes. And if they’re about to do something super-destructive, it’s probably best that they learn on their own. Because learning it the hard way is always the necessary path, right?

4. Talk negatively about your church staff around your teenager. If your pastor messes up, make sure that you call a family meeting to roast him. You should definitely let your teenager know that people can’t be trusted, especially incompetent church leaders. Your teenager needs to know that trusting church leaders isn’t smart! If they don’t trust church leaders, there’s a small chance they’ll ever accept God’s direction in their life. And that’s the safer way to live.

5. Don’t model real faith. At the end of the day, the last thing you want to do, if you want your teenager to ignore God’s voice, is to follow it yourself.

Please know my heart on this issue. We parents need to be leading our families to Jesus every chance we get. Maybe it’s time to take inventory of who or what we’re actually leading our families to.

After all, actions speak louder than words.

Mark Cox is the Student Pastor at Indian Springs Baptist Church. Stalk him at his blog www.thinknextnow.com or on Twitter @markhcox.

Stories Series Drops Sunday

2010-01-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

You don't want to miss our new series, stories, starting this weekend. Everything kicks off at 4:45pm and ends by 7pm. It will be a great series of powerful stories and life changing moments. This will be a great series to invite a friend to. Also...don't forget this weekend is the final weekend to get the $50 discount for Big Stuf Camp, if you pay your $50 deposit. Make sure you invite a friend to come with us to Panama City Beach in June. It could be the best decision they have ever made for their summer. Head over the www.72students.net for more details and to sign up!

Don't Miss This Sunday!

2010-01-04T11:03:00.001-08:00

You don't want to miss this party! We are going to give away some great stuff and have a ton of fun. I hope you will invite your friends. It could make the difference in their eternity. We are going to share the Gospel.

Cell Phones and Students

2009-11-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

Have you every fought over cell phone usage with your student...i.e. overage charges, excessive texting? Cell phones are very helpful but we need to always remind our students that what can be a great attraction can be a great distraction for both parents and students. It can distract us from relationships, time with God, etc. This short list may help you as a parent in working though cell phone trials.

A few ways to protect your student from a cell phone meltdown:

1. Discuss the potential issues and ramifications of inappropriate texting. Once things are sent there is no getting them back. It is posted forever!

2. Remind them that cell phones and even computers are a privilege and not a right. (I can remember when no one had a cell phone...scary) Set up random checks of texts and websites visited.

3. Consider cell phone curfews. Have your student turn in their cell phones at night.

4. Talk with your student often. Be there for him/her. They need you and they need to be able to talk openly with you.

5. Pray for and with your student. Lifting up your concerns and fears to Jesus is still your most powerful tool.

Are there set rules in your home about cell phones?

Are there specific limits, boundaries, and consequences?

by the way this is our 100 post! Bells and whistles, and streamers can now commence.

Video Announcements-11.1.09

2009-11-02T08:55:00.001-08:00

In case you missed rpm last night. Here is the news for you.

Video Anoucements for 11-1-09 from 72 Students on Vimeo.

New Series Starting This Weekend

2009-10-28T09:42:00.001-07:00

Repost this and pass it on to others.

"Everybody Wants to go to Heaven"- Teaser from Josh Britt on Vimeo.

Hope you will make it this weekend starting at 4:45pm. Come and invite a friend.

Announcement Video for 10.24.09

2009-10-28T09:40:00.001-07:00

In case you missed sunday, check out the announcement video.

Video Announcements for 10-25-09 from Josh Britt on Vimeo.

Can't wait for this sunday when we start our new series. Promo is coming in just a few minutes.

Video Announcements-10.18.09

2009-10-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

Parent : Student Discussion

2009-10-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

The discussion is set up to help parents and students to talk about what was talked about in rpm. I believe this could provide for some great discussion. If you decide to use it, let me know what you think. This is just another resource to help you connect as a family. Enjoy!

Real Talk

This week’s study deals with preventing spiritual collapse. All of us probably know someone who once seemed to be spiritually strong, but now is far from the Lord and in a mess. During rpm we talked about several steps that led to Peter’s failure. We will take some time to talk about how to keep it from happening to us. An important concept needs to guide our thinking, It is this: For a Christian, spiritual collapse is never a blow-out, it’s always a slow leak, Even if it appears that someone just suddenly messes up by having an affair or committing a crime, there are always steps leading up to it.

Set the stage, then read Mark 14:27-51, 66-72.

Have you ever made a major mistake and then wondered how you could have been so stupid? (Think about a personal story to tell, then let your student share some of their stories. It might be a blown play, a “dumb” relationship, a forgotten assignment, or whatever.)
Why are we often blind to our faults or mistakes until it’s too late? How is it that we don’t prevent more mistakes than we do?
Spiritually, what sins do people often commit without seeing their mistakes –or the consequences—until it’s too late?
Why do you think Peter so grossly overestimated his spiritual strength? One minute he was ready to die for Jesus, the next he was denying him. Why?
What similar tests come our way that expose whether or not we’re as strong spiritually as we may claim?
What tips could you have given Peter for maintaining his spiritual strength?
If a person has already had a major spiritual collapse, how can they recover? How did Peter come back?
How does accountability fit into a plan for preventing spiritual collapse?
How can we work together to keep ourselves growing and spiritually fit?

Facts about False Religions

2009-10-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

I get asked often about various facts about cults, false religions, etc. Here are a few short facts about various false religions.

Atheism: believing there is no God.

Buddhism: philosophy of life founded by Siddhartha Gautama who lived about 563-483 B.C.

Hinduism: belief system based in India. No founder or final truth.

Judaism/Kabballah: Ancient religion focused on the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Jahovah's Witnesses: founded by Charles Taze Russell in the late 1800s.

Universalism: belief that God will save all people regardless of faith in Christ.

Wicca: pagan belief system that is focused on the cycle of nature.

New Age: Mix of eastern religions, occult, self-help, and astrology.

Scientology: founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in 1954.

Mormonism: established in 1830 by Joseph Smith.

Islam: estimated 1 billion muslims worldwide. jesus is simply considered a prophet.

Secularism: basing life's meaning on the here and now.

John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me."

Remember there is only one way to Heaven and it comes a relationship with Jesus Christ the risen Savior.

A great book you might want to check out is Dare 2 Share: A Field Guide to Sharing Your Faith to help you in sharing your faith with people who believe in various false religions.

Andy Stanley @ Catalyst Conference

2009-10-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

Notes from Andy Stanley's Catalyst Talk

We are leaders because we want things to be better.

Leaders always leave a mark!

Question:

What mark will we leave?

We will often never know what mark we made until long after we have left our mark.

Overview:

Joshua 23:8, 11; 24:15

Main Text:

Joshua 5:13-15

Question:

Are we willing to be a part of His story?

God take full responsibility to those who are wholly devoted to Him-Charles Stanley

Whose mark is this about anyway?

I don't just authority, but I am under His authority.

Big Idea:

Living to make my mark is to small of a thing to give my life for, but His mark is worth it!

Listen to the New David Crowder Album

2009-09-22T08:35:00.001-07:00

David Crowder Band is one of my favorites. Their new album Church Music released today. You can check it out here!

Listen Here

Let me know what you think.

New Series Starting This Weekend

2009-09-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

We are starting a new series this weekend at rpm. You don't want to miss it. Everything kick off at 4:45pm. A rebel is what all believers should be. Every follower of Christ should love, live, and act like Jesus. The problem is that most people don't live any different which make them just like everyone else, not a rebel. This new series will help you embrace this idea of being a rebel. We will look at various rebels in scripture. If you have been a believer for a long time or have never known Christ before this will be a great series for you. Let's start the rebelution

All Pro Dad

2009-09-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

I read an article in today from LifeWay's Living With Teenagers magazine. The article was highlighting Tony Dungy. He has been a very successful coach and father even through the lost of one of his sons. The article shared 10 principles that I believe are excellent for fathers. I hope you will begin to put these in play in your lives at fathers.

10 Ways to be an All Pro Dad

Love Your Wife
Spend Time with Your Children
Be a Role Model
Understand Your Children
Show Affection
Enjoy Your Children
Eat Together as a Family
Discipline with a Gentile Spirit
Pray and Worship Together
Realize You're a Father Forever

Live these out and you will make a huge impact in your kids' lives. Let's make a difference.

Ways to Connect with Students for Leaders

2009-08-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Time outside the church with students can be one of the greatest times of relationship development. Josh Griffin on his blog this week had a guest blogger with some great ideas about how to connect with students outside of church. Parents can even use this to get involved in their student's lives. These 12 ways to connect are divided into three main categories, each category moving to a deeper level of relationship.

Ways to meet new kids and hang out with current youth group kids
1. Volunteer coach a sport at a local school – Coaching gives you a chance to meet dozens of kids. I had the opportunity to coach track this past Spring and I still have kids who call or text me for advice or just want to talk.
4. Tutor for free – Some schools have after school tutoring, volunteer for that in a subject you know well.

Connect and develop relationships with kids
5. Ride with a sports team to away games – Great idea from the guys over at YL Help
6. Help a student work on a project or hobby – Especially helpful during science fair season, or other big school projects. Participating in their personal hobbies are great ways to connect, too.

Disciple kids/transfer life skills to kids

11. Invite a student to help you lead a certain event, then evaluate it afterward – This is a great way to transfer leadership skills through hands-on learning. For example, I invited one kid to help me lead a video game night, asking him to consider “What do video games have to do with Jesus?” During our debrief time (which ended up going just as long as our video game time) we talked about video games as a means to build relationships and how relationships are key to evangelism and discipleship. I bet he learned more through that experience than any youth talk.

12. Be a student of God and invite a kid to learn with you – Pray with a kid, or listen to a sermon together, or read the Bible together. Be an avid learner and invite kids along to learn with you.

There are plenty of other ways to connect with kids. How are you planning to develop relationships with kids this new school year?

Nick Arnold is the youth pastor at New Hope Community Church in Sunland, CA. Hit up his blog at http://ministryallies.com and his Twitter @nickarnold.

Click Here to see the complete list. Tons of great ideas.

Prayer Can it Really Change Things?

2009-08-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

I believe it can. Prayer is the most powerful communication device to speak with and hear from God. I wonder what would happen if students began to become burdened in prayer for their friends, classmates, administration, and campuses. What if everyday of the week all over the country student were praying for their schools. Watch the video below and then click the link below to see how you can begin to intercede for your campus.

Claim Your Campus from Ryan Humm on Vimeo.

Claim Your Campus is a movement of students praying for their schools.

Will you join the movement?

Student Drop Out Rate and How Parents can Help

2009-08-18T04:33:00.000-07:00

One of the most disturbing things about church is how fast students are leaving "it" after they graduate from high school. The topic of student drop out is huge in the student ministry sector. If you haven't heard about this problem before I want to enlighten you about this problem. I feel at this point parents have the greatest ability to help break this trend. I believe as we partner together to help students learn how to know what they believe, serve others, share their faith and disciple others person this epidemic could be overrun. Check out this article about how parents can make a difference in this fight.

Is this the first time you have heard about this problem?

How does it make you feel as a parent or student?

Have you seen this happen to anyone you know?

This Sunday at RPM & Fuel Groups

2009-08-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

This sunday, August 16, we start a new series called: NEXT

This will be our first time back together on sunday nights. I hope you will come and invite a friend. It will be a great time to hang out and learn more about the one who made us. Doors open at 4:45pm. The snack shack will be back in full force with drinks, chips, and candy for purchase. We will have a new check in system up and ready to go. We will kick off with worship in the auditorium at 5:15pm and then head to fuel groups after that at around 7:15pm. If you bring a guest or you are a guest you get to go to the After Party. This will be a great time to get to know people without the pressure to share your deepest secrets and to find out more about 72students.net. Everything will end around 7pm. I really want to encourage you to come and bring a friend. It will be a great time as we kick the student ministry year.

Reason's to Come to the Parent.Student Connection

2009-08-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

Reasons to Come to the Parent.Student Connection

Free Food
Great Conversation
Find Out More Info about 72students
Get the Inside Scoop
Get to meet the fuel leaders
Get to meet the other leaders
Get to meet other parents and students
Learn more about your student(s)
Vision for the future
Programming Info

If any of these interest you please come. No reservations necessary unless you need child care. Go to 72students.net to find out more.

Parent:Student Connection Cookout

2009-07-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

Parent:Student Connection Cookout

Date: August 9th

Time:5-7pm

Location: The two-story building on The Brook Campus

For More Info: Call Josh Britt @ 837.6633 ext. 107 or check out 72students.net

The Parent:Student Connection is to help parents and students to connect and understand more about our student ministry and each other. We will be sharing some of the upcoming events that are going on as well as resource parents with materials to help them grow closer to their students. This event is for the whole family. We will provide dinner and a great time together. Childcare is provided free of charge for kids 6th grade and under. Childcare must be made in advance by emailing josh@thebrookchurch.com or by signing up online at 72students.net. This will be a great time for us all to connect with each other. I hope you and your family will make it.

What has been going on with Josh this summer?

2009-07-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

This summer has been crazy! God has been doing so many things.

We found out Michelle is pregnant with our 4th child, which is due February 2nd. Reality...it will probably be a few weeks before that. We are getting ready excited.
I spent 12 days in Guatemala doing missions with our students and adults. It was truly an amazing trip. God challenged me to think about all I had and how I would be a better steward of what my family has.
MX09 Guatemala - recap from Josh Britt on Vimeo.
Spent a weekend in July speaking and leading worship for FBC Decatur in Panama City Beach, Florida. It was a blast getting to hangout with those students. A plus to this event was my family being able to come with me.
After Speaking and leading worship we had the opportunity as a family to vacation a little long in Panama City. We had a great time at the beach and at the "kitty cat" pool.
Spent a week at Super Summer Alabama leading worship and teaching in one of the schools. It was a great week with several 100 students growing in their depth and knowledge of God. It was an amazing camp experience. It impacted the students that went. We hope to take several more students next year.

Wow!!! Summer isn't even over yet. You can follow the craziness in our lives at twitter and through our s tudent ministry blog.

10 Commandments of Purity

2009-06-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here are ten great things for dads and moms to help keep their marriage pure and on the right track.

The 10 Commandments of Purity

1. I shall have no other human relationship before Michelle, including our children.
2. I shall remember our date night and keep it holy.
3. I shall honor Michelle on anniversaries and special days so that I may live long in the land the Lord has given me.
4. I shall not take the covenant of marriage in vain.
5. I shall not ride in a car or eat in a restaurant alone with a member of the opposite sex.
6. I shall not travel alone.
7. I shall not counsel a woman with the doors closed.
8. I shall not share the details of our marriage with others.
9. I shall not watch, read or expose myself to sexually explicit shows, books, websites, etc.
10. I shall remember the implications of committing adultery.

excerpt from Ed Young Jr. Blog

Are there any commands you would add to this list?

1 Billion People are Going Hungry

2009-06-24T21:29:00.001-07:00

Since our trip to Guatemala there have been several articles about the least that have really gotten my attention.

According to the United Nations food officials 1 billion people are going hungry. Think about that again 1 billion people. That number looks like this 1,000,000,000. This is about 1/6 of the total population of the world.

What will the church do in response to this? I think we need to read Matthew 25 again. Pray with me about how God will use our student ministry to make a difference when it comes to the least of these. I want to serve Jesus more today then yesterday. Lets act now!

What do you think about these numbers?
How do you think the church can respond to make a dent in this number?

Guatemala Highlight Video

2009-06-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

I get pumped every time i watch this. So many memories! What's your greatest memory from Guatemala?

MX09 Guatemala - recap from Josh Britt on Vimeo.

Tips for Parents and High School Grads

2009-06-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Tips for Parents and Grads

Right now many students are preparing to head off to college away from home. Below are a few tips for parents and students as they prepare for departure.

Tips for Parents

1. Arrange time for goodbyes

encourage your student to spend some extra time with siblings. This can be a great time to take a trip together.

2. Make lists and go shopping

Help your student(s) think through their needs when they leave. Go shopping together. This can be a great time of bonding before they leave.

3. Communicate confidence

Many students can seem very confident but can be struggling inside with fear. Instill in them confidence in their abilities both past and present. Remind them of past victories in their life, especially when they thought they might fail.

Tips for Graduates

1. Walk a mile in their shoes.

Remember this is hard for them. Your parents will be struggling with confidence that they prepared you well. They have guided you for 18 years and it can be a little scary for them. Keep that in mind as you prepare to leave.

2. Look forward to family goodbyes

These last few months can be very meaningful before you leave. You will want to spend time with all your friends before you leave, but don't forget about spending time with family as well.

3. Be others-focused

Everything can begin to focus around you...when are you leaving...when can we get together...etc. It can be easy to become self-centered. Make sure you keep your focus on others. This is the Jesus Principle.

Hope these are helpful for you as you prepare for the great departure. We love seniors!

keep talking.

More Trip Stats

2009-06-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

With the help of others we thought of several other stats from our Guatemala trip.

helped with feeding 250 children two different times at the feeding center in Yalu.

handed out about a 1000 stickers and pieces of candy.

Gave out dozens of doses of Immodium and dozens of bandaids.

Loved on tons of children at Hermano Pedro who wouldn't not haven't gotten out of their bed

took 27 and brought 27 back.

It was amazing trip. We should have the highlight video later this week.

Thanks so much for all the support.

Guatemala Trip Stats

2009-06-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Trip Stats

9 houses renovated in Yalu
One complete build in Cuidad Veija better known to us as the Kairos Construction project.
10 students and adults who were sick at some point during the trip. (I won't mention their names or what the sickness was...t.m.i.)
Served 500 Hotdogs at the block party at Yalu.
Handed out over 500 pounds of food at Kairos School. Each family got a bag of food to take home after the family evening program.
Climbed Pacaya-a3 hour hike. Man were we out of breath. 15 of us made the climb. 12 went to a tour of a coffee plantation.
Four Block Parties/Family Programs-Yalu, Kairos, School in Cuidad Veija, Hermano Pedro.

Did I miss anything? I am sure there is more that I didn't think of. comment and we will add it to the list.

Perspective from Yalu House Building

2009-06-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Video by Jan Owen

Gutemala Housebuilding in Yalu from Jan Owen on Vimeo.

Auto Mariscos! (aka guatemalan waterpark)-June 13

2009-06-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we got the opportunity to take 15 orphans from Amor Del Nino to the Auto Mariscos, which translated to english means "auto seafood." Hmm something lost in translation there, but I think it leans more to the fun side of sea creatures than to the edible side. But the excitement and fun the kids were having was definitely not lost in translation. With almost the whole team there we were able to really treat the kids to a great day playing in the wave pool, the kiddie adventure area, and the slides, having a huge lunch for all of us, plus we got in a little relaxation of our own. A big thanks should go to Todd and Mike who went to Kairos School instead and finished out a build on a wall and desk for the computer room! Of course it was incredibly special for me to see to see all of Fernanda's little Amor Del Nino friends who she spent the second year of her life with having so much fun: Hannah, Jose, Adrianna, Gladys, Danni, Jaunito, Letty, Jenny... Barbi, Sheila and I fought over Shayla most of the day, I don't think she ever got put down, she was just too much fun. Sheila eventually won out and held Shayla all the way out to the bus even helping her get dried off and dressed. I am holding tight to the memory of Sheila holding Shayla before we left and their contentment and happiness together as part of the fun and love we all shared together at Auto Mariscos that day.

This trip has been an amazing blessing to me and my family. It has truly been like watching a dream turn into reality right in front of my face. I never would have thought that in less than a year from completing our adoptions and developing a heart for Guatemala that I would be a part of leading a team back to serve there. And to serve in such amazing and selfless ways. Thanks to everyone who sacrificed to go and to those who sacrificed to send us.

-Bill

Amor Del Nino Painting-June 12

2009-06-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

At 7:45 we left to go to Amor Del Nino to help paint walls. A lot of us turned into blue and yellow smurfs. Afterwards we played with all of the kids and babies. we went to Cairos school for a Father's Day celebration. We had puppets, a drama, an evangelistic message and food. The kids did a power lab song, from last years VBS, and a song they made for their fathers. We got down-poured on for an hour. when we came back to the hotel, a few of us fell asleep, well i did, and a few went out to eat. It was a great day!

Emily McCoy

Make sure to check the pics page on 72students.net

Flooding in Antigua

2009-06-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

At the end of the Father's Day program at Kairos School it began to rain. It rained so much while we were their that the streets of antigua started to flood. It was the beginning of the second great flood. We had to take an alternate route home because the main roads were flooded so bad. It was definitely another experience to add to the long list from guatemala. I wonder how Noah felt?

Hola Alabama

2009-06-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

We Look Forward to Seeing all of our Friends and Family soon. Some students and adults may decide to stay. I hope everyone is cool with that.

hotdogs and hardwork

2009-06-11T21:44:00.001-07:00

Hola from Guatemala! Yesterday was pretty incredible. I was with the group that went to Yalu. There were about 15 of us that went there and then we split up into 3 groups and worked on different houses. My group, consisting of Phil, Bill, Jessica, Bobby, and I, first went to a house that had just a little bit of stuff left. That one didn't take very long. After that we walked down this really big hill heading to the next site. I am not the most sure footed person but luckily all of us made it down ok. We were really excited when we saw the house we had to work on, because compared to the others that people were working on it was fairly simple. We had about 3 hours to work on it and got 2 of the 4 walls done. So hopefully that one will get finished up tomorrow. The other 2 groups both got about half way through their houses so I really hope that tomorrow there is enough time for them to all get done.

After the house building we walked over to the church for the block party that we were throwing for the community. That hill we had to carefully walk down earlier, yea we had to walk back up that. I am gonna blame the fact that all of us were out of breath when we reached the top on the altitude :). The block party was pretty awesome. We planned to do our puppets, our skit, a few songs, and then feed everyone. We were expecting a pretty good mix of people but mostly it was a lot of kids and a few women that showed up. We started out with singing. It turns out it paid off to down load the spanish songs that we were doing and listen to them on my ipod cause Jan was sick that day so Sue Ann called me over to help them sing. The kids seemed to like it and were clapping along with us. While the singing was going on we were also working on selling all the clothes we brought with us. We couldn't just give them away cause that would have created mass chaos so we sold every thing for 1 Q each and gave the proceeds back to the feeding center. After that the puppets performed all their songs. The kids really seemed to enjoy that also! After the puppets we did the skit "God's Love". We did this skit awhile back in church except this time the words were in Spanish. The message of the skit is really cool. It portrays people with their different problems, alcoholism, anger, lust, and abuse taking their problems to Jesus and Him washing them clean. It is a really powerful skit but I think it might have been a little over the kids heads. Hopefully some of the moms that were there got something out of it.

After we finished the skit Omar gave a message to the people. I am sure it was excellent, but I don't speak Spanish so I haven't a clue as to what he was saying. While he was giving the message we were working on setting up food to give out. We had hot dogs and chips. We brought 500 hot dogs, countless bags of chips, buns, and ketchup. It started out pretty well cause we already had some plates set up with everything on them but after those first ones went it was a little chaotic trying to get things ready for all the hungry kids. Poor Josh cooked 500 hot dogs with only a machete to flip them with. After awhile it started getting dark, but luckily Bill had a little helmet light so Josh was able to wear that to see the dogs. I am really hoping somebody got a picture of that cause it was pretty funny :).

So my job in our whole assembly line thing was tearing open the buns because some of them weren't precut. To anyone that thought I was crazy for going on a mission trip with acrylic nail, I just want to say that they really came in handy for getting those buns open :). When our lines were finally looking like they were getting a little smaller it started to rain. At first it wasn't bad, just a few sprinkles, and we were able to continue serving the food. Luckily it didn't start to pour until we were about done. We quickly gave out the rest of the dogs and saved the sound system from getting wet, so God was looking out for us.

The block party was a really amazing experience. If we would have thrown that party anywhere in the States, there definitely would have been at least something left over but there was not a scrap of food left. It really puts into perspective how blessed we are because we would have wined about not knowing what kind of meat was in the hot dogs or just simple little things like that, but these people just ate it all up. The bus drivers were trying to get us to hurry up and leave because they were worried about the road conditions, which didn't inspire us with much confidence, but luckily we made it back to the hotel safely.

This morning I decided to go to the coffee plantation instead of the volcano primarily because I am a good daughter and went to get my mommy her coffee but also because I really didn't want to be ready to go by 7 am to spend all day hiking :). The coffee plantation was really cool. The guide told us the history of coffee and then showed us all the different stages in the manufacturing process. It is pretty crazy. Six and a half pounds of freshly harvested beans only makes up 1 pound of the final product. While we were there the owner of the plantation was walking around and he talked to us some. I am betting it was pretty cool for Phil to discuss different roasting temperatures and stuff like that with someone who is a coffee master. All of us got to try some of the coffee, which was very yummy, and we all stocked up on the coffee.

After that we went to a monastery. It was pretty cool. This place was home to the first Catholic monk that they sent from Spain to Guatemala to evangelize. After that we went to a market, which of course I really enjoyed cause it's SHOPPING :). The rest of the afternoon our group spent just relaxing at the hotel and shopping a little more. Aside from all the sickness going around, this trip has been pretty awesome!

-Callie

check pics page to see updates on pictures. some video footage will be up soon as well.

Big Day

2009-06-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

it' 8:34am here in antigua, guatemala and we are about to disembark on our trip to kairos school. yesterday in Yalu was a good day, we finished two houses fully and we're about 3/4 done with the third house. today we've planned to host a block party where we will be playing music and giving a puppet show. hopefully i will be one of the few to not get sick, anyways i'm off to go play my guitar for guatemalan kids at a public school. Everything is awesome here. I might just stay!

Alex Stampley

Make sure to check the pics page everyday.

Hailstorm!!!!!

2009-06-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

hailstorm guatemalan style. It came up all of the sudden while we at Hermano Pedro. It was crazy. Very Loud!

Hope you Enjoyed!

Never Complain About Laundry

2009-06-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

We will never complain about putting things in the dryer again. This was the biggest clothes line every. Laundry Amor Del Nino Style!

What do you think?

Tiffany's Guatemala experiences.

2009-06-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

June 6th 2009. We all had to wake up really early in the morning [early as in we didn't even get to eat breakfast, we had to stop at a gas station to get breakfast] We road in our crazy driven vas up a mountain to Amor Del Nino. Amor del nino is an orphanage with about fourty-five children. Every kid had a story and they were all sad. It was difficult to try and understand how any mother could leave any of those adorable children just anywhere. One of the babies there was very lucky to be alive. Her mother had her in a bathtub and left her there. After we left Amor Del Nino [which took a while because the van was having difficulty getting up the mountain] we went back to the hotel for a short time and then left walking many blocks to go see a church and some ruins. The ruins were absolutely beautiful everyone spent some time alone just reflecting and thinking and praying and such. We left there and walked around a couple of blocks [in the very hot hot heat] to Hermano Padro [i think i spelled that right...not the greatest speller in english which makes spelling in spanish ALOT more difficult lol] anyways Hermano Padro. It is a special needs hospital where most there have Cerebral Polocy [or however you spell that as well lol] It was pretty much indescribable. Those there were wow....its something i dont think i can describe. There was one man there who was twenty something and he was curled up in a crib. It was very sad. We are going back today. Some of the CP people that were in there wheelchairs or walking around were amazing. they were so full of joy, despite the fact that they were different, and crpippled. When we visited the women we found they loved jewelry. When we were at the ruins alot of us bought necklaces from an old lady and we left Hermano Pedro without them because the women just loved them. Alex also got a girlfriend there. He sat next to a woman and she was lovin on him ;) [watch out Staci!]. Yesterday was pretty much amazing and i am so glad i was able to go here to Guatemala.We have only been here for a couple of days and its already the best. I think all of us are gonna be different people after all ten days of this trip. I love it here in Guatemala it is amazingly beautiful and everyone should go there and love on the children and people here.
ADIOS!

-tiffany.

Guate-ever - June 5th

2009-06-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty exciting as we all went in the mission field and many of us for the first time.
We split up and sent one group to Kairos school and one group to Yalu.
The Kairos group, got acquainted with all the students and played some games and had some fun with the kids. It was a short school day. We began to setup the computer lab and it looks like later in the week we may build a desk and a wall to further geek it out. The kids were so excited about us being there and the computadores! One part of the Kairos group went to house building project in the same area. They assisted the Guatemala masons as they begain laying cinder block.
The Yalu group had their first try at converting corn stalk homes to Tin homes. Yes you read that right. We have bought 100 beams and 100 sheets of tin so far to help convert these folks homes from cornstalk walls to tin walls and improve their roofs. Like Phil said...are we really having an economic crisis back home.... kinda puts things in a different perspective. 2 houses were completed many more to go.

check out pictures from June 4th

check out pictures from June 5th

We Are Here!-Day 1

2009-06-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

We have made it to Guatemala! God was so good in our travel. Everyone has been doing well. We have now learned that Delta is not merciful to oversized mission group bags. Please pray for them. Tiffany R. almost left here passport on the plane after we landed in Guatemala. Thankfully the nice flight attendant found it for her. Everyone had their first taste of Pollo Campero. Yum, Yum! We will begin to post pictures and possibly videos later tonight or tomorrow. Thanks so much for your love and support. God is going to do great things here in Guatemala.

Guatemala & Church

2009-06-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to remind you about a few things.

First...tomorrow evening at 11pm our group will be meeting to head to Atlanta to fly out to Guatemala. We would love you to pray for us while we are away. Pray that a great movement of God will be seen because of the faithfulness of all involved. I know God is going to do awesome things while we are there and even after we are gone. Check for daily updates at 72students.net

Second...beginning this sunday we will be doing one service during the months of June and July. The service will be at 10am. If you could do a few things to help us out. Get here early, park far away, sit close to the front, and scoot to the middle of the rows. This would help us make guest feel welcome and keep row congestion down. You guys are awesome!

Lastly...our next rpm on the road will be June 17th at Heritage Provence Pool. We will post directions on 72students.net as soon as we get them.

Texting Crazy

2009-05-26T12:54:00.001-07:00

Do you every feel like all you do is text? Or at least that is all your students does? Check this article out. it has some great info for you as a parent. Have you noticed any changes in your student as they have started texting.

What is the average texting rate per month for your student or even yourself as a parent?

Kids and Questions

2009-05-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Have your students ever asked things like this?

RPM on the Road this Summer

2009-05-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Overview:
This summer we are doing things a little different. Instead of meeting on campus we are meeting in various homes around the community. Every week we will meet at a different location. This will give us a great opportunity to hangout more and enjoy more discussion. There will be a few things we have at every location. First, there will always be food. We know with hectic schedules even during the summer it can be hard to get something to eat so we are taking care of this for you. Second, the format will probably change somewhat every week. This will give everyone the opportunity to get to know each other better. At several of the houses they have pools, which we will enjoy. The only thing we ask of you is for the guys to not wear speedo style swimsuits and girls to wear a one-piece or a dark long cover up. This will all help us to keep our focus.

Everything kicks off at 6pm with Food. Even if you come late it is okay. We want you to be a part. The ending times will vary a little depending on the activity.

Locations:
Check www.72students.net for various locations and directions.

New Series Starting Wednesday

2009-05-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

DTR: Defining the Relationship is our new series starting this wednesday night. These words can be exciting and devastating for people depending on how the relationship is defined. Everyone spends time defining their relationship whether it is with the opposite sex or defining whether someone is their best friend or not. In this series we will talk about defining the greatest relationship of all. This series will give you answers on how and why you should define the relationship. Come and bring a friend!

May 6th: Defining the Terms (Show your team or school spirit by wearing your favorite team or school get up.)
May 13th: Having the Talk (free food at 6pm)

Location: The Brook; Bottom Floor of Two Story Building
Time: Doors open at 6pm, Everything Starts at 6:30pm and ends at 8:15pm
Who: For students in grades 7th-12th

questions for families

2009-03-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

We want to know how we can help you as families. Here are three questions that can help us understand how we can help your family.

Three Questions:
1. What’s going on in your family and your kid’s life right now that would help me and the youth leaders know how to best work with your student?
2. How can the student ministry support you and your family better?
3. How are YOU doing spiritually right now?

If you will email your responses to josh@72students.net

Parent Only Session from Wednesday, February 18

2009-02-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

Notes from the Parent Only Session minus the answers to the questions from Josh and Michelle. I'll try to post a somewhat shortened response to each of those questions later. Some of the stuff we didn't even get to due to time.

Parent Only Session

(Josh) Share Stats
(Michelle) Share what questions kids asked

(Josh) Who is responsible for teaching your kids about sexuality/sex?

Group Question:
What are some of the sexual lies you’re kids’ are exposed to?

GREAT AND GODLY SEX STARTS BETWEEN THE EARS BEFORE IT’S BETWEEN THE LEGS.

When (the devil) lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

(Michelle) What are your students learning relationally/spouse, our bodies and others, and media?

Media is wrecking the family.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

WHAT SATAN DOESN’T WANT YOUR KIDS TO KNOW ABOUT SEX

• YOUR BOD BELONGS TO GOD.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body… 1 Corinthians 6:13

porneia (por-ni'-ah); illicit sex including adultery, incest, premarital sex, or any extramarital sexual arousal.

Big Idea:
Purity is the pathway to intimacy!

(Michelle) Do I tell them about my past?

WHY STAY PURE?

1) SEX IS STICKY.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 1 Corinthians 6:15-16

2) SEXUAL SIN IS MESSY.

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18

(Josh) What if my child has made a mistake?

3) SEXUAL PURITY IS AN ACT OF WORSHIP.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind… Romans 12:1-2

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalms 51:10, 12

When our view of God increases our desire to focus and worship him increases.

(Michelle) Talking about sex/sexuality is a process – not a “talk”, must revisit in over and over.

Commit to pray.

Question:
What can you do today to better worship God with purity?

Internet Security for Parents and Students

2009-02-19T13:12:00.000-08:00

Here is some of the info from our parents only sex talk on wednesday night. comment if you have any questions.

Safe Eyes is one resource that we highlighted. Safe Eyes is a monitoring software that has tools for both personal and mobile devices. You can check out more info at Safe Eyes

Here is another resource that a family in our church uses. It has some great stuff.
Here's what we're doing at my house instead of using Safe Eyes. On my
wireless router, instead of using knology's DNS servers, I'm using
OpenDNS's DNS servers (check them out at ). If
you open a free account with them, you can tell them to not allow adult
sites. If someone at my house tries to go to an adult site, they will
get a "blocked" message in their browser.

There are advantages and disadvantages to using OpenDNS vs. Safe Eyes.

Pros:
- OpenDNS is free
- You go to 1 place to handle all computers, laptops, PSPs, iTouch
iPods, etc. that use the wired/wireless internet in your house.

Cons:
- OpenDNS is not monitoring software - you can't monitor what your kids
are saying with IMs, on FaceBook, etc. (However, you can completely
block MySpace/FaceBook/etc. if you would like.)

You could also combine the two - use OpenDNS to block adult sites and
use Safe Eyes to monitor everything else.

check this resource out at OpenDNS

Comment and let us know if you decide to use any of these or if you know of any other resources.

Parent SEX Talk

2009-02-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night we are hosting the parents during our wednesday night worship gathering for students. It will be an amazing time. Make sure you get your parents there. Doors open at 6pm and ends at 8:15pm. Don't worry students you will be out of the room while Michelle and I are talking to your parents, so breath a sigh of relief and invite them to be there. See you wednesday night!

who's got talent?

2009-02-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

We are looking for someone who can do this to a song on wednesday night. Who has the gift? Comment if you can!

Cadbury Eyebrows from Nils-Petter Lovgren on Vimeo.

Sex Series

2009-02-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

Does the word “sex” make you uncomfortable? Does sex make you think about “hurling” when you process talking about it with your student? Did you just get a lump in your throat?

We want to help and affirm the teaching you as parents are giving your students on this topic. God has much to say about sex in scripture. Just to name a few.

Applicable Scripture on the Topic: Ephesians 5:3 Colossians 3:5-6 , 1 Corinthians 6:12-19

We believe sex is a special gift from God only to be shared with our husband or wife. Our desire is to help you and your students clearly communicate about sex no matter how weird you may feel about it.

Over the years the Church has stayed silent on this topic for far to long relegating sexual education to primetime media. Our desire as a student ministry is to seek to have open, real, and clear communication about sex and sexual issues and how it relates to students and families. This series will tackle topics such as Biblical Foundation of Sex, Guys and Girls Only Issues, and Parent and Student issues. We believe this is a vary necessary topic as so many students are faced sexual pressure everyday. This series is beyond talking about just don't have sex. It will look at the importance of waiting and the fact that not having sex has less to do with getting pregnant or a disease. Waiting has to do with trusting God with your future and making wise choices.

Andy Stanley and Stuart Hall said it best, Purity paves the way to Intimacy. We really have a desire for every one of our students to wait until marriage for any type of sexual relationship with anyone. Sex is way beyond a physical activity. We want our students to understand what could be missed by mistrusting God. We also want students to understand their significance in Christ and His desire for them to experience a intimate relationship at the right time. There is so much pressure on our students these days and we want to help them combat the pressure by seeking God with all their hearts.

I want to encourage you to allow your students to participate in this incredible series about God’s design starting February 4th at The Brook on Wednesday Nights. Doors open at 6pm and everything gets cranked up at 6:30pm. I would also like to invite you (parent) to come meet with us on February 18th at 6:30pm in Building Four. There are no reservations needed. We would love for you to come with questions and an open heart. God wants your students to seek out purity, just as I know it is your desire as well. I consider it a great privilege and honor to work with your students during this journey. We want to support you. I want to encourage you to comment or email me if you have any questions. I believe this could be one of the best series we have ever had in our student ministry. I am praying that it will help you and your student open up a new chapter as it relates to relationships and sexual issues. I am praying for you.

Wednesday Night Schedule

February 4

Biblical Foundation of Sex

How do we know that sex is for one man and one woman?

Defining sex-masturbation, oral sex

Sex is a gift from God

Sex is a choice

Shift the thinking about sex

Sex is a wait issue not never issue.

February 11

Guys and Girls Only

Differences in guys and girls

Things we do now are going to affect our sexuality and the future of it.

Guys Only with Josh Britt

Issues for guys only

pornography

Girls Only with Michelle Britt

Issues for girls only

Self Image Issues

February 18

Parent/Student Q&A

Parents Only Session-Helping your student develop their sexuality and conquer their struggles

Students Only Session-Helping your parents understand your sexuality and the struggles

Large Group with Q & A

February 25

Panel Discussion

Commissioned to Purity

Guatemala Scout Trip Final Post

2009-01-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Guatemala was amazing. We are so pumped about what God is doing there. He is going to use us all to rock the Kingdom for Him. Our final day we spent at Shalom Baptist Church talking with pastor Alvero. He was a great guy. We headed to the airport with our favorite driver Edwen to head home. Our hearts are so full. We look forward to sharing so many great things with you. Don't forget to sign up at 72students.net to go with us in June. You can even go if you are an adult. God wants you there.

Here are the final set up pictures. There are a ton from all the days we were in Guatemala. Click here to see.

Pray that we will continue to have vision and clear direction for June 5-15. God has been so good in this area. Remember if God wants you to go he will provide the means necessary, it might even mean some hard work. You guys are awesome!!!

Guatemala Scout Trip Dia Tres

2009-01-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

Today was another great day. It was exciting to see more of Antigua. We looked around at a lot of hotels and local restaurants. We looked at the Jungle Party Hostile but decided it might be a little to crazy for us. The Happy Hour was a little to long. We had the joy of riding a Tuk-Tuk. Just imagine Josh, Sue Ann, and Bill riding all together in the back of a three wheeled moped. (the driver struggled just a little bit to get the door closed. Josh almost had to sit in the drivers lap. We will post more pictures tomorrow when we get back. We don't have a card reader for the camera.

Sunday

Ate breakfast at Cafe Dona Luisa
Did a little Shopping before church
Went to church at Inglesia del Camino-Worship was a lot like The Brook other then we sang in both Spanish and English.
Ate Lunch after church at Mono Loco-Josh ate a hamburger with an egg on it.
Headed to Hermano Pedro Hospital and Orphanage-This was probably one of the most emotionally moving places we went all week. Most children lay in their caged beds all day and many are even drugged so that they will sleep and not need care.
Bill bought black bean paste for Melodie at the Supermarcado.-The Bodagona (imagine guatemala wal-mart) was out.
Heading to eat dinner at La Fonda de la Calle-The food was muy rico.
Packing at the Hotel to leave in the morning for Guatemala City and Shalom Baptist Church.

Thanks so much for all your prayers. We are thinking and praying for you all. We have a ton to share with you about our trip. God is really doing a work here and I believe He wants us to make a huge impact for Him. Make sure to sign up asap at 72students.net. God has already told me what you should do. So head over to the website and sign up now.

I'm not playing about signing up. Do it now! God is going to bless you and provide for your trip.

Hey Daniel sorry you missed it.

Guatemala Dias Uno y Dos

2009-01-24T20:19:00.000-08:00

We are finally here in Guatemala. We have had a great time so vary. Our time so far has been amazing. God is speaking so strongly. We are very excited about the possiblities for this summer. We have some of our pictures on smugmug. Check Pictures Out Here. We will probably not get to upload day two until we get back. I'll give you a chick rundown so far of all the excitement.

Friday

Took off from Atlanta
Landed in Guatemala City
Went eat lunch at Bill's favorite chicken spot-Pollo Campero (good stuff)
Headed to Amor Del Nino and had a great time with the kids. (Josh pick up one little girl and inadveartely her leg protheses fell off. The was a very humorous moment at Josh's expense.)
Picked up by our driver Edwin (he looks like Mario from the nintendo game) and heading for the Hotel in Antiqua.
Walked around the city and got dinner
Called it a night early to get ready to the next day.

Saturday

Ate some breakfast at Cafe Condsa (great hauvos)
Walked around the city exploring various options and watching Sue Ann speak Spanish to as many people as possible, even if they spoke English.
Headed to Myra's Feeding program (we met the driver at Pollo Campero) Got to help with lunch and had a great time with the kids and getting to know Myra. Myra is starting a school next week and there are many possiblities to teach and work with the school.
Headed back to Pollo Campero to meet Steve from Amor Del Nino
Look at houses that had been build by a ministry we were considering working with this summer.
Steve then took us down the bumpest road in Guatemala to a village to look at building opportunities there as well as a feeding program and medical clinic. (Josh almost wet himself because of the bumps)
Headed by to the Hotel
Ate at La Pena and enjoyed the live music.
Chillin' at the hotel and getting ready for an exciting day on Sunday.

If you haven't noticed by now the whole trip so far has centered around Pollo Campero. It is our choice to meet just about everyone in Antigua.

Article for Parents

2009-01-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

Or one you should make your parents read. It is tough to be a parent! Parenting is a crazy and an exciting ride. A great article was published this week about mentoring your student. It provides some great insights and instructions for parents. Check it Out Here!

Some People Make Me Sick

2009-01-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Preaching this Weekend

2008-12-19T23:16:00.000-08:00

I will be preaching this weekend during out morning services. I hope you will make it. God has really been laying some things on me as I've prepared for this message. I'm excited about it! You should really read Matthew 2 before you come. I hope to see you at 9am or 10:45am. I love you all!

Twilight?

2008-12-16T21:08:00.000-08:00

Twilight has taken the teen landscape by storm. Student are devouring it like crazy. I know several people who have seen the movie several times and are re-reading the books again. I have not read the books, but have read a lot about it and asked a lot of students questions about it. There is a great article that was published recently that might help shed a little light on the topic for parents.

article

Have you read the book?
What do you think about it?
How many times have you seen the movie?

Are You Second?

2008-12-04T07:51:00.001-08:00

Great site with great stories. Check it Out.

I Am Second

Don't Forget Parent.Student Connection

2008-11-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

Don't forget the Parent.Student Connection this Sunday at 12:30pm. I hope you will all make it. Even if you didn't RSVP come anyways. It will be a great time of challenge, encouragement, and information. We have several big announcements. I hope you will make this a priority!

Will you join the conspiracy?

2008-11-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

We unveiled our upcoming series in our weekend service this past sunday. It is going to be a challenging series as we approach the Christmas Holidays.

I hope you will pray about how you will join the conspiracy.

txt lingo

2008-10-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

We are currently doing a series on prayer on wednesday night called txt. Thanks so Christie Ross below you will find a website that will help you understand the lingo your students are using as they txt each other. We hope this will be a helpful link.

TXT Lingo

New Creation

2008-10-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

New Creation from FC Post on Vimeo.

I thought this video was a little crazy the first time I saw it, but it is rocking my world. I weep every time I see it because I am reminded how many of us have been made new by Christ. So many more await. Will we do what it takes to reach others for Christ?

Sex and Drug Use Among Students

2008-10-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

There was a great article about Sex and Drug use among students and how the family plays a huge role in this. Whether you realize it or not, parents play a significant role in whether a student will have sex and how much and will they start taking drugs. Churchrelevance.com summarized these findings very well. It is well worth the read. Family Interaction Reduces Teen Sex and Substance Use

Does your family eat regularly together?
Does your family go to the church together?
How often do you talk with your parents/students during a week?

Mission Trip

2008-10-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know we are working on our mission trip stuff, but so far we are striking out. Most of the organizations that are on the coast are telling us they now only want people that are 18 years and older. Also, I was looking at the calendar and the day off of school for Veterans day is not Monday it is Tuesday this year. In the past it has always be on the monday if i am not mistaken. Just a little frustrated. Pray for me and our team as we try to make a good decision what to do. I am a little bummed today. We are looking at a few alternate weekends and other organizations. God is good and will do something amazing whatever it is.

What P.A.T.H. are You Creating for Your Kids-Part 2

2008-10-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the second half of the article by Justin Hilliker, God’s P.A.T.H. for parenting: part two. This is a must read for all parents and future parents. He closes the article out by hitting the last two letters in P.A.T.H., Training and Helping.

Click the Link to Read

What ways are you training your children intentionally?
How are you helping students to develop godly habits?

What P.A.T.H. are You Creating for Your Kids

2008-09-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

What paths are your children taking?

Are we as parents helping our children to set the right course for their lives. What path do you want your kids to take? What we say, do, and don't do speak volumes to our children. Recently Tommy Hilliker wrote a great article about helping your children find the right path. He hits the first two points in his article called God’s P.A.T.H. for parenting. I will post on part two when it is released later this week.

His path includes four key directions:
Provide a spiritual foundation for your family.
Accept your children unconditionally.
Train them intentionally.
Help them develop healthy godly habits.

A Couple of Questions:
How often do you read scripture with your children a week?
Do you have a time set aside for you and your children to grow spiritually?
Do you ever find it hard to accept your kids no matter what?

Powerful Video

2008-09-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday The Brook celebrated 10 years of ministry. Thanks to everyone for all the hard work. It was an awesome day! God really moved in many cool ways. One of the most powerful moments of the morning was the cardboard testimonies. I hope it will touch each of you as it has touch each one of us.

Cardboard Testimonies from Jan Owen on Vimeo.
God is all about transforming lives! This is what church is all about.

How has God changed your life?

10 Years of Ministry

2008-09-17T14:24:00.001-07:00

This Sunday The Brook will celebrate 10 years of ministry. It is amazing that 10 years ago God begin an incredible work. God has truly blessed The Brook! I am so thankful that I have been a part of this congregation for 4 and 1/2 years. It has been an exciting ride so far. I look forward with great expectations to what God will do over the next 10 years.

You don't want to miss the celebration this Sunday at 10am at The Brook, 8573 Highway 72 West, Madison, AL 35758. There will be powerful worship, moving messages, and even a few surprises. You will want to be their early for the service, park far away and sit close to the front. We will need every square inch possible. I would encourage you to set your alarm at least 15 minutes earlier then normal.I believe the service will be one of the best ever. You should invite a friend to be a part of this day. There will be a picnic following the service. You will want to bring a lawn chair. Also, if you have a pop up tent bring it with you as well. The food will be provided so just come on.

I hope to see you at The Brook this weekend.

Wednesday Night Recap

2008-09-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

Last night was awesome!

Worship was amazing as Wendel S., Ryan J., Nathan S., Phillip K., and Corey B. lead us in worship.
The Setlist:
Mighty to Save by Hillsong
From the Inside Out by Hillsong United
Hosanna by Hillsong United

It was awesome seeing so many students connect with God in worship. I believe God's heart was blessed.

The big idea during the message was:
Excuses hinders God's work, but excellence honors God and inspires people. -thanks Mr. Hybels for the last part of this statement.

We have some amazing leaders that really care about students. I am so blessed to work with them.

Every parent should read Do Hard Things by Brett & Alex Harris. It will be well worth the time and it could be a great way to create a discussion with your student.

I want to encourage each student to think about someone to invite next week. It will change their life!

Today is the Final Day!

2008-09-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the final day to sign up for White Water Rafting. Head to 72students.net to register. It's going to be a blast.

Simple Way to Help People in LA!

2008-09-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

We are not talking about Los Angeles. We are talking Louisiana. You might be asking yourself how can I help people who have been devastated by a hurricane. Well this is a great way to help those in need. Check this video out!

Hurricane Torn Baton Rouge Needs Our Help!!! from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Send them a tarp or two.

Buy one or more blue tarps at TarpsPlus.com. What size? I figure any size will work. My family is going to by several.

Send the tarp(s) to the following address...
Healing Place Church
19202 Highland Roadd
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
225.753.2273

Let me know if you buy some!

White Water Rafting

2008-09-06T12:17:00.001-07:00

Hey...

if you are planning on going white water rafting. Make sure you sign up today at www.72students.net! We need to give them our numbers by today. Even if you can't pay today, make sure to sign up. email me at josh@thebrookchurch.com if you have any questions.

72students.net
thebrookchurch.com

Concert

2008-09-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

i now a lot of you will be going to football games tomorrow night, but if you aren't and you are looking for something to do. This could be a great option. Hope Church is putting on a show Friday night. I'm not going to be able to make it but i thought you might be interested especially if you are into hard music. Just wanted to throw a fun and safe event your way.

This is hosted by the church that lets us use their facility on Wednesday nights. Brian Metz is a great friend and all around good guy.

Wednesday Night

2008-08-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Talk Idea
Go Hard: Against all Odds

Set List for Wednesday Night
Dancing Generation by Matt Redman
Here is Our King by David Crowder
Devotion by Hillsongs United

rpm & fuel starts at 6:30 and ends at 8:15pm.
this gathering is for students in 7th-12th grade.
We will meet at Hope Church on Balch Road about a 1/2 mile north of highway 72 in Madison. We will meet there until our student ministry area is completed at The Brook.

Church Attendance and your GPA

2008-08-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

Did you know that kids who attend church have a higher GPA?

This is a real reason to get your kids to church other then it can really be a great influence on your child's life. Check this article out! It is really worth the read. Very interesting stuff.

Adrenaline Junkies

2008-08-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

Here it comes..

White Water Rafting

September 13^th

Ocoee River in Tennessee

We will leave from the church at 8:30am and return by 9pm.

The cost is $46 plus money for lunch and dinner on the road.

You will need to fill out their release form as well as ours if you haven’t already this year.

Click here for the full list of what to bring.

Email josh@thebrookchurch.com with questions.

Generous Teenager

2008-07-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

I am always challenged by a student's willingness to honor God with every part of their life. check out this entry by Perry Noble. It will be well worth the read for both parents and students.

Generous Teenager

It's been a blessing to see various students over the years give like this student did!

RPM Last Night

2008-07-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

RPM was incredible last night!!!!
We prayed over our new facility that God would move in the lives of students that would come. We prayed for construction to start quickly, that all the hurdles would be knocked down and mountains made flat. After the time of prayer we had a great time just talking about our ministry as a whole. The discussion was great. The students had some great insights and observations. I think we might do this kind of think every 8 to 10 weeks. It was very refreshing. The guests even participated in the discussion. We had like 7 guests last night. It was awesome!

SNAC was great as well. Thanks so much to the Hatch's for opening their home to us. I had yard envy.

Sunday Night RPM & SNAC!!!!

2008-07-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

We are finally back at it this Sunday night at 5pm for rpm. We will have a special prayer time for construction of the upstairs as well as a talk back time. During the talk back time i would love for you to share with me some ideas and thoughts about what could help us maximize our reaching students for Christ. After rpm we will head over to the Hatch's house for SNAC.

Below are all the details:

SNAC Pool Party

When: Sunday night, July 27^th

Time: After RPM on Sunday night until 9:30 pm

Where: Jerry & Angie Hatch’s home at 316 Loch Lomond Drive in Madison (directions below)

Bring: 2-Liter soda, swimsuit*, and towel

*guys no speedos. girls no 2 pieces. You will need a long, dark, and loose cover up if you wear a two-piece or speedo.

Directions to the Hatch Home from The Brook: Turn right onto Hwy. 72. Turn right onto Balch Road. Turn left into West Highlands subdivision onto Loch Lomond Drive. Their house is down on the right side of the street.

More info??? Call Christie Ross at 658-4966.

Parent's Responsiblity

2008-07-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Today there was a great blog by a guy named Tim Stevens. He is the executive pastor at Granger community church. I believe he had some great insight for parents raising teens. He has a few of his own so think speaks from some experience.

Here is just a highlight:

The environments parents place their students in just before the teen years will often dictate the student's environments they pick.

As they start middle school, don't give them the option to stay home from the youth program.

Get them in situations where they are hanging with young adults who are following God.

Let them participate in events where there is a good chance they might take a step spiritually, like summer camp, missions trips, or weekend retreats.

You can click here to read the blog in its entirety.

Fuel Tomorrow Night!

2008-07-15T14:13:00.001-07:00

Wednesday night fuel groups are going out to eat. We will head down to Five Guys and Fries on University. Make sure to bring some cash to eat on (you know how hungry you are). Josh is going to bring $10. Meet at the church at 6:30pm and we will be back by 8pm. It will be a ton! See you tomorrow.

Six Flags

2008-07-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

We are going to Six Flags on July 31st. The cost should be right around $45. I will know a firm cost after I hear back from the Van company, but I don't expect it to be any more than a $2 or $3 difference. We will leave very early in the morning and return pretty stinking late, but it will be worth it. You will need to bring money for Lunch and Dinner and drinks to stay hydrated. There will be more info on the website tomorrow. You might even be able to pay online. Sign up soon as we will have a limited number of spaces. leave a comment if you are going!

Deep Study

2008-07-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

We need your input!

We are working on our fall and spring deep study schedule and we would like for you to help us set up our line up. We would like for you to give us your top 5 list of studies based on the studies below and even share with us one that is not listed that has really impacted you. Thanks so much for your input and ideas. You are very important to us!

Potential Deep Study Ideas

Rooted
This resource is designed to give students a deeper, more concentrated interaction with Scripture and the person of Christ.

Rooted: New Testament accomplishes three distinct goals:
1. Communicate essential biblical truths
2. Give students an exciting overview of the New Testament
3. Improve individual Bible study skills

Basic Outline
• Introduction to the Bible
• Survey of the New Testament
• The Life and Teachings of Jesus
• The Acts of the Apostles
• The Letters of Paul
• Hebrews Through Revelation

Heaven-Common Miss Conception of Heaven
Based on the popular book by Randy Alcorn
Many people don’t live any different here on earth because they don’t really understand what they are living for after death. For most people all they have ever heard about heaven is that we will sing worship songs forever. For most people this doesn’t seem like an exciting idea. Through this study we will squelch many misconceptions and miss understanding about heaven. We will get a better grasp of life after death. What will our bodies be like? What does heaven really look like? Etc.

Gospel Journey
The Ultimate Spiritual Adventure is an intensive and extensive outreach and training resource. This powerful outreach tool films seven real teenagers (not actors), some of whom are Christians and some who are not, on a six day wilderness adventure with Greg Stier. Each entertaining and engaging session contains real world training and discussion that takes the teens through the story of the Bible in an informative, cutting-edge fashion.

Go Wide
Using a typical public school setting as his backdrop, Greg Stier will give you and your teens an action plan to reach their friends for Jesus. Your teens will learn how to Pray, Pursue and Persuade: how to pray for their friends who don't know Jesus, pursue their current relationships on a deeper spiritual level (AKA "bring God up") and persuade their friends to come to Christ and connect to your youth group.
In addition, you will discover the passionate evangelists in your youth group who are willing to pursue relationships with teens outside their comfort zone. These teens will form your "e-team" (evangelism team) and will drive the ongoing outreach effectiveness of your entire youth ministry.

Every Young Man’s Battle
a survival guide for male teens and young adults struggling with sexual temptation. Learn how to help young men implement a practical "battle plan"---exchanging shame and confusion for a positive, thriving relationship with Christ.

And the Bride Wore White
easy and fun way to spark conversation about one of the most important issues women of all ages face-purity. Written by bestselling author Dannah Gresh, this guide gives you practical insight that you can share with the girls in your sphere of influence.

You'll help girls:
• Identify the difference between being innocent and pure
• Commit to keep God first and save sex for marriage
• Create a goal for godly marriage by deciding to date only Christians
• Learn how to get out of questionable situations
• Begin the process of healing from sexual sin if it exists in their lives

Generation Change
You will learn about materialism and how to handle money God’s way. Students will also learn about the hazards of debt, budgeting, tools for making wise purchases, and the importance of giving and saving.

Experiencing God
Right away you will notice that this book is different from most books you read. It's not designed for you to sit down and read from cover-to-cover. It's not a self-help book. Rather, it is designed for you to carefully study, understand, and apply biblical principles to your life. It is about experiencing God--day by day, moment by moment.

You'll:
• Learn how to hear when God is speaking to you.
• Find out where God is working and join Him.
• Discover that God pursues a love relationship with you that is real and personal.
• Face crises of belief as you join God where He's working.
• Experience God doing through you what only God can do!

Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God is a nine-week course designed for both individual and small group study In it, you spend time with God everyday and then meet together with other Christians in a small group once a week to share how God is working in your life.

The Student God Uses
With this small-group study guide, students build on the truths set forth in Experiencing God, and they'll help teenagers come to understand the way God molds the character of the person He chooses to use for His purpose. Through the interactive study, youth can realize limitless possibilities for ministry and service when they join God in His activity. A six-week resource, five daily lessons per week and guidance material for each weekly group meeting are included.

Is there another study you know about that is really good and would benefit our student ministry?

Song of the Summer

2008-07-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here is an awesome song! The chorus should be all of our mottos. Even if you don't like rap or hip hop you should give it a listen.

'Send Me' - Live at MHC | Ballard from Mars Hill Church on Vimeo.

See you all tonight at fuel: 6:30pm